by Debra Elise
“I don’t need an ice pack, dammit. Come back here and tell me what you thought.”
Seeing the pissed-off look on his face, she ignored him and raced inside. He’d just have to wait until she got back to hear the “why.” Treatment first.
It had been less than two minutes since she left and he looked like he was ready to spit nails or take her over his knee . . . the good one. She liked that idea, but first she needed to smooth things over.
She placed the ice pack on his knee and sat back down. “Any pain? I should’ve asked before. I can get you a painkiller if you need one.”
“No, no, I’m fine. Just tell me what that asshole said.”
“He was obviously trying to drive a wedge between us, and he was desperate for whatever he thought was in that drawer, but at no time was I worried he’d hurt me. He was after something he thought I had access to, now that Manny wasn’t around.”
“Damn, sounds like he’s back using again.”
“Again? You mean he’s used before?”
“Yes. And got caught. Back in his second year in the league. He was suspended, went through rehab, and was traded a year later to our team long before T. S. bought out the former owner. I was hoping T.S. or Blake would have let him go by now.”
“Do you think he’s been using since then? He’s gotta be over thirty now, and with the way the league has been cracking down on performance-enhancing drugs I can’t believe he hasn’t been tested in all that time.” Lara knew little about the rules pertaining to PEDs but she was pretty sure when someone was caught once, they’d be subject to random, if not yearly, testing.
“No. But I don’t doubt he’s using now. He’s gone through a few rough seasons and he had some muscle pulls last year. Plus, he’s been a raging bear on road trips. Damn, I can’t believe I didn’t connect it before.”
Lara shook her head. “It’s not your job, Luke.”
“I’m the senior player on the team, Lara. I make it a point to touch base with our guys. Make sure everyone’s maintaining themselves, you know.”
He rubbed his hand over the stubble of his jaw, drawing Lara’s gaze to his long fingers. Fingers that had done wicked things to her last night. And hopefully would again if they could get through this.
“So what are we going to do about . . .” Luke waved his hand at the pill bottle.
“Um, so you really have ADHD?”
“Yeah. I’ve tried different things like increasing my exercise and changing my diet, but I can’t control it without the meds, although I’m on the lowest dose the doc will agree to.”
She shifted her weight and sat on the end of his lounge chair. “I’m sorry, Luke. And I’m really sorry I tore the covers off you and yelled.” She smiled and placed her hands on either side of his torso and put her forehead on his. “Can you ever forgive me?” Her voice had gone whisper soft with desire.
“Oh, I think I can come up with a few things that would make me forget being rudely awakened and accused of illegal drug use.”
She sighed. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not blowing up at me and tossing me out on my ass for accusing you.”
Luke draped her across his lap and adjusted his bad knee so she wouldn’t be sitting on it. “Darling, it’s such a cute ass and I’d hate for anything to happen to it. Now about that makeup sex. I’m ready when you are.”
“Really? That’s all you want. I mean you don’t want me to do something embarrassing like wear a sign in public or make me sing in front of your teammates or—”
“You know, those are all great ideas. Maybe I should reconsider.”
“No! No. Makeup sex it is.”
Luke grinned. “Makeup sex. Outside.”
“Outside? You mean like now, in the daylight?” Lara wasn’t too sure she could follow through on his request. Now maybe if it was after dark, and they’d had a glass of wine . . .
“No one can see us, darling. Well, unless you count that one guy across the lake with the high powered telescope—”
“What!? How do you know he has a tele—”
“But I’m sure he’s at work.”
“Lucas Garibaldi, that’s not funny.”
He cupped her face and snaked his arm under her shirt and cradled a breast in his hand. He flicked her nipple. “No, and neither is this. This . . . this is all I want.”
Lara’s neck rolled backward and she closed her eyes. Well, here was another first that she couldn’t deny him. Sex, outside. In the daylight. Only for Luke.
“Although we don’t have much time. I need to head over to the stadium for my reprimand hearing.”
Lara stopped moving and looked closely at Luke. “What do you think they’ll do?”
“Not sure. Probably a fine and a suspension. They’ll wait till I’m off the DL to do it though. Could be a game, could be five. Anyway, it won’t be anything I don’t deserve.”
“I’m sure that doesn’t make it easier. Knowing you’re off all this time because of the knee, and then when you’re better you still have to sit on the bench.”
Luke reached up and thumbed her lips and grinned. “Yes, but you know what will make it better right now?”
Lara sucked on his thumb. “What?”
“Have you spread out on this lounger while I taste you and watch you come.”
Lara’s core tightened and her pussy tingled at the suggestion. Who was she to say no? “Wha-what about . . . aah!”
Luke lifted her up and slid off the chair, all while placing her back on it in one less-than-smooth motion. He laughed at her and gently pushed her back to lie flat. “Darling, I’ve been picturing you out here in the sunshine posed just like this, except without clothes. Can you do this for me, baby?”
She nodded and felt her face flush. She quickly undressed while he watched her every move. When she was done he placed his hands on her upper thighs and frowned. No, not a frown—he looked intent. Like a man determined to please his woman.
