“It worked,” Luke said quietly. “I was jealous.” He took a swallow from the whiskey in his glass. “Christ, that’s one emotion I really hate. Spent most of my marriage being jealous.”
“Luke—”
“When Ariel walked into a room every man looked at her and wanted her. Instantly. She knew it. She loved to see my reaction. Said it made for good sex later.”
Katy perched cautiously on the edge of the bed. Her fingers were trembling. Luke had still not turned around, so she could not see his face. But she heard the razor’s edge of the old, buried anguish in his voice. She had a sudden desire to comfort him but did not know how.
“I’m sorry, Luke.”
“No reason to be.” Ice clinked again in his glass. “She was a beautiful woman. She couldn’t help it.”
“No, of course not.” But Ariel should not have enjoyed Luke’s jealousy, Katy thought. She should not have used it to provoke him to passion. The man had enough passion in him as it was. So much passion.
“She always made up for it later. In bed.”
Katy clenched her hands together in her lap. “I see. It didn’t bother you, then? You didn’t really mind feeling jealous because you knew she would make up for it in bed?”
“I hated it.” The words were a soft, savage snarl. “The only thing that made it bearable was that I knew she loved me. She was only playing games. But I got to hate the games. She never seemed to understand that.”
Katy searched for something to say. “Luke, I didn’t set out to make you jealous tonight. You and I do not have a relationship, so there is no reason for either of us to feel jealousy or any other strong emotion toward each other.”
“Is that right?”
“For the record,” Katy continued determinedly, “I would just like to say that I would never try to make someone I cared for jealous. It would be the last thing I would do. It seems cruel.”
“Not very exciting?”
“No. Just cruel.”
“I agree with you,” Luke said. “It is cruel.” He swallowed the remainder of his whiskey. “For the record, I hereby state that I would never deliberately set out to make someone I cared for jealous.”
She believed him. Katy smiled tremulously. “Well, I suppose that takes care of that.”
“We don’t have a relationship, but we have just sworn not to try to make each other jealous. Nothing like getting the fine print out of the way fast, I guess.” Luke set his glass down on the table.
He unstacked his booted feet from the windowsill and got up out of the chair. He turned to face Katy for the first time. His hooded gaze held hers with mesmerizing intensity.
“Luke?” Katy stilled, aware of him at every level on which it was possible for a woman to be aware of a man. She rose slowly from the edge of the bed as he came toward her.
“I know I’m not your type.” He came to a halt directly in front of her. “You’ve made it clear I’m not the man of your dreams. But I want you very much. If you come to me, even for a little while, I swear I won’t play games with you. Whatever we have between us will be completely honest. Is that enough for you?”
Katy realized she was holding her breath. A sweet, hot flame was scorching through her. The feeling was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She was breathless and anxious and exhilarated at the same time.
She was not a creature of great passions, she reminded herself desperately. But she could not ignore this shattering sensation. It occurred to her that she might never know this feeling with another man. If she did not seize the opportunity, she would spend the rest of her life wondering what she had missed.
And she had already missed so many things in life.
Katy made her decision.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s enough.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Luke smiled at her. It was a slow, haunting smile that barely touched his mouth but turned his eyes into emeralds. It was a sorcerer’s smile; a smile that conjured secrets she could only imagine; a smile that promised he would share the magic with her. Breathless in the face of her own daring, Katy looked up into his brilliant eyes and wondered what she had done.
But it was too late to retreat, even if she had wanted to do so. Her whole being was already committed. Her soul was committed. She felt alive in a way she never had before, and she knew she was not going to back away from this fire, come what may. For once she was going to let passion rule, just like any Gilchrist.
“Something amusing you?” Luke circled the nape of her neck with one hand. His thumb traced the line of her throat as if it were a vein of gold.
“No.” Katy shivered at his touch. “Yes.”
“Tell me.” He brushed his mouth lightly, persuasively across hers.
“I was just thinking that I may have spent too many years surrounded by Gilchrists. I’m beginning to act like one.”
“Do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“I would appreciate it very much if tonight, just for once, you would avoid the generalizations. I’m the one who is going to make love to you. The rest of the Gilchrists have nothing to do with this.”
She flushed. “I see your point. It’s not exactly a group activity, is it?”
“No. It’s just you and me.” His fingers moved slightly on her throat, pushing aside the curve of her red hair. He leaned close again and kissed the place directly behind her right ear.
Katy was amazed at how incredibly sensitive that particular spot was. She took a deep breath and touched Luke’s jaw. He turned his head and kissed the vulnerable skin on the inside of her wrist. Katy’s fingers trembled.
Luke smiled his sorcerer’s smile again when he felt the tremor go through her.
“You want me tonight, don’t you?” he asked softly.
“Yes.”
“That’s how it’s supposed to be. Not like it was last time on my sofa.”
“Last time I wasn’t sure I wanted to get involved.”
“But tonight you’re sure you do want to get involved?” His eyes gleamed.
