Alluring Tales

by Vivi Anna, Sylvia Day, Delilah Devlin, Cathryn Fox, Myla Jackson, Lisa Renee Jones

  She whipped her shirt over her head, discarded her bra, and leaned forward, placing a ripe pink nipple directly above his lips.

  “Take it in your mouth,” she told him. “Use your hands and your mouth, Lukas. Touch me.”

  “Grace?” His eyes widened, heat flaring within their depths.

  “Please me, Lukas.” The soft command echoed in the room.

  Large male hands slid up her ribcage and cupped her breasts. When his warm mouth surrounded her nipple and he started suckling, Grace let her eyes drift shut and reveled in the sensations that swelled deep within with each tug of his lips.

  She tightened her thighs around him and rocked her hips. Pressing down so the hard ridge beneath his zipper rubbed against her core, and the heat within her spread.

  More, she needed more heat.

  As if he could sense her thoughts Lukas shifted and sucked on her other nipple. His teeth nipped, his tongue swirled, and then he sucked and laved it. The fingers pinched and pulled at her other nipple and she gasped, her insides melting, her juices starting to flow.

  “Oh yes,” she sighed. Taking a deep breath she pulled away and shed the rest of her clothes. She glanced back at Lukas to find that he hadn’t moved from his position on the bed except to watch her. His heated gaze ran over her nakedness, and a tight knot of arousal formed low in her belly.

  “You’re more beautiful than I ever imagined.”

  “Thank you.” She stepped to the edge of the bed and reached for the hem of his t-shirt. “Now it’s your turn.”

  When Lukas was as naked as Grace, she straddled his lap once again. This time she braced her hands on his shoulders and pinned him to the bed. He reached for her as she leaned down, and put her lips to his as she spoke.

  “Do nothing, Lukas.” She moved above him, the hard tips of her breasts brushing against his chest. Her belly rubbed against his as she took the head of his cock and nudged it between her swollen pussy lips. “Just enjoy the ride.”

  With that she impaled herself on his rigid cock, welcoming the hot hardness inside her body. She closed her eyes, and shut out everything. The sounds of his passion, the scent of sex, the pure desire in his eyes—it all faded away as she concentrated on the heat of him inside her. She rocked her hips, rubbing against his pelvic bone, feeling the head of him nudge her special spot. The hot spot that spread more warmth through her with every touch.

  She concentrated all her energy on that spot, panting as she rocked faster, harder. She was so close, almost there. Her muscles trembled, but in a delicious way as she pushed forward. Fingers gripped her hips and pulled her down roughly, holding her as Lukas shouted and arched on the bed, thrusting deep. A spark ignited, and she cried out as it burst into flames that fanned out to every nerve ending in her body.

  When the fires inside her faded, Grace found herself cuddled up on Lukas’ chest. One of his hands was stroking her hair, the other her back. His heartbeat was strong and steady beneath her ear as he whispered soothing sounds and held her tight. It wasn’t until she tasted the tears streaming past her lips that she realized she was crying.

  Three

  Before Grace opened her eyes the next morning she became simultaneously aware of three things. The warm naked male she was sprawled over, the steady thump of his heartbeat beneath her ear, and an unusual sense of belonging.

  Panic hit hard and fast, and she steeled herself to move slowly and ignore the loss of warmth as she eased away from Lukas.

  No need to panic, she told herself. She crawled from the bed and padded quietly to the bathroom for her robe. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, avoiding the reflection in the mirror the whole time. With a last glance at the sleeping man in her bed she headed for the kitchen and the coffee pot.

  Minutes later she slid the pot back under the still dripping spout and lifted a steaming mug to her lips. Everything would be all right. She’d laid out the rules to Lukas before they ever left the store, so he knew she’d only been looking for one night. Besides, preacher’s son or not, he was male. A one-night stand wouldn’t be anything new for him.

  Footsteps sounded behind her announcing his arrival in the kitchen, but she stayed at the counter with her back to the room. A well-muscled arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against a hard body. A body that instantly awoke a sleeping hunger within her.

  “Hmmm, you smell good.” He buried his nose in her hair and pressed a kiss to her neck.

  She fought to control her body’s reaction to his nearness. “It’s the coffee.”

  A rough chuckle sounded, and his chest vibrated against her back. Pretending not to notice the tempting hardness pressed against her butt, Grace shifted away from him and reached into a nearby cupboard.

  “Here you go.” She handed him a ceramic mug and moved to sit at the kitchen table. He’d pulled his jeans on, but was still barefoot and bare-chested, and the sight was almost enough to make Grace forget why she couldn’t drag him back to bed. Their coupling had been almost magical in its intensity. When he settled into the chair across from her, the soft look in his eyes made it clear he wasn’t going to let her forget it either.

  “Look, Lukas,” she said quietly. “I was…in a bad place last night, and I want to thank you for being there for me. But it was a one-time thing.”

  He looked at her earnestly. “Why?”

  Grace had expected an argument, maybe even some wounded male petulance. Luke’s simple question was a surprise. “Because you’re you, and I’m me, and we come from two very different worlds.”

