#ceo!luke

The rest of the trip stayed fairly PG, just a couple PG-13 make-outs and the occasional R-rated touching. The sex stopped, though. I think Luke was scared of someone he could potentially work with catching on and dropping him. I’d like to say I’m the one who stopped it, but my internal conflicts couldn’t make me give him up. I knew what we were doing was wrong and could get either of us - most likely me - into a lot of trouble, but my mind was stuck between leaving him and risking my career. I couldn’t afford to lose my job over some guy. I needed to stop this train wreck.

This couldn’t end well.

Luke and I kept to ourselves during the plane ride back to New York. He was on his laptop looking at more graphs and data while I went through documents from the trip. It wasn’t until we landed that any interaction actually happened and by then, he knew something was up.

“Do you need a ride back to your place?” Luke asked, grabbing my bag for me. 

“I can just get a cab, it’s not a big deal,” I shrugged as I reached for my bag again. Before I could get a grip on the handle, Luke yanked it back and moved closer to me.

“Okay, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting different ever since the first night of the trip and I don’t want it to affect our work,” he said quietly.

It’s a little late for that. Our work relationship was already shot to hell, considering I couldn’t go a whole day without wondering whether or not I should ask for a… favor.

I sighed and stuck my hand out. “I can carry my own bag, Mr. Hemmings.”

“So now I’m Mr. Hemmings again?” he asked with a small pout. His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes explored my face, but he reluctantly handed my bag back. “At least let me give you a ride.”

“I can get a cab. I don’t want to bother y-”

“It’s not a bother, [Y/N]. Really,” he said sternly. His jaw was set and I knew I’d either have to let him give me a ride and deal with his interrogation now or find a way to avoid him at work later. As his assistant, that would literally be impossible.

The long drive to my apartment seemed to take even longer in the dead silence of the car. Luke would glance over at me every few minutes, but I refused to look back at him. If I let him in, it’d be even harder to push him back out.

The playful banter and late night story times and cuddle sessions over the length of the trip were not helping the crush I had developed on my emotionally unavailable boss, but this wasn’t something I could just let happen. People at work would find out, we’d get reported for breaking regulations, and I’d get fired. That was the only logical ending. It’s not like Luke would fall in love with me, especially not after just seven days of this charade.

We pulled up to my complex just as darkness started to settle over the city. I wasn’t necessarily in a dangerous neighborhood,  but it definitely wasn’t the safest either. Luke took it upon himself to play the hero and make sure I made it inside okay. 

“Luke, really, I’m fine carrying my own bag. It’s just the one,” I argued as he hoisted my bag out of the trunk.

“Just one that I can carry for you,” he countered.

I groaned and led the way up the stairs to my third floor apartment. When we got to my door, I unlocked it and stood in the doorway to block the way in and get my bag before Luke could find a way to get inside.

“Okay. I made it here safe and sound. I’ll take my bag now.” Luke clenched his jaw and set the bag at my feet, using the moment I bent over to grab it as an opportunity to push past me and get into my place. “Luke,” I grumbled. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong!” he nearly shouted as the door fell closed behind me. “Last week and that first day of the trip, you were ready for anything. Then all of a sudden it went from amazing sex to touching to barely even kissing. What did I do?”

“You’re my boss, Luke. My boss! Whatever this is,” I said, gesturing between us, “it needs to stop. It’s unprofessional and it puts my future in this industry at risk.”

“You’re concerned about your job right now?” he asked skeptically. “[Y/N], I’m not going to revoke my reference for you just because we’re sleeping together and I sure as hell don’t plan on firing you.”

I rolled my eyes and let out an unamused laugh. “Right, because it’s not like you couldn’t find another assistant to fuck.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he said sternly. “Now I want an honest answer.” Luke stepped closer to me until my back was against the door and his face was inches from mine. “Why are you avoiding me?”

I took in a shaky breath, not wanting to back out last minute. Fuck, if he’d just take two steps back, this would be so much easier.

“I like you. And I don’t want to risk a professional relationship by getting personal feelings.”

He clenched his jaw again and let out a harsh breath, his stern expression faltering for a second.

“So you don’t want anything to do with me because you don’t want to accidentally fall in love with me?” he clarified, his eyes searching mine for some sort of fault.

“Yeah,” I nearly whispered.

This wasn’t going as planned. Oh god, this definitely wasn’t going as planned.

“Good luck with that.” Without a second of hesitation, Luke leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, gently grabbing my face in his hands. I knew I shouldn’t but, fuck, I had to. I kissed back and gripped the front of his t-shirt to pull his body closer to mine. “There she is,” Luke smirked, pulling back just enough for our lips to still be touching.

“Shut up,” I mumbled, tugging him to me and wrapping my arms behind his neck.

It was wrong. It was so wrong. But at that point, I didn't care. Fuck all the things I was telling myself; I couldn't give him up. I didn't want to.

Luke ran his hands down my sides, wrapping one around my thigh and hooking my leg over his waist. I bit at his bottom lip and smirked to myself when he quietly moaned in response. Even those simple sounds from him had an affect on me. He took this opportunity to slide his tongue into my mouth, deepening the kiss and sending my mind reeling.

