Destined Hearts

"H-how do you...I mean." Camryn turned away from him and stared out at the Ocean. This couldn't be happening. She sliced a hand through the air, "I can't believe you. How could you have pretended not to know?" She lowered her head to her hands on the railing, suddenly feeling faint.

Luke's hand guided her to a chair, "Cam, just sit down, okay? I swear I didn't know at first. You look so different, and when you lied about your name..." His eyes pleaded with hers. "I did know there was something familiar about you. I just couldn't place it. Until I saw the tattoo last night."

She shook her head. How could this have happened? It was the one-night stand from hell! No, she argued mentally. This was one of the most memorable experiences she'd ever had. Everything had just crumbled at the end.

I should've gotten out of here while I had the chance

.

Even that was a lie. Her instinct upon waking up had been to run. But as soon as she'd moved an inch, Luke sleepily wrapped an arm around her waist and nuzzled her shoulder. For almost an hour she just lay in silence, committing every detail of those minutes to memory. The soft sound of Luke breathing, his chest rising and falling against her back, and most of all the absolute feeling of contentment that was completely foreign. Why of all people had she found perfection with this man? One that was so unattainable. One who was looking at her as if she could dissipate any second.

"When?" Her voice was hoarse even to her ears. "I didn't get my tattoo until after graduation. When could you have possibly seen it?"

A reminiscent grin tipped the corner of Luke's mouth up. That plus his sleep-ruffled hair gave him a boyish quality that was irresistible. If things hadn't gotten so complicated in the past five minutes, Camryn would beg him to take her back to bed. "You came to my graduation party, remember? You wore a pretty brown halter-top with a bulky cardigan. When LeAnna spilled punch on you and the cardigan came off I caught a glimpse of it. Never thought a daisy could turn me on, but..."

Images from the past ran through Camryn's mind like scenes on a movie reel. She remembered all too well the day in question. She'd spent half the day trying to work up the courage to go to Luke's graduation party all alone. Most of her figured he'd only given her the invitation because every other senior at Bedford High had. A secret part of her childish heart had hoped it meant that he liked her.

But the latter was proven completely false when she'd gone and immediately noticed LeAnna Carson. She stood, long bronzed arms wrapped around Luke, wearing a skimpy floral dress that kept attracting the town pastor's disproving stare. When the two girls' stares met, Camryn could practically see the claws come out. Not that she knew why. How could a parentless, frizzy-haired, four-eyes possibly threaten the beautiful brunette?

Still, Luke had sought her out later on in the day. To Camryn's surprise he seemed really interested in her post-graduation plans, asking all sorts of questions about what a small town girl like herself planned to do in New York. That's when a bump from behind had resulted in brown iced tea being dumped all over her white zip-up. Luckily it had been extra thick and hadn't allowed any wetness to seep onto her halter.

Recalling the story, Camryn's brows scrunched together. "Wait...LeAnna didn't spill on me. John Whitman did."

Luke knew a test when he saw one. Fortunately he was ready for this one. "Yeah, the same John Whitman who was in love with LeAnna and would do anything—including spilling a drink on you—if she so much as crooked her little finger in his direction."

The button-down Camryn wore rode up her thighs. Luke couldn't resist laying a hand just above her knee. For a reason he couldn't explain he wanted to touch her. Brand her so that every other man knew she was his. Which was ridiculous, because she wasn't.

A quizzical look still sat on her face. "I didn't think guys paid attention to that sort of thing..."

"Only when someone they care about is involved." A soft edge crept into his voice as he tried to soothe her insecurities.

She nodded firmly at that. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. You and LeAnna dated for a long time, huh?"

Luke choked on a snort of laughter, "You're kidding, right?" She wasn't. Hand coming up to cup her cheek he ran a finger over her bottom lip. When her cotton-candy pink tongue darted out to lick at it his almost lost his focus. But the mood didn't seem right for a quickie on the balcony. Besides, the lounge chair would leave lines on her pretty little ass. "I meant that I cared about you, Cam. I kept LeAnna around because I figured it kept Coach from having to keep her in line. She was a pretty wild child."

