Passion Revealed (COMPLETE)

Chapter 8 - Part 2

Luke couldn't remember the last time he had such a good night. The smile that stretched across his face was evidence of that. He thought back to some of the moments they shared in the late hours of the night. One stood out to him; the way she kissed his scars. She didn't seem repulsed by them, and she didn't try to bring them up to him. Instead she showed him tenderness in her actions towards them. Luke could never express how much that meant to him. No words could express how it made him feel, and no action could ever return the gesture in his mind.

A glimmer of hope shined inside him. Maybe she would be able to except his past if he told her. It was a long shot, but just maybe it wouldn't drive her away.

Luke was brought back to reality by a knock at the door. He made his way through the living room and opened the door to see a familiar face.  "Hey, is Tessa awake?" He wasn't sure what her name was, but he recognized the woman to be the one that use to live here with Tessa and Nova.

"Um, I'm not sure. I can check." He said as he motioned for her to come in. "Oh no, I can find her myself. I know where her room is." Panic struck Luke. To his knowledge Tessa was still in his bed. He quickly jumped in front of the woman and shook his head. "No, I should do it. Why don't you take a seat- I don't believe I got your name?"

"It's Heather. Now would you please tell Tess I'm here to talk to her." Luke nodded and rushed down the hall and slowly opened his room door. The bed was empty and her clothes were no longer on the floor. He heard the shower going and made his way over to the bathroom. It had to be Tessa inside, (since Nova was working and Liam was out working on Tessa's car.) The door was left unlocked, so he let himself in. He was met with the steam that filled the room from the shower.

"Kitty." He heard a startled squeal before she peeked her head out of the curtain.  "What the f*ck, Luke!" He couldn't help but be amused by her. A smirk placed itself on his face as he looked at her wet face.  "Someone is here to talk to you. She said her name is Heather." Tessa lit with excitement. She ducked back behind the curtain and he heard the water shut off. The curtain was pushed to one side revealing Tessa's beautiful wet body. Drops of hot water slid down from her chest to her feet.

"Do you mind not staring? And what are you even still doing in here?" She said in a huff and he grinned. "Sorry kitty." He turned his back to her and left the room. Once outside the door he was face to face with Heather. Her hands gripped at her hips and disdain filled her eyes.  "What the heck were you doing in there?" Luke wasn't going to be intimidated, not be her or anybody else. He tensed up and matched her glare with his own. "I was simply telling kitty, I mean Tessa, that you are here. If you have issue with that, you can just suck it." Her eyes widened in shock to what he just said to her. 

"Look, I've defended you against the nasty comments the Tess has made towards you. But I swear to God, if you try and use her, I'll make sure you can't use anyone ever again. Do I make myself clear?" Luke smiled at the loyalty she had for Tess. But one thing she said stuck with him. Nasty comments. He knew she told him she was still going to treat him like a dick, but what had she been saying about him?

"I'm not using her." He assured her. If anything, Tess was using him. But he didn't mind, not one bit. He moved away from the door and made his way down the hallway back into the living room.

Luke grabbed his coat off the rack and walked outside to talk to Liam. The cold fall breeze hit him hard. He closed his jacket around him tighter and walked over to Liam. The hood to the car was open and Liam was hunched over wiping down some parts to the engine. "Hey, man." Luke Said louder then he had intended. Liam jolted up and hit his head against the hood.  "What the heck, dude!" Liam said as he clutched the back of his head.  "Sorry." Luke shrugged his shoulders and then leaned against the car.

"What do you want?" Luke wasn't sure how to talk to him without telling him about him and Tessa, but he needed to talk to someone. Maybe Liam wasn't the man to talk to, but he needed someone.  "What's the story on Tess?" Liam looked up and glared at Luke. "No way man. You can't touch her, she is off limits." His jaw clenched and he gave Luke a death glare. "I won't have you toying with my sister. I know how you are with women, and you can't have my sister. She is better then that and she deserves better then that." That statement hit Luke hard. It was as if his whole world just crumbled under his feet. It was bad enough the way he thought of himself, but to hear his own best friend confirm it, that was more then he was prepared for. Luke felt the sting of tears threaten to overtake him. He turned away from Liam and shook his head. "I was just asking."

"I mean it man. Leave her alone, your poison to women, and I won't have you hurt her like the others." Luke felt another blow to his heart as those words echoed in his head.  "Okay." Was all he could say before he climbed I to his own car and pulled out.

As much as he tried to hold them back, he couldn't any longer. Tears spilled over onto his cheeks as he drove down the long twisted road. Liams words wouldn't stop replaying in his head.

She is better then that and she deserves better then that..... 
Leave her alone, your poison to woman, and I won't have you hurt her.......

The pain built inside him. Was Liam right? Was he just poison to a woman? He knew she probably deserved better then him. But how could he let her go? He had become more attached to her then he had ever been to any other woman. She was his lifeline, the thing that was keeping him alive. If he let her go, he would be killing himself. Maybe he was just being selfish, but he couldn't let her go.

Pictures of Tessa ran through his mind and his heart. The way she comforted him that night he had been in torment, and then the way she was there for him last night. The way she held him when he had that nightmare, and how she took away the pain in the way she gave herself to him. Every moment he spent with her was perfect, every second with her was heaven. How could he let that go? Her eyes always told him that she needed him as much as he needed her. Was that real, or just his imagination?