#emmyhem
a/n: hello, it’s been a bit longer than i had intended since i last posted but turns out once i start writing i can’t stop :/ so, this a somewhat summery luke piece (unedited), inspired by the nice weather i’ve been having near me lately. i’m literally exhausted right now cause i’ve been either testing or gearing up for testing recently and have just been absolutely drained but i’ve had soooo much inspo lately which has been really exciting. in other news i have created a taglist sign up, due to the fact that i’ll be posting the first part of my first series soon so that will be linked below if you are interested. i don’t have much else to say other than i hope you enjoy. remember i’m always up for a a chat if you have literally anything on your mind and i appreciate any and all feedback, comments, or criticisms. hope you’re all doing well, thank youuu - emmy <33
pairing: luke hemmings x assistant!reader
summary: a writing retreat to palm springs, a broken air conditioner, late night swims, burnt toast, and the assistant who makes luke’s brain more foggy than all the heat ever could.
warning(s): mentions of alcohol, mentions of weed, cursing, slight jealousy, smut, oral sex (male receiving)
word count: 9.3k
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Luke had hired you four months ago. As the band geared up for another album and he knew he would no longer have time for his everyday responsibilities while spending the majority of his time either writing or recording he decided he would need some help.
Your job was simple enough, run errands, straighten up his house, take care of Petunia when he was out, deliver lunches to the studio. Anything that Luke didn’t have time to do anymore fell onto you, his new assistant.
You liked your job, you liked going on long walks with Petunia, and going to nearby farmer’s markets to get a specific kind of apple that Luke had been scouring the Whole Foods produce section unsuccessfully for for weeks. You didn’t even mind the boring stuff like cleaning out his car or sorting through his mail and PR packages.
Of course it wasn’t all great, you no longer had an abundance of free time to binge watch rom-coms, or the employee discount that came along with your former job at the smoothie shop that you still made frequent visits to. And the decidedly worst thing about your new job was the fact that your boss just so happened to be one of the most attractive men you’d ever seen in real life.
At first having a bit of eye candy while you went about your day was nice and you were able to separate your attraction from your work. The separation was simple because you didn’t really know Luke, you knew he was hot, and you knew how he took his coffee (black with three sugars) but other than that he was just a guy in a band that signed the paychecks that allowed you to keep a studio apartment in LA.
It was when you started to get to know him that lines started to blur and a childish attraction turned into something much more concerning. When he did things like leave enough hot water for you when making his evening tea on a night he had noticed an unfamiliar scratch in your throat when you talked. When he started leaving little puns and awful knock knock jokes on the bottom of the to-do list he had left you with for the day. Or leave out medicine on the counter for you when Petunia’s shedding was bothering your allergies more than usual, causing you sporadic sneezing fits.
What had really pushed you off the deep end into a dangerous infatuation and landed you in your current predicament was when he had invited you over to Calum’s place after you dropped off his dry cleaning late one night. You were quick to decline, knowing yourself well enough to know that spending a night together without your typical boss/employee dynamic would only add fuel to the fire that was your crush, but Luke planned on coaxing you into agreeing with a dramatic pout and wide ocean eyes.
“Please.” he added when you didn’t immediately concede. “I promise it’ll be fun. It’ll be really lowkey, just a little bonfire. We needed some down time and I know you could use a night off. I’ll make my own drinks for once, I’ll even make your drinks.”
A giggle bubbled from your throat and Luke smiled at you expectantly.
“You mean you’ll be doting after me for a change?” you teased, setting the final hanger of his clothes on the couch.
“Absolutely.” he affirmed. “And for free!”
You pressed your lips together in thought before reluctantly accepting the invitation through a sigh, “Alright. How could I possibly say no to that?”
Luke pumped a fist in the air victoriously, making you laugh.
“Great, so you can just follow me? It’s not a long drive at all, just a few minutes.” he informed, ushering you to his driveway.
“Sounds good.” you assured, climbing into your car.
Much to your displeasure, Luke hadn’t been lying when he said the drive wasn’t long. You hadn’t gotten nearly as much time alone in your car to remind yourself what not to say and do to avoid utter humiliation and possible unemployment as you would’ve liked before you had arrived at Calum’s.
Luke appeared at your car door, opening it the second you removed the keys from the ignition.
“Ready?” he questioned, peeking into the used car that acted as your second home.
“Yep.” you agreed, quickly exiting the car while silently praying he hadn’t taken notice of the scattering of trash that had accumulated in your passenger seat over the past week or so.
As you neared the house the sound of crackling firewood and exuberant laughter filled your ears. Luke’s long legs carried him towards the noise much faster than yours but he paused his steps every so often giving you the chance to catch up.
Soon you had reached the source, a large bonfire that lit the surrounding area, where the rest of the guys and two women you recognized as Michael’s fiance, Crystal, and Ashton’s girlfriend, Kaykay sat in patio chairs with red solo cups in hand.
Luke cleared his throat as you approached, causing all heads to turn in your direction.
“You guys all know my assistant, y/n right?”
The guys all nodded and offered various greetings which you returned with a small wave. Crystal, who you had met once before at the studio smiled brightly and waved, and Kaykay walked over, handing you an empty cup as she spoke.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you finally. I’ve heard you’ve lessened Luke’s workload by a ton.”
“That might be an exaggeration.” you explained. “I mostly run errands.”
“She’s being modest.” Luke complimented, knocking his shoulder against yours.
“Well, either way you have to put up with this one 24/7, and I’d say that makes you deserving of a drink.” she continued, walking you towards the table that held an assortment of liquors and a cooler of beers.
“A big one!” Ashton yelled in agreement from his seat.
