The Man From her Wayward Past

by Susan Stephens

  ‘Steak?’ she suggested, reverting to the jokes that had always kept her safe before.

  ‘I was thinking more tender as a summer night,’ he said, lips tugging as she stared at him in disbelief.

  ‘Since when has the Enforcer been a poet?’ she demanded, narrowing her eyes.

  ‘I went to school, too,’ he said with a shrug.

  Her gaze steadied on his as she realised that he had no intention of allowing her to distract him. She frowned, then heaved a breath and said, ‘Okay. I worry that I can’t … you know …’ Turning her face away, she said, ‘I can never give you what you want, Luke.’

  The thought of some bully leaving her in this state made him angry all over again. ‘Maybe I don’t want as much as you think.’

  ‘You just want kisses?’ she said, pinning him with a suddenly fierce look. ‘No. I didn’t think so.’

  It hurt to see her mouth twist in that heart-wrenchingly familiar grimace. From the day her parents had drowned, Lucia had hidden her feelings from everyone. She would rather tie her face in knots than let anyone see how she felt inside. That was the look she was giving him now.

  ‘I’m not that bad, am I?’ he said. ‘You make me feel like Bluebeard.’

  ‘It’s not just the concierge and what he did to me,’ she admitted. Drawing a deep breath, she went on, ‘I’ve never—’ She stopped. ‘Help me out here.’

  ‘Enjoyed sex?’

  ‘How did you know I was going to say that?’

  ‘I applied intuition,’ he said dryly.

  ‘What are you doing now?’ she said as he tugged his top over his head.

  ‘Equalling things up a bit,’ he admitted.

  ‘But my chest isn’t naked,’ she protested.

  ‘Not yet.’

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Get a great dance teacher

  Right about now you ‘re probably thinking, ‘How can she be thinking about dance teachers at a time like this?’

  Well, with the best dance teacher in the world currently holding me in Perfect Hold, I feel confident in this area of my life too.

  Well, sort of …

  LOVEMAKING started with kisses, strokes and whispers of endearment, and that much she could do.

  The lightest brush of Luke’s mouth sent pleasure jolting through her body. Her dreams had been full of this since the first day she’d seen him galloping flat out on the beach—though not as good as this … not nearly as good as this. And Luke proved to be the master of the outrageous suggestion, which aroused her even more.

  She worried he wouldn’t find her full figure sexy, but when Luke tossed her top aside her breasts fitted his big hands so perfectly that for the first time in her life she didn’t wish them to be any different. There was such a connection between them she couldn’t have summoned up a gram of fear even had she wanted to. Her only wish was to be closer and to sink deeper into incredible sensation, and then have it last for ever.

  Lacing her fingers through Luke’s hair, she kept him where she wanted him as he dipped his head to tease her nipple with his mouth. Each tug of his lips brought a corresponding reaction of pleasure that throbbed insistently between her thighs. She loved the feel of strong sun-bleached waves springing against her palm, and the rasp of his stubble as he raised his chin to look at her.

  Seeing the look in her eyes prompted him to move down the bed, while she writhed beneath him, wondering about nerve-endings that must have been sleeping but were now leaping into life. Unable to bear the frustration a moment longer, she undid the buttons at the waist of her suit trousers and slid them down.

  Dark heat was burning in Lucia’s eyes. Her hunger revealed itself in swollen lips and peaking nipples. Her inhibitions were lost in the need consuming her. All he wanted was for her to forget her fear, to be able to move past the block she had created in her mind to protect herself from the pain of what that man had done to her. He tasted innocence when he kissed her, which only made him all the more determined to protect her. He took time to enjoy the pleasures of her body. He drew deeply on the fragrance of her skin and revelled in her plump, smooth softness as she pressed herself against the hard, unyielding muscles of his chest.

  ‘You’re beautiful,’ he murmured against her mouth.

  ‘You have no idea what it took to get here.’

