“Now for the braces.” Lucas scooped her legs up and turned her so she was lying on the bed, her damp hair spread out over the pillow. “Are these the ones you need now?”
Harriet opened her eyes and nodded as she saw the padded braces in his hands. “I can do it.”
He grinned as he held the braces out of her reach, lying them beside her on the bed. “You let me do it this time. The scientific mind wants to know how it works.” Taking his weight on one arm, he leaned over, bracing himself across her legs. A crease formed between his brows as he studied her knees, examining the multiple scars, running his fingers along each one.
Harriet expected to feel self-conscious or embarrassed but the expression on his face was the same one he used to wear when working out a complex computer problem and somehow that made it easier. She couldn’t have borne sympathy or horror from Lucas.
“This one is different. What happened here?” His fingers were running along a silvery scar that began at the back of her right knee and up the inside of her thigh almost to the groin. “Isn’t it unusual to do such a long incision these days.”
Harriet was trying desperately to control the quiver as his fingers rested at the top of the scar and he saw her face and moved his hand away.
“Sorry. Did I hurt you?”
She looked at him unbelievingly. Only moments ago, he’d been flirting but now he had obviously been totally side-tracked by his interest in her injuries.
“It was an emergency. An aneurism in the artery burst and they had trouble locating it. There wasn’t enough time for a scan.”
Something in her voice must have caught his attention and he looked up at her face. She tried to look nonchalant but couldn’t hide the flush in her skin and the arousal in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Harry, was I neglecting you?”
With a half-smile he climbed onto the bed to kneel astride her right leg. Ducking down, he ran the tip of his tongue up the line of the scar. A tingle shot through her body, bouncing around like a ball in an old arcade game, pinging her breasts and sending a rush of heat to the pit of her stomach.
He pulled away, smiling at her murmur of protest. “Just in case I get distracted later.” Propping herself on her elbows, she watched as he strapped on her braces. Smoothing the Velcro tabs into place. “All good?”
“All good.”
His mouth returned immediately to the task of tasting the skin of her inner thigh. Very good. That was something she’d always appreciated about Lucas. His consideration as a lover even in the short time they were together. The first time they’d gone all the way hadn’t been that great. There’d been more pain than she expected. Afterwards he’d been so tender, so apologetic. But he made it up to her. So much so, she hadn’t wanted to leave, to go home.
“Are you with me, Harry?”
He must had felt her tense at the memories and she forced herself to relax as he parted her legs with careful hands. Cool air flooded her heated flesh as his fingers smoothed her inner thighs. Internal muscles clenched, intensifying the ache.
“With bells on.”
“Legs okay?”
Flexing the knees slightly she nodded. “Quite all right.”
His chuckle reassured, even as the glow in his emerald eyes triggered goose-bumps. “Time to get down to business.”
7
Kneeling upright between her legs, he looked a magnificent beast, clean, tanned flesh over sculpted muscle, his erection straining upwards towards his navel, framed by dark curling hair. And she’d been worried about his recovery time? Reaching up, she ran her fingertip down the prominent vein, laughing when he twitched.
“Tease.” But he was smiling as he said it. He dropped forward, propping his upper body on his arms. The hairs on his forearms tickled the taut flesh of her ribcage and she squirmed.
His lips traced her jaw and she squirmed again as his moist tongue delved into her ear. “Now who’s the tease?”
He nipped her lobe in retaliation and slowly rubbed his chest over her peaking breasts. “That would be me.”
Growling, she linked her hands behind his head, trying to pull him down for a kiss but he laughed, resisting her. This time he lowered his hips and his erection pressed against her belly briefly. Too briefly. She tried to lift her hips, but her knees wouldn’t co-operate. She gasped at the sharp pain and growled again with annoyance.
Lucas stiffened immediately, sitting back on his heels. “What happened?”
Evading his eyes, she muttered, “Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me, Harriet.”
