7 Minutes in Heaven (Are You Game?)

by Cahill, Rhian

  His phone call turned out to be an update on the fallout from Friday night’s party, and Luc found himself back in the kitchen watching Cassie roll the pastry while the apples gently bubbled away on the stove. She hadn’t noticed him, so he stayed where he was and leaned on the wall. Her hands drew his gaze, or more precisely her long, slender fingers working the mound of dough. He remembered what it was like to have those hands and fingers on his skin. A shudder stole through him and he had to shift his stance to make room for his growing cock.

  The movement caught her eye and she glanced up with a smile. “Are you going to stand there all day or are you planning to make yourself useful?”

  Luc grinned. She had asked him almost the exact same question Friday night. He pushed off the wall and closed the distance in a few easy strides. “What do you want me to do?”

  “I could do with a drink.”

  “What would you like? I’ve got juice, soft drink, water or wine?” He opened the fridge and pulled out juice for himself.

  “A glass of wine would be nice.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Oh, but don’t open a bottle just for me.”

  “It’s fine. You can have a glass now and we’ll have the rest with dinner.”

  Her eyes widened and then her lips spread into a smile that lit up her whole face. “In that case, yes please. I’ll have a wine.”

  He selected a wine from the fridge, a sweet, refreshing one perfect for a summer afternoon drink. She’d seemed surprised when he’d mentioned dinner, and Luc figured she’d thought after today he would send her packing once she’d made him the apple pie. She was in for a bigger surprise, because not only did he plan to keep her here through dinner, but if he had his way she’d be spending another night in his bed.

  Cassie sat back with her wine glass cradled in her hands. Across the table from her, Lucas dug into his third piece of apple pie. She smiled. He certainly wasn’t worried about eating a whole pie. The first slice she’d cut for him had been rejected. Too small. He’d taken the knife and cut himself a quarter instead. There was less than a quarter of the pie left. Her tiny piece had been more than enough to satisfy her, but Lucas seemed to be eating each mouthful like it was his first.

  He forked up the final bite from his bowl and eyed the pie dish. Glancing at her, he asked, “You want any more?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m good.”

  A grin spread across his face as he reached for the remaining pie. He didn’t bother serving it up, just ate it from the plate. When he was done he leaned back and closed his eyes, his hand splayed over his washboard abs. “Damn, that was good.”

  The compliment sent warmth rushing through her. She was pleased he’d enjoyed the dessert. More pleased than she should be probably, but there was no stopping the thrill of delight that buzzed in her veins, or the smile that stretched her lips as she watched Lucas devour every last crumb. “Glad you liked it.”

  “Mmm…” He rubbed his hand in circles, drawing her gaze to the perfect ridges of his stomach. “That’s the best pie I’ve ever had.”

  “Flattery won’t get you anywhere.” Cassie went for humour in the hope of squashing the over-inflated bubble of elation filling her heart. “I bet you say that to all the pie makers.”

  His eyes popped open and that dark gaze lasered hers. She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “I’m not known for flattery,” he murmured. “If I tell you the pie is the best, it’s the best.”

  “Oh.” Cassie’s hands twisted in her lap.

  “I’ve noticed you don’t take compliments very well.” He leaned forward and snagged a lock of her hair. Tugging, he pulled her closer. “You make great pie, Cass.”

  Heat flamed in her cheeks. His praise bringing equal embarrassment and delight.

  He gave her hair a sharp yank. “Say thank you, Luc.”

  “T-thank you, Luc.”

  His eyes widened, his nostrils flaring as he sucked in a breath. “Say it again.”

  Puzzled, Cassie complied. “Thank you.”

  “No, no.” He let go of her hair and cupped her jaw. “Say my name, Cass.”

  “Lucas?”

  “No.” His thumb brushed over her lower lip sending a shiver down her neck, goose bumps in its wake. “Not my full name. Luc. Say Luc again.”

  “Luc.”

  He closed his eyes and sighed. “That’s the first time you’ve called me Luc.” His eyelids rose halfway and he licked his lips. “I want to hear you say it when I make you come.”

  Cassie’s breath stalled, her heart raced and goose bumps broke out from head to toe. Heat pooled between her legs and her pussy clenched. A few words and she was primed and ready. It took so little work on his part to have her panting for breath and begging to be taken. She’d never experienced arousal this intense—this immediate—with anyone but Lucas.

  “Let’s get all this cleaned up.” He stroked her jaw as he pulled away. “Don’t want to wake up tomorrow to a mess like I did this morning.”

  Lucas pushed back his chair and stood as he piled the dirty plates. Cassie’s pulse sprinted and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. How could he say what he did and not be affected? She had trouble breathing never mind thinking about dirty dishes. Her hands trembled and she gripped the table edge to steady herself. He had her so off-balance. He’d been almost chaste in his behaviour today, and now he was talking about making her come.

  She’d barely gotten to her feet when he disappeared into the house. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and pressed her hands to her fluttering stomach. Aroused as much as she was confused, Cassie forced her chaotic thoughts to the back of her mind and concentrated on helping clean up. They’d abandoned last night’s dinner for Lucas’s bed, and she was mortified to realise he’d cleared up their mess before she’d woken this morning. Even more shameful was the fact she’d completely forgotten about it until he’d mentioned it just now.

