My Stardust Melody, Chapter 8
The sheets long discarded, Luke and Reid lazily pleasured each other until a few hours before dawn. In between the bursts of passion and ecstasy, they indulged in comfortable silences (as their heart rates returned to normal rhythms) and eager conversations, revealing little pieces of their lives. In those discussions, nothing of significance was bared, yet Reid felt as if each word uttered was momentous. He actually liked listening to Luke, surely an unusual occurrence for Reid who heretofore had little patience for small talk, and he even felt at ease speaking to Luke. He was certain he had never felt so relaxed around someone he had just met.
"You feel it, too. Don't you?"
Reid was unsurprised by Luke's voice and had been waiting for him to say something for the past fifteen minutes. He had sensed that Luke had something on his mind from the tension that had slowly entered the younger man's body. He rolled Luke onto his back so that he could look down at his face, softly illuminated by moonlight.
"You'll have to be more specific. I've felt a lot of things," Reid replied with a lascivious smile.
Frown-lines crossed Luke's temple as he worried over his answer. Reid found them endearing. "I don't know how to describe it. The 'we've known each other forever' feeling."
"Ah, that," Reid replied.
"Well?" Luke asked expectantly. When there was no response, he exclaimed, "Reid! Do you feel like that, too?"
Yes and more, though Reid didn't want to think too much on it. It weighed on his mind (and apparently Luke's, too) now that his body was calming down from the…sex. Christ, I almost called it "making love." Not that either term felt exactly right. All Reid knew was that every touch between Luke and him tonight had more than a mere physical impact. They had meaning; the sex had meaning. And Luke clearly had meaning to Reid. Just how much, though, Reid didn't know. Feelings and emotions always seemed a little foreign to him, but he thought he might be willing to explore them for Luke.
Reid caressed Luke's shoulder and replied, "What do you think?"
"And?" Luke obviously took the reply as the affirmative response Reid intended, but apparently it wasn't enough.
"And what? " Reid asked, perplexed. He never understood why people wanted him to say more when they had been given his answer.
"What do you think it means?"
Reid groaned. "Do we really have to talk about meaning at--" He broke off to look at the clock before continuing, "three in the morning?"
Looking a little deflated, Luke replied, "I guess not."
Reid sighed, dipped his head for a quick kiss, and said, "Look. We obviously are attracted to each other. After three marathon rounds of mind blowing…sex, there's no denying that." If I'd called it making love in front of him, I would have had to move to a different state and change my name. Reid lowered his head for another kiss before continuing. "Whatever else there is between us doesn't need to be decided in one night. There's time for that." Another kiss. "Besides, you haven't even seen me in the daylight when I turn into an ogre."
"Oh, so your personality becomes better in the daytime?" Luke asked sunnily.
"No, I said I become an ogre in the daylight. Try to keep up."
"I know what you said. And I'm saying that seems like it might be an improvement." Luke poked him in the shoulder for emphasis.
"I give you the world's greatest sex and that's how you repay me? With insults?" Reid tried to keep the laughter out of his voice.
"World's greatest sex? I'm not sure that's how I remember it," the blonde replied with a smirk.
"Oh, really?" He slowly trailed his fingers down Luke's ribcage, smiling in satisfaction when Luke sucked in his breath.
Still, Luke persevered. "I remember that it was pretty good. But the best? I may need a reminder."
"Well, let me jog your memory."
***
Luke felt renewed in the morning. He woke up early in Reid's arms, catching the doctor peering at him through his perceptive blue eyes. It was a remarkably normal feeling, and their farewells as Reid departed to his room were delivered easily through several heated kisses. A last raking gaze from Reid as he left, and Luke fell in a heap on his sofa.
Before his late-morning breakfast with the other guests, he acknowledged to himself that his deal with Julian needed to end. His night with Reid and a hot shower had the effect of making him feel like he was thinking with a clear head for the first time in months. He was going to turn down the proposal. To marry someone so that they would invest in a company was disgusting. Julian was sick for even offering such a proposal, and why would he want his siblings involved with such a man? Furthermore, if Luke did it, he would never have the feeling of contentment he had when he woke this morning.
