He moved to the bed, wrapping his hand around her ankle and tugging so she slid down the bed toward him. Then there were no words. Only action—hot kisses, hands swiping, teasing, turning every inch of her on. Fast. Passion had been unleashed and there was no controlling it. No going slow. No stopping.
Fast was good. Fast was so very good.
She had a wild hunger inside, an ache. She wanted him right in there, she wanted him to have her so hard. His erection was massive and clearly causing some discomfort. She called to him—urgently.
“Luke.” It was a beg, a demand. She no longer gave a damn about being another one of his women. He’d be one of her men—her best. And Real Luke was so much better than any damn fantasy. He was hot and hard and sweaty. He tasted of salt and smelled of soap and she couldn’t get enough. She wanted more—she wanted it all.
He reached across her, pulling open a drawer and rummaging for condoms, frowning as he hurried to get one on. And finally then he positioned himself over her, gazing into her eyes. His chest rose and fell faster and faster as if he were running a sprint—only he was immobile. Now, despite the mad rush and heat, he paused. “Are you sure?”
“Just hurry up. Please. Please, please, please.” She offered it all to him.
His jaw clamped, reflecting the sudden snap of tension in his whole body. A split-second later he thrust into her.
Oh. Oh yes.
She trembled, her body shaking as she adjusted to the unutterable pleasure of him.
“This part was always going to be the problem,” he choked. “My coming too soon after entering you. You feel so amazing.” His breathing labored. Between his gritted teeth a pained, angry groan emerged.
Lexie sucked in some air and laughed.
It was the wrong thing to do. He grabbed her by the hair and tugged. She let her head fall back, arching her neck, inviting him to kiss her throat. He didn’t just kiss it—he sucked and nipped, fiercely branding her—and all the while his hips pistoned, thrusting in and out of her, causing the most incredible friction.
There was no chance of a sweet, slow, sensual discovery. It was fierce and hot. Hard. And so fast again. Gorgeously, deliciously fast. She gasped as he pounded into her. Oh yeah, this was exactly what she’d wanted. They battled, both fighting to hold back, yet desperate for that ultimate destination. He slid a hand beneath her, his palm wide, pushing her butt upward so he was grinding against her as close as possible. It was heavenly torment against her most sensitive nub. She convulsed, scraped her nails down his back, not wanting it to be over this soon—but there was no fighting it.
She cried out as she tensed. But there was no room for her to arch, his body was pressed so closely to hers. There was nothing between them, not even a sliver of air, so tightly sealed nothing could come between them. That realization sent her right over the edge. Trembling delight—her palms tingled, ecstasy pulsed in her insteps and in every inch in between—sheer joy coursed along her veins faster than her hot, swift blood. And with it came Luke’s cry, his sound of satisfaction roaring in her ears, mingling with her own.
That ecstasy drummed in her ears for long, sweet moments. She kept her eyes firmly closed, still processing the sensual overload. But he lifted her chin and she had to open them—had to show she was okay with this. Because she sensed his concern—the flash of second thoughts, of doubt now. But she wasn’t going to regret this and wasn’t going to let him regret it either. And she wasn’t only having him the once—he’d just given her the most incredible experience ever. She planned to do the same to him.
“How’s your knee?” she asked, putting her palm on the side of his face.
“It’s there.” He laughed but it ended on a groan.
“Seeing you’re too sore to stand, maybe you should just lie back and let me take care of you.” She firmly stated her intentions, and pushed him to his back to emphasize it.
He rolled easily, letting her. Good.
“I used to get sick of everyone thinking they have to take care of me,” she murmured. “I’m going to take care of you now, Luke.”
“Okay,” he groaned through gritted teeth as she fluttered light fingers over his abs, stroking along the lines angling toward his pelvis.
He was hard again—already? Fantastic. “Okay.” She kept up her light strokes, as he swiftly slipped off the spent condom.
“You’re fit,” she commented lightly, slowly kissing her way across his chest when he was done.
