Just What I Needed (The Need You Series)

by Lorelei James

  When I reached the list of corporate officers, I saw Lund names I recognized: Brady as CFO. Ash as COO. Nolan and Annika were listed as department heads. The only place Walker’s name appeared was on the board of directors. But that made sense since he’d told me he didn’t work for the family business.

  I returned to the initial search and clicked on photos. The second picture that popped up was of a big blond guy wearing a white and purple jersey. I enlarged it. The caption read: Jensen “The Rocket” Lund, Minneapolis native, is picked up in the third round of the NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings.

  Walker’s younger brother was a big-deal football player. No wonder he’d gotten so defensive at the party when Ramon started ripping on sports.

  But why hadn’t he told everyone—or at least me—about his personal family connection?

  Because artists and academics are so smug and proud about not being part of the madding crowd that follows violent athletic contests where brawn is prized over brains. And would you have understood even if he had told you?

  No.

  Walker’s accusation, You don’t give much thought to the world outside your bubble, taunted me. Because it was embarrassingly true.

  Two pictures down from Jensen’s was an image of a guy in a different sports uniform. The caption read: Jaxson “Stonewall” Lund, Chicago Blackhawks center, scores a hat trick to shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins, keeping the ’hawks’ play-off hopes alive.

  After that, I couldn’t stop thumbing through pictures. Pages and pages of images were devoted to Jensen and Jaxson. Finally I reached other pictures of the Lund family at numerous charity events in the Twin Cities. Pages of fund-raisers and galas to bring awareness to various causes. It didn’t look to me like any generation of Lund heirs was exempt from volunteering time to LCCO and other family-run charities. In many of the photos the Lund heirs had banded together for group recognition instead of being singled out for individual achievement. I also noticed that there were less than a dozen pictures—total—of the eight Lund kids during their growing-up years. So the parents had ensured their children had some privacy—or the private schools they’d attended had added that extra layer of security.

  While it appeared Brady and Walker stayed out of the limelight as much as possible, that wasn’t the case with Annika and Dallas. There were hundreds of pictures of each of them at college parties, at football and hockey games, at black-tie events. Although I hadn’t met Ash or Nolan, when I did meet them I’d recognize them because their handsome mugs were everywhere. When did they have time to work?

  Maybe they’re just corporate figureheads like your father and the real work is left to their staff.

  Maybe you shouldn’t assume anything. Because, as Walker pointed out, you’re oblivious to anything going on around you that doesn’t have to do with you.

  I’d screwed up. And what sucked was I didn’t even know I’d screwed up until Walker had pointed it out.

  I closed my eyes, trying to keep my head from spinning. I couldn’t believe that a man like Walker had been interested in me in the first place. I couldn’t fathom why he’d stuck around through all the drama. And now, when I proved how self-absorbed I am—

  “Trinity.”

  I slowly opened my eyes. My heart clenched at seeing Walker’s wariness.

  “You do the search?”

  “Yes. It’s been enlightening and humiliating that I didn’t know your family is an institution in this town. I’m sorry. I’ve screwed this up every step of the way.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Why are you even with me? I always knew you were out of my league, but this proves it. I’m a”—mess— “… and you’re … I mean, you should …” Very eloquent. Get it together. I opened my purse and slipped my phone inside. “Go be with your family. I’ll just—”

  “Whoa.” Walker caged me against the wall. “Why does it sound like you’re leaving?”

  I blinked at him. “You don’t want me to?”

  “No.” He curled his hands around my face. “That’s the furthest thing from my mind.”

  “But … aren’t you upset that I’ve been clueless about your family and who you really are from the start?”

  “You’re the first woman in a really long time who didn’t see dollar signs when she looked at me. You know who I really am, because you saw me. Just me. Not my name. Not my family connections.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that.

