Breaking Through (Atlanta #3) (36 page)

Luke walked out of the locker room with Marcus after the event was over. People milled out of the arena mildly while every nerve in his body electrified his blood and gripped his muscles. He hadn't yet come down from the adrenaline rush from the fight. Not at all. He loved MMA more than he ever thought he would. Add to that the proud look in Jenna's eyes and his night was fucking unreal.
 

And there she was, his beautiful angel, waiting for him with bright eyes and a happy smile. He couldn't help it. He walked straight to her and kissed her hard. He gripped the sides of her head with his fingers tangled in her soft, cool hair. Like always, he took whatever he could from her lips.
 

"Baby…" he breathed when he finally let her mouth away from his own. He looked at her intensely. Her eyes were wide and dilated with desire. Luke barely noticed their other friends standing there trying not to stare. He didn't care. The only thing he needed was Jenna. Still, he couldn't be rude,
damn it.

"Hey, guys," he finally said with a polite smile for the group.
 

Each offered some version of
good fight
or
congratulations,
but all he could offer in return was mild appreciation for their sentiments. His focus remained solidly on Jenna. He nodded his thanks and waved his goodbyes. Jenna couldn't keep her beautiful brown eyes off of him. Only the word
inspired
could describe the emotion behind her gaze. Even after seeing him fight in a violent rage, she looked at him in love. Luke guided Jenna from the arena and straight to his Harley. Once he had Jenna settled behind him with her arms around him, he only wanted more.
 

"Hold me tight as you can, baby," he rasped as he grabbed her knees and jerked her further into his body. He needed her hard against him. He needed to feel every inch of her curvy self along his body. As always, Jenna gave whatever he asked. Her hands gripped him tightly as her legs squeezed tight against his. Her body pressed so strongly against him he could feel her nipples harden against the muscles of his back.
Fuck yes
, his angel wanted him.

He needed to take her hard, to ride out the rush of his win. Every muscle in his body was tense from the energy of the fight. Luke was triumphant; Jenna was the spoil of his victory.

When he finally got to their apartment, he dragged her up the stairs by the wrist and pushed her in the door in front of her. A sharp smack on the ass moved her in the direction of their bed. Jenna's only reaction was a breathy, surprised noise hinting at nothing but desire as strong as his own.
 

The minute he had her in the bedroom, he pushed her against the wall from behind and began nipping along the nape of her neck.
 

"You are so damn sexy…" he whispered with hot breath across her ear. "I fucking won that fight for you."

He reached down around her hips and gripped her pussy hard. Moving his hands to her full ass-cheeks, Luke gripped with tight fingers and indulged himself with another strong spank.
Holy fuck
, he got her so worked up she started to strip herself. He practically ripped the clothes off with her.
 

"Tell me what got you so hot tonight…" he rasped, pulling her away from the wall only long enough to spin her around and pin her again. "Tell me."

He looked her heatedly in the eye, grabbing her face between his hands. An insane need to read her very soul hit him. He kept his hips pushed hard against her while she tried to find words under his intense gaze.

"I've never seen you more beautiful," she whispered with wide eyes, seeming both intimidated and excited.

Holy fuck.
His lips crushed down upon hers, offering her as much power as he could. Finally he eased from her, only to pick her up under her arms and literally toss her to the bed. He wasted no time shedding his own clothes, nor did he waste time pushing her legs apart.
 

Only half a second later his lips were kissing the wet heat between her thighs while he gripped her hips hard. Her desperate moans drove him into a frenzy of tongue-play along her sex, nipping and sucking as he drove her higher. Just as quickly he crawled over her and kissed her hard again as he entered her with a swift, hot penetration.
 

"Oh FUCK," he groaned as he slammed passionately into her body and gripped her hair harder than he ever had.

She breathed heavily in rhythm with his driving thrusts. With increased passion and desperation, the two moved in blended unison until neither could hold their release any longer. The desperate, sweaty, raw, heated,
I-own-you
sex left them breathless.

