7 Minutes in Heaven (Are You Game?)

by Cahill, Rhian

  Except all the lecturing in the world didn’t stop her heart from skipping when he reached over and patted her thigh. Yep. Cassie was in trouble. Deep, dark, slippery sides trouble, and she had no intention of trying to find her way out. She just hoped come Monday morning her heart was still in one piece.

  Luc cut the feta into cubes while sneaking peeks at Cassie. She sat exactly as he’d pictured her. At his breakfast counter, papers spread out around her, head bent, writing up today and yesterday’s reports. He’d gotten a glimpse of the detail she went into and was amazed at her thoroughness. Not that he should have expected anything less, but when she’d offered to show him her company’s policies earlier he hadn’t really thought about them—or her business—in anything more than general terms.

  He’d sold her short and he had to give credit where it was due. The businesswoman blew his mind. She’d built Are You Game? from the ground up. And from what he could gather, she’d pretty much done it single-handedly. Oh, she’d surrounded herself with capable people to help, but she was the driving force—the focal point—they all took their cue from.

  Dan had rung her twice since they’d left the supermarket. First time was to check on today’s party and make sure Luc hadn’t done anything nefarious with his boss, and the second to let her know one of their employees had called to say he’d be out of action for six weeks due to a broken arm. They’d spent thirty minutes sorting out what needed to be done to cover the gap and it became clear to Luc that Dan was more than an employee. It had taken all his self-control to hold back the question burning his tongue.

  Are they lovers?

  He didn’t think she’d hook up with him if she was sleeping with Dan, but that didn’t mean she and Dan hadn’t slept together in the past. Luc didn’t like the way that thought made him feel. She wasn’t his regardless of what they’d done since that first kiss in McDermott’s pantry. And she had every right to a sexual history, same as he did. Except it didn’t matter how many times he repeated those words, they didn’t stop the acid churning in his gut.

  “Done.” Cassie pulled all her papers together and stacked them neatly on the counter. “Need any help?”

  “No. Everything’s ready. I just have to fire up the barbeque and cook the T-bones.” He pointed to the bottle of red on the counter. “You could pour us each a glass of that to sip while I cook if you want.”

  “Sure.” She slipped off the stool and came around to his side of the counter. Her hip brushed his and he sucked in a breath as fire shot through his blood.

  He cleared his throat. “Glasses are in the cupboard next to the fridge.”

  She took down two wine glasses and poured them each a half glass. “Probably best to not overdo on an empty stomach.”

  Luc dropped the cheese into the salad and covered the bowl. “I’ll just put this in the fridge and grab the steaks. Mind carrying my glass out to the deck?”

  With the salad in the fridge and the plate of steaks in his hand, he made his way outside. Dusk had settled over the yard and the heat of the day had eased, leaving the evening warm but not uncomfortably hot. He’d built the deck himself last summer and he was pleased to finally have a guest—who wasn’t family—to enjoy it with. Smiling, he pointed at the outdoor table. “Have a seat. I’ll get the barbeque lit and have this meat cooked in no time. How do you like yours? Rare? Medium? Well done?”

  “Medium rare, thanks.” She pulled out a chair and sank into it with a sigh. “You have a beautiful set up.”

  “It’s a work in progress.” He indicated the hedge a few metres from the deck. “Behind there is a pool that’s in desperate need of refurbishment. Luckily, the bushes hide that disaster area because I won’t get to that until next summer at this rate.”

  “You’re doing it yourself?”

  “A lot of it, yes.” Luc shrugged. “I like the manual work. It relaxes me, and it’s more satisfying to sit out here knowing I had a hand in it.”

  “Wow.” Cassie glanced around. “Did you do the decking?”

  “Yeah, last summer. Convinced a couple of the guys to come over for beer and food one weekend and got the harder parts knocked out. Then it was a few hours here and there.”

  “I’m impressed. Really impressed.” Her gaze trailed down his body. A slow perusal that had his gut clenching. “I guess those muscles aren’t all show.”

