Luke Takes a Wife Ch. 03

Everybody, thanks so much for your kind comments. I still don't know how long this is going to go on...still see no end in sight. I feel I should warn you, there's still no sex in this story. I like a little build-up and hope you do to. Please let me know what you think.

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"Luke, please...." Hannah jerks on her arm, grimacing as pain shoots up it. "Your hurting me."

Once on the porch, Luke turns to face her. He loosens his grip on her arm but doesn't let go even as she continues pulling on it. "Your hurting yourself, Princess...not me."

"Stop calling me that!" Tears spill down her cheeks as she finally manages to jerk her arm free. "And stop dragging me around while your at it." Taking two quick steps back from him.

"Well, damnit, stop running away every time I come near you and I won't have to drag you around." Luke closes his eyes as he feels them being drawn down over her trembling body, rubbing them as he drops down into the swing. "I'm sorry about what happened in the kitchen, okay?" He finally relents even though the only thing he's sorry about is that he hadn't been able to carry her upstairs and finish what he started.

Hannah's head snaps up at his final words. Sorry...sorry that he kissed her. In her head, she already knew he felt that way but hearing him say it was something else altogether. Biting her lower lip as she watches him. Knowing, without him saying, how torn up he is feeling. He had the same expression on his face in the kitchen that he had the night of her 16th birthday. That same 'poor little you' expression. Suddenly drawn back into a memory she had long been trying to forget, she suddenly sees herself in that stupid fluffy dress she had saved for months to buy...so sure her dad and brothers were throwing her a surprise party. They hadn't, of course...they had never done anything more than push her around and bark out orders all the time. But she had come home all excited only to find the house empty except for her older brother's best friend, Luke. After a quick look around the room, she had flown up the stairs, struggling to keep the tears from flowing until she was safely behind her bedroom door. She could still hear Luke's kind voice through her bedroom door, asking her if she was alright. Shaking herself out of that memory. She quickly looks up at Luke.

Forcing a laugh, hoping it sounds genuine...she steps closer to him and places her hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to apologize, Luke. It was just a kiss, not a big deal at all." Inhaling deeply, she keeps the smile on her face as he lifts his head and looks up at her. "I'm not some stupid little girl who's going to get some wild romantic ideas just because of one stupid little kiss, Luke, so why don't we just forget about it?" Without waiting for an answer, she turns and heads back into the house to finish up breakfast and get the kids ready for the trail ride.

A stupid little kiss...that's all it meant to her. Luke leans back in the swing, listening to his boys laugh and move around in the kitchen. What the hell is wrong with him, letting her tie him up in knots like that. Nobody since...no, she's nothing like Jenna. Jenna did nothing but play games and Hannah...well, Hannah didn't do that.

"Daddy." Luke's jerked out of his thoughts by little Cash flinging himself into Luke's arms. "Daddy, You gotta come and eat. Hannah says we have to leave soon." Cash wraps his little arms around Luke's neck and holds on tightly.

"That we do, little man." Luke stands up and carries Cash back into the kitchen. He looks around quickly, noticing that Lucky and Chance had finished their breakfast and already left the kitchen. Hannah was sitting at the table, cleaning up Rainy. The kitchen, as usual, was spotless. It hadn't taken her very long to get his house in order and she, it seems, intended to keep it that way. If he wasn't so damned aware of every move she made, he could almost forget that she was even here.

"Alright Miss Rainy, time to get you dressed now." Hannah mummurs softly as she picks the little girl up and starts out of the kitchen. She can feel his eyes on her as she walks toward the door. "Cash, you need to go and brush your teeth." She still doesn't look over at Luke as he sets Cash down.

"Hannah." She looks up, meeting his eyes as Cash goes running by her.

"Yes, sir?" Hannah lifts her head a little higher, unwilling to let him see how much their earlier exchange hurt her.

Luke swears silently, she's even more closed off from him now than she had been in the beginning. He crosses the room quickly, noticing how she holds Rainy up to her chest almost like a barrier.

"I need to get Rainy ready. We should all be ready to go in about 20 minutes, Mr. Williams."

Hannah flees the kitchen quickly, taking the stairs two at a time in her haste to get away from Luke.

Luke slams his fist down on the counter before walking through the house and down to his office. Just as he sits down at his desk, his phone starts to ring. Jamming his fingers through his hair, already exhausted before the damned ride started, he picks up the phone.

"What?" Luke's shoulders lift a bit as he hears his friend Jack on the other end. Leaning back in his chair a bit, smiling. "Took you long enough to get back to me, man. What'd you find out?" Luke listens for a few more minutes, shaking his head slowly. "Nothing? How the hell can there be nothing?" Not even a birth certificate, how can she not even have a birth certificate. "Keep looking and get back to be as soon as you can." Slamming the phone down, his eyes light on Hannah standing at the office door. "Damnit, what do you want?"

