by Dani Wade
She’d expected a smart remark or a sexy wink. Instead his amber gaze held hers, some of that exhaustion melting away. He traced her cheek with his thumb. The explosions under her skin were deeper this time. Instead of fighting them, she let them flow over her.
Luke’s voice was low, intimate. “I guess you’re stuck with me then.”
“Maybe I could give you a ride,” she teased.
“Your place or mine?”
Her heart picked up speed, beating hard inside her chest. “Mine?”
He nodded, his grin a mixture of relief and anticipation. “Sounds like a plan.”
God, she hoped so. As he took her hand and walked to the car, none of the tension from the night of the drive-in spoiled the mood. Instead arousal built with every stroke of his fingers over the back of her hand. He continued to touch her on the ride home, but she couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not.
The closer they got to her house, the more worry set in. What if she didn’t please him? It wasn’t like she had a world of experience, though she wasn’t a virgin. Logically, she knew how to make him feel good. But would she remember all that when the time came? Or would her body just go haywire and cause her to do something stupid?
By the time they reached her house, she was a bundle of nerves. Sure enough, she stumbled over the threshold and bumbled a few of the stairs. From behind, she felt Luke’s hand grasp her own, slowing her to match his careful pace. They finished the climb to the second floor together. His touch calmed her down and ramped her nerves up at the same time. Please, don’t let her mess this up.
Luke paused just inside the door to her bedroom, taking everything in with a sweeping glance. She wondered what he thought. Never having been a particularly girlie girl, there wasn’t a lot of lace or pink in her room. The curtains were a floral print in soft yellows, blues and purples. She’d repainted a few years ago, covering the lavender of her childhood with a contemporary smoky blue. A darker version of the same colors graced the bed, complementing the blond wood furniture.
“Come here,” Luke said, pulling her toward the bed.
This is it. How she wished she could shut off the thoughts racing through her brain. They distracted her as Luke propped his cane against the headboard and shrugged out of his jacket and button-down shirt. She allowed her gaze to soak in the muscles she’d learned so well. But there wasn’t long to enjoy the view before he came toward her. Without a word he slipped off her cardigan sweater, leaving her in a silky tank top and khakis.
Guiding her to sit on the side of the bed, he eased off her slip-on shoes. She scrunched up her toes, feeling naked. Exposed. But Luke was having none of that. His strong hands enveloped one foot, his fingers digging into the arch and pushing back to stretch her calf muscles. Her moan erupted into the silence, her brain registering a level of heaven she didn’t usually experience.
He glanced up, his eyes alight with sparks that made her shiver. “Feel good?”
“How could it not?”
He just grinned and moved to the other foot. When he finally made her stand again, she wondered if her feet would support her. Shaky, but she wasn’t in danger of embarrassing herself. Good thing, because those wicked fingers went straight for the button of her pants. Her tummy muscles twitched at the brush of his knuckles. He didn’t look up this time. Instead he concentrated until her pants lay around her ankles and her tank had sailed across the room to drape casually off the side of her cheval mirror.
Luke regained his feet with a push of his hands on the bed. At the last minute she pressed her lips together to keep herself from praising him. They weren’t at therapy. The fact that she was his physical therapist was the last thing she wanted him to think about right now. Although that intent gaze trained on her bare middle was not the most comfortable thing in the world for her to focus on, either.
But he didn’t rush. He soaked her in with his gaze for long moments before he picked her up and laid her on the bed.
She made a sound of protest, but he met it with a firm look. “Hush,” he said. “I lift way more than your body weight at the gym every day.”
He was right. And at least she hadn’t tripped and tumbled into bed like she would have on her own. Curling on her side, she watched as he efficiently stripped down to a sexy pair of boxer briefs. A quick glimpse of the scars on his legs reminded her how incredible he was, how far he’d come…
Then he slid into the bed, and pulled the light comforter up against the chill in the room.
He crawled over her until she lay flat on her back with his body hovering above hers. He eased down tentatively, as if afraid his weight would be too much for her. He covered half of her body, his face buried against her neck. His erection cradled against her hip, one bent leg spreading her open without resistance. His rough thigh applied pressure to that most sensitive spot, urging her to lift her hips against him.
Perfect alignment. Automatically, her body melted, reveling in his heat and the weight that anchored her in this moment.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Just relax,” he murmured into her hair. “Let me soak you in.”
For long moments, she couldn’t let go. But then her breath changed to match his. In. Out. Slowly deepening. His warmth softened her. His mellow scent enveloped her.
Then his thumb moved along the left side of her collarbone, his forearm brushing the cup of her bra. How could such a slight touch feel better than any other man touching her…ever?
“Just relax,” he said again. “Just enjoy.”
But she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to relax with his hands on her. He traced her collarbone out to her shoulder. Then he explored the hollow right below, and stroked down the length of her arm several times. Arousal built so quickly inside she broke out in a sheen of sweat.
He moved back up the sensitive skin on the inside of her arm before he traced the outline of her bra. That touch, so close, but not quite enough, was pure torture. She moaned, her hips twisting.
“There you go.”