“I’ve been training for a marathon.”
“Thank goodness.”
“It’s all about endurance.”
“The mental game, right? Mental strength.”
“I guess.” His breath whooshed out as she pressed openmouthed kisses down in a straight line beneath his belly button.
She smiled. “How’s your mental strength, Luke? Can you resist this?”
She took him in as far as she could, until she felt his thick blunt head hitting the back of her throat.
He swore, his fingers pulling in her hair. “Oh no, Lexie. I’m going to—”
She sucked hard, sliding him back and forth in her mouth, stroking his balls with her hand to tease him more. She loved it—having him beneath her like this—so intimate. Finally hers to play with.
“I don’t want to come like this,” he begged. “I want to come inside you again.”
“Endurance, Luke,” she teased, kissing the tip of him with soft lips before sucking him in again.
“Please!” He shook his head.
She felt him then—taut as a steel wire lifting a ten-ton load. He’d let go of her hair to scrunch the sheet in his fists. He threw his head back as he arched up toward her, his muscles so tense his veins popped in his neck. But he fought it. Fiercely male, fiercely proud, fiercely determined.
She released him. He released a harsh breath. Wild eyes locked on her.
“Get on me.” He ordered. “Now.”
Deliberately, slowly, she picked up a condom from the table. Neatly ripping it open with her teeth and taking her sweet time to roll it down his hot, hard length.
Breath hissed between his teeth—so did a swear word or two.
“Lexie.” His voice grated, his expression one of furious desire.
Giving him an equally wild look back, she spread her legs and straddled his hips. But he suddenly slid down the bed—so it was his face beneath her, not his sheathed erection. “Oh no, Luke,” she gasped, horrified. “I’m too wet.”
He laughed, all lust. “I’m a thirsty man.”
He licked her and in that instant she no longer had any thought of denying him—or herself. Anyway, he wrapped his arms around the outside of her thighs, locking her legs into position on either side of his head. Blind, his face buried in her heat, he relentlessly stroked her. She leaned forward just enough to brace her hands on the headboard, struggling to stay sane through the incredible sensations as he licked and sucked and flicked his tongue and kissed her deeply, until she was rotating her hips and begging him to just finish her off. She was so hungry—she’d never been so hungry, so desperate to be impaled. She wanted him inside her. She wanted him hard and fierce and now and she yelled that fact—again and again.
“I hear you.” He grasped her hips, not gently, and lifted her. He slid back up the bed, keeping her in place until he was in position to enter her.
With a growl he thrust up, deeper, then again, deeper still. Her head snapped back at the impact, her breathing drastic as she fought to cope.
“You can do it.” His fingers curled tighter into her butt. “You can take me.”
“Yes.” She jerked a nod. She’d never been so hot in her life—so bold, so ready, so his. She’d never imagined it would be like this—so intimate, so raw, so fulfilling.
Despite being on top, she didn’t lead their dance. She simply couldn’t—too insane to do anything but go with it. She put her hands on his shoulders, feeling the indentations of his deltoids, seeing their sharp definition flexing over a
nd over as he worked into her.
He caressed her with his hand, stroking upward from her stomach. Gentle, soft strokes totally at odds with the powerful thrusts of his hips as he drove into her. The conflicting sensations were killer. With each stroke, his fingers trailed an inch higher, slowly working up to her breast. She wanted him to touch her there. She wanted him to touch her every-damn-where. Finally he did—his hand cupped her, his thumb swishing across her nipple. She groaned, broke down, bending forward to kiss him. Passionately she thrust her tongue inside his mouth, wanting to own him as much as he owned her this second. Without breaking the fierce seal of their mouths, he forced his fingers between their bodies so he could stroke her clit.
“Damn it, Luke!” She didn’t need the overstimulation. She stopped rocking altogether, slapped her hands on his chest and pressed down hard to anchor herself as the orgasm slammed into her. She squeezed on him, her body locked in a series of tumultuous contractions—sheer, mind-blowing bliss. His hands went equally hard on her, clenching on her curves. He shouted, arching his hips high into her that one last time as his release blasted through both of them.