Hannah steps back quickly. "I...the boys are ready to go. I'm sorry I bothered you." Without waiting for his response, she turns and hurries back into the living room where the boys and Rainy are waiting.

This is wrong. I can't stay here. Hannah sits on the arm of the couch, blinking back tears. It would almost be better to go home to her dad and brothers. Biting back a laugh as she looks over at the boys arguing over who would ride Sailor in the trail ride. No, that's a lie...she'd rather deal with this family....even Luke...than her family any day. She'd stay....just long enough to save up enough money to get away. She'd go far enough away that she could forget everything, including Luke.

"I'm sorry." Hannah's head snaps up at the husky voice against her ear.

"W..What?" Luke smiles softly. The look on her face when as he walks into the living room scares him to death. The flush of her cheeks, her puffy bottom lip sucked up between her teeth...he can almost read her thoughts as she looks up at him.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you.....don't leave." The urge to touch her heated flesh almost overwhelming him as he stares down into her expressive eyes..

Hannah blushes. How could he know? Forcing a smile, she looks up at him. "Where did that come from?"

"I can read it on your face, Hannah. Sometimes, like when I kiss you, you get this look on your face that screams...'Gotta run, gotta get away'....you have that look on your face right now."

Hannah jumps to her feet, still trying to shrug off what she knows is true. "I don't know what you're talking about." Brushing past him, she walks over to the playpen and picks up Rainy. "Are we ready to go now?"

"No, we're not." Luke stares at Hannah, willing her to look up at him. "Put Rainy down and come here." Hannah lifts her eyes to his, nodding slowly, she sets Rainy back in the playpen and crosses her arms across her breasts. When she makes no move toward him, he frowns. "Come here, Hannah."

Hannah bites down on her bottom lip as she looks up into his intense eyes. "I'm fine right here." She takes a quick step back as he begins to move toward her.

"Boys, go on outside and check on the horses. We'll be out in a few minutes." Luke never takes his eyes off of her, knowing she's more skittish then his horse, Sunset, when she's cornered.

As the boys run past them, Hannah watches them...watches her line of defense against Luke deserting her. She's so busy watching the boys that she doesn't even hear him cross the room. She looks up quickly as he's suddenly standing right in front of her. As she starts to step back, his hands move up and grasp her upper arms tightly.

"Luke...." Hannah's voice trails off a bit as she feels him pulling her tightly against his hard chest. She glances around quickly as she hears the front door slam closed as the boys run out.

Luke laughs softly as she looks around desperately, suddenly aware that all of her barriers are gone now. "Who are you gonna hide behind now, princess?" He takes one more quick step forward, quickly closing the space between them.

"Please, Luke...don't....." She lifts her hands, pressing them hard against his chest as he steps closer to her. He grips her upper arms tightly as he holds her against his chest.

Without a word, he drops his mouth to hers, kissing her deeply as he digs his fingers into her upper arms. He feels her body stiffen against him and then relax almost immediately, as If she belongs there...fits so nicely against his hard body. He releases her arms and feels her fingers slipping up his arms and into his hair.

Hannah moans softly as he deepens the kiss, her tongue tentatively touching his as her arms tightens around his neck.

"God, Hannah...." Luke moans against her lips before kissing down her jaw, burying his mouth in her neck

Trembling as his lips move over her heated flesh, Hannah clings to him desperately as he drops his hands to her hips and picks her up easily, carrying her toward the stairs.

She wraps her legs around his waist and shoves her fingers back into his hair as she kisses him softly, all too aware of where this is headed and unable to deny any longer that she wants him...desperately.

Luke stops at the bottom of the stairs and pushes her hard against the railing, barely hidden from the front door. Passion burns in his eyes as she cries out softly. He drops his head, his lips capturing hers in a heart-stopping kiss...his tongue delving into her mouth, exploring every inch as his hands tug her t-shirt out of her jeans and push It up to reveal her flat stomach.

"I want you." He states simply...one hand resting on her side as his other hand pulls her hand away from his neck and pulls it down between them to his growing bulge. Holding her hand against his bulge as his lips slide down, kissing and nipping lightly at her shoulder.

Hannah gasps softly, surprised at how hard he feels under her hand. Her breasts rising and falling hard against his chest as her hand begins to move in tight little circles against his bulge.

Luke is so engrossed in his mouth and hands exploration of her soft body that it barely registers for him when the door crashes open and Cash's heavy footsteps echo through the hallwa"DADDY!" Cash comes storming into the living room, barely missing Luke and Hannah's embrace as they jerk apart quickly.