The Hookup

by Zante, Lily

  She stepped out of them, groaning as his nose touched the soft mound of hair between her legs. Her brain fogged over and she couldn’t think, or speak. A delicious sliver of anticipation licked her body.

  “I want to taste you,” he rasped, sliding his fingers over and into her slickness, making her knees buckle. Anticipation crawled all over her, making her skin prickle. She exhaled, panting out short breaths as he took turns, rubbing and stroking, eliciting sighs, like music, from her lips as his fingers strummed her.

  “But I need to fuck you first.”

  She moaned again, as his fingers moved away from her aching mound and under her blouse, skittering over her belly and cupping her bra covered breasts. She longed to be completely naked, but she was powerless to move. Naked from the waist down and fully clothed from the waist up, she felt more turned on than ever. A shiver ran through her as he pulled her back onto the bed and claimed her mouth. They kissed long and hard, as if they hadn’t ever kissed before, and all the while, his hands continued to stroke her. Yet, still, he was fully clothed.

  “I want you naked,” she said, when they took a breath.

  He got up, then unzipped his pants and freed himself, and she stared at him.

  At it.

  And gasped.

  “So if Xavier showed an interest in you now, what would you do?” he asked, matter-of-factly. But she couldn’t drag her eyes away from him, needing him, willing him to move quickly.

  “What do you mean, what would I do?” she asked, watching him slide on a condom. Her eyes flickered up to meet his gaze.

  “You made out once, so you obviously had a thing for him,” he replied, climbing onto the bed, and kissing her again, sucking every rational thought from her mind. She lifted her hips, turned on by the feel of his hardness hovering around her slick entrance. “Once,” she murmured, loving the feel of his lips, his tongue, and his cock. “Now,” she pleaded, wanting him with a ferocity that was new to her.

  He held her gaze, not even moving an inch to satisfy her. “You sure you don’t have a thing for Xavier?”

  “What?” she asked, arching her back, lifting her hips again, trying to entice him into her. “Please,” she begged, panting, her hands on his shoulders. “I need you now.”

  “I will fuck you to oblivion, but I need to know first.”

  “Freaking hell, Luke. What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked, irritated. She squirmed under him, desperate to swallow him up, confusion lining her brow at his hesitation.

  “I just need to know you’re not going to be tempted by him again.”

  “I already told you, I can’t stand the guy.”

  And that was all he needed to know. He slammed into her, making her cry out in relief, filling her to the hilt, as he planted a sensual kiss on her lips. He claimed her mouth with the same fervor that he had claimed her body.

  “Again,” she murmured, her voice pleading, and low as her muscles clenched around him. He was buried hilt-deep inside her, and she writhed beneath him in ecstasy. In the next moment, he reached down and ripped her shirt buttons off.

  “You owe me a blouse,” she stuttered, digging her nails into his shoulders as he rocked against her. An animal groan escaped her lips, and she heard him moan as he slammed against her, the friction starting to build.

  She unfastened the front clasp on her bra, needing to feel his mouth on her, and in the next second, his lips clamped onto one breast, sucking hungrily. Her heart pounded with the same ferocity as his thrusts, and she moaned appreciatively each time he rocked against her; her mind dizzy, her body coiling tight, and building to fever pitch.

  Every nerve ending in her body tensed.

  “Don’t stop,” she cried, closing her eyes as the pressure peaked and became almost unbearable, as if she was going to explode. She placed her hand over her breast, before sliding it to her clit. Luke shoved her hand away, staring at her with hooded eyes.

  “I’ll take care of that,” he growled, gripping her wrist hard. Her eyes fluttered open as he brushed his thumb gently over her lower lip before slipping it inside her mouth. She sucked it greedily, looking into the depths of his eyes and finding warmth. This man was sexy, and he was fucking her, not making love, but fucking her. She loved it. Didn’t want him to stop.

  They were a tangled mess of thrashing hot, sweaty bodies drowning in pleasure. A haze of intoxication swept over her as he kissed her again. She kissed him back, hard, and primal, needing to feel his tongue against hers, while his cock pounded her relentlessly.

  He consumed her, body and soul.

  She looked at him, loved the way he made her his, the way he owned her body, and used her for his pleasure. Experiencing a oneness she rarely felt, she hugged her arms tight around his body, like the bars of a prison from which he couldn't escape. When he kissed her again, his tongue sweeping against her lips before plunging into her mouth, she clung to him, her arms like a garland around his neck. He claimed her with his mouth, and lower down he owned her with every thrust.

  It didn’t matter that he only wanted this and nothing more. She would take it. He would be the undoing of her, but right now, she didn't want anything else.

  His eyes locked into hers as he thrust hard, evoking a gasp from her with each powerful stroke, and moving faster and faster until her heart beat so hard, she could hear the blood gushing in her eardrums.

  And then it came; they reached the point of release at the same time. She cried out, arching off the bed, digging her nails into his skin because it was too much. Breathless, she felt herself shattering under him, shuddering and splintering into pieces as she came, watching his face contort. His body tensed, and then he jerked inside her, letting out a guttural groan.