I tugged on the hem of his t-shirt until he moved back and pulled it over his head, his biceps flexing when he let it fall to the floor. His lips were back on mine instantly but I pushed him back and grabbed his wrist to pull him across the apartment and to my bedroom. He seemed surprised at first - at least until he realized where we were going.

Since I moved to the city, I had only had two men in my bed before and neither one remembered my name or stayed until morning, so bringing Luke - my own damn boss - into my bedroom was a change for me. Any concern about that was thrown out the window when he walked in after me and slammed the door, pulling my body to his and immediately jerking my pants to the floor.

I stumbled backwards until Luke grabbed me and picked me up, walking blindly around my room until his knees hit the edge of the bed. He dropped me so I bounced off the mattress a bit before he slipped his grey sweats off. A small laugh fell from his lips as he picked me up again, moving both of us to the top of the bed with his tongue on my neck.

I giggled quietly at the tickle of his growing scruff lightly scratching at my skin. Luke seemed to take this as an invitation and nuzzled his face further on my neck, pulling a full-blown laugh from me.

“Luke, stop,” I laughed, tugging on his curly hair so he’d look at me again. A bright smile graced those sinful lips of his and the look in his eyes let me know my whole don’t-fall-in-love-with-him thing was about to go to shit.

“Good god,” he mumbled, almost a whisper, before leaning down to kiss me again.

Any reservations I had about tonight completely dissolved as I let out a whimper at nothing more than his lips on mine. His right hand rested under the hem of my shirt, gently tracing his fingertips across my bare skin until he reached the fabric of my bra.

My palms pressed to his chest and pushed him back so he was kneeling between my legs. His little pout only lasted a couple seconds until I peeled my shirt over my head and reached behind myself to slide my bra off my arms as well. Luke stayed in his kneeling position even after I laid back down on the bed. He rested his hands on my thighs and stroked his fingers over my legs, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just stared at me, his eyes raking over my entire body silently.

“What?” I smiled, trying to fight back any feelings of self-consciousness creeping up on me at his unwavering scrutiny.

He paused his movements and looked me straight in the eyes, pinning me down with his gaze. I lifted myself up on my elbows and let my smile fall into a confused frown at his sudden change in demeanor. “Are you okay, Luke?”

He let out a deep breath and shook his head as it lolled forward to face the bed. With a small, forced smile, he looked back up at me with those big, baby-blue eyes.

“I don’t think you’re the only one who has to worry,” he finally said.

My breath caught in my throat at his confession. Two years of working for him and all it took was one week of more than paperwork for both of us to tumble down a ravine we didn’t see coming. I pushed myself up and maneuvered to kneel in front of him, enraptured by the deep blue pooling in his eyes. Both of my hands reached up to cup his jaw, my thumbs gently pawing at the rough stubble scattered across his face. He sighed quietly and leaned forward into my touch, his eyes fluttering closed at the contact.

“Tell you what,” I said, barely above a whisper. “Whatever we’ve got going on - we’ll make it work. Forget everything I said earlier. We both got more than we bargained for, but I want this. I want you, Luke.”

He opened his eyes and let a smile curl on his lips again. Just like before, he grabbed my waist and pinned me to the bed, his mouth on my neck instantly.

“There he is,” I joked, mimicking his earlier words. He bit the side of my neck, turning my faint giggles into quiet moans. I quickly pushed him back and groaned, “There he is, too.”

Luke replied with a groan of his own before grabbing his cock and lining up with me, slowly working his way inside me as if our previous nights weren’t enough of an expression of how he felt. I rested my hands on his shoulders as his forehead rested against mine, both of us unable to breath properly until he was fully sheathed inside me. I whimpered once he stilled above me, a faint “please” falling from my lips before he started moving.

His movements were slow and methodical, pulling out almost entirely before hitting deep inside. His lips enveloped mine; he only pulled away to take a quick breath or let out a quiet moan. My legs lifted and wrapped around his waist so I could pull him deeper. When I started bucking my own hips against his, he realized slow and methodical wouldn’t work the whole night.

Luke’s right hand wrapped around the back of my neck, the other hooking behind my shoulder as he jerked his hips forward - hard. I let out a loud moan at the sudden change of pace, the sound being muffled by Luke’s lips covering mine again. With his hands anchoring me in place, he easily had full control over my body.

The sound of skin on skin filled my room, barely covered by the sound of the street outside. My legs fell from his waist and spread open as he angled his hips to hit deeper, my head pushing back against the pillows behind me. Luke nuzzled his head into my neck, his breath on my skin sending a shiver down my spine right as the tip of his cock hit my g-spot. I whimpered at the sensation and pressed my nails against Luke’s shoulder blades, leaving distinct pink marks in their wake.

He abruptly pulled out and stood from the bed, yanking my legs so my body was across the bed.

“Luke!” I giggled, playfully grabbing at the sheets beneath me.

He smiled down at me before kissing me, effortlessly sliding back into me and groaning against my lips. I whined as he pulled away again to hoist my leg over his shoulder. He propped one of his knees up on the mattress and smirked at me, almost as a warning. I bit my lip as he slowly pushed as deep as he could get, quickly switching his pace and snapping his hips to mine. I didn’t even try to hold back any sounds. I knew my neighbors would hate me in the morning but with the way he was making me feel, I didn’t care. It was like he wanted me to be as loud as possible. He wanted to piss off the neighbors and break the bed and make sure I couldn’t walk tomorrow. There was nothing holding him back anymore.

