by Debby Conrad
Luke’s gaze crawled up and down the length of her, and his mouth hung open, but she paid him no mind. Flinging her hair off her shoulders, she spun around and lost herself in the music.
She hadn’t noticed the song had ended and a slower one had begun until Brad reached for her, pulling her into his arms. But she barely paid attention to Brad because she was suddenly focused on the way Claudia was draped over Luke. The woman deliberately guided his hands to her butt as she planted tiny kisses on his neck and throat. It was all too much to watch, and yet she couldn’t tear her gaze away.
Until she felt a pair of hands kneading her own butt. Rusty quickly stepped away from Brad and was about to reprimand him, when she realized she’d backed into Luke.
“Ready to switch partners, Lehman?” Luke asked, handing Claudia over to Brad.
Luke’s arms came around Rusty, and held her close. “This double dating thing is kinda fun,” he said against her ear. “I get to spend time with two beautiful women in the same night.”
“Is that what you call it? Spending time? The way you and Claudia were molded to each other I naturally assumed one or both of you were going to get naked right here in public.”
“Jealous because your date isn’t spending enough time trying to seduce you?”
“No. I’m not jealous, and neither do I want to be seduced or mauled, especially in a place like this,” she said, turning her nose up in disgust.
Luke chuckled and tightened his hold around her waist. She wished his hands didn’t feel so good, so warm, so masculine. It almost made her forget the room smelled of smoke and body odor.
“I was wondering how long it would take before you showed your true colors. All those smiles and polite little comments all evening didn’t fool me one bit. I know the real you, Rusty, and I bet you can’t wait to get out of here, go home, and scrub the stench off your creamy white skin.”
Rusty didn’t bother arguing with him. Instead, she changed the subject. “Claudia seems to like you. A lot.”
“Yep.”
She searched his face, his eyes, all the while trying to appraise his thoughts. “And?”
“What do you want me to say? That I find her attractive?” He shrugged. “I find her very attractive. But I’ve been down that road. It’s a dead end street as far as I’m concerned.”
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
“So you and Claudia were once involved in a relationship?” she asked, trying to sound casual.
“I guess you could say that.”
“How long did you … date?”
“A few weeks, maybe a few months. I really don’t remember. It was last year sometime.”
“You don’t remember? Do you think all women are so eager to jump into bed with you that you can just write them off afterward without a care in the world?” She was surprised she was coming to Claudia’s defense, but someone had to put this man in his place.
“Not all women.”
“Really? Name one you didn’t write off.”
He stopped moving, and stared down at her. “Let’s not go there, okay? I haven’t given you the third degree about who you’ve slept with, have I?”
“That’s because it’s none of your business.” She pulled out of his arms, turned and ran smack into one of the biggest and smelliest men she’d ever encountered.
The man grinned at her with crooked yellow teeth. “Nice,” he said, ogling her and rubbing his gray-streaked beard.
Rusty moved around him and headed back to their table, Luke on her heels.
“And who I’ve slept with is your business?” he asked, not bothering to keep his voice down. She didn’t answer. He didn’t deserve an answer if he was going to shout at her. “That’s what I thought.”
She plopped into the hard wood chair and folded her hands on the sticky table top. “Keep your dirty little secrets, Luke. I’m sure I don’t want to hear about all the sordid details anyway.”
“No, I’m sure you don’t. In fact, I’m positive if I shared some of my sexual antics, you’d probably pass out from shock. We don’t want that, Princess, do we?”
Rusty ignored him, wiping her hands on a soggy napkin.
The barmaid appeared. “You ready for another round?” She cracked her gum between her teeth and yawned. Her short dark hair stood out from her head in gelled peaks.
“I’ll have another beer, darlin’,” Luke said, then looked at Rusty.
“Nothing for me. Thanks.”
The young woman leaned forward, showing off her cleavage, took away the empty glasses and swiped the table with a damp rag before disappearing.