From the corner of your eye you saw Luke playfully smack Ashton’s shoulder at his comment before pulling two chairs up between him and Calum.
After making yourself a vodka redbull you took a seat next to Luke, who was alternating sips between a bottle of Corona and some kind of mixed drink.
“I’m just saying, we’d be helping the planet out if I carpooled with Mikey and Crystal.” Calum continued what he’d been saying when you arrived.
Michael laughed dryly, tossing an empty beer can into the bin beside him. “Something tells me your motives are less about our carbon footprint and more about not having to drive yourself through all the fucking traffic.”
Calum overdramatically gasped, leaning back in his seat. “Well now I’m offended.”
Ashton seemed to spot your confused expression and leaned forward to explain. “They’re talking about the writing retreat to Palm Springs we’re taking soon.”
You nodded in understanding.
“Well, they say writing retreat but I doubt they’ll be writing much.” Kaykay said. “Calum insisted on getting an Airbnb with a rather extravagant pool.”
“I like to splash, sue me.” he responded to her accusation.
“Sounds fun, when do you leave?” you asked.
“2 weeks, on Monday morning.” Michael answered.
You turned in your chair to face Luke. “Are you taking Petunia? Or do you need me to take her? My building is not exactly pet friendly, but I can be sneaky.” you asked, already imagining a weekend spent cuddled up in your bed, catching up on the recent romance additions on Netflix with your favorite dog in the world.
Luke laughed against the rim of his beer bottle before taking a sip. “I’m taking her, and you, hopefully.”
“What?”
“You’ll be paid for it and all.” he explained. “The trip is supposed to be a chance for us to relax and focus solely on writing, so I’ll need you to handle everything else. Well, that’s if you’re not busy.”
“When were you planning on asking me?”
“Tonight.” Luke stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Ah, so this was all a ploy. Get a few drinks in me before you ask.” you teased.
“Believe it or not I didn’t think you’d need much convincing.”
“Why’s that?”
“An all expenses paid trip to Palm Springs? I don’t know, sounds like something you might enjoy.”
“Where I have to run around after you doing whatever you ask.” you added.
“Yea but you do that anyway, might as well do it someplace fun.” he joked, finishing off his drink.
You laughed and finished your own, “Good point, I’m in.”
“Looks like my ploy worked.” Luke said, heading over to the beverage table.
“I thought there was no ploy!” you called after him.
He spun around to face you, continuing to walk backwards while a cocky grin overtook his face and he shrugged in response, mouthing “oops” to you.
- - -
That’s how you ended up in your boss’ passenger seat at 7:43 am, trying your hardest to focus on anything but the way his hands look gripping the steering wheel.
You had only been driving for about fifteen minutes and were silently questioning how you were expected to last another 2 hours trapped in close quarters, such close quarters that the steady flow of air conditioning had picked up Luke’s cologne and vented it through the entire car. The same cologne that had stuck to your shirt the night of the bonfire after Luke had noticed you shivering and tucked his flannel around your shoulders without a word of explanation. It was making you dizzy now, or maybe that was just his presence. It was hard to tell.
One of Luke’s playlists played softly from the speakers and leaning your head against the window, you hummed a familiar melody and counted street signs in your head as a distraction.
Luke didn’t try to engage you in a conversation, assuming you weren’t a morning person and would need a few more hours and caffeinated drinks before you became the bubbly presence he had come to know over the past few months.
You allowed your eyes to drift close after a while, hoping he would assume you were asleep.
After about 30 minutes of essentially silence, Luke drove over a speed bump, causing the crate Petunia had been sleeping peacefully in to rattle. Shaken awake, she whined and yawned through a stretch, causing Luke’s eyes to instinctively flick up from the road to the rear view mirror, adoration sweeping over them when they found her sleeping figure, curled up.
You smiled to yourself when he mumbled mostly to himself, “Go back to sleep, piggy. We still have quite the drive, I’ll wake you girls up when we get there. ”
Eventually your fake sleep became real and before you knew it you were being awoken by fingers sweeping softly over your forehead. When you opened your eyes Luke pulled his hand away as if he had just been electrically shocked.
“Fuzz” he blurted out.
“What?” you questioned sleepily, crooking your neck to the side in an attempt to stretch.
“You had a piece of fuzz in your hair.” he elaborated.
When you narrowed your eyes in confusion he spoke again.
“We’re here.”
You glanced out of the window, squinting under the harsh sunlight. Based on the number of cars in the driveway it looked like everyone else was already inside. You let your eyes explore the property, tall palm trees surrounded the renovated mid century and a few cacti lined the walk that lead to a bubblegum pink front door. It was all very Palm Springs.
“S’cute” you commented, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.
“Yeah” Luke agreed with a hum. Only, when you turned to face him again his eyes weren’t on the house but on you. He shook his head at your sudden movement, and blindly reached for the door handle.
“It’s a cute place,” he reiterated. “We should head in now.”
“Do you want me to get your bags?” you asked while unbuckling.
“What? No, why would you get my bags?”
Your eyebrows tugged as you answered, “I’m your assistant, s’kinda my job.”
“Right,” Luke said while staring down at his shoes. “No, I’ve got the bags. Why don’t you get Petunia? I’m sure she’s dying to stretch her legs.”
You started fiddling with her crate as Luke emptied the trunk.
“Did she sleep the whole way?” you questioned while putting her on a leash. Luke set down the final bag as he responded.
“Most of the way, yeah. Although, I think your snoring woke her up at one point.”
You spun in his direction, eyes widening in embarrassment.
“I do not snore.”
