“I know. I remember the way your parents looked at each other,” Nicole said softly. “I thought it was so amazing, because...it was so different from what I saw at home. Your parents gazed at each other with stars in their eyes whereas I could see daggers shooting from my parents' eyes when they glared at each other.”
“How's your mom? And...your dad,” Luke asked tentatively.
“I don't know about my dad. He completely disappeared. He never paid child support and he never bothered to contact me. He just disappeared totally from my life after the divorce.” She shrugged and fell silent for a while. “Well.” With another shrug, she turned to him and said brightly, “Mom got married last year.”
“She did? Wow!”
“Yeah.” A delighted laugh bubbled from her. “It really is so wonderful! My stepdad's a great guy. They're on their honeymoon now, a year-long honeymoon,” she emphasized. “Oh, let me show you their wedding pictures.” Nicole pulled out her phone and scrolled through the photos. “Don't they look great?” she gushed, thrusting the phone into his face.
Luke looked at the pictures of the beaming bride and groom, surrounded by a crowd of smiling people of all ages. “That's my stepdad's elder sister and her entire family. These are her children and her grandchildren.” Nicole pointed excited at the screen. “And here I am, carrying her great-granddaughter, who is wearing the same pink dress as me, just many sizes smaller.”
“Beautiful,” Luke breathed.
“I know, right? Mom looked so beautiful in her wedding gown. She didn't want to wear a wedding dress initially. She just wanted to wear a plain white dress for the wedding, but my stepdad wouldn't hear of it. She said she's just a sixty-year-old bride, but he said that she's his bride.” Nicole chuckled, her eyes shining with joy and pride. “He made her choose a real wedding gown and he got his tuxedo specially tailored. My stepdad's a widower, and he doesn't have any children.” Nicole tucked her phone back into her bag. “He treats me like his only daughter, so he and Mom have been nagging me to give them some grandkids soon.” She shook her head and laughed. “Yeah right. To do that, first I need to find a man.”
Luke cheered inwardly at her confession that she was single. To his surprise, his bear reared up and growled. It wasn't an angry growl. It was more a possessive, territorial growl. His bear wanted to stake its claim. Mine.
Luke jerked. What the…?
“Huh? Did you say something?” Nicole squinted at him.
Luke shook his head mutely. He didn't trust himself to speak. His bear might decide to take charge of his voice box and let out another growl to show him who's boss.
Gritting his teeth, Luke pushed his bear down. He was in control of his beast, not the other way round. Dylan had taught him to leash his bear and harness its power. He couldn't lose control of his beast and himself. He couldn't become the monster that he was made to be…
“Luke?”
He started and gave himself a shake. Focus, stay in the present, stay in control. Luke dug his nails into his palms as he wrestled furiously with his emotions and his bear. He would not allow himself to slide back into that dark, dark place.
Luke looked into Nicole's deep, brown eyes and saw the worry and concern there. “You okay?” Nicole put a hand on his arm. “You seem a little...”
“I'm fine,” he growled, then coughed hurriedly.
“Maybe you're tired,” she said as she pulled herself away. She adjusted the strap of her handbag on her shoulder and smiled. “It's getting late. I should be getting home. Maybe we can catch up some other time...”
Luke felt his nails sharpen into claws as the sharp tips gouged into his palm. His bear was rearing up, ready to rip out of his skin and pounce on her. His bear wasn't going to allow Nicole to leave.
His breaths were coming in short, hard spurts and he could feel his eyes turning feral. Luke squeezed his eyes shut to prevent Nicole from seeing the monster that lurked just beneath his human skin.
“Nicole...”
“Hey, what's wrong? You look kinda pale. And...oh, your skin feels really hot! Are you having a fever?” She pressed her hand to his forehead and Luke thought his body was going to burst into flames. She was standing so close to him, her soft body pressed up against him as she felt his face and neck.
