“Na’u ’oe.” Mine. She chanted out the Hawaiian word on ragged breaths. She only said it in the heat of their passion. He’d never told her that he’d researched what it meant. It was enough that he knew.
Damn, they were complicated. Never talking about how deep the desire ran between them. Existing only in the fringes of their lives. But this was real. The two of them giving everything they had for a finite moment that only belonged to the two of them. He was afraid to think about how much he wanted it to be something more.
Taylor stretched out beneath him as he thrust into her with a passion bordering on frenzy. Lucky reached down, hitching her leg up to allow him a better angle to hit the sweet spot that would make her come apart all over him.
“Lucky, please.”
He leaned over, capturing her mouth in a soft kiss and a gentle tease. “Please what, baby?”
She smiled against his lips, her laugh melting in a moan as he swiveled his hips and sped up his thrusts. Lucky was close, the familiar zing of lightning starting low in his spine and coursing through his balls and cock. He raised up on his forearms to get a good look at her. The sight of her spread out before him—skirt rucked up, breasts and tight nipples exposed under the edge of her top—flipped a switch in his head and officially ended playtime.
Taylor gasped as he surged into her body. He kissed her roughly, holding her hips in a bruising grip. He pounded into her, hard and deep, and she met him thrust for thrust, their moans mingling along with the sweat on their straining bodies. Lucky grasped both of her thighs and lifted her higher against his body, enabling him to rub against her clit with every push and pull. Taylor gasped, her nails digging into his shoulders as her body clenched around him, eyes locking with his just as her climax hit and pulled him over the edge with her.
Lucky collapsed on top of her, panting harshly while his lips tenderly skimmed her forehead, cheeks, lips, and finally settled against her neck. Taylor lying underneath him, her body clenching with the residual pulses of her orgasm, brought him back to the present. A mild ache in his jaw from the teeth-gritting pleasure and the rough abrasion from the jeans still encasing his thighs would stay with him tomorrow, maybe the next day, and then this would only be a memory.
It wasn’t enough.
“Stay.” He whispered against her skin. “Stay.”
Chapter Fourteen
He wasn’t going to let her ignore him this time.
Lucky wasn’t playing fair. Taylor was wrapped in his strong arms, his face tucked against her skin and his cock still buried in her body, reminding her of how well they fit together. She had nowhere to run—this was her house and she had to stay to finish the task.
“What, no snappy comeback?” Lucky unraveled them, releasing her to dispose of the condom and drop his jeans on the floor beside the bed. She lay there, watching the play of his muscles under his skin, the movement highlighting his ink. She clenched her hand against her belly to resist reaching out to touch.
He rolled back over, facing her head-on with a wolfish grin that only made him hotter and harder to hurt.
“C’mon.” Lucky tugged at her skirt and then her hand, pulling her into a sitting position. “Take off these clothes and climb in here with me. We both need to be comfortable for this.”
She acquiesced, welcoming the time to gather her thoughts and calm down the frantic beating of her heart. Sweaty palms made removing the uniform a little tricky, but Lucky helped, hands caressing her skin as it was exposed to his devouring gaze. He was still aroused, pupils large and dark in his baby blues, and one move from her would take them back to a place where words weren’t necessary. A place where they didn’t hurt each other.
“Don’t even think about it. Get under the covers.” Lucky wagged a finger in her face and tucked her in beside him, pulling her against his chest when she would have scooted to the far side of the bed. She wasn’t sure what would make this easier, distance or intimacy, so she let him take the lead.
“You didn’t like what I said.”
“No.”
“Well, I’m not sorry I said it.” He paused, fingers now tapping lightly against her waist. He always did that when he was thinking. “I want you to stay in Elliott. With me.”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both.” She wiggled out of his arms, sitting up cross-legged on the bed, near him but without the befuddling addition of his hands on her body. His touch had the power to make her forget what she needed to do. “You’re asking me to move back here and give up my life, my business. For what? Diamond rings and empty promises?”
“I didn’t hear anyone proposing.”
“So, what? Shacking up? Dating?”
“I’d love to wake up with you every day, but we can live however you want. I’m just asking for a chance.”
“A chance?”
“To figure this out.” He gestured between them, his large, warm palm landing on her knee with a gentle squeeze. “To see what we can be if we have the time.”
“Damn it. And you just thought this up?”
“No. It first popped into my mind two years ago in Hawaii.” He reached up, caressing her bottom lip with his thumb. His half smile was sexy and indulgent. “It scared me so bad, I hopped the first plane out of there. You remember.”
She did remember. It had scared her too.
“And now?”
“Now, I’m looking for more and I want it with you.”
His words thrilled her, the icy, hot rush coursing through her veins. She wanted to run and wanted to stay. She wanted to scream and she wanted to kiss him senseless. Emotions morphed together into a huge ball of frustration that sat heavy in her gut. The urge to lash out in frustration was one she barely contained.
“So I’m supposed to give up all my plans to come back here and play happy farmer’s wife?”
“You can have your business here.”
“With your mom?”
“Yes. Or with a spa in Roanoke, or you can open your own business and be independent.”