“Well it certainly wasn’t me, and Petunia is not nearly as loud.”
“Oh my god.” you groaned. “Pig, let’s go I’m officially mortified.” Petunia stumbled out of the car, tail wagging as you tugged her behind you.
Luke’s cackling laughter could be heard as you scurried away from the car.
“Shut it Luke! Your seconds away from needing a new assistant.” you shouted, which only prompted him to laugh louder.
At all the noise Ashton swung open the front door wearing swim trunks and sipping a blended drink through a curly straw.
“Hard at work?” you teased.
He hummed in response allowing you entrance to the house, and eyed you down taking notice of your flustered state.
“What’s with you?” he asked bluntly.
“Oh, nothing just questioning my employment decisions.”
He looked over your head through the open door where Luke was barrelling down the front walk, attempting to carry at least six different bags and stumbling over his own feet.
“Can’t say I blame you.”
- - -
Luke would be lying if he said he didn’t have ulterior motives when asking you on this trip. That’s not to say he was being creepy or even planning on making a move, he would never use his position of power to get anything from you and he knew just how fragile the dynamic that you currently had was. And, really he wasn’t planning on laying a finger on you during the trip, it’s just that by the time they other guys suggested it he couldn’t really imagine a week without you. So he asked you to come, it was normal enough he was a busy guy, there’s no reason he wouldn’t need an assistant with him on a trip, especially one in which he was supposed to be working. With all that being said, he really should’ve planned on having something, literally anything for you to do.
Once you had finished walking Petunia around and exploring the backyard with her Luke had carried in all the bags and sat them in the living room with everyone else’s so the group could fairly decide who got which room.
“Crystal and Mike can have the master.” Calum suggested once everyone, including you, who sat on the floor criss cross applesauce petting Petunia, had made their way into the living room.
“We really don’t need it.” Crystal denied, propping her chin on Michael’s shoulder.
“Nah, I agree. You guys take it.” Ashton chimed in. “You had to deal with Calum the entire drive here.”
Calum flipped Ashton off from his seat on the couch. “You wish I drove with you, I’m an excellent source of entertainment.”
“Me and Kay will take the room down the hall.” Ashton proposed.
“And I can take the room next to it.” Calum added.
Luke watched your eyes flit nervously around the room, unsure of where you fit into the conversation.
“There’s one room left.” Michael announced eyeing Luke.
You cleared your throat. “I’ll take the couch.”
Luke shook his head, “No, Y/n you take the last room. I’m fine on the couch.”
“You hate sleeping on couches, you’re always complaining about how it fucks with your-” Calum cut off mid sentence when Luke sent him a deadly glare from across the room.
“I’m taking the couch.” he repeated.
“You’re like 10 feet tall, Luke. You won’t even fit on that thing.” you protested, gesturing towards the tiny art deco lounge that definitely served as more of a decoration than an actual piece of furniture.
“I’ll be fine, I’m not gonna make you sleep on a couch when I already dragged you out here to work. You can take the last bedroom.”
You opened your mouth to protest again but Luke spoke before you got a chance.
“Can I play the boss card on this one?”
Defeated, you nodded and mumbled a brief, “Thank you.” before taking your things to your room.
Luke sat his suitcases near the couch he would be using as a bed for the week and began to look around the house for blankets and pillows when you came out of your room with two pillows and a quilt.
“You really should let me take the couch.” you said handing him them. “You’ll never get any sleep out here.”
Luke sat them on the arm before turning to you, “I slept on a bus with 3 other rowdy teenage boys for years, you’d be surprised how many places I can manage to fall asleep.”
“Fair enough.” you said, dropping the topic as you knew he wouldn’t be changing his mind. “So, boss what’s the first order of business?”
Again, he really should have thought of something for you to do before asking you to come.
“Uh I don’t have anything for you right now.” he answered honestly. “It’s our first day, why don’t you just relax. I doubt we’ll do much work ourselves today, so I don’t see why you should have to.”
“I like where your head’s at, Hemmings.” you responded, making Luke laugh as Ashton entered the room holding a bottle of tequila in one hand and a shot glass in the other.
“I say we get the party started sooner rather than later.” he announced.
The first night sped by in a blur of drinking games, 70’s music, and two shared joints. Luke’s eyes continuously drifted to you throughout the night, his staring becoming more frequent with every drink he finished.
He felt guilty about the way he was feeling and unsure if it was the alcohol dizzying him or the fact that his breath became more labored each time your laugh sounded from the other side of the room.
The last thing he needed was a dramatic workplace romance. Life was already hectic enough and the pressure was on for their upcoming album, a relationship would only act as a distraction. But, he couldn’t help himself from daydreaming about a day when he wouldn’t have to sneakily watch you from afar but be able to unabashedly admire you while you were tucked safely under his arm.
It was about 2:30 am when Luke noticed that your eyes were growing heavy and your responses fewer and further apart. You slowly brought your knees to your chest, hugging them in your arms before laying your cheek against them for support. When you did, your mouth squished into a pronounced pout and Luke wished he could blame the alcohol coursing through his veins for the strong urge he had to feel the seemingly soft cushion of your lips under his own.
In order to put an end to his own inappropriate ogling he spoke up, “S’getting kinda late. I’d like to go to sleep but it seems you all are occupying my bedroom.” He gestured a hand to the couch where Calum had sprawled out and was slipping in and out of sleep.
Calum groaned in response as if the idea of moving the ten feet down the hall to his bed was some great feat.
Luke stood and patted his shoulder twice, “Nevermind, Cal you seem pretty comfy maybe you should just stay here and I’ll sleep in yours tonight, hm?”
