by Lily Graison
He glanced up at her face and was surprised when he recognized her. Holly's friend. This couldn't be the same girl from the hotel bar but it was. He'd seen her moments after she walked into the room earlier in the day. Dressed in what looked like a business suit, she walked with a self-confidence not many women had, her chin lifted arrogantly as she glanced around the room, and he smiled as he watched her.
She'd glanced at him once and his smile was met with one that let him know she wouldn't turn him down. Not that any woman ever had but there was always a first time for everything. As he watched her sit across the room, her back ramrod straight as she nursed a drink, he'd taken it upon himself to loosen her up a bit. Literally. That certainly wasn't the woman he was seeing now, though. This woman, with her large doe eyes and curves that could stop traffic, screamed sex.
His smile grew.
She reached the table, her gaze lingering on him long moments before she turned when Devin spoke to her. Luke watched her, imagining how she'd feel wrapped around his body before a light touch to his face caught his attention.
The blonde, Cathy? Candy? ... sitting next to him smiled, her hand sliding down his chest to rest high on his thigh. She was attractive, her large breast spilling from her low-cut red dress and come fuck me eyes just begging him to take her, but she was one of hundreds just like her. He could find them in every town. In every crowd, and they were all just as easy to find. The fact she was sitting there draped all over him proved it.
He gave her a smile before turning back to the girl now sitting across from him. She was looking at him again. He'd seen that look a thousand times. When he'd seen her earlier in the hotel bar, he had no idea how easy she would be to seduce. Now he knew. Holly's friend was as good as laid and by the looks she was giving him, they wouldn't even make it back to the hotel.
He leaned back, draping one arm across the back of the bench and tilted his head to watch her as Devin introduced Christian and Mick to her. She looked away from him, leaning forward to speak to them. Her dress had small, thin straps, her shoulders practically bare, and cut low enough in the front to give him a glimpse of soft, warm breast. She was tanned a golden brown and from what he could see, not a tan line anywhere.
When Devin introduced him, she turned her head back to him and smiled.
"We've met,” she said. “Sort of."
She glanced to his right, at the blonde who was taking advantage of his outstretched arm and snuggling against his side, before lifting a curious brow.
He grinned. “Yes. We were quite rudely interrupted today,” he said, darting a quick look to Devin. “I didn't catch your name."
"Roxy Carlisle."
"Roxy."
Her name on his lips caused a shiver to race up Roxy's spine. He was staring at her, one corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile but his eyes were what held her attention. How could one look reduce her to a quivering mess? Her insides felt like someone had shaken her up and sat her down too quickly. Her heart was racing and the man hadn't done anything other than say her name. Lord, he would probably be the death of her. One touch and she'd combust.
The crowd around them grew, the noise level along with it, and Roxy had a hard time distinguishing between what one person said and the next. She tried to follow the conversations happening around her and keep one eye on Luke (just so he'd know she was interested) without coming across as some freaky stalker who couldn't stop staring at him ... much like the vibes the blonde hanging on to him was giving off. The girl looked like she was glued to his hip. She alternated between staring up at him and looking around at the others at the table to make sure everyone knew she was snuggled up to the hottest thing there. Roxy wanted to rip her eyes out for that fact alone. That should be her snuggled up to the man, not some blonde bimbo who would probably warm his bed that night. The thought made her queasy. Why had she agreed to Holly's stupid plan?
When Luke turned to the blonde and flashed her a panty-melting smile, Roxy barely restrained the urge to gag. That was supposed to be her smile. Her ear he whispered in while she blushed at what he said. Her arms wrapped around him while every other female in the room took turns hating her for it.
She bit her lip to keep from screaming and turned to Holly. “I'm going to go grab a drink."
"Oh, hang on a second,” Devin said when she stood. “I'll have someone get you something. What do you want?"
"That's okay. I need to stretch my legs,” she lied.
Roxy made her way to the bar wanting to kick her own ass every step of the way. Where was her ‘go get ‘em’ attitude when she needed it? That little blonde wasn't anything to get worked up over, yet just sitting there watching her cuddle up with Luke was enough to cause thoughts of violence to override clear judgment. She wanted to hurt her. Bad. But really, who could blame her? She'd do the exact same thing given her position. It was the fact that she wasn't in that position that stung.
Sighing heavily, she stopped at the bar, waiting several minutes until the bartender spotted her before ordering. “Tequila. Make it a double."
"Make that two."
Roxy turned her head at the sound of Luke's voice and barely kept the smile on her face from making her look insane. Had he followed her? She looked back at the table, noticing the blonde still sitting there, her attention now centered on Mick. So, she was one of those, was she? “Is Mick going to give your girlfriend back before the night is over?” she said, motioning to the table with a tilt of her head.
Luke glanced back over his shoulder, smiling as he turned and faced Roxy again. “I'm growing rather bored of blondes. I'm in the mood for ... brunettes tonight,” he said, lifting a strand of her hair and rubbing it between his fingers. She locked eyes with him, her pulse quickening when he leaned forward and smelled her hair.