Luke gripped my leg in one hand, letting the other press against my stomach so he could reach my clit. One of my hands gripped the sheets while the other clenched around Luke’s forearm. As much as I loved watching him, it was getting more and more difficult to focus.

“I’m gonna cum,” I whimpered, barely audible to myself, let alone Luke.

But he heard me.

“Cum, baby girl. Cum on daddy’s cock.”

I whimpered again as Luke repeatedly hit my g-spot, his hand still rubbing against my clit until my whole body tensed up at the rush flowing through me. Luke’s continued movements dragged my orgasm on, my pussy clenching his cock until he let out a quiet “fuck.” He fell onto his forearms on the bed, his rhythm faltering to a stop as he came inside of me.

Luke let his head rest against my shoulder, but kept most of his body weight on his arms to avoid crushing me. When he finally lifted his head his lips pressed to mine in a long, slow kiss. Neither one of us knew what to say, at this point. Everything that needed to be said had already been spoken, if not shown. We just laid on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, Luke still inside of me until his calves started cramping from the angle.

“Sorry, babe,” he said. “If you want to be able to do this again, my legs need a break.”

“Again?” I asked, standing from the bed and rushing to the bathroom to clean up the cum running down my legs.

But the little heart marking your own February calendar has been present on your mind for the past week, making your footsteps livelier and much more energetic than the whole office combined.

Your original destination changed halfway through the long corridor leading towards the grand office, the unmistakable gold plate stapled to its door. It was the slightly ajar door that lured you in, making you peek your head inside, fingers following (right on tow) to knock on the wooden surface.

“Good morning!” Your voice chirps happily through the office, pushing the door open and making your way inside.

Ashton’s head shoots up from his morning paper, a smile stretching his lips to greet you.

“___!”

His hands work on folding the newspaper in his hands, attention focused on you -more precisely,on the gleeful tone in your voice. “I wonder what’s gotten you so cheerful this early in the morning.”

There's a teasing glint in his eyes, but you're hardly bothered. Instead, you move closer to sit down, smile still bright.

“I can list a thing or two.”

Ashton seems to let this slide, despite the way his eyes narrow and a chuckle leaves his mouth. The conversation falls into a pleasant talk about how his family’s doing, before you're leaning against your elbow, on the wooden desk and ask;

“So, you’re still up for babysitting Jace tonight. Right?”

Ashton’s face suddenly breaks into a huge grin, and it's almost like a lightbulb went off inside his head.

“Aaah, I get it now.” He manages between breathy laughs, adding with a wink, “A little valentine date, with Mr. CEO?”

Your only reply is a chuckle, because you can’t really deny that he is actually right. But even that is enough to get him smiling wider, highly amused by this conversation.

“But aren't you guys past the dating stage?” He comments, lifting his hand up and pointing out his ring finger, “Like, way past it?”

That draws a scoff from you, almost in defense. Because you know that, technically, the papers had never been signed. You were still

But Ashton was very right. Your relationship did not fall under the category of your typical married couple, and the reason behind that was more than just you living separately. It was the late night dates, driving you home and kissing you at the door. It was the random movie dates, and daily texts. It was the slow restart, the tentative steps and the fear of diving in too soon.

It was all the little things you had lost the habit of doing, along the way.

It was, as Ashton pointed out, everything that made it seem as if you were a new couple still basking in their honeymoon phase, rather than a husband and wife with a long line of history.

Yet, despite the accuracy of Ashton’s words, you only  lift a hand up to shoo him away, eyes rolling; “we are not dating.”

“Oh really?” He taunts, seeming to take that as a challenge, leaning over his desk on his elbows. “Cheesy dates on the weekends, flirting shamelessly on the phone -during work hours, mind you. And let’s not forget,” He stops with a smirk you know well enough to dread whatever’s coming next, “Hot, steamy, not-so-secretive sex in his off-”

You most certainly don't allow him to finish his words, interrupting him with a loud shout of his name and threatening to throw the closest thing at hand -the framed picture on his desk, hardly effective as a weapon- at his face.

“Ashton! What are you- where did you even get that from?” the flustered face you make, along with the way you trip over your words only manage to rile Ashton up further. And not even the hard stare you shoot him (or at least try to, unable to fight back a smile) makes his incessant laughter come to an end, as he seems to find immense pleasure in your reaction.

Ashton only gives you a knowing smile, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against his chair. “Like I said, not so secretive.”

“Ash!” You try to sound scalding, but a chuckle still breaks your frown, Ashton joining you as well. “Would you not?”

“Anyway,” You are quick to add, getting up from your seat and fixing your skirt, “I have to get going. I’ll wait for you tonight!”

Protests from Ashton follow you even as you close the door, about how you’re ignoring your friend to go flirt, and you can barely hold back a laugh at his words.

~

The light knocking on the door makes Luke lift his head up from his papers scattered over his desk, and a smile quickly takes over his face when your face comes into view.

“Good morning~” You greet, stepping inside and closing the door behind you. Getting up from his desk, Luke meets you halfway, arms wrapping around you naturally and bringing you into a hug.

Pulling away just slightly, Luke’s lips meet yours with a kiss.