Jenna let out a satisfied giggle and stretched her body as she came down from the full-body entrapment of his passion. She rolled to him and sweetly kissed his chest, loving the earthy, salty taste of him.
 

Luke tightened his grip around her. He looked her straight in the eye and kissed her gently. In his sleepy, satisfied way, Luke smiled. But then, his face became more serious and his eyes burned with intensity. "Jenna," he breathed, unable to find the right words.

"I get it," she smiled like always. He paused for a long moment, unable to find his words. His intensity burned into her the entire time. Finally, his voice returned.

"Not this time, I don't think," he said with such strength behind his voice. His comment was met with mild, smiling confusion from Jenna. She waited for him to continue and he eyes bored into hers through the loving, quiet tension.

"…Marry me…" he finally said, looking deep in her brown eyes.

"What?" Jenna whispered, with a sweet smile. Her satisfied warmth turned into soft, awe-struck surprise at both the statement and the power behind it.

"We promised forever," he continued with so much weight behind is quiet voice. "I want it."

Jenna smiled serenely. "You're serious?"

"Absolutely," he smiled through his intensity with a genuine look of adoration. "I'm not going to let you go. Ever."

Jenna stared at him for a quiet moment, searching his eyes and taking in his loving smile. Her own face eased into a matching smile. "Ok," was all she could say.

Luke's smile widened as he leaned in to kiss her again. In a sweet, simple moment, he rolled her over and rested his body over hers again. "I love you," he breathed with a smile as he sweetly kissed and caressed her.
 

Luke made love to her for hours in their bed. Jenna was lost in pure and utter bliss, ready to marry her badass teddy bear the very next day if he wanted to.
 

She had to smile at his proposal. He obviously hadn't planned on asking her, or
telling
her really. There was no ring or orchestrated moment of romance. But for Luke, his proposal was the most natural. He lived from his core, and loved from within. His inspiration for asking came from the depth of the moment they were in. Jenna couldn't have imagined a better proposal.
 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Luke spent all morning Sunday recovering from his match and then spent Sunday afternoon with Sophie per the new visitation agreement. Time with Jenna and Sophie was again the most peaceful experience he could imagine.
 

On Monday during his shift with George, Luke smiled over and over again at the memory of his angel and his daughter together. The sweetest picture in his head was the moment when Jenna feigned confusion and let Sophie "teach" her how to put puzzles together. Jenna understood without trying how to make Sophie feel important, smart, and cherished.
 

"What's in your head, kid?" George asked smiling as they worked side by side in the cutting room close to lunchtime that day.
 

"Good things," Luke admitted with half a smile. "Sophie, Jenna…good things."
 

"Glad to hear it," he smiled. "But I see more. There's something bigger this time."

Luke smirked. George obviously knew him well. "I got engaged."

George simply elbowed him sideways and nodded with a proud, fatherly smile. "Good man."
 

"Yeah," Luke smirked. "Who'd have predicted that one?"

"More than you'd think," George smiled. "And tomorrow we're going over inventory and OSHA standards we have to follow. Be ready for focus."

"Yep."

Luke ate lunch, went for a quick workout and finished his shift early to meet with his attorney again. They had to
 
go over details of their custody request for their next mediation with Miranda and her equally-bitchy lawyer. He wished Jenna could go with him, but she was back to work full-time.
 

"Hi, Luke," the lawyer greeted him warmly when they sat down across the desk from each other.
 

"Hey," Luke smiled. "I have some good news I thought you should know."

When Luke made the announcement of his engagement, Jorge Cruz shook Luke's hand and smiled widely.
 

"Congratulations," he said with a genuine smile. "You and Jenna are great together. And even though this sounds tacky, that can only help you if this ends up in court rather than mediation. Any judge will appreciate the stability of that."

Luke nodded and smiled. "That's not why I asked her, but I know what you mean. This is all coming together."

"Yes, it is. I'll admit I don't have a lot of hope that we can keep this out of open court, but we'll do our best."

