She poured the batter into the pan while he trailed kisses along the back of her neck.
“You know, if you keep doing that, I’m going to drop the pan, and then we won’t have any brownies.”
“Sorry. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”
“I know. Let me get this in the oven, and you can continue.”
He moved away from her, but his eyes never left her.
With shaking hands she finally got the pan into the oven. She turned around and met his eyes. She didn’t know what to say or how to act.
“You wanna go into the living room?” he asked.
“Sure. But we can’t let them burn.”
“We won’t.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living room. Once there, he handed her the book. “Here, let’s read.”
She took the book, disappointed. She was hoping for some more kissing time. He must’ve seen something in her eyes because he leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on her lips.
“I could get used to this,” he said.
“Me too.”
Dio groaned and rolled over in her bed by the fire. Tess smiled and sat on one side of the couch, ready to dive into Jane Austen. A nice romantic choice. Then he pulled her feet into his lap. She almost jerked them back. He winked at her.
“Are you going to read or what?” He slipped her socks off and massaged the soles of her feet.
She nodded. He had her body in a whirlwind. She couldn’t begin to describe the thousands of feelings swirling around. Though she did know what they wanted, and his name was Lukas.
She read while he rubbed her feet. She was having trouble concentrating on the words. Just as she got used to feeling his hands on her feet, he moved to her calves. She squeaked.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, but that tickles.”
“Sorry,” he said, grinning. “Continue.”
He worked his hands up and down her calves and feet while she read. If he moved his hands to her thighs, she’d lose it. She felt something odd and looked down. He kissed the bottoms of her feet.
She dropped the book. “You can’t do things like that unless you promise not to stop.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I have every intention of not stopping. I just don’t know how long it’s going to take. Did you lose your place?”
She stuck her tongue out, and he laughed. He crawled across her body.
“Okay, but remember you asked for it.”
The alarm on her phone went off.
“Brownies are done.” She slithered out from underneath him, completely distracted. She had no idea which end was up at the moment. Now all bets were off. They didn’t have to worry about waiting for anything.
Tess took the brownies out of the oven and put them on a hot pad. She turned around and found Lukas standing behind her.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing. I enjoy watching your body move. I mean, I’ve always enjoyed it, but now I can stare openly.”
She blushed. “You’re embarrassing me.”
She bet anything that the next words out of his mouth would be now I want to see it move naked.
“Do you dance?” he asked, surprising her.
“Um, I guess, maybe, not. What kind of dancing?” If he said stripping, she’d slap him.
“Ballroom.”
She laughed. “No, I can honestly say I’ve never done ballroom dancing.”
“That’s a shame. Would you like to learn?”
“When?”
“Now?”
She nodded. “Okay.” This wasn’t what she was expecting, but if it kept her in his arms, then she was up for it. She thought guys who took ballroom dance were gay, but she supposed there were always a few that did it to pick up chicks.
“Why do you know how to ballroom dance?”
“I needed a few electives in college. It seemed like an easy A.”
“Was it?”
“No way, the professor was crazed. I worked harder in that class than I did in any other ones. It was fun though. You seriously want to learn?”
“Sure. It’s not like we have pressing business or anything.”
He tossed her the phone.
“Pull up your music.”
She did while he looked over her shoulder. She scrolled through her list of songs. A couple made him laugh, but finally he found one he wanted. It was one of those slow songs made for a moment like this.
He pulled her close, his hand in hers, the other on her waist.
“The key is to let me lead,” he said.
She took a deep breath. Dancing like this was something you only saw in the movies.
He moved gracefully as he whirled her around the room. She stepped on his feet. A lot. Each time, she giggled, and he kissed her. They’d lose a few steps, but the boy had discipline. He always went back to the dance.
She noticed that the longer they danced, the stronger the hand on her back became. He was pulling her into him, which was fine by her. She couldn’t get close enough to him.
He kissed her neck and tugged her hair free. It was probably still damp and frizzy, but he dropped her hand and threaded his fingers through her hair. Suddenly she couldn’t care less what her hair looked like.
She wound her arms around his neck. Their dance devolved into them holding each other and swaying in time to the music.
Her fingers ached to touch him, and she drew a line from his ear to his chin along his jaw. He growled in her ear, and she smiled.
He had an amazing touch that made her weak, but it thrilled her to the core to know she could do the same to him.
Lukas knew she’d feel good in his arms, but he didn’t realize she’d fit so perfectly against him, or that her touch on his skin would be so sweet. Her lips always hungrily drew him in. But he wanted to make this last. He wanted to make her burn for him.
He kissed her neck in that sensitive curve below her ear and put some space between them.
She made a frustrated sound in the back of her throat, and he grinned wickedly.
“Let’s frost those brownies and play some Risk,” he said.
She bit her lip. Her eyes were large, and he saw a ghost of fear there. That had to go.
