From the bowling alley they’d gone to a small burger joint for a meal of grilled hamburgers laden with lettuce, tomatoes and extra cheese and a side of onion rings and two super-thick strawberry milkshakes. Joanne smiled as she remembered the laughter that rang so soundly between them, both of them thoroughly enjoying each other’s company.
She’d felt exceptionally comfortable with him, Luke moving her to expose more of herself than she’d shared with any man before. The conversation had flowed easily as they’d navigated one subject after another. Both of them had been taken aback by the level of ease they found with each other, and Joanne and Luke both were suddenly imagining where their new-found friendship could take them.
From the small diner, they’d moved to the movie theater. A debate had been waged at the ticket window, Joanne wanting to see the newest Will Smith movie and Luke more excited by some shoot-’em-up action flick. Joanne and Will Smith won the battle. The young girl at the counter had told them how cute they were together, making her blush profusely as Luke had agreed, gripping her by the shoulder as he’d casually leaned to kiss her cheek.
By the time they’d purchased their tickets, a large bucket of buttered popcorn and a gigantic box of Jordan Almonds, Joanne was floating on air. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun with a man who was clearly having a wonderful time with her.
The late-night viewing had been completely empty, the two having the theater all to themselves as they’d sat at the uppermost level of the theater beneath the movie projection booth. They’d propped their legs against the back of the seats in front of them as he’d held the bucket of popcorn between them.
Mid-movie, Luke had slipped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. The move was smooth as he’d stretched out both arms, pretending to yawn, then letting his right arm drop easily behind her back while his left hand had lifted away the chair arm between them. The gesture had made Joanne laugh.
“That was slick,” she’d said with a warm giggle.
“I know,” he’d responded, winking at her. “I’m good like that.”
Beneath the veil of darkness she’d leaned into his side, allowing herself to relax against him, enjoying the rise of body heat between them. Then Luke had softly nuzzled her neck, pressing light kisses along the length of her jawline, and Joanne felt her composure weakening.
“Thank you,” Luke had whispered into her ear, warm breath teasing her skin.
“For what?” Joanne had whispered back, fighting to maintain her decorum as she feigned interest in the movie screen before them.
“For the best night of my whole life.”
Joanne had grinned broadly, the wide smile filling her face as Luke had smiled back. His next question had only taken her by surprise for a brief second before she was nodding her assent.
“May I kiss you, Joanne?” he’d asked, leaning his face close to hers, his warm breath blowing waves of anticipation through her.
When he’d covered her mouth with his own, Joanne had known there would be no turning back. Clasping her face between his hands, his kiss had been heated and searching, his lips moving hungrily over hers. It was as if there were not enough of her to kiss. Joanne had returned Luke’s fervor with her own, opening herself to his invading tongue. She’d licked and sucked at his full lips, savoring his mouth with full appreciation. The abandon they were both showing proved to be a powerful aphrodisiac.
Luke had pulled away from her, staring down into her eyes. “We can’t be friends anymore,” he’d gasped, his voice deep and husky.
Confusion had washed over Joanne’s expression. “Why? I don’t—”
“Because I really want to make love to you, and if you tell me you don’t make love to your friends, I’m going to be devastated,” he’d said with a sly smile.
Joanne had laughed, and then he’d kissed her again, shifting his body in his seat to pull her against him. His tongue left her mouth and trailed a heated path down her chin and onto her delicate neck. He’d nibbled at her flesh until she’d heard herself moaning and cooing softly in his arms. Kisses had rained like water, a torrential wave of heat and passion rising out of nowhere. Before either of them knew it, the credits were rolling across the massive movie screen, the house lights rising softly in the room.
Neither of them could keep their hands off the other as they had sat in the back of the limousine, the SUV gliding nowhere through the streets of Dallas. Her beautiful dress was suddenly in the way as Luke slipped a large palm beneath the hem, drawing warm caresses against her bare legs. Joanne had pressed her hands to his chest, pulling at the white dress shirt that separated her touch from his flesh.
