by Jaci Burton
And he seemed utterly oblivious of her.
After piling the patties on the plate she’d provided, he asked, “How about a spatula or something to flip these?”
“Sure.” She dug out the one she used for the grill and handed it over to him.
“How do you like your burger?”
“Well done.”
He grinned. “Me, too. I’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll be here cutting up condiments for the burgers and finishing up these fries. Also, if you aren’t tired of baseball, there’s a game on.”
“See? We make a great team. I’m game . . . for the game.”
She laughed, then slumped against the counter after he closed the slider.
He was funny, gorgeous, he smelled good, and he was great with animals.
And he had an awesome body, a killer smile, and hands she wanted all over her.
One hell of a time for her libido to wake up and decide it wanted men again. Especially since she and Luke had decided they could be buddies. Which put her firmly in the He’s Not Having Sex With You category.
She pulled the fries out of the oil and grated cheese, crumbled up the bacon she’d fried, then finished up making the cheese fries. By the time Luke came back in with the cooked burgers, she’d set up trays in the living room, the game was on, and she had lettuce, onions, and tomato set out on the counter, along with buns and all the stuff he could possibly want to spread on his burger.
“This is a feast,” he said, as he set the platter of burgers down on the counter. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
She smiled at him. “This was no trouble at all. You’re obviously very easy to please.”
“Hey, I would have stopped for take-out on my way home, so, to me, this is a very big deal. Thanks, Emma.”
“You’re welcome.” She didn’t entertain. In fact, Luke was the first person she’d had over besides her mom. In South Carolina, she’d never had anyone over to her apartment.
Again, she had no idea what had gotten into her.
She fed the dogs in the kitchen, then they settled into watching the game and eating their burgers.
“Perfect,” she said as she took her first bite.
“You don’t get your man card unless you know how to cook a burger,” Luke said, sliding a French fry into his mouth. “And these fries are awesome.”
“Thanks. I never have anyone to fix them for, and they’re my favorites, so you actually did me a favor.”
“So what you’re saying is that you had an ulterior motive in inviting me for dinner.”
She waggled her brows. “Maybe.”
He shoved in another, chewed, then cast a smile her way. “I can accept that I was used to satisfy your lust for bacon cheese fries. I’m glad I was here to help you out. You just let me know whenever the urge strikes. I’ll help you satisfy your cravings.”
She took a deep breath. Yeah, she had a list of services she’d like him to perform for her. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”
His gaze met hers, and suddenly, she didn’t believe either of them were thinking about fries anymore.
SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN the ballpark that day and dinner that night, something major had changed in the atmosphere between Luke and Emma. He’d picked up some seriously hot signals from her, both at the park and over dinner. And yeah, maybe he’d inadvertently thrown out a come-on with that line about satisfying her cravings, but he’d actually been talking about food.
Until she’d shot him a hungry look that had nothing to do with French fries, and everything to do with sex.
He thought they’d been on the same wavelength. He’d had a great time with her. She was easy to be with. She was fun, had a great sense of humor, and for a woman, wasn’t demanding at all, something he found refreshing.
And she’d even cooked him dinner instead of making him dress up and take her out somewhere. Not much more he could ask for in a woman. Sure, he wouldn’t mind taking her to bed—after all, she was hot, but he’d resigned himself to the fact that Emma was off-limits in that department.
Until she started throwing out those sex signs. He knew he wasn’t misreading them, either. A guy had to be dead to miss that signal. He wasn’t dead, and neither was his dick.
He focused on finishing his food, likely better than thinking about how soft her hair looked, or the way she licked her lips every time she took a bite of her burger. Because if his thoughts kept leaning in that direction, it would only get him in trouble, especially since she kept looking at him in ways that were definitely not “Hey, let’s be best buddies” kind of ways.
And Emma seemed to notice he was looking back.
“I think I’ll go clean up in the kitchen.” She pushed back her chair and hightailed it out of the dining room. Now she was uncomfortable. He grabbed his plate and followed her into the kitchen. He leaned in to rinse his plate under the running water, catching a whiff of the sweet scent in her hair.
Vanilla, maybe?
She turned to glance at him, and there was that deer-in-the-headlights look again.
She snatched the plate away from him. “I’ve got that. Why don’t you—”
He waited, deciding she should figure out what she wanted. He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Why don’t I what?”
“Uh . . . never mind.”
Instead, he rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the pot she’d cooked the fries in. “Where do you want me to dump this oil?”
“I can do that.”
“So can I, Emma.”
“Trash can is fine.”
He dumped the oil, then brought the pan over to the sink. She washed it, and he grabbed the towel hanging next to the sink to dry.
“You really don’t have to help.”
“You really can’t stop me if I want to.”
She took a deep breath, then handed him the clean pot, her slippery hands colliding with his. “Thanks.”
Even being friends with a woman was complicated. They were better relegated to sex partners, and leaving it at that. He should have known this would never work out. He was way too attracted to Emma to be this close to her and not touch her, not want to kiss her.