“I'm okay. I...I just miss...talking to you.” He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. His bear had backed down and seemed satisfied and pleased to have Nicole so near him. Her touch soothed his bear and tamed that wild, temperamental beast.
“I miss you too, Luke,” she said sincerely.
“Do you want to...come over to my place? It's just down the road. We can catch up over pizza.” He held up the pizza box.
Her lips curved as her eyes lighted up.
Luke swore that a woman had never looked so kissable to him.
“I'd love to!”
CHAPTER FIVE
As they walked towards Luke's condo building, Nicole jabbered on about what she had been up to these couple of years. She worked, and she worked some more, that's what she had been doing. She realized that she was talking too fast, and she sounded like an excited schoolgirl, but she couldn't help it. The more excited she got, the faster she talked.
She wasn't at all like this when she was at work. Nicole the lawyer was cool, collected and poised at all times. Nothing fazed her and she handled situations, opposing counsel and senior partners with grace and aplomb. She was professional. Yep, there was the professional Nicole, and there was the...real Nicole.
The real Nicole hadn't made an appearance in quite a while, she realized. She hadn't talked and laughed so excitedly and happily with any of her ex-boyfriends. She hadn't really been friends with any of her exes. They were lovers, yes, but there was no deep friendship between them.
“Am I talking too much? Too fast?” she asked breathlessly.
“No.” Luke looked surprised at her question. “This is the way you always talk. I remember the way you gesture and tug at your ear as you think of a word or phrase you want to use.”
“Oh.” Nicole released her earlobe and balled her fist. She hadn't even realized she was doing that. “I...”
“You're adorable,” he blurted out.
“What?”
Luke stammered and blushed. And that was absolutely the most adorable sight.
“Are you blushing, Luke?” she teased.
“No!” He turned a deeper shade of red. “I just think...you're so perfect,” he mumbled.
When her eyes rounded, he said quickly, “I wish we hadn't lost touch all these years.”
“Me too.”
They arrived at a neat condo building and Luke ushered her towards the lift lobby. “I'm on the tenth floor,” he informed her. “It's a small place, just one bedroom...”
“Why would you need more than one bedroom?” she said immediately. “A single guy doesn't need more than one bedroom, unless of course he's not single and he has...”
“I'm single. Very single,” Luke said emphatically. Nicole hid a smile. That was the information she was fishing for.
“I haven't been with anyone since...” He hesitated.
Nicole sensed that there was something he wanted to tell her but he was struggling to get the words out.
“Since what, Luke?” she asked very gently.
Before he could reply, the elevator door opened and Luke greeted the elderly couple who stepped out. “Mr and Mrs Fu, going out for supper?”
“We're going to watch a midnight movie,” Mr Fu announced. “A horror movie, so she can pretend to be scared and I can put my manly arms around her and protect her.”
“Your girlfriend is very pretty,” Mrs Fu said, smiling at Nicole as she swatted her husband's hand away.
“She's not my...” Luke sputtered.
Mrs Fu winked and tut-tutted at Luke as she strolled away hand in hand with her husband.
“My neighbors,” Luke said as they entered the l
ift. “Mr and Mrs Fu live in the unit opposite mine.”
“They're sweet.”
“They are. Mrs Fu is always sending her husband over with home-cooked food for me. She's a fantastic cook. See these love handles? She put them there!”
“What love handles? Let me see. Better yet, let me feel!”
Luke gave a yelp as Nicole began tickling him. He managed to dodge her but there was nowhere to run in that tiny elevator.
Nicole laughed as Luke squirmed and shouted. “You're still so ticklish!” she giggled.
“Hey, no fair, you know all my weak spots!”
He caught her wrists in one hand as she reached up to tickle his neck. She gasped as her body slammed into his.
The laughter was gone from his eyes. In its place was a dark, smoldering heat, and he stared at her with undisguised desire and hunger.
Her breath hitched as he pulled her to him. “Luke,” she whispered.