In one swift move, Luke had lifted her from her seat, pulling her into his lap. Joanne had slipped her arms around his neck, their mouths still locked together. Luke had groaned as he’d pulled at the zipper to her dress, pushing the top of the silk garment down toward her waist. Sliding his hands over her naked back, his fingers ignited every nerve ending through Joanne’s body as he caressed the bare skin of her shoulders and back, tracing a path down to her full waist and crest of her buttocks. She’d suddenly wanted him with a fervor she’d never known for any man before.
Breaking the kiss, Luke had stared into her eyes, desire smoldering in his own dark orbs. In that moment, both of them had no reservations about what they were craving. Luke had wanted her with every fiber of his being. His eyes wide with appreciation, he’d gently cupped her large breasts in both palms, gently exploring the chocolate peaks. Cradling his head against her chest, his mouth slid wetly over her nipples as he’d suckled one and then the other, his tongue lashing at the lush buttons that had hardened like rock candy at his touch.
Joanne had squirmed against him. The sensation of his lips latched around her flesh, sucking her in, had sent tendrils of pleasure through the core of her body. She’d threaded her fingers across the low-cropped cut of his hair, pulling him closer to her. Throwing her head back against her neck, Joanne had moaned, a hiss of pleasure filling the midnight air.
Luke had kneaded the flesh between his lips, savoring the silkiness of her skin, the hardness of her nipple on his tongue. Pleasuring her was all he could think of, was all he wanted, as Joanne rocked against his lap, giving in to her carnal desires. He could feel her heat pulsing through the fabric of her skirt, igniting a pounding through his lower extremities. He’d suddenly been consumed with tasting every square inch of her body.
“If you want me to stop, you need to tell me now,” Luke whispered, his voice husky with desire. “Tell me now, baby, before we take this any further.”
Joanne had pulled back to stare into his face, meeting his intense gaze with one of her own. There was no denying the rush of emotions sweeping through them both. Stopping him was the last thing on her mind as his hands skated across her thighs.
“Make love to me,” she said out loud, leaning back to capture his mouth with her own, kissing him eagerly.
With those words, Luke gently eased his large hand beneath Joanne’s thighs, pressing two fingers against the entrance of that sweet spot between her legs. She gasped loudly at his touch, her expression expectant and crazed with lust as he eased his fingers beneath her panties. His digits were slowly swallowed up by the hot, tight, velvet sheath of her body. Both of them moaned loudly as every lingering inhibition about where they were and what they were doing was thrown to the wind.
“Oh, yessss,” Joanne hissed. She slowly began to rock her hips back and forth, her body clutching and clenching the man’s fingers.
With his free hand, Luke grabbed her buttocks, gripping a cheek as she shamelessly drove herself up and down against him. Her breath was coming in sharp gasps as she moaned his name over and over again, the sweetness of the chant like music to his ears.
Luke had watched as Joanne had rotated her hips against his hand. Her body was lush and full, the suppleness of her pelvis enough to rival the most seasoned athlete. Perspiration dampened her skin, glis
tening like gold against her complexion. She was beautiful, and he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman before her.
With wild abandon, Joanne had moved faster, her hips becoming a blur against him. Luke moved to steady her against his lap. Understanding that she was at a point of no return, he opened his mouth and quickly drew one of the large breasts past his lips. He swirled his tongue around the plump fullness, grazing the hardened nipple with the edge of his teeth. When he did, Joanne had thrown back her head and screamed.
Incomprehensible words of lust had spilled from her mouth, and then she’d bucked her body skyward as an orgasm ripped through her. Her body had shuddered and thrashed in his arms, her private chamber clutching his fingers even tighter. And then she fell forward against him, gasping heavily for air.
As her breathing normalized, Joanne had stared at him, her curls tangled, her dress wrinkled. Her gaze had been just shy of vacant, her lips swollen from his kisses, her face flushed. She’d been beautiful, and Luke had said so. Leaning his face against hers, Luke had chuckled softly, whispering into her ear. “Foreplay has officially begun.”
Remembering, Joanne now quivered against the mattress. The man hadn’t been teasing. It had been the beginning, and what followed had left her body aching delightfully with pure, unadulterated pleasure.