It seemed crazy that one night could change so much for him, but he had always trusted his heart. Being with Reid felt wonderful, and wonderful wasn't something that Luke had felt in a long time. Logically, he knew he needed to be careful--he really didn't know that much about Reid. Still, he felt like he knew the essentials, and even if he were wrong, being with Julian would not be right. He had been miserable for months and so entrenched in the feeling that he hadn't seen what a perverse idea it was. Marrying a man solely for his money was no example to live by for his siblings that he was trying so hard to protect. And besides, I'm feeling good about getting investors this weekend. I probably would never have felt the need to marry Julian anyway.
Now, Luke just needed to wait a couple more days for Julian to appear so that he could deliver the news to the older man.
His revelation allowed him to refocus his energies on the weekend's primary goal, finding investors. If Julian was no longer an option, then this weekend was more important than ever. His first instinct had been to seek out Reid to talk this morning, but he knew he had to take care of his family first. Reid could wait.
At breakfast he was at his best, even Damian could not claim to be more charming or persuasive. Maddie, who was sitting across from him and wearing a vintage white dress with black trim, occasionally gave him questioning glances. After the meal was over, she found her chance to pounce on him in the hallway.
"What's gotten into you?" Maddie asked and then smirked. "Or should I ask 'who'?"
Luke blushed. "Am I that obvious?"
"Just to me. You had those people in there eating out of your hand, so don't worry." She tugged lightly on his arm. "So, fess up. Did you sleep with him?"
"Maddie!" He always felt awkward telling others about his sex life.
She smiled triumphantly. "I'll take that as a yes. And I can tell it was amazing. Was he as hot undressed as he was dressed?"
"Maddie! I'm not answering that."
"Oh, come on, Luke! It's not like he'll ever give me a shot, so give this poor girl a break." She held up her hand and pinched her thumb and index finger together. "Just one little detail, please?" she whined.
"Ugh, fine. He has a really…nice…" Luke struggled to come up with something that wasn't totally humiliating to say. "Chest," he finally settled on. "Happy?"
"Hardly, but it will do. I can tell from the glowing skin and silly Jimmy Stewart grin that it was amazing. It was amazing, right?"
A little dreamy-eyed, Luke sighed, "Yeah." He looked down at Maddie and saw that she was about to cry. "Maddie, are you okay?" She rarely cried unless something was very wrong.
"Oh, Luke. I'm just so happy for you. You just look so…happy." She sniffed, smiled and said, "Sorry to keep saying happy. If I didn't know you'd met him just yesterday, I'd say you look in love." Luke froze as she continued. "It's like an old movie, Luke. You're desperate and about to make a terrible decision when a strange man comes sweeping into your life and changes it forever. I wonder if he's more Clark Gable or Cary Grant. Oh, I just know this is all going to work out. Grimaldi is going to survive, and you're going to find love. I feel it!"
"Um, Maddie, you may be getting a bit ahead of yourself," Luke stammered. Love. He took a quick mental stock of his emotions. Love. It's too soon, right? People don't really fall in love at first sight or in one night.
"Oh, I know, Luke. But, I just want good things for you so badly. You deserve them. And if a handsome red-haired doctor could come along and sweep you off your feet, then that seems like a pretty good thing."
Luke replied wryly, "It's obvious you've never spoken to him or you'd be sharpening your pitchfork."
Maddie frowned. "He can't be that bad of a conversationalist, can he?"
"No, but I get the feeling most people wouldn't mind pushing him off a cliff. He tends to be pretty blunt."
"But you like that?"
"I do." I really do.
"Well then, I like him," she replied in solidarity with her friend. Gracing him with a sly smile, she added, " I have to say, though, he sounds a bit like your grandmother Lucinda."
Luke blinked and was silent for a moment. He finally said, "Maddie, please don't ever compare a guy I'm sleeping with to my grandmother. I've got enough issues."
"Just sayin'." She held up her hands when Luke glared at her. "Okay, okay. Message received. The blunt doctor is nothing like your sharp-tongued grandma."
"I'm glad you see things my way," Luke remarked.
"I'm glad to see you smile."