by Elena Aitken
“What are you doing in here?” she demanded. Her skin was flushed, whether from the hot water, embarrassment of being caught in a towel, or something more, Luke couldn’t be sure. But it was sexy as hell.
“I was bringing you dinner.” He waved in the direction of the tray. The words sounded lame even to his own ears. “You didn’t answer.”
“Because I was in the tub.” She crossed her arms over her chest, which had the distinct benefit of pushing her tits up into the two most distracting swells Luke had ever laid eyes on. He blinked hard and refocused on her eyes, currently narrowed into slits.
She looked pissed, and there was no doubt that she was, but something else was going on, too. Even through the heavy scent of whatever floral bubble bath she’d been using, there was no mistaking the scent of desire in the air. His dick swelled in his pants at the knowledge that she assented him at least half as badly as he wanted her. He took a step toward her.
Chloe moved as if she was going to take a step backward, but she stood her ground. “You have no right to barge into my room.” Her voice shook a little, but not from weakness. No. There was definitely no weakness in Chloe. It shook as if she didn’t believe what she was saying. An observation Luke planned to make the most of.
“Ask me to leave.” He took another step, until he was only inches from her. When she didn’t immediately follow his instruction, Luke added, “If you don’t want me here—want me standing here, right now—all you have to do is say the word and I’ll go.” He strained against his own words. The need to stay exactly where he stood was visceral.
Chloe tipped up her head. Her gorgeous blue eyes danced with indecision. Still, she said nothing.
He could feel the heat from her bath-warmed skin radiate off her. Only a short white towel stood between him and everything he wanted. Everything he needed to quell the ache growing inside him. Just once, he promised himself. That’s all he’d need.
Chapter Five
He stood so close Chloe could practically feel him. He dared her with his words. If she wanted him to leave, all she had to do was say the word and this heated exchange between them would end.
She couldn’t say anything. She wouldn’t.
Because never in her life had Chloe wanted something—no, someone—so badly. He clouded her senses, muddled her thoughts so she couldn’t make a rational decision. Logic told her she didn’t want this.
But instinct told her she did. Oh, did she ever.
She swallowed hard and locked eyes with him as her internal battle raged on.
Maybe she’d been thinking of everything all wrong. She’d always thought of sex, mating, and all the mess that came with it as a life sentence. Maybe, just maybe, she needed to consider that it didn’t have to be so serious. After all, what would the harm be in having a little fun? Maybe just a fling? Two consenting adults who were attracted to each other, allowing themselves to enjoy the situation without any strings?
That could work.
A smile played at her lips as she reached her decision. She was a modern woman, and she knew what she wanted. There was no reason she couldn’t have it all.
“Well?” he whispered. His breath hit her lips in short puffs. “Do you want me to go? Because if you don’t answer me soon, I’m going to take it as an invitation to stay. And once I make the decision to stay, I’m not going anywhere until—”
“Until I’m done with you.”
It was a bold thing to say and desire flashed in Luke’s eyes at her forwardness. “Is that right?”
He still didn’t touch her, but he’d moved even closer, if it was possible. Her nipples hardened, almost painfully, against the terry cloth of the towel. It would be so easy to give in and let him have his way with her. Especially considering there was no doubt the perfect specimen of a man standing before her was a far more experienced lover than she was. She wanted nothing more.
“That’s right,” she said, with a sassiness she didn’t know she possessed. “But first, we need rules.”
“Rules?” He swallowed a laugh and bent to kiss her neck.
The instant his lips touched her skin, heat exploded through her body.
She swallowed hard, determined to say what she needed to before she lost all sense of herself. “Yes, we need rules.” She managed to keep her voice from shaking. Although, how she did that with his kiss moving up her neck, she couldn’t be sure. “The first thing is, this is temporary. One time. That’s it.” As she spoke the words, Luke took her earlobe into his mouth with a gentle suction that sent sparks sizzling through her.
“One time.” He murmured his agreement into her ear without pausing his ministrations. “That’s all I’ll need.”
For what? She wanted to ask him, but it was hard enough to focus on what she was trying to say as it was.
“Okay.” Chloe nodded slightly, as Luke’s hands threaded into her hair and pulled her head to the side to allow him better access. “Second rule,” she continued, her breath coming in short pants now. “You have no claim on me. This is not about mating.” His mouth stilled on her neck, so she added, “Ever.”
For a split second, Chloe worried that it might be a deal-breaker; that stopped her for a beat because now that they’d put things into motion, she wasn’t sure she could stop. But she couldn’t budge on that one point. There could be no mating. No way. Luke was an itch she needed to scratch. Period.
After a moment that seemed to last far too long, Luke’s lips moved on her body again, this time dipping lower, toward her breasts that ached for his touch. “Is that it?” he murmured against her skin.
She nodded and then, realizing he couldn’t see her, breathed, “Yes.”
“Good.” His hands left her hair and with a quick flick, relieved her of her towel. And then his hands were on her, all over. Touching, sliding, feeling, squeezing. Everything.