“Hey, why are you scared?” He placed his hand on her waist, but he resisted the urge to pull her in. He’d never get to the bottom of that look if he did.
“What makes you think I’m scared?”
“Your eyes.”
She blinked and looked down at his shirt.
“Honestly?” she asked.
“I always want you to be honest with me.”
“I’m not sure how to handle this.”
“That’s pretty cryptic.”
She pulled away and sat down on the couch. “You know my mom…”
“We aren’t going back to that.” He followed and settled a safe distance away. Her mom had gotten into her head. “She’s wrong, Tess.”
She frowned. “I don’t know. Every time I tell myself I’m going to change, I don’t. I seem to fall for all the games. Guys are after me all the time, but only for my body, and I’m a sucker for a pretty face.”
He grinned. “Am I just a pretty face?”
“You know it.” She laughed. “Anyway, this taking things slow thing is uncharted territory for me. I don’t know how to handle it.”
He scooted closer to her. “Do you want things to move faster?”
She looked at him. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”
He ran a finger along her jaw. “Tell you what. Let’s let it happen naturally. It might happen in an hour, or it might not be for six months. Either way, we won’t force anything or back off if the moment feels right. How does that sound?”
“I think that sounds like I should’ve moved to Michigan months ago.”
“Let’s play. We’ve got the time.”
The game took the next four hours and was not sexy at all. He loved watching her think. She beat him, and that irked
him a little bit. Lukas always won at Risk, but she promised him a rematch the next day.
They made dinner together, and he found himself envisioning his life with her. But every time he did, he pushed the thought away. He didn’t deserve to have her in his life. Eventually, she’d realize that.
Lukas brought out a bottle of wine to go with dinner.
“I don’t drink, remember?”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot. Do you mind if I do?”
She shook her head, and he was about to crack the seal.
“Wait. Would it be awful if I asked you not to?”
He paused, wondering why. Maybe she was traumatized by something involving alcohol.
“Why?”
She wrung her hands. “It’s just that, it’s looking like I’m going to have to sleep with you again tonight, and I’d like both of us to make decisions that aren’t tainted by alcohol.”
He pushed the bottle along the counter. “No problem.”
She visibly relaxed. “Thank you.”
“Juice?” he asked.
She nodded.
When he sat next to her, he kissed her again. He loved her sweet lips. She squeezed his knee and looked at him.
“Did something happen to you?” he asked.
He saw her hesitate. “Kind of. I had a boyfriend who was always more manipulative on the nights we broke out the wine.”
He knew she wasn’t telling him the whole story. Someone had hurt her, and he’d wait for her to be ready to tell him. Hell, he had his own secrets that would someday have to come out.
After dinner, they were doing the dishes by candlelight when the power came on. Tess’s eyes lit up, but he felt his own hope dim. Now she’d sleep in another room.
“We can watch a movie or something,” she said. “And the bathroom won’t be freezing anymore.”
He gave her a fake smile. “Yeah, of course. I should get one of the guest rooms made up for you.”
Damn his gentlemanly sensibilities. When he told her they’d let things happen naturally, he hadn’t counted on the power coming on. Things would have been natural if she’d have been within arm’s reach.
“We’ll worry about that later,” she said. “What kind of movies do you like?”
“I like most everything. I have a pretty good collection.” He opened his Blu-ray closet. “Pick whatever you want.”
She scanned the movies. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”
“No, I’m not. Whatever you want.”
“I love scary movies, but I don’t watch them very often because they freak me out when I’m alone. But I’m not alone here. Can we watch a horror flick?”
“Sure, pick out anything.”
“What’s good? I haven’t seen one in years.”
He scanned the titles and pulled one out.
“This should do the trick.”
“Okay, then.” She sat on the couch while he popped in the movie. She pulled a blanket over her, and Dio jumped up to lie beside her. Lukas started the movie and sat on her other side. He was suddenly self-conscious. Should he take her in his arms? Put his hand on her knee? He didn’t want to scare her off.
But she snuggled up next to him and rested her hand on his thigh, and he tensed. He slid his arm around her and pulled her closer.
“I’ll probably close my eyes through a lot of it. Just FYI. And I might break your fingers too, so be careful holding my hand.”
“I thought you liked these kind of movies.”
“I do. But they still terrify me.”
He understood now. She figured this was her best bet in staying plastered to his side the entire night. He laughed. There was no need to scare herself silly. She was more than welcome to sit as close to him as she wanted.
The horror movie was a stupid idea. She hadn’t watched one since she was a teenager. She loved them then but knew better than to watch one when she was alone. But she hadn’t seen one in so long, and she felt so safe with Lukas.
She didn’t see most of the movie. The anticipation was too much, so she buried her face in Lukas’s shoulder. Even the parts she did see would give her nightmares. Something changed in the last few years, and scary movies seemed scarier.
Lukas tapped her on the head. “Hey, it’s over.”
“You sure?” she mumbled.
