“You’re un-fucking-believable. You think I’m pretending to want to have sex with you to make you feel better?”
Well, when he put it like that, it sounded ridiculous. “I’m just saying....” At this point, she’d pretty much forgotten what she was trying to say.
“Do you want me to prove it?”
Her eyes widened and she took a step back. “Prove what?” she asked, fully knowing the answer. She should never have backed away from him. She knew well enough by now that Lucas thrived off the thrill of the hunt.
“You said you don’t believe I want to have sex anymore. I think you’re wrong and I’d like to prove it.”
“It was just a stupid thing to say. Not exactly a scientific theory that needs to be tested.”
“And do you believe me?” He took one more step closer.
She went to move back farther, but the edge of the counter hit her, caging her in place. “Nope. No proof necessary.”
Of its own accord, her voice seemed to get higher and squeakier. Dammit, she was better than this. Why couldn’t she be better than this around him?
Of course, Lucas didn’t let up. He leaned forward, setting an arm around each side of her on the counter. Suddenly she was right back in that hotel room last night, once again caged against the wall. “You know, right now I really, really, really”—he let his hips move forward just enough to close the distance between them so she could feel his erection pressing against her belly—“want to prove you wrong.”
Harper took a deep, nervous gulp. “I think I got it.”
“Good.” He looked deep into her eyes, and for that moment, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
“Good,” she said.
And then, half a second later, they were kissing. She didn’t know who made the first move. They were so close, either one of them only had to move half an inch to close the distance between them. Had she given in to temptation and tipped her body forward just the slightest? Or maybe he, so determined to prove her wrong, closed the distance.
He was doing all this to prove a point; she should pull away from him, slap him right now. But that was a silly, logical thought. Logical thoughts and Lucas just didn’t go well together.
Instead, hot, heavy, lusty thinking clung to him like superglue. Pull away? The thought was practically laughable. The truth was she didn’t want to pull away. When he was around, for some silly reason, all she wanted to do was be closer. Be touching him in some way, shape, or form; trading barbs with him in some way, shape, or form. Despite being the most confusing, infuriating man she’d ever met, he drew her to him like nothing else she’d ever imagined.
Like everything about them, the kiss was hard, fast, combustible. Her fingers gripped the soft fabric of his T-shirt, pulling him closer. His hands were everywhere, running down her neck, collarbone, over the curves of her breasts, down her waist, then gripping her hips tightly as he lifted her up and against the counter. As soon as the counter was under her ass, her legs instinctively wrapped around him, pulling that erection completely up against her.
A small rumble escaped from the back of Lucas’s throat. Somewhere between a note of approval and a growl. Harper reveled in his animal nature. Her limited dating before had been so... civilized. Who knew that she needed something like this? Something to push back against her compulsive need to overthink things. Something to combat the forever present need to be in control. With Lucas, everything was a fight, and although that should be exhausting, the competitive side of her thrived on it. Thrived on him.
His mouth left hers and trailed kisses along one side of her jaw until he reached her earlobe and gave the soft flesh a little nip. “How could I not want you? I always want you, silly girl.”
If he weren’t holding her tightly against him, she would’ve melted right there. Instead, she responded the only way she knew how. Her fingers curled in the back of his hair. She pulled him closer, rubbing rhythmically against him. There was too much damn denim between the two of them right now. Before she could even think of the mechanics of how to get their pants off as quick as possible, Lucas was lifting her up and carrying her out of the kitchen. Now that she had a few seconds to think as he effortlessly carried her down the hall, she realized it was a good thing they weren’t having sex on some stranger’s counter. It was much better to have sex on some random stranger’s....
She actually had no idea where they were going, but in all honesty she didn’t care. She’d turned into some wanton creature that would do anything for some sort of fulfillment. But not any fulfillment—the type that Lucas could provide. He opened the door, and a second later, she was tumbling on the bed. She pushed up on her elbows and stared up at Lucas.
He stood there for a moment, silently appraising her with a wicked grin on his face.
“I changed my mind,” said Harper, unable to resist.
Shock flashed over Lucas’s face as a muscle in his jaw ticked. “What?”
“I do want you to prove it to me.”
He let out a sigh of what sounded like relief and frustration. “You know you’re gonna pay for that.”
She smiled at him and reached down to undo the button of her jeans. He took a deep swallow as she lowered the zipper, then shimmied her hips as she hooked her fingers in her panties and pants to push them down. She kicked off her shoes, and before she could sit up to push the pants off all the way, Lucas ripped them off with a quick jerk.
Before she could even reach her top, he was hooking an arm under her leg, pulling her toward the end of the bed. He kissed the inside of her knee and ran his teeth along her upper thigh. “God, you’re gorgeous,” he said, his breath so close to where she wanted him the most. “This is how you should be all the time. Naked.” All of a sudden, his hands were at her entrance, and two fingers slid easily in. “Perfection.”
She sucked in a breath and her head fell back. Oh good God.... While her eyes were closed, his mouth joined his fingers and he ate her up as though she were a buffet.