“Women do not like to be called darlin’, or honey, or any other related term. It’s degrading.”
Luke shrugged. “I was only being friendly. Besides, she didn’t seem to mind. You’re the only woman I’ve ever met who seems agitated with every word that comes out of my mouth.”
“That’s because you’re so primitive.”
He raised his brows in surprise. “Really? And here all this time I thought I was being charming.”
Rusty held his gaze for a moment, then turned her head.
“You’ll have to forgive me, Princess. I didn’t go to any of those fancy schools in Europe, like you. I’m just a plain old cowboy with dirty boots and no manners.”
She zoomed in on him. “Do you want to know what I think?”
“Oh, absolutely. I would never pass up the chance to hear what you have to say about me.” He grinned wickedly.
“I think most of your cocky and uncivilized behavior is put on for my benefit.”
He didn’t answer.
Hah! she thought. She was right. She smiled to herself and sat up straighter.
Luke sat back in his chair and ran his gaze over her. “Well, you’re wrong, Rusty. What you see is what you get.”
Her smile inwardly faded, but before she had a chance to argue with him further, Claudia and Brad returned to the table and squeezed their way into their seats.
The waitress brought a fresh round of drinks for everyone but Rusty, and Luke paid the tab. He handed the waitress a twenty-dollar bill and said, “I didn’t mean to offend you by callin’ you darlin’ a little while ago.”
The woman laughed and leaned forward. “Sugar, that ain’t nothing compared to what some of the assholes who come in her have called me. But as long as they keep ordering drinks they can call me anything they want.” With that she sailed away.
Rusty stared at Luke. She could tell by his smug expression that he thought he was off the hook. Although she wasn’t ready to give in so easily, she had to admit she was grateful he’d apologized. And it confirmed that maybe underneath all that crudeness he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AS FAR AS HOUSES WENT, Luke decided Lehman’s wasn’t so bad. In the nineteen century it had served as a schoolhouse. Later it had been renovated and used as law offices. But Lehman’s grandfather had purchased the place a few decades ago and turned it into a residential showplace, or at least that was the story their host had given while taking them on the grand tour.
Lehman turned on the outside lights to illuminate the hot tub and patio area. “Anyone care for champagne?”
Claudia was the first to accept Lehman’s offer. “Anyone else?” Lehman asked after popping the cork.
Luke was about to take the man up on his offer until he saw the scowl on Rusty’s face. “You have to drive us home,” she reminded him.
Not wanting to get into an argument with her, Luke declined.
Lehman passed Claudia a glass of bubbly and took a sip from his own glass. “Great stuff,” he bragged. “My grandfather had a few cases flown in from France.”
Luke wasn’t impressed, but immediately Rusty began quizzing him about the details, saying she had visited the vineyard where the grapes were grown to make the stuff.
Claudia eased close to Luke’s side. “I didn’t bring a bathing suit, did you?” she asked with a
giggle.
“Afraid not.”
“Don’t worry,” Lehman said. “I have plenty of suits that have been left behind over the years.” He waggled a brow at Luke.
Luke, Claudia and Rusty followed their host out of the library and up the stairs to the guest rooms. Sure enough, the man had laid out several bathing suits and robes for his guests. Luke grabbed a pair of navy blue trunks and headed for the bathroom.
Once he’d changed he went downstairs and outside. The bricked patio was ice cold on his feet, but once he stepped into the hot, steamy water, he was fine. Lehman was already inside the hot tub, sporting a pair of bikini briefs that looked like they belonged to a twelve-year-old kid, and drinking champagne. Soft music played from an outdoor speaker.
“I bet Claudia is a tiger in bed,” Lehman said.
Luke raised his brows. The man irritated him, yet at the same time Luke was glad—for some reason—that Lehman was interested in Claudia. Maybe that meant he no longer had eyes for Rusty.
