by Lisa Weaver
“He’s amazing. He keeps this place running like a well-oiled machine.”
Brianna trailed up the stairs after him, taking in the tasteful artwork that graced the walls. She paused beside him when he stopped at the threshold of a beautifully appointed—yet very masculine—master bedroom.
“This is my room, but if you’d prefer your own space, you can have one of the guest rooms.”
He was giving her an out, clearly reluctantly. She should grab it, but she didn’t have the willpower to walk away from the chance to share his bed again. Despite this indisputable reminder of his wealth, her delighted hormones were happy-dancing at the thought of sampling more of the pleasures he’d gifted her with last night.
“Your room is fine.”
“Good.” Setting her luggage down on the floor, he stalked toward her with a predatory gleam in his eye.
So I’m not the only one greedy for more.
Pressing her up against the bed, he held her captive between the unyielding hardness of his body and the cushy softness of the mattress.
“I’m glad we’re in agreement.”
In a frenzy of need, he stripped off her clothing, obliterating the barriers standing between him and the satisfaction he craved. Then he dealt with his own garments and stood, gloriously naked, before her.
Brianna drew in a reverent breath, her eyes absorbing the beauty of his muscular, honed torso the way a parched desert greedily soaked up a long-awaited rain.
With a low growl of satisfaction, he gathered her into his arms. Reveling in the sensual gratification of heated skin against heated skin, Brianna moaned her encouragement as he proceeded to explore every inch of her, playing her body like a master musician.
Lying in his arms in the aftermath, she felt utterly sated and immensely satisfied. Intensely breathtaking, his lovemaking elevated desire to something ethereal and transforming, transcending pleasure. She felt secure. Loved.
Whoa. Where had that come from?
That particular l-word absolutely, positively could not factor into this. Especially not when she was the one who’d insisted she wanted nothing more than a fling. Hastily tumbling out of bed, she shimmied into her jeans. She needed to put the brakes on before she slid further out of control.
“Hey, what’s the rush?” he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion at her abrupt departure.
“There’s no rush,” she assured him. She unearthed her blouse from the pile of garments on the floor and pulled it on, fumbling with the buttons as she hurried to fasten them before she changed her mind.
Her overly emotive hormones were whining for her to join him in bed again for the round two his lust-filled gaze was promising. She was a heartbeat away from giving in to their urgings. Instead of taking the edge off her hunger for him, the intimacy they’d just shared only fueled it. How could this attraction between us keep gaining momentum, growing stronger by the second? Shouldn’t it burn out?
She hated that she needed him with such intensity. She was beginning to think she might be insatiable where he was concerned.
“I thought it might be nice to take a walk. Would you be my tour guide? I’d love to see more of the grounds.”
“That depends,” he replied, wiggling his brows playfully. “Do you prefer your tour guides in or out of uniform?”
Laughing, she scooped his shirt and pants up off the floor and tossed them to him. “I seem to remember seeing a couple of rose gardens on the way in. I don’t think a clothing-optional stroll would be very prudent. Those thorns could damage certain, umm, sensitive body parts.”
“Good point,” he winked, pulling on his jeans. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
The estate was magnificent. While there was no arguing the main house was the pièce de résistance of the property, a gorgeous English-style cottage tucked away at the edge of the woods easily snared second place.
Opening the front door to the cottage, Luke extended a hand, inviting her in. Brianna’s eyes widened in surprise as a dozen canines greeted them with a chorus of excited barks.
She laughed, delighted by their enthusiastic greeting. “I didn’t know you were a dog lover.”
Luke bent down to give a grinning golden retriever a belly rub. “I’m crazy about them. All animals, actually. These guys aren’t mine, though. This property houses a no-kill animal shelter. The lower level of the house is for dogs, and the upper level is for cats. They have a safe harbor here until they find a family. My staff works diligently to match them up with loving homes.”
Just like that, all of her preconceived notions about him popped like a balloon under a pin. She’d believed Luke’s wealth put him on the same moral plane as her mother’s former employers. She could see, now, that his affluence hadn’t negated his ability to be compassionate.
Following Luke up to the second floor, she swallowed past the lump of emotion clogging her throat.
The cottage’s upper level had been converted into a utopia for felines. The cats had plenty of space to explore, as well as private nooks to escape to should they need some alone time.
“It’s an amazing thing, what you’re doing here,” she enthused.
He shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. “I had the space and the resources to start the shelter, as well as friends who were eager to lend a hand with the project. It seemed like the least I could do.”
“Being in a position to make a difference and choosing to actually do so aren’t the same. You acted. That makes you special in my book.”
“This wasn’t an entirely unselfish venture. I’ve always been crazy about animals. I wasn’t allowed to have a pet growing up, so I volunteered to walk dogs at the local animal shelter as a teen. Of course, I wanted to save every stray I met. I would have given anything, then, to have been able to help. Now that I can, this shelter seemed the most logical way. Besides, how could anyone walk away from a face like this without doing something to help?” he asked, handing her a tiny, mewling kitten that was all fluffy gray hair and huge green eyes. “This is Dusty.”
