“It was you.” He heard the disbelief rolling off his tongue.
Her eyes widened with fear. She must’ve thought he was a stranger, but the second she recognized him coming out of the shadows, her expression quickly changed to guilt.
He caught her red-handed and there was no denying it.
“Luke, I…”
“It was you all along,” he repeated. “That night in the cabin.”
Luke had never really been aware of the grown-up, feminine version of Audrey before. But now, he couldn’t help noticing. She was a stunner in that strip-of-nothing swimsuit. There wasn’t much more material on the front side of her suit than there was on the back. Her breasts filled and then spilled out of the top. She was every man’s fantasy, a freaking advertisement for sexy and untouchable. Except that he had touched her. He’d touched every inch of her body.
The shock of it bore down on him like a two-thousand-pound steer. He was torn between anger at her deception and raw, unequalled lust. How the hell hadn’t he figured this out before now? Was it that her work clothes had concealed an hourglass figure that could send a man straight to heaven…or hell, in his case? Or was it that the idea of making love to Audrey would’ve never crossed his mind? Or was it that he’d shoved the memory of the seduction to the hidden recesses of his mind because she wasn’t an option?
All three reasons held merit.
“I’m glad you remember now.” The bravado in her soft voice stilled his heart.
“That night, you came into my room—”
“My room,” she corrected.
“You came to me without hesitation.”
She’d climbed into the bed with bold intentions. Luke had taken what she’d offered—a woman who hadn’t been shy about what she wanted.
Audrey took one step up from the shallow end of the pool. The scent of Sweet and Wicked drifted to his nose. Beads of water caressed her body. Lamps beat down and glowed over her beautiful, soft skin. He itched to touch her, to untie the top of her suit and fill his hands with the spillage. A tremor of need ran through him.
“You called me over to the bed.”
“I didn’t know it was you, darlin’.”
“I didn’t know that,” she whispered. “I thought you knew who I was.” The softness of her words traveled over his skin.
From what he did remember, she’d pretty much rocked his world that night. In the morning, he’d woken up sated and smiling and ready for round two, but his mystery woman was gone. He was left to wonder who she was. She’d plagued his thoughts ever since.
The whole thing was beyond wrong.
“It was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened,” he told her.
“It wasn’t a mistake.” Her quiet defiance lifted her chin. “It wasn’t planned, but it wasn’t a mistake.”
“Audrey Faith. Look, I know you had a bad breakup and that you weren’t yourself that nigh—”
“I’m not Audrey Faith anymore, Luke. I’m Audrey. I’m an adult and I knew exactly what I was doing when I climbed into your bed and made love to you.”
Luke squeezed his eyes shut and drew oxygen into his lungs. Hearing her admit to seducing him got his juices flowing. He was turned on, big-time. Not his proudest moment, but he couldn’t force his memory to shut down. For weeks he hoped to hell he’d remember. Now, those flashbacks wouldn’t go away. She’d been stark naked and straddling him in the dark, her hair whipping about her face in a frenzy, the scent on her lips and her soft skin driving him wild.
She stood on the second step of the pool, a mass of long, golden hair tumbling past her shoulders, her soft dewy skin moist and glimmering under the lamplight. Her eyes were big and round, the expression on her face fragile enough for him to choose his words carefully. “Audrey—”
“Do you know what it does to a woman not to have a man remember her?”
His throat worked and he swallowed hard, recognizing the injury in her voice. He did remember the act, just not the woman performing the act. He knew that wouldn’t make her feel any better. Luke stumbled through his next thoughts. The whole Audrey package made him a little dizzy. And a whole lot of nervous.
He should be angry at her for showing up on the ranch and not telling him the truth immediately. He should be scolding her for letting it go this long, for having sex with him without protection. How the hell did she know that he hadn’t been sleeping around? And why had she run off in the morning without a word? Now that was an argument he could sink his teeth into.