His voice, thick and husky, played heavily on her nerves. She dragged her eyes open, wondering if the emotion was real. His gaze followed the path of his hand, but he didn’t study her with abstract interest. No, he was engrossed, just as he’d said. Utterly absorbed, his body hardened against her hip, speaking without words what she needed to know.
Her restless body urged her to move. Luke’s knee kept her legs from closing, so she reached up with her free hand to test the stubble that had barely emerged along his jawline. He leaned into her touch like a cat, powerful and soft. She traveled along the side of his face to bury into his thick, sandy hair.
His heavy-lidded gaze lifted to hers, the connection complete. He rose so his mouth covered hers. His wicked hand splayed across her ribs, then meandered down to cup her hip bone.
His tongue breached her lips. His fingers tightened with lovely pressure. Avery’s body drowned in sensation overload. Her hand tightened of its own accord, pulling at Luke’s hair. He groaned, deep and long, as his body pushed against her, riding her through the smooth cotton of his briefs.
If she didn’t have him inside her, soon, she might just explode without him—which was completely unacceptable. She twisted her head to free her mouth. Her hips lifted against his commanding thigh. “Luke,” she gasped. “Luke, please.”
“Just a little more, baby,” he said against her skin, prompting goose bumps. “I haven’t sampled all of you, yet.”
That just might kill her, but at least she’d die happy.
* * *
Luke struggled to breathe deep, praying he could hold out a few more minutes. The intoxication of having Avery beneath him was a thrill not to be cut short.
Her skin brushed his fingers, soft as silk. As classy as Avery was, she’d be made of nothing less. But sh
e wasn’t passive—oh no, her hand in his hair conveyed her need without words. The sting of her pull complemented his sharp spikes of desire until he became one long pulse of need. She didn’t just lie there like a pretty princess, but invited him inside with every lift of her hips and clutch of her hand.
Luke was surprised by the slight tremor in his hand as he reached for the front clasp of her bra. He’d always been wholly in control. With Avery, he felt anything but. His body demanded he ease the burning fever beneath his skin. More than that, he wanted Avery to feel the burning fever right alongside him.
He wanted it all, her all, until she’d never be complete without him again.
He didn’t know why, didn’t care.
Propping himself up on his elbow gave him a front-row seat to the reveal of a lifetime. His eager palms brushed the material back, revealing creamy mounds that shook with each breath she took. Awed with a kind of reverence he’d never felt before, Luke buried his face deep into the cleft between her breasts and breathed in her essence.
From his first drive, Luke had become one with his car, with that desire to eat up the ground until freedom burst over him. Now he wanted that same feeling—and he wanted Avery to share it with him.
Her rose-colored nipple felt smooth against his tongue, but quickly hardened beneath his touch. Both her hands now buried in his hair, she pulled him closer. Her body shifted and moved as if enticing him to ease the need inside her.
Yes. Oh, yes.
But it wasn’t until those hands buried beneath the waistband of his briefs that he knew he’d succeeded. Unable to pull himself away from those perfect mounds, he continued to kiss her breasts as he peeled the material off. Avery’s silky panties didn’t fare as well. One hard pull and the barrier shredded.
It wasn’t until his body was poised between her thighs that reality intruded. “Nooo,” he moaned.
“What?” Eyes widening, Avery looked down between them. “Um, what’s wrong?”
The last thing he wanted was for her to worry, but an afternoon spent with kids wouldn’t let him ignore the obvious. “I don’t have a condom.”
“Oh.” She collapsed back against the pillows with a giggle.
He glared. The raging state of his body did not find this situation the least bit funny.
One look at his face sobered her right up. She pointed to the bedside table. “Top drawer.”
That he hadn’t expected. After all, Avery didn’t date much. Wait, had she and Mark—? Luke swallowed hard. This was not going according to plan.
But the unopened box in the top drawer said if Avery had been planning for visitors, they’d never shown up. He opened it and flicked a single package between his fingers. “What are you doing with these? Huh?”
Her cheeks deepened to a darker shade of red than they’d already been. “Wishful thinking?” she murmured.
Only Avery would be embarrassed by that. “I’m glad one of us was planning ahead.”
“I wouldn’t thank me yet. You might want to check for an expiration date first.”
Determined to pay the little hellion back for teasing him, Luke quickly sheathed himself, then buried his face into the crook of her neck. Blowing against her skin had her squealing and squirming. Before long, he couldn’t resist anymore.
Long sucking kisses moved him down her body to the sensitive spot above the joint of her hip. There he slowed, brushing his lips back and forth over the soft, soft skin. The spicy scent of her arousal coated his senses. All he knew then was the need to please her.
Firm hands spread her wide, giving her no chance to hide from him. The slick, sensitive skin between her thighs reminded Luke vividly of the essence of Avery herself. So vulnerable. Yet strong.
Bending close he greeted her with a kiss. Then he opened his mouth, and proceeded to drive her crazy. Her moans and screams were music to his ears, mixing with the pounding in his blood to create a barometer measuring just how much pressure they could each take.