And she seemed to be struggling with it, too, which made him wonder what the problem was—other than maybe she only had relationships, and she’d had a bad one, just like he had, so she’d like to steer clear of entanglements.
But it had been a long time since he’d had a fun day like he’d had today, and he’d like to see where it went with Emma. Not relationship-wise, but they had off-the-charts chemistry, and he sure wanted to explore that part of it.
So when she turned the water off and dried her hands, he made his move, stepping toward her as she turned around.
She moved into him at the same time he wrapped his arms around her.
Their lips met in a collision that rocked him hard in an instant. Her mouth opened and his tongue slid inside, and it was an explosion of fireworks. He pushed her against the counter with his body and her fingers tangled in his hair.
The room suddenly seemed devoid of oxygen, both of them gasping for breath as Luke deepened the kiss.
Yeah, it was just like he thought it would be—all hot and fiery passion. He let his hands roam her back, touching her the way he’d wanted to touch her since he’d first laid eyes on her, mapping every luscious curve while she tightened her hold on his hair, every whimper escaping her throat making him painfully harder.
And when he caressed her ribs and coasted his hand over the curve of her hip, she moaned against his mouth. He kissed his way along her jaw and down the column of her throat, listening to the hard and fast sound of her breathing.
He turned her around and pulled her against him, lifting her T-shirt out of her jeans so he could palm the soft skin of her stomach.
“Tell me yes,” he said. “Or tell me no. You decide.”
She flipped around to face him, twining her arms around his neck. He felt the hard thump of her fast he
artbeat against his chest. “Yes. Now stop talking.”
He took her mouth again, that same frenzied need making him dizzy. He grabbed her butt and lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him.
“Bedroom,” he said.
She pointed, and that’s all the direction he needed. He found her bedroom, the only open door down the hall. He put her down next to the bed and pulled his shirt off. She was already out of her tennis shoes and unzipping her jeans.
He liked a woman of action. And as she shimmied out of her jeans, he really enjoyed the revealing of skin and the fact she seemed to be in as much of a hurry as he was to get clothes off.
He shucked his sneakers and jeans, then pushed her down on the bed, coming down on top of her.
Oh yeah. Now this was good, especially her legs twining with his.
She gasped as their bodies connected.
“Did I mention I’m a big fan of pink underwear?” he asked.
She reached up to brush her fingers through his hair. “No. I don’t believe that topic came up during the baseball game today.”
“Huh.” He lifted up and ran his fingers over the swell of her breasts where the cups of her bra met flesh. “I’m surprised. It was on my mind.”
He watched as her breasts rose and fell as she breathed. “It was?”
“Sure. I was sitting there, watching the game and imagining what color underwear you had on.”
She frowned. “You were not.”
He laughed, rolled over and dragged her on top of him, then pulled her ponytail holder out, letting her hair fall over her shoulders. “Emma, all guys think about women. And sex. Almost all the time.”
“You were thinking about baseball.”
He gripped her hips and arched against her, letting her feel how hard he was. “I’m not thinking about baseball now.”
“Neither am I.”
She sat up and unhooked her bra, letting it fall from her shoulders to reveal the most perfect breasts he’d ever seen. He pulled her down to him, taking a nipple into his mouth.
She was soft, but her nipple hardened into a tight bud when he sucked on it. And the sounds she made drove him crazy.
“Luke. Oh, Luke, that’s so good.” She surged against him, and he almost lost it.
It didn’t take more than a few minutes of licking her nipples to realize that Emma was very vocal.
He liked that, and wanted a lot more of it.
He flipped her onto her back and kissed her ribs, moving his way over her stomach. She smelled good, her skin was soft, and when he reached her panties, she arched upward, offering herself to him.
She might have been reluctant at first, but now that they’d decided to do this, she was more than eager. Luke liked a sex partner who wasn’t shy or hesitant, and Emma fit him perfectly. When he grasped her panties, she wriggled out of them, seemingly in a hurry to have him touch her.
Yeah, he was in a hurry, too. He pressed a kiss to her hipbone and spread her legs, shouldering his body between them to kiss her inner thighs.
He looked up to find her watching him, a combination of curiosity and hungry desire on her face. And when he bent his head to take a long swipe of her sex, she made those sounds again—a long moan followed by a whimper.
“Yes, right there,” she said, her head falling back against the pillow at the same time her hips arched up as she let him have access.
He tasted her, using his tongue and his lips to explore her. She was like heaven here, soft and warm and everything he’d expected. All he wanted to do was drive her right over the edge.
Emma gripped the sheets and dug her heels into the mattress, trying hard not to come so fast. But it had been a long time and, oh, God, Luke had a magical tongue. She knew as soon as he’d grabbed her, kissed her, and pushed her against the kitchen counter that this was going to be a slamming hot experience.
And now, as she hovered ever so close to a climax, she knew that she’d been right. He was a force to be reckoned with, and she was veering out of control. She came with a wild cry, bucking against him as wave after wave of orgasm crashed over her with dizzying effects, leaving her shattered.