“Happy valentine’s day, baby.” The words are whispered against your lips, Luke’s hand moving to hold your face, before leaning in for another kiss, deeper this time. And it’s only when he’s had enough that he pulls away, his hand holding yours, leading you back towards his desk. Luke sits down on his chair, facing you as you settle on top of his desk.

“Did you sleep well?” You ask, lifting your hand and running it through his hair, just the way you know he loves it.

“Yeah”, Luke nods, eyes momentarily closed, enjoying your touches. “I had to stay up late, but that’s ok . Did you n Jace have a good night?”

Before you manage to reply, the ringing on his phone breaks through the silence, getting him distracted momentarily by it. But Luke only spares a single look at the caller ID, before he silences it. Turning back to you with a smile, his hand moves to rest on top of your thigh.  

“Do you want some coffee? Some breakfast?”

“No, no need.” You answer, “I need to get to work in a bit.”

Your reply draws an involuntary frown from Luke. One he doesn’t notice, but you do, making you lean in for a kiss. You keep it short, leaning away too quickly for his liking.

“Baby, I think you need new blinds for your office.” You whisper, making Luke’s eyes open.

“Why? What’s wrong with these ones?” He asks, genuinely confused.

His eyes move away from you, focusing on the mentioned blinds behind you. But your hands cup his face, redirecting his attention back on you, and explain; “Apparently, they let out our steamy, hot sex out to the open.”

Luke’s startled for a moment, before he breaks into a laugh. Getting up from his chair, he leans over, settling his arms on each side of where you sat.

“Baby, I think it’s more about your state when you walk out.” Luke whispers, lips touching yours with every spoken word, before he gives in and goes for a deep kiss. Eyes closing, your arms move from his face, to wrap around his neck and pull him closer,legs opening up just a little bit more to bring his body closer. It’s almost as if time freezes, and everything else escapes your mind, until Luke pulls away.

“Say,” another kiss, “did you talk to Ash about babysitting tonight?”

“Yeah” you nod, “he’s talking Jace over to yours, so we-” you pause, a flirty smile on your face and your hands moving back to Luke’s face, -”can can go back to mine and have it to ourselves. All night.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

~

Leaving Luke’s office, that day, was something you couldn’t get out of your memory. The moment you had stepped a foot outside, all eyes fell on you. It had taken a solid minute of silence for everyone to look away and carry on with their work, trying to act subtle. But you knew that everyone had heard what was supposed to happen in the privacy of Luke’s office. Sympathetic smiles followed you as you exited, along with concerned eyes and hopeful hearts.

It was a while before Luke’s assistant went into his office, too worried to be barging in too soon. The whole office walking on eggshells, holding their breath and sharing hushed murmurs about what had went on.

On Jace’s birthday, Luke had showed up, but almost an hour late. You had opened your door to find him breathless, cheeks flushed and words of apology rushing out, explaining how the traffic had been slower than he expected.

Truly, Luke had expected you to shut the door at his face. Because you had given him only one task and he had failed it already.

But you smiled at his state, and lead him inside.

A loud evening was promised, of birthday songs and happy wishes, of little kids giggling and running around while adults lounged around and exchanged their news. But when night came and everyone had left, your little birthday boy soundly sleeping in his room, Luke stayed back, offering to help you out with the cleaning.

Luke had never felt as hesitant as he did that night. He only knew to keep enough of a safe distant, waiting for you to determine the next move, to choose where to go. But, as he let his eyes linger on you, standing oh so close to him, drying the dishes he finished washing; it had filled him up with an overflowing feeling of homeyness, making him want act upon it. He had wanted nothing more than to have his hands rest on your waist, and lean in to kiss your lips until it was all marked into his memory.

But he did not kiss you that night.

Or the next time he saw you, when you had invited him for lunch. It was at a restaurant close to his office, and you had picked up Jace from his school as well.

Or the time after that, when you had all met up at Calum’s house for a little gathering.

He was walking on thin ice, Luke knew that. And he would be damned if let himself ruin things again. But he was determined to work hard to prove himself, to be there for whatever his family needed. Until then, he would let you lead, at your own pace, and hope that you wouldn’t want to push him away.

Luke had only gotten a taste of your lips the night he stayed over for a movie night, helping put Jace to bed.

It had felt like the first drop of water he had in a year of drought, making his whole body come back to life. You had pulled away far too soon for his liking, but then you asked him for a coffee date at his office, and Luke’s heart felt like bursting at your words, oh-so sweet to him. 

~

As expected, the tables were crowded with couple holding hands and making oaths for forever, the waiters rushing back n forth, from table to other. Rose petals decorated each and every table, along with red candles and heart shaped candies.

But your table was in the far back, private enough to feel like it was just you, and just him.

The lace dress you wore was a gift from Luke, chosen with care and left on top of your bed for you to find, along with more packages that you didn’t get the time to go through just yet. It suited you to a wonder, and Luke couldn’t have felt any more blessed, his hands finding it harder to stay away from you for too long.

“It’s been a while since we last celebrated Valentine’s this way.” The comment leaves your mouth without much thought, smiling in contentment. But then your eyes lift up from the menu you were reading, and the look on Luke’s face instantly makes you regret it.

