Saving Dallas 2 Making the Cut Read Free Page B

I drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 2

    Dallas

    Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone” was playing
when I opened my eyes. The movie was ending and it was dark
outside. Carefully, I moved Luke’s arm from around me and was
almost out of bed when his hand reached out and grabbed mine.
    “Where’re you going, beautiful?” I smiled at
the endearment.
    “Just to the bathroom,” I said standing. Luke
sat up and looked at me. “You want me to come with you, baby?” I
smiled again.
    “No, I’m okay. Go back to sleep.” I walked to
the bathroom, proud of myself. Baby steps. Of course, the light was
off and I got a little panicky before I turned it on, but managed
to do so without hyperventilating. Peeing without Luke holding my
hand-done. When I walked back into the bedroom, Luke was gone and
the lights were still out. Okay, maybe I wasn’t ready just yet. The
T.V. had been muted, but was still on and casting an eerie light
over the room.
    “Luke,” I called, too scared to walk ten
steps to the light switch. No answer. Oh shit. Oh shit. My
breathing was becoming heavy.
    “I’m coming, baby, just looking around.” My
body sagged with relief and if it hadn’t been for the wall, I would
have fallen on my face. I decided to hang out in the bathroom until
he got back. It didn’t take long for Luke to “look around.” He was
back before I made it to the other side of the bathroom.
    “I’m here,” he said, walking through the
bedroom and into the bathroom in search of me.
    “What were you looking at?” I asked, walking
into his arms like it had been days since I had seen him and not
minutes.
    “Just checking around outside. I wanted to
make sure the fire was burned out completely.” Shit. I had blocked
so much out of my mind the past several hours, I had forgotten I
burned down the damn barn. “You okay?” Luke asked, putting his
hands on either side of my face. I nodded up at him and he gently
rubbed his thumb over my bad eye. Then, surprisingly, he bent to
kiss it. “I love you,” he said looking so deep into my eyes that I
felt like his soul had said it and not his mouth.
    “I love you too, Luke.” And I did. I stood on
my toes to kiss him, and then grabbed his hand to lead him to
bed.
    Once we were settled, he turned off the T.V.
and the light and pulled me to him. I was wide awake. I knew I
couldn’t sleep even if my life depended on it. “Luke,” I said into
the darkness.
    “Hmm,” was his weak response. Luke was tired
and needed sleep. I could entertain myself, surely. Maybe. “What is
it, baby?” he asked a little more alert this time.
    “I’m not sleepy.” I couldn’t see him, but I
knew he was smiling.
    “You want a sleeping pill?” he asked with
laughter in his voice.
    “No, I hear those things are addictive,” I
responded, wondering why he was so anxious to get me to sleep that
he was willing to give me a narcotic.
    “I wasn’t talking about that kind of sleeping
pill,” he said, kissing my neck. Warmth flooded my body and there
was nothing more I wanted than him inside me once again, but Luke
needed sleep and it was time for me to stop being so selfish.
    “No, I’m okay,” I said breathless. My body
was involuntarily pushing up against him even as I said it.
    “You sure? I don’t mind fucking you until you
pass out,” he said, his mouth still trailing kisses down my neck
and onto my shoulder.
    Luke was a strong guy. He could handle
another few minutes of no sleep. I turned my body so that I was
facing him then rolled him to his back. His eyes were heavy, but I
could see the darkness in them as I straddled him and began kissing
his chest.
    “Turn over,” I demanded in a soft voice. He
looked at me quizzically, but obliged. My Luke had been too good to
me. The least I could do was make him feel better. He rolled onto
his stomach, raising his arms on each side of his head. I sat on
his ass with my knees bent, then leaned over him and began to
massage his back. My effort