by Nina Levine
Goddamn you, Hardy.
Why do you have to be so freaking sexy?
His lips twitch when he catches me checking him out. “You wanna go back to the room and grab one of those bullets?”
I refrain from poking my tongue at him. “Well, they do get the job done,” I mutter.
“Not as well as other things.”
“When one can’t have other things, she has to rely on what she has available.”
He cocks his head. “She hasn’t had anything else to rely on?”
I hold his gaze. “Not in a good eight months.”
My reward for this conversation comes when his nostrils flare and his voice deepens. “She needs a refresher course.”
The elevator reaches our destination and the doors open. Saving me.
He places his hand on my back and guides me towards the restaurant. Ten minutes later, I’m sitting across from him for the second time today.
The waiter places a vodka in front of me and a whisky in front of Luke. I reach for mine straight away and take a gulp. “What time is everyone arriving tomorrow?”
“Around lunchtime. Do you have any plans for the morning?”
“No. You?”
He shakes his head. “The beach looks like a good option.”
“I’m thinking a sleep in at least.”
“How was your flight?”
“Long. And I was sandwiched between two huge guys. I’m all for arm porn, but not on a long flight. I need my space.”
One of his hands is resting on the table, and it clenches as I say that, before reaching for his whisky. He throws some back. “Tell me about the last eight months. What have you been up to?”
“Pretty much just work and writing.”
“What do you do in your spare time?”
Clearly not guys.
“Not much really. I’ve gone out a little bit, seen some sights and met a few people, but mostly I’ve been writing heaps. I’ve almost finished writing two books. How about you?”
“Work and Sean keep me busy.”
I want to desperately ask him if he’s been seeing anyone. Avery’s told me he hasn’t, but maybe she just doesn’t know. I don’t ask him. Instead, I say, “Your mum sounds really happy. I love that.”
“I think this guy might actually last the distance.”
“Why?”
“Because he doesn’t put up with too much of her shit. He’s pulled her into line.”
I purse my lips. “See, why do you say it like that?”
“Like what?”
“When you say he’s pulled her into line, it insinuates she needed someone to do that for her. I don’t see her that way.”
“How do you see her, Callie?”
“I know your mum let you down when you were growing up, and she’s admitted that to me also. But I see her trying. And I absolutely adore her love for life and for love. She’s just trying to find someone to love her unconditionally, Luke. So what if she’s a little unconventional in her approach? Why does she need to be pulled into any kind of line?”
He thinks about what I say, but in the end, I don’t convince him. “I don’t understand her need for constant male attention. I never have. But George seems to be a man who does understand it. He humours her.”
“Well, let’s not forget, you also don’t understand the need to get married.”
“I’ve reconsidered my view on that,” he murmurs.
“I’m glad. Mostly because I figure that means you’ve moved past your hurt, and that was all I wanted for you. I’m so glad to see you happy, Luke. You seem more at peace with life.”
He rubs the pad of his thumb over the rim of his glass. “I’ve made peace with most things in my life. I’ve still got a way to go with others.” I can’t help but feel he’s talking about me.
“Hopefully, time will help,” I say softly.
He stares at me. “Hopefully, it won’t need to.”
My tummy flutters, but maybe I’m misunderstanding his meaning.
The waiter brings our food and effectively ends that conversation. After he leaves, we discuss the fact I haven’t eaten good Aussie food in ages and then just never return to the previous topic. I devour my steak and salad. So good. I’ve loved sampling the food in the States, but there’s nothing like coming home and eating the food you grew up with.
We decide against dessert because I’ve spent most of dinner yawning. I’m exhausted from the flight and sleep beckons so we make our way upstairs.
Luke’s eyes find mine as I unlock the door to my room. “Sleep well, baby.”
Baby.
I’ve missed hearing that word from Luke’s mouth.
“Thank you for dinner.”
His gaze dips to my mouth and my breathing slows. The time passes just as slowly while I wait to see what he does. A couple pass us, laughing loudly, pulling us out of the moment, and his eyes find mine again. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The only thing that stops disappointment filling me completely is the fact he presses his lips to my forehead and lays a kiss there before he leaves.
46
Callie
I wake the next day to a knock on my door. I pull the covers over my head and do my best to ignore it. It’s probably housekeeping. However, the knocking only gets louder and then Luke calls out, “Callie, you in there?”
I quickly check my phone for the time.
It’s just after eleven.
Jesus, I slept a lot of hours.
“I have coffee,” he continues.
Sold.
I shove the covers off and pad to the door. I don’t even care that my hair is probably a sight and that I never took my make-up off last night. I also push out of my mind that I’m wearing nothing but a sheer babydoll that barely covers my ass.
I need coffee.
He hands over the coffee when I open the door. “You just wake up?”
I nod and usher him in. “Yeah. Guess I was tired.” I take a sip of coffee. “Damn, this coffee is good. I owe you.”
He grins. “I’ll take lunch as payment.”
“You want me to buy you lunch?”