  His brow furrowed before he waved her words away. “We can talk about that later. I meant why were you in a bad place? What happened to shake you up so much?”

  Clutching the coffee mug in both hands to still the minute trembling, she met his gaze and spoke in a flat voice that hid both her grief, and his effect on her. “Chelsea died of an overdose last night, and I had to go to the morgue to identify the body.”

  “I’m sorry, Grace. I know how much those kids mean to you. My father thanks God in his prayers every night for sending you to his parish.”

  She nodded. She thanked God every night in her prayers for leading her to Father John’s church that night fifteen years earlier. The sanctuary she’d found there had given her a new lease on life, and put her on the path to helping others. But that night was her secret. Hers and Father John’s. And as much as she knew Father John loved her for her work with the troubled teens that took part in their after-school program, she also knew he’d never approve of his son getting involved with her.

  “It was a tough night. And when I saw you at the store, I was still feeling a little lost myself. You were great, but it was—”

  “Don’t!” The firmness in his voice halted her. “Don’t you dare say it was a mistake.”

  This was the argument she’d been waiting for. She stared into his darkening eyes and smiled softly. “Okay, it wasn’t a mistake. But it can’t happen again, Luke.”

  His cheeky grin gave birth to butterflies in her belly. “That’s okay. Because next time we get together I’m going to take you out for a wonderful dinner, and maybe some dancing.”

  The tension left Grace’s shoulders, and she allowed a small smile when she shook her head at him. He’d been incorrigible before, if she wasn’t careful he’d soon become irresistible. “There won’t be any of that either. Lukas, you know anything between us is impossible.”

  “No, I don’t know that. And neither do you. I don’t understand what you’re so scared of.”

  “I’m not scared,” she denied. She got up and moved restlessly to the counter. She dumped the last of her coffee down the drain and rinsed the cup, using her actions as an excuse not to look at him while she spoke. “It’s just not smart. Not only is your father my boss, but he’s a minister, Luke.”

  “So what? My father loves you.”

  She turned back to him, folding her arms over her chest. “He loves me as a teen mentor and probation officer who works
hard to help kids find a better life. He won’t love me as the older woman fucking his son.” He flinched at her harsh words, and opened his mouth, but she pressed on before he could speak. “Neither would the community that I know means so much to both of you.”

  “You’re a part of this community, Grace.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’m an outsider. I live here and I serve a function, but I’m not a part of anything.”

  He was in front of her in a flash. One hand cupped her cheek and the other her hip as he tilted her head up so she’d meet his gaze. “Last night you felt like the other part of my soul.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. He wasn’t laying a line on her, she could see the truth of it in his eyes. Her heart pounded and the shell she kept it encased in cracked before she could shore it up.

  “Don’t, Lukas.” She twisted her head and pulled away from him. “Don’t make this out to be more than it was.”

  “You can’t honestly tell me it was just a one-night stand, Grace. This has been building between us since we met. What happened between us was special. It was right.”

  She heard the anger starting to build in his voice and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she had to make it clear that it had only been sex. “Sex is a normal way to reassert life when grieving, and that’s all it was.”

  “Did you learn that in your psychology classes, or are you just trying to make me feel like shit?”

  “No! I’m not trying to make you feel bad at all, Lukas. I just need you to be clear on what’s what.”

  “You want it to be clear that you used me?”

  Shame made her blush. “I’m sorry, but yeah, I guess I did.”

  “You need to stop kidding yourself, Grace.” He shook his head at her. “You’re incapable of using someone like that, and nobody uses me unless I let them. I knew you were hurting over something, and I wanted to be there for you. I’ve been in love with you since the first day we met, and if you think I’m going to let you pretend that everything we shared last night was only because you were grieving, you’ve got another think coming.”

  He reached out and pulled her to him. His hands warm and sure as they smoothed up and down her spine, keeping her body flush against his as his mouth came down on hers. His tongue thrust between her lips and claimed ownership in a primal way.

  Grace reached out to push him away only to find her fingers digging in to his shoulders, pulling him closer as she wrapped one leg around his hip and rocked her pelvis against him.

  He pulled back and looked down into her eyes. “I’m going to go now, but I want you to know that this is us, together. It’s not your grief, and it’s not going to be only one night.”

  Before she could protest, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips and walked away. At the door to the kitchen he turned and flashed her a confident smile. “That’s a promise.”

  Four

  Lukas shoved his clenched fists deep into his pockets and fought the urge to go to Grace. A week had gone by since the morning he’d left her in her kitchen, looking shocked and a little scared. It had been a hard thing to do, but he knew it hadn’t been the right time to force the issue.

  That time was now.

  She was much too practical to ever believe in love at first sight, so he needed to find a way to convince her it was real.

  Maybe if he told her it hadn’t really been at first sight?

  Sure he’d been instantly attracted to her. She was a beautiful woman with an attitude who had him in an almost constant state of arousal. But it was only after spending that first afternoon with her and four of the kids she mentored, that he’d recognized the tightness in his chest for what it was.