Roxy smiled, glancing away from him when the bartender placed their drinks in front of them. Luke said something to the man behind the bar and Roxy wasn't at all surprised when a saltshaker and a bowl of limes appeared. So, tequila shots, was it?
He turned to her, his gaze sliding across her skin in a slow, lingering caress before saying, “You up for a little adventure, Roxy?"
Roxy swallowed to moisten her throat. “What did you have in mind?"
He grinned and glanced down at her breasts. Roxy's heart skipped a beat when he did. She knew then what he wanted and lord help her, there was no way she could let this man do body shots off of her and not straddle him right where he stood.
But the game worked both ways didn't it?
She looked at the white button-up shirt Luke wore underneath his leather jacket. The first several buttons were undone and she could see a hint of skin peeking out from behind the fabric. Would Holly consider this cheating? It was just a quick game of lick and suck, right? As long as she didn't let it go too far, her friend couldn't complain.
Holding his gaze, she smiled before reaching out and picking up one of the small lime wedges. “Where do you want it?” she asked.
He grinned and took a step closer to her. “Places that aren't legal in public."
Roxy glanced around them, noticing more than a few people interested in them. Luke was drawing attention and even though he seemed to have no qualms about what he did in public, she wasn't an exhibitionist. Normally.
Taking the lime from her hand, he reached out, wrapping an arm around her waist, and pulling her tight against him. “How about we work our way down?” he said, placing the lime between her lips.
She almost gasped when he leaned forward, his lips trailing across her chin to her throat, his tongue slicking a path to the side of her neck and leaving a rush of goose bumps in its wake. She arched her back and closed her eyes when the warm, wet stroke of his tongue slid up her neck a second before the small flakes of salt hit her skin.
Locking eyes with him, she grabbed his arm, holding her breath when he slid his shot glass closer. “Ready?"
A small nod of her head was all she managed. Her vocal cords were suddenly fro
zen. He gave her a smile that nearly did her in before he once again leaned in and licked the salt from her skin. The drink was swallowed quickly and the next second, those luscious lips were surrounding hers. Instinct caused her to clamp down on the lime wedge and to her delight, Luke did exactly what she hoped and forced his tongue in her mouth to get it.
Dear lord, she didn't know what was better ... being in his arms, tasting his sweet lips, or having his tongue swirl around hers in a ferocious tangle.
She inhaled deeply when he drew back, watching him chew the fruit before he reached for another. “Your turn, beautiful."
Roxy grinned when he placed the lime wedge between his lips and pulled the material of his shirt wider and bared his neck. She reached up, lacing her fingers through his hair and tilted his head back and leaned toward him. His scent overwhelmed her and she wanted to crawl inside his skin.
She took her shot from his throat, sucking the thin skin into her mouth before salting it and grabbing her glass. He gazed down at her, a tiny smile lifting one corner of his mouth before he wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled her closer to his body.
The entire act lasted seconds. The taste of him washed away by salt and tequila before that wicked tongue was once again in her mouth. The fruit flavored kiss lasted longer than the first, Luke's hand locking her head in place and she wasn't about to complain. Kissing around a piece of fruit wasn't an easy task but Luke made it seem natural. And god, could this man kiss.
His next shot nearly did her in. He nuzzled her breasts, his breath warming the soft flesh peeking above the top of her dress, and she closed her eyes at the sensation. The feel of his lips and tongue caused shivers to run laps up and down her spine and her nipples tingled and hardened in anticipation.
The kiss that followed caused her to moan deep in her throat. She sagged against him, holding on to his arms for support when he tilted her head to deepen the kiss.
The loud whoops and yells from the crowd finally caught Roxy's attention and she broke the kiss. Their small group of onlookers had grown and heat crawled up her chest to land on her face. She glanced at every one watching them and one face in particular drew her attention. Holly. Her friend was shaking her head and smiling along with everyone else but the look on her face let her know she was about to blow the whole play it hard to get plan.
Reluctantly, she pulled away from him, taking a step back. “I think our audience has grown."
Luke looked at the gathering crowd and chuckled. “I'm used to a crowd,” he said, dipping his head and whispering in her ear, “I'd like to take my next taste a little lower. You want to make this party private and head back to the hotel?"
And there it was, Roxy thought. Her invitation to his bed. She knew without a doubt that was exactly where she'd end up if she agreed and damn Holly and her dumb ass plans! This man was doing exactly as she'd hoped and what was she going to do?
She looked at Holly, gave her the best pleading look she could, only to have her friend laugh and say no. She sighed and looked back at Luke. “As tempting as that offer is, I'll have to decline ... tonight."
Roxy could have laughed at the expression on his face. It looked as if he didn't hear her at first then his smile fell away and he frowned.
"Decline?"
"Yes. I don't even know you,” she said.
"Exactly why I offered to take our party elsewhere,” he grinned. “I'll assure you, by tomorrow morning, you'll know plenty about me."
Smiling to keep from grinding her teeth, Roxy leaned in to him, rubbing herself against him and said, “The nights still young. Besides, I came to dance."
She took a step back from him, sliding her hand across his stomach as she moved away from the bar and prayed to every god known to man he'd follow her. She glared at Holly while making her way to the dance floor. Her friend was laughing. Roxy saw her lean over and say something to Devin, who turned his attention to Luke. His answering laugh only made it worse.