  ‘Stop it,’ he said gently. ‘Stop with the jokes, Lucia. I mean it when I say you’re beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful to me, and you’re even more beautiful now.’

  She gasped when Luke’s hand touched her leg, but her eye contact with him didn’t waver as he stroked and reassured, aroused and excited her—though she sucked in another fast breath when his hand reached her thigh. But Luke was in no rush, and now he teased her lips apart and her brain grew woolly. Stroking his tongue with hers was the greatest intimacy she had ever known with him, and as he deepened the kiss she welcomed the thrust of his thigh between her legs. She even angled herself in an attempt to catch more pleasure, but Luke was too clever for that, and always managed to keep just that little frustrating distance away. Breath gushed out of her in an excited sigh when he cupped her buttocks. The heat of those big rough hands was holding her so safely, even as they placed her in the most unimaginable danger.

  Falling in love is dangerous.

  ‘You’re such a brute,’ she murmured, making it sound like a compliment, which made him laugh.

  Luke knew everything about delay and how it heightened pleasure. He knew she was swollen with need and that a pulse beat greedily at the heart of that need. But all he did was to cup her with one big hand, refusing to touch her where she wanted him to, almost as if he were stealing away her chance at pleasure.

  ‘How can you?’ she whispered heatedly, in an agony of desire. This was the worst frustration she had ever known. ‘How dare you?’ she complained when Luke just gave her that crooked smile.

  ‘How dare I?’ he said, lips tugging in amusement. And he kissed her with deadly efficiency and still held back.

  ‘Luke …’

  ‘What’s the problem?’ Luke murmured, lifting his head.

  ‘You,’ she said, biting down on swollen lips. ‘Why must it be like this? Why make me wait so long?’

  ‘Because pleasure should be savoured, and I want to make sure you are ready.’

  As Luke said this she decided that if there was to be no reprieve she would take matters into her own hands, but her hands were shaking as she started to battle with the buckle on his belt. At least she had the satisfaction of knowing that Luke was massively erect, and by the time she managed to get her hands to the right place the zipper on his jeans didn’t so much open as explode. Maybe he was right about taking things slowly.

  He rested motionless while Lucia undressed him. She was right in that compared to her he was a brute. He was twice her size and goodness knew how much stronger, and as he bathed in the light of her clean, bright innocence he felt like a satyr on the loose. The thought that Lucia had never known true pleasure at the hands of a man made him doubly aroused, and doubly determined to serve and satisfy, but he would wait for as long as it took for Lucia to feel confident.

  With this in mind he continued to lavish attention on her breasts with one hand, while his other rested motionless in place, denying her the quick fix she thought she wanted.

  ‘Goodness, Luke,’ she breathed.

  He’d kicked his jeans off and she realised she had never seen him completely naked before—except in the sea, when it had been dark and the water had covered them both. He soothed her with words and kisses, giving her just a fraction more of the pressure she craved. As he did so her eyes opened wide with surprise and a breath shivered out of her.

  Staring into his eyes, she managed to utter one word. ‘More.’

  At the back of her pleasure-clouded mind she realised that she had been waiting for fear, but it didn’t come. Instead a heavy, erotic beat pulsed urgently between her thighs. Luke still refused to take her any closer to the edge,
as if he knew exactly where her limits lay. But when she got there would she be able to take that final step? Letting go meant trusting Luke completely.

  ‘This can’t be enough for you,’ she said, already worrying.

  ‘It isn’t enough for you,’ Luke countered wryly. ‘Relax,’ he said, moving down the bed.

  This was all new to her, and she briefly resisted him slipping her legs over his shoulders. It made her feel so exposed. But the fight dissolved at the first touch of his tongue. And then the thought of Luke kneeling in front of her as he was doing now, to serve her and attend to her pleasure, was such an erotic notion she surrendered gladly and rested back.

  ‘I want to see you come,’ he said. Seeing her shocked expression, he added softly, with that humour in his eyes, ‘Don’t look so worried—there’s no rush.’