  His heart expanding and opening up to a woman that was tough as nails to the world, with a buried heart as soft as kitten fluff. So soft and willing she was to open her home to an addicted teen runaway when the girl refused the shelter of the church basement.

  In the last month he’d spent as much time as he could at the church, taking part in the mentorship program, and asking Grace out. She’d refused him every time. She couldn’t, she told him. She worked for his father. She was too old for him. None of her excuses mattered to him.

  Then he’d been in the right place at the right time to be there for her. He’d never meant to tell her how he felt right away. He knew her well enough to know that it would only scare her away. So, instead of forcing her to listen, he’d tried to stay away, to give her time to notice his absence, and maybe even miss him. A week had been all he could handle, and now it was time to change tactics.

  “I hope you know what you’re getting into, Lukas.” His father’s voice was soft.

  They stood side by side watching as Grace said goodbye to the last teenager. “I love her, Dad. It’s not going to be easy getting past the brick wall she has around her heart, but I know that once I do, I’ll find my own private heaven in her arms.”

  “You have your mother’s poetic soul, Lukas.” Father John Martin blessed him with a soft smile few people saw. It was a blend of love, pride, and pain. It was the one that told of the loss he suffered since his wife had been killed in a convenience store robbery five years earlier.

  Lukas saw that smile and clapped his hand on his dad’s shoulder. His parents had been soul mates and partners. When his mother had been killed, he’d worried his father would do something stupid, like hunt down the kids that had robbed the store and beat the crap out of them. Not something a typical priest would do, but his father wasn’t your typical anything.

  Instead, once he’d gotten control of his anger and hurt, he’d looked for ways to get the street kids in their neighborhood the mentoring they needed. He’d made it his goal to give the kids options so that they didn’t get sucked into the shady ways of life that were all too common around there.

  His dad met Luke’s gaze. “There’s a good reason she built those walls, son,” he warned.

  Lukas let his gaze go to the fiery redhead that had a hold of his heart, before facing his father again. “She thinks you’ll never approve of her. Of us.”

  “It’s not for me to approve or disapprove.” His father frowned. “But you need to be aware that what Grace works hard to instill in these kids, is something she often lacks herself.”

  Lukas nodded. It was true. Grace exuded confidence, but he’d spotted cracks in it before, and the fact she denied her own place of belonging in their tight community made it apparent she wasn’t aware of her own self-worth. “Thanks, Dad.”

  He turned from his father and strode across the cement floor of the church basement.

  Grace saw him coming and straightened her spine. He’d been in and out of the church a couple of times in the past week, but she’d managed to always be busy, and he hadn’t been able to get her alone. No such luck this time though.

  “Hello, Grace. How are you doing?” he asked politely when he stopped in front of her.

  “I’m good.” She caught some movement out of the corner of her eye, and saw the minister watching them from the stairway. His father. “And you?”

  “I could be better. In fact, I was hoping to talk to you about it over dinner?”

  Grace’s pulse jumped at the request but she met his gaze and shook her head firmly. “Sorry, Lukas. You know what the answer to that is.”

  He stepped closer, crowding her in the empty basement. “It’s just dinner, Grace. What’s the big deal?”

  “The big deal is you said you were in love with me.”

  He’d been so firm in his declaration. So confident and sure that what they’d shared had been right. It had been good, but deep down she knew he could never really love her. Not a teenage runaway who had turned to stripping naked and dancing for strangers to earn a living.

  “I shouldn’t have told you that,” he said softly.

  A flash of pain flared in her chest, surprising her.

  “Well,” she muttered. “It seems you’ve come to your senses, so why the dinner invitat
ion?”

  He stepped closer, blocking her view of the room. “My heart hasn’t changed, Grace. I said I loved you and I meant it. I just realize that telling you so soon might not have been the best move.”

  There was a strange flutter in her stomach and warmth spread throughout her body. She clenched her hands at her sides, and bounced her fists against her legs. She’d always felt an attraction to him, but now, after their night together, she was much more aware of him. There was a determination in his dark gaze that she’d never noticed before. The heat of his body reached out to her, giving birth to a yearning deep within to cuddle up to him, to feel that warmth seep through her skin and into her soul.

  She shook her head and stepped back, bumping into the wall. “No, Lukas. I told you the other night, I just wanted sex. I just needed to feel alive.”

  “And you don’t want to have sex with me again?” He stepped forward, putting his hands on either side of her head, trapping her against the wall.

  Of course she did. She wasn’t dead. In fact, every second that went by she felt more alive. Panicked, she looked over his shoulder, but Father John was gone, and they were all alone.

  Get a grip, Grace.

  She closed her eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath. Big mistake. His scent filled her head, and her body responded with throbbing heat.

  Okay. She pressed her hands, palms flat, against the wall behind her, and made a mental deal with herself. If she couldn’t control her body’s reaction to him, the least she could do was control the relationship. She could maximize the pleasure and minimize the damage to them both.

  “I’d love to have sex with you again, Lukas.” She met his gaze head-on and spoke in a husky whisper designed to arouse. “But that’s it, no more talk of love. Can you handle a strictly sexual relationship?”

  Five