My breasts bobbed wildly. My thighs tightened. I arched my back into the planes of Luke’s chest. He nipped my ear between his teeth, coaxing me to come harder and faster .
“Fuck me,” he growled. “Show me how you like to touch that sweet pussy of yours .”
“Ohh, Luke.” I threw my head back, knowing I was lost. Lost to his commands. Lost to the pleasure he gave me. Lost to the new addiction I had found .
I couldn’t hold on to a single thread of gravity. The most epic orgasm of my life had started unraveling in my body. It was intense and mind-blowing. I loved sex with him. It was everything sex was supposed to be .
Luke roared over my shoulder as he picked me up and slammed me again on his length. I screamed his name, knowing he had peaked too. The warmth of my arousal slid down my thigh. Our heavy breathing slowed. I leaned into his chest—this time with a quiet connection .
His chest heaved with a giant breath and we worked to untangle our knees so we could lie down. I flopped onto the pillow with a silly grin on my face. There was no doubt what we had just done was worth a missed flight home .
“Fuck.”
I heard the alarm in Luke’s voice .
I sat upright. “What’s wrong ?”
The look on his face scared the shit out of me .
“The condom broke .”
Sixteen
Luke
I looked at the shredded rubber still attached to my dick. The end had blown off. No fucking way. I hopped from the bed and walked to the bathroom. I closed the door. I needed a damn minute to think alone. I flushed the remnants and started the shower .
My first instinct was to sue the fucking condom manufacturer. I always bought the same magnum, extra ribbed, extra thin. Those babies were my fucking go-to .
My second instinct to ask Alexa about her birth control. A girl like that had to be on the pill .
I heard a tap on the door .
“Luke?”
“Yeah, getting in the shower.” I ran both my hands over my head. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck .
“Ok, can I join you?” Her sweet voice was muffled through the door .
I turned the latch. She stood in front of me, holding the sheet to her chest. Her blue eyes cut to my soul. I grabbed a towel from the linen closet and threaded it through the rack for her .
Without a word she walked inside the double shower while I held the door open for her. The floor was made from river rocks I’d had brought in from the Hill Country. It was a reminder of home. When things were easier. When I could float down the river in a tube with a cold beer and a bunch of friends .
“Even your shower is gorgeous.” She looked around at the tile .
“Err, thanks .”
The sex was fucking out of this world. So intense. So powerful. I’d wanted to fuck her so badly I’d blown through the damn condom. I shouldn’t have been so surprised. We were rough and hungry for each other. I’d never fucked another woman with such fervent passion. Never .
For the first time in my life I’d agreed to have a relationship—some kind of relationship. And now I was standing in the shower looking into the ocean blue eyes of a girl I might have knocked up .
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. “The condom thing ?”
I could be a complete dick and act like everything was fine when we both knew it wasn’t, or I could act like a man and hit this head on .
I shrugged. “You’re on the pill, right? I’m not too worried.” Deflection and lies—my real go-to .
She bit her lip as the rainfall droplets fell from the showerhead, splashing our shoulders .
“Sort of. Not regularly.” She didn’t look as freaked out as I felt .
“Shit.”
“You’re right though. It’s probably fine. The chances are so small and I doubt I’m even in that window. I’ll take one as soon as we get out of the shower .”
“But when did you take the last one?” I sounded like her damn doctor .
I didn’t know shit about women’s bodies other than how to make them come harder and more times than they ever had .
She twisted those pretty suckable lips together .
“Four days? Maybe five ?”
“Hell.”
Her fingertips pressed into my forearm. For a second it steadied me. “It was one time, Luke. We’re fine .”
“Yeah.” I let the ice-cold death grip that had seized my lungs go. “Yeah, we’re fine .”
Alexa acted like everything was ok. She shampooed her hair and lathered up with soap. If she wasn’t freaking out, neither was I. There was no way she was pregnant. No way she had my baby inside her .
Instead of turning me off the thought made my cock rigid. I looked down to see my erection grow between us. It was the last thing I wanted—the last thing I needed. A baby. But the idea that I had fucked her so deeply was the hottest shit I’d ever thought about. I gazed at her flat belly .
“Do you think we could order some real food?” she asked. “I’m starving and maybe still a little buzzed from the bourbon, or maybe it was the sex.” She smiled playfully .
“We could go out,” I suggested .
She eyed me. “I don’t want to sound like a bitch, but I was serious earlier. I can’t be seen with you Luke. I want to stay.” Her eyes dropped innocently. “I want to be here with you, but I don’t know if my brand can survive you .”
I chuckled. It was as if she had called me a vampire or even something more toxic like a werewolf. My bite wasn’t that bad .
I gripped her chin and tilted her lips toward me. “I get it, baby .”
I kissed her, sucking the air from her, while she ground her hip against my thigh. I didn’t need the fucking drama either. Charlie was going to have to come up with another way to build my new choir boy image .
“Really?” Her eyes darted back and forth .
“Damn.” My hands slid over her slick wet curves. “Just how long did you want to extend your stay in Austin?” I cupped her ass like I owned it. After the past twenty-four hours, I was damn sure I did. I owned every inch of this woman’s body .