  Exhaling shakily, she settled back again, with her heart hammering so hard she could hardly breathe. Far from toning things down in deference to her inexperience, Luke slipped a pillow beneath her hips, exposing her even more as he positioned her in a way that suited him. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on sensation. The scratch of his sharp black stubble on the inside of her tender inner thigh was a thunderbolt to her senses.

  ‘Look at me, Lucia.’

  It was possibly the only time in her life that she had obeyed one of Luke’s instructions without argument, but this time she did so willingly, and a cry shivered out of her as Luke’s big hand turned into the most delicate instrument of pleasure. She couldn’t hold back and screamed his name, while Luke made sure she enjoyed every second of the violent pleasure. The waves surging over her seemed never-ending, though at some point Luke must have collected her into his arms, because he was holding her safely now, as he kissed and stroked her until the last addictive ripple of enjoyment had subsided.

  ‘Was that good?’ he murmured.

  ‘What do you think?’ she managed, when she was capable of focusing on the world again.

  But a new hunger soon started up inside her. She could feel Luke’s erection pressing urgently against her thigh and was overwhelmed by the desire to have his tongue in her mouth, his pulsing energy deep inside her. The thought of them joined completely and in every way made her shiver with excitement.

  ‘Greedy,’ Luke murmured, though his hands were instantly at her service.

  ‘Touch me,’ she said.

  ‘Touch me,’ he challenged softly.

  Closing her eyes, she reached for him and, stroking lightly, marvelled at the breadth of him, the incredible silken length.

  ‘Again,’ he said, ‘and use more pressure this time.’

  ‘What are you doing?’ she asked, wondering if she had done something wrong when Luke broke away.

  ‘I’m protecting us both. Help me?’ he suggested.

  Luke didn’t have a shred of self-consciousness in him, and she fed on that. Involving her like this meant that nothing he did could come as a surprise to her. As if to confirm that, Luke dropped kisses on her mouth, and his eyes were smiling into hers with a new intimacy. This was a kiss between two people who had known each other for a lot longer than one night but who were seeing each other clearly for the first time.

  A soft cry escaped her lips when somehow the tip of Luke’s erection caught inside her. He was so intuitive, so tuned to her needs, that when he finally eased inside her she gasped with relief rather than fright. He rested, allowing her to become used to this new sensation, and it was she who moved again first—tentatively to begin with, and then with increasing confidence, until Luke took up the rhythm and she was mindless and free, completely free. No words could express how it felt to be one with Luke after so many years of loving him.

  ‘You are my official sex slave now,’ she informed him much later, when they were lying together on the bed with their limbs comfortably entwined.

  ‘Do I get a contract to that effect?’ he murmured, toying with her hair in between kissing her.

  ‘An indefinite contract,’ she assured him, drifting into sleep.

  ‘Sounds good to me …’

  When she woke Luke was still watching over her, with his face resting on the pillow next to hers. ‘What?’ she murmured when he smiled.

  ‘You,’ he said. ‘At last.’

  ‘What do you mean, me at last?’

  ‘You, where you belong at last,’ he said.

  There were moments in life that were precious and would always be remembered, and this was one of them. This was the first time she had realised they both felt the same—for how long she couldn’t know, since life had whipped them up and put them down in different places. But they were together now. And hungry again, she realised, seeing the smile tugging at the corner of Luke’s mouth.

  ‘No,’ she said, deciding to tease him as he had teased her.

  ‘That’s fine by me,’ he said, and laughed deep in his chest when she growled with frustration and threw herself on him.

  He lost count of how many times Lucia had wanted him. He had never imagined she would be so passionate, or so insatiable. He would have loved her just the same without that, but it was a bonus.

  Love?

  Yes. Love. He had always loved Lucia. He just hadn’t realised the extent of that love before, and now it only remained for him to find the right time to tell her how he felt. Now was not that time. Not while they were both basking in the afterglow of mind-blowing sex. He’d choose his time. Lucia meant the world to him, so he had to get it absolutely right.