“No. But I’m going to do it anyway.” Katy smiled and lifted her arms to circle his neck
Luke laughed softly as he scooped her up into his arms. Taken by surprise, Katy instinctively clutched at his shoulders. He carried her as though she were weightless.
“Where are we going?” Katy asked anxiously as he started toward the door with her in his arms.
“Not far.” He stopped in front of the wall switch. “Turn out the light.”
Katy glanced up at him and then obediently flipped the switch. The room was plunged into darkness, and the sultry intimacy of the moment was intensified a hundredfold. She was acutely aware of her body’s reaction to being cradled in Luke’s arms. Katy was no longer certain she could have stood on her own two feet if she had been forced to do so.
She closed her eyes, luxuriating in Luke’s strength as he carried her back across the room. She was certain he was going to put her down on the bed. She could already picture the next few minutes in her mind. He would lower himself down beside her and take her into his arms. She prayed he would not move too quickly, the way he had the other night. She needed time to adjust to this kind of passion. It was so new to her.
Katy clung to Luke tightly as she sensed the shadows spinning around her. In a second she would feel the bed beneath her back. Please, not too fast, she whispered silently. I’m not like you. I’m not the type to explode into passion at a single touch. I need a little time. I think.
But it was not the bed she felt when the world stopped shifting around her. It was Luke’s hard, muscled thigh under hers. She opened her eyes and saw the rain-drenched lights of the city spread out before her like so many diamonds in the night. She realized that instead of setting her on the bed Luke had sat down in the chair in front of the window. His arms
were warm and strong around her.
“I’ll try to get it right this time,” Luke said, as if he had somehow read her mind.
He bent his head and took her mouth, kissing her with a slow, inviting passion that took Katy’s breath away. She felt herself sinking into warm quicksand. Her lips parted beneath his gently persuasive mouth.
Luke made a soft, hoarse sound that told Katy of his desire and set her senses vibrating. Deep inside her something responded to the masculine need in him. She leaned into him and kissed him back with growing eagerness.
When he opened his own mouth and invited her inside she hesitated. Then curiosity overcame her. She tasted him cautiously until she discovered an exciting heat that seemed to emanate from the core of his body. It hinted at a smoldering fire she longed to touch. She curled closer, silently asking for more.
Luke groaned softly, deeply. His hand tightened tenderly on the nape of her neck and then his fingers slipped beneath the collar of her dress. Katy felt the coolness on her back as he lowered the zipper, but it was the warmth of his fingers gliding down her spine that jangled every nerve ending in her body. She tensed instinctively.
“Relax, honey. I’m not going to rush you this time.” Luke raised his head slightly to look down at her. “We’ve got all night.”
Katy smiled tremulously. She could feel the hardness of his body beneath her thighs, and she knew he was fully aroused. But she also sensed the discipline he was exerting over himself. It was there in every line of his body, from the set of his jaw to the corded muscles of his shoulders. She touched the side of his face with a sense of wonder.
“I knew you were a passionate man,” she whispered, “but I hadn’t realized you were in complete control of that passion.” She had never known a Gilchrist who was in control of his passions. They always seemed at the mercy of them.
“Passion without control is the most destructive force on the face of the earth,” Luke said. “I had to learn how to tame the fire a long time ago.”
“And passion that is under control?”
Luke smiled his mysterious smile. “The most creative force in the universe. Tamed fire.”
“I’ve never known a man who has tamed fire.” Katy slid her hand down the column of his throat to the open collar of his black shirt. “You’re unique, Luke Gilchrist.”
“No. You’re the one who is unique.” His hand moved in her hair. “Definitely one of a kind. The fire is in you, too. Sweet and hot and waiting to be discovered.”
Katy was fascinated. The notion that this man who fairly seethed with passion could see that emotion in her was incredibly seductive. She had never, ever thought of herself in that light. “How do you know it’s within me?”
“I can see it,” he said. “And hear it. And feel it. It was in your eyes when you told me I had a duty to save Gilchrist, Inc. It was in your voice when you ordered Justine not to grovel to me. It vibrates in you when you talk about your plans for the future. Honey, you’re a regular volcano.”
“No. I don’t think so.” Katy splayed her fingers against his chest. She loved the feel of the crisp, curling black hair she found beneath his shirt. “But I’m glad you think you can see a few flames inside me.”
“The fire is there, all right,” Luke said against her mouth.” You and I are going to go up in flames together.”
“Then what?” she asked quietly. The part of her that always had one eye on the future could not be completely banished, not even for one night.
“Then I’m going to tame it for a while.” Luke’s hand stole around her to cup her breast. “But only for a short time. Half the fun of playing with fire is watching it burn wild and free.”
Katy took a grip on her resolve and ruthlessly crushed all thought of the future. For once in her life she would live only in the present. She wrapped her arms around Luke’s neck and hugged him fiercely.
“Sweet and hot,” Luke whispered. He touched her nipple through the lacy fabric of her bra. His fingers moved lightly, coaxing forth her response.
