Imagination || L.H.

Chapter 30

Ash pulls into the Hoods' driveway, cutting the engine. Jumping into motion, doors open and close quickly as we escort Luke inside as efficiently as possible. 

Michael flings open the door and helps me and Cal carry the unconscious boy down the hall to the room that's been made his for the time being. Ash shuts the front door behind us, hurrying down the corridor after us. Calum and Mikey gently lay Luke down on the bed, tugging off his shoes as they pull the blanket over him. I shrug off his suit jacket and loosen his tie, slipping it from around his neck. Slowly, one by one, the three boys begin to file out of the room, casting sympathetic looks over their shoulders.

Calum is the last one to leave, sadly looking down at his intoxicated friend. 

Raking a hair through his dark locks, he sighs heavily. "I'm just gonna leave him like that. He's gonna have a killer hangover tomorrow, but there's not much we can do for that."

I nod ruefully. I turn at the thought of stripping off the rest of his fancy clothes in exchange for something more comfortable to sleep in. He'll be fine in the nice pants and pressed white shirt.

Calum starts to head out the door, glancing back at me. "You coming?" he asks.

I bite my lip, looking back down at Luke. "I promised I wouldn't leave him," I say softly. "I'm gonna stay with him. You go get some rest, Cal, you need it."

Nodding, he carefully closes the door behind him.

I kick off my heels, looking down at my dress. Sighing, I opened a few of Luke's drawers, searching for something to wear. Mali-Koa was still at the reception and it felt weird to steal some of her clothes. Besides, I knew Luke wouldn't mind. I've been stealing his clothes for the past two weeks. Stripping off my dress, I step into a pair of athletic shorts, yanking the drawstring tight to hold them up. Pulling on one of his blink-182 shirts on over my head, I slowly started to undo the messy braid crown, letting my hair hang loose down past my shoulders. I pad over to the light switch and cut the lights, carefully making my way to the bed. The blankets are slightly warm as I slide beneath them, curling up on my side next to Luke. One of his arms is lying across the bed and I rest my head on it, falling asleep with his soft, even breathing in my ear.

*

I wake up in the middle of the night to Luke shifting beneath me. In the darkness, I see his lashes brush the top of his cheekbones as he blinks. Frowning, I cock my head to the side. "Are you okay?" I whisper.

He turns his head to look at me, not even the least bit surprised that I'm up. He brushes a strand of my hair back from my face, murmuring, "Sorry to wake you." A strange expression crosses his face. "You stayed," he marvels.

"Of course," I say, placing a hand on his cheek. He leans into the touch, closing his eyes. "I promised I would."

His eyes open and drift down to my lips. 

I don't know who leans in first, all I know is that suddenly his mouth is on mine. 

Luke's hand curves around my waist and pulls me closer to him as he tilts his head to kiss me at a better angle. My fingers tangle in his hair as I kiss him harder. His tongue runs along the seam of my lips and I open for him, savoring the taste of him. 

He groans as I gently tug at his lip ring. My skin burns everywhere it touches his, aching for more. I hook my leg around his hip so every inch of our bodies are pressed against each other. 

Placing his hands on either side of my head, he rolls so he hovers over top of me, his lips straying from mine to trail along my jawline and neck. I arch up against him, finding the sweet spot near the base of his neck and leaving a small mark behind.

Luke lets out a soft noise, rolling again so this time I'm on top of him, his hands slipping under the hem of my borrowed shirt. His eyes are dark with desire as I leave a pathway of kisses up and down his neck. 

I gasp as his fingers dip beneath the waistband of my shorts. He hesitates, his hand staying in place.

"Keep going," I whisper in his ear, locking my arms around his neck.

Ocean eyes meet mine in the darkness. "You're sure?"

I nod eagerly.

His lips find mine once more, his mouth crashing against mine with fierce passion. His hand pulling off the shorts completely, he drops them on the floor. My fingers fumble to get his shirt off and the rest of our clothes quickly follow. 

I press little kisses all over his bare chest as he reaches into the nightstand his bed, shuddering every time my lips come into contact with his skin. All I can see is him. All I can think of, all I can feel, is him. 

Whatever happened that first day I got back from San Francisco, I'm eternally grateful for it.

*

Light filters through the blinds in the morning, falling onto the floor in little slices. I blink sleep out of my eyes, glancing over at Luke. He's already awake, his blue eyes watching me with a strange softness that makes me blush.

"Good morning," he mumbles, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

I slide closer to him, wrapping my arms around his waist as I lay my head on his shoulder. "Good morning to you too." Frowning, I ask, "How do you feel?"

"My head is killing me," he complains, burying his face in my shoulder. 

Shyly, he picks his head up to lock eyes with me. Blushing, he says, "Last night was great."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I was almost sure that he wasn't drunk anymore last night, but I was worried that maybe he didn't remember, or he'd regret it. "It was."

I smile as I press my lips to his. Luke cups my cheek with his hand, deepening the kiss and drawing it out. 

It's nothing like our frenzied, fiery kisses we exchanged last night; this one's slow and deliberate, like he's savoring the taste of my mouth. 

I run my tongue along his bottom lip and fiddle with his lip ring, coaxing soft sounds out of him that encourage me to keep going. Luke wraps his arm around my shoulder and brings me closer, trailing a lazy hand along the length of my body. I shudder as I cling to him. Straining to get even closer, to kiss with more passion, we roll around on the bed.

A sharp knock on the door causes us to jump apart. Luke pulls on the shorts I took from his drawer last night and tosses me the blink-182 shirt before opening the door hesitantly.

Michael stands on the other side, looking back and forth between us with a slow smirk spreading across his face. "If you told me you were having sex in here I would've joined you," he teases.

Luke and I blush and look down, embarrassed.

"I was sent to check on Luke, but I think you're doing a fine job taking care of him, Kat." 

He gives me a thumbs up and I bury my face in a pillow. It's warm and smells like Luke. 

Mikey starts to back away from the doorway. "Feel free to continue, guys, have fun. Remember, no glove no love!"

"I'm going to kill him," Luke mutters as he closes the door. He flops back down on the bed beside me, smiling lopsidedly up at me. "But right now, I just want to be here with you."

I grin at him as I lock my arms around his neck and drag him toward me. "Good," I murmur against his lips. "Because the feeling's mutual."

His legs tangle with mine as our bodies clash and we trade whispered words.

"I love you," he mumbles against my skin.

I smile as I kiss him again. "I love you too."