  They came out of the caravan arm in arm to find that it had somehow, mysteriously, moved several yards down the field.

  ‘How could that have happened?’ Lucia puzzled as she stared at the tracks.

  ‘I can’t imagine,’ he murmured, tongue in cheek.

  She looked at him blankly and then understood. ‘You mean we—?’

  ‘We’ll have no bad language here,’ he warned, drawing her close.

  She laughed. ‘You were right about the caravan not being able to withstand extreme conditions.’

  ‘Which is why I want you to move into the guest house, where it’s safer. Or there’s always my suite at the Grand …’

  How nice would that be? But all the more reason to continue with her plan to succeed on her own merits, Lucia concluded. Then she could book her own suite at the Grand and invite Luke over.

  ‘Do you think Margaret knows about us?’ Will it change things? she wondered.

  Luke’s answer was to pull her into his arms and stare into her eyes as he said, ‘It’s time to start trusting the people who love you, Lucia. You have to let people love you—and to do that you have to let them in.’

  ‘Now you’ve made me feel selfish,’ she said, seeing the other side of the coin clearly through Luke’s eyes.

  ‘Well, I’d never say that about you,’ he said, pulling back to give her one of his looks. ‘Awkward. Stubborn. Aggravating.’

  ‘I get the picture,’ she said.

  Linking arms, they continued to chat as they stood outside the newly decorated guest house, and then Luke said, ‘I’ve been telling your brothers how well you’re doing, and that in future they should be calling you for advice.’

  ‘Oh, great,’ she said with a mock groan, smiling as Luke dragged her back into his arms again. ‘If you think I’m going to take on the duties of agony aunt for a gang of over-sexed polo players … Tell them to write to Holly. She’s the expert.’

  But it felt good to know that Luke was acknowledging that the tables had turned, and that none of them would ever think she needed a knight in shining armour to ride to her rescue again. Although some knights were exempt from that rule, Lucia decided, as Luke brushed her lips with his.

  ‘I’ll e-mail them,’ she murmured, knowing that if she didn’t distract them both they would have to go back to the caravan and move it again.

  ‘You do have something pretty big to share,’ Luke agreed.

  ‘Like …?’

  ‘Like I love you,’ Luke said, smilin
g against her mouth as she softly echoed his words.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Get a gag for polo-playing brothers

  Okay, it seems sensible at this point to re-establish contact with my brothers. Not only is it sensible, there is no one I want to share my happiness with more. Plus, the sooner I lay down some ground rules the better, as I don’t want them sharing embarrassing little snippets from my childhood with Luke—though I guess it’s too late for that. He probably knows most of them anyway.

  I’m going to start in order of age and work through. And we ‘re talking age in terms of emotional development with regard to their sister, so that would be toddler to infant—Nacho through Ruiz.

  Nacho—I hope this doesn’t come as a shock to you, but life has come full circle for me here in Cornwall and Luke and I have fallen in love. Your blessing means everything to me. You mean everything to me. And if I haven’t shown my love for you in the past, please forgive me. Yours, Lucia.

  Lucia—I couldn’t be happier. Horse saddled and waiting. Talk again soon—Nacho.

  Diego—You are my inspiration. You have proved that however difficult you make it for someone to love you—and, boy, have you and I made it difficult—there are some stubborn people out there who can see something in us that no one else can. Luke sees something in me. Perhaps I should introduce him to Maxie? Seems they’ve both got what it takes to tame an Acosta.

  Maxie here, babe. So thrilled for you. I love Luke. Will tell Diego as soon as he comes off the polo field. Let me know if there’s anything I can do—anything at all … maybe plan a wedding?

  Kruz—Don’t start, okay? So you won’t want to hear this, but it’s about time you and I were back in touch, don’t you think? I’m in love. With Luke. Luke Forster. And if you even think of telling him about the time when I ate dog food as a dare, you are so dead.