But he didn’t want to fight with her. He didn’t want to scold her like a child. Clearly, she wasn’t one. That had become obvious the second he spotted her in the pool. She’d hidden her beauty under scratchy straw hats and youthful ponytails and baggy clothes.
Luke viewed her differently now. But that wouldn’t serve him too well. He was mentally knocking himself upside the head. Because she tempted him like no other woman had. She was clearly off-limits, but he couldn’t stop the memories from bouncing around his feverish mind. Or put a halt to nerves that were stretched thin by his physical reaction to her.
Now he had the correct face to go with the memory of that night.
And the newfound recollection was worse than the mystery.
The hell of it was, he would never forget making love to Casey’s sister, a woman he had always tried to protect.
“I was drugged up and not thinking clear. But you,” he began, pointing his finger, looking deep into her wide, expectant eyes, “you should’ve…” But he couldn’t follow through on his reprimand. He dropped his hand suddenly. Hell, he wasn’t her teacher or her brother. He took another gulp of air before admitting…he was her lover.
“I should’ve what?” she asked with a hushed breath.
Luke flicked his gaze over her curvy body. That red thong was messing with his head. He was a man first and foremost and Audrey was killing him in small doses.
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
Audrey stepped out of the water, coming up from the last step to plant her feet on solid ground. Even her toes were pretty and now the physical barrier between them was gone. “Nothing?”
Luke didn’t respond. Anything he said would either hurt her or get him into trouble. It was the rock and the hard place.
“I’m going to bed,” he said. It was a good way of settling the matter. In the morning, they’d see things more clearly and could have a serious conversation about it over breakfast.
He had every intention of pivoting on his boot heels and hightailing it inside the house, but his legs weren’t moving. He stood rooted to the spot, just a few feet away from the woman clad in a smoking-hot bikini. He needed perspective. He needed to get away, but his brain worked in conjunction with his feet now and nothing budged.
Except Audrey.
She took a step closer and faced him from inches away, the lamps shining a golden halolike glow around her head. His reluctance to move parted her sweet lips and her eyes darkened to a seductive shade. “You don’t want to leave.”
Slowly, she reached behind herself and grabbed the ties of her halter top at the back of her neck. Fascinated and overwrought with desire, Luke couldn’t utter a word. He couldn’t tell her to stop. He couldn’t tell her this was crazy. She was his mystery woman and he’d secretly hoped to have a thrilling repeat of the night they’d shared.
He could only watch, his body singing a lusty tune, as she gave a slight tug. The material fell away and two beautifully round breasts bounced free on her chest. Shadowy light touched upon ripe pink-hued nipples that lifted toward the sky. His groin tightened at her perfection and the memory of weighing her in his hands, tasting her with his tongue.
“I ran away from you once, Luke. That won’t happen again.”
Five
Luke wasn’t a weak man but he wasn’t a damn saint, either. And Audrey was a temptation he couldn’t resist tonight. She was naked but for the strip of material below her navel. One flick of his finger and she’d be fully bared
to him. Being with the blonde mystery woman again was his fantasy come true.
On impulse, Luke reached for Audrey, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. He gave a sharp tug and she landed up against him, soaking his shirt with her wet skin, her breasts pressed to his chest. Her arms automatically circled his neck and he breathed in Sweet and Wicked again. With his thumb, he shoved her chin up. He bent his head and crushed her mouth with a kiss. A long, deep whimper rose from her throat and he groaned from the depths of his chest, drowning out her sexy sounds of passion.
The kiss wasn’t sweet or patient. He demanded that she meet him on his turf. Audrey had no trouble keeping up. Not even when his tongue shoved through her lips and found hers. He swept inside the hollows of her mouth, drawing her out with full strokes that had her body rocking against his in a rhythm that seized his soul and wouldn’t let go.
There was no end in sight. He couldn’t fathom putting a halt to this. He was consumed now with Audrey’s heady, willing and pliant body. She was his for the taking and Luke blocked out any thoughts that said otherwise.