Seventeen
Alexa
W e sat in front of Luke’s fireplace on the floor. There were more boxes of Chinese food than I’d ever seen. He had ordered everything on the menu. He wasn’t shy about eating. I knew athletes had voracious appetites and he showed me just how true that was. It was the opposite for me. I had to watch every calorie. Every carb .
I stuck my chopsticks into the box of sticky rice at the same time he reached for some .
“Hey.” I batted him away, giggling. He jabbed back at me .
The food was good. My stomach had finally stopped growling. I thought Luke felt bad about starving me for so long, but he made up for it with amazing sex. It was a better staple around her than having cereal or bread on hand .
When the delivery driver dropped off the order, I made sure to stay out of sight. I felt like an outlaw, hiding behind the blinds. Ignoring Jake’s calls. Disappearing while I sorted everything out with Luke .
His oversized Warriors T-shirt draped off my shoulder. I had washed and dried the only underwear I had and sat with him with nothing else on .
He pressed the remote to change the music station. He liked the acoustic stuff .
“If you could only pick one, who would you say your favorite country singer is?” I asked .
He popped the rest of a spring roll between his lips .
“Hmm. That’s fucking hard to answer. You can’t put limits out there like that .”
“Only one.” I eyed him. I liked games like this .
“Well, we both know you’re out.” He winked. “Unless you open the category up to which country singer I want in my bed .”
“I’m not on the list of choices. Come on, tell me.” I scooped more rice onto my plate. “You obviously love this music. You have to have a favorite. Who is it ?”
Luke set his plate on the hearth and extended his muscular legs unti
l he was standing. I watched him stroll to the other side of the room, stoop, and open the door to a wooden cabinet .
He held up a twelve by twelve cardboard sleeve .
“Is that vinyl?” I rose from the floor and walked toward him .
“I bought this when I was sixteen in one of those rusted out barns that ran as an antique store .”
I took the album with the tattered corners and flipped it over. “Robert Earl Keen is your favorite ?”
“Hell, yeah.” The cover was tattered and worn. I wondered how many times Luke had listened to it .
My music was about as far from this as it could be. My concerts were filled with electronic graphics on huge hi-definition screens, pyrotechnics, and more dancers than I could remember their names. I put on a full-fledged show. The kind that sold out in mega stadiums .
There were lights that twinkled and dazzled and my band was so loud the ear plugs I wore barely helped. Comparing my music to this was like saying Johnny Cash and Beyoncé sang the same thing .
“Want to hear it?” Luke seemed excited. He let the album fall to the center of his palm. Tucked on the bottom shelf of his stereo system was a turntable. It was wired into his sound system .
“Yes. I’d love to .”
I waited while the first few seconds crackled and popped. And then there was a gravelly richness of music in the air around us. Luke walked back to our Chinese picnic and I followed .
“Yeah, I could listen to this album every day .”
“It’s great. He’s great.” I’d never met the Texas singer, but I strained my ears to hear him. What drew Luke to his music .
It was stripped down and raw. There weren’t a hundred different instruments competing to be heard. The producer didn’t jam it with effects. It was pure music .
I blinked. “I guess I don’t get it .”
“What?”
“If you like this why did you stay for my show ?”
“Because you’re damn gorgeous, Alexa. And I know you winked at me.” He smiled .
“I’m being serious. Tell me—if I wanted Luke Canton as a fan—what would you tell me to do? How do I reach you with my music ?”
Because that’s what I wanted. I wanted to pull a man like Luke into my heart. And the music in my lyrics was the writing on my soul .
He rubbed the side of my calf. “I am a fan. A very big one.” Luke stretched his back. “I think I paid high-dollar for a private concert. You could sing for me now .”
“You’re not serious .”
“Do you know how much that check was I wrote?” he asked .
“It was for charity. For the kids,” I pressed. “You don’t really want me to sing for you after hearing that album. Not if you like this kind of music .”
He tilted his head. “I like lots of things. And I’ve decided I can never get enough of Alexa Wilde. Your voice is gorgeous—like the rest of you. Sing, baby.” His voice was determined .
It made me blush. Shameless flirting worked. And the funny thing was he didn’t need to do it. He already had me. We had crossed every personal boundary two people could cross. We had given each other our souls. We had made a co-conspirator pact. And I was trying to pretend that there wasn’t a chance we had possibly made a baby .
My stomach rolled when I thought about it. I couldn’t think about it. No baby. No baby. I had taken the next pill in my packet after we showered, but I realized then how terrible my math really was. It was closer to seven days since I had last taken a pill .
“My guitar is still in your truck,” I offered. “I could do the concert now .”
I had to stop thinking about the possibility of a baby. Music was where I could get lost. It was always my refuge .
I realized I might have the perfect audience for my new material. Luke didn’t want to hear the pop-country crap my fans loved. I could sing the lyrics that spilled through the pages in my journals. He had seen me completely raw and vulnerable. This felt right. Completely right .