It’s a look you see on his face more often than you wished. It was a look that betrayed his thoughts whenever he was falling into the pit of remorse and regret.

Last Valentine, you couldn’t even remember the day clearly. You’re sure that it was nothing but a delivered bouquet of roses and chocolates that had a card too bland to be personally sent by Luke. You knew that it was a last minute order after his assistant -most likely- reminded him of which day it was. You’re not sure if the year before that was that special either.

It had indeed been long since you both celebrated the day this way. You knew that. And he knew that.

“Hey,” You whisper, frowning. Your hand reaching out to hold his, giving him a gentle squeeze. But Luke only shakes his head, replacing the look on his face with a smile instead.

He knew that he wouldn’t find a way out of the maze of regret any time soon. He knew that his mind would always go back to little details and remind him of every wrong decision he wasn’t aware of at the time.

But for tonight, Luke wants it to be special. He wants it to overpower the memories of times he didn’t take the time to celebrate special days with you.

For tonight, he just wants it to be just you.

~

The lights in the living room are kept to a low dim, an old record softly playing in the background.

Once dinner was over, exquisite dishes savored and sweet desserts shared, it was time for you both to go back home and enjoy a little more privacy. The ride back was just you two and your wandering hands, the driver disposed for the night.

Your drinks remained on the table, long forgotten as you got drunk on each other’s lips instead.

“I don’t like this house very much” Luke breaks slightly away from your lips, his mouth moving to pepper light kisses on your jaw.

“What?” You ask after a little too long, his lips distracting you from his words, “why?” You draw out, pulling away a bit more and looking around your apartment. “I think it’s fairly nice.”

Luke hums, resting his arm on the back of the couch, around your shoulders.“It is nice. But it's not home.”

A minute of silence follows his words, Luke’s eyes simply gazing into yours and studying your reaction. The beats of his heart drum against his ear, so loudly that it drowns out the music still playing from the corner of the room.

Fear slowly makes its way into his heart, sending strings around it and caging it in, making it throb painfully in his chest. It’s the same fear that keeps creeping up on him; the fear of taking a wrong step, taking it too fast and potentially breaking down everything you have been rebuilding. The fear that he would once again risk losing you.

But then you look into his eyes, with that special way of yours, and the words just tumble out of his mouth.

“Come back home.”

Your heart flutters again at his words, stronger this time. Not only because it’s the first time he bring this up, but it’s in the way he spoke his words. Hesitant and unsure. Just like the very first time.

“I- I don’t know. Are you sure?” You question, mind feeling unprepared.

The look Luke shoots you is enough to tell you that he is more than sure. And the small smile on your lips knocks a little more confidence into him.

“Come on, think of all the positives.”

You squint your eyes at his words, smile getting wider and your hand moving towards the side of his neck, allowing your fingers to run through his hair.

Luke’s smile grows at your words, lifting his hand to rest on your forearm. His thumb moves in little circles against your skin, his head turning slightly to meet the patch of skin and land a soft kiss, before he leans away. “Hm..” he pretends to think, “We get to have breakfast in bed?”

“I don’t think you really thought this one through,” You tease, “Mr. I-wake-up-in-the-ass-crack-of-dawn.”

Luke chuckles at that, shaking his head, “On Sundays then, how about that?”

An attempt to tame your smile goes down the drain, so you simply let it be.

“Carry on..”

“No more driving late at night, or having to pack clothes.” Luke continues, “We’re always over at each other’s anyways.”

You lift your eyebrows, slightly nodding your head, a teasing smile still playing on your lips. Luke shakes his head with a laugh, just as amused by your behavior. Deciding to play along, his head dives in, lips finding the skin of your neck and leaving featherlight kisses.

“You get to wake up to this lovely face every morning.” He hums against your skin, kisses punctuating his words. “Slow, early morning sex before-”

A loud giggle falls past your lips, your hands holding Luke’s face and pulling him away. But he still goes for a kiss on your lips, before leaning back into the couch.

“___, …”

The tone of his voice drops all its playfulness, getting serious. With honest eyes never once leaving yours, he speaks;  “I mean it, I want you to come back home. I miss you being home. It’s not the same anymore. You don't have to do it anytime soon, I’ll wait. But I just need you to think about it.”

His words knock the breath out of our lungs, leaving you struck for a moment too long, before warmth overtakes your heart. You can feel tears starting to pool in your eyes, and your hands reach out to pull him in for a deep kiss.

A little shaky, teeth clashing and breaths mixing together. But it’s nothing short of perfect.

“Ask me again” You mumble against his lips, hands still holding his face.

“Please come back home.”

Your answer comes in the form of another kiss.

~

His ass was so harshly pressed against the couch he was sure he would fall through the cushion and through the floor any second by now.

He felt completely numb. 

Say it would have been days. It felt like it, like the time was completely snailing through everything. But it wasn’t. It had only been minutes, maybe an hour before everyone had figured it out. 

Investigators were walking around the ‘crime scene’ talking about everything. He wasn’t listening. He was trying to think who wanted their revenge. 

Hands were pressed together the color on his skin had almost turned white. More likely a yellow, expressing that he was basically cutting off his blood system. 

It wasn’t that it hurt, he almost couldn’t feel it. The only thing he could feel was his heart pound faster than ever almost begging to come out from his chest. It was the only thing that actually hurt, besides the constant fear resting inside of him. 