  Luc’s gaze connected with hers. Hunger burned bright and he took the two steps needed to close the distance between them. He curled his fingers around her upper arms, yanked her from her seat and plastered her body against his. Warmth bathed his neck as the air rushed from her lungs. He bent his head and brushed her ear with his lips. The simple touch drew a gasp and shudder from her. Dipping lower, he trailed the tip of his tongue around the delicate shell until he reached her lobe. With a hard pull, he sucked the softness into his mouth and tugged with his teeth.

  The moan that slipped from her throat left him with a desperate need to taste her. He slid his hand into her hair and tilted her head back so he could get at her mouth. Their lips collided, their breath mingling as he thrust his tongue inside. She tasted of wine and Cass. Two intoxicating substances on their own—together they blew his mind and weakened his knees. He’d never understood how men could lose themselves in a woman. Never known this all-consuming need to have—to take. To claim.

  He growled into her mouth and deepened the kiss. She dug her fingernails into his biceps, the sting an erotic shot to his blood that drove him higher. It pushed him further into the chaotic frenzy of want and need. His hips rocked, his cock throbbed and his balls ached. She arched against him, her stomach massaging his length. It wasn’t enough. He wanted to feel the heat of her sex pressed to his. Naked. Skin on skin. Hard on soft.

  Luc untangled his hands from her hair and skimmed them down her sides to span her waist. He dragged her closer, onto her toes, but it didn’t give him what he wanted. Palming her arse, Luc lifted her feet off the floor and urged her thighs around his hips. She threw her arms around his neck and tore her mouth from his. Their gazes locked. Her eyes were glazed with lust, her pupils dilated, rimmed with a thin line of caramel brown. They stayed locked together until the slam of a door caused them both to jump.

  Luc’s gaze shot to the house. He heard the voices before he saw his visitors. “Shit!”

  Cassie unwound her legs and tried to pull from his grasp. It took him a second to collect his wits and set her free. He waited until she was steady on her feet before he headed through the sliding door to intercept his sister and nieces. Luc couldn’t believe Jody’s timing. Then again, it was a good thing she wasn’t a few minutes later.

  “Hey, Jody, girls, what are you guys doing here?” He’d have to have a word with his sister about using the spare key he’d given her.

  “Hi, Uncle Luc,” Leigh and Amy chorused. They ran towards him and gave him a bone-crushing three-way hug.

  “I guess you didn’t go into your laundry yet,” Jody asked.

  “No, why?” He turned his attention to his sister now that the girls had let him go and headed for his fridge and the cans of Coke he kept in there just for them.

  “My washer died this morning. I borrowed yours earlier today. We’re just picking up the clean load that’s sitting in your machine.” Jody’s steps faltered. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you had company.”

  Luc turned to discover Cassie standing just inside the sliding door. “Cassie, this is my sister Jody and her girls. Jody, Cassandra Moreland.”

  “Oh.” Jody took a step forward, hand out. “So pleased to meet you. We’re still on for Monday, right?”

  Cassie shook his sister’s hand. “Yes, of course. I’m looking forward to seeing what you think of Are You Game?, not to mention the fact that as of today I’m down a staff member. I’m afraid if you like the job you’ll be thrown in the deep end.”

  “Mum!” Amy yelled from the laundry room. “Leigh won’t give me the basket.”

  Jody rolled her eyes. “Dut
y calls. I’ll just grab the washing and be gone.”

  Luc watched his sister disappear before turning to Cassie. “Sorry, I forget she has a key and to be honest she’s never interrupted…”

  Cassie laughed. “It might be best that she did interrupt. We were getting a little carried away. Again.”

  He smiled. “We seem to do that a lot.”

  “I’ll put the steaks on while you help your sister.” Not waiting for him to agree, she went back outside.

  Jody came out of the laundry with Leigh and Amy behind her, each had hold of one side of the overflowing basket. “We’ll leave you to your…” She glanced around. “Um, did she go?”

  “No, she’s out the back putting the steaks on the barbeque.” He tried to take the heavy basket from the girls. “Here, let me take that out to the car for you.”