  At last, his head fell forward onto her breast and she fell back against the pillow. They lay like that, still joined for a few moments, before he moved off her.

  He rolled over, and she was about to roll against him, snuggle in his arms, but he got up still fully clothed from the waist up.

  “Come back to bed,” she said sitting up.

  “I need to use the bathroom,” he told her, and walked out, leaving her still sitting, and completely naked.

  She suddenly felt let down. Discarded, even. Dispensable. There had been no spooning, no holding, or hearing one another’s heart beats.

  And yet, when they had made love, she’d felt it all, the searing intensity, and the connection; the beating of their hearts as they had come together. This man had owned her, and had claimed every inch of her body as if he had branded his name on all over her.

  She’d been with enough men to know which ones cared, and which ones only needed the sex. Luke wasn’t easy to read but for now, he had made her feel as if he’d needed her.

  For all his rules, for all his weird ways, in the end he had sought her out. He was the one who had asked her if she wanted to go out to dinner. He had come looking for her. And that had to mean something.

  The meaningless one night stands and empty encounters from her past fell away.

  Whatever this thing with Luke was, she wanted to believe it had the potential to be more than a hookup.

  Chapter 18

  They were barely into the second week of December when Savannah broke the news.

  “I’m pregnant,” she announced, her eyes gleaming, her face flushed.

  Kay cocked her head, not sure at first if she’d heard right. “You’re what? Pregnant, did you say?”

  Savannah’s face lit up like Christmas, confirming the news, and Kay’s eyes fell to Savannah’s stomach, as if she could x-ray right into it. She lunged forward and flung her arms around her cousin, hugging her tightly, before springing apart, fearful she might have crushed her too hard. “Did I hurt you? Was that too hard? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” said Savannah laughing.

  “Come over here and sit down.” Kay took Savannah’s arm and led her to the couch.

  “I’m not injured,” Savannah protested, “and I d
on’t feel any different, apart from the morning sickness. I’m barely even showing.”

  “Morning sickness?” asked Kay as they sat down.

  “It’s not as bad now as it was in the beginning.”

  Kay couldn’t help herself. “Freaking hell, Sav!” she gushed excitedly. “You’re going to have another baby. I knew you would. I just knew it!”

  Savannah threw her hands up, as if admitting defeat. “Tobias wanted a baby badly.”

  “This was his idea?” The notion of that man wanting a child suddenly blanketed her in warmth. What would it feel like, loving someone so much you couldn’t wait to make a baby with them?

  A shard of pain shot through her. Her and Luke’s relationship was so different. She couldn’t even call it a relationship, because—as he often reminded her—it was just a hookup. What they had was a farce in comparison to the cotton-soft and sumptuous love that Tobias and Savannah shared. It had taken Luke weeks to consider a dinner date. God forbid she ever suggested having a baby. He would spontaneously combust.

  “Even before we got engaged,” Savannah continued, “He wanted us to try. Last year was such a whirlwind, a baby wasn’t anywhere on my radar, but when he said he wanted a baby, oh…” She put her hand to her chest, making Kay squirm. To see someone so in love when her own situation was so far removed was painful. She forced a smile, even though the comparison hurt. “I can’t describe it,” Savannah continued, “Something inside me melted and I wanted to have a baby for him so badly.”

  “You must have had a lot of fun trying,” Kay offered. She couldn’t ever imagine Luke suggesting anything like that. Hell would have to freeze over first.

  “We did,” Savannah replied, the huge grin on her face still there.

  “How are you feeling?” Her gaze dropped down to Savannah’s belly again. No wonder her cousin had worn a loose fitting A-line dress. “Apart from the morning sickness.”

  “I’m feeling great.” Her cousin proceeded to tell her all about her experience. “Well, I wanted to tell you in person before you heard through the media. We told our parents yesterday.”

  “I won’t tell anyone.”

  “It’s going to break in the press in a few days’ time anyway, and then everything will go haywire for a few more weeks. It’s something I have to get used to.”

  Kay gave her a sympathetic smile, but Savannah looked so happy, so glowing, and content, as if the world was her playground. It was hard to imagine that there was a baby inside her, maybe not a fully-fledged baby yet…but life. Soon there would be a tiny little baby for everyone to fawn over, a second baby for Savannah and a sibling for Jacob.

  Uncle Dale and Aunt Jean would be over the moon, she was sure, and her own mother would, too. Any day now her mother would probably call her to lecture her on the ticking time-bomb of her ovaries.

  With a shiver, she thought of what lay ahead. The comparisons between the girls would continue. Future events filled her with dread. There would be the christening, and the baby’s first Christmas and first birthday, then other milestones in the baby's first year. She couldn't stomach it; the disappointment in her mother's voice at future family get-togethers where Savannah would be surrounded by her doting prince and children, and she would…not.

  She wondered whether she would still be with Luke, or was that expecting too much, several months down the line? Would she still be single, or still having short-term flings? One thing was clear. Time was marching on and she was getting older. Maybe she was already too old to be doing what she was with Luke. This thing with Luke—it would have ended had he not sought her out, but now that he had, now that they had been together, and the sex had been amazing, she couldn’t think of walking away. The connection between them felt more intense than anything she had yet experienced with another lover.