Brianna eagerly accepted the kitten from him, cuddling its warm body close. She understood why he had such an affinity for these rescued animals. They’d been stripped of security and love, just as he and his sister had. “He’s gorgeous.”
She tried to tell herself the sweet fur ball in her arms was responsible for her melting heart, but who was she kidding? It was this glimpse of Luke’s softer side and his obvious passion for these four-legged creatures in need that had her heart pooling in a puddle of adoration.
He was revealing more of himself to her, and with each disclosure he divulged a new depth of character. Despite her vow not to get sucked into anything serious, she found herself falling for him more with each layer he peeled back.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Luke wasn’t sure what had compelled him to include the shelter in his tour. He only knew it had been important for him to share it with Brianna. His original plan had been to explain the structure away as the guest house it had formerly been. Very few people knew he was the owner of the haven he’d created for abandoned dogs and cats. He hadn’t founded the project because he was looking for accolades. His sole impetus had been to create a sanctuary for animals in need.
But for some reason he had yet to fathom, sharing the shelter with Brianna had been important to him. Like a toddler anxiously anticipating Christmas morning, he’d been eager to see her reaction to his facility. And so, instead of simply pointing out the building and moving on, he’d opened it up to her—and a huge chunk of his heart right along with it. He’d hoped she’d share his enthusiasm for the cause, and she hadn’t disappointed him.
He was beginning to see that Liz was right—Brianna was different from Tanya on so many levels. Tanya had made no secret of her disdain for the strays his shelter housed, but the tender gleam in Brianna’s eyes as she played with the kitten made it clear she shared his empathy for his cause.
They visited with the animals a bit lo
nger before resuming the tour of the grounds. Seeing her smother a yawn, he realized she was undoubtedly tired from the trip.
“Why don’t we head back to the main house?” he suggested. “It’s been a long day, and you must be getting hungry.”
“A little,” she admitted.
“I was thinking we could go into the city for dinner. There are several nice restaurants about a forty-five minute drive from here. Or, if you’d rather, we can relax here and I’ll cook for you.”
“You cook?” she queried doubtfully, her eyes widening.
“Don’t sound so shocked. Granted, I’m no Gordon Ramsay, but I know my way around a kitchen.”
“Dinner in would be lovely, but only if you’ll let me help.”
“It’s a deal.”
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Working alongside Brianna as they prepared a meal in his kitchen was oddly intimate, and made him regret his impromptu impulse to share his domestic side with her. It felt too comfortable. It felt right.
And that was a problem. He didn’t want to get comfortable with her. Indulging in those kinds of warm and fuzzy emotions meant he was growing to care for her. And caring was a luxury he couldn’t afford in his line of work.
She was peering over his shoulder now, checking out the onions, green peppers, and garlic he was sautéing.
“I’m impressed,” she told him. “You really do know your way around a kitchen.”
He added diced potatoes to the pan, along with a bit of chicken broth, before giving the ingredients a stir. “I had to learn, or my sister and I would have starved. Cooking didn’t hold my father’s interest like liquor did.”
“For all intents and purposes, you and your sister grew up without a father, too,” she sympathized.
“What we experienced wasn’t nearly as difficult as what you went through. Not having your father in your life couldn’t have been easy on you or your mother.”
“We made it through. I wish my mom would have shared her burden with me, though. I would have understood.”
“She was probably afraid your father would use his power and influence to take you away from her. But now you have the opportunity to get to know the father you thought you’d lost.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “I’m still not sure I’m ready to, yet.”
“You’ll know when the time is right. And, speaking of timing, the steaks are done.”
He brought two juicy tenderloins to the table along with the potato dish, a salad, and rolls. As they ate, Luke steered the conversation to less weighty topics. But he barely tasted his meal. It was next to impossible to focus on small talk when all he could think about was sweeping the table bare and feasting on Brianna instead.
Dinner had assuaged one hunger, but now he was starving to satisfy another, far more pressing craving. His taste buds clamored to sample her perfect lips, and his mouth watered as he imagined savoring her full, pert breasts.
“You haven’t finished your dinner. Aren’t you hungry?” she asked.
He met her inquiring gaze, knowing his ravenous desire for her was reflected in his eyes. “Oh, I’m hungry. Famished, actually.”
Need hung thick in the air, and a shiver ran down her slender frame in reaction. She swallowed hard. And then she threw him for a loop by rising from her chair and coming over to stand before him, her passion-filled gaze locked on his.
“You should have said something earlier,” she murmured. “If I’d known you were on the menu, I would have told you not to waste your time with dinner.”
He’d planned on taking things slow and easy tonight, but she’d just blown that possibility out of the water. Slow and easy would have to wait.
He had the tabletop bare in ten seconds, and their garments off in half that time. He laid her on the polished surface, his eyes feasting on her. God, she was exquisite.
He’d never been with a woman who made him feel so whole before. She had the power to make him forget everything. Problem was, there were some things he couldn’t afford to lose sight of. His mission to protect Brianna topped the list. Above all else, he had to keep her safe.