The firm tone brought her gaze back to his face. His lowered brows and tight mouth warned her not to prevaricate. He was right. There’d been too many lies between them. She forced back tears of frustration. “If you must know, my knee hurt. I hope you like making love to a dead body, because I’m about as useless as corpse.”
His mouth twisted into a smirk. “Necrophilia isn’t my thing, but for you…maybe.”
“Ewww. That’s gross.”
His long fingers brushed her wet lashes. “Harry, you have to be honest. Especially about your legs. I don’t want to hurt you.”
But he would. Only it wouldn’t be her legs but her heart. Sooner or later, probably sooner, he’d leave again. “I’m sorry. It’s so frustrating just lying here.”
“You mean I have you at my mercy?”
She didn’t want to smile, but his broad grin and the wicked sparkle in his eyes made it hard to resist.
“That’s better.” He kissed her lips, turning her half-hearted effort into a full-blown smile.
He kissed her again, properly, his firm mouth softening as he sucked her bottom lip. Tentatively she tasted him. He took her tongue into his mouth, hot and wet as his teeth scraped the surface and tugged again at her lip, drawing them both up and releasing them. His hard length pushed against her mound as he deepened the kiss, sealing her mouth, grinding against her with teeth and the strength of his thighs.
The most she could do was tilt her pelvis seeking more and lower, the trickle of moisture between her legs increasing with the throbbing ache of arousal. She whimpered into his mouth and the whimper became a moan.
Lucas pulled away with a soft snicker. “For someone claiming to be a corpse, you sure do pack a punch.” His hand slid down her body to grasp the base of his shaft. Squeezing it tightly, his knuckles so very close to her clit she writhed at the sensation.
“Please. You. Are. Killing. Me.”
He straightened, and she groaned. “Get back here, Lucas Hall.” She reached to put her hands on his shoulders, but he laughingly pulled away.
“No, this is my turn to explore. Be patient.”
Gritting her teeth, she glared up at him. “Patience be damned.”
“Swearing, Harriet? I’m shocked.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll make it good for you. I can swear to that.”
His thumb across her lips tantalised and she opened her mouth, sinking her teeth into the pad.
“Naughty. I’ll have to punish you for that.”
His head came closer and she held her breath, waiting. As his teeth sank into her nipple, the sharp pain echoed a spasm in her groin and her breath came out in a huff. He soothed it with his tongue and repeated the process on her other breast, back and forth until she grabbed his hair, tugging at it to pull him away. “It’s too much.”
Cupping her breasts with his hands, he nodded, dropping a kiss between them. The next kiss, open mouthed, moist and warm landed on her navel. The kisses crept lower, leaving damp patches on her skin that cooled as they dried, her stomach tightening at the unfamiliar sensation.
His breath fanned the light covering of hair on her mound and lower, the warm air cooling the damp flesh. He mouthed the nerve centre and his teeth pinched it lightly at the same time as he squeezed her breasts, thumb and forefinger compressing her nipples. The thrumming pulse between her legs exploded.
In the midst of her pleasure, she remained aw
are of Lucas, his mouth prolonging her pleasure, his hands kneading the sensitive peaks of her breasts. Another wave came a then another, taking her higher until blackness overwhelmed her, a scented darkness holding a secret she reached out for, an urgency in the action that stayed with her in the slow descent to reality, to Lucas, his head resting on her belly, his hands soft over her breasts.
Lifting his head, Lucas met Harriet’s gaze. Stripped bare in the immediate aftermath, he could see the vulnerability and a touch of confusion. She hadn’t expected that? An odd reaction considering their past. They’d learned what little they’d known of the art of love together, their bodies so attuned it took no more than a look or a touch to set them humming. Had that broken trust intruded into even the physical side of the relationship?
He moved to lie beside her, his hand stroking her breast and teasing her nipple. “Okay, Harry?”