  “At first I wasn’t sure if—”

  “I was faking not knowing your family connections so I could get close to you and pretend to be completely shocked you were one of ‘those’ Lunds after you’d fallen for my abundance of quirky charms? Or I’d convince you that I liked you and then I’d flirt my ass off with your football star brother or your hockey star cousin? Or maybe I was pretending to be oblivious to your family’s generosity in funding the arts while scheming—”

  Walker covered my lips with his thumbs. “You’re getting a full head of steam, babe. So how about I talk and you listen?”

  I nodded.

  “You’re always pointing out that I get you. I know how much that means to you. I don’t want the fact that my family has money to change what we have going on with us. Because you and I are damn good together. It’s real. I don’t know if I’ve ever had that with any woman.” He moved his hands and pressed his forehead to mine. “Please don’t make a big deal out of it.”

  It was a big deal and he knew it. But he hadn’t said anything that didn’t ring true. What we had was real—I didn’t doubt that. We’d already made it through a couple of bumpy spots and neither of us had given up. That said a lot to me.

  His gaze collided with mine. I hated seeing the turmoil in his eyes. I preferred fiery passion. “If you can forgive me for the mix-up with my first name, surely you can forgive me again for me not being properly awed by your last name.”

  He smiled and the clouds lifted from his eyes. Man. Those dimples were just killer.

  “Yeah, sweetheart. I can do that.”

  I stood on my toes and buried my face in his neck. An almost primal need blasted through me with teeth so sharp I had the panicked feeling if I didn’t get this man’s hands and body all over me as soon as possible I’d be ripped apart by regret. “Walker. I have a really great idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Let’s get naked and go at it so hard we forget we even have names.”

  He nearly knocked over a dozen people in his haste to get us out of there.

  I stumbled behind him but couldn’t get him to stop until we’d exited the VIP section. “Walker. Wait.”

  He whirled around. Desire had turned his eyes a deep smoky gray. “Done waiting.”

  I loved seeing this caveman side of him. I fantasized he’d throw me over his shoulder once we got outside because that would be seriously hot. Focus, Trin. “What about your family? They are waiting for us.” As I reminded him, I wondered why his family hadn’t sought us out.

  Walker removed his phone from his pocket. Without looking away from me, he tapped on the screen. Then the sound of another phone ringing echoed on his speakerphone. A male voice boomed, “Where the hell are you?”

  “Sorry, bro. We’re not gonna make it tonight.”

  “But … Annika said you were already here.”

  “We were. And now we’re not. Later.” He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. “Done.” He started to crowd me, his intent clear. “What else?”

  Good lord, we wouldn’t even make it to his pickup if he kept blasting me with those “I’m going to ruin you for other men” looks. “Do you have condoms? Because I didn’t grab any from home—”

  Turning the opposite direction, he pulled me along behind him at breakneck speed.

  As he closed in on the door to the men’s bathroom, I tried digging my heels in. But I was no match for him strength-or determination-wise; a man who thinks he might get laid will do anything to ensure that happens. When we burst
through the swinging door, I slammed my eyes shut against images of guys standing at the urinals, leering over their shoulder at me as Walker …

  I heard plastic crinkling and chanced opening my eyes.

  Walker was stuffing complimentary condoms into the pocket of his jeans as fast as he could manage. I would’ve been laughing my butt off, if not for the men’s room attendant gaping at him.

  “Is there something I can help you with, sir?”

  “Nah. I’m good. Thanks.”

  “You sure you’ve got enough of those?” the attendant said testily.

  I started to respond, but Walker beat me to it.

  “Good point. Trin, baby, open your purse.”

  “Walker!”

  He grinned. “Just kidding. We’re set.”

  As we sailed past the attendant, I didn’t hear what he said—something raunchy, I’d bet—but I didn’t care because things were about to get raunchy for me.

  Finally.

  Fifteen

  WALKER

  My brain was bombarded with images of the ten million ways I wanted to intimately acquaint myself with every inch of Trinity’s body.

