Divulge

A few moments later, Skye heard a noise, she opened her eyes to see Luke standing in front of the tub.

"Did you change your mind?" she asked.

"Maybe." he replied. "Or maybe I just left to throw my clothes in the dryer."

Skye smiled. "Well, have it your way." she murmured, closing her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the water.

Luke picked up a wash cloth and then a bottle of body wash off the side table. He dipped the washcloth down into the water and then applied the soap, lathering it up before reaching out for her. "Skye." he whispered.

Her eyes opened and she instinctively turned her around so that her back was toward him. He moved the washcloth slowly down her back, letting his hand dip into the water, then back up again to her neck. Luke moved in to place the most delicate kiss between her shoulder blades, catching Skye off guard. Never-the-less, she took the sweet gesture to heart, adding it to the surprisingly long list of his charms.

After a few more strokes with the washcloth he dropped it into the water, Skye turned around to face him. "Are you going to join me?" she asked, softly.

Luke smiled. "I'd love to..."

"But?" Skye asked.

"I can't." he told her. "I'm waiting for my clothes to dry."

"And it's going to take awhile." she reminded him. "Besides, it's pouring down out there, you don't have to leave, you can stay here."

"Well..." he started. "You're right, it is raining pretty hard and you do have an extra bedroom."

"An extra bedroom." she repeated. "I invite you to stay the night here and you bring up the fact that I have an extra bedroom?"

"Yeah."

"After all those months of you trying to get me into bed, you finally have the opportunity and you don't even try to take advantage of it?" she asked, pretending to be offended.

Luke nodded. "That's right."

"Well, I'm surprised." she laughed.

"Since you've given me the perfect opportunity I'm going to have to turn you down." he explained. "Otherwise it wouldn't be exciting and spontaneous."

"I know that you like living on the edge and all that crap, but you've seriously sometime in the near future examine reality."

"I'll make a note of it in my palm pilot." he joked. "That way I'll never forget. Sunday: Church, Monday: Lulu's soccer game and Tuesday: Examine reality."

"Haha, very funny." she said, sarcastically.

"I thought you liked my humor?" he asked.

"Not at this particular moment in time." she said, reaching for the towel.

"You're not done already are you?"

"I guess I am." Skye said, standing up to wrap the towel around her.

Luke stood up to face her. "You know, you confuse the hell out of me."

"Is that so?" she asked, playing dumb.

"Yes." he breathed.

"Well, Luke." she began, in her best southern accent. "I just don't know what it is that you want from little ole me."

He reached forward, snapping the towel off of her. "You're bath's not over yet." he murmured. When she complied and sat down, he removed his undershirt and his boxers and joined her. "Would you like me to light some more candles?" he asked, sinking down into the luxurious bubble bath.

"No, the lamplight from the bedroom is enough." she assured him,

"Why are you sitting all the way over there?" he asked., pulling her closer to him.

Skye smiled. "What did you have in mind?"

Luke's hand dipped under the water and he gripped her waist, pulling her closer to him, until she was straddling him. His hands caressed her back softly as he leaned in to kiss her neck, placing small butterfly kisses on her sensitive skin. Her fingers threaded through his platinum hair, pulling him even closer against her. Skye reveled in the enjoyment of Luke's lips stroking the side of her neck thoroughly.

"Would you care to move this out of the tub?" he asked.

Skye's kissed his lips and took his bottom lip between hers then slowly released it. "What if I'm comfortable right where I am?"

"What if it's not about comfort?"

"You did draw this nice warm bubble bath and I'd hate to let it all go to waste." she said, moving back in the tub so that she could turn around.

"Well, if you feel that strongly about it."

Luke relaxed against the porcelain of the tub, he pulled Skye between his legs. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you. Maybe you would have never been sent to prison."

Skye stared at the tiles on the bathroom floor. "I'm not sure it would have made much difference. Either it doesn't matter, that was then, this is now. If there's one thing I've learned it's that you can't live in the past."

"You're absolutely right." Luke agreed. "Sometimes you have to move on no matter how much it hurts." he brought his hand up to push her wet locks way from her face.

Skye relaxed against him. "Luke, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that Laura should be forgotten or pushed aside."

"I know." he countered. "And I didn't take it that way. I know that I can't make the past right, but I also know that I can make sure that what happened to you never happens again."