“You fucking wish.” he answered before stumbling through the house’s dim lighting to his room, the others following close behind him. Everyone muttered varying levels of slurred goodnights before each door shut leaving just you, Luke, and Petunia who was sleeping soundly in the corner of the living room.
“Aren’t you heading to sleep?” Luke questioned as he made his bed on the couch.
You nodded wordlessly but made no move to go. He stared expectantly at you until you eventually spoke.
“I think I should take the couch ton-”
“Y/n.” Luke cut off, sending you a disapproving look.
“I know, but I didn’t pay for this trip and you’re supposed to be relaxing, and there is nothing relaxing about sleeping on an uncomfortable couch. Besides one night on a couch really won’t kill me and tomorrow I can go to the store and get an air mattress.” you rambled, hardly taking a pause for a breath.
‘You’re drunk, and you need a good night of sleep. I’m taking the couch, and you’re taking the bed.” he said, approaching you, placing his hands on your shoulders and spinning in you in the direction of your room.
He hadn’t let go of you for two seconds before you were turning back around to face him.
“Y/n, seriously.”
“No, I know. I surrender, I just- I wanted to say thanks”
“It’s sleeping on a couch, there’s really no reason to thank me.”
“Not just the couch, I mean thanks for asking me to come in the first place. I really like working for you.” you admitted, the alcohol playing a large role in your transparency.
A grin spread across Luke’s face at your statement. He would’ve given anything to tell you how happy he was that you came and how much he liked being around you, and just how much he liked you.
Instead he settled for a less daunting confession, “And I really like having you work for me, you’re a great assistant.”
Expecting you to head back into your room he was caught completely off guard when you took a step closer and wrapped your arms around his neck. Frozen in place it took him a second to even register that you were hugging him. When he did his arms instinctively wrapped around you, unintentionally lifting you to the tips of your toes in the process.
Hugging wasn’t something the two of you had done before, and although Luke was sure the sudden display of affection was a result of the alcohol and weed that had come into play earlier in the night, he was soaking up every millisecond he had you in his arms.
He intended on memorizing every little thing about this hug, the softness of your hoodie beneath his hands, the slight whiff of your shampoo that he was getting with his nose pressed lightly into the side of your head, and the way his heart felt pounding his chest which was centimeters away from touching yours.
When you finally unlatched your arms from his neck and took a step or two back, he felt even more drunk than he had before. Drunk off of you, and in deep trouble if he was going to have to control himself for the rest of the week.
“I should probably…” you trailed off, pointing to your room down the hall.
“Oh, yeah.” he responded. “Good night.”
“Night.” you returned before tiptoeing back to your room as quietly as possible.
When Luke finally settled onto the couch it was just as uncomfortable as he had imagined, or maybe even worse. His feet hung off the end and he had to crook his neck an uncomfortable way to successfully fit but he couldn’t be bothered to care, he’d be dreaming about you and he’d be sleeping like a baby.
- - -
The next two days dragged by incredibly slow. You and Luke had been avoiding each other, or more accurately you’d been avoiding him. He was doing the complete opposite, popping around the corner every time you thought you could catch your breath, and constantly finding a way to be in your space.
You had hoped to gain some definitely needed space while running your assigned errands the day after the hug incident. But your plans went awry once the quick grocery run had become essentially a lunch date when Luke insisted on attending, using his superior knowledge of the others food preferences as an excuse to infiltrate your day.
Once you had completed shopping to stock the house’s cabinets and purchased an air mattress (which Luke still insisted on taking despite your many protests) you were sick with the overwhelming feeling of longing, and really regretting hugging him in the first place.
The whole point of the hug was to get rid of the debilitating urge to reach out and touch that every time, without fail overtook you in his presence. It hadn’t seemed like such a big deal when your intoxicated brain had made the decision for you, back then the only thing on your mind was the subtle red tint of Luke’s flushed cheek and the desire to have it right against your own. It hadn’t helped that you had been sporadically stealing peeks at him from across the room. Trying your very hardest to ignore the heat brewing in your belly when watching him take a slow drag from a half smoked joint with the patio lights hitting his face in a way that was way too flattering for you to handle four drinks deep.
Since then you had made your presence around the house as scarce as possible while the guys had actually started working, spending most mornings spread across the living room with more guitars than seemed necessary and powering through verses with too much espresso. You attempted to busy yourself with work but considering you were avoiding your boss and he didn’t seem to have anything for you to do the majority of your time was spent keeping Petunia company and reading in your room.
One afternoon you had joined Crystal and Kaykay by the pool but your much needed girl time didn’t last long before Luke and the rest of the guys had made their way out as well. The unreadable expression on Luke’s face when he spotted you stretched out across the lounge chair making you wonder if you were crossing boundaries and somehow taking advantage of the “work trip” he had invited you on by relaxing by the pool.
You waited about 10 minutes before sulking back into your room alone, attempting to cure your boredom by rewatching Pretty in Pink for the thousandth time. As the prom scene approached your eyes grew heavier and you were knocked out by the time the credits rolled.
When you woke up the sun was just starting to set, made clear by the golden light pouring through your windows. In your sleep you had kicked all the blankets off of the bed to the floor and when you sat up you noticed a thin layer of sweat covering your skin. The fan was on but providing little relief from the sudden heat wave that had swept over your room, making the sweatshirt you had fallen asleep in an inconvenience. You peeled the thick material off your chest, leaving you in a tank top and pair of pajama shorts before heading out to the living room.
Entering the living room you were instantly met with the sight of Michael, Ashton, Calum, and Luke laying out across the couches in swim trunks, each fanning themselves with whatever they were able to find.