That seemed to lighten her mood a little. "But why did you feel indebted to Coach?"

Luke swallowed the lie that almost came out of his mouth. He didn't need to lie to the woman in front of him. "He was the one who got my dad to stop abusing my mom and me. Of course he didn't insist that I date LeAnna...but at the time I felt like it was what I had to do. That probably sounds dumb."

That got an instant reaction. Her fingers curled around his, "No, Luke, not at all. That's totally understandable for a kid to think. And you probably did a favor to LeAnna, anyway—keeping her out of trouble and all."

The fact that she was trying to keep from being bitter at the mention of LeAnna amused him. This woman was near perfect. With a tug he had her on her feet and turned around in his embrace, looking out at the ever-brightening line of skyscrapers. "I'm sorry for not recognizing you right away, Cam. It wasn't because I never looked at you in high school. And now that I know it's you, it only makes what we've shared that much better. Forgive me for being a stupid male?"

"How could I say no to Luke Masterson? He's

dreamy

, former football captain, all American boy. An upstanding citizen of New York, with a—"

Her list ended in a gasp when Luke's mouth found her ear to nibble on. "Let's not talk about me, hmm? How about we talk about Camryn O'Connor."

With a sigh Camryn leaned back against Luke's firm chest. "What's there to say? I was an orphan who finally found a home only to be ridiculed by classmates until I graduated. And deep down I'm still the nerdy frizz-head with no social skills. I try to act confident, though."

"Mm, no," Luke decided. "You are confident. Very strong and determined. You just worry that you're really not. You are, Cam. Everyone can see it. I've always seen it."

Before she could argue Luke gestured toward the horizon and they both stared in silence. His hand slid down beneath the oversized shirt she wore. He ginned when he found there were no panties in his way. Gently he cupped her mound and began lightly tracing her folds. Almost immediately he felt her flesh warm, and wondered if she had been this wet during their entire conversation. The idea had his cock hardening, liking the idea of being buried in Camryn once again.

Luke's other hand came up to tease the sides of Camryn's cotton-covered breasts. Soon her nipples were hard, her head falling back to rest on his shoulder. Her lips parted for him, and he wasted no time finding her most sensitive spot, drawing circles around it with the pad of his finger. This brought a soft moan from Camryn. "We're on the balcony, Luke...what if someone sees?"

Kissing the curve of her neck he smiled, already knowing the answer to his question. "You want me to stop?" He punctuated the last word by sliding a finger into her warmth.

Her head shook slightly, "Nooo, God no. I want to come on your fingers. Right here. I don't even care if anyone sees."

Picking up his pace, Luke smirked. "See, now that's a very social thing of you to say."

She chuckled and nudged his stomach softly, "Here's an idea Masterson...why don't you keep your fingers busier than your mouth?"

Camryn rocked back and forth on a pair of some of the most skilled fingers she'd ever met. Her only complaint was that he kept backing off right when she felt like one more stroke in the right direction could send her into an orgasm she may never come back from. Eyes clenched, bottom lip between her teeth, Camryn let out a low moan. "Oh...oh Luke...p-please don't stop. Please." She gasped as the pressure on her clit increased, "Mmm, yeah, yeah...harder...oh God, Luke!"

His fingers paused for an agonizingly long second. Her insides were screaming for him to keep going. She was aware of every throb around his fingers. In an attempt to encourage motion she bucked once against Luke's hand.

Warm breath tickled her ear. She was so close her legs were trembling. "Before you come, I want you to know that you're beautiful...." The thumb on her enlarged clit began caressing again—this time with a mission, and if his words hadn't almost put her over the edge, the one last hard thrust of his fingers did.

A primal groan of utter satisfaction tore from Camryn's lips. Her hips jerked erratically. Her knees gave. And the world around her went fuzzy, her last glimpse being of the sun shining around a skyscraper.

The next thing Camryn heard was Luke's voice. Things were still a little blurry. Still, she managed to wind her fingers through his unkempt hair and pull his mouth to hers. It was meant to be hard quick. Instead their lips met softly, tugging and sucking at one another gently. When he eased back, a smile in his eyes as well as on his face, Camryn had to fight the three words that were threatening to spill forth.