“Claudia may be too much for you, Lehman. She likes guys who are well endowed, to put it bluntly.”
Lehman’s face grew red with anger. “Haven’t you ever heard that size doesn’t matter?” Steam flowed freely from his breath.
Luke howled with laughter. “You don’t believe that crap, do you? Of course, size matters. Women just say it doesn’t so they don’t hurt your feelings when what they really want to say is that they were disappointed.”
“You’re an asshole, you know that?”
“Yeah, a few people have shared their views of me over the years.”
Claudia came out the patio door just then, dressed in skimpy, black thong bikini. It looked hot as hell on the woman as she pranced across the patio and practically dived into the tub. But nothing looked as hot as Rusty, who wore a white terrycloth robe, her long hair flowing free with the wind.
Momentarily locking gazes with Luke, she stood on the edge of the hot tub and let the robe slip from her body, revealing an expanse of creamy, white skin and long, shapely legs.
Luke offered her his hand as she made her way down the steps and into the water. She’d chosen a modest, floral one-piece that looked classy and showed off just the right amount of cleavage. An erection formed beneath his trunks.
“Ladies,” Lehman said with a purr, “you look very sexy.” He’d used the word “ladies”, but his gaze was glued to Claudia’s breasts that were spilling from her bikini top.
“I told Rusty I could give her the name of my plastic surgeon if she wanted to have her breasts enhanced,” Claudia said.
Rusty smiled politely. “No, thank you, Claudia.”
“Her breasts are fine the way they are,” Luke said, not realizing he was speaking aloud until the words were out. Clearing his throat, he dipped lower into the water and forced himself to relax.
Rusty took a seat between him and Lehman and let out an exhausted sigh. “This feels wonderful, Brad. Thanks for inviting us.”
“The recovery is quick, if that’s what you’re afraid of,” Claudia went on, her gaze focused on Rusty.
Again, Luke felt the need to come to her defense. “Some people like things in small packages. In fact, we were having a similar conversation before you two came outdoors. Weren’t we, Lehman?”
“Uh, yes,” he muttered. “Let’s talk about something else, shall we?” And before anyone could stop him he started in again about how his grandfather had come to acquire the property they were on.
Rusty’s leg bumped Luke’s occasionally as Lehman talked to no one in particular. After about thirty minutes, Luke decided he couldn’t take anymore. As much as he was enjoying sitting next to Rusty, he’d rather go home and take a cold shower than hear one more word about Lehman’s grandfather.
He yawned, then looked at Rusty who seemed to pick up on his cue. She, too, yawned then had the good graces to apologize. “I’m sorry, it must be past my bedtime. Luke, we really should be going.”
Luke was out of the tub in a shot, extending his hand to Rusty. He reached for the white robe Rusty had worn outside, and draped it over her shoulders and grabbed a towel for himself.
Claudia frowned and pushed her bottom lip forward. “It’s still early. Barely eleven.”
Lehman set his glass aside and made as if he was about to get out of the water.
“No need to end your fun just because we have to go,” Luke said.
Lehman raised his brow, glancing first at Luke then at Rusty. “You’re sure?”
Rusty waved a hand. “Enjoy. Luke will see me home. I had a lovely evening.”
Luke and Rusty went inside and upstairs to change. Once downstairs, Luke watched as Rusty headed toward the patio door then froze in her tracks.
“Well, they certainly didn’t waste any time, did they?”
Luke came up behind her and stared out into the night. Sure enough, Lehman and Claudia were exchanging tongues and a few gropes. “Hey,” he said with a shrug, “guys are pigs. What can I say?”
Turning to face him, she stared him in the eye. “You should know.” With that, she grabbed her mink coat from a nearby chair and headed to the front door.
She was quiet on the ride home, and Luke felt the need to goad her. If he didn’t, he’d start caring about whether or not Lehman had hurt her by his actions, although he highly doubted it. He knew Rusty had only accepted the date with him to annoy Luke.