For a few minutes there was nothing but the sound of their rocky breathing.
“Hell, Lexie.” He lifted her head so he could look at her with a rueful expression. “When did you turn into such a vixen?”
“I’m not,” she answered raspily.
He didn’t realize, did he, that he was the only guy she’d ever have done that with—at least with that kind of abandon. The only man she’d been that blunt and forward with. Because she’d wanted him so long she’d acted out to get him. And did she regret it?
Never. It had been the most erotic experience of her life—to feel him pulsing like that within her—to feel him losing control and relishing the sensation of her body.
“Tell me about the guy,” he said softly.
“Who?”
“The one you gave your virginity to.”
“Really?” Ugh—he wanted to talk about her ex? Now?
He read her expression and chuckled. “He really didn’t do it for you, did he?”
She grimaced. “I was a challenge to him. I was the great untouched. He wanted to conquer the mountain. Once he did, he moved on.” Story of her love life so far.
“But did he conquer you?” Luke ran his hand over her hip, making her shiver. “He might have had you, but did he help you relax and enjoy the view?”
She shook her head. No man had made her feel what Luke had just made her feel.
“When they’re young, guys can be pretty dumb.” Luke sounded sorry.
Was that excuse enough? “Age doesn’t necessarily make them any smarter.”
Luke didn’t answer that. He rolled her over to her stomach and swept his strong hands down her spine. Lexie closed her eyes and let him take her high again.
…
She didn’t know what time it was when she woke, but it was early. Luke had his arms tight around her, and Mango had sneaked in at some point and was wedged between their feet. She couldn’t move.
Less than forty-eight hours in his company and she’d succumbed—all the way. She was Luke’s latest.
She’d fallen in with his plan: been the entertainment while he was home and bored. He’d been with a zillion other women, including models.
But while she’d had a couple of boyfriends, neither had lived up to the fantasy she had in her head of Luke Marchetti. She’d thought that had been the problem— that the memories and image she had of him were a fantasy. No guy could ever be that good. Not even him.
But he was that good. Warm, funny, and sheer dynamite in bed. But he wasn’t hers. He wasn’t any one woman’s and never would be. He’d been a playboy since his late teens, and leopards didn’t change their spots.
So she wasn’t going to do the clingy, cry-girl thing when he woke. She’d be the sophisticated sort he was used to. She didn’t want him worrying he was going to hurt her. That was why he’d paused just before taking her. Why he’d asked if she was sure. He was giving her that chance to think—though she’d been beyond thinking from the moment he’d touched her. She was not going to give him any cause to worry more. She’d be cool, she’d be tough.
Frankly? She’d be gone.
Chapter Six
Luke dozed, resisting slipping into a deep sleep. He wanted to savor this moment—this feeling of having a soft, warm Lexie locked in his arms. He didn’t want to let her go.
Ever.
He drew in a slow, deep breath as he examined that realization. But the more he thought about it, the more he knew. The certainty bloomed in his chest, warming him from the inside out, even his bones. Being with Lexie like this was right. So very right.
But he had to take it slow. Get to know her better—let her have time to get to know him. He got that she was wary and he’d work his way to the bottom of that problem. The why. It tensed him up that there’d been some jerk who didn’t do right by her. But he was sure it was all there for them already, the blueprint just waiting to be built on. Him and Lexie—together. Weirdly, it didn’t freak him out. He was simply happy. Hell, he wasn’t even as burned up about his knee now. If that fall hadn’t happened, this might not have happened with Lexie. So he’d take the silver lining. And for the first time he wanted both fling and ring.