CHAPTER SIX
Luke released her wrists to lower his hand to her waist. Nicole didn't resist or protest. Instead, she slowly wound her arms around his neck and held on.
The feel of her soft curves against his body made his entire body thrum and tense. He gazed deeply into those liquid brown eyes that held so much humor and intelligence. Nicole was a high-flying, successful lawyer now, but she was still the Nicole he knew. She was his friend, his buddy, his sweet, funny, smart Nicole.
And she was so damn beautiful and sexy.
Luke pulled her flush against his body and leaned in. She felt so right in his arms, so perfect. She tilted her face to him, her lips parting invitingly.
“Nicole...” Her name escaped on a ragged breath just before he kissed her.
He heard a tiny whimper as he took her mouth hungrily. God, she was sweet, and so damn hot. He kissed her, tasted her, branded her possessively with his lips and tongue. He swept his tongue over her lips and she moaned and pushed her fingers into his hair.
The kiss was hard, hungry, demanding, and he could scent her fierce want and desire. He had scented lust before, but he had never scented this wonderful, alluring, intoxicating scent from a female before. It wasn't just desire. It was something else, something more.
It was the scent of…
The elevator door opened and Nicole gasped and turned her head to see if anyone had stepped in. She blushed and straightened her clothes as Luke gently steered her out with a hand on the small of her back. She was a little shaky on her feet and he steadied her by curling his hand around her waist. Honestly, he didn't want to ever stop touching her.
“This is my place,” he said.
She blew out a breath and fanned herself with one hand. “Wow. That was...” She shook herself and looked down the corridor. “Just two units on your floor,” she observed. “And since Mr and Mrs Fu have gone out for the night...” She grinned slyly.
“What are you planning to do?” Luke teased as he unlocked his front door. “Have your wicked way with me?”
“Something like that...” She twirled her ponytail flirtatiously with one finger and batted her eyelashes at him.
Luke laughed and resisted the urge to kiss her again. There had been a moment of awkwardness after that kiss, but Nicole had effortlessly smoothed the awkwardness over. Nothing's changed, he thought with a smile. When they were kids, they would sometimes fight and squabble, but their fights never lasted more than a few minutes. Nicole had a way of making him laugh by saying something totally irrelevant and irreverent. She knew just how to distract him and get her way in the end, he realized.
But this time, he wasn't going to let her distract him with her jokes and banter. He had scented her desire and arousal, and he knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
“Will you walk into my parlor?” Luke said with a bow as he held the door open for her.
“Said the spider to the fly,” she sang and stepped into his apartment. “Oh, this is indeed the prettiest little parlor that ever I did spy!” she exclaimed as he snapped on the lights.
Luke glanced around his small apartment and gave himself a pat on the back for cleaning up his mess the day before. He had Jade to thank for that. His big sister had done some grocery shopping for him and dropped by to fill his fridge. Jade would always treat him as her baby brother and she would fuss over him for the rest of his life. Nothing could change that.
Jade had nagged him about the mess and clutter, and made him clean up the whole apartment before she left.
“I bet Jade did a surprise inspection of your place just recently,” Nicole said, peering at the gleaming coffee table and seeing not a speck of dust on the surface.
Luke groaned. “You do know me very well.”
“I know Jade very well too.” Nicole grinned. “I would love to see her again. I miss her too.”
“How about dinner tomorrow night?” Luke suggested. “I'll call Jade later. She'll be thrilled! You can meet my brother-in-law too.” Nicole clapped and nodded enthusiastically.
“Great! But now, we eat.” Luke opened the pizza box and pulled out a chair at the dining table.
“Ooh, pepperoni and cheese, my favorite! Yum!”
They dug in and before long they were fighting over the last slice of pizza.
“Hey, that's mine.”
“Is that so?” Nicole waved the last slice of pizza seductively and purred. “Well, come and get it then. Come and get what's yours!” With that, she began nibbling at the pizza, her tongue darting out to lick the corner of her lips.