“Very okay, Lucas.” She sighed, and it didn’t sound like a happy sigh. “But I want more.” Her hand traced the planes of his abdomen to the trail of hair below his navel. The back of her hand brushed against his erection. “I want all of you, Lucas.”
He captured her hand before she could grab hold and linked their fingers, bringing them to his lips, nibbling at the knuckles. “I didn’t intend this to happen, Harry. I thought we’d be going out to dinner to get to know each other again. Not…”
“Getting to know each other like this?”
“I need the answer to a question before we take this any further.”
Harriet struggled onto her side to face him. Lucas steadied her with his free hand on her shoulder. They lay facing each other with linked hands between them. There was something intimate about it that hadn’t been there when they were making love.
“I need to know about the day in the hospital.” His voice came out strained and he pushed on, watching her intently. “I know you lied about your recovery. How much truth was there in the rest of what you said that day?”
Gold tipped lashes fluttered as her lids lowered, trying to conceal her thoughts. “Only as much as was necessary to make you believe it.”
His fingers tightened convulsively on her shoulder and she opened her eyes wide. He eased his grip, afraid of bruising the delicate skin. “Why, Harriet? Why did you have to be so cruel? What did you gain from breaking my heart?”
Her hand wavered against his chest “Hearts don’t break, Lucas. Yours is still beating. And you got your freedom.”
“What if I didn’t want it, Harry?”
“I wanted you to have it. I knew you wouldn’t go if you had the choice. I had to kill the dream.”
The anger simmering at the pit of his stomach bubbled into life again. “Well you succeeded in that. Stone dead. And your parents, what part did they play in this? They knew what you planned to do, didn’t they?”
Harriet squirmed a little under his regard. “We talked about it. They were in it for the long haul whatever. It seemed a waste to drag you into the pit as well. You were only just starting your career.”
“So, you cut me loose just like that. I loved you, Harry. I wanted to spend my life with you. For better or worse.”
“Past tense. In any case, it would have been all worse.”
He examined her sorrowful face, the droop of her lips, still bruised from his kisses. “I suppose so. You didn’t think much of my staying power, did you?”
“It wasn’t that. You deserved your chance. If you stayed with me, you wouldn’t be where you are today.”
She had no idea about his staying power or anything else. He could understand her point of view. Her reasons behind her actions. Even admire her for it. But the way she did it stuck in his craw. There was no respect in telling someone you weren’t good enough, that you were ashamed to be seen with them. That his stumbling social skills would be a disadvantage for her brilliant career.
How many slurs were lies to create the effect she wanted? The brilliant career never eventuated and apparently, she’d known that when she threw those insults at him. Yes, there had been an element of truth in what she said. He had been hopeless in public in those days. But until that day, she’d never indicated a problem with it.
“Lucas? Are you all right?”
He released her shoulder and ran his finger along her chin and down her throat. It was true, he hadn’t planned on getting this far tonight, but with Harriet so responsive, so needy…Why not? He needed it. More than she could know.
She didn’t protest as he put her arms above her head, wrapping her fingers around the timber rail.
“Lucas?”
He pressed his dick against her stomach and she sucked in a breath. Needy. She wanted this. As much as he did, if not more.
“Just don’t say anything, Harry.”
The sweet taste of her as he lapped at her throat; her soft mouth, tremulous under his. God, he’d missed this. Missed her. The adrenaline buzz of making millions, the satisfaction of a well scripted program didn’t compare to this. His hands roamed ceaselessly, the silken skin smooth under his fingers, her breasts soft yet firm. He rubbed himself against her slick folds, her moans heady and arousing. She was wet with desire, still swollen from before. He was more than ready, a heavy ache in his balls despite his earlier release.
Suckling her breasts, he slid down to re-position her legs so his body fitted between them without straining her knees. Her writhing body chafed his nipples into points as he moved over it to possess her mouth again, moist and hot and sweet as honey. With one hand he positioned himself. “I don’t have condoms.”