  First option: both of us half dressed, with Trinity’s legs wrapped around me as I pinned her against the closest vertical surface and plunged into her.

  Second option: holding off until we got into the house. We’d start undressing in the kitchen, slowly taking our time to touch and taste each other. Our hands and mouths would be reverent, not greedy—at least not at first. And since Trinity wore less clothing, she’d be naked before me. But if I saw her bare ass sashaying up the stairs, I’d hike her hips into the air and slam into her right there. Her back would arch, her fingers would dig into the carpet, trying to find balance as I lost myself in her sweet body.

  So both scenarios ended with us going at it fast and hard. Might as well go with option one, then.

  “Walker?”

  I blinked and looked around. I’d already parked in the garage? Shit. I didn’t even remember driving home from the club. My last clear thought before lust took over was pulling Trinity behind me as we left Flurry, the packs of condoms crackling in my pocket and the loud tap-tap of her heels on the concrete as we raced to my truck.

  “You okay?” she asked softly. “You haven’t said a word.”

  I turned my head to face her. “No.”

  Her eyes were sharp with concern. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m—” Scared that I’ll fuck this up. Not that I’d confess that pussy bullshit to her.

  She said, “Don’t overthink this.”

  Too late.

  Trinity climbed out of my truck. She scaled the steps leading into my house and faced me, holding her hand to her forehead to cut the blindingly bright headlights.

  Then everything went dark.

  That prompted me to move. The interior lights clicked on long enough for me to see her waiting in an unfamiliar place and get my head in the game.

  For some reason the sports analogy reset my focus.

  When I reached her, I took her hand, opened the door to my house, tossed my keys on the table and led her up the stairs straight into my bedroom.

  I closed the door and pressed her against it. I found her sweet mouth with mine. Immediately her lips parted and I dove in.

  The kiss was unhurried. But the hunger was there with every stroke of our tongues, with every soft groan, with every pause for breath. My hands began their own quest, roaming freely but never stopping in one place for long. Until my fingers bumped against the button at the top of her blouse. Then my hands had a singular purpose: to get to her bare skin.

  After I divested her of the sheer blouse, she kept one hand pressed against my chest and the other alternated between sifting through my hair and stroking my beard. We broke the kiss long enough for me to pull her shirt over her head and for her to yank mine off. Then our mouths were back in motion, taking little sips, nips and tastes. Sharing breath and letting our need expand at a slower pace.

  But my impatience to explore had my fingers seeking her softness. I traced the straps of her bra, from the inside edge and then down the curve of lace to the clasp beneath her breasts. I teased her with the rough-tipped ends of my knuckles, repeating the same path until she arched into me with her whole body, begging for a more complete touch.

  One twist and the clasp of her bra gave way; one tug and her bra hit the floor.

  Then slow and steady didn’t compute at all as the weight of her breasts was in my hands, the hard tips stabbing into my palms. I heard a soft thud when her head fell back against the door as my mouth engulfed her nipple.

  I groaned, going back and forth between the pink crests, gauging by her soft pants and tiny whimpers whether she liked my tongue better than the brush of my beard across the wet tips. She really went crazy, thrashing against the door, bumping her hips into mine when I sucked slowly on them. When her rocking hips actually started to smash my hard-on, I forced myself to step back.

  She blinked at me, her eyes glazed, her lips full and pink from kissing me.

  I wanted to see that look as I buried myself inside her. I wrapped my fingers beneath her jaw and traced her bottom lip with my thumb. “Bed. Now.”

  At that point I was so far gone with getting to the goal that I didn’t pay attention to how either of us got naked the rest of the way—I just know we did.

  Then Trinity was spread out in the middle of my bed, her skin flushed, her eyes drowsy with desire, waiting for me to put on the damn condom. As soon as I had it in place, she parted her legs as I braced myself above her. Then she wrapped her fingers around me and guided me to where she was wet.

