Revival (Johanna's story with Luke Hemmings)

Chapter 27

27.
"Dessert?" The waitress returns and gestures to the blackboard behind the counter. She seems to have given up on Luke.

I know he has already had a good study of the options and he doesn't muck around. "I'll have a caramel ice cream sundae ta - no nuts"

She turns to me, "Strawberry please - just a small one." She smiles pleasantly enough and returns to the counter.

The dread-locked guys finish their game and go up to the counter to pay. Luke's eyes flick across to them, "How do you get your hair into dreads?" he poses to me kind of dreamily.

"I don't know. I think you just back comb it and twist it and then never brush it again. Are you thinking of giving it a try?"

He sniggers. "Don't know that I could pull it off. They must itch like stink."

I love the way he puts things sometimes. "I'm sure they can get stinky too" I reply.

We finish our desserts and he starts yawning again. "Come on, let's go" I say, grabbing my bag and heading for the counter.

He puts his hand lightly onto my shoulder. "No, I'll get it. I wanted to take you out."

"Yeah but I don't expect..."

He interrupts me, "You can pay next time ...- maybe when we go to Capone's" he grins and walks off to the counter.

We get back in his car and he asks if I want to go anywhere else. It's not even ten o'clock yet and I don't want to be boring. He's probably got far more energy than me - despite the yawns, but I kind of just want to go home.

"What do you want to do?" I ask him.

He looks straight ahead out the window. "I'd like to go back to your place."

The whole atmosphere changes in an instant. I don't know how he does it. They are a few innocent-enough words and he just says them quietly and neutrally, but they seem to increase the temperature inside the car right away.

"Okay."

The short drive is in silence. The anticipation of touching him again is intoxicating. He sat across from me at the wide table all through dinner and I realise I've hardly touched him since he first walked into my house. He pulls right up my driveway and turns the car off. I lead him in through the front door.

"Do you want a drink or...?"

"No" he says decisively, interrupting me.

I look at him and don't say anything more. I walk down the hallway to my bedroom and sit on the end of the bed to take my shoes off. He walks in quietly and sits beside me, kicking his shoes off too. I turn to him and his hands come up to the top of my shirt and slowly start unfastening one button at a time. I reach to the bottom of his shirt, but he shakes his head just a little and whispers, "Not yet." I drop my hands back to my lap and just watch him. I feel my insides ignite when his tongue flicks out over his lips as he finishes the last button and starts to push my shirt back off one shoulder.

His eyes drop to my chest. I've changed into a dark purple lacy bra. "Wow - I like this" he breathes, slowly sliding my shirt off the other shoulder. I pull my hands from the cuffs and he throws the shirt to one side. He stands and puts his hands out for me to take, and then join him. He walks me down the side of the bed and then kneels down. He is slow and precise with opening each button of my button-fly jeans. His hands then grip the waistband and he slides them down firmly, right to my ankles. I put my hand to his shoulder to steady myself, as I lift my feet one at a time and he removes them completely.