Harper’s fingers twisted in the sheets. She steeled herself. Lucas knew too damn much about a woman’s body. The way he could move her, manipulate her, taking her right to the edge and pulling back, repeating it over and over and over again. So when she finally fell over, her entire body was shaking with need and desire. When he finally started moving up her body, she wasn’t even sure she’d be good for anything besides lying there limply. She was fairly certain none of the muscles in her body actually worked. Lucas held himself over her, smiling down, apparently proud of his handiwork. She reached up, stroking her fingers over his cheek. “Careful, there,” she warned.
“Careful of what?”
“You almost look happy.”
He twisted his head until his mouth was over the soft pad of flesh beneath her thumb and bit down. “Trust me, I’m being careful.” And then he was sliding in.
All the muscles she thought would never work again suddenly kicked on. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and her legs wrapped around him, held him closer. As soon as he was inside her, she felt so full and right. He stayed still for a moment. She wasn’t sure whether he was letting her adjust or savoring the sensation of being inside her. At first, she liked it, enjoying any chance she had to be close to him. But soon enough, her body, which had just been fully satiated, demanded more. She needed the friction. She needed to move. Her arms held him tighter as her hips writhed against his. “Please,” she murmured against his ear.
“Hold on,” he muttered.
Hold on? Was he crazy? The last thing she wanted to do was hold on. She finally embraced her lack of self-control around him, and he wanted her to hold on?
She wiggled even more fiercely against him. “I don’t want to wait.”
“Goddammit, woman. You know you’re impossible, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you love it.”
“Yeah, I do love you.”
Before she could even comprehend what he just said, he pulled out almost complet
ely and slammed back home. Her eyes rolled back in her head as he started thrusting. Hard and fast. He gave her exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it. Her oversensitive body climaxed so fast she was sure it had to be a record. Hell, maybe it was a continuation of the orgasm he’d given her a few minutes ago. Things like boundaries and limitations were pointless when he was around. As usual, all she could do was hold on tight and ride it out.
Seconds after her, Lucas stiffened, every muscle in his body going rigid as his own climax hit. He collapsed on her on the bed, holding her in an almost punishing grip as he came deep within her.
Right as Harper started to relax, the undeniable sound of the door opening and closing as someone entered the apartment cut through the room. So much for any relaxation.
Lucas pulled up from the bed. He pulled up his pants, which were still around his ankles, and tried not to think about the mess. He just had to get his ass out that door and catch Evan before he saw Harper naked.
As soon as he got the top button of his pants done, he started for the door. He almost barged into the hallway but then thought better of it. Instead, he put his ear up to the thin wood of the door. He couldn’t hear anything.
If Evan had come home and left all while Lucas was fucking Harper, he’d never forgive himself. He rolled his shoulders and pulled open the door gently, careful not to make a sound. He trotted softly on the hardwood floor and deftly picked up on some noise coming from the kitchen. Once he made it out of the hallway, he stood between the entire apartment and the front door. “Evan. We need to talk.”
“What the—” Heavy footsteps sounded in the kitchen, and a second later, Evan was in the doorway. “You’re not here. Tell me you’re not here.”
He didn’t have a gun, so Lucas would have to call that a win. “I hate to break it to you, but I am in fact here. What did you think was going to happen?”
Evan shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “Man, you need to listen to me. I—”
The apartment door opened, and Lucas turned to see Lily standing right there. Holy shit, he really found her. The bag she held in her arms, groceries from the looks of it, dropped to the ground, and she covered her mouth with a hand. “You’re here.”
“You’re here,” he shot back. But once his back turned, Evan made a run for it. Lucas stayed right where he was, not taking his eyes off Lily.
It was only a few seconds later when he heard Evan scream out from down the hall. “Who the fuck are you?”
Lucas smiled, and Lily’s apprehension appeared to grow. “You didn’t come alone?” she asked.
“Do you have any idea what you dragged me into?”
“We knew exactly what we dragged you into,” said Evan, almost petulantly, as he came back into the room.
“Ms. Reinhardt,” said Harper. “Why don’t we all go talk about this like adults and stop running away.” She hooked a finger toward her and motioned away from the door.
“Lucas, I never meant to hurt you. I swear, I—”
“How about you shut the hell up and do what I say?” said Harper in her bitch voice.
Damn, Lucas hadn’t realized how long it had been since he’d heard her talk like that. Maybe she really did like him.
Lily picked up a few of the groceries she’d dropped before shutting the door and following Harper toward the living room. The only options for seating were a loveseat and a recliner. Harper made Lily and Evan sit on the loveseat together, where they noticeably tried to put as much space as possible between them. Lucas wondered whether that was because they weren’t actually together or because they didn’t want him to think they were together.
Harper sat down in the recliner, and Lucas stayed standing. He folded his arms in front of them and stared down at the two people, neither of whom he trusted. At this point in his life, Evan was probably one of the people he’d trusted the most. Which really said more about the sad state of his life than the relationship he had with Evan. Lily wasn’t exactly his best friend, but that didn’t mean the betrayal didn’t hurt. “What the hell did you tell your parents?” demanded Lucas, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice, well aware he’d failed.