  I didn’t hesitate to push in because we were both ready. We both wanted this so badly we were shaking with the need for it.

  Once I’d bottomed out, I rested my forehead to hers, taking a moment to savor this. Because once I started moving, this connection would be something else entirely. Hot and hard and passionate—which would fill another part of me. But this stillness filled my head with the muted whisper that this was what I’d been waiting for. I murmured her name before I fit my mouth over hers.

  I eased out and paused at her entrance, swallowing her gasp when I thrust back in. I kept up the steady pace until our bodies were damp with sweat.

  She sank her teeth into my shoulder and came undone.

  That love bite nearly set me off. But I slowed things down. Using my mouth on her neck and her nipples, building her back up and up again, then letting her take us both over the edge.

  —

  After we’d caught our breath and kissed and nuzzled, I dealt with the condom. I wasn’t sure which Trinity I’d encounter when I returned. Given her tendency to chatter out of nervousness, the fact we hadn’t talked at all seemed unusual. I hoped she hadn’t panicked, gotten dressed and called a cab, because that wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities with her. But if that’d happened, I’d go after her. Because nothing was going to stand in the way of us building something permanent together now that we’d smoothed out the rocky ground.

  I oughta remember that wording for the next time she freaked out as proof that I could use something besides a sports analogy.

  I walked into the bedroom to see she’d turned on the lamps on the nightstands. She’d propped herself against the headboard among the pillows and greeted me with a satisfied smile. Her eyes tracked my every movement—which made me want to strut and flex. But when I reached the end of the mattress, she held up her hand like a traffic cop.

  “Before you get into this bed and put your skilled mitts all over me and utilize that magical mouth in all sorts of dirty and delicious ways and use that”—her gaze dropped to my crotch—“Swedish longboat to render me a quivering mass of postorgasmic goodness …” She paused and looked me in the eyes. “I want to say thank you. Not just for the best sex of my life—which it totally was—but for being patient through all my dramas and general weirdness so we actually got to the naked and sw
eaty portion of our relationship.”

  I waited. “That’s it?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “Because you usually keep going. And, sweetheart, I wanted to see what you’d come up with after ‘Swedish longboat,’ because that description will be hard to top.”

  She threw a pillow at me. “Smart-ass.”

  I pounced on her.

  She shrieked and tried to get away.

  But I trapped her against me in a wrestler’s hold, her back to my front with my arms and legs wrapped around her.

  She retaliated by wiggling her ass into my groin. “I didn’t know you were into kinky stuff, Viking, but I’m game for anything.”

  I rolled her over until she was under me again. “Good to know.”

  Trinity brought her hands up and caressed my face. My eyebrows and forehead, cheeks and mouth, jaw and beard. She didn’t bother to mask the longing in her eyes.

  “What, sweetheart?”

  “I … I really dig you, Walker Lund.”

  Jesus. She just planted a flag in my heart with her name on it.

  “You make me happy. Do you think … ?”

  Somehow I knew what she was getting at. “You make me happy too. And I was hard-core digging on you even before we rocked the bedframe.” I brushed my lips across her smiling mouth. “But I think we’d better rock it again just to make sure.”

  “You have the best ideas.”

  —

  I woke up in a really fantastic mood.

  Not just because I finally had Trinity in my bed—but I ain’t gonna lie; that was a huge part of the reason I felt so content.

  As was my habit—even on weekends—I hopped out of bed early. I brewed a pot of coffee, assuming that would rouse my bedmate.

  No such luck.

  When I attempted to coax her out of bed, she mumbled something about the eight o’clock rule and yanked the covers over her head. She was so freakin’ cute I let her be for another hour. When eight twenty rolled around, I brought her a mug of coffee and she damn near purred.

  Since she hadn’t packed anything but art supplies in her messenger bag, she raided my closet for loungewear, picking a Flint & Lund T-shirt and a baggy pair of sweatpants.