Chapter 21 – Love is in the Air

Reid was in shock. His entire mind was a question. But he found himself unable to vocalize anything. As Luke pulled up to the end of the long drive he stopped the car and turned to look at Reid who was still quiet and motionless.

"Reid, are you ok?"

Still saying nothing he just turned and looked at Luke with wide eyes and nodded his head. Luke smiled and got out of the car and open Reid's door.

"Well, are you coming in or what?"

By now Luke had seen Reid speechless before but never for this long. Reid got out of the car as if in slow motion and followed Luke up to the door. While quiet and shocked Reid was still observant and took in the serene beauty of the area in which the house sat. No other houses for miles around, lots of trees and the dark wood and rock facing on the house made it look rustic. As they entered it seemed bright and yet very comfortable. It was furnished with dark leather furniture and dark wood and yet still had a bright look. There were so many large windows, it was difficult to make it look dark within. Reid loved the tech-ee stuff though. The larger than life TV that hung on the wall, the stereo and speakers placed around the room.

"Well?" asked Luke.

The brilliant doctor was still unable to form a sentence. He just looked at Luke and then looked around the room again. Luke grabbed his hand and drug him through to another room. They headed toward the kitchen. Reid was amazed by the kitchen. Luke turned him to face the giant refrigerator. Reid's eyes opened just a bit wider which neither man thought possible. Luke touched a button and the TV in the fridge door sprang to life. Reid touched his hand to his heart then and Luke smiled. Then Luke opened the door and let Reid asses all the food within. Finally a smile broke out on the good doctor's face. He turned around and pulled Luke into a bone crushing hug. As he let go he looked into Luke's dark brown eyes and traced his forehead and side of his face with his fingertips. "I love you."

They just stood there staring at each other for while looking at each other. Then Luke leaned in, gave him a quick kiss and took him by the hand leading him out the back door of the kitchen to the patio. Reid took in the pool and the expanse of property behind it. "Do you like the pool? I had to have them add that."

"Luke it's all incredible."

Then Luke pulled him inside and took him to another room that opened to the back of the house. It was a large library looking room. Expansive windows and French doors, with bookshelves along one wall that went to the ceiling. There was a large mahogany desk and a sofa. "This is for you especially. A place for you to put all of your medical books and journals and a place for you to work when you aren't at work."

Reid walked in and looked over the room, examining all the touches that Luke had put there. "You can change it anyway you want to." Luke said, "I want you to be comfortable here."

"It's the most amazing room I've ever seen. But what is the sofa for?"

"Oh, that's for me. So I can be close to you when you're burying yourself in your work. I can read or write and just be with you."

Reid put his head down, shook it and then looked up at Luke through his lashes. "I've never had anyone just want to be with me before. It's kind of strange to hear."

"Sure you have, Brianna wants to be with you and so does Katie."

"Well, Brianna's different, and Katie, well she's … she's just unstable." They both laughed at that. "It's nice." Reid said as if from nowhere.

"What's nice?" Luke asked with his brows furrowed.

"That you want to be around me, even if I'm working. It feels … you know, good."

"Yeah it does," Luke walked toward him. "It feels really good." And with that Luke placed his hands on Reid's face and began to kiss him. Soft open mouthed kisses that made Reid's head swim. Luke pulled back and trailed kisses across his cheek to his ear and in a husky voiced asked, "So, what you say?"

"I'm hungry?"

"What?" Obviously this wasn't the answer/question that Luke expected. "Seriously?"

"I've hardly eaten today."

"I find that hard to believe." Luke looked at him disbelievingly.

"I had that cinnamon bun thing from Java this morning, an emergency surgery for lunch, and a sandwich with two bites out of it still sitting at Katie's for dinner."

"Oh my god! This is an emergency!" Luke laughed, "Good thing the refrigerator is well stocked."

He took Reid by the hand and dragged him to the kitchen. "I can't begin to know how you build those sandwiches of yours, but I can grab the plates while you do the rest."

"How did you know what to buy? You have everything in here." Reid had his arms full of most of the contents of the fridge.

"How do you think?"

Reid nodded, "Bree."

"Well you don't call yourself a genius for nothing." Luke laughed.

"So what made you so sure I'd move in with you?"

"I wasn't sure, I'm still not sure, I'm hopeful."

"You're a sap! And I need a knife to cut the sandwiches. When did you buy this place? You did buy it I assume."

"We bought it. Here. I might have uhm, sort of, maybe, forged your signature along the way.." He handed over a knife.

"You what?"

"Well, I wanted this to be our house, not my house. So I signed your name a few times and might sort of had someone in my office notarize it and well…. I wanted your name on the deed is all. I wanted this to be your home too."

