Page 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Sera

"Are they mad at you?" I ask once Luke has come in from his balcony. We're in his luxurious Los Angeles apartment. This would've felt surreal before we met, but after the helicopter, the restaurant, and the mile-high club induction, I almost feel like I belong.

The sun is setting, the city lights twinkling beyond his tall windows.

"I explained it had something to do with the sabotage, but I didn't elaborate," he says.

I smooth my arms around his shoulders, standing on my tiptoes so that I can look at him eye to eye... or almost eye to eye, anyway, considering he's so much taller. "You're going to kick this PR stuff in the butt, Luke. You're the best CEO I know."

He smiles at me with a cocked brow. "Aren't I the only CEO you know?"

"Don't get hung up on technicalities."

He laughs and reaches down, scooping his hands behind my legs, lifting me off my feet. I hold onto him tight as he carries me to his leather corner couch. He sits down with me in his lap. I look up at him, feeling intoxicated by his proximity.

"You must be tired," he says, gliding his hand over my hair.

"I am," I admit. "But I don't want to sleep yet. I want to stay here with you. It feels like a miracle, us being together. And if I sleep..."

"You'll have to think about what happened."

Sometimes, I'm relieved he seems to read my thoughts.

"I don't know which would be worse," I say. "Dreaming about Damien or dreaming about Ellie and Graham."

"I can't imagine the pain you're in," he says huskily, his hand caressing my head, comforting me on a level I hardly even understand. It goes beyond just physical.

"I'm better now that I'm with you," I say gently. "I can't believe how good this feels, Luke, just lying here with you. There's a whole country separating me from Damien, from them." I squeeze my eyes tight when tears brim, fighting them back.

"It's okay," he whispers.

"I don't want to cry again," I say glumly.

"I'm here if you need to."

"I've been alone for so long," I mutter. "When I was a kid, I was always alone. I never felt like Mom and Dad loved or cared about me... then I found Ellie, and later, Graham. Am I an idiot for thinking they were going to be my perfect parental figures?"

"No," he says fiercely. "But people are complex. Graham thought he was doing the right thing by helping Damien... and it got out of hand."

"You sound like you're on their side."

“That’s not it. I just don’t want you to think you can’t forgive them if you’re ever ready for that. The money for her treatment won’t be an issue if you decide you want my help.”

“Thank you for the offer,” I murmur. “But I can’t even think about forgiveness tonight.”

“Of course,” he replies.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” I ask, changing the subject if only slightly. I’m tired of feeling hurt and betrayed.

“The same thing I’ve been doing every day,” he says with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Sera. I wish I could stay with you. I’d like nothing better than to spend all day holding you in my arms, forgetting about everything that’s happened, but I have to work. We’re just about keeping our heads above water… I’ve got more interviews to give.”

“How is the AI stuff going? Have you extricated the code?”

“We’re getting there,” he says. “We need to see how far the damage goes.”

“Do you need help?”

“You’ve been through so much…”

I stare up at him. “Is that really why you don’t want my to help, or is there something else? It’s okay if you’re worried. I work, worked for TechGuard – for Graham.” I probably don’t have a job anymore, not that I want it.

“Hey, listen to me. I believe everything you’ve told me. I haven’t doubted you – and I don’t doubt you – for a single moment. I just don’t want you taking on more than you can handle.”

“Honestly? I think I’d prefer to do something productive rather than sitting around an empty apartment. But I don’t want to put you in an awkward position. Your team might get angry if a TechGuard employee arrives, considering who’s responsible for all this.”

“But you’re not responsible,” he points out. “Forget what the team thinks.”

“You could find me a small office, out of the way. I’d rather lose myself in code… rather help to fix the problem, than sit around feeling useless.”

“You could never be useless,” he says passionately. “Even if it’s just to make a grumpy like me smile.”

“Is that a yes?”

He leans down, kissing me. “It’s a hell yes.”

The next day, I sit in a small office on the third floor, out of the way of everyone else. Luke told me I could work with the main team if I wanted, but I’d rather be alone.

I smile when my cellphone goes off.

