Ablaze: Erotic Romance Read Free Page B

to notice Luke’s beautifully tanned
back. His delicious muscles were marred by four large scars. So the
mountain lion attack wasn’t just a story, it was something he
carried with him. No wonder he always seemed so jumpy. He turned
around and I ogled his gloriously defined pecs and biceps. I had to
tear myself away before I saw anything more.
    I sat on the couch and stared at the empty
fireplace. When I heard the shower turn off I made myself stay put.
Luke came out in jeans and a hoodie, looking much more comfortable
than he had in his snow pants.
    “ I always carry a change of
clothes with me,” he said. “Guess it’s the survival instinct.” He
followed my eyes to the fireplace. “Ugh, I left you here without a
fire? Jesus, I’m a terrible man servant.”
    “ You’re not my
servant.” If you were, I’d have other
things for you to do.
    “ Well, okay, then let’s be
friends. Tell me something about you.” He knelt down in front of
the fireplace and ignited a small blaze. Turning around, he sat
cross-legged with his back to the fire and all of his attention on
me. Suddenly I felt like I was being scrutinized, and I pulled a
long strand of hair around my finger and twirled it
absentmindedly.
    “ What do you want to
know?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you like
to do for fun?”
    That was an easy answer. “I love to ride.
I’m a rancher’s daughter, there’s nothing I love to do more than
take a horse out of the stables and go out into the world. It’s the
only time I’m free.”
    “ Free? Cheyenne, you’re
part of the richest family I have ever come across. You have more
financial freedom than anyone I’ve ever known, how is that not
free?”
    I looked down at the hair around my finger.
No one had ever taken an interest in me like this. Luke made me
feel exposed, but in a natural sort of way. I wanted to tell him
how I really felt about my life. For some reason I knew he would
understand.
    “ Just because you have
financial freedom doesn’t mean you’re free. It means you’re held to
a higher standard, you don’t get to make your own choices. My life
has been planned out for me ever since I can remember. No, Luke,
I’m not free. To be honest this is the freest I’ve ever been, out
here with you.”
    He nodded. “I guess I never really thought
about it like that. I just always assumed that all you rich folk
could do whatever you wanted. I’ve always had to work to stay
afloat. My family didn’t really take care of me like yours
does.”
    “ Depends on who you ask,” I
countered.
    We sat there in silence for a moment,
perhaps in reflection of our discussion, when suddenly we were
plunged into darkness. The only light remaining was that from the
small fire which Luke had created.
    “ Luke!” I screamed. I can
handle a lot, but the one thing I am afraid of is the dark. As he
came over to the couch, I could already feel some of the heat
leaving the room from the electricity. The wind was really blowing
outside and there was a draft coming in.
    He sat down on the sofa and gingerly put his
arm around me. “Shhh, it’s all right. You’re fine, it’s just the
power. I’m sure it will be back on soon.”
    His words were comforting, but I knew they
weren’t truthful. If we had lost power we weren’t getting it back
on. I sat cradled in his arms, realizing in the short time that I’d
known him Luke had become a huge comfort to me. As I started to
fall asleep to the rhythm of his heart, I prayed that he wouldn’t
unlatch his arms around my shoulders.
    When I awoke the next morning, Luke had a
frying pan over the fire and had managed to make some scrambled
eggs and bacon. My stomach gurgled in anticipation of the great
smelling food. I stood up and stretched from the couch, and Luke
turned to look at me. It was then that I realized he was only in
pajama bottoms. I didn’t know whether to avert my eyes or react at
all, but instead I just stared at his well-formed muscles,