"And how are you going to do that?" she asked, softly.

"I don't know." he confessed. "But I'll figure something out. I always do."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure." he complied, placing a few small kisses on the side of her neck.

"You know Luke, I was only half serious before. If you want to stay in the guestroom then that's perfectly fine with me."

"I wasn't serious at all when I said that I wanted to stay in the guest room."

She smiled, confident that Luke couldn't see her. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes and if you'd care to step out of the tub I plan to show you how very serious I am."

Skye got out of the tub, toweled off slightly and then made her way into the bedroom, Luke was only steps behind her.

Luke stopped her and turned her around to face him. "Do you remember when I told Edward that my plan was to ravish you everyday and in return have you ravish me every night?" Luke asked her, stepping in closer and closer until there was no space left between them.

"Vaguely." she answered softly.

"I'm a man of my word." he whispered.

Skye smiled. "So, you're going to ravish me?"

"No." he said firmly. "You're going to ravish me."

"Okay." she agreed. "I can do that."

Luke backed up a few steps. "You know what? I've changed my mind." he told her. His hand reached for her towel. He undid it and used both sides to pull her toward him, against him. "So it's up to you Blaze, do you want to have a night of wild passion or do you want me..."

"Oh, I want you." she breathed, interrupting him.

"Those are the magic words." he told her, claiming her lips.

Their lips fused together intensely, before she suddenly pulled away. "Luke are you sure you want to do this? Because once we've made love there's no taking it back."

"I know." he told her softly. "And I'm sure."

She kissed his lips softly. "I think that I'm falling in love with you." she breathed out.

Luke's mind raced, traveling to the stored information in his mind. Skye was a Cassadine. A bloodsucking, Cassadine. He hated Cassadine's. He just looked at her for several long seconds, not responding to anything. Love and a Cassadine. He was in big trouble.

Skye let out a heavy sigh. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No." he said, snapping back into reality. "I'm glad you did, before things went any further."

She pulled away from him and wrapped the towel back around her body. "This changes everything doesn't it?"

Luke was silent.

"What about all those things you said about wanting to give us a chance? About wanting to take things a step at a time?" she asked. "If you think that we can just be friends and have a casual sex relationship then I'm sorry Luke, I can't do that. I won't."

"I'm going to be in the guestroom." Luke informed her, leaving the room.

"Now that sounds, very, very promising." Ric told her, leading her inside the apartment and closing the door behind her. "How much time do we have?"

"As much as you'd like." she whispered.

"What about Kristina?" he asked.

"I read her a bedtime story and tucked her in." she told him. "Any other questions?"

"None." he breathed, stepping closer to her so that their lips were only mere inches apart.

"Good." she murmured, moving forward to capture his lips, giving him a long, sensual kiss before pulling away.

Ric took her purse out of her hand and threw it onto the desk. "Did you have anything in particular in mind?" he asked as he began kissing her neck.

"No, I just thought that since we've been getting along so much better that we could keep working on our relationship."

"We have a relationship now?" he asked against her warm skin.

She didn't answer him.

Ric stopped and tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "We both know why you came back. You don't have to play coy now."

"I'm not playing coy." she argued. "I'm just shocked that you thought that I came all the way back over here to have sex with you."

"Then you didn't?" he asked.

She slid out of his arms. "Didn't what?"

"Come back to spend the night."

"Most certainly not." she said defensively, her face turning three different shades of red.

"So, I'm suppose to believe that you came back just to talk?"

"Yes." Alexis said, flatly. "Because it's true."

"Did you think that our talking might lead to sex?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "Is your mind constantly on sex?"

"No, it's just that we were doing so great earlier and then you came back and thought that you'd like to finish what you started."

"What I started?" she questioned. "You're the one who kissed me earlier tonight."

"You kissed me." he insisted.

"You kissed me, Ric." she argued.

"You know what?" he asked, loudly. "It doesn't matter who kissed who."

"You know, Ric, I thought you were different." Alexis said, softly. "It doesn't matter now."

"Why not?" he asked, just as softly.

"Because I'm leaving." she shouted, storming out of the apartment.

"Alexis!" Ric called after her. "Alexis, I was just joking."

The Next Afternoon

Ric walked around the side of the pool and knelt down beside the float that Skye was stretched across. He dipped his hand down into the surprisingly warm pool water then splashed it across Skye's abdomen.