Reid stuffed his mouth full of sandwich, and spoke with his mouth full. "Blackmail, now forgery, where will your criminal activities end Mr. Snyder?" He tried to grin but his mouth was so full it didn't quite come off.

"Are you angry?"

"Angry? Are you kidding me? You bought me a house for heaven sake. Of course I'm not angry." He said swallowing.

Luke grabbed a soda from the fridge and placed a beer in front of Reid. "Better drink something before you choke on that thing." He said pointing at the sandwich. "So, you still haven't answered me. What do you think about living here? With me that is. Do you think you want to try it?"

"Depends." Reid said munching down another bite of his sandwich. Then he grinned evily. "Is this where the mysterious king size bed is?"

Luke grinned at his handsome doctor clad in scrubs. He was adorable with the spot of mustard at the corner of his mouth with his cheeks bulged out with food. "It is in fact here, yes."

"Are you gonna eat that?" Reid asked, looking at Luke's untouched sandwich as he poked the last bit of his own in his mouth. Luke just shook his head, put half of his sandwich on Reid's place and then took a bit of his half.

"So that's a yes?" Luke asked. God but the man was irritating, how long would he dance around the question?

"Of course," Reid said, as if it was a given. "How could I say no? Besides, I own half of it, why wouldn't I live here?"

Luke grinned so big he thought his face would split. Reid watched him and his breathing stopped. "Reid. Reid! EARTH TO REID! Reid breathe you're scaring me!"

"What? Sorry." Reid shook himself out of his trance. "You are real aren't you Luke? This isn't a dream, its real right?"

Luke walked around the kitchen island to where Reid sat on the barstool. He turned Reid around and stepped between his legs and kissed him, pushing him back against the counter. "Do I feel real?" Luke whispered against Reid's mouth.

"Very." Reid said, giving himself up to the kiss. After a while he pulled back. "Are you trying to seduce me Mr. Snyder?"

"Do you need seducing Dr. Oliver?" Luke asked breathlessly against Reid's cheek.

"Definitely."

"Then yes, I am."

Luke trailed kisses down Reid's neck and covered his adam's apple with his mouth, sucking slightly. "Mmmm. Where's the bedroom?"

"We have several," Luke replied, leading Reid down the hall. He walked backward not letting his eyes leave Reid's. "But ours is this way."

"Why do we have several? Are we going to move around a lot?"

"Well, I thought someday, you might soften up enough to want a family."

Reid couldn't help but laugh. A few months ago he'd have never considered such a concept. But things had changed so much, hell he'd go watch Disney on ice at this point if Luke asked.

"Why is that funny?" Luke stopped as they reached the bedroom.

"Well I hate to break it too you, but I am a doctor I know what I'm talking about when I tell you that I can't bear your children." Probably not the right time for his sense of humor but old habits die hard.

Luke leaned forward as if to resume kissing Reid's neck. But sunk his teeth into Reid's shoulder instead. "OUCH!... Ouch! Luke ok. Yeah a family sounds good. But later. Right now can't we just fawn over Jacob and Reid?"

Luke raised his head and removed Reid's scrub top to look at the shoulder he'd just abused. "Yes, we can do that. You know, I may have to teach Bob Hughes that little trick. Comes in handy for getting a direct answer, instead of you dancing around a subject."

Reid smirked while twisting his head trying to see his shoulder. "Just don't tell Doogie, I'm afraid he'd try it." They both laughed.

Luke leaned down and kissed the pink marks on Reid's shoulder and Reid sucked in his breath. It had been much more than 24 hours since Reid had felt Luke's lips on his flesh, and he was starved for him. Luke pushed Reid backward as he kissed his shoulder until he was against the side of the high luxurious bed. Reid reached his hands underneath Luke's shirt and lifted it over his head. Luke pushed Reid down and lifted his feet removing his shoes and socks. Then he pulled him to his feat and released the tie on his scrub pants. He slid his fingers down Reid's hips divesting him of his boxers as well as his scrub pants. Then he moved him aside. Reid felt a bit abandoned as Luke turned his attentions away from him to the bed where he grabbed an armload of pillows and tossed them to the foot of the bed and then dragged the comforter to the foot as well. As he was bending over the bed Reid walked up behind him running his hands from the small of Luke's back down over his backside and down the back of his thighs. Luke felt a catch in his stomach and then his jeans were incredibly tight and uncomfortable. Reid reached a hand between Luke's legs to feel Luke's throbbing bulge beneath the denim and smiled as he heard Luke gasp.

