A Virgin for a Vow

by MELANIE MILBURNE

  She had been right about him being a brilliant dancer. His body moved in perfect sequence with hers as if they had been training for a dancing competition. Even the train on her dress wasn’t an impediment as he moved her around the dance floor without once stepping on it or allowing anyone else to either.

  It had been so long since Abby had danced with anyone. Ever since she’d pretended to be in a relationship she hadn’t been able to attend parties without finding a reasonable excuse for why her fiancé wasn’t with her. It had been far easier not to go. She hadn’t even been out to dinner for the last couple of years unless it was with a girlfriend. Her social life—meagre as it was—had ground to a halt. She’d been trying so hard to fit in, to appear normal, and just ended up feeling abnormal and missing out on all the things other people took for granted. Which was exactly like her childhood had been. Why did that keep happening to her?

  Was she doomed to always be on the outside?

  But now, with Luke’s arms around her, she realised what she had been missing. It was fun to be out as a couple, to drink and eat together and dance to great music. It was even more fun knowing Luke and she had a secret of their own. That no one suspected they weren’t the real deal. Yay! She had actually pulled it off. She wasn’t going to be shamed and mocked and humiliated after all. But not only that, their conspiracy added a level of intimacy to their relationship that was strangely exciting. Titillating even. Everyone in the ballroom believed them to be madly in love.

  Everyone thought they were lovers.

  It would be kind of cool if you were the real deal.

  Abby blinked away the thought. Why would she want to be actually engaged to Luke? He was only with her tonight under sufferance. He’d even set a strict time limit on it—two hours. Two flipping hours! Which proved he wasn’t her type. He had zero spontaneity. He was stiff and formal and never smiled, and he didn’t have a romantic bone in his body. He was a die-hard workaholic. He probably worked in his sleep. If he ever slept.

  But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t be lovers for real.

  As soon as the thought entered Abby’s head it clung there like a lint ball on a mohair sweater. That kiss was the problem. Luke kissed like a man who knew his way around a woman’s body. He had awakened something in her body, something that wasn’t going to be a good doggy and lie down and go back to sleep.

  Luke was currently single and had been for five years. She hadn’t even had a lover and she could hardly take one while she was pretending to be engaged to Mr Perfect.

  So why not Luke?

  Abby wasn’t a casual sex type of person, especially since her mother’s approach to sex had been not just casual but contractual and chaotic. But how would she ever feel normal if she were still a virgin when she was thirty? Or forty? Ninety, even? But if she slept with Luke the problem would be solved. She could tick the box marked Normal. The more she thought about it, the more she was sold on the idea. It was an ideal solution.

  All she had to do was convince Luke.

  Luke guided her out of the way of an enthusiastic couple, bringing her even closer to his body. ‘How soon can we leave?’ he asked.

  Abby leaned back to look up at him. ‘Aren’t you having a good time?’

  He gave her a twisted movement of his lips that might have passed for a smile...well, if you were standing in the next county, maybe. ‘Your time is almost up, Cinderella.’

  Abby bit down on her lip and lowered her gaze to his perfectly aligned bow tie. Why did he have to remind her he had a stopwatch going on their evening? What did that say about her?

  It said she was resistible, that was what it said.

  Some smoking-hot seductress I turned out to be.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Luke said.

  Abby brought her gaze back up to his and, taking a deep mental breath for courage, asked, ‘Do you think we could kick on and have some supper somewhere after this?’

  A small frown creased his forehead. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I’m still hungry.’

  ‘We just had a four-course dinner and you ate my dessert.’

  Abby looked at his mouth, her stomach tilting when she thought of his kiss in the car. How could she survive on just one kiss? She was hungry for more of his kisses. She wanted to feast on them. To gorge on them. To go on a massive binge on them and she wouldn’t even feel guilty in the morning. ‘I’m not ready to go home yet. I haven’t been out in ages and ages and...well, neither have you so it kind of makes sense to make the most of it.’

  ‘Abby.’