Katy moved restlessly beneath the caress. She realized she wanted more. She fumbled with the buttons of Luke’s shirt, opening it all the way to his waist. Then she reached inside to touch him the same way he was touching her.
Luke shuddered in response. His mouth closed over hers for a long, searing moment, and his hand was warm and strong on her breast.
Katy felt the quicksand tugging at her, pulling her deeper and deeper until she could not move without being aware of its overpowering embrace. She realized she did not want to be free now. She twisted against Luke, seeking more of his fire.
He responded by moving his palm up over her leg and under the hem of her skirt. He did not pause. His hand slipped along the inside of her thigh, gliding lightly over her silken pantyhose straight to the heart of her own fire. His fingers closed gently around her.
Katy cried out softly as a deep tremor shook her.
“You’re already wet,” Luke said, sounding pleased and satisfied and awed all at the same time. “Hot and wet. I can feel you right through your panties and these damn pantyhose.” He squeezed gently.
“Luke.” Katy was having difficulty breathing.
“Relax. I told you there was no rush.”
“I can’t relax. Luke, I feel so strange.”
“You feel beautiful.” He released her long enough to slide his hand beneath the waistband of her underwear.
He eased the pantyhose and her panties down over her hips and off her bare feet in one slow, sensuous movement that was a caress in itself. Katy clung to him when his hand returned to the damp, hot place between her thighs.
She buried her face against his shoulder when Luke tested her gently with one finger.
“Tight,” he said in her ear. “Tight but ready.” He eased his finger back out of the snug passage and used her own moisture to lubricate her small, swelling button of desire.
He repeated the action slowly and deliberately, easing his finger into her and then teasing the small nubbin of female flesh. He did it again.
And again.
The delicious torment seemed to go on forever.
A desperate hunger gripped Katy. She felt ready to explode. She dug her nails into Luke’s back. She kissed him frantically, her lips moving feverishly over his mouth, his throat, his chest.
“Now?” Luke asked softly.
“Oh, God, yes. Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
She bit down on his lower lip, punishing him gently. “Yes. Now. Do it.”
“All right, honey. If that’s what you want.”
She was vaguely aware that Luke was unfastening his black jeans. She heard the rasp of his zipper and felt his hand move as he made himself ready for her. There was a soft ripping sound in the darkness as he opened the small foil packet with his teeth.
Katy waited eagerly for him to pick her up and carry her over to the bed. But he made no effort to get up out of the chair. Instead he lifted her slightly and turned her so that she was gazing straight down at him. He put his hands on her thighs and urged her legs apart so that she straddled him.
“What are you doing?” Katy asked, too dazed with desire to understand.
Luke’s eyes glittered in the shadows. “Taming fire.”
He lowered her slowly. Katy gasped when she realized what he intended. So much for the bed. He was going to make love to her right there in the chair. A chair, for heaven’s sake. She could not believe it. This was what came of consorting with sorcerers, she thought.
She felt Luke’s broad shaft brush against her, probing gently. She braced herself with her hands on his shoulders. “So big,” she whispered, startled at the size of him.
Luke gave a short, husky laugh. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’re going to fit together perfectly.”
He began to ease himself into her, lettin
g her set the pace. Katy gripped his shoulders tightly and held her breath as she sank down slowly.
He was big. She felt him opening her, stretching her, making a place for himself in the very heart of her. Her body clenched in reaction. Luke forced himself slowly, gently past the tightness. Katy felt him climb higher and higher within her until she was full.
“Feel the fire, sweetheart,” Luke said against her throat. “Let it burn.”
He gripped her hips and urged her into a passionate rhythm. With a soft exclamation of wonder and surrender Katy gave herself up to the surging pattern. Her body took control. She wrapped herself around Luke, riding him as though he were a magnificent wild stallion.
When the flames swept through her she did not recognize them for what they were. It was the first time she had ever experienced them. Stunned at the power of her own body, uncertain of what to expect next, she whispered Luke’s name like a mantra.
“That’s what the fire feels like,” Luke said. His hands tightened on her hips. “Don’t be afraid of it. You were born to walk in fire.”
With a tiny, muffled shriek of surprise Katy shuddered in the throes of her first climax. A thrilling euphoria raced through her as her whole body sang the song of release. Somewhere in the shimmering darkness she heard Luke’s guttural sound of masculine satisfaction. She felt his fingers close around her buttocks with urgency. And then a heavy shudder racked him.
He was hers, she thought triumphantly. For this moment in time he belonged to her just as surely as she belonged to him.
And then she was spiraling downward into a dreamy state that obliterated the earlier instant of infinite awareness.
She barely noticed when Luke eventually lifted her in his arms and carried her over to the bed. When he came down beside her she reached for him, burrowing into his warmth. His arms closed protectively around her, and she slept.
A long while later Luke lay propped against the pillows, one arm around Katy, the other folded behind his head. He gazed out at the rain-drenched neon night and did what he had learned to do exceedingly well during the past three years. He concentrated on the present.
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