“Lucky, I have an amazing deal on the table that I have to sign within the next couple of weeks or it’s gone forever. I don’t have enough in savings to get a loan to do it on my own and these guys are covering a good part of what is normally my investment cost. I cannot just throw away years of hard work to see if we’d work out.”
“You know how good we are together.”
“Only for a few days at a time. In bed. Most couples never last past the honeymoon stage, and that’s all we’ve ever had.”
“What made you such a cynic?”
“Oh, Bobby wasn’t my only poor choice. Just the first.” She brought up another option. “Why can’t you come to Hawaii? It’s beautiful, modern, so much more to offer than here.”
“The farm is here.”
“So your dad is going to sell it to you?”
“He will.” Lucky’s jaw was set, eyes hard with determination.
He scooted forward, large hands hooking under her body to pull her into his lap. She pushed against him, resenting his manhandling but also finding his touch comforting. In his arms she could pretend they weren’t really at odds.
“I’m not asking you to decide right now. Just promise me you’ll keep an open mind.” His words were a soft caress against her skin, in perfect complement to the way his calloused hands petted her back in long, soothing strokes. “Think about giving us a chance.”
She groaned against his shoulder, the urge to flat-out deny his request not as powerful as she expected. The fact that she was even considering his suggestion told her that she should hitch the first flight back to the islands. “Why couldn’t you just let this go? Why couldn’t we go along as we always have?”
He nudged her face up with his hand, forcing her to look at him. He was smiling, his eyes bright blue and smile boyish. It was the expression of a man who knew what he wanted. Damn.
“Because I want you.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.” He leaned down, brushing a soft kiss across her mouth, dipping in to taste and making her squirm with the shot of desire it produced. He nudged back, the beginnings of an erection nestled against her thigh. “Beck told me I needed to use our time here to convince you to stay. I realized he was right.”
“Well, hell, if you’re taking relationship advice from Beck, then this is already a disaster.”
He chuckled against her hair, shaking them both. “True. His relationships usually only last the time it takes to zip and unzip his pants.”
They moved, scooting back under the covers to lie face-to-face, legs tangled together. For a while the only sound was their breathing and the various creaks and pops of the old house. Taylor let her mind wander over the day’s revelations.
“Why didn’t you tell me about my mother hitting you at the church?”
“I didn’t see the point. Your mom needed to be mad at somebody and I was happy to take the brunt of it.”
“She never did like you.”
“Understatement of the century.” His words were partially muffled as he pressed a soft kiss just under her ear. “What did she say when you told her about Bobby cheating on you?”
“She told me to get over it. That a successful marriage required compromise and this was one of the first of many.”
“What?” His head lifted, anger and shock warping his expression and causing his fingers to tighten against her hip.
“My father’s latest fling wasn’t the first. Now Mother feels betrayed because after all these years he didn’t follow the plan.”
“That’s really…” Lucky struggled, his brow scrunching up in concentration.
“Fucked up?”
“I was going to say sad, but yeah, that’ll work.” Lucky wedged a knee in between her legs and shifted around until his erection was nestled against her clit. She gasped, moving against him, each glide shooting sparks up her spine. She needed to say something before they disappeared into the oblivion of what they did best.
“Lucky. I don’t think I can give you what you want.”
“You’re going to have to spell it out for me, Tay. What can’t you give me?”
She couldn’t say the words.
Her thoughts must have been written all over her face because his expression morphed from confusion to understanding. In a flash, she was under him, her entire world funneling down into the space of shared breaths and full body contact. It was heaven and she wondered if she could give it up.
“Taylor, all I’m asking for right now is an open mind. We’ll see how it goes from there.” Lucky brushed hair off her cheek, joining their lips in a warm kiss.
“And what if I still want to go back to Hawaii?”
“I’ll drive you to the airport myself.”
She knew he would do it. Lucky was a good as his word.
She just didn’t know if it was a promise she wanted him to keep.
Chapter Fifteen
He was going to go blind.
Lucky stood in the doorway of the library at Elliott House, unable to move. The sight of Taylor in one of her body-hugging running outfits was always amazing, and his body responded to the sexy way her hips swiveled and pumped in time with the heavy beat pouring out of the sound system. But the addition of five of the fine churchgoing ladies of Elliott gyrating along with her was something he could have gone his whole life without seeing.
This was going to require therapy.
“Shake it, ladies. Move those hips.” Taylor moved among the women, guiding their movements with her hands and demonstrating sexy moves designed to get any man’s blood boiling. The sight of his fourth-grade teacher shaking her moneymaker…made his stomach do a high-dive into his toes.
The sound of the front door opening and closing tore his eyes from the train wreck in front of him. Teague stood on the threshold, his expression taking on a hard edge at the sight of Lucky. They hadn’t spoken since the night at the jail.
“What’s going on?” Teague asked, motioning toward the door.
Not waiting for an answer, he strode toward the doorway and took a good look at the scene before him. Lucky would have paid good money to have a photograph of the myriad emotions skittering across his friend’s face within the span of a few seconds: curiosity and shock edged with just a hint of nausea.