  “Na-uh, it’s fine. Between the two of them they’ve got it.” Jody stopped next to him. “Are you seeing her?” she asked in a whisper.

  Luc tweaked her nose. “None of your business, little sister.”

  She scowled at him. “You don’t think this will be a problem. You know, you and her. Me, the job.” Jody looked behind and lowered her voice farther. “I really need this job, Lucas.”

  Instantly concerned, he asked, “Do you need money? Has Colin not paid again this month?”

  “No, no, nothing like that. He paid, two days late but he paid.” She wrung her hands. “I just really want this Luc. The girls are getting older and I want to be me again. For so long I’ve been either Leigh and Amy’s mum or Colin’s wife. I want to be Jody again.”

  He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. “I promise not to screw it up for you if you promise not to do the same. So no sharing all my childhood secrets and I won’t share yours.”

  Jody laughed just as he’d wanted her to. “Yeah, like I know any of your secrets, childhood or otherwise.”

  She moved back, her gaze meeting his. “You really like her don’t you?”

  Luc could lie or divert the question but he didn’t. “Yeah, I really, really like her,” he said with a grin.

  “Then don’t screw this up for you either.” She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I better go make sure the teenagers aren’t killing each other out on your front lawn.”

  He let her go and followed her to the door. “Do you need the machine again this weekend?”

  “No, we’re good.” She smiled over her shoulder as she opened the door. “No more interruptions.”

  Her grin told him she knew what they’d been up to, but before he could say anything to argue, Jody slipped out the door and closed it behind her. He cracked it open again to make sure they got off all right. As the tail lights of his sister’s car disappeared down the street, he shut and locked the door. This time he engaged the alarm, so if she did come back he’d have warning.

  With a smile on his face, he made his way back to the deck and Cassie. He’d love to take up where they left off, but now that his jets were cooled he’d concentrate on getting food in their bellies. If that lip-lock was anything to go by they’d both need their strength. They’d be tearing each other apart before the night was over. He quickened his step. The sooner he got dinner on the table the sooner he could satisfy the other hunger gnawing at his bones.

  Chapter Ten

  Cassie took a final mouthful and leaned back. The steak had been done to perfection and the salad and jacket potatoes had been just as yummy. She’d eaten too much but she couldn’t resist when everything Lucas put in front of them tasted so good. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d eaten such a delicious home-cooked meal. Living alone, she rarely cooked, so unless she went to her parents for dinner it was something quick and easy most nights.

  “Damn. That was good.” Cassie reached for her wine glass and took a sip. “I can’t remember the last time I ate a steak.”

  Lucas looked up, his fork stopped halfway to his mouth. “What do you eat then?”

  She cradled her glass between her hands. “Frozen dinners, sandwiches, sometimes leftovers from work.”

  “That doesn’t sound healthy.” He popped a juicy piece of meat in his mouth and chewed. Cassie couldn’t take her eyes off his lips. They were slightly damp, and a drop of steak sauce clung to the corner. She wanted to lean forward and lick it off. “You shouldn’t compromise your health just because you’re busy, Cass.”

  “Huh?” Her gaze darted to meet his. What was he talking about?

  “Frozen dinners?” He shook his head. “The preservatives and additives alone are enough to make you sick.”

  Oh, right, crappy diet habits. She shrugged. “I’m lucky to remember to eat half the time so those preservatives and additives are probably the only thing keeping me alive.”

  He shook his head. “You should take better care of yourself.”

  Cassie understood where he was coming from, and when she had more time and energy she did cook, but lately those days had been few and far between. “I cook when I can. Are You Game? has been so flat out in recent months that I barely have time to scratch when the urge strikes.” She smiled.

  Lucas narrowed his eyes. “Good thing you’re hiring more staff then. You need to slow down and look after yourself as well as you do your business.”

  She nodded. “Oh, I agree, and I will, once the adult parties are in full swing.”

  They should change the subject. She could see he wanted to say something else, so before he could she pushed her chair back and got to her feet. “Let’s clear the dishes and then we can have dessert. I know it’s not pie, but the raspberry ripple ice cream we bought at the shop will do for tonight. I’ll make you your apple pie tomorrow.”