  She closed her eyes in a slow blink and sighed. ‘Okay. Okay. I get it. Time’s up and you want to go home and work. Forget I mentioned it.’ She began to pull out of his hold to go back to their table but his fingers around her wrist stalled her.

  He brought her back to stand in front of him, his hips brushing hers with such heart-stopping intimacy she had trouble remembering to breathe. His eyes were as dark as deep blue ink and framed by a frown that was thoughtful rather than his usual disapproving one. ‘Don’t you want to stick around for the lucky door prize draw?’

  ‘I can barely win an argument let alone a prize like that.’ As our earlier conversation just confirmed. ‘Anyway, it’s just supper together. That wouldn’t be breaking any of your rules, would it?’

  His eyes went to her mouth for a brief moment. Then he seemed to gather himself and he tucked her hand over his arm. ‘Supper it is.’

  * * *

  Luke took Abby to an exclusive bar/supper club a few blocks from where the ball had been held. He’d been there a couple of times for work things and liked the atmosphere. They served coffee and cake as well as the regular cocktails and beverages.

  Abby gave a cursory glance at the menu and sat back in the plush velvet-covered armchair. ‘I’m going to have Sex on the Beach.’

  He lifted one eyebrow and allowed his latent sense of dry humour to make a brief appearance. ‘Still a bit cold for that, don’t you think?’

  Her cheeks developed tiny twin flags of colour. ‘Have you ever done it on the beach?’

  Luke had spent most of the night trying not to think about sex, especially sex with Abby. ‘Couple of times.’

  She leaned forward to rest her hands on her knees, her voice coming out as a whisper. ‘Can I tell you a secret?’

  He tried not to stare at her mouth, tried not to imagine it kissing its way down his body. Tried not to get hard, but hey, he was only human. ‘Go for it.’

  She blinked a couple of times and then ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, and he got a whole lot harder. Her gaze flicked away from his and the colour on her cheeks deepened. ‘Never mind. Forget I said that. I think I’ve had too much champagne.’

  Luke’s interest was piqued by the way she seemed to be avoiding his gaze. What secret did she have? Was it something even more cringe-worthy she’d made up about their ‘relationship’? ‘What were you going to tell me?’

  She pressed her lips together for a moment and then swallowed. ‘I’ve... I’ve never done it.’ Then she did a shocked wide-eyed thing and slapped both of her hands over her mouth as if she regretted her words. ‘Ohmygofh.’ Her hands pressing against her mouth muffled the words. ‘I can’t believe I just told you that.’

  Luke had to mentally rewind to their previous conversation about outdoor sex. ‘You mean you’ve never had sex on the beach?’

  She lowered her hands from her mouth and avoided his gaze. ‘Anywhere.’

  Luke frowned. ‘You mean anywhere outdoors?’

  She glanced either side of her to see if anyone was sitting near enough to overhear and, leaning forward again, whispered, ‘I’ve never had sex.’

  He looked at her blankly for a moment, trying to get his head around what he’d heard, or thought he’d heard. ‘Let me get this straight... You’re saying you’ve never slept with anyone? Is that what you’re saying?’

  She rolled her lips back inside her mouth and gave a single nod.

 
He leaned forward to make sure he wasn’t mishearing her. ‘You’re a virgin?’

  ‘Yup.’

  Luke sat back as if someone had shoved him with the end of a telegraph pole. ‘You’re joking, right?’

  Abby shook her head. ‘Nope.’

  She was a virgin? Abby Hart, the relationships and dating expert was a virgin? Why the hell hadn’t she been intimate with anyone? She was twenty-three years old. Most modern girls lost their virginity well before then, unless they had religious reasons for being celibate.

  ‘But why?’ Luke asked, genuinely confused.

  She shrugged and looked at the bowl of salted peanuts on the table between their knees. She took a peanut and popped it into her mouth and chewed and swallowed. She reached for another and another and did the same. ‘Did you know it’s virtually impossible to eat only one peanut? I’ve done extensive research on this. It literally cannot be done. Try it.’