“Open for me, darling. That’s it, nice and wide.” He groaned as she complied. “Damn, you’re so wet.” He placed his palm on her and pressed down while running his thumb between her folds. “So damn pretty.”
The pressure was almost enough to send her over the edge. That quickly, he turned her on. All thoughts of modesty vanished as the only thing she wanted at this very moment was happening. The promise of another explosive orgasm from Luke.
She lifted her hips in a plea for him to move his hand. He chuckled and looked her in the eye. “I’m going to make you scream, darling. Hold on.”
He plunged two fingers inside her at the same time he captured her lips in a deep kiss that lasted forever. He stroked her until her legs shook. She became greedy and wanted it faster, so she began rotating her hips to match his strokes.
He trailed his kisses down to her breasts and sucked her nipples until she felt the sharp sting of her orgasm hit. At the last minute he withdrew his fingers and grabbed her legs. She whimpered from the lack of contact until she saw what he was doing.
“You’re not coming yet. Not until I taste you, darling.”
He pushed her legs open even wider, and leaning on his good knee he speared her feminine lips and began thrusting his tongue in and out of her. She gripped the sides of the lounger. “Oh, Luke. God, yes. That feels so good.”
He continued to stroke her until again she felt the rise of her orgasm. When it started, he returned his fingers to her pussy and suckled her clit, stroking her as she exploded. She felt herself spasm around his fingers and lifted herself up into him so the pressure from his tongue was intensified on her clit.
She screamed his name as she rode the longest orgasm of her life. Luke crooned soft words of encouragement to her as he now licked and petted her. Tiny white lights appeared behind her lids while he pinched her nipples and she rode his tongue.
As her body relaxed from the intensity, Luke trailed openmouthed kisses up her stomach and onto her breasts before resting h
is head in the crook of her neck.
“That was exactly what I’d hoped for, darling.”
Lara was speechless. She continued to take in deep breaths and wrapped her arms around her lover and began to stroke his back. “That was . . . spectacular. Now it’s your turn.” She got up to move, but he held her down.
“No time. I’m going to be late as it is. But it was worth every second.” He looked in her eyes and for a minute Lara thought he was going to say something else. Something she might not be ready for.
Instead, he sat back on his haunches and carefully rose up, taking care not to put too much pressure on his bad knee. “I’m going to carry this picture of you with me all day. You’re gorgeous, Lara. Thank you.”
Confused at his words, she blinked several times and then smiled. “You don’t have to thank me, Luke. It should be the other way around. You were . . . that was—perfect.”
He winked at her. “I’ll see you later this afternoon for our session. Then tonight we’ll pick another part of the house to christen.”
She watched him and his fine posterior walk back into the house. Damn, he had a lot of rooms. If they were going to have sex in them all, she was going to need a lot of naps.
CHAPTER 20
On Sunday she gave Luke a day of rest from therapy, which gave her a chance to run some errands. He spent most of the day watching baseball, talking baseball, and texting Maverick who was playing baseball—without him. It tugged at her heart how much he loved the sport and how much he missed it.
She stopped at his usual Chinese takeout place and ordered his favorite, egg foo yong, and some other dishes they could share. Her phone went off as she pulled into Luke’s driveway. She ignored it and parked to the left of his Camaro, which had not been driven since his accident. She’d been itching to get behind the wheel.
Her first boyfriend had had a beat-up old mid-eighties model and declared girls were not meant to drive high-performance cars. He hadn’t lasted long after she told him he must be overcompensating for something when he’d peel out from a stop sign.
Maybe she could talk Luke into a short drive later today on the river road. She grabbed the two bags of groceries she’d picked up to restock his fridge and the bag of Chinese takeout, and with the key he’d given her last week, she went into the house and made herself at home.
After she’d finished putting away the food, she grabbed her phone and went in search of Luke. She listened to her voice mail as she made her way down the hall to his living room where she found him yelling at the TV screen. His curses aimed at the plate umpire were drowned out by a voice she’d hoped to never hear again.
She froze on the threshold to the room and listened as Nate made threats against both her and Luke if she didn’t stop seeing him. She shook her head and backed up into the hallway, but not before Luke saw her. He called her name but she kept retreating. She turned and walked back into the kitchen and took out a bottle of water and drank deeply.
Why now?
How was she supposed to handle a desperate man hell bent on winning her back? And now he was willing to ruin a good man’s reputation in the process. Nate had always talked big. He rarely followed through on any of the get-rich-quick schemes he forever dreamed up. Maybe this too would fizzle out and he’d just give up if she sat down with him and explained there was no hope for them getting back together, because she was in love with . . .
“Hey, Lara. Why’d you run off, darling?” Luke was getting around quicker every day. She wasn’t quite ready to talk to him about the phone call. God, she hoped she was making the right decision. She didn’t want Nate ruining her chances with Luke; what she felt for Luke went deeper than anything she’d ever felt for her ex.
Luke entered the room and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “You always smell so damn good. Makes me want to take you right here. You ever make love in the kitchen, Lara?” He nipped her earlobe and soothed the sting with a kiss.