He ran his hands through her hair, weaving his fingers through the silky strands as he kissed her. Leaning her back, he left her mouth to drizzle kisses on the tip of her chin and along her neck, then went farther south to nip at the base of her throat. One hand left her hair to cup her breast. He squeezed gently and filled his palm with a different kind of softness, rounded and silky smooth. His thumb flicked her nipple back and forth.
She moaned and Luke’s erection battled against the constraints of his pants. “So beautiful,” he muttered, barely able to breathe.
He rubbed his chin over her other breast, teasing the nipple right before he drew it deep into his mouth. He suckled her and stroked the nub with his tongue, until her breathing came in short, labored bursts. “Luke.”
Her plea tore at his willpower. He was lost. He’d had her once before, but this time was different. This time they both knew the score. There might be hell to pay later, but Luke was in the now and nothing was going to stop him from taking his mystery woman the way he’d dreamed so many times in the past. “I’m not gonna slow down, honey.”
“I…don’t…want you to,” she eeked out.
Audrey’s hands threaded through his hair and she hung on as he worked her into a frenzied state. He wasn’t far behind. His blood pulsed through his veins.
He gave her a short, quick kiss then cupped her bottom in both of his palms and lifted her. He loved how she responded to him, without question or qualm. Her legs wrapped around his waist easily and he moved her to the cushioned lounge chair. Her butt was firm and silky smooth and before he lowered her down, he gave her a squeeze, filling his hands. His manhood responded and he almost lost it then. Somehow he managed to regain control and lowered her down.
She gazed up at him, her eyes bright and glazed with passion. In the lamplight, she was amazing and all his. Luke threw caution to the wind, no matter the warning bells going off in the furthest reaches of his mind.
“Take off your shirt, Luke.” Her plea, and the picture she made on that cushiony lounge, made his mouth go dry. Her lips were swollen. Golden hair curled around and framed her beautiful breasts. Her legs were long and sleek. Every inch of her body was poised and ready for him. “I want to touch you.”
His shirt was gone in an instant and he sat on the edge of the lounge, letting Audrey’s hands roam over his chest. His skin flamed from her touch. She rose up and kissed him on the mouth, then lowered her head to kiss the parts of his body exposed to her.
He could only take so much. He kissed her while gently shoving her back against the lounge and then did the thing he’d imagined doing when he’d first seen her wading in the pool. He hooked his finger into her bikini bottom and slowly, carefully eased it down her legs.
Even then, Audrey wasn’t shy with him. She gave him a satisfied smile and reached for him again. White-hot heat swamped his body. But this time he was in control. This time, he would bring her pleasure.
They were alone in the dark. The night was silent. Neighboring ranches were miles away and Luke’s pool area was private and fenced off in the backyard. Barn scents on the property blew by on occasional breezes, a familiar and welcome smell of horses and leather.
He ran his fingers along the inner smoothness of her thighs until he came to the apex of her legs. She lifted her hips up, parted her lips and closed her eyes, ready for whatever he would do to her. She trusted him without pause. Luke valued that trust and began to stroke her, slow and easy, teasing her with light touches. “Do you like that?”
She swallowed and nodded. “Yes.”
“I thought you would. Tell me when you want more.”
“I want more,” she whispered, and Luke grinned.
He slid two fingers over her again, slipping them inside this time and gliding them back and forth, inside and out. “Oh,” she moaned.
The throaty sounds she made burned clear through him. He stretched out beside her on the lounge and kissed her in keeping with his fingers’ steady cadence. She squirmed with need and Luke sped up his pace, touching her in ways that would only give her the most satisfaction.
When her release came, Luke wasn’t ready for the long, drawn-out sighs of contentment that whispered from her lips.
* * *
Wrapped in his shirt, Audrey reclined on Luke’s bed after he deposited her there with utmost care. No words had been spoken on the way to his room. With eyes locked on each other and refusing to break the connection, they were in silent agreement. Luke had just made her world spin out of control. She was happier than she’d ever been in her life.
