I was Sold to My Dead Brother's Best Friend

This is not a dream

I heard a soft sound that made my body feel like it had been pushed into frozen water. Luke’s shoulders shook as I realized he was trying to hold back his emotions. Luke's breathing was ragged, quiet sniffles and hands that would move over his face in a quick whipping motion. My breathing stopped instantly as my entire body wanted me to run to him and hold him in my arms.

I took a couple steps closer to him, as the need to comfort him grew more uncontrollable; I walked near to where Luke sat on the ground. Stopping at the edge of the circle that held the red wine and broken glass, I looked at Luke and raised my dress to step over the glass. Luke stood looking at me with a face I had seen many times and it was never good for me when he had an emotionless stone faced mask on. Luke started walking toward me very fast and I instinctively backed up until my back hit the wall. I was trapped as Luke was right in front of me within a second pinning me against the wall and the burning sensation erupted where his body touched mine. I tried to focus on something other than the feeling that this caused me, but it was hard as the more time passed I wanted to feel more of him.

“My entire life I just wanted to be my father, have the love he had with my mother, to have my son that looked at me the way I looked at him.” He lowered his head to rest on my shoulder and kissed my collarbone, his warm breath made me shiver. I bit my lip to control myself from moaning at the jolt of pleasure the emanated from the spot his lips touched. “I’ve worked so hard to be perfect; I never did anything wrong or against the rules just so that when I found my mate I would be perfect for her in every way.” Luke’s voice was strained and ragged as he lips brushed up the side of my neck to the point below my ear and stopped. I had not control over my body as I wanted to feel more of the effect he had over me.

“In return for all I did, I got to sit in my room alone and listen to my mate have sex with another man!” I felt a small drop of water hit my collarbone and slowly slide down my chest. “Every time you told him that you loved him,” Luke said breathing heavily as I felt more tears fall on my shoulder, “I wished I was never born, the pain I felt still hurts Annie.”

Luke stopped talking and took a step back until we were arm's-length apart. “I really didn't want much, I just wanted someone to love only me as I would love only them.” A smile appeared on his face as he looked at the ground. “I guess it’s a fitting punishment for being so envious of Joel.” He walked over to the fireplace.

I stayed frozen for a long time as he stood with his hand in his pockets staring at the fire. I was actually speechless at what he said, and I had to concentrate on remembering to breathe as the feeling of a burning knife stabbed into my heart. Had he really sat in the room and listened to everything me and Joel did? Normally hearing information like this would creep me out, but instead I felt pity and wanted to comfort Luke. I felt so ashamed of myself for what I put him through, when he had done everything I had asked, and I never once said thanks or tried to be nice to him. I looked back to see Luke staring at me with a look like he was contemplating something.

I had a great need to make him understand that I was just thrown into this like a person learning to swim, pushed to the bottom pits of a lake, just to see if I would sink or swim. Yes, I might have handled this wrong but I’m not the only one to blame here. I decided that I needed to stop standing against the wall first and near Luke; his eyes told me that he was completely in control of his emotions and I knew it would be safe for me to be near him.

So, I took a few steps toward the sitting area and stopped when I saw Luke's eyes shift and glance to the doors and quickly move back to me. I looked at the doors trying to figure out what he was thinking, did he want me to leave? Or was he thinking I was trying to leave? I just stared at the door until I realized I had gotten distracted in my mind and when I finally looked back to where Luke was, he was sitting down in his chair again. He sat slouched with his hands hanging over the side of the arms and his legs extended out, and I knew Luke thought that I was leaving. I really didn't want to leave; I think we really need to have a long talk. Something we never really had.