  If they were going to part ways, the directive would have to come from him. “And Jacob?” she asked, not wanting to dwell on these things too much. “How did he take to the news?”

  “He can’t wait.”

  Kay beamed at her, a wave of profound happiness settling over her. This was wonderful news. The best. Now that she thought about it, it wasn’t that surprising that Savannah was pregnant. She knew Tobias was going to make a wonderful father, especially after seeing how he was with Jacob.

  “You don’t look too big. When are you due?”

  “May.”

  “So you were pregnant when you got married?” She’d been so wrapped up in her own drama with Xavier at that time that she hadn’t paid much attention to the bride.

  Savannah nodded. “Could you tell?”

  “No. I had no freaking idea.” She recalled the wedding day. “You looked amazing, Sav. Are you sure you were pregnant then?”

  “Positive.”

  “I was sure you’d make a baby starting that night, especially the way you two were around one another.”

  Savannah giggled. “Were we embarrassingly loved up?”

  “You couldn’t keep your eyes off of one another. You should have seen the way you were on the dance floor.”

  “I’ve never been happier.”

  “I’ve never seen you looking happier. I knew you’d get pregnant, but it never occurred to me that you’d already be pregnant.”

  “It happened so quickly.” Savannah sat back on the couch, curling her knees up and making herself at home. “I came off the pill, and within the month, it happened.”

  “Just as well you were on the pill then. Otherwise you’d have gotten pregnant as soon as you met.”

  Savannah blushed. “We didn’t have sex for months,” she confessed, sweeping her hair away from her face again.

  “For months?” Kay echoed, guilt slicing through her, and with it a sense of shame when she thought of that first night in her kitchen. If Savannah had any idea what had happened between her and Luke, she would be shocked.

  “He was my boss,” explained Savannah. “Not my direct boss, because I reported to Briony. He was her boss.”

  “Oooh,” Kay squealed. “You had an office romance with the CEO!”

  “It was not like that,” insisted Savannah. “I never set out to get involved with him. I didn’t see him in a romantic light at first.”

  “Why the hell not? Didn’t you think he was good-looking?”

  “I thought he was rude.”

  “Rude?” She couldn’t imagine Tobias being rude to Savannah, ever.

  “And it was Jacob he took a shine to, more than me.”

  “So you had the cute little boy thing going for you?”

  Savannah shrugged. “Jacob helped, yes, but I didn’t use my son to ensnare Tobias.”

  “I’m kidding, Sav. Where’s your sense of humor?”

  “Sorry. I get asked all sorts of stupid questions from women who still think I’m a gold-digger.”

  “Bitches.”

  “Yes, you’d be surprised at the reaction I get from some women.”

  “Go on,” Kay prompted. “You didn’t think he was good-looking at first, so how did things develop?”

  “We had months of … moments.”

  “Moments?”

  A smile lit up Savannah’s face as if this conversation had picked her up and set her back in those early heady days of getting to know Tobias Stone. “We shared those looks, those smiles, those quiet moments…it was all unspoken, so sexy and yet so frustrating at the same time, trying to figure out if he could see, and sense what I was feeling and thinking.”

  “What were you feeling and thinking?”

  “That he was an intense man, he was cold, and stand-offish, and yet he was so gentle and caring with Jacob. He drew me in slowly. I wasn’t desperate to find a partner. I didn’t focus on any of that. I just wanted a better life for Jacob. My son had seen so many nasty things, I wanted happier times for him. He was my focus, my everything. That’s all I wanted.”

  “And you ended up with everything. The perfect man, the perfect life. The perfect future. Married to a billionaire
, for goodness sake, Sav!”

  “It was never about his wealth and status. You knew more about him than I did!” She fiddled around with her glistening rock of a ring on her finger. “Because even if all the riches fell away, and the external trappings were gone, it wouldn’t matter to me. I would be happy with Tobias wherever we were. I was happy with Colt, once, at the beginning. Even in our cramped little apartment, with both of us struggling to make ends meet, even when he still had a job. I was so happy.”

  Kay understood that, to a degree, but she had never been short of money, and had never needed a man to give her security. Having the kind of body that interested men, it was her experience that they often didn’t know what to make of her. Men couldn’t handle beauty and brains, and her ample breasts completely confused them. She had to fight her corner at work just to prove that she was good at her job, when often the danger was that men saw her as nothing but eye candy.

  It had stemmed from school, in her teenage years. Her fast changing body had made her one of the first in her class to warrant attention from hormonal and spotty teenage boys.

  Somewhere along the line, after college, that message had become engrained. It was easy enough to get attention, but after a while something told her that that type of attention was a hindrance, not a help.

  When she got interviews for prestigious jobs, it was her brain that got her a foot in the door, but it was her figure and looks that often got her noticed by men higher up. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t used her flirting powers to her benefit. But once she was in, it was her brain that ensured she was seen as a formidable employee.

  “But how did you know?” she pressed. “How did you know he was the one?”

  Savannah’s smile lit up her face. “Because of things he did. Because actions speak louder than words, always. It’s not what a man says, it’s what he does for you.”