At the sight of her open mouth, Luke raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

Becoming more aware of her surrounding Camryn realized she was inside on the couch. She must've passed out for a second of two. No surprise. Instead of the words she wanted to say, she opted for something different—though also true. "I've never come that hard before...in fact, I've never gotten off before actual sex."

"Me either." Camryn stared at him hard, and he shrugged, "Well, except for blowjobs." She stared harder. Then darted her eyes down to the crotch of his pants only to see a wet spot.

Eyes wide she burst into laughter, falling back against the armrest. A playfully angry Luke was soon hovering over her, tickling her sides—at first. Soon he was holding her lithe body against his hard one, their limbs and tongues tangling. With other guys Camryn was done after one orgasm. Getting hot again was never really a possibility.

Now it was different. Soon she was trailing fingers down to undo the button and zipper that kept her from really feeling Luke against her. He kicked off his jeans and boxers once she couldn't get them down any further. Her shirt, however, was proving more difficult. Buttons weren't as easy to undo when every nerve in your body was standing on end. Frustrated, she groaned.

Luke reached forward, taking the two tails of the shirt. One firm yank later and the button problem was history. Camryn was thought she'd had a mini-orgasm. "I can't believe you did that," she gasped.

Mouth already nearing her breast, Luke smiled. "Nothing comes between me and your breasts. Their amazing..." he said that last part almost as an after-thought.

No they're not

was right on the tip of her tongue. Then Camryn merely smiled. She was beautiful to Luke. She

felt

beautiful with him. Just thinking about their romp on the balcony made her squirm. Or maybe the squirming was due to Luke tonguing her nipples. Soon enough he was spreading her thighs, guiding his length into her so slowly that she could've screamed. It almost hurt in a "do-this-to-be-every-hour-of-every-day" sort of way.

When he was fully embedded in her their eyes met. His dark blue eyes were almost black. Their lips came together slowly, much like their first kiss, but this time it stayed soft. Luke's strokes were unhurried and deep. He would pull out until all that remained clasped inside was the head of his cock before sinking back in with the same deliberate strokes, over and over.

Camryn was quickly growing restless. Her hips bucked instinctively, wanting Luke to take her hard and fast. But he didn't. Instead he moved a hand down to hold her hips still, his mouth caressing her ear, "Just be patient...I promise it will be good."

And he was right. Only minutes later Camryn was moaning incessantly, back arched, her breasts feeling like they were on fire. Just one more bump and grind to her clit...that was all she needed to explode. Luke seemed to realize this, and he picked up his pace a little bit. After a few half-strokes that had Camryn tossing her head from side to side he embedded himself with a hard stroke. That's all it took. Her short nails raked up his back, and their bodies moved together before they both surrendered to earth-shattering orgasms.

The sound of Luke's voice when he called out her name—her real name—as he came would've been enough. They collapsed together on the couch, Camryn completely content to stay beneath his weight for the rest of her life.

Luke rolled onto his side. The last thing he wanted to do was kill Camryn by suffocating her. His hands roamed up and down her spine, trying to assure himself that she was real. Not until long after their heart rates had returned to normal and the post-orgasmic glow wore off a little, did either of them speak.

"What are your plans for today?"

For a moment he didn't know what to say. Over the past 12 hours he'd managed to forget that anyone besides he and Camryn existed. "Well, I planned to talk to you, make love to you, eat with you—or eat you, whichever one comes first."

Camryn gave him a look of mock disapproval. Then her stomach growled and she turned red as a stop sign. He chuckled, "Alright, I get it. I need to feed you."

Reluctantly Luke stood up, "How about I take you out for breakfast after we shower?"

"Together?" She asked coyly.

"Much as I'd like that—a lot—I think food would take a backseat to pleasure if we were to do that." He nudged her toward the bathroom. "Towels are in the closet, and you can borrow some of my clothes if you want."