It didn’t take much for him to make all her worries disappear with a simple caress.
“What put that worried look on your face? Maybe I can help you work off some of the tension coming off your sweet little body, hmmm?”
He ran his hand down her hips and dipped in between her thighs. She relaxed into his warm body and let him tease her. It didn’t take much for her to become wet and ready for him. He slipped his hand under her waistband and into her panties. She widened her stance to give him all the access he needed and moaned when he found her sweet spot and began a featherlight assault.
She arched her back and let out a low moan. The message forgotten, all she focused on was Luke’s wicked touch and the building need he created in her. Every. Time. She’d never considered herself as someone who needed a lot of sex. But with Luke, there was never a day or a moment spent together that she didn’t want his mouth on her, inside her. And she was fast becoming an addict to his brand of loving.
Luke brought her to the edge of orgasm and as quick as lightning removed his hand and spun her around so that she wound up in his embrace. She grabbed onto his biceps and squeezed. She loved the feel of his arms around her but was disappointed at him for leaving her throbbing and unfulfilled. “No fair, Luke. You wind me up, then stop,” she whispered.
“Oh, I’ll finish what I started, darling, but right now I have something better in mind. How about you lose the clothes and I’ll start where I left off.”
She almost came right then. She’d never been with a man who talked dirty—or at all—during foreplay. She found it turned her on. A lot.
“You do know what I like. But, it feels so . . . naughty being naked in the kitchen. What if we take this upstairs or to that comfy couch in the living room?”
He shook his head and pressed his erection into her belly. “Here. Now.”
The need in his eyes convinced her. She’d done that to him. And that was the biggest turn-on of all.
With a shy smile she moved out of his arms and undressed. Slowly. She watched his gaze follow her movements and became more confident by the second. With this man she felt sexy, wanted, and respected. When she was completely nude, she fought the urge to cover herself. She watched as he took his time looking at her from head to toe and back up again.
She shook with need and wanted to beg him to hurry, but this torture was sweet and it would be all the sweeter when his hands and mouth were on her.
“Lara, you make me feel weak and strong all at the same time. Do you have any idea how much I want you right now?”
“I do.”
His head snapped up at her reply. “Really? Because, darling, I’m not sure I can go slow this time. Not after your striptease just now. Damn if that wasn’t the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Then don’t.” She held his intense gaze and backed up against the island. She lifted herself onto the countertop and spread her legs. “I want what you promised.”
Luke’s face broke into the wickedest smile she’d seen him wear. “I always keep my promises.”
After that neither one of them spoke much. He took the final steps toward her, careful not to jostle his injured knee, and placed himself between her thighs, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in. He devoured her lips in small tastes, then twirled his tongue and conquered. She couldn’t get close enough to him. She wound her legs around his waist and rubbed her sensitive nipples against his chest and groaned in frustration.
“You’re way overdressed for this occasion.” She tugged at the bottom of his shirt, and before he could do it on his own, she brought it over his head and tossed it over his shoulder. She placed her hands on his chest and explored greedily while he again captured her mouth and consumed her until they both needed air.
He eased back and looked up at her now flushed face. Warm all over, she took in deep breaths and reached for his hand. She twined her fingers with his and sweetly demanded, “I need you inside me, now.”
“Way ahead of you, darling.” L
uke rolled on a condom and guided his cock to her still-pulsing entrance.
She watched in fascination as he slowly entered her, and when he was deep inside he gently grabbed her chin, guided it upward, and held her gaze as he slowly rocked into her.
“Oh, but your knee. Shouldn’t I be on top?”
“Shh, it’s fine. Let me have you this way, Lara. Now wrap your legs around me.” He increased his tempo as she complied.
“That’s it.” He groaned.
With her legs firmly around him, he placed his hands under her and lifted her ever so slightly. The new angle created all kinds of new sensations. She gripped his shoulders and took him in deep. He thrust into her over and over until she felt him stiffen and let out a roar, followed by her name whispered ever so softly. She hugged him close and absorbed his shudders as he came.
They both slumped onto the counter and held tight. He continued to thrust slowly as tiny aftershocks rocked her core. Minutes passed as they each rained kisses on the other’s cooling body.
“You okay?”
“No,” she teased. “I’m fantabulous. And we’re doing this again. Kitchen sex is awesome.”
He chuckled against her breast and flicked her nipple. “Hmm, I seem to have neglected other parts of your body. What do you say we spend the afternoon making love?”
“But the food is already cold. Aren’t you hungry?”
He cupped her face and tipped her world upside down. “Only for you.”
She needed to tell him about the voice mail, but the way he was looking at her changed everything. The outside world could wait.
CHAPTER 21
Lara woke with a smile and snuggled deeper into the snoring man curled around her. Each time they had sex she’d think it could never be better than this, and each time Luke proved her wrong.
Things had turned definitely domestic between them. Each had taken on specific chores. Lara, thankful for Luke’s understanding of her intense need for coffee first thing in the morning, had begun setting the timer on his fancy coffeepot so she’d have a fresh, hot cup upon waking. Today was no different. The delicious smell had made its way into his bedroom and was now calling her name.