Tomorrow, they’d inspect the conference venue. He’d already e-mailed the resort’s security staff, filling them in on his assignment and its covert nature. They would be discreetly monitoring Brianna’s every move while she was a guest there. The extra safeguard would ensure, if business demands mandated they be separated during the day for any reason, that he could leave her alone with little fear for her safety.
He could afford the luxury of relaxing his guard a little here, as well. The place was a fortress, protected by a state-of-the-art security system and his impeccably trained German shepherds. His dogs would bark an alarm at the first whiff of an intruder. Tonight, he was free to indulge in Brianna until his raging appetite was satisfied.
But as his fingers roved over her silky skin and he reveled in the satisfied moans his touch drew from her, deep down he knew his hunger for her wouldn’t be easily abated. She was fast becoming an addiction. With every tender caress, she was drawing him deeper under her spell.
Chapter Thirteen
Soaking in the sight of Luke in his current dead-to-the-world state, Brianna couldn’t help but think he was even more captivating asleep than awake. Ebony lashes fanned out over high cheekbones, highlighting chiseled features any sculptor worth his salt would beg to replicate.
She could happily lay there for hours, content with trying to memorize every gorgeous line and plane of his handsome face, comfortable in the knowledge these stolen, predawn moments would remain her little secret.
She was disappointed when his eyelids fluttered open, bringing her private, guilty pleasure time to an abrupt end.
Uh-oh. Busted.
His sleepy green gaze locked on hers, his brows rising in inquiry. “What are you doing?”
“Debating the wisdom of waking you up,” she improvised, grappling for a cover for her intent appraisal of him. And then, for good measure, she threw in a hastily manufactured curveball to further deflect his attention. “Did you know you snore?”
His full lips twisted in an amused-but-disbelieving smile. “Nice try. Admit it. You were lusting after my body.”
“And you know this because … ?”
“As it happens, I’ve been awake for the past few minutes. I could feel your eyes on me. I must admit, attention like that could go to a guy’s head.”
“Just his head?” she queried wickedly, her gaze dropping to his lower torso.
Luke wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her into the heat of his embrace. There was no mistaking his arousal. “What do you think?”
Capturing her lips with his, he pulled her close for a mind-drugging kiss that inevitably led to a slow, passionate re-exploration of the territory they’d blazed the night before.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Lying replete in his arms, the only body part Luke’s thorough lovemaking had neglected chose that moment to call attention to his oversight.
He chuckled at her stomach’s demanding gurgle. “That’s a vote for breakfast if I’ve ever heard one. Come on, I’ll fix you something to eat.”
He prepared breakfast in short order, whipping up omelets that proved last night’s dinner wasn’t a one-off. Laden with ham, cheese, and fresh vegetables, the egg dish he concocted was orgasmically delicious, proving he was as masterful in the kitchen as he was in the bedroom.
“Yum! This is fabulous,” Brianna enthused. “Are you sure you shouldn’t have pursued a culinary career instead of joining the publishing world? With a talent like this, you could have your own cooking show.”
“If I had to make a living doing it, I wouldn’t enjoy it nearly as much.” He added another generous portion of omelet to her plate. “But flattery will get you seconds.”
“Thank you,” she grinned, forking another bite. “So what’s on the agenda for today?”
“I thought we might check out the conference venue. We can spend the
evening at the resort, if you’d like. An overnight stay will give us a chance to be sure everything will be up to par for our guests.”
“That’s a great idea.”
The drive from Luke’s vacation home to the resort afforded spectacular views of the ocean. Brianna wasn’t surprised to find that Summerhaven Resort presided over the most picturesque part of the coastline. It was clear the gorgeous architecture of the main building had been designed to complement the seascape surrounding it.
There was no disputing Luke had chosen the ideal location. The resort boasted beautifully landscaped grounds, walking trails, and a golf course, as well as indoor and outdoor pools and a spa. The conference attendees would find all the amenities they could desire—and more.
“It’s perfect.” Brianna told him.
“I’m glad you approve. I’ve booked the main conference room for tomorrow morning so you can test-drive the audio and visual equipment.”
“That’s a great idea. I can run my final presentation by you at the same time.”
They spent the afternoon finalizing the lineup of presentations and breakout sessions for the conference. Brianna was pleased at how seamlessly their individual work styles meshed. Luke had an uncanny ability to anticipate what she was about to say before she spoke the words. Despite her best efforts to shore up the protective walls she’d built up around her heart after Peter, Luke was tearing them down, brick by brick.
The work day segued into an evening of delicious food and pleasant conversation. And when the passion surging between them became impossible to ignore, usurping everything else, they took pleasure in each other again until they fell into a satiated slumber borne of thorough satisfaction.
Waking in his arms the following morning, it occurred to her she could happily greet each new day this way for the rest of her life. Luke’s warmth enveloped her, and the solid weight of his thigh wedged between hers anchored her in the most delicious of ways.
She snuck another peek at his face in repose. He was breathtaking. Dangerously so. The man should have a hazard sign tattooed on his chest.