Luke stared at her.
His restraint was in shreds. Nicole was so maddeningly cute and sexy, and she knew just how to tease and torment him. She had no idea what she was doing to him.
With a fierce growl, Luke lunged for her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Nicole squealed as Luke tackled her around the waist. The slice of pizza went flying and landed God knows where.
Before she knew it, Nicole found herself pinned against the wall. His lips were crushed against hers and he kissed her with a hunger and passion that took her breath away. Nicole gasped and moaned as his mouth moved over hers, tasting and devouring her. Luke's large, calloused hands moved down her body, trailing down her curves to pull her leg up against his hip.
She could feel his stubble against her skin, and she loved the rough, masculine feel of him. His hard, broad body pressed against her and she arched her back to rub against him. Her nipples felt taut and hard, aching for a man's touch. How long has it been since she'd had a good lay? Too long, too damn long.
Nicole panted as she began pulling his t-shirt up. Luke helped her and threw the t-shirt over his shoulder. The sight of his ripped, bare torso made her clench her muscles as a jolt of pure lust hit her. Luke was gorgeous. For a moment, she forgot that he was her friend. He was just a sinful, delicious, perfect male. A male she wanted all over her and deep inside her.
Luke pushed her jacket off her shoulders and began unbuttoning her blouse. Nicole reached back to undo her bra but Luke caught her hands.
“I want to look at you,” he whispered, running the back of his fingers over her skin.
Nicole blinked hard, forgetting to breathe. It was so tender, so sensual, so erotic and intimate, the way he looked at her and touched her.
She swallowed. “Luke.”
“I want you, Nicole,” he said, cupping her face.
She almost smiled. He was asking for permission. Even though she could feel his thick, throbbing erection pressing into her belly and read the untamed, burning passion in his eyes, he respected and loved her enough to get her consent. He would never hurt her. He could have taken her right there and then against the wall and she wouldn't have protested. They both knew that. She was so hot and horny and wet for him.
“I don't want things to be weird between us,” he said hoarsely. “You're too important...”
“Nothing that happens between us can be weird or wrong,” she promised.
/> Luke brushed his thumb over her cheek and down her neck, holding her gaze. Leaning in, he pressed a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. He kissed her very slowly, taking the time to savor her and making her feel so very cherished.
His hands moved down her arms and stroked the swell of her breasts gently. Sliding the straps of her bra down her shoulders, he pushed the cups of her bra down slowly to reveal her dusky, erect nipples.
She heard him inhale sharply before bending down to suckle her. Nicole speared her fingers though his soft blond hair, holding him to her as he sucked and licked and drove her out of her mind with his mouth. She groaned, and raked her nails down his back.
“Luke, take me to bed,” she hissed. “I want to get naked with you.”
His hands moved swiftly to unzip her skirt. Pushing her skirt and panties down, he ran his hands over her quivering thighs and kissed her hips, her navel, her heaving chest. He removed her bra completely at last and swept her naked body into his arms.
Luke was still wearing his jeans while Nicole was completely naked. The effect was both arousing and intimidating. She was no longer in control. She had allowed herself to be exposed and vulnerable, and as Luke carried her to his bedroom, she knew that she was surrendering her body and pleasure to him completely.
She trusted Luke. She knew he would take care of her. He wouldn't just fuck her. He would make love to her and he would look into her eyes as he entered her. She knew it and it scared her. If she fell for him, she would fall hard. Hard and fast, madly and deeply.
Nicole turned her head as Luke put her down on the double bed. The bedroom was spacious, with just a big bed, a bedside table and a wardrobe. He kissed her on the mouth and pushed himself up, staring down at her naked body beneath him.
The look in his eyes swept all her doubts and fears away. No man had ever looked at her like that before. The look was tender yet fiercely possessive, and his blue eyes were full of want and wonder and love.
Bear's Match (Bear Heat Book 6) Page 2