If he looked over his shoulder he could hear people talk. It was serious, he could tell and he knew he most probably had to listen but he was completely stuck to the couch.

Only a question here and there was answered. Where did he see you the last time, what were the last words and what had you worn today. It was like the only thing he could remember was your face as you left. 

You should never have left in the first place, he thought. 

It would have changed everything. He wouldn’t have been in this position now. 

“The shirt is size XL. Suspect must be tall, at least 6′2 and fingerprints are about to get recognized from the sleeve.” A female investigator explained as she wore blue gloves and shared it with another worker. 

Shoe prints on the balcony floor are currently being scanned. Nobody touches the floor before we are done.” Another one said but Luke didn’t even want to turn around to look. 

He was in clear shock and everyone was giving him a small rest just to adjust what was going to happen. 

His eyes flicked towards the investigator with chestnut colored hair walking past him as she put the black hoodie in a plastic bag. 

He scanned it for a short second but it wasn’t something he could recognize. Like, everyone was wearing such shirts nowadays it would be impossible to remember one not wearing something like that. 

As the investigator walked out of the front door she almost collided into a tall Ashton and Calum wanting to get inside of the apartment. 

“It’s okay.” Luke held a hand in the air when one of the police officers held them outside to block them. 

“They’re with me.” 

For the first time in a while he stood up from his couch and walked forward. He could tell so many questions were crowded inside of Ashton’s head but there was no way possible he could answer them all. 

“What-, Uh-,” Calum was the one speaking up at first but he clearly couldn’t understand what in the world was going on. 

“Who took her?” Ashton was more settled with his question, eyes wide and dark just like the tone of his voice. 

“If I knew, you’d think all these people would fill up my apartment?” Luke asked back.

He didn’t want to be rude but with his mood and the many thoughts in his mind he couldn’t help but fire back a sneaky comment. 

Ashton understood right away the mood Luke was in, god he could totally relate to the situation he was standing in. Instead, he decided not to say something to it and ran a hand through his hair. 

“What is he doing here?” He decided to ask instead, referering to Michael talking to some sort of interviewer. 

“He was with me when she was kidnapped.” Luke explained, looking at Michael as well. He was baffling his arms in the air almost as if he was telling a story that was totally exaggerated. 

Ashton and Calum both glanced at Luke by the mention, one eyebrow being lifted but it took Luke some seconds to realize what they were thinking. 

“And that doesn’t ring a bell?” Calum asked and crossed his arms, “Don’t you think it’s just a tiny bit shady he’s in the apartment at the same time as your assistant slash pregnant roomie gets kidnapped?” 

Luke looked between the both of them and it took him a split second to hurry towards Michael and pull him away from the interviewer.

Michael was pretty startled by the sudden hands on his shoulders, he barely got the chance to apologize to the interviewer before he was pulled away completely and pressed into the kitchen with Calum and Ashton. 

“Woah, security guards, what is going on?” He almost raised his hands in surrender and looked between them with confused eyes. 

“Michael, look at me in the eyes and tell me you didn’t have anything to do with this.” Luke looked at him seriously almost straight up in his face. There was no doubt in his tone that he needed the answer right away. 

“What?” Michael blinked twice, almost needing the question to be repeated. 

“You think I,” He pointed at himself, “Had anything to do with this?” 

Luke looked at Michael with a shrug in the shoulder. When he thought about it he couldn’t just accuse him of something there wasn’t any clues to but he just needed to be sure. The whole investigation could be pointless. 

“Luke come on.” Michael almost looked hurt, “After everything we’ve been through you believe I would steal your poor pregnant assistant? I could have easily bought myself a better one instead of just stealing her.” 

“Yeah, he didn’t do it.” Calum mouthed to Ashton in a whisper but Luke heard. 

“Don’t judge the guy, he’s blond.” Ashton muttered back, making both Luke and Michael turn their heads towards them. 

“I can’t believe you would think I could do such thin-,” 

“Yeah that’s great pretty boy.” Ashton mumbled and turned around quickly, “He’s out of suspect let’s hear what the police has to say.” 

Michael almost felt offended by being interrupted in his deep speech, his eyes blinking open and watched as Luke also turned around to leave. 

At first he just stared at them not realizing what was going on but afterwards he hurried to stand in their heels as they approached the investigators and the police. 

“Any news?” Luke asked, standing behind the lady officer sitting in front of the computers they had set up on the dinner table. 

“So far, nothing. We’ve checked camera rolls, video clips from down the streets but the suspect has been quiet the clever Cloe. No files seem to be erased yet there is nothing to find. It’s like whoever has stepped out from the apartment has completely vanished.” 

“Maybe you should reload some of the clips from the elevator? Maybe we can kind something in that.” Ashton suggested, standing next to Luke with furrowed eyebrows. 

“If the suspect hasn’t taken the stairs.” Calum mentioned quieter, already thinking forward but it was worth the shot. 

The lady officer nodded her head in agreement and typed things onto the keyboard. Files spread on the three large computer screens they had put up for the investigations and it was a lot of things to look through.

“There.” Ashton pointed at one clip, “That timing and date seems perfect.” 

“Let’s check it out.” The lady officer mumbled and she pressed her finger with a spare of cards symbol tattoo onto the mouse to load on the screen.