She shook off her irritation at them and moved to the center of the dance floor. Just as she suspected, it only took her a second to find a willing dance partner. The urge to look over her shoulder to see what Luke was doing almost killed her. Was he headed back to the blonde now? She felt sick even thinking it. She'd kill Holly if he did. She bit back the temptation to look and set her hips into motion, swaying to the beat of the music.
Closing her eyes, she let the song move through her, her limbs following the rhythm and losing herself in the heavy beat while her unseen dance partner wrapped his arms around her.
A quick look at his face caused her to smile. He was nice looking. Not the drop-dead sexy man she wished to be dancing with, but hardly a burden. If she were in L.A., and looking for someone to fill her bed, he'd definitely do. She could have done worse, she supposed.
The song ended and a slower one replaced the fast, thumping beats she'd been dancing to and her partner took advantage of the change in tempo. His arms tightened around her waist and he leaned forward, nuzzling the side of her neck without invitation. She'd barely got her arms up around his shoulders when she felt someone brush against her back. An arm slid around her waist from behind and she was pulled into the warmth of a massive chest.
She grinned when she heard Luke tell her dance partner to “get lost.” To her surprise, he did. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder. He was grinning at her.
"Okay, maybe I didn't make my self clear,” he said, cradling her body in his arms.
"About what?"
He nuzzled the side of her neck and Roxy felt light headed. He ground his hips into her backside and she was pleasantly surprised to find him excited. The obvious bulge pushing into her butt caused her knees to go weak.
"About you coming back to the hotel with me,” he rasped in her ear.
"Oh, I'll definitely go back. I'm staying there too."
"In my bed?"
Roxy laughed. “Only if you're a good boy."
"Oh, I can be very good,” Luke promised, leaning down to brush a kiss on the side of her neck. Roxy's eyes closed when he placed a series of warm, wet kisses to her skin and shivered at the feel of his tongue stroking her flesh. “It'll be an experience you'll never forget."
"I'm sure it will,” she whispered.
He kept a firm grip on her waist but lowered one hand, skimming her hip before reaching the edge of her skirt. His fingers danced along her thigh, light, gentle strokes teasing her flesh. They swayed to the music, Luke's breath warm against her skin and Roxy raised her arm, wrapping it around his neck and closing her eyes. She lost herself in the feel of him. The warmth of his body ignited her senses and his free hand roamed her flesh until goose bumps pimpled her skin.
She opened her eyes when she felt his fingers brush against the front of her panties and tried to control her breathing. She glanced around at the other dancers, looking to see if anyone was paying any attention to them, but to her amazement, no one was.
His probing fingers found the edge of the silk covering her and she gasped when one lone digit crawled under the edge of her panties.
"Someone's a naughty girl,” he whispered in her ear, rubbing the soft bare skin between her legs. He gave her a brief, wicked smile before he captured her lips, forcing his tongue into her mouth.
Her body sagged against him. She drank in his kiss, letting him take what he wanted and she gasped when his curious fingers found her clit, rolling the small bundle of nerves in small circles.
He turned her suddenly, and ground his obvious erection into her hip. Reclaiming her lips, he crushed her to him, one large hand tangling into her hair and holding her to his hungry lips while the other did the most delicious things to her clit. It was more intense than any fantasy she'd ever had about him.
Luke Harris was definitely everything his image portrayed. He was sex. A walking orgasm just waiting for a place to happen. Seconds turned to minutes and Roxy broke the kiss with a gasp. She stared up into lust filled eyes and drank in the sight of it. His
pale gray eyes had turned sparkling silver. Fire burned in his gaze and it was directed at her.
He placed a soft kiss on the side of her mouth, his tongue darting out to trace her bottom lip and she felt the small touch to the soles of her feet.
"I want you, Roxy. Now."
Oh god. Roxy took a shuddering breath and tried to think around her sex-addled brain. Sleep with him now and chances are she'd be yesterday's rubbish. Continue with Holly's plan and ... and what? Prolong her misery? Leave her with another lonely night with nothing but her fantasies to keep her warm?
The hand between her legs was still there. His fingers burning a trail over her inner thigh and she could only imagine the heights this man would take her. Three minutes with his fingers buried in her panties and she was undone. What if she had all night?
Luke wanted her. He wanted her! How could she refuse? She'd done more stupid things in her life than she could count. This wouldn't be one of them. She smiled up at him and said, “Lead the way."
The smile he gave her made things low in her belly tighten with anticipation.
"Follow me,” he smiled, turning and leading her through the crowd toward the front door.
"Luke! Luke, wait."
Roxy turned her head when Luke stopped and did the same. A man approached them wearing a suit that looked as expensive as the dress she'd splurged on. His hair was thinning on top and was sprinkled with gray. He looked to be in his late forties. He carried an air of authority around him and she knew whoever he was, he was important. She raised a curious brow at him before looking at Luke. From the look on his face, she could tell he didn't like the man.
"The reporter I said was coming finally showed up. The other guys have already talked to him. It's your turn."
"Can't this wait?” Luke asked.