  Luke moved the peanuts out of her reach. ‘Abby, look at me.’

  She slowly brought her gaze back to his. Her tongue swept salt crumbs off her lips and he suppressed a groan. He couldn’t stop thinking about her tongue doing that to him. ‘I know it’s a little weird, but I never really felt emotionally ready... I mean, before now.’

  His heart slammed against his chest wall. ‘Before...now?’

  She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and eyed the peanuts like a puppy looked at an out of reach treat. ‘I sort of wanted to a couple of times, but I always put a stop to things out of fear I would make a fool of myself or...or something.’ Her gaze met his. ‘Anyway, I figure if we have sex anything like we dance then I think we’d be good together in bed.’

  ‘That’s another theory of yours, is it?’

  ‘Yes, well, of course it’s a theory because I haven’t put it to the test yet, but that’s the whole point of this conversation.’ She gave him a smile that looked a little shaky around the edges. ‘So, what do you say? Will you do it?’

  Luke was having trouble getting his brain into gear. Other parts of his anatomy were well on their way, but his brain? No. Sleeping with Abby was the sort of trouble he could do without. Apart from the fact she was his kid sister’s best friend, Abby was trouble, period. She wanted things he didn’t want.

  You want her.

  He did. Badly. So badly he could feel the lust throbbing right here and now in his loins. Lust like he had never felt before. Not even as a horny hormonal teenager.

  But it didn’t mean he was going to have her.

  He didn’t get involved with virgins. Abby was the poster girl for the white knight and white wedding and white picket fence package. Everything she wrote in her column was about being in a secure and happy relationship.

  Nothing he could offer her was anything near secure.

  He didn’t do commitment.

  Luke leaned forward to take her hands in his to get her full attention. ‘Listen to me, Abby—’

  ‘We don’t have to tell Ella,’ she said. ‘She doesn’t even know I’m a virgin.’

  He did a rapid blink. ‘She doesn’t? But I thought you two were best friends?’

  She lowered her gaze to their joined hands. ‘We are but we’ve only known each other for the last four years. There are some things you don’t even tell your best friend.’

  Luke could relate to that. There were things he hadn’t told a soul. Nor ever would. There was no point because talking about it would never take away his guilt. How could it? He gave her hands a little squeeze to get her to look at him again. ‘Why didn’t you feel you could tell her?’

  A screen came down on her face and she pulled her hands away. ‘Look, if you don’t want to do it then let’s leave it at that. I’ll find someone else. Eventually.’

  Luke’s gut clenched. Which someone else? Some stranger she picked up in a bar? Or on a dating app? And why was she acting so closed-off all of a sudden? How well did his sister know Abby Hart? Did anyone really know her? Why had she got to the age of twenty-three without doing the deed? She was attractive and sexy and funny. She surely wouldn’t have been short on offers?

  Damn it, if he wasn’t careful he’d be offering himself.

  The waiter came to take their order and Luke was relieved when Abby ordered a simple cup of tea instead of the cocktail. A part of him was glad she wasn’t having the sex-inspired cocktail but another part felt a twinge of disappointment he couldn’t explain—didn’t want to.

  He waited until the waiter left to get their drinks before he spoke. ‘I think you should think carefully before you pick up someone to sleep with either in a bar or online. There are some real creeps out there who might not be as nice as they seem on the surface.’

  ‘Save your big brother lecture for your sister,’ Abby said and scooped up a handful of peanuts. ‘I can take care of myself.’

  Luke wished he felt more of a big brother to her than what he was feeling right now. He hadn’t felt this degree of lust in years. It was as if it was taking over his body, his brain. His self-control. He couldn’t stop thinking about her invitation. What exactly did she want from him?

  Don’t ask.

  It was better not to know so he wasn’t tempted beyond his endurance. Hell, he was already tempted beyond his endurance. His endurance better get back into shape quick smart or he was going to be in big trouble.

  ‘You sure you don’t want something to eat with your cup of tea?’ Luke asked after the waiter delivered their drinks.