They all waited in anticipation as the file suddenly came up on the screen, showing someone stand with a black hoodie over their shoulders with the back facing the camera. 

“That must be him!” Ashton exclaimed intensely, “Or her, for the matter.” 

“I’m not sure if it’s the same hoodie. Seems more like a jacket.” The lady officer explained and when the second was at the most dramatic, everyone sighed in deep disappointment. 

“That’s Michael.” Luke almost wanted to smack his head against the table. 

As the person turned around and revealed who it was, the clear significant pointed to Michael. The blond hair, the stubble around the chin and the sunglasses to cover his face. 

“That’s me!” Michael commented in an exciting tone and a smile broke to his face. 

“Man, I look good in an elevator.”

Silence fell upon the room by the sudden comment, all eyes adverting to Michael who clearly didn’t understand the dramatic point of the situation. 

“You bring a flat iron with you?” Calum almost couldn’t ask the question as he looked on the tape. 

“What?” Michael asked and softly ran his fingers through his hair, “It’s hard to control the hair at cold months because it curls in the ends so I need to bring my straightener after leaving my house. I always carry it in my bag and it’s the reason why I wear my hoodie over the head. It protects the hair.” 

A moment of another silence was completely offered to Michael. At least twenty eyes were staring at him almost in disbelief and it wasn’t until Calum coughed attention went back to the screen. 

“The tapes are pointless. Calum is right. He or she must have taken the stairs.” The lady officer confirmed and another sigh of disappointment came from Luke. 

“We have to do something.” He almost wanted to pull his hair out in frustration. 

“Try give me your phone again.” She requested and Luke did as told, pulling it out from his pocket.  

“And you’re sure the I.D caller was Unknown?” She asked, almost not wanting to touch it because it being such a clue to the whole investigation.

“I’m completely sure. Neither did I recognize the voice. It was completely unknown to me and I meet a lot of people in life. That voice, I couldn’t remember.” 

The lady officer nodded her head in understanding and nodded a few people over to help. Luke and the others nodded intensely. 

“What we are going to do is to hope that the suspect has seen the flash news on TV and such. It makes them believe they are something important, that their mission is heading towards the right direction. Hopefully, we expect they are going to call you again as you still haven’t proceed to do something about the kidnapping.

“Well that’s because some officers haven’t allowed me to leave the place.” Luke said almost through gritted teeth and glared towards the door. 

“Exactly, but see it as a benefit, Mr. Hemmings.” The lady officer explained.

“What we are going to do is we will connect the phone to our system. If the phone calls again we will be able to track it all over the state at every mobile post that exist. It works almost 100% correct whether the I.D caller is known or Unknown.” 

“But how do I make it call again?” Luke asked, not but getting the answer he wanted. 

“We can’t decide that.” The lady officer saddened in her tone, “It’s all up to the suspects.” 

Luke sighed heavily and looked down at his feet. It felt like no matter how many times things seemed to head forward he was stuck in the same position as before. 

“We will wait.” He said bravely, “No matter if it takes all night then so be it.” 

Luke headed away from the table just to get a breath of air. He didn’t know where to go because it was impossible and it didn’t take long before another interviewer showed up to speak with him. 

“Luke?” She was careful in her tone, not wanting to disturb but still wanted to do her job. 

“Heather.” Luke said back, recognizing her bouncy blond curls. 

“I don’t want to disturb if you’re in deep thought,” She was still careful, “But is there anything you want to say to the world before we turn off for the night?” 

Luke looked at her ready to reject but then a sudden confusion came to his face. It changed quickly to something that seemed to settle on something he took the microphone out of her hand. 

His face was directed pointed towards the camera and he breathed in deeply to find the right words to say. 

“Whoever did this. Whoever had the heart to do something so idiotic as kidnapping someone to get a benefit is what god wishes as something only happening in the movies. I hope whoever have done this to not only me but also to the girl that I love have the baddest feeling in the mouth. Nobody wants to go through the feeling of doubt, confusion and the constant fear of nothing moving forward like the way I’m feeling right now. Trust me when I say that I can feel my heart ready to pound out of my chest. Trust me when I say I can feel my throat ready to turn upside down. Trust me when I say that I’m ready to commit a murder of whoever decided to kidnap Y/N because this won’t end well and heads will roll.” 

He looked at the kidnapper almost pressing the microphone into her chest, “That’s all I have to say to the idiots.” 

Heather looked pretty surprised by Luke’s words, a little speechless but she seemed satisfied with what she got. 

Luke cleared his mouth from the small bit of salvia that had arrived from not breathing through the words and his eyes were quick to glance back when movements came from behind him. 

“The phone is calling.” The lady officer announced loudly and waved her hand for Luke to come. 

“I.D caller is unknown, start the tracking devices.” She instructed harshly and Luke hurried over to grab the phone out of her hand. 

“Remember, no provocation.” She warned at him carefully, pointing a finger at him.

Luke nodded his head and swallowed thickly as he answered the phone and shut his eyes. 

“Hello?” 

His voice almost echoed in the apartment, it was so quiet. Nobody was speaking a word, they didn’t dare to. The only thing was low machine noises coming from the detectors trying to register where the phone call was from.