"Hey!" she yelled, opening her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You looked so...incredibly hot....I just thought some water would cool you down."

"Maybe I didn't want to get wet." she countered.

"Why else would you be in the swimming pool?" Ric asked.

"To tan."

He laughed. "You're a redhead, you'll burn if you lay out here long enough."

"I have on sun block." she assured him.

"Yeah?" he asked. "It looks like you could use a little more."

"Well, I'll just hop out and reapply some more." she told him, moving herself over to the ladder where she climbed out. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for you and your loving Aunt Tracy pointed me in this direction."

"Loving and Tracy do not belong in the same sentence." she replied. "Is this about Ross?"

"No." he answered. "Today's my day off."

"The almighty DA gets a day off?" she teased, walking toward the lounge chair.

He followed her. "Even the devil takes a day off."

"If you're referring to Luke that makes you absolutely right."

"I take it you and Luke are on the outs."

Skye sat down and picked up the bottle of suntan lotion. "Give me your hand." she told him, ignoring his question. She poured the sun block into the palm of his hand.

Ric sat down behind her and began working the lotion onto her shoulders. "You're hot." he noted. "I mean to the touch." he said, quickly clearing up any misunderstanding.

"I'm insulted."

"I didn't mean to imply that....."

"Ric, loosen up, I was just joking. Although I would see how you would have trouble determining a joke from a serious quip."

"What's that suppose to mean?" he asked, picking up the bottle of sun block and pouring more into his hand.

"Nothing." she assured him. "It's just that Alexis is always very serious."

"What does Alexis have to do with?"

"You spend a lot of time together, I just assumed...."

Ric cut her off. "You shouldn't assume."

"Sorry. Sensitive subject." she replied.

"Yeah." he breathed.

"Make sure it's well coated." she reminded him, changing the subject.

"I will." he answered, delicately massaging it into her skin. "You're skin's like velvet." he murmured into her ear, his breath warm against her.

Skye felt chills shoot down her spine. The exact same way they did when Luke kissed her, but she pushed it out of her mind, telling herself it was just the cool breeze blowing through.

His fingers untied the string of the back of her bathing suit and then his hand glided over the smooth skin. "You seem tense." he commented.

"Nothing a little swim won't cure."

Ric finished rubbing in the sun block, he reached for the strings of her bathing suit top and carefully tied them back together. "All done."

"Thank you." Skye said softly, turning around to face him. "Are you going to join me?"

"I was thinking I might."

"You can change in the pool house." she instructed him.

"I'll be right be back." he said, heading to get changed.

Skye sat down at table underneath the umbrella. She looked up to see Alan approaching from across the garden. He made his way over to her. "Skye, I'm glad I caught you."

"Is something the matter, Daddy?" she asked, removing her sunglasses.

"No, I just wanted to make sure that you were going to be here later this evening."

"Well, actually I was going to go to the Haunted Star..."

"I'd like you to be here, we're having a little get together and I would appreciate it if you were there."

"Of course I'll be here." she told him. "May I bring a guest?"

"Luke?" he asked.

"Maybe." she said softly. "If I can find him."

"Skye I just want you to be happy." Alan told her. "And if Luke makes you happy then bring him, but it's getting to the point where he's making you miserable then you're better off without him."

Skye nodded, knowing that he was right.

"I'll see you tonight." Alan kissed her forehead and headed back toward the house.

A few minutes later Ric appeared. "Why aren't you in already?"

"I was waiting on you." she told him.

"Well, then I guess I'll repay you by not throwing you in the water."

"You wouldn't." she challenged.

"Wouldn't I?" he countered, walking around to where she was. He took her hands and pulled her up out of the chair.

"Ric, don't you dare!"

"I can't resist a dare." he breathed, trying to get a good enough grip on her so that he could throw her in the pool. Skye laughed as he struggled to catch her and failed miserably.

Finally he got the upper hand on her. He grabbed her from behind with one arm around her waist and another around her shoulder's. She wasn't going anywhere.

"Do you give up?" he asked her.

"Never." she breathed.

"Wrong answer." he laughed, walking her closer to the edge of the pool. "If you ask nicely I might let you go."

Instead she tried to free herself. Ric inched her closer and closer to the edge. "Skye, be a good girl."

