player ♚ lrh

19 - tempting

Luke couldn't believe how fast his heart started beating once he woke up. He couldn't fucking believe it.

Never in the boy's life had he been so utterly unprepared for the sight in his bed. And he'd had some pretty questionable nights in his time; ones he couldn't remember and ones he wasn't entirely in control of himself during. Even then, he'd had a small idea as to what he got himself into, and he was never too shocked to see what greeted him in the morning.

But Luke had never woken up to the sight of Elise before. He'd never had such a pretty little head curled into his chest, and he'd certainly never had his arm wrapped so possessively around a girl's back, keeping her tucked carefully against his body like his life depended on it. He never wanted to.

But with her, he did. And now, quite frankly, he didn't know what to do with himself.

For one, she was so warm. He figured it could be somewhat credited to the overwhelming plethora of blankets the little girl liked to surround herself with, but a part of him was fairly certain she just radiated heat on her own. And it felt so good against Luke's cold skin; a contrast from how he usually woke up in a way he never knew he needed.

Or, maybe he wasn't cold at all. Maybe he was just shivering because Elise was pressed up against his bare torso—void of the hoodie he stripped off before he fell asleep last night—and maybe the contact was making his head spin. Maybe. Probably.

The thing was, Luke hadn't expected to be in this position when he woke up. He never thought he'd end up holding her to his shirtless chest when he slipped out of his hoodie. In fact, he only did it because he was so sure there wasn't a chance of her even knowing, let alone of them touching. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, but he never slept with his torso covered. He hated it, actually, but if he thought for a second that Elise didn't like it—he'd suffer through it. Without a doubt.

Luke swallowed. He couldn't believe what he was looking at, yet he couldn't find it in him to look away. She was devastatingly adorable; a prominent pout to her lips that he'd only seen from her on rare occasions, but seemed to come naturally when she slept. She was curled up so tightly, so cutely; he had to refrain from pulling her even closer with the arm that stayed wrapped around her back.

The small girl was sleeping so peacefully, so painfully unaware of the torment Luke was putting himself through. He was thinking too hard, observing too closely, and wishing too fondly.

What are you doing? He didn't know, but he was pretty sure he needed to stop. Elise was so delicate and lovely; not fragile, but something worth protecting. And there Luke was, holding her, as if he wasn't destructive enough to ruin her.

He knew he was selfish for indulging with such a sweet girl, for reveling in her confession last night. He was selfish, yes, but he wasn't a liar, and that's exactly why he said it back to her, even if he shouldn't have.

Beyond that, Luke knew he definitely shouldn't be reveling in their closeness, but he couldn't help it. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of glancing down further, eyes following the path to where the girl herself had ungracefully kicked any and all blankets down to her tucked in knees, with one resting carefully on top of Luke's thigh.

Dragging his eyes from the spot, they caught on the sight of the girl's own hoodie ridden up, exposing a portion of her hip that wasn't quite covered by the little pajama shorts, ones of which did nothing to hide the bare skin of her legs—her very pretty, tanned, smooth legs that were far too tempting for him to handle.

Immediately, Luke looked away. Jesus fucking christ, he clenched his jaw tightly as he glared at the ceiling. He couldn't do that—he wouldn't do that; look at her without the girl having a clue. It made him sick even thinking about it, for she deserved nothing but his respect and not wandering eyes. Instead, he reached down, grabbed the forgotten covers, and draped them gently up past her waist.