Her breath puffed against his cheek as she lay suddenly still under him. “I’m clean.”
“I was thinking of pregnancy.”
There was a long moment as she looked up at him with something dark in her eyes. It stirred something in his throat, his heart, as he wondered what their children would have been like. Harriet, the only child, had wanted a big family. He’d been more cautious. Now it wouldn’t happen and irrationally he wanted it. She licked her lips, speaking with an effort.
“It’s the wrong time.”
She remained still, and he took a moment to realise what she waited for. “I’m clean too. I haven’t been with anyone recently.” He could have told her the truth. But he wasn’t about to expose himself at this point.
Her sceptical look annoyed him, but he swallowed it down, deliberately rubbing himself against her. She had no reason to trust him. Not when he was holding things back. “We can wait until we have condoms if you want.”
Harriet groaned, tilting her hips to try and capture him. Lucas held her gaze and she nodded. At her capitulation he pushed into her. She was so tight he looked down at her anxiously. Her lids closed with a flutter of lashes and his gut tightened. The slow curl of her mouth reassured, and he could breathe again. With a shudder he began a slow movement that deepened his stroke each time.
As he buried himself to the hilt, she was with him. Dark blue, almost violet eyes locked with his as the pace increased. Conscious of her legs he tried to keep it smooth, but it was hard to keep control. Harriet came first, convulsing around him with a gasping scream. It tipped him over the edge, heart fast and breathing heavy as his orgasm smashed into him and rolled through his body.
Empty. Maybe he could understand her confusion. It shouldn’t be so good, so primal, with all that lay between them. The anger, the resentment, the grief for things lost.
Lucas rested limply against her, his chest heaving as much with emotion as physical release. When her arms crept around his waist, he fought off the wave of emotion, taking a deep breath. Carefully he disengaged, rolling to the side and taking her with him. “I must be heavy.”
Snuggling into him she demurred. “I like it. It feels real. I feel real.”
His fingers traced her brow and over her ears. “You’ve always been real, my faerie girl.”
Harriet stiffened, pulling away. “Don’t say that. She’s gone, Lucas. There’s no such creature anymore.”
; With a hold on her upper arm, he dragged her onto his chest and kissed her. “Have it your way.” He kept her close against his chest until he felt her soften against him. “You’ll always be a faerie girl to me.” There was no response to his soft murmur. She was asleep.
“I owe you dinner.”
Harriet stirred into wakefulness. Warm arms held her, and her head rested in the curve of a male shoulder. However long she’d slept, she felt amazing. A little tender in places but so good in others.
“We’ve missed our reservation.”
Focusing on Lucas with difficulty she lifted her head. “Will they be mad?”
“I doubt it. They probably gave our table to someone else when we didn’t turn up.”
“Do you want something to eat?” She didn’t feel particularly hungry at the moment, but she wasn’t properly awake either.
“A bit hungry. Is there anything in the fridge we could have?”
“Sandwich fixings. That would be quickest.”
He rolled away, leaving her chilled and a little confused. The warm, tender lover was gone, and the hard, practical man was back. “I’ll go grab my things from the other bedroom.”
Her chair still sat over by the bathroom door where Lucas left it earlier. With a mild curse she hung over the edge of the bed, groping for the crutches. Halfway to the bathroom, Lucas returned, a pair of jeans covering his long legs. “You should have yelled.”
“It’s all right. I’m all sticky anyway, so I would have mucked up the chair.” Standing awkwardly, she wished Lucas would stop staring. With him decently covered, her own nudity seemed prurient. “Why don’t you go find the sandwich stuff while I clean up?”
His mouth opened and closed and he nodded, leaving her to it. He probably meant to offer to help and thought better of it. By the time she cleaned up, all she wanted to do was go back to bed. Quickly she pulled a baggy t-shirt over her head and wheeled herself to the kitchen.
Tell Me No Lies Page 10