  Cassie began stacking plates, but Lucas stopped her with a hand on her arm. He wrapped his long fingers around her wrist, his dark skin stark against her paler tones. Warmth flowed from his touch, travelled up her arm to seep into every cell and fill her with a need to be touched—everywhere. Her breath stalled, her pulse raced and heat flooded her core. The cotton crotch of her panties grew moist as her pussy fluttered, clenched with want. She dragged her gaze to his and all the air was sucked from her lungs.

  His eyes were black as pitch. They burned with a passion so hot Cassie’s body caught fire with just a look. He rose from his chair and walked the few steps to her side without letting go of his grip. She swallowed around the lump in her throat, licked her lips and watched as his nostrils flared, his eyes tracking the movement of her tongue. The small guttural snarl barely registered before his mouth crushed hers.

  Lucas took them deep. Drove his tongue between her teeth and took everything in his path. The stroke of his flesh on hers, the press of lips, the slick slide of their mouths joining in a desperate need to get closer fogged her mind and drenched her system with desire so potent it could never be satisfied. She tore her mouth from his, gasped for breath while her mind reeled. He didn’t give her a second to catch her breath. His lips trailed over her chin, his teeth nipping at the curve of her jaw, his tongue licking at the slope of her neck on his way to the delicate pulse point beating frantically for him.

  Cassie curled her fingers in his shirt, held on to the only solid thing around her with a death grip that turned her knuckles white. Her head spun, her chest was heavy and her stomach flipped when Lucas took his lips lower. Heavy and aching, her breasts tingled, her nipples puckering tight as she waited for that first touch. She cried out when he pulled away, her grip on him not strong enough to keep him close.

  “No.” The cry fell from her lips on a harsh breath as he pushed her to arm’s length.

  “Cass.” Her name, said on a ragged groan, drew her gaze to his. “Not here.”

  She didn’t have time to figure out what he meant. He pressed his shoulder to her stomach and tossed her over his back. Cassie grabbed his waist, slid her arms around until she cuddled the length of his spine. His strides were long—purposeful—as he made his way across the deck and into the house. In no time, he
flipped her upright and dropped her to his bed. Following her down, he pinned her body beneath his.

  “Here.” He brushed the hair from her face. “Here is where I want you.”

  Lucas kissed her then. A slow, sweet, drugging kiss that left her breathless and craving more. She sank into the soft caress. Sank into the sensual pleasure that his lips delivered. Immersed herself in the most erotic kiss of her life as he took them straight into sinful delight. His tongue stroked hers. A swipe of wet heat that drew her in. Lured her deeper into the man surrounding her.

  He slid his hands down her sides, curled his fingers around the hem of her shirt and pushed up. With a slowness that frustrated, he worked the fabric up her torso until it bunched under her arms. All the while he continued to feast on her mouth. He eased back, took her mouth in gentle nips before pulling away completely. She couldn’t stop the murmur of protest. Couldn’t prevent her fingers from clawing at his scalp to keep him close.

  He chuckled. The sound was rich and rumbling and vibrated through her breasts where his chest lay pressed against them. “I’m not going anywhere.” His gaze connected with hers. “Not for a very long time.”

  Tangling his fingers with hers, Lucas tugged her hands away from his head and over hers to press them into the mattress. He tightened his grip as he lowered his mouth to hers again. He brushed his lips back and forth, swept his tongue from one corner to the other, never pushing for more. Even when she opened for him, he didn’t take what she offered. Instead, he drove her mad with a kiss that could only be described as PG. After the carnal way he’d taken her mouth before this maddening, unhurried slide of his lips over hers ripped away every last vestige of self-control she had.

  “Please. Please.” The plea fell from her on a panted breath.

  Lucas withdrew, moved to brush his lips over her cheek, her eyelid, her temple and finally her ear. He breathed out, blew warm air across her sensitive flesh, sending a shiver down her spine, goose bumps breaking out along her neck. He scraped his teeth over her lobe and another shudder raked her.