She barely had time to recover when Luke loomed over her, taking her mouth in a kiss that left her breathless. Her body still quivered with the aftereffects of her mind-blowing orgasm, and the way he touched her, the way his body moved over hers, had her right there all over again.
The man was relentless in all the right ways.
A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she grabbed his arms. “Please tell me you have a condom.”
He gave her a devilishly sexy smile. “I have a condom.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “For those random, side-of-the-road hookups?”
“No, in case I arrest a hot perp.”
“Seriously?”
He cocked his head to the side. “No. Not seriously.” He reached for his pants and grabbed a condom out of his pocket.
“Surely that wasn’t for me.”
“It wasn’t. But I like to be prepared.”
She swept her fingers across his jaw. “Thanks for that. Now let’s get you inside me.”
He took a deep breath. “Happy to oblige, ma’am.”
He put the condom on, spread her legs and slid inside her, his gaze fixed on hers as he entered her, slow and easy.
Emma wasn’t prepared for this intimacy, would have much preferred he slam it home and screw the living daylights out of her, all fast and furiouslike. These slow and gentle movements, the way he glided in and out of her while holding his gaze to hers was about to undo her. It was . . . intimate. Emotional. And not just faceless, random sex, which was what she’d been all in for when he’d kissed her with such passion in the kitchen.
Now it was slow. Stirring. And it made her feel things more than just the physical. Though the physical part was pretty damned good. Luke knew how to move his body in such a way that when he levered his hips against her, she was already on the verge again, her breath catching every time he thrust. Add the emotional aspect to the passion, and it was overwhelming.
In both good ways and bad.
But when he bent and kissed her, she was lost, reaching for him and holding tight as control fled. Now it was need that took hold, Luke caressing her body with his hands as he moved faster within her, taking his movements deeper until she whimpered against his lips and tightened against him.
He lifted up and looked at her, and she shattered, coming with a moan, her body quivering around his. She watched him as he went with her, and it was a magical thing to see a man lose control like that. She clung to him as they both went over, and didn’t let go until long moments later after they both caught their breath.
Emma stroked Luke’s sweat-soaked back, reveling in the bliss of afterglow.
She hadn’t expected this. But she refused to regret it.
And when Luke looked down at her and smiled, it was obvious he didn’t, either.
But now it was over, and it was going to have to be a one-time thing.
“I have a lot to do tomorrow,” she said.
“Which is your cue for getting me the hell out of your house?”
“I didn’t say that, but it’s my only day off, and I catch up on paperwork. And I have to clean my house. I’m usually up really early. You probably like to sleep in.”
He rolled out of bed and stood, giving her a magnificent view of his very fine ass and spectacular body.
“No problem.” He grabbed his clothes and got dressed while she put on a pair of shorts and a tank top so she could see him to the door.
“I hope you’re not offended,” she said when he called for Boomer and headed to the front door.
“I’m not. I wouldn’t have stayed anyway. It’s not really my thing.”
“We’re on the same page, then.”
He turned to her and smiled. “We are. Thanks for dinner and . . . after dinner.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll see you later,
Emma.”
She leaned against the doorframe and watched him walk to his car. He waved good-bye as he drove away. She shut and locked the door, let the dogs out one last time, then brushed her teeth, washed her face, and climbed into bed.
The after-sex euphoria had faded, which was disappointing, but she was just being practical. Neither she nor Luke wanted a relationship. She was just being smart, to not get involved with him emotionally.
Smart didn’t feel very comforting as she lay in her now-cold bed.
Alone.
Chapter 8
EMMA WAS NERVOUS and excited about Adoption Day at the Hope Small Animal Hospital. But thanks to the local animal shelter, they had eighteen animals—a group of dogs and cats—available for adoption today.
They’d had the sign running for over a week on the outside marquee, and her mother had helped her by advertising it in the local paper and on the town website and social media pages. It was up on the clinic’s website, too. She could only hope people would show up. If they could get even a few of these animals adopted out today, she’d call it a win.
Jane came by early with her boyfriend, Will, along with Jane’s kids, Ryan and Tabitha, two of the cutest kids Emma had ever met. Tabitha was so excited she was bouncing on the heels of her purple tennis shoes. Ryan tried to play it cool, but his eyes widened at all the animals on display.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Emma said to Jane as the kids looked at the animals with Will.
“Are you kidding?” Jane said. “It’s all the kids—and Will—have talked about for the past week.”
“Mom. You have to come see this dog,” Ryan said, taking her hand and dragging her away.
Jane gave her a look and a grin and wandered off.
After that, the clinic started to fill up as people wandered in, some with kids, some without.
“This is looking good,” Leanne said.
“I hope so.”
When Luke came in with Boomer, Emma’s stomach twisted in a mix of delight and trepidation.
It had been a week since they’d slept together. She hadn’t exactly expected him to come by today, had figured they’d had one night of awesome sex, and she probably wasn’t going to see him again.