“Are you sure about this?” Luke came down on the bed beside her, trailing kisses along her jawline.
She nodded, too overwhelmed to speak at the moment.
She wove her hands in his hair as he continued to kiss her. She felt his need breaking through the restraint he’d managed as he’d scooped her up into his arms from the lounge chair to bring her inside.
Just a glimmer of light came through the walnut-wood shutters. The bed was big and comfortable, and she didn’t care where she ended up, as long as Luke was beside her.
He took his time with her, kissing her gently, stroking her body tenderly and speaking soft words in her ear. The evidence of his desire pressed the side of her body.
She slid her hand onto his chest, feeling hot, firm skin and powerful muscles underneath her fingertips. Fanning her fingers across washboard abs, she let go a sigh. How many times had she dreamed of this? How many times had she wished she would once again have the freedom to touch Luke and feel his body come alive with hers?
She reached for his belt buckle, helping him unfasten it. Boots flew and pants were tossed aside quickly after that. Audrey got a glimpse of Luke approaching her and her breath caught in her throat. His hair was pushed back and sandy tendrils curled at his shoulders. His chest was big and broad and when she darted a glance lower, her memory was jolted back to weeks before, and how she’d enjoyed every fulfilling second of their lovemaking.
“Come closer, Luke,” she said, repeating the words he’d whispered in the cabin.
He stood tall by the side of the bed like a Greek god, tanned and mighty.
She watched him sheath his manhood and then slide a lingering glance over her entire body. Warm waves of expectation zinged through her belly. Before he climbed onto the bed, he cupped her womanhood and stroked her with the heel of his hand several times, making her mind go fuzzy and her heartbeats speed up. Everything inside turned to hot jelly.
He took her thighs in his hands and spread them, then lowered himself over her. Her eyes were wide with wonder. She didn’t want to miss any part of this. She needed Luke and wanted to see him take pleasure from her body, in much the same way he had given to her. With a potent thrust, he filled her and closed his eyes. “So tight,” he said with a deep rasp. “So good.”
He moved on her slowly and she followed his lead, her hear
t swelling with love. She gave back to him thrust for thrust, and when he increased the pressure and rose above her, she bowed her body back to accommodate him. He took her hips in his hands and drove harder, faster, bending her back even more. Then she closed her eyes and her body burst into flames when he pressed his thumb where they were joined. It was only seconds later that everything spun crazily out of control. Her breaths were short, quick puffs and her body seized up just as Luke let out a long satisfied groan from the depths of his chest. Their cries mingled in the still night and echoed against the walls in a chorus of sweeping sensual sounds.
Every drop of strength oozed from her limbs. She couldn’t move, yet she was floating. And Luke, the maker of dreams, was slow to remove himself from her body. He held on and watched her come gracefully down to earth. He took a swallow and bent to kiss her on the lips before he slid to the side of the bed.
He entwined their fingers and set them on his chest. “Are you okay?” he asked, staring at the ceiling.
She was in heaven. “I’m fine.”
His gaze roamed over her naked body, taking a leisurely tour. “I’ll be agreeing with you there. You’re fine.”
She smiled at his compliment. After all the years of yearning, wanting and loving Luke, she could finally savor and enjoy this moment. Beams of happiness set her heart aglow. She was where she’d always wanted to be.
“Are you cold?” Gripping the sheet, he was ready to cover her.
“Not at all.”
He let the sheet drop and kissed her shoulder, and another wave of warmth coursed through her body. She’d never be cold with Luke nearby. He was beautiful, a perfectly muscled man of the earth. A modern-day cowboy who loved the same things she did.
He leaned back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling again. He seemed to go someplace that put a frown on his face and then his jaw twitched as if in pain. It only took a minute for his demeanor to change. A long sigh, heavy with regret, rose from his chest.
Audrey prayed she was imagining his change in mood. She wasn’t ready for a lecture right now. She wanted to bask in the glory of their lovemaking.
Sunset Seduction Page 8