He lifted his head and carefully leaned so he could see part of her face in the dim light. Fast asleep, her lips were lush and full and slightly curved, her lashes resting long on her cheek. His body wanted him to wake her. But she was tired. Hell, he was tired too. His body ached as if he’d run two marathons back-to-back. He glanced down at the end of the bed where Mannie was gently snoring in a ball by her feet. So he’d fallen for her too? Luke grinned as he put his head back on the pillow and pulled her even closer to him. He’d talk to her in the morning. Let her know she could stay as long as she liked. She could stay forever.
…
Lexie woke suddenly, adrenaline shooting into her body as her mind instantly remembered her exit strategy. Yeah, she was in trouble and she needed to escape it quick. She wriggled, easing herself out of his searing embrace hoping like hell he’d stay asleep.
“Hey.” He stirred, swiftly sitting up and reaching out to run his fingers down her spine just as she slipped off the bed.
Luck wasn’t on her side. She stepped across the floor so she was out of the touch zone. She couldn’t let him touch her anywhere anymore. “I’d better get dressed.” She quickly yanked on her blouse.
“Why?” He sat up in the bed, looking wickedly disheveled.
She tugged on her jeans, not bothering with any underwear. There was no time. But she did put on a smile—a wide, super-excited, albeit synthetic one. “I was thinking I might go up to Scotland. I’ve never been there.”
“Scotland?” He looked astounded.
It was about as far as she could get on her last few pounds. “Don’t you think? I’ll work in a hostel or something—with my travel agent background, I could get an in there.” She’d been planning, her brain on fire searching for an escape. “I’m good talking to strangers now, right? Over that one.”
“Lexie.”
Damn. She wished she’d woken earlier and snuck out while he was still asleep. She walked faster as she heard him move. “I just need the…” She darted into the bathroom and quickly locked the door. She exhaled deeply and stepped up to the mirror, hoping her eyes didn’t reflect the misery she felt. They did. She looked a wreck—bed hair, bruised-looking eyes, pale skin, the works. It was a wonder it hadn’t been Luke running to hide in here from the sight she was.
The bathroom door burst open, the lock easily snapping under the sheer brute force of his shoulder barge.
“What are you doing?” she whirled and shouted at him. Damn him for looking so damn hot in the gray sweats and nothing else. There was too much skin for her nerves to cope with. They were shredded as it was.
“That’s it?” he shouted back. “That’s the way you
’re going to treat me? After last night?”
Her mouth was suddenly as dry as the Australian Outback in drought. She swallowed. “Um…” She turned back to the mirror, unable to look at him.
But he slammed a heavy hand on her shoulder, forcefully spinning her to face him. She clamped down on the way her limbs wanted to wobble. She wasn’t going to lose it. She refused.
“Luke.” She cleared her throat as she tried to stay calm. “It was just the one night.”
“Really?” He looked angry. “Have you ever felt that with anyone else? Ever?”
She swallowed. “It was just hot sex.”
“Really.” He leaned against her, pushing her back against the basin.
She could feel his erection digging against her lower belly. Goose bumps tingled down her arms as inside she melted like butter on a hot pan. She closed her eyes, desperate to block him.
“Look at me.”
She really didn’t want to do that. She could feel her cheeks burning. “Why?”
“I want to know what you’re thinking. I want to see what you’re thinking.”
Well, that wasn’t happening.
“Seeing as you’re not going to tell me what you’re thinking,” he added sharply.
“Okay, I’ll tell you.” She flashed angrily. “I know you, Luke. This was just…one night. I can handle it. I can handle that you don’t want more.”
She pushed past him. Because truth? She really couldn’t handle it. A fling? A few one nights together? Not enough—she’d be ruined for love, for life.
“What makes you think I don’t want more?” He limped into the bedroom after her.
She laughed as she scooped up her shoes. “Be honest, Luke. Like you really want anything more from me? This was the usual for you—the challenge. And once you’ve toppled the challenge you move on.”
“Is that right?”
“Absolutely.” She stuffed her feet into the sneakers without socks. “Well, what?” Why was he staring at her like that? “Where did you see this going?”
He swallowed. “What do you want from me, Lexie?”
Bargain in Bronze Page 24