Luke was shaking his head. No one was saying anything, his brothers all silent to keep the attention diverted away from them. Luke was under attack—not one of the women in the family happy with him.
He cut his eye toward John, his gaze pleading for some assistance. John turned his eyes to the other side of the room, a smug smile hidden behind a copy of Fortune magazine.
Sighing, Luke knew he was on his own, no help coming from any of the male members of their family.
Marah had just stopped berating him when Juanita picked up the rant. “I just don’t understand it, Luke Stallion. You weren’t there for ten minutes. You walked in and barely bothered to introduce your young lady to your family before you were dragging the poor thing out the door!”
“Did you get an introduction?” Marah queried. “Because I never got to meet the woman.”
“Her gown was gorgeous,” Michelle interjected, a wry smile pulling at her mouth.
“Wasn’t it pretty!” Marla exclaimed. “And she was so sweet.”
“And you didn’t take one picture!” Juanita chimed. “Not one of the family pictures is going to have you two in it. What did you think, Luke? That we hired that expensive photographer for the fun of it?”
There was a moment of thundering silence as the women stood staring down at him, hands clutching hips with vague irritation. Luke looked from one to the other, realizing that their silence was the signal that they were waiting for an explanation. They wanted Luke to make sense of what they didn’t understand.
Before Luke could think to respond, Edward became the voice of reason. “I swear, you women are like a pack of wolves.” He turned to face Luke. “Luke, did you have a good time with your lady friend, son?”
Luke nodded, a flash of memory flooding his bloodstream. He cleared his throat, trying not to let the emotions get away from him. “Yes, sir. We had a terrific time together.”
“Then that’s all that matters. Y’all leave this boy alone!”
The other men burst out laughing.
“Well, I don’t think it’s very funny. Not at all,” Marah concluded.
Juanita was still shaking her index finger at him. “And you missed Mark and Mitch’s announcement. They’re going to have a baby!”
Luke grinned, leaning over to pound fists with Mark. He winked at Michelle.
“That’s not the announcement he missed,” Mark chuckled under his breath.
Luke looked confused. “What? What else did I miss?”
“Yeah, tell him what he missed, Matthew,” John chimed.
Matthew rolled his eyes. “Vanessa’s expecting a baby, too.”
Wide-eyed, Luke stared at Matthew with his mouth hanging open. “Vanessa? How?”
Mark laughed. “I thought John explained how babies were made when you were twelve?”
“And I explained it to you again just last year,” Matthew teased.
Luke flipped a dismissive hand at both of them. “Who’s the father?” Luke asked, looking at Matthew a second time.
The whole room seemed to lean forward at the same time, anticipation waiting for Matthew to answer.
A bemused expression washed over Matthew’s face, but he said nothing, only shrugging his shoulders.
“We only found out by accident,” Mark said. “It seems Vanessa wasn’t quite ready for us to know anything.”
“And we’re all going to respect her privacy,” Juanita interjected. “I’m sure whoever that baby’s daddy is, he’ll do right by it and by Vanessa,” she said as she moved past Matthew’s chair and tapped the back of his head.
“Ouch! What was that for?” Matthew exclaimed, rubbing at the back of his skull.
“Just a love tap,” Juanita said matter-of-factly.
John, Mark and Luke laughed warmly, all of them remembering many a love tap inflicted by Juanita.
Luke leaned forward to stare at his brothers. “Well, I only have one question. Does this mean Vanessa’s not a lesbian anymore?”
Chapter 13
Sneaking away from his family, Luke retreated to the front porch to call Joanne. He wanted to make sure the driver had gotten her home safely. He also wanted to invite her back to the ranch for some of the rodeo events. Most important of all, though, Luke wanted to tell the exquisite woman that he was already missing her.
And he was. Leaving Joanne’s side that morning had taken more than he had expected. She’d been sleeping peacefully in his arms, her back cushioned against his naked torso, and he’d been enamored with just how neatly they fit together. If he had his way, he would still be with her, still holding her, but his familial responsibilities had required his time and attention.