They were everywhere all at once until they landed on the soft curve of her hips and lifted her easily. Normally, Chloe would feel self-conscious, but Luke stripped all that away. Chloe wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed her nakedness against him. She had such little experience with men, but she let her instincts take over. Judging by the hard mound in Luke’s pants, she was doing just fine. Any thoughts of unease that might have lingered vanished when he nestled his face between her breasts, taking a moment to nuzzle them before he sucked one hard nipple into the wet heat of his mouth. He was relentless with his attentions, alternating between sucking and flicking her hard nub. Just when she thought she couldn’t handle another second, he switched sides, giving both equal play before he finally lifted his head to look at her.
“You. Are. Beautiful.” He dropped kisses on her chest and up her neck again until his lips finally met hers. She pulled his head closer to her, holding him to her, not wanting the kiss to end. Chloe was so lost in their connection she didn’t notice him walking her to the bed, until he bent and lowered her to the mattress.
He stood over her, fully clothed, looking down at her with hunger and need all over his face. Her bear roared inside, ready to yank him back down to her if he didn’t move faster. She needed him. Now. There was no way she could put the brakes on what was happening between them now. And that scared the hell out of her. Especially when she realized, right at the moment Luke tugged his shirt off over his head, that he’d never actually agreed to any of her rules.
Luke’s animal was only barely contained as he looked at Chloe sprawled on the mattress beneath him. Her luscious, curvy body was on display for him and only him. The scent of her need for him filled the air between them. The way her lips parted, just a little, as her breath came in pants: All of it, a perfect masterpiece that made up his mate. Chloe. The thought caused a growl to escape his throat.
She’d made it clear she didn’t want a mate, and that was fine by him. Their instincts might be leading them to each other, but they were two consenting adults; they didn’t have to make it about anything more than sex. One night. That was it.
But damn, he was going to make the most of that one night.
While she watched with heavy lids, he tossed his t-shirt to the side and slowly worked his belt through the clasp before he slid the zipper down to free his almost painfully hard erection. Her eyes widened and a noise that sounded suspiciously like a gasp escaped her lips. If he was less in tune with her, he would have let his pride swell, but there was something else in her expression. Something he couldn’t ignore.
“Chloe?” He shucked his pants and crawled on to the bed, using his arms to cage her in beneath him. “Are you—”
“A virgin.”
The word hung in the air between them. It was so abrupt and unexpected, Luke had to hold back from physically jumping back to give her space. He arched an eyebrow. There was no way the passionate creature beneath him was a virgin.
“Well,” she corrected herself. “I’m not really a virgin. Not technically anyway, but I might as well be. I mean…I don’t think a fumbling, sweaty grunting when you’re sixteen really counts. I mean, I guess it does, but—”
He silenced her with a kiss. He used all his self-control to keep it soft for a moment, but it quickly escalated. He slid his tongue in her mouth, drinking up the sweetness of her, using his mouth to ease whatever tension she was feeling. He pulled back, pulling her lips with him.
“I think maybe it counts technically,” he said. “And now I think I understand you a little bit more. But it certainly doesn’t count as far as I’m concerned.” He didn’t give her a chance to ask for clarification before he moved backward on the bed. He used his hands to gently part her thighs before gently massaging each one while he knelt between her legs and looked up at her. Chloe’s admission had taught him a lot about her. Mostly why she’d been so reluctant to give in to her very obvious, primal needs. He’d change that way of thinking. As far as he was concerned, it was a terrible travesty that her beautiful body hadn’t been loved properly.
That was about to change.
He grinned mischievously and dropped his head.
“Luke, what are you—oh!”
Never in her life had Chloe allowed a man to do what Luke was doing. Not that she’d let a man do anything before. Not really. That had been her whole strategy for staying single. Now, with Luke kissing her in her most intimate place, she saw for the first time how truly wrong she’d been. She’d been missing out.
A lot.
Unsure of what to do with her hands, she reached down and threaded her hands in his hair. She could almost feel him smile against her skin as he used his tongue to lick, taste, and tease her. Chloe tipped her head back and let out a moan. Everything he was doing felt so good. Too good because before she realized it, a heat flowed through her and she could no longer contain every sensation slamming through her body. As her orgasm finally hit, Chloe arched her back and screamed out her release.
She was only vaguely aware of Luke moving over her as she allowed her body a moment to recover from what had just been the most shattering moment she’d ever experienced. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked directly into Luke’s own dark eyes that watched her intently. He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face that she might have otherwise thought of as cocky, but given what he’d just done to her, that word was well deserved.
“Holy shit. That was…” were the only words she managed to get out.
“I’m not done with you yet, babe.”
His words caused a shiver to run through her already sensitive body. “Good.”
Luke growled and caught her mouth with his. He kissed her thoroughly as he lowered himself to her. She felt his hard length press against her. She was ready. More than ready. She was totally lost in his kiss, in the feel of him on top of her, and when he finally entered her with a hard thrust, filling her completely, it was as if they’d been born to be together.