Camryn nodded and then disappeared behind the bathroom door. For a few minutes Luke just stood there thinking. He'd gone from being alone on Valentines Day to having a woman he'd always had a thing for naked in his shower. A woman who was even more than he could've ever imagined.

--

Camryn wound her arm around Luke's waist as they walked down the nearly empty side street. Breakfast in a little diner had been just the right thing to do. Especially since Luke's own cupboards had been bare. The man was definitely the confirmed bachelor type.

Until me,

Camryn thought wistfully. She was caught off guard by that thought. The feelings she had for Luke were going to take some time to get used to.

Over breakfast they'd admitted to each having a crush on the other throughout high school. Amazingly Luke seemed more surprised than she was—who would've guessed that the school's golden boy had fancied her? Both agreed that taking things slow was a good idea. Neither had been in a relationship for a while and getting too deep too quick was never a good idea.

But it would be so easy to do

. Camryn glanced at Luke's profile. A strong jaw and intense eyes. Those had been the first features she'd noticed the night before.

"Hey!" She had an idea. "Let's stop by The Rusty Bucket for a quick drink."

Luke laughed, "Right now? It's not even noon."

She giggled—actually

giggled

. Something about being with Luke made her feel giddy. "Yeah but it's only a block away, and it only seems right to stop by. After all, it brought us together on Valentines Day..."

After a moment he nodded, allowing her to lead the way. Arriving at the next street corner, Camryn's eyebrows knitted together. "Where is it? I swear this was the right corner."

Staring at the street signs, Luke rubbed his chin, "Fifth and Main...this is definitely it. It was right over..." His words died as they both spotted a plaque on the side of the old, empty building.

Camryn approached it hesitantly and read, "

In memory of The Rusty Bucket—local pub and hotel. On February 14

th

, 1956 a fire claimed the lives of two newlyweds and the Bucket's beloved bartender Jim Helmen. Some locals believe that on certain nights the Rusty Bucket reopens in order to help destined hearts find their way to one another

..."

Eyes wide, Camryn met Luke's calm gaze. "Oh my God...do you know what that means!?" Luke didn't get a word in before she started rambling. "That man last night, he was a ghost, and so were all the others...and those poor newlyweds. They died almo—oh! It was the fifty year anniversary of that fire, Luke. This is insane! You...you don't look very shocked."

That smile that would knock the socks off any woman aged sixteen to sixty made its way onto Luke's face. Hands came to rest on her shoulders, "You're adorable, you know that? But come on, Cam, it was probably just a big joke. You know, something they do every year just to attract some couples. Ghosts aren't real, babe."

"It couldn't have been a publicity thing. We were practically the only ones there! I'm telling you, this is creepy." The look in Luke's eyes was the kind you give children when they freak out upon realizing Santa isn't real. She let out a sigh of frustration. "Seriously, Luke, just think about it for a second...that guy, the bartender, he told me his name was Jimmy, and he even mentioned something about Cupid working some magic for me. Don't you think it's even a little bit coincidental?"

"Sure it is, and I'm not saying that us meeting again doesn't seem like it could've been fated, or whatever. But I don't believe in ghosts."

Camryn cocked her head. A smile pulled at one corner of her mouth. "You think fate brought us together?"

"Yeah, I do," Luke grinned, planting a chaste kiss on her lips. "I've never felt anything like when we're together." One heavy, intimate pause later and Luke smirked. "Besides, sex like that doesn't come along every day."

Camryn tipped her head back with laughter, slugging the incorrigible man before her in the arm. "I think Cupid must've got his signals crossed. I requested a

good

guy."

"I'll be the best man I can be if it means you'll stick around." All of the playfulness had left Luke's gaze, leaving only sincerity.

Camryn's heart swelled. All those years of loneliness and wondering when it would be her turn at happiness. They'd all led right here. To standing on a possibly haunted street corner with Luke. She had only one thing left to say. "Promise?"

A low rumble of laughter bubbled up from his chest, and he lowered his lips just above hers. "Oh, yeah. I promise."

When their lips met, Camryn sent a quick thanks to The Rusty Bucket and Cupid before losing herself completely in the warmth of Luke's embrace.