“Is there a reason it’s like 2000 degrees in here?” you asked as you entered
“AC broke.” Michael clipped in response, bringing his chilled cup to his forehead.
You directed your gaze to Luke, “Should I call someone?”
“Nah, I already called they won’t be able to get someone out here for a day or two.” Ashton responded before Luke got a chance.
“Are you done for the day then?”
“We want to finish up this last verse and the bridge before we call it a night.” Luke offered. “We just ordered pizza for dinner, I didn’t want to wake you up but I can get you something else if you want?”
“I’m fine.” you assured.
“Where are the girls?” you questioned, glancing around the room.
“By the pool.” Michael answered.
“If you don’t have anything for me I’ll probably just sit out with them.” you told Luke. “It’s too hot to be in here.”
He nodded. “Have fun.”
You quickly went back to your room slipping into your favorite suit, one that accentuated your favorite features, and complimented your complexion flawlessly. Before you left your room you sat a pair of sunglasses on your head and gave yourself one last lookover in the mirror. And, okay maybe you tugged your bottoms up a bit farther than normal, putting your ass on display. So what?
- - -
Luke was putting the final touches on a verse he had been working on when you reentered the room and knocked any and all thoughts from his head. You looked unreal, every inch of you tempting, and taunting. You didn’t say anything as you passed through the room to the pool, but sent a look over your shoulder that would haunt Luke’s dreams for weeks, maybe longer. How was he supposed to focus with you around, looking the way you do.
He must’ve been watching you, the sun hitting the silk of your skin beautifully, for at least 25 minutes when a voice broke him from his lust struck gaze.
“Have you finished that verse yet? Luke?”
“Huh?”
“Is the heat like melting your brain?” Michael questioned, poking at Luke’s forehead.
“Don’t think it’s the heat, mate.” Calum teased. “I think it has more to do with the half naked assistant lounging by the pool.”
“What? No I’m not-”
“Didn’t say I blame you. She’s hot, no denying it.”
Luke suddenly felt irrationally angry. Has Calum always looked that punchable? As far as he could tell it was a new development.
“That’s my assistant.” he reminded, his tone almost scolding.
“Yea, not your girlfriend.”
“Doesn’t mean you can ogle at her.” Luke huffed, pouting childishly and scribbling some shit in his notebook so he looked like he was working.
“Like what you’re doing right now?” Calum responded, earning an amused giggle from Ashton.
“I am not.” Luke declared, raising a leg to kick Ashton who dodged it easily.
“I’m messing with you mate.” Calum said, clapping a hand on Luke’s shoulder which he promptly shrugged off. “Just ask her out already. Our album can only have so many songs about desperate pining before it gets pathetic.”
Luke sent him a glare of disapproval to which Calum responded by holding his hands up in surrender, “Just saying.”
- - -
The heat had been so bad that by the time the guys had finished writing for the day and the girls had come inside everyone was ready to hit the hay, hoping it would make the next day and hopefully a fixed AC unit come quicker. You slipped into a large shirt and pair of cotton panties before slipping into bed using only a sheet as a cover and hooking your leg over it in hopes to cool down more. You tossed and turned for about an hour, unable to find a comfortable position before deciding to head into the kitchen to get a glass of ice water. The creak of the refurbished hardwood floor beneath your feet as you padded as quietly as possible into the main part of the house couldn’t have been avoided, and you found yourself shushing every floorboard that creaked until you had successfully made it to the kitchen. As you grabbed a glass from the cabinet next to the fridge your eyes drifted to the living room where Luke grumbled and rolled to his side on the still rather tiny air mattress that was acting as an alternative to the couch. Before you had finished filling your cup at the sink he had woken up and by the sounds of it was searching for his phone through a mass of cushions. When he finally located it, the harsh brightness of his flashlight cut through the room, and like a deer in headlights alerted Luke to your presence.
Through the dim light reflected back on him you could see a confused squint as he tiredly croaked, “Y/n?”
Feeling caught and incredibly underdressed under your boss’ befuddled stare you only nodded and held out your water cup as if it were a hall pass or some proof of innocence that you weren’t sneaking around at nearly three in the morning.
Luke lowered his flashlight to the floor but didn’t turn it off completely, a dim white light still glowing off of the floor.
“Water?” he questioned, dumbly.
You only hummed in response, not wanting to wake anyone else.
“Sleeping alright?” he continued, crossing the room to you in just a few large steps.
With him in closer proximity you didn’t raise your voice much above a whisper when responding.
“Not really, it’s gotta be like 800 degrees in my room right now. I was practically dying of thirst. Is it any better out here?”
“S’not unbearable.” he shrugged before reaching out, taking your water glass, and speaking through exaggerated gulps. “There’s a better breeze out here.”
You swatted at him as he repeatedly brought the glass to his lips.
“You just said it wasn’t that bad!” you accused in a whisper yell when he finally handed the, now empty cup back over. You had to cover the growing smile on your face, a result of Luke’s display of dramatics, and hope that in such dim light he had missed the subtle tug.
He made it very clear he hadn’t missed it when he spoke again, “You’ve been acting so weird and stiff around me lately. I finally got you to laugh again, I was starting to think I’d lost my charm.”
“You could never.” you joked in response, feeling guilty for the detached exterior you had painted on in an effort to control your own desires. “Sorry I woke you up.”
“You didn’t, I’ve been up.”
“The heat?”
“No, I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now.” he explained.
“I don’t know how you could think about anything other than how hot it is right now.” you said fanning the damp skin of your upper chest with a hand.
Luke’s eyes dropped to the exposed skin, flicking about the area nervously before dropping to the floor.