“Going to get it now.” He waggled his eyebrows and hopped up with the dexterity of a well-trained athlete .
I cleaned up the white paper boxes and stored the leftovers in the refrigerator. I refilled my wine glass and walked back to the living room .
Luke appeared holding my guitar case. He handed it to me. He quickly turned off Keen and sat on the ottoman closest to the hearth. He was only feet away. I took my time unlatching the case and tuning the instrument .
It was strange. This morning we had sung together at the hospital. I hadn’t felt self-conscious. I was used to audiences. This felt completely different as if I were sharing something even more intimate .
“What are you going to play?” he asked .
“Something new. I want you to tell me your honest opinion .”
“I’m not very good at constructive criticism,” he explained. “I’m a terrible bullshitter .”
“Good.” I smiled. “Tell me if you hate it. I need to know .”
“I’m not gonna — ”
“Shh. Listen,” I ordered .
I bowed my head over the guitar and started the song. The notes flowed. The words poured from my throat. The music filled the room .
It was Luke, my guitar, and me. I had never sung like this before. I had never sung to someone—to a man. To a man I was inexplicable bonded to like none other. Every word. Every note. Roped us closer together. The lasso was so tightly wound my heart beat hard against the restraints, but I couldn’t stop. I had to tell him how I felt. How my life wasn’t mine alone anymore. I sang. I spilled my depths and layers. I didn’t stop until Luke knew my life was forever different because I’d laid in his arms .
I looked up when the last word fell from my lips .
Luke’s eyes held mine .
I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know if he could either .
“Damn, Alexa .”
“Damn good or damn bad?” My voice quivered. If he said bad I would pack up the guitar. I might hide in the closet, or head back to the airport. That song said everything .
“Damn, you have replaced that album of mine .”
I let myself smile. “Really? You liked it ?”
“I don’t know shit about the music business, but you have to record it .”
“I can’t.” I shook my head .
“Why not?” His brows pinched together. I’d seen that irritated look on his face before .
“I have a contract. My label didn’t sign up for an indie sound. They want the country sweetheart bit. The next twenty-four songs are already chosen and paid for. But you think it’s that good ?”
“I think your voice and that song are fucking perfect .”
I had platinum albums. Chart topping hits. A Grammy. But nothing felt as good as this compliment from Luke .
“I’m going to figure out how to record it,” I decided aloud. “Thank you .”
“Can I hear it again ?”
I realized the night was winding down. In the morning I’d have to sneak a ride to the airport. I’d have to leave Luke. And I didn’t know when we would see each other again. How was this ever going to work? His schedule? My schedule? The seconds ticked by. I wanted to dig into every moment we had left until I took off in the air. Hold on to time as if it were something I could lock in a box and control .
I didn’t want any of it to end. What if the miles were enough to loosen what tied us together ?
He stole my breath. He captured my spirit. He owned my body .
“Yes.” I nodded. And I played it for him three more times .
I lowered the guitar next to my knee .
“Alexa,” Luke breathed .
We both leaned closer. The air between was charged with something magical. Something sensual. My lips tingled waiting to be taken by his hungry mouth. My nipples hardened under the soft fabric of his Warriors’ T-shirt .
He looked at me with a ravenous gaze. Shit. This was going to be amazing. His hand drifted to my knee and brushed over my stoma
ch, before taking my breast in his rough grasp .
“Ohh,” I moaned. He flicked over my nipple and grinned like the devil he was .
“That song turned me on .”
“It did?” I choked another groan .
He had pushed the shirt over my breasts so they faced him, naked and perked for his hot mouth .
“Fuck, it did. Your voice. Your lips.” He ran his tongue over the sensitive buds .
I didn’t know how two people could keep having sex like this, but we could. I started to believe Luke and I were meant for each other. It sounded insane, but we couldn’t get enough. Our bodies craved to be bonded and fused together. And if they weren’t they ached and cried for the other .
We were only satisfied when he sank inside me, filling me, fucking me, making me his one and only .
I felt the wet rush against my thigh. He could fuck me now without any foreplay and I’d soak his cock the way he liked it. Luke made me feel as if everything my body did for him was natural. What I had once thought was too forward or shameful, wasn’t dirty. It was right for us. It was beautiful and expressive .
His eyes lit. He knew it. “Fuck, you’re meant for me .”
I nodded, taking his mouth with a vicious kiss. My tongue threaded over his, sucking and biting. He yanked the T-shirt from my head, palming my nipples eagerly .
“There are so many things I want to do to you,” he growled .
“God, yes. Every one of them,” I agreed .
He latched onto one of my nipples. I ran my fingers through his hair, smiling at the way he was greedy with my body. He took full possession of it every time he touched me. The buzz swirled in my head. Luke made me feel drunk with horniness. It was delicious and wicked. His hand slid to my center, cupping my heat. He teased over the thin fabric of my underwear .
“Oh, baby. Strip down for me. I’m fucking you on the couch .”
I stood, shimmying the panties from my legs. I kicked them off my ankles, losing them under the coffee table. I was breathless, waiting for him .
Sweet Satisfaction Page 38
