Warning Track (38 page)

Her arms ran the length of his back and she was startled as she felt multiple abrasions along his skin. She looked Luke in the eyes and said, “Turn around.”

He dropped his head to her shoulder and shook it. “No, I don’t want you to see.”

“Luke, I’m going to see at some point. Please don’t shut me out, show me.”

Knowing this was a difficult thing for Luke to do, she waited as he took a deep breath and slowly turned around so he was sitting up on the bed, facing away from her.
 

She was immediately struck by the raised scars that crisscrossed his back. They were a deep purple shade and jagged in all different forms. There was no rhyme or reason to the way they were striped along his back, the only pattern Molly was able to identify was the pattern of torture Luke had to endure.

Gently, Molly ran her hand over his scars as tears fell from her eyes. She couldn’t control her emotions. It was all too much to think about her sweet man going through such pain, such suffering.
 

“They did this to you,” Molly said, more as a statement than a question.
 

“Yes,” Luke said softly.

Molly pulled Luke onto the middle of the bed and started inspecting his body.
 

“What else did they do to you?” Molly frantically searched Luke’s body, finding scars all over his beautiful skin. How come she’d never noticed them before? Was she that shocked then they first had sex that she didn’t notice one ounce of the hurt puckering Luke’s skin?
 

“What did they do to you?” Molly asked in a soft whisper, as more tears fell from her eyes.
 

Luke wiped away her tears with his thumbs and said, “I don’t want to talk about that now. I want to enjoy you.”

“Will you tell me one day, Luke?”

“Why do you want to know? It’s not pretty, it’s downright disgusting. It’s nothing I want you to know about. I want to keep you as pure as possible.”

A slight laugh escaped Molly’s mouth. “I’m far from pure, Luke, believe me. I want to understand what happened so I can help you get healthier. I want to be let in, Luke.”

Molly watched as Luke’s jaw twitched from thinking. He was so sexy, so incredibly sexy with his dark blonde hair, his blue eyes and facial scruff that rubbed her in all the right ways.
 

“Please, Luke, let me in,” Molly repeated, trying to encourage him.

Luke ran his hands up Molly’s sides and said, “I promise I will tell you, but not now. I’ll tell you when we’re stronger, when we can sit through a session with my therapist and talk about it, where we can hash through everything and be healthy about it. I’m just starting to see some clarity through this dark cloud I’ve been living in, I don’t want to go back, not right away and I know if I tell you everything, it will take me back. I’m just not ready, Molly, but I promise, you’ll get my story, you’ll hear it all.”

Molly nodded her head and kissed him on the cheek. That was all she could ask for now, his promise.
 

Wanting to erase their conversation from the present, Luke took Molly’s mouth in his and started working his hands up her body to fully cup her breasts. His thumbs stroked her nipples, making her want to cry out in pleasure, but that would mean removing her mouth from his and she didn’t want that at all.
 

She was wet, throbbing, and beyond ready. With one tweak of a nipple, she’d be flying over the edge, but she didn’t want that. She wanted Luke inside of her.
 

“Please, Luke. I want you inside of me,” she said breathlessly.
 

Not skipping a beat, Luke slowly entered Molly, making her feel like she’d found home again. This was home to her, being connected to this man in the most intimate way possible.
 

Once he was fully inside of her, he lightly kissed the tip of her nose and started moving his hips in and out in a melodic-type pace. It was nothing that was going to make her scream for Jesus, but instead it was slow and sensual. Just what she needed.
 

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as Luke continued to whisper affirmations of love while he moved in and out of her.
 

“You’re the reason why I’m still here. You’re the reason why I made it through hell. You’re everything to me, even when I’m a belligerent ass and say the most hateful things to you. You are my life, Molly.”

Streams of tears now fell from her eyes from his words. She gripped his back and pulled him in with each thrust as her lips sought out his. He allowed access to his tongue as he opened his mouth for her and let her take charge for a split second in time.
 

“I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so damn much,” Luke’s voice choked out.
 

Pleasure was on the tip of rolling through her body as Luke pushed into her one last time. Both of their bodies went completely stiff as they called out each other’s names in complete rapture. It wasn’t the most explosive orgasm she had ever had from Luke, but it was definitely the most intimate one.
 

Molly reached up and ran her hand through his hair as he looked down at her. “You’re everything to me too, Luke. Please don’t leave me again. Please stay with me forever.”

“That’s the plan, babe. Molly’s man for life.”

**Parker**

“Hey, Mo, how was work?” Parker asked Margo over the phone, as he stuffed his face with day-old Chinese food.

“It was alright.”

Parker had noticed that, for the past two days, Margo had become very short with him and wasn’t very responsive to his text messages. He tried to see if maybe her job was occupying her time, but apparently not. He worried that his extra time in Atlanta, due to some impromptu interviews and taking Brady out a couple of days to help him ease the pain of losing his daughter might have made Margo mad him, but whenever he asked, she always said no.
 

“I can’t wait to see you in a couple of days.”

“Yeah, it will be nice.”

Her voice was so monotone, as if someone was standing in front of her with cue cards, telling her what to say; it wasn’t the same Margo he had known from college.
 

“Margo, what’s wrong? I feel like you’re slipping away from me lately. Did I do something wrong?”

“No, I just have a lot going on.”

“Talk to me about it. I want to be able to help. Is it about a job out here? If you didn’t get the job, it’s okay, Mo. We’ll keep looking. There are plenty of animal-related jobs out here…”

“I got the job, Parker,” Margo interjected.