“I didn’t tell them anything! I just—”
Harper stomped her foot on the ground. The loud bang abruptly brought everyone’s eyes on her. “I’m sorry about that,” she said in a falsely sweet voice. “I get twitchy when people lie to me. Why don’t we start again? If this were a real interrogation, I’d separate you and then compare your stories. The fact that I’m allowing you to stay together during this is a sign of my generosity. It is the only sign of my generosity you’re going to get, and if you upset me one more goddamn time, you’ll find out that I’m really not a very generous person. So from the top, what the hell is going on?”
“Lucas, I—”
Evan held up a hand. “It’s a case, Lucas. I’m helping Lily with a case.”
“That doesn’t sound like it’s starting from the top,” said Lucas. He could tell what Harper was doing. It was hard to remember interrogation techniques when everything was so personal, but Harper was right. He should be asking big, open-ended questions and letting the interrogee talk until they said something they didn’t intend to. Also, as of this point, Evan and Lily didn’t know how much he knew. They could use that to their advantage if they played it right and didn’t do anything stupid. “Now, what’s the story, from the top?”
“All right,” said Lily. “You want to know from the top? From the top, you broke my heart.”
Lucas blinked a few times and glanced at Harper, but he didn’t see any reaction on her face.
He wanted to ask her more but forced himself to stay quiet. Lily would fill in the blanks soon enough without him asking. Harper was following suit, waiting for Lily to take enough rope to hang herself.
“I met up with you and you showed me a world, a side of myself, that I didn’t even know existed, and then you were just gone.”
Lucas couldn’t just let her go on anymore. “That’s bullshit. I told you before we ever did anything exactly what this was. Don’t you throw this back in my face like I mistreated you somehow. I never lied to you. Not once.”
“You didn’t have to lie to me to hurt me. I know I’m an idiot and I know what you said, but it doesn’t change how I felt at the time. I kept on thinking you were going to come back. I’ve seen movies. The guy always comes back. Has a change of heart at the last minute. But you never came.”
“I get it,” said Harper.
Lucas suddenly felt as if he’d been hit with a baseball bat. “You what?”
“I get it. Just look at you, Lucas. You go around finding vulnerable women. You get them to let their guard down. Even if you’re not doing it in some sneaky, malicious way, it’s what you do. And then once their guard is down and they trust you, you end up leaving.”
“And I assume women are incapable of having casual relationships, then?”
“You hurt me, Lucas,” accused Lily.
“I believe you,” Harper said. “Lucas hurt you and you wanted revenge.”
Lily blinked a few times. “Revenge? This isn’t about revenge.”
“That’s right. You’re brokenhearted,” he spat out. “What would you call it? Justice?”
“Yes. I’m trying to right wrongs.”
“I didn’t wrong you!” screamed Lucas.
Harper jumped up, grabbed him by the shirtsleeve, and dragged him until they were in the hallway but still had a direct line of sight on Evan and Lily. Well, she’d be able to see them. From where Lucas was standing, all he could see was Harper’s disapproving face.
“Lucas, you know you impress me. I’ve admitted it multiple times. But right now you’re losing your shit and I can’t have that.”
“That’s funny, because I got you and Lily ganging up on me, telling me how I’m no better than the dirt you wipe off your shoes. Sorry for taking that personally.”
Harper leaned in closer. “I am t
rying to find out the truth. If you’re not going to help me, get the fuck out of the way.”
Harper left the room to sit back on the recliner. For a moment, Lucas did debate leaving. Getting the fuck out of the apartment. Getting the fuck out of the city. He was too damn tired for all this. But he forced himself to turn around and head back into the room.
“Go on,” said Harper. “He won’t interrupt you again,” she added, giving Lucas some major side eye.
“After Lucas was gone, I kept trying to find him. But I didn’t want to call him,” she said. “I wanted to play it cool, instead going to places we’d been together. Hoping to bump into him naturally. But instead I found Evan.”
“Yeah, my good buddy Evan.”
“Don’t get too mad at him. When I asked him to get in touch with you, he refused.”
“Lily, don’t tell them anything else. They’re not here to help. This is a stupid idea.”
Evan started to stand, but Harper stood first. “Hang on, we just want to find out what happened. So Lily, go back to the beginning. You met Evan and....”
“And... we started to hang out together. I started to get over Lucas and everything was going good until Daddy got in the way.”
“He didn’t want you to be together?”
“No. He’s a scumbag. He’s been funneling money for people to his charity, by the way, for his entire career. Most of his profits come from terrible things. And worst of all, he gave me a job at the Global Hugs program and I was grateful to him. He was making me his accomplice and not even telling me.”
Judging from what Lucas knew about Oliver, it didn’t seem too far out of the realm of possibility.
“So you decided to steal dirty money and run off together?” asked Harper.
“If I wanted to steal, I’d do better than that,” said Lily.
“Lily wants to bring her dad down,” clarified Evan.
Harper let out a little laugh. “You stole money from the guy you want to shut down? How is that supposed to work?”
Lucky Girl (Lucky Alphas Book 2) Page 12