Seconds passed by but nobody said a word. Luke was almost confused if it was just someone else calling out of accident but then he heard small sounds coming from the other end of the phone. 

“Luke? Luke-, Please is that you?” 

When he heard your voice he almost couldn’t believe his words. It cut through his heart like a sharp knife.  

Ashton felt a jolt go through his body by your tone but Calum held him back from saying or doing something out of reaction. 

“Lu-, Luke please, you have to do somethin-,” When the line was completely cut off so did Luke’s breathing. 

“Did you get it?” Calum asked almost loudly as he watched the computers still trying to regestrate where it was coming from. 

It was a stressful situation, it was hard to tell what was going on. Ashton and Calum were staring at the screen while Luke stood completely frozen with the phone not believing his ears. 

“We’ve got it.” The lady officer announced when the screen changed with an address and google maps. 

“We’ve found the location of the phone.” 

“No time to fucking waste.” Luke, Ashton and Calum hurried towards the door with the rest of the crew. 

“We need to leave right in the second. Get spread in the cars.” 

Michael still stood by the computers looking confusedly around down at his fingers. It took him some time to register what had suddenly happened and he hurried towards the door as well. 

“I’m going with you! This could be the biggest comeback of a movie ever.” 

Luke barely heard what Michael had to say but neither did he care. Just the sound of your panic voice was enough to make him storm out of the door with a headed direction. 

Little didn’t he known how cold, alone and scared you felt tied to a chair. 

You had no idea for how long the drive had been, how you had suddenly appeared it almost felt like you had been drugged. You could have compared it to drinking and getting the blackouts. 

Nothing seemed to be remembered clearly and god how you just wished you could get the headache away. 

You were sure of one thing. You were tied to a chair. It was pretty obvious and you could feel how it was tightening around your stomach. They didn’t take anything for care and they had no hopes of believing you were okay. 

“Did you hear the sound of his voice? He sounded so panicked!” 

“Yeah I was pretty amazed too! Who could care that much for a poor girl and I baby. I wouldn’t. It doesn’t come with any benefits.”

You weren’t sure if you wanted to smack your head back and hopefully hit the back of the chair. That was how tired you were of listening to the two large tall males who had kidnapped you the second you came down to the last floor of the apartment. 

They only went by the letters T and G. Most probably to cover up their original names and most importantly not to spoil anything when they had placed the phone to your mouth. 

“Did you see him on the TV? He’s a wimp and I’m most probably can’t do a thing about anything.” 

“Was he that bad in bed when he knocked you pregnant? He can’t even keep his arms up for a second I don’t believe he could do the same with his dick.” The guy to the left commented after banging his hand on the small TV.

His friend was laughing next to him, pretty amused by the situation. 

“How about the two of you shut up for a second and start telling me what the hell is going on?” You were both stubborn but scared at the same time. They seemed like losers but still remained scary with their tall shadows. 

“How about you shut up? I told you not to say anything as long as you were under our domand.” The guy to the right knocked on the TV once to get the channel right and headed towards you. 

“Or, do I need to remind you again?” He headed forward and cold shivers ran down your spine as he collected a knife. 

“You know that I can easily tear your pretty face with this?” He slowly pressed the blade against your cheek, “Or let’s say something else. An arm? Your stomach?” 

“You don’t touch her.” You said through gritted teeth teeth but gasped when he grazed the knife against your arm. 

“Oh so it’s a girl!” He said as if it actually impressed him and watched the blood leak from your arm. 

It wasn’t a deep cut but enough for you to flinch. You couldn’t even remove the droplet of blood because of your hands being tied but you watched it slowly fall down onto your lap. 

“Don’t act like you’re happy on my behalf.” You spat, almost not wanting to start the argument. 

“But I am.” He said and spread his arms, “A girl means she’s already wrapped around his little finger! That only adds up your chances of survival you know. If he gets here in time.” 

You watched him head towards a desk filled with cobweb. The place wasn’t really anything to brag about, it smelled horrible and could have been cut out from a scene. 

“What is this? Why did you kidnap me?” You had asked the question a couple of times now. 

“I’ve already answered you this.” The one still standing by the TV sighed. 

“You’re the key to the diamonds.” 

“I don’t get where you’re going.” You quivered an eyebrow and sincerely wished he could continue. 

“To get to Luke, you need to get close to the thing he loves the most.” 

“And that’s me?” You almost couldn’t believe his words. 

“It’s you.” He pointed at you with a smile and moved the knife down, “And the baby.” 

“But what about revenge?” You couldn’t get the things to seem right. Nothing seemed right about this, there was something he wasn’t telling you and you couldn’t figure it out. 

“Who wants revenge if it’s the diamonds that are demanded?” 

“I can’t tell you.” He shrugged like it was nothing and laughed. He was either being really stupid or just enjoying giving you this pain. You were left with no information. 

“But aren’t you the one wanting revenge? Wanting the diamonds.” You looked between them, “The both of you.”

“Nahh.” The other one shrugged and crossed his arms, “We’re just the ones taking orders.” 

You looked between them trying to read their faces but you couldn’t get them to say anything. You looked over their shoulders by the doors that were faintly covered by white duvets. 

It wasn’t clear to see but two shadows were also creeping behind, not wanting to reveal their faces but you could feel the lump in your throat ready to choke you.