Like mates.
Chloe pushed the thought out of her head before she could let it take root. She focused instead on every sensation firing through her body. Luke broke the kiss, lifting his head to look in her eyes. He caught each of her hands in one of his and clasped them over her head as he quickened his pace.
As Chloe’s second climax built inside her, the only thing she could think of was how stupid her own rules had been. Because no matter what she’d been thinking, if this is what it was like to be with Luke, there was no way once was ever going to be enough.
Chapter Six
He hadn’t meant to stay the night, but after an orgasm like he’d never experienced before, there was nowhere else he wanted to be than in her bed, with Chloe in his arms. She’d been completely spent and when he’d pulled her into his chest and held her tight, with one arm around her middle to pin her close, it had only been seconds before she’d fallen into a deep sleep.
It had taken Luke a little longer to settle his brain. After what they’d experienced together, there was no way he could just close his eyes and fall asleep. Not after sex like that.
And that was the problem.
It hadn’t been just sex.
It had been so much more.
Luke had never actually agreed to the silly rules she’d laid out, but on principle he agreed with them. Well, mostly with the no mating rule. They were on the same page with that one. Historically for his family, mating led to nothing but disaster. They’d been raised without his parents because of the choice of mate his mother had made. Sure, there was more to that story that nobody but their grandfather knew, but the heart of the problem was mating. Just as it was with Kira, Kade’s twin. She’d also chosen a mate over her clan. Over her family. It had torn them apart, and was the entire reason Luke and his brothers were on the ridge rebuilding their lives in the first place.
No.
If mates caused such pain and drama, he wanted nothing to do with it.
It wouldn’t be like that with Chloe.
The little voice in his head continually tried to chime in against all reason, but he couldn’t listen. No. He needed to stick with his original plan: Just sex. Get her out of his system, satisfy his bear and move on. And to that end, Luke had no intention of following Chloe’s other silly rule. There was no way he could keep this to just once. Not after discovering how explosive their connection was. That would be ridiculous.
Despite the fact that he’d just had an enormously satisfying release, just moments before, his dick swelled against her back at the thought of having her again. And that’s how he’d finally drifted off, with visions of Chloe’s flushed face beneath him, her hair spread on the pillowcase and that incredibly sexy noise she made when he entered her.
Which was probably why he woke in the morning with a raging erection.
At some point in the night, Chloe had rolled out of his arms. She lay on her side with her smooth, sexy, soft back facing him. He shifted on the bed, closing the slight gap between them, and lightly traced his hand down her side. His fingers trailed along her skin, exploring the dips and swells of her gorgeous body. She moaned slightly, but didn’t wake.
Luke swept her hair to the side, off her shoulder, and bent his head to her exposed neck; he trailed soft kisses there while his other hand rested on her hip. With his lips, he kissed up and just under her earlobe, suckling it gently in his mouth before he whispered in her ear. “Good morning, sexy.”
She stirred then, but still didn’t wake, so he continued to kiss her neck; at the same time, his hand slid off her hip to the cleft between her legs. She was wet for him. Could it have been that she, too, was dreaming of him? He knew it was true. If he believed more in fated mates, he would even allow himself to think they might have had the same dreams. As it was, he wasn’t going to waste time thinking of that, when there were other, more pressing issues at hand.
Slowly, his fingers moved against her sensitive nub. She moaned and shifted, opening herself to him. When Luke looked up, Chloe’s eyes were open, watching him.
“Good morning, gorgeous.”
She smiled and sighed again as his fin
gers kept moving. “Good morning,” she said after a moment.
“It’s about to be even better.” Luke dropped his mouth to her neck again and sucked her delicate skin into his mouth, nibbling just enough to make her tremble under his touch.
“Luke…”
She didn’t need to finish the thought. Luke’s instincts told him everything he needed to know. He lifted her leg slightly, and moved his body in tight behind her, so he pressed against her hot opening. Chloe groaned and pushed back, right as he thrust forward, starting their day in the best possible way.
Morning sex.
Really?
Chloe still couldn’t believe she’d done that. But as she let the water wash over her in the shower, she could only laugh. Why shouldn’t she have done that? Just because she’d never allowed herself such pleasures before didn’t mean she couldn’t start now. Besides, it felt good. Damn good.
She allowed herself the luxury of no judgment. At least for as long as the shower lasted. After all, she’d made a deal with herself. She’d scratch the itch that was Luke. So what if they’d already broken the first rule she’d set? It was a dumb rule anyway and to be fair, she’d set that rule without realizing what she’d be giving up. Now that she knew what sex could be like, what it was like between them, well, no one in their right mind would limit themselves to just one time.
As for rule number two?
That one was nonnegotiable. No mates. Not now. Not ever.
She finished dressing and threw her hair in a long braid down her back. Today she needed to get outside and check out the ridge. She still had a job to do. It was important that she didn’t lose sight of that. The job came first. It had to. Chloe pulled her notebook from her satchel on the desk and flipped it open to the news clipping.