Luke nodded and then discussed more details with his lawyer. He couldn't wait for this whole process to be over. He wanted his little girl all the time. He wanted his new family. And with that in mind, as soon as the meeting was over, he guided his Harley straight to a jewelry store.

Luke knew how much time and effort both Scott and Marcus put into the rings for their proposals, but Luke didn't think Jenna needed all of that. Plus, since he already proposed before he really intended to, even before he even had a ring, he wanted a diamond as quickly as possible to put on Jenna's finger.

With his savings plus the winnings from his fight, he could afford to buy her something big and impressive, but he didn't want to think that way. Things with Jenna had always been simple: the two of them in love. The rest, even all his dark baggage, never mattered to her. Not only that, but with lawyer fees and the hopes of starting a real home and family, keeping his savings intact was more important than a big, flashy ring. His angel would love anything from him.
 

When he got to a small, private jeweler's shop, he walked in with a smile. The man behind the counter took one look at Luke's face. "Engagement ring. Right?"

Luke chuckled. "Yep. Small and simple."

He and the expert went through several rings, talked about cuts, color, and clarity, and came up with
the
one for Jenna: a triangular-cut diamond resting on a simple gold band. It was a representation of his world. The diamond had three sides, one for each member of his family: Luke, Jenna, and Sophie. He purchased two simple gold wedding bands to match.

After the jeweler's he drove to inform Miranda he was engaged. He showed up about six o'clock that evening and was greeted by a snarky ex and a smiling daughter. Sophie ran to his arms and yelled, "Daddy!"

He scooped her up with a hug and a smile and said, "Hi little girl. I missed you."

Sophie gave him a kiss on his cheek and giggled. "Can I play with Jenna today?"

Miranda took her out of her daddy's arms almost roughly and said in a snotty voice to the little sweetheart, "It's not his turn."

"Please, Miranda," Luke begged, trying to stay calm. "
Please
. Don't take this out on Sophie."
 

Miranda turned her attention to Sophie and said with a flat voice, "Go find your grandma."

Sophie looked at her mom with sad eyes, then back to Luke. She obviously wanted more time with her daddy, but she reluctantly went to find Miranda's mom like she was told. Luke was almost shaking in anger at the way his little girl was being treated. The look in Sophie's eyes showed the effect of being surrounded by that negativity. It nearly killed him. Custody couldn't happen soon enough. He could only pray that the courts would understand and let Luke keep his little girl happy and safe with him and Jenna.
 

"What do you want?" Miranda finally grumped at him as she stepped outside and got in his face.

"I thought you should know. Jenna and I are engaged, and she's going to be Sophie's step mom. I thought you should find out from me instead of a lawyer."

Miranda looked shocked and then angry. "I can't believe you let her come between us."

"Holy shit, Miranda! There IS NO US. Never was. Get it through your head!" And then Luke made a sick realization. She had gotten right up in his face and smelled of sour whiskey.

"My God, are you
drunk
?" he asked in shock. "It's six o'clock on a Monday!"

Miranda's life was devolving worse than he thought. He had to get Sophie out. Now.
 

"I am not drunk!" she exclaimed. "I had
one
drink to ease the stress. You're killing me!"

She claimed not to be drunk, but the drooped look of her eyes and the redness around them demonstrated otherwise. Luke shook his head.
 

"You're doing this to yourself," he said pointedly. "Pull your shit together, Miranda. For Sophie. She's more important than being bitter, and you need to get
that
through your head, too."

He walked away without kidnapping Sophie like he wanted to. He had to do this right, but leaving his little girl there nearly killed him. He texted Jenna a quick message about needing the gym and that he'd see her soon.
 

An hour after Luke's text, Jenna was getting nervous. An unplanned trip to the gym always meant an anger episode, and she wasn't sure what could have caused him to backslide. While she sorted through possibilities in her head, she heard Luke's motorcycle coming down the street. She took a deep breath as his footsteps announced his way up to their landing.