Luke: Codebreaker sixty-nine.

That’s the safe word we came up with last night to prove it’s really us. We landed on ‘codebreaker’ first, but then we couldn’t think of a follow-up. When he suggested sixty-nine, I told him we’d have to try it if we were going to use it as a code.

It was amazing, grinding against his face, bent over him with his length in my mouth as I worked my hand up and down his shaft. The hottest part was feeling his need in the movements of his mouth and tongue against my core. The faster I sucked and stroked my hand, the more erratic his movements became as he struggled to contain himself.

Luke: How’s it going?.

Sera: I think I’ve rewritten a decent portion of it, but you’ll have to check how it integrates into the whole. How is your day?

Luke: Boring, but I feel better knowing you’re in the same building with me, safe and sound. Have the police contacted you yet?

Sera: No. I think they’re just happy I’m not in any danger. Damien hasn’t tried to catch a plane. I think they’d call me if he had… or they’d just arrest him. I guess his only other option would be to drive across the country. Before you ask, yes, I have thought about that. I may have even researched it.

Luke: Go on.

Sera: He could conceivably be here by this evening. Or tomorrow morning. It would take a truly determined, obsessed man to do that. But I met him. He seemed deluded and obsessed.

Luke: I know it’s easier said than done. But try not to worry about that. This building has security. My apartment has security. If we go somewhere in public, we’ll be together. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.

Sera: Thank you, Luke.

Luke: Speaking of public, actually…

Sera: You know, in a text, you don’t have to leave dramatic pauses, right?

Luke: Maybe I need to maintain my status as your mystery man…

Sera: Ha ha, well, you’re doing it. Now, put me out of my misery, please.

Luke: I told Victor we’d have breakfast with him tomorrow. He mentioned it, and I got excited and said yes before I asked you. I can find a way out of it, though.

Luke’s told me a little bit about the Victor and how much he means to him, the man he sees as a father figure. I just hope he doesn’t hold my association with TechGuard against me.

Sera: No, I want to go. I know how much Victor means to you. It’d be nice to meet him. What time do you think you’ll be done tonight?

Luke: Pfft. No idea. Nine if I’m lucky. I can give you a ride to the apartment sooner than that, though.

Sera: I’ll stay here. We can leave together. I might get some empathetic AI work done, too. It’s good to be busy. It reminds me of why I fell in love with coding.

Luke: There’s nothing simpler and yet more complex than a sea of code. is there Sparkplug?

Sera: I can think of a couple things.

Luke: Wait a second. Are you saying I’m simple?

Sera: I’m saying that our connection is simple because it’s clear. It’s obvious. It’s unquestionable. But it’s so freaking complex, too. There are so many layers to my desire and devotion toward you.

I almost don’t send my last message, my finger hovering over the send button. Am I going too far? But I figure, screw it. If I can’t be honest with him after everything we’ve been through, who can I be honest with?

Luke: I’ll never tire of obsessing over you, Sparkplug.

I clutch my phone to my chest. If someone were watching me, they’d probably think I’d lost my mind. But I don’t care. The past two days have been the craziest roller coaster of my life.

Luke: Are you sure you don’t mind about breakfast?

Sera: I’m certain. I just hope Victor likes me.

Luke: He will. You’re exactly the kind of person he respects: driven, intelligent, curious. He was just worried about me. He didn’t want me to get my heart broken. Little did he know, if you really were ghosting me, my heart would’ve already shattered. This is coming from someone who didn’t even feel like he had a heart before he met you.

Sera: If you’ve given me your heart, Luke, I’m going to be so careful with it.

Luke: If you’ve given me yours, Sparkplug, I’m going to defend it with my life. I’m going to spend every single day proving I’m worthy of it. I’m going to cherish it, cherish you, for as long as you’ll have me.

Sera: That will be a LONG time.

Soon, it’s time for him to go back to work. I focus on my computer again, losing myself in the monotonous lines of code, thinking about breakfast tomorrow… and the future, our future. After all, this is over.

Is it too soon to be dreaming about wedding bells and a happy family and a time in which all these stresses seem extremely far away?