“Yea,” he mumbled, his head still dropped. “S’pretty fucking hot around here.”
“An ice bath has never sounded better.” you laughed quietly.
Luke’s head shot up at your words, a flickering idea lightbulb above his head practically visible at his sudden thought.
“Let’s go swimming.”
“Luke, we’ll wake everyone up.” Your mind was already playing through every single bad outcome of you and Luke taking a midnight dip, alone, all of them ending with you horribly embarrassing yourself, and the more severe ones ending with you losing your job.
“No we won’t.” he dismissed, his attachment to the idea clearly growing as the seconds passed. “C’mon, if we can manage to keep quiet we’re in the clear.”
“We’d have to change into bathing suits and going through my suitcase will make too much noise.” you denied further.
Luke shook his head before waving an accusing finger at you, “Lucky for us, we left suits hanging in the pool house.”
And okay, you’d forgotten about that.
Luke watched you nervously as you ran through any other possible denials.
“You’ve got no more excuses.” he accused, seemingly reading your mind in the process. “Please, it’ll tire you out.”
“Fine.” you agreed, angering yourself by how pleased you felt when he beamed at your acceptance.
“Let’s go then.” he said, not wasting any time as he began to cross the living room, waving you behind him.
You began to follow with short, and cautious steps due to the apparent lack of visibility in the dark house.
“It’s too dark in here! I can’t see anything. I’m gonna end up breaking a toe.” you urged in a whisper yell to Luke who was, based on his shadow at least three large steps ahead of you.
He turned back to you, sighing at your dramatic complaints. “C’mon then, scaredy cat.” he reached a hand out to you. “Let’s see if I can get us there in one piece.”
You reached the pool house in no time at all, allowing your hands to remain intertwined for longer than necessary, eventually untangling them as he tossed your suit in your direction. Luke changed first, heading to the bathroom, that seemed a bit extravagant for a pool house, while you waited in the main room, picking at your fingers to keep yourself occupied. Two minutes hadn’t passed when he walked back out, wearing a pair of simple black swim trunks. You kept your gaze on your hands in your lap, knowing that if you were to look up your attention would quickly be stolen by the taunting broadness of his shoulders.
“I’ll just wait for you out there then?” he asked, nodding towards the pool through the glass door of the pool house.
“Okay” you clipped before hurrying into the bathroom, your back falling against the door the second it shut behind you.
“I’m completely screwed.” you groaned aloud to yourself.
While you put on your suit and calmed your inner turmoil, Luke sat on the edge of the pool, kicking his submerged feet back and forth. The sky was dark but more clear than he was used to typically seeing while in LA and the only added lights were the motion censored dim yellow ones installed on either end of the pool. He stared at the way the light caught on the water ripples he was making with every swing of his feet as his mind wandered to the possibilities of the night.
The slide of the glass door to his left grabbed his attention, his mouth falling slightly ajar when you came into view. He hoped the subdued light would hide the way he dragged his eyes up your body.
You walked over and took a seat beside him, close enough that each of Luke’s kicks resulted in your knees knocking together. You both remained quiet for a while, the only sounds being quiet splash of the water and the hum of the pool vacuum.
Luke took the silence as an opportunity to analyze your breathing, short and shallow, as if something was making you nervous.
Was he making you nervous?
I mean, he was your boss. Bosses make people nervous, for all he knew you could be constantly walking on eggshells around him, only allowing him to see a subdued version of your true self. His nose scrunched in displeasure at the thought, he wanted to see everything, not just “professional” you.
He banished the thought away with a shake of his head, that wasn’t what was going on, he knew you. He knew that you preferred doing work at his house on days that it rained because of the “big ass windows” as you called them. He knew that you clean when you’re angry because his floors were gleaming the day you ran into your ex at the grocery store. He knew that you snored, obnoxiously loud but endearing in a way he couldn’t explain. He also knew that the night you hugged him, he wasn’t the only one who felt something. He wasn’t quite sure why you had gone so distant all of sudden but he was determined to find out.
“Haven’t seen much of you the last few days.” he muttered hesitantly, breaking the silence.
You laughed nervously, the sound tight as if you had forced it out of your throat. “I’m with you all day.”
“Nuh-uh, you’ve been hiding away in your room.” he paused to glance in your direction, opting to lighten the sentiment when he saw the glint of nerves flash across your eyes. “And with my dog too. Feels like I haven’t seen her in ages, how is she? Does she ever ask about me?”
Your airy giggle cut through the night making Luke grin towards the water, feeling very pleased with himself.
“No, to be honest I think she’s forgotten all about you.”
“Typical” he scoffed jokingly. “You feed ‘em, give ‘em a place to live, love them and then the first pretty face that comes along they forget all about you.”
At the unexpected compliment your feet, which had been wading in the water side by side with Luke’s, froze in place, and the sound of your breath hitching caused Luke’s eyes to shoot in your direction, freezing on your stunned face.
After a second or two of silence you coughed awkwardly, muttering a quiet “yeah’ under your breath.
“Y/n?”
You didn’t say anything in response but Luke took your silence as an invitation to continue.
“Monday night, when you hugged me-”
“Do you wanna go swimming now?’ you cut off.
“Y/n,” Luke repeated, ignoring your attempt to change the subject. “Why’d you hug me that night? You never have before.”
“I don’t know.” you rushed out with a shrug of your shoulder, attempting to push yourself to your feet in the process. “You said you wanted to go swimming, so let’s do that.”
Luke quickly but tentatively covered your hand with his in an attempt to keep you where you were, to finish the conversation.
“Why?”