  ‘I’m not hungry now.’ She dusted the salt from her fingers. ‘I’ve eaten too many peanuts.’

  Luke had his own theory. Abby was exactly like eating a peanut. Making love to her once would never be enough.

  Nowhere near enough.

  Her phone made a pinging sound from inside her evening purse. She leaned forward to take it out and her gaze widened to the size of the saucer under her teacup. ‘Oh, my God...’

  ‘What’s wrong? Is it bad news?’

  She looked up from the phone and smiled. ‘Guess what? You won the island holiday lucky door prize.’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ABBY COULDN’T BELIEVE IT. Luke had won the prize she had been drooling over. How unfair was that? He could afford to pay for his own holiday. He could probably afford his own flipping island. Why had she sat in the unlucky seat instead of his winning one?

  No doubt this was the universe’s way of rubbing in her disappointment after Luke declined her offer of a fling. How could she not be feeling a little disappointed he’d rejected her offer? Had she made a mistake by telling him she was still a virgin? She still wasn’t sure why she had told him—it had sort of slipped out in an unguarded moment. The combination of the magic of the evening in his company and all that champagne she’d drunk at the ball had loosened her tongue as if it was greased.

  What had she been thinking?

  She hadn’t been thinking. She’d been feeling. Feeling things she had never felt before. Wicked things, like how exciting it would be to be Luke’s lover. To enjoy more of those steaming-hot kisses and much more besides. Like having his hands caress every inch of her body, to have him possess her and take her to the heights of human pleasure—the sort of pleasure she had only ever experienced alone and never felt truly satisfied by.

  Making love with Luke would be more than satisfying. How could it not be? His kiss had awakened a need in her body, a need that even now clamoured for attention. It was like he had set a primal beat thrumming in her flesh that only his touch could assuage.

  Abby turned her phone around so Luke could see the message Felicity, her chief editor, had sent. ‘See? Your seat number was the lucky one. They sent the message to me as they didn’t have your contact details.’

  He leaned forward to read the text. ‘Can they redraw it?’

  Abby frowned. ‘You mean you don’t want it?’

  His expression was so difficult to read, hieroglyphics would have been easier. ‘Clearly not as much as you did.’

  Abby looked
at the message again, vainly hoping they’d got the seat numbers wrong. But no, there it was in black and white. ‘There’s a time limit on the offer. You have to go within the next month.’ She looked back at him to see him frowning at her. ‘What?’

  ‘Is it transferable?’

  ‘Transferable?’

  ‘Can I gift it to you instead of taking it myself?’ Luke asked.

  It was a nice gesture but how could she go alone? Who went to a private island for a holiday on their own? How normal was that? It would make her feel even more of a pariah. Anyway, people from work would expect her to go with Luke and blog about the holiday and post pictures. It would seem odd if she didn’t. And what would everyone say if she took a girlfriend instead of her fiancé? Luke had made it clear he wasn’t interested in a fling so she was certain he wouldn’t want to go with her.

  She was facing the same dilemma all over again. If she went on the holiday on her own it would be like turning up to the ball on her own.

  She would be outed as a big fat abnormal fraud.

  Abby shoulders slumped. ‘That’s sweet of you, Luke, but even if it was transferable I won’t be able to go.’

  ‘Why not?’

  She put the phone back in her purse with another sigh. ‘I’d have to use it within the next month.’

  ‘Why is that a problem?’ Two horizontal pleats formed between his eyes. ‘Can’t you take some time off from work?’

  ‘Taking leave isn’t the problem,’ Abby said. ‘I have plenty of time owed me. It’s taking someone with me that’s the kicker.’

  Something passed over his retinas like ripples on the surface of a lake. Then he frowned again, deeper this time. ‘Stop that thought right there.’

  Abby put on her most beguiling expression. ‘What thought?’

  ‘I’m not going with you on that damn holiday, Abby. I told you the deal. Tonight for two hours—and we’re over time as it is.’