Finally her body pulsed one last time, her thighs tensing around his head. Instead of a scream, air trapped inside her throat, choking off the noise, ramping up the sensations. Only when her body melted into the bed and her breath released with a soft sigh did Luke rise up.
Looking across her loose limbs, sweat-slickened skin and shaking ribs, he knew he was seeing the real Avery. The woman behind the fears. The woman behind the nerves. The woman who’d got the orgasm she deserved. And he was the man who’d given it to her.
All those primitive sensations rolled around inside him, forcing him closer and closer. Lifting one of her legs, he made a place for himself between her thighs.
Her body resisted at first so he teased her with tiny strokes, then a little more. Just a little more, until she relaxed deep inside.
Like a spent battery recharging, her body regained vitality. Her hips shifted, tilting toward him, urging him deeper.
He clenched his fists in the sheet above her shoulders, desperately trying to hold out. But once his hips met hers, those primitive instincts could not be denied. Especially not while looking down at her gorgeous face.
As his body pounded into hers, their gazes met, desperately clinging to one another as if the meaning of life could be found in the other person. All too soon, their bodies betrayed them. Avery arched into him, bowing under waves of pleasure.
Her muscles tightened around him, the pressure perfect. Thrusting deep, he opened up full throttle. Heart racing, head pounding, he found the ultimate high in the arms of the woman he’d never expected to find.
In the following calm, Luke forced air into his lungs, becoming aware of his suddenly shaking arms. Easing over to the side, he settled next to Avery before he fell on her. But he couldn’t stop touching her, couldn’t break the connection. His palm settled easily against the slight rise where each set of ribs met. His hand moved up and down as she breathed, their heartbeats slowing. Energy dissipating into the shadows darkening the room.
What was this unnatural need, this feeling inside of Luke that screamed for him not to move too far away?
Despite the warning signals flashing in his brain, Luke had every intention of listening to his instincts. He forced himself to walk to the attached bathroom and clean up. After he’d made Avery comfortable, too, he lay next to her in the bed and pulled her against him in a reversal of their earlier positions. He smiled at her limp lack of resistance. Though he knew immediately when awareness kicked in, because her muscles grew taut one by one.
“Rest with me,” he murmured.
“Clothes?” Obviously her brain wasn’t on board yet, because full sentences weren’t an option for her.
No way was he letting fabric rest between him and all the delicious skin tempting him to fully wake back up. “Not tonight.”
“Too tired?” she whispered.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, teasing a little. “I have a physical therapist who tried to kill me today.”
Her giggle made him smile, even as it trailed off into even, peaceful breaths. Luke let the world fall away, until all that remained was the warmth between them and the feeling of perfection deep inside.
ELEVEN
Avery came to awareness by degrees, her body awakening like a closed flower to the sun, one petal at a time.
A soft light filtered between the part in the curtains—not quite full daylight. She felt the unusual warmth in her little cocoon of covers—enough to keep her sleepy. And the heavy weight of someone at her back… Had anything ever felt so heavenly? The core of her body throbbed as she remembered just who it was in bed with her.
Lucas Blackstone.
Gone were the girlish dreams from so long ago, fiercely replaced by the desires of a woman. She should feel shy, nervous about seeing him again this morning. After all, she hadn’t woken up with anyone of the male species
since college. And never with a specimen of Luke’s caliber. Boys compared to a man.
But she feared she’d experienced far more than Luke’s physical prowess last night. Touching him, savoring him, sleeping beside him… Her heart was long gone. Maybe it had been since she’d been a child. That hero worship from afar had blossomed to full maturity with time and space. But now—well, now there was no turning back.
Worried that her restless thoughts would cause her to move and wake up Luke, Avery eased out of the bed and stood for a moment in the cool air. Her naked body shivered—she wasn’t sure if it was the chill or her surprise at actually being bare. But as she watched Luke reach out to find the warm spot her body had just left behind, curling toward it, she yearned to be beneath his hands once more.
But after such a long day yesterday, she imagined he’d want a hot cup of coffee this morning.
She quickly pulled on some yoga pants and an oversize T-shirt, then eased out the door before pulling it closed. He’d slept soundly all night with barely any movement. From his remarks at the center, she’d gotten the impression that wasn’t common for him. She’d let him sleep…while she figured out how to act natural.
A cup of creamed coffee only served to remind her she hadn’t had dinner last night. A protein bar steadied her jitters. The front bell rang as she was looking through the cabinets, wondering what she should cook for breakfast.
She hurried down the hall and into the front foyer, hoping to catch the visitor before the bell rang out again. The sound wouldn’t be as loud upstairs—she knew from experience—but she wasn’t sure how light of a sleeper Luke was.
With only that thought in mind, she threw the door open to find Mark standing on her doorstep. She froze. He hadn’t been to her house for several months. She certainly hadn’t been expecting him this morning. “Um, hi,” she said with awkward hesitation, her mind still on the man sleeping in her bed upstairs. “What can I do for you?”
The classically handsome man frowned, a crease forming in his perfect brow. “You can stop talking to me like I’m a traveling salesman, for one. We’ve been friends a long time, Avery. Aren’t you going to at least invite me in?”