Luke heaved a deep sigh. Their high school petting had gone from the theater to the rear of the limo. Touching her had been all he’d wanted to do. Everything else had been a bonus he’d not expected. He smiled a wicked smile as he recalled their late-night rendezvous.
He had ignored the cell phone vibrating in the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket. He’d also ignored the buzz from the driver seated at the front of the vehicle. All he’d been focused on was bringing Joanne pleasure. Clearly spent from his initial ministrations, Joanne’s eyes had widened with intrigue when he’d whispered that foreplay had officially begun.
Reaching for his cell phone he’d placed a quick call, securing a room at the Ritz-Carlton. Then he’d sent the driver in that direction as he’d helped Joanne readjust her clothes. She’d giggled when he’d noted that doing so was a complete waste of time, since he fully intended to have her out of them by the time they made it up to their hotel room. Color had risen to her round cheeks as she’d blushed at the implications.
Stepping out of the limo, his hands were still holding her, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist as he guided her up to the penthouse suite. He’d been half right about having her out of her clothes before reaching their room.
The elevator doors had barely closed, securing them in the conveyor, before Luke had dropped to his knees before her. Reaching beneath her dress he’d grasped her lace panties and tugged them down toward her knees. Joanne had inhaled swiftly as he’d gestured for her to step out of the silk garment.
Pressing lace and silk to his face, he’d inhaled her sweet aroma, his eyes widening with anticipation as he gazed up at her. The look was sultry, burning hot through Joanne’s spirit. Instinct moved her to lift the skirt of her dress to her waist, exposing herself fully.
Smiling, Luke reached behind him, pushing the elevator’s Stop button. Joanne’s smile melted with his as the conveyor came to a quick halt somewhere between the fifteenth and sixteenth floors.
Taking his hands, Joanne had guided t
hem over her abdomen and across her hips, directing him to gently stroke the building ache that was rising with her desire. Luke could feel the heat drawing him to the door of her satin crevice. Widening her thighs to give him access to the moist petals, Joanne groaned as Luke probed her opening, stroking the slippery wetness of her excitement.
“Oh, Luke!” she’d cried as he’d fondled the soft, delicate flesh, his fingers darting into her with ease.
But touching her hadn’t been enough. Luke had yearned for more. Clasping her behind the cushion of her thighs, he’d moved his head between them. When his tongue had lapped at her hungrily, Joanne lost all control. Biting her lip, her breath came in a heated, gasping rhythm. She moaned deep in her throat as Luke continued to flick the tip of his tongue over her feminine spirit.
Joanne was a sweet delicacy, the appetizer before what would prove to be a very satisfying meal. Luke savored the taste of her as he sampled her slowly, appreciating the nuances of her taste, her texture and the maddening scent that had him rock hard in his slacks.
The elevator resuming its trek upward was the only thing that had stalled him from bringing her to orgasm a second time. The unexpected shake of the enclosure moved Luke to come to his feet. Pulling down her dress, the man had stuffed her panties into his jacket pocket just before pulling her into another heated embrace, his mouth locking with hers.
Inside the exceptionally chic guest suite, Luke had practically ripped the dress from her body. Pushing her back against the bed, he’d stared down at her, drinking in the scent of her excitement. The voluptuous view took his breath away, Joanne wearing nothing but her red high-heeled shoes.
Standing above her, he’d stripped down naked, barely pausing to unbutton buttons to get out of the monkey suit that was keeping his flesh from hers. Joanne had gasped with ardent appreciation at the sight of him.
Kneeling before her, Luke had tried desperately to maintain control, but he couldn’t hold back. He had to taste her again, wanting to savor the incredible treat that seemed to be teasing him. His mouth enveloped most of the treasure as he sucked her in. Joanne felt a wave of heat like nothing she could ever imagine race from her crotch to deluge her brain. When Luke’s tongue swirled around her rigid love button, a wave of heat exploded in her head, and her hips shot up toward the source of all that pleasure.
Lost in a Stallion's Arms (Kimani Romance) Page 11