“So, who’s next on your list now that Richman and Lehman are both out of the game?”
“I never said Tyler Richman was out of the—” She paused, then jerked her head toward him in the dark interior of the truck. “This is not a game.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No. This is about me doing something to please someone other than myself.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Well, if you ask me—”
“I didn’t ask you.”
He let out an angry sigh as he pulled into the drive. “How the hell can you even be thinking about going out with Richman again when nothing happened when he kissed you?”
“Because I—” She turned and glared at him. “I never said anything like that.”
“You didn’t have to. I saw the look on your face after he kissed you that night. You had a blank stare, like you were waiting for something more to happen.”
Rusty laughed. “You are psychotic. I suppose you think you’re the only one who can warm me from the inside out.”
Luke cut the engine and swiveled in his seat to face her. “Something like that.” The front porch light provided enough illumination to see the anger flash in her green eyes.
“Well, you’re wrong.”
“Am I?” He moved across the seat until their knees brushed.
“Yes,” she said, inching toward the door.
“Prove it.”
“I don’t have to prove anything to you.” She unfastened her seat belt and reached for the door handle.
“You’re chicken.”
She tilted her head slightly and stared into his eyes. “And you could use some help with your seduction technique.”
“I think my technique is just fine.”
“Where in the world did you get such a big ego?”
He grinned. “Are you challenging me, honey?”
Instead of answering, she lifted her chin defiantly. It was all the invitation he needed. He moved in for the kill.
She opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to slip inside her warmth. After a few moments she brought her arms around his neck and angled her head, teasing his tongue with her own.
Luke’s heart lurched madly in his chest as he realized he was making a mistake. Break away, a voice in his head told him. Stop. Think. Listen to the brain in your head, not the one in your dick.
But it was too late. Every time he touched Rusty, he toppled over the edge of reason. And this time he wasn’t turning back, no matter how many voices told him he was crazy for kissing her.
Parting the fur of her coat, he dragged his thumbs over
her nipples, loving how they instantly turned to hard pebbles with his touch. He was drugged by her scent, by the way her hair tickled his cheek and neck. He couldn’t get enough of her.
His right hand left her breast to trail a path down along her waist, across the top of her thigh, and under her dress.
She moaned against his mouth as he made contact with her heat. “Luke,” she whispered breathlessly, lifting her hip and spreading her legs, which gave him more access.
He found his way beneath the edge of her silk panties and touched the dampness there. Her movements grew more frantic, her kisses more urgent. He knew what she wanted, needed, and he intended to satisfy her.
Her mouth left his and she threw her head back, her expression strained. Her breath was choppy, her voice raspy. “Luke, … I—”
“Don’t fight it, Rusty.” He stroked her, dipping his middle finger deep inside her liquid warmth and then rubbing her dew against her most sensitive spot. “Don’t think about it. Just let it happen.”
And just like that she exploded against his hand. He’d never forget the look on her face as she looked at him with wonder. He held her tight, kissing the side of her face, her neck, whispering words he’d later curse himself for saying.
The windows inside the truck had steamed, enclosing them in privacy. She laid her face against his neck and throat, her breath warm against his skin, and held onto him. “I’ve never done something like that before.”
An alarm went off inside. Never? Had she meant she’d never fooled around in a truck, or had she meant she’d never experienced an orgasm before?
Surely, she couldn’t have meant the latter, then again.
Luke still couldn’t believe what had happened. He knew it was wrong to have touched her like that, and yet he was feeling pretty triumphant that he’d brought her off so easily. Just as she could bring him off if she’d tried. His dick was as hard as a steel rod. All she had to do was touch his erection and he’d lose control.
And then the voices came back, reminding him of the mistake he’d just made. She was Sam’s daughter. And she must have had some lousy sexual partners. Damn!
Luke was the first to break the silence. The one to ruin their moment. “So, what do you think about my technique now, Princess?”