You shook your head, and stood fully, attempting to pull your hand out of his grip. He only squeezed once and looked up to you.
“Why?” he repeated.
“Luke, this is stupid. I wanna go swimming.” This time when you tugged your hand as you walked away Luke mumbled something that sounded like, “Fine, let’s go then.” and you were suddenly being pulled backward.
“Luke!” you screamed before both of you fell into the deep end with a loud splash, hands still intertwined as they hit the water.
Through the water he used his tight grip on your hand to pull you behind him into the shallow end until you could both stand. The second you emerged you landed one firm smack on his shoulder.
“Why did you do that?”
“Why’d you hug me?” Luke countered.
You huffed in annoyance, wringing out your wet hair as you answered, “I don’t know. I wanted to, I guess.” you stumbled over your words a bit but continued. “I was drun- No, I just wanted to.”
“Okay”
“Okay, great. Glad we established that.” you nodded once, as if to end the conversation officially.
Luke watched you look up to him, eyelashes stuck together, harboring little water droplets that were also scattered against the rest of your face. You looked like a rainy spring morning, and Luke was so completely gone for you.
Without registering what he was doing he brought his hand to cup your face, swiping his thumb at a droplet stuck to your right eyebrow. When your chin instinctively jutted up as he held your face his heart skipped a beat at the prospect of your interest, of you wanting him to kiss you.
Dropping his hand from your face, he spoke again, “I liked you hug-”
In a surprising move, you lunged forward cutting Luke’s words off with your lips, causing him to stumble back a bit before catching himself, and you who had started to slip back with him.
You were never this bold, with any guy, nevermind a famous vocalist who happened to employ you, but the feeling of Luke’s hand cupping your cheek had felt so right that you knew a kiss was inevitable and waiting was sounding less appealing with every second that passed.
His lips were soft, slightly wet from the water, and tasted a bit like chlorine, but you didn’t care at all. In fact, the second your lips touched his you had decided that kissing him was your new favorite thing, you could do it for hours.
As the kiss progressed, either the water or Luke had begun pushing the two of you from the middle of the pool till your back hit the rough of the concrete wall, causing you to break apart and hiss at the stinging scratch against your bare skin. Luke’s eyes softened in sympathy, “Sorry.” he apologized, chasing your lips as if another kiss would subdue the pain. It did.
As a solution, Luke gripped your waist lifting you up to the edge with a gentle mumble of, “Up you go, baby.”
Baby.
You felt like floating.
Luke moved between your legs, hands still settled on your waist, pawing at the skin he had never gotten the chance to explore before while continuing to kiss your feverishly.
While catching his breath, lips still resting against yours he spoke, “This could get complicated.” he admitted.
“I know.”
“Is it bad that I don’t care?”
“Is it bad that I don’t?”
“Can we figure it out in the morning?”
You nodded. “Kiss me.”
Luke obliged, slotting his lips against yours, messily, desperately. If this was a one time thing he intended on making the most of it, to get to know every inch of you. The cool water lingering on your soft skin making it slightly tacky against his hands, which were gripping at your love handles. His hands slid down your torso, landing on your thighs and giving one firm squeeze causing a breathy sigh, which only encouraged him further, to fall from your lips.
You scooched forward, so your core was in line with his hips, grinding slightly and provoking a throaty groan from him.
His hands slid up your thighs, using your hips as leverage to rock you against him.
“Pool house?” he questioned, breaking apart only long enough to utter the words.
You swung your legs around his back hooking them together and pulling him in as a response, nodding against his lips.
The walk to the pool house was quick, with Luke pressed against your back, arms secured around your waist as you scurried into the dark abode.
“Up for a shower?” he asked, nipping at the skin on your ear while he guided you into the bathroom.
All the lights were off in the bathroom, the only source being the full moon penetrating through the window as you tugged on the ties fastening your suit to your body. Luke worked on turning the shower on as you stripped, wrapping a towel around your bare skin before he turned to face you again.
“You sure you wanna do this?”
Your whole body itched to have his hands on you once again, “Positive, you?”
He nodded enthusiastically, “Been thinking about it since you got in my car the day we left.”
You both entered the shower eagerly, a collision of damp skin, and greedy lips. He crowded you against the wall, wasting no time as his lips traveled from your mouth, down your neck, collarbones, and upper chest Until they finally reached their destination, peppering open mouthed smooches across your breasts, each one pulling a sweet sound from your mouth.
You had surprised him when amidst his exploration you opted to sink to your knees which were quite slippery against the now soapy tile of the shower floor.
“You don’t have to.”
You promptly shook your head, “Want to.”
Now at eye level, you could clearly see, he was big, not that you were surprised or anything. You were actually quite aroused at the thought of him thrusting into your throat and the burn that would come along with it.
Luke inhaled a shaky breath when your hands scraped against his thighs to steady yourself and quickly caught when you took his aching length into one, testing the waters, you ran your hand up and down once against it making his head fall back into the light spray of water.
When you finally took him into your mouth not a second had passed before his fingers weaved into your wet hair, tugging tighter as you took him deeper.
“Fuck” he stuttered out when his head hit the back of your throat, causing it to constrict around him.
One glance down at you being so fucking perfect for him had him right at the edge. His hand found your chin through his feelings of immense pleasure and used his grip to direct your sultry gaze.
“I don’ wanna come like this.”
Your eyebrows tugged slightly in confusion at his words.
“Wanna make you feel good.” he elaborated. “Can I fuck you?”
You nodded around him before slowly pulling off, eliciting a sharp grunt.
He squatted down a bit to help you stand to your feet, and as you stepped into the splash of the shower you discovered it was no longer warm, but cool and refreshing from the humid air that had funneled in from outside.