“Yes, I’m sure. I turned it off. You said you liked these things.”
She looked into his dancing eyes. “I thought I did. Have they gotten scarier in the last seven or eight years?”
Lukas shook his head. “No. But I noticed that I stopped enjoying them a few years ago. Somehow they feel more real as we get older. Or maybe it’s that we don’t feel so invincible anymore. Do you remember when you were fifteen and thought you would live forever?”
She grinned. “Yes, and I remember thinking that was a long time to be miserable.”
“Were your teenage years that bad?”
“They were awful, but I don’t want to talk about them. I bet yours were pretty awesome.”
“They were. But I wouldn’t want to repeat them.”
Tess yawned and rested her head on his shoulder again. She sure liked having him around. She wondered how long it would be until he told her he wasn’t interested. Maybe when the storm was over.
“Are you tired?” Lukas asked.
“A bit. What about you?”
“I could sleep. We’ve got to do something about sleeping arrangements.”
Oh yeah. She told him they’d mess with it later. Well, it was later.
“Come on.” He stood and took her hand. She was trembling and couldn’t blame the cold anymore. Not with the heat on.
She didn’t know what she was so worried about. It’s not like this was new to her. Except that everything about Lukas was different. He surprised her at every turn. She figured after dancing, he’d scoop her up and take her to bed then, not play a four-hour board game. And let her win.
Lukas stopped her in the hallway and kissed her.
“I say you just sleep with me again tonight.”
She could say no. He’d respect that. Only she didn’t want to.
“Remember, we’re letting it happen naturally. If nothing else, I’ll be happy just holding you.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“Of course I do. I’m a pretty patient man.”
“I will admit it. The anticipation is killing me. I almost want to get it over with so we can move on.”
He frowned. “That doesn’t sound romantic.”
She snorted. “When is sex ever romantic?”
“I think you’ve been sleeping with the wrong men.” He dropped her hand and stalked into the bedroom.
She said something wrong. Why the hell had that bothered him so much? She almost went into the living room but didn’t relish the thought of sleeping on the couch. Instead, she followed him into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. He had the door to the bathroom shut.
Dio jumped on the bed and rested her snout in Tess’s lap. Tess laid her hand on the dog’s side. Dio seemed so content that Tess almost expected her to start purring. She had a cat when she was growing up. Maybe when the storm was over, she’d look into getting a kitten to keep her company.
Lukas opened the door. He was shirtless, and his pajama pants hung low on his hips. If he didn’t want her to sleep with him, he was doing a poor job of making himself unattractive.
Tess grabbed her bag and slid past him into the bathroom. What would he do if she came out of the bathroom wearing nothing? Probably screw her and then send her on her way. That wasn’t what she wanted because that would ruin the day they had.
She brushed her teeth and dug out her pajamas. There was no reason to worry. Every time she opened her mouth she turned him off. Tess wasn’t sure how to handle Lukas.
The shower called her name. Tess took one this morning, but her shoulders were tense, and her hair was a mess from not being dried. She hopped in and turned on the hot water. The water ran down
her shoulders and loosened the muscles in her neck. She spent a lot of time on edge today. Most of it was in a good way, but it was still nerves.
Tess massaged the shampoo into her hair and rinsed her hair out well. Once again she noticed the smell. She would have to ask Lukas where he got it.
Tess towel dried her hair and took her time combing it out, and then she dug out the blow dryer. Her hair always took forever to dry because it was so long. She looked in the mirror and took a few deep breaths. Who knew what would happen tonight? The tension that had left crawled right back into her neck.
Lukas stood outside the bathroom and frowned. She’d been in there forever. He knew he screwed up. He shouldn’t have gotten angry with her, and he wasn’t. He was angry at every other man who had hurt her. Had she ever had a real boyfriend, or did guys just use her? He could see how it happened, but what he didn’t understand was why she let them. She didn’t seem like she was overly insecure.
He knocked. “Tess, are you okay?”
She opened the door and stood in front of him in those ridiculously small pajamas and her hair in a wild mane around her head. Once again she took his breath away.
She looked him in the eyes. “I wanted a shower before I went to bed. Sorry if I took too long.”
“It’s not a big deal. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine,” she said stiffly and tried to push past him.
He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him.
“No, you’re not. I said something that hurt you, and I’m sorry. Forgive me.”
Her hands were resting on his chest, and she flexed her fingers. “It’s not fair of you to ask that right now. What am I supposed to say, ‘no, get your incredibly hot body away from me’?”
His heart raced. “You like what you see?”
She sighed. She was trying to stay angry with him.
He could see it in her eyes. Again, the beautiful browns gave away her every thought.
“Very much. Like you don’t know what you do to me.”
“I don’t know, actually. Enlighten me, please.”
She pulled back and ran her hands down along the front of his chest. Her fingers teased the waistband of his pants, and he hissed.
Snowfall and Secrets (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 1) Page 10