“No. I’m buying you lunch. I found a little Thai restaurant you might love.”
I drink my coffee and try my best not to show how much I love what he just said. Thai is my favourite. I fail epically, though, and a moment later I have coffee all down my front.
“Shit! It’s hot,” I mutter and shove the cup at him on my way into the bathroom. My babydoll is soaked, and the hot liquid is burning my skin. I rip it off and proceed to splash cold water on my chest and stomach.
“Fuck, Callie, you’re burnt.”
I glance up and find Luke standing behind me, staring at my body in the mirror in front of us. “It’s not too bad.” The fact I’m standing in front of him, practically naked hasn’t escaped me, but my focus is completely on my skin.
As I madly splash water on myself, he reaches for a washcloth. After he soaks it in cold water, he spins me to face him and presses it to my skin. One of his hands is on my waist while the other holds the washcloth to my chest.
I meet his gaze.
It’s weird how you can be with someone and know every intricacy of their body and be completely at home with them naked, to then experience this awkwardness I’m feeling between us now.
His heated gaze drops to my chest, and he moves the cloth to soak it in cold water again before placing it against my skin again. His eyes travel the length of my body. When he finally looks up at me, I can see how affected he is.
I place my hand over the cloth. “Thank you. I can take over from here.”
He nods, but he doesn’t say a word. Instead, he turns and exits the bathroom, closing the door after him. After I watch him leave, I drop the cloth in the sink and place my hands down. Curling my fingers over the edge of the counter, I drop my head and exhale a long breath.
Damn, this is hard.
I wish I knew exactly where he stood.
I realise I’m not against a hook up, but what I really want is Luke.
I want him back.
* * *
The Thai restaurant he takes me to for lunch is god-awful. It’s the worst Thai I’ve ever had the bad fortune of tasting. But it leads us to the bar again and after a few drinks, the tension I’ve felt around him has disappeared.
We’ve just spent the last twenty minutes reminiscing over some of the good times we’ve shared when he raises the first meal I tried to cook him.
“Remember that roast you cooked me?”
“Oh, you mean the one I burnt? That you had to resurrect.”
He laughs. “Yeah, baby, that one. You were so damn cute that night.” He leans forward, and his voice drops. “That was the night I realised I really wanted you to choose me.”
I frown. “Choose you?”
He nods. “Yeah, I wanted to be the man you chose to spend your life with.”
I still. “You gave me the Ron Pope album that night, Luke. And you rattled off all the things you knew about me. To say I was sold is an understatement. You owned my heart from that night.”
“And you bought me Fat Yak and roast you couldn’t afford. And told me about your swoon cave, that for the record I still don’t understand. You showed me you were exactly the woman for me—more real than I’d ever known.”
My head spins.
He remembers all that?
Even about the damn swoon cave?
I gulp some vodka down. “For the record, that swoon cave was some bullshit that just fell out of my mouth in my nervous state.”
“I know.”
“Luke…” I start but am unsure of what I really want to say.
He doesn’t push me. He always seems to know what I need, and right now I need time to figure out my thoughts. Instead, he says, “Do you know what I think could be fun to do?”
I empty my glass. “I can only imagine. If you’re going to suggest skinny-dipping, I’m not up for it.”
He laughs. My gaze is drawn to his eyes. How I love those laughter lines of his. “I hadn’t thought of that, but I’ll keep it for later.” He shifts forward in his seat and lowers his sexy voice. “For after I’ve loosened you up.”
I suck in a breath and fiddle with my necklace. “Jesus, what have you got planned? What do you think would be fun?”
“Bowling.”
Dead.
That’s what he’s doing to me—killing me.
“Right, so seems as though we can’t go bowlin—”
“We can.” He stands and holds out his hand to me. “I’ve sussed it out. They have a bowling alley in the resort.”
Of course they do.
What was I thinking?
I place my hand in his and give in to the desire his touch shoots through my veins.
* * *
I sit back and watch Luke as he takes his go. My gaze clings to his arm and then his ass and then his legs and finally, his face when he turns around. I couldn’t even list the other people in this bowling alley. My attention is solely on Luke.
“I’m not sure how it’s done in bowling, but I’m convinced you’re cheating,” I say when he joins me at the table.
“I know better than to cheat when you’re around.”
“Because?”
“Because you’d never let me get away with it.”
I stand. “True, I wouldn’t.”
I grab my ball and move to the lane. We’ve managed to get through nearly a whole game without him putting his hands on me, but as I hold up my ball, ready to take my go, his body moves behind me and his left arm slides around my waist.
“You’ve been practicing,” he murmurs against my ear.
Goosebumps kiss my skin.
I’m fairly sure my legs are going to give way.
I’m going to collapse right here in front of Luke, holding this big-ass ball.
It’ll probably fall on my foot and break it.
I’ll probably twist my ankle.
I’ll have to fly home with crutches.
“Callie,” he says against my ear. “Stop thinking.”
“Well, stop talking and stop being so damn sexy because you scramble my brain so much that I can’t think straight, which makes me have to try and think harder an—”
He spins me around to face him, and his lips crash down onto mine.