He was quick to spin you so your chest pressed against the glass wall of the shower and you pushed your hips back towards him as you looked over your shoulder and spoke, “Condom?”
Luke hastily stumbled out of the shower, picking up his previously disregarded swim trunks from the floor and sliding them back on, hissing as they pressed against his painfully hard erection.
“One sec.” he promised before slipping out of the room, leaving you waiting and frustrated.
Within a blink of an eye he had returned, condom in hand, and re-entered the shower. He situated himself behind you pressing two chaste pecks to your shoulder blade as his hands smoothed over the stripped skin of your ass while lining you up with him.
When he finally pressed in, your uneven moan pierced through the room, and Luke only tightened his fingers against your hips, so tightly they were sure to leave a mark, not that you minded.
“Luke” you croaked through broken breaths.
“Yea? S’good?”
“Mhm.” you responded, your hum of approval being cut off short as a particularly forceful thrust smashed your cheek against the glass.
Luke was trying his hardest to hold out for you, delivering forceful thrusts at a steady pace, but aching with the need to spill out inside of you whether that be inside a condom or not. He nearly combusted when you tried to take things into your own hands, grinding back against him to meet his thrusts whenever you could muster the strength.
“Good, baby. Grind back on me.” he praised, willing himself to hold out.
You released a sob of pleasure when a falter of his hips, while rammed deeply inside of you, caused him to nudge against a spot that made your knees buckle beneath you. You almost lost your balance when his arm slipped around your torso holding you up as he continued.
“Doing so good for me.” he grunted. “Gonna let go soon? Gimme it all?”
You nodded against the cool wall, unable to form a verbal confirmation.
“C’mon then, can’t wait much longer.” he admitted, sending a notably strong thrust into you.
That was all it took for you to come undone, losing all balance in the moment, making you extremely grateful that Luke’s own orgasm didn’t prevent him from being able to hold you up through it.
Following the satisfying release that had overcome both of you, you rinsed off in a haze. Loose limbs and drowsy eyes under the steady spray of water.
Too tired to even think about discussing the events of the night, you simply pulled Luke behind you through the pool house, through the yard, and through the house into your room where Petunia lay asleep, snorting noisily when Luke’s foot knocked against the bed frame, shaking her lightly. Luke’s tshirt from earlier in the night hung of your frame as you climbed in beside the snoozing pup Your boss followed close behind, his hands snaking around your torso as sleep eventually overtook you, the overwhelming heat no longer burdening you.
- - -
When the first light broke through your sheer curtains in the morning, awakening you from your heavy sleep, you rolled to your side expecting to see a head of curls and cerulean irises hidden by the blanket of eyelids, but instead were met with a pillow in the place of last night’s lover.
You rubbed your eyes as you sat up, momentarily questioning if you had dreamt the entire thing when you heard the sound of clanging coming from the kitchen. Shuffling out from the bed as quietly as possible, you stepped through the hallway, peeking around the corner as you reached the end.
As your eyes met the messy state of the kitchen, where Luke was pacing and balancing a plat or two on his arms, they widened in intrigue.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Luke spun around to you, a pink flush covering his cheeks as he registered his own wreck and laughed awkwardly before speaking,
“I wanted to make you breakfast,” he explained. “So I made eggs, but then I realized I don’t even know if you eat eggs. Which is why I made toast, only this toaster is incredibly strong.” he picked up a charred piece of bread and hit it against the counter, making a whacking noise. “Then coffee seemed like the safe choice because I know you drink coffee.” he paused and stared down at the various cartons in front of him. “Only problem is, what kind of milk? We’ve got regular, almond, oat, and coconut. It’s honestly way too many kinds for one house. Anyway I couldn’t decide, so what I can offer you is water.” He held a glass out to you.
“I like it with ice.” you teased
Luke groaned. “I can’t win.”
“I’m kidding, this is too much and it’s amazing.” you sighed, “Last night was-”
“Amazing.” Luke confirmed before you could.
You nodded, sipping at the water he had handed you.
“I just want you to know I hadn’t, like planned this or anything when I asked you to come.” he defended, taking a sip of his own from the mug beside him.
“I know.” you answered.
“I mean I wanted to-I’ve been wanting to, I just-”
“Luke,” you interrupted. “I trust your motives.”
“Then you should know that I don’t plan on this being a one time thing.” he explained. “I like you and I like spending time with you.”
Your chest warmed at his words and your wordlessly nestled under his arm which was propped against one of the upper cabinets.
“I like you too.” you confirmed, leaning up to smack one kiss to his, slightly puffy morning lips.
“Can I take you on a date when we get back?”
“Only if it involves popcorn, Petunia, and a Marvel movie.” you bargained, knowing you would honestly be up for anything as long as you were with him.
“Deal” he agreed, attaching your lips once more.
The sound of three knocks on the door caused you to break apart, lips still brushing against each other when the final knock sounded. You rose to your feet and headed to the front door, Luke directly on your heels, as his arms were latched around your waist, moving in coordination with you.
When you pulled the door open you were met with a short old man carrying a clipboard and some sort of kit.
“I’m here about the AC.” he explained, attempting a subtle eye roll at the display of affection occurring in front of him. Luke grinned at his distaste, tightening his hold around you.
“Right, thanks. It’s been down since yesterday afternoon.” you provided further information as you allowed him entrance to the house.
“Yea, must’ve been awful in all this heat, sorry we couldn’t get someone out here sooner.” he apologized.
“No need to be sorry.” Luke said before nuzzling his nose into the space behind your ear and lowering his voice. “We were too busy to notice.”
