Part 12 (1/2)
Chapter 17.
Luke twisted around in his chair and watched Charlie as she sat, hunkered over her computer. Her hair was falling out of the bun she had haphazardly pulled up earlier and she constantly tried to tuck strands behind her ears. The occasional mutterings coming from her gave evidence to her frustrations.
Rubbing the back of his neck, it hit him that the other Saints had seen him in the same position a million times since he began working for Jack. Is that how they saw me? Always at a computer? Practically living down here in the compound?
He watched as she tucked her legs up under her body in the small chair and knew a change was inevitable. And needed!
Standing, he walked the few steps to where she sat scrunched up in the chair and pulled her hand off her keyboard. Before she could speak, he said, ”Come on.”
Allowing him to lead her up the back stairs, she was surprised when they pa.s.sed through the door and were in part of Jack's garage. Several ATVs were parked to the side and she watched as Luke headed straight to them. Grabbing a helmet and tossing it to her, she caught it, but stared numbly at him for a moment.
”Put it on,” he ordered with a grin, while strapping his own helmet on.
”But...why?”
Laughing, he answered, ”I would have thought that would be obvious.”
Looking dubiously at the ATV, she said, ”But I've never been on one.”
Stepping over to her, he took the helmet from her hands and placed it on her head. Securing the strap underneath her chin, he replied, ”Then it's time we rectified that.”
Her brow pinched with concern as she looked down at Luke settling himself on the vehicle. Swinging her leg over before pressing her front to his back, she said, ”I'm used to my little Vespa. This won't go much faster, will it?”
With a grin, Luke decided not to answer but shouted, ”Hang on,” as they roared out of the garage into the bright sunlight.
The wind slapped Charlie in the face as she peeked over Luke's shoulder, causing her to gasp. Her hands, which had been resting on his hips, were now tightly wrapped around his waist as she clung on for dear life.
Her fear rescinded as she viewed the fall glory of the mountains as they climbed higher up the back of Jack's property. The vehicle bounced and jolted along a rutted path, over tree roots and across a stream. Her heart pounded but she quickly realized it was not out of fear...it was joyful.
Her hands felt the strength of his muscles as they bunched and corded beneath her fingers. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were plastered to his back and her thighs pressed tightly against his. The roar of the engine underneath her sent rumblings through her core and she wondered if he felt the same sensations.
Looking about, the yellows, oranges, and reds swirled by as Luke seemed to take a path that led them around and around the woods, slowly climbing higher.
Just when she thought they could not go further, he skidded to a stop at an overlook and shut the engine off. Taking his helmet off and hanging it on one of the handlebars, he twisted around and said, ”Get off, sweetheart. It's time to see more of the world than what we find on a computer screen.”
Obeying, she followed his lead and removed her helmet as well. Standing next to him, she looked out onto the valley below. Her breath caught in her throat as she walked near the edge.
Jack and Bethany's house sat in the distance, the white picket fence surrounding the backyard glistening in the sunlight. The warm rays pelted them but, with the slight breeze, she could not imagine a more perfect day.
Luke walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, pulling her back into his front. Sliding one arm around her waist and the other around her chest, he rested his chin on her head.
They stood silent for several long minutes, both allowing the vista to immerse them in tranquility. Finally taking a deep breath of fresh air, she said, ”I've never seen anything like this. It's glorious. How could you not want to come up here all the time?”
She felt his chuckle as his chest moved against her shoulders and she twisted her neck to look at him. His chocolate eyes were focused on her as he lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
With a grin, he linked his fingers with hers and led her to a flat rock, near the edge but not dangerously close. Sitting, he pulled her down next to him and once more tucked her tightly into his side as they looked out onto the world from their perch.
They sat in silence for several minutes, the breeze gently blowing her hair about her face. With his free hand he tucked the wayward strands behind her ear.
”Tell me about you,” he encouraged, his eyes never leaving her face.
She shot him a quick glance, her mouth partially opening before closing quickly. ”You...you already know all about me,” she replied, a slight blush warming her cheeks.
”No...not really.” Seeing her gaze fall back to his in question, he said, ”I spend my days at my computer, doing research, writing programs...often digging deep into information about whomever we're investigating. And I always thought that was enough.”
”Enough?”
Sucking in a deep breath through his nose, he let it out slowly as he tried to explain what was just now filling his mind. Nodding, he said, ”I thought that I could understand everything about someone from what I uncovered. Their bank accounts...their friends...their social media footprint.” Shrugging, he added, ”I never really thought about them in any other way except as a list of facts...information my faithful computers fed to me.”
He twisted his body slightly so that he was facing her while still keeping their fingers linked as he continued. ”But as I've fallen for you, I realize that there is so much I don't know about you. And desperately want to.”
Charlie sat in silence for a moment, understanding what Luke was saying. She, too, had sought the safety of a computer over unpredictable relations.h.i.+ps. Looking back over the valley below, the crisp fall air filling her nostrils, she leaned her face up toward the sun and, for the first time in a very long time, she felt free.
Releasing her long-held breath, she responded to his question. ”Growing up was lonely,” she admitted.
”Tell me,” he encouraged.
”My father was in love with someone else and they had an argument. He found solace in a waitress that he met and I was the...product. It wasn't a one-night stand but, well, it wasn't planned. He did the right thing, married my mom and stayed with us until I was about four. But he wasn't around much. Mama always said he had to travel for business, but as I'm sure you can surmise, he actually saw his old flame. When they decided to make a go of it, he divorced us.”
”Us?” Luke asked, his voice hard.
With a little shrug, Charlie nodded. ”Yeah. He paid some child support until I was eighteen, but he never came around. Whether he wanted to be with me or not, or his new wife didn't want the reminder that he had another family...who knows? So, I grew up with just mama.”
Luke allowed her to speak, knowing she was proving exactly what he had said a few minutes earlier. He thought about the early information he had pulled up on Charlotte and knew that while the facts had been learned, it was so different hearing them from the person involved.
”Were you lonely?”
”Mama worked all of the time and so I was often alone in the apartment. I had friends in my books, but few real friends.”
”And school?”
Making a rude snort, she rolled her eyes. ”Please, Luke. Being a bookworm in school hardly got me into the cool crowd.”
She shrugged, but he wondered if the sting was still present when she thought about it. He lifted his hand again and, this time, after tucking a strand of hair behind her ear he allowed his fingers to glide along the softness of her jaw.
”I was good at math, good with computers, and because of financial need, got into MIT.” Seeing him about to protest, she said, ”Oh, that's not false modesty, it's the truth. I was smart, but doubt I would have gotten into MIT. But most colleges need to take a percentage of financially needy students, so I got in.”
”And college?” he continued to push.
”That's when I first felt like I belonged.”
”Eli and the others?”
Nodding, she said, ”I never needed a lot of friends.” She s.h.i.+fted around so that she could observe his face while she confided. ”You know how some people are people-magnets? They seem to attract friends no matter where they go? Well, that was never me. And I wasn't jealous of that. I'd rather have a couple of really good friends than a whole slew of kinda-friends.”