My legs sway.
His arms tighten around me, holding me up.
His tongue sweeps over mine as he pushes for more from me. But there’s no more to give because I’ve given this man every piece of me I can. I’m completely his.
This kiss steals my breath.
Again.
When he ends it, I cling to him as I stare into his beautiful eyes. “I have been practicing,” I say softly.
His eyes crinkle as he smiles. “I can tell.”
I let him go. “I couldn’t let you beat me the next time we played.” My heart doesn’t let up—it keeps beating fast.
So many crinkles frame his eyes. “So you don’t need my help?”
He has no idea.
I always want his help.
“I never say no to help.”
“Really? The Callie I know likes to fight me when I try to help.”
“And the Luke I know doesn’t listen. His DNA prevents that.”
Heat flashes in his eyes. “Turn around, baby. Time to play.”
I’ve not even fully turned when his left arm circles my waist again. His other hand slides over my ass, and he says, “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”
“Are you going to help or are you just going to grope my ass?”
“Groping you sounds like the best plan going forward. Just make sure you slow down your play so I can spend longer on it.”
“God, Luke, are you trying to kill me?”
His lips meet my ear. “Is it working?”
“I’m pretty sure there’s no good answer to that. Either way, you’ll just keep going.”
He chuckles. “You know me so well.” His hand snakes around my waist so he can grip my hip and tilt me back, so his erection grinds against me.
I take my go, not caring when the ball ends up in the gutter. Turning in his embrace, I loop my arms around his neck. I angle my face up to kiss him again. I’m done for. I need his lips as much as I need air.
He ends the kiss and stares down into my eyes. “I’m taking you back to my room now. And I’m going to do what I should have done when you told me you were leaving.”
I bite my lip. “What?”
He bends his face to my ear and growls. “I’m going to fuck some sense into you.”
47
Luke
Callie stumbles as she takes the last step towards the elevator. I catch her around the waist and steady her while I jab at the elevator button.
“Thank you,” she murmurs. She sounds distracted. Hell, that makes two of us.
I stand behind her while we wait, and run my hand over her stomach. She’s wearing a short red dress that hits her midthigh and dips low in the front, revealing enough cleavage to drive any man wild. This dress isn’t going to cover her body for much longer.
The hotel isn’t busy today, so we’re the only ones waiting for the elevator. It takes its time, so I bend to her ear. “I want those panties off before we hit my floor.”
She inhales sharply.
The elevator doors open and she steps inside. No one gets in with us, and I guide her to the back corner after I hit the button for the doors to close.
Once they shut, I growl, “Panties. In my hands.”
Her eyes flare with lust, and she scrambles to do what I’ve said. I take them and inhale her scent before shoving them in my jeans pocket.
Need slams through me, straight to my already hard dick. Unable to control myself, I push her up against the back wall and grind myself against her while running a hand up her leg and under that sexy-as-fuck dre
ss. When I hit her pussy, I glide a finger through her wetness.
“Fuck,” I hiss and move my hands to her ass so I can lift her.
Her legs and arms wrap around me, and she clings while I kiss her. My mouth has a mind of its own and it’s pushing for something I’m not sure I even understand.
I lose myself in the kiss. It’s not until she ends it and stares at me breathless, eyes wild, chest pumping hard, that I realise I got a little rough and hard there. Fuck, even my hands in her hair are gripping her a little too hard.
“You okay?” I’m trying to catch my breath, too.
She nods. “You?”
“Yeah.” I stare at her. “This is going to be rough. Fast.”
“I know.” She practically pants her answer.
I grind against her again and dip my mouth to her neck as I move one of my hands to her breasts. I suck her neck and groan when her hand lands on my dick. Her movements are as desperate as I feel when she pops the button on my jeans and slides the zip down. I squeeze my eyes shut when she wraps her hand around me.
The elevator dings and Callie’s gaze shifts to check what floor we’re on. “We’re here,” she says.
Thank fuck.
I let her go and move out of the way so she can exit first. I follow and place my hand on her ass as I guide her to my room.
I unlock the door, push it open and let her in.
Finally.
As the door closes behind me, I reach for her hand and pull her back. I can’t wait for the bed. I need her now.
She turns to face me. My hands land on her hips before gripping her dress and yanking it over her head. With speed I never knew I possessed, I then move my hands to her back and flick her bra open so I can remove it.
Her gaze meets mine, smiling the sexiest smile I’ve ever laid eyes on. “The man’s got skills.”
My shirt hits the floor a moment later, as do my jeans and boxers. Taking hold of my cock, I pump it a few times. My eyes are firmly on her pussy.
“Touch yourself,” I order. Fuck, I can’t count the number of times I’ve jacked off to this image over the last eight months.
I watch as she runs her finger between her wet lips. My breaths are coming so fucking hard and fast as if I’m struggling for air. When I drag my gaze up to her eyes, I’m almost knocked on my ass at what I see there.