That made her laugh even more, if there was something she wasn't it was a good girl. "Go ahead Ric, push me in, but you're coming with me."

"You asked for it." he laughed, pushing her forward and then falling in with her.

"Ric!" Skye screamed. "I'm never going to forgive you for this."

He placed his arm around her and pulled her over to where they could both stand. "Doesn't the water feel great?" he asked, ignoring her screams.

"Wonderful." she answered sarcastically.

Ric pushed some of the wet hair out of her face. "What's wrong, don't you like the water?"

She looked up and her eyes met his. "It's fine." she said, softly.

"So, I'm surprised that you're not at the Haunted Star going over books or something."

"And waste this beautiful day." she replied. "Besides I'd much rather be here."

"Well, since be both seem to have the day off, I say we make it productive."

"Productive how?" she asked

"I'll get to know a little better, you can get to know me a little better." he answered. "Come on, it'll be fun." When she didn't answer right away he pretended to pout.

Skye laughed at the face he was making. "I guess it wouldn't be that bad."

"See, you're liking me more already."

"I'm still never going to forget that you had me sent to prison."

Ric's mouth opened but nothing came out.

"That was the joking thing again." she said. "You really do need to loosen up."

"That's what throwing you in the pool was all about."

"Uh-huh." she breathed. "I guess since Luke and Alexis are so close that we should try to get along. I mean that is the point isn't it?"

"You might say that."

Alexis answered the door of her apartment to find Luke standing on the other side. "Since when do you knock?" she asked.

"I knock."

"No." she laughed. "No you don't, you usually just crawl through a window or something."

Luke closed the door behind him. "I didn't want to walk right in ya know, with you being all cozy with Lansing."

"I don't want to talk about Ric." she told him, taking a seat on the sofa.

He followed her and sat down beside her. "What did the big idiot do?"

"I said I didn't want to talk about it." she insisted.

Luke was silent for several seconds, allowing her to gather her thoughts. "I need you to help me out with something."

"What?" she asked, hesitantly. "It doesn't involve breaking the law does it?"

"No." he answered. "At least I don't think so."

"All right, let's hear what it is."

"You see, I really, really like Skye." he started. "She's like the female version of me."

"I wouldn't go that far." she interjected.

"Close enough." he added. "Anyway the problem is that Cassadine thing keeps popping up in my mind at the most inconvenient moments."

"Well, Luke if you would stop thinking about and how much you hate the Cassadine's it wouldn't be a problem."

"How am I suppose to do that?"

"Think like this. Skye's a Quartermaine." she told him. "Go ahead and say it. Skye is a Quartermaine."

"See, that's just it, it doesn't work. I know that's she's a Cassadine." he explained. "I was thinking that if you told her who she really is that it would be a little easier on me."

"Luke, this isn't about you. This is about Skye and her safety."

"But if you tell her I can protect her."

She looked at him for several seconds. "I don't think so."

"Come on, Natasha, just help me out." he pleaded.

"No." she said, firmly. "And it shouldn't matter to you anyway you only hate the Cassadine men."

"And Helena."

"Helena's not a blood Cassadine." Alexis reminded him. "And I thought you liked me?"

"I do like you, it's just that I really need you to help me out on this."

"Luke." Alexis sighed. "Let's try to figure out this problem together okay? You only have a problem with Skye being a Cassadine when the two of you are having a close moment, right?"

"Well..." Luke trailed off. "I guess...you could...say that."

"Maybe you have a problem with intimacy." Alexis suggested.

Luke laughed. "Me?" he asked. "Me, Luke Spencer having a problem with intimacy? I don't think so."

"Okay then." she said, slowly.

"Natasha, I'm telling you it's the Cassadine thing."

Alexis nodded. "If you say so."

"I can be intimate." he told her.

"Yeah, I'm not so convinced."

"No?" he asked. Without thinking about anything, he grabbed her and pulled her closer to him, planting a big, wet kiss right on her lips. "How's that for intimate?"

Everything suddenly became silent as they unconsciously moved closer together. Alexis looked into Luke's eyes, they were telling herself to stop, to think. She was a rational human being. But it wasn't about rationality. Their lips brushed together softly, then intertwined, exploring each other's mouths with great anticipation. And it was one of those kisses. The kind that could ruin a perfectly good friendship.

TBC....

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