“Damn it, Lucky, you could have warned me!” Teague choked out, his body reeling backward. “What the hell is she doing in there?”
“I think she’s teaching them a stripper routine.” Laughing, Lucky shoved him back toward the kitchen, determined to put as much distance between them and the nightmare on Main Street unfolding in the library. “I think this calls for a drink. Beer?”
“Yeah.”
Lucky grabbed two beers out of the fridge, popping the caps and sliding one across the countertop toward Teague, who’d settled at the bar. The first gulp went down easy, the coolness of the liquid reaching a part of him that was parched after a day working at the farm in the heat.
He glanced at Teague, gauging his mood. He was relaxed on the stool, and when they caught each other’s gaze, they both snickered. Any tension between them left with the church ladies who were currently at the front door, departing with loud laughter.
“Man. I’m sorry about the other night,” Lucky said.
Teague took another swig of his beer and waved him off. “Forget it. I know how Taylor is. If she was determined to go there, no one could have stopped her. Any hint of the sweet, compliant little sister I grew up with disappeared when she slugged that asshole at the altar.”
“I think it’s for the better.”
Teague paused for a moment, contemplating his answer. Finally he nodded, saluting Lucky with his bottle. “You’re right. I don’t worry about her half the world away. I know she can handle herself.”
“Leave her alone!” The cry, sharp and strangled, shot down the hallway and erupted in the kitchen like a grenade full of shrapnel. Right on its heels, accompanying screams and exclamations chased down the original blast and propelled Lucky toward the source with Teague in his wake. He didn’t hear Taylor’s voice, and that fact alone frightened Lucky to the point where panic was running right alongside him.
The massive mahogany door was flung open, the afternoon sunlight as bright as the rage pulsing in his veins. A man had his hands on Taylor and was attempting to drag her down the steps. She was putting up a good fight, but it was a losing battle since the man was easily double her size. Lucky planned on evening the odds in her favor.
He didn’t yell—the cacophony of frightened women would render it useless, and his training programmed him to sweep in silent and deadly. Once his right foot hit the threshold of the porch, Lucky launched himself at Taylor’s attacker, brutally removing her from his grasp and shoving her to the side. Lucky came down on the man with a vehemence he’d kept at bay since his days in the military ended.
It was over quickly.
The asshole was used to dealing with people who quickly caved in to bullying only slightly more intimidating than what was delivered in the local high school. Shock eclipsed every other expression when Lucky grabbed him by the shirt and delivered two quick jabs to the face. The crunchy, liquidy sound of the guy’s nose yielding to the impact of his fist caused satisfaction to bloom like a rose in his chest. This is what he was trained to do. This time it was personal.
Lucky slammed Taylor’s attacker to the ground, leaning on his windpipe until his eyes bulged and the skin around the edges of his mouth turned purple. Just a little more pressure and the guy would go down like a slutty girl on prom night.
“Lucky! Stop!” Teague appeared in his peripheral vision, reaching out to grab him.
“Teague. Back. Off.”
“Lucky. Stop. You’re going to kill him.” Teague inched closer and Lucky took his eyes off the man-sized bug in his grip long enough to flash a warning at his friend. It worked, because Teague recoiled before he took his next breath.
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“If I wanted to kill him I’d have snapped his neck by now. This is what I do. Don’t get in my way.” Lucky took a steadying breath and tried to ease back on the menace. He wasn’t so far gone to forget where he was and that he no longer had government immunity to secure a victory by any means necessary. Besides, he wouldn’t get any answers from this guy if he coated the front walk with his brain matter.
He returned his gaze to the intruder, relieving the pressure enough to allow him answer his questions. “I’m going to ask you this once and I swear to God if you lie to me I will feed your nuts to my dad’s dogs. You get me?”
The man nodded.
“So hurry up, dickhead. Tell me what I want to know.” Lucky leaned a little on his throat to remind him that his generosity was the only thing standing in between his next breath and a toe tag. “Who do you work for, motherfucker?”
“Mr. Wilkes. Ed—ie Eddie Wilkes.” The man stammered as if by uttering the name he would summon the devil to this little meet and greet.
Fury flashed through Lucky’s system, singeing away slivers of his humanity and leaving behind the charred remains of the normal twinges of conscience that kept most people from committing the unthinkable. He wouldn’t kill him, but years of training were hard to shake.
“Lucky, let him up,” Sheriff Burke’s voice, low and even, broke just over his right shoulder.
Lucky cursed, tightening his hold on Taylor’s attacker, who clearly thought the cavalry had arrived.
“Sheriff. Make him let me go. He’s going to kill me.” The weasel whined like one of those stupid yappy dogs rich women put in their purses—totally appropriate since he was Eddie Wilkes’s bitch. What Lucky wouldn’t give for one more minute to smack him around for being such a loser. And then another few seconds to beat the crap out of him for daring to lay a finger on Taylor.
“Burke, I need you to give me a little more time,” Lucky spat out between clenched teeth, his jaw aching with rage.
His Southern Temptation Page 10