Luke turned back toward Reid and they stared at each other while Reid made quick work of Luke's remaining clothing. Fire seemed to blaze from the emerald green eyes and Luke felt as if he was drifting away on a wave of fiery passion. He'd never known anything like the intense, earth-shattering orgasms of the last several days. After a few fire blazing races to release, their love making became torturously slow and each touch deliberately evoking pleasured sensations in the other. Reid couldn't believe his good fortune. A home, a real home. Even if it was in Oakhell. He gazed lovingly at the beautiful blonde that was kissing his chest. Finally he understood all the drivel in the greeting cards about love. His mind even drifted toward Luke's suggestion of a family. Yeah, he could do a family with this gorgeous man. Then Luke's teeth caught hold of a pink nub on Reid's chest and his thoughts were drawn back to the task at hand. "Mmmm."

Katie bravely marched toward the hospital looking for Chris. Before she could reach the entrance she saw him standing in the lobby in dressed as if to leave. Chris saw her but made no attempt to approach her. Brianna had advised him to give Katie her space while sending notes addressing his feelings. He'd used all his willpower to do just that. But now Katie seemed to be walking right toward him. She was walking so determinedly toward him that he backed up a few steps. "Katie?"

"Shut up Chris, you've said enough," as she reached up to kiss the dimpled doctor.

Casey felt a bit awkward being left along with Brianna. He knew she'd caught him looking at her more than once that afternoon as she'd nursed her baby. This was crazy. They'd been out on only a few dates but Casey was dying to touch her. He had to do something to distract himself. "Hey, let's take the kids and get dinner at Al's." Brianna who had felt a bit anxious as well readily agreed to that idea. They loaded the baby seats into Casey's car and headed to Old Town.

When they arrived Brianna loaded Reid into a hammock type sling around her tiny body while Casey pushed his little cousin in the stroller. They did in fact look like a happy little family and Casey enjoyed the looks he was given by people. This was the kind of comfortable feeling he'd imagined months ago when he'd attempted to marry Allison. But he'd always felt insecure in that relationship. As though he'd been trying to hold sand and it was slipping through his fingers. Casey reached over and slipped his hand in Brianna's. She looked up at him with a smile in her eyes and he quickly looked back to the path ahead of them.

Brianna thought it felt good to have her hand held in Casey's firm grip. She'd been sensing the sexual tension oozing from him all day and had been ecstatic to leave the apartment afraid of rushing things. Here, this was nice. This felt good, and she saw in Casey a desire for more than just sex. He wanted companionship as well. That hadn't ever entered the picture in the few encounter's with her baby's father. She'd just given into desire and not expected much. So she'd not been surprised and only mildly disappointed with his reaction to her pregnancy. Casey was different though. But he was young and she knew he'd recently been though a lot. She gave his hand a squeeze as she thought about him and all he'd been through.

Casey looked down at her questioningly but then relaxed and brought her hand to his lips and lightly kissed it. He didn't even notice Alli walking past with a bittersweet smile on her face. Happy to see her former love happy, and yet sad for her own lost opportunity.

Brianna held the door to Al's open for Casey as he pushed Jacob's stroller through. Vienna still thinking she'd need to avoid Casey saw him coming and ducked into the back. Still watching Casey and Brianna from her vantage point. They took a booth in the corner where he placed Jacob in a high chair and took the sleeping baby Reid from her and placed him into Jacob's stroller. Vienna was astounded at how domesticated Casey seemed with the babies. Before Brianna sat down he planted a quick kiss on her full pink lips and then they took seats opposite each other. Vienna heard a "Leipchen" from the back and pushed aside her doubts about her current course.

Brianna loved the pure innocent smile that Casey displayed. She wondered how he could look so boyish and yet so sexy all at once. And finally he put a voice to her concerns. "Brianna, I want to take this slow I really do, but…" he paused trying to come up with a delicate way to put it but failing in the end. "I have no idea how I'm going to keep my hands to myself during this trip. Looking at you all the time is driving me crazy."

"Looking at me? You're the one walking around in the tight t-shirts and form hugging jeans." She laughed.

Casey tried to formulate a sentence to tell her how he felt each time he saw the round globe of creamy skin peaking out behind Reid's tiny head each time she nursed her baby but in the end… well how the hell do you say that? He just sat there turning red with heat instead.

Brianna thought at first that her comment had embarrassed him. He was turning red. But the look on his face wasn't embarrassed it was lustful. And as his eyes drifted to her full breasts light dawned and she felt her nipples harden as he gazed at her. Now she was the one blushing. Casey cleared his throat. "Ok, let's eat and get out of here."

They both giggled, and picked up their menus.