Parker felt like he had to shake his head to make sense of what she just said. “Wait, what? You got the job? That’s amazing! Why you didn’t tell me?” Parker wanted to jump through the roof he was so damn excited.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, which made Parker nervous. Wasn’t this what she wanted? To move closer to him? Why wasn’t she jumping up and down about getting a job in Atlanta?
 

“Margo, why didn’t you tell me?” Parker repeated himself.

“I’m not sure if I’m going to take it,” Margo said weakly.
 

“What do you mean you’re not going to take it? Was it a bad salary? Was it cleaning out cages all day? How would you not take a job when it’s here in Atlanta? You know you don’t even need a job…”

“I’m not taking your money, Parker.”

Growing agitated and not wanting to take it out on Margo, who was already distancing herself, Parker ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath. “I know, you’ve made that quite clear. So, why don’t you want the job?”

“Just not sure yet. Can we not talk about this right now?”

“Um, okay. I just thought that, since we’re in a relationship and all, maybe it would be nice to talk about a job opportunity you received, since it deals with our future.”

Silence.
 

Parker’s nerves started to run rampant in his stomach, as he tried to figure out what was going on with his girl. He didn’t like the silence and the brushing off and he really didn’t like the fact that her voice was so cold toward him.
 

“Margo, you’re killing me here. I feel like you want to break up with me, but don’t know how to do it, so you’re just trying to spare my feelings. Is that what’s happening here?”

Silence.
 

“Are you still there?”

“Yeah…” Margo squeaked out.
 

“Are you breaking up with me?” Parker asked, as his stomach did acrobatics.
 

“I’m sorry, Parker,” Margo cried into the phone as his stomach plummeted to the floor.
 

“You’re breaking up with me? Why? I want a reason, Margo, because a week ago you were begging me to come back to San Diego, but now you want nothing to do with me? I think you can see where I’m confused, so please help me understand.” Parker wasn’t going to let go without a fight, even though he was slowly dying inside from what she was insisting.
 

“We’re not the same people, Parker. In a month and a half, you’re going off to spring training and then the season will start. I don’t know if I can live in a whole new city where I know no one on the off-chance that our relationship might work out. I can’t give up everything when nothing is certain in our relationship.”

“Are you insane?” Parker knew it wasn’t the right way to approach her, but he couldn’t help but let his emotions get the best of him. “I’m in this for the long haul, Margo. You’re my girl, you’re it for me. I want no one else. Why can’t you understand that?”

“You say that now…”

“And I will say that fifty years from now, Margo. I know I was an idiot in college, but I know what I want now. I know that I can’t be without you. You hold my heart, Margo. Don’t do this, trust in the fact that we can make it, that we are both made for each other, that there is no other place we would rather be than in each other’s arms.”

More silence, but there were some light whimpers in the background, letting Parker know that Margo was indeed crying. If she was so upset, then why was she breaking up with him?

“Margo, please.”

“I can’t, Parker, I’m sorry.” With that, she hung up the phone, leaving Parker completely stunned.
 

Parker spent the rest of the night trying to call her back, but she’d turned her phone off. He tried talking to Lexi, but she knew of nothing going on with Margo and Parker didn’t want to pressure Lexi, since he didn’t want their friend in the middle of their relationship. The only option he had was to fly out earlier than planned because hell if he was going to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him. There was no reason for her to act like this, besides possible nerves as to what was to come of them, but when he got to San Diego, he was going to prove to her that they were meant to be. He wasn’t going anywhere. She was stuck with him.

**Lucy**

Lucy stood outside of Connor’s house, holding her bags and praying to God that he didn’t kick her back to her place. She had given him enough time; she couldn’t stand to give him any more. She was afraid the distance they put between themselves was only hurting them, not helping them. That was why she was standing outside his house with her bags packed and a terminated rental agreement. She was moving in, whether he liked it or not. She’d had movers come by and move all her furniture to storage until they were able to figure out what to do with it, but she was done with her apartment. It was detrimental to their relationship, and she needed to dispose of it.
 

Lucy knocked on his door as she shifted back and forth, hoping Connor would answer. When he didn’t she rang the doorbell a couple of times, but nothing. She dug around in her purse for her spare key, but realized she had left it in her other purse…that was now packed up and put into storage. He should be home from work by now, she thought, as she took a seat at his front door.
 

The usually-hot Atlanta air was a little chilly, but then again, it was December. Lucy pulled out a jacket from her bag, wrapped it around her and curled up next to her suitcase. She would just have to wait for him.
 

Just as her eyes started to droop, her phone rang. Springing into action to answer, thinking it might be Connor, she dug through her purse and answered on the third ring.
 

“Hello?”

“Hey, Luce. How’s the little bastard doing today?”

Austin.

Lucy had no clue what she had ever seen in the man; he was an ass. Ever since Molly dug her claws into him, he’d changed in a drastic way. He was almost unbearable to be around. He didn’t care about the baby, all he cared about was himself, and of course, driving Connor and her apart. He was doing a damn good job at it right now, Lucy had to admit.
 

“What do you want?” Lucy asked, while sitting up against Connor’s door.
 

“Can’t a guy call his oldest and dearest friend?”

“We’re not friends, Austin, we’re barely acquaintances at this point. Just tell me what you want so I can hang up on you.”

“Shit, those pregnancy hormones are really taking a toll on you, aren’t they? You’re kind of a bitch.”