  Lecturing herself on her shoddy manners, she collected the rest of their dishes and followed Lucas into the kitchen. He was already stacking the dishwasher and he took her handful and pointed towards the breakfast counter.

  “Take a seat. I’ll have these dealt with in no time then we can decide what movie to watch.” He turned away and got busy.

  “Movie?” He hadn’t mentioned anything about going out. “Are we going out?”

  “Nah, I’ve got a good selection of movies, there’s bound to be something you want to see.” Luc glance over his shoulder. “Your job is to choose one.”

  “Is that an order?” she asked.

  “Yes.” He grabbed the tea towel from the bench and flicked it at her. “Now get going.”

  She laughed. “I’m sure our movie tastes run in different directions, I doubt you’d have anything I’d like.”

  He grinned. “You’d be surprised. But it doesn’t matter. I’m the boss and I say you have to pick a movie to watch.”

  “The boss huh?” She arched one eyebrow.

  “Yep.” He tapped his watch. “It’s still my twenty-four hours.”

  Cassie waited for him to continue but he only turned back to the dirty dishes and finished loading the washer. She wandered over to the family room, a large TV mounted on the wall dominated the left side of the room and a big sectional lounge filled the opposite one. The wall across from the entry was covered in bookshelves filled with books and movies. Walking over she began to scan Lucas’s selection.

  “Find anything yet?” She hadn’t heard him come up behind her.

  “Yeah, but I doubt you’ll agree with my choice.”

  “I told you, it’s your choice.” He cupped his hands on her shoulders and she leaned back into him. “Which one did you want?”

  “An American President.”

  “Excellent movie.” Lucas stepped around her and grabbed the DVD from the shelf. “Do you want another glass of wine? Popcorn?”

  Cassie groaned. “I couldn’t eat another bite of food if you held me down and shoved it in my mout
h, and I think I’ve had my quota of wine today already. I’ve had three glasses to your two.”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “All part of my plan to take advantage of you.”

  Laughing, she walked over to the couch. “I think you’ve proven you don’t need to get me drunk to do that.”

  Lucas grinned at her before turning to the complicated looking system beside the TV. It took him only seconds to load the disc and join her on the most comfortable couch she’d ever sat on.

  “Ready?” He held the remote in his hand.

  “Yep.”

  He pressed a few buttons and not only did the movie start playing but the lights dimmed as well. “Wow. That’s cool.”

  Shrugging he said, “What can I say, I’m into gadgets.”

  Cassie smiled. What guy wasn’t? She snuggled down next to Lucas and waited for the movie to start. She’d watched An American President at least a dozen times, but it never failed to pull her in and have her all gooey and romantic. Unfortunately, tonight wasn’t like every other time she’d seen it. Tonight all she could think about—concentrate on—was the man next to her and the heat radiating off his body.

  He wrapped his arm around her and she sank into his cosy warmth. Relaxed, Cassie let the anxiety of earlier go and soon found her eyelids drooping. Cuddled up next to Lucas, she slowly slipped off to sleep.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Luc skimmed a finger down Cassie’s cheek. She twitched but didn’t wake. She’d fallen asleep halfway through the movie and he’d decided not to wake her in favour of sitting through the rest of the film with her curled up next to him. He was selfish enough to not want to give up the pleasure of having her asleep beside him, not to mention the trust she showed by doing so. After last night and today he’d wondered if perhaps she didn’t feel the same deep connection he did, or had he destroyed it with his mixed signals? He’d confused her today. Hell, he’d confused himself too.

  He couldn’t explain the reasoning behind his behaviour because what had seemed the right thing earlier in hindsight appeared completely wrong. He’d complicated the situation by trying to manage it. From now on he’d think less and act more. Speaking of acting.

  “Cass,” he whispered in her ear. “Time for bed, baby.”

  “Hmm…” She turned her face into his chest.

  “C’mon, sleepy head.” Luc scooped her up in his arms and stood. “Let’s go to bed.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled his throat, her lips warm against his skin. He tried to concentrate on making it to his room and not on the hot woman in his arms. Once they hit the bed though, all bets were off and he’d be all over her. She’d soon be wide awake.

  “Lucas?” Her words were rough with sleep.

  “Yeah.”

  “I should go home. We both have work tomorrow.”

  His grip tightened. “Not on your life, sweetheart. You still owe me a few hours.”

  “Oh.”

  She didn’t attempt to get out of his hold and Luc took that as a good sign. And right now he would take whatever he could get because he had a horrible feeling Cassie was going to use every argument she could think of to end their time together for good the minute their challenge was over.

  Luc lowered her to his bed and stepped back. “Hop under the covers while I go lock up the house.”

  He left the room without looking back. The sight of Cassie in his bed would stop him from walking away, even if it was only to shut the house down for the night, he didn’t think he could pull himself away from her all sleep tussled on his sheets. Luc made quick work of closing the deck doors and then switching off lights. Lastly, he set the alarm to sleep mode and was back in his room as Cassie climbed beneath the covers. A flash of bare thigh had his cock aching and his fists clenching.

  Luc would love nothing more than making Cassie more than a little rumpled, but if all she wanted was to go back to sleep he’d grit his teeth and bite his cheek for the duration. Of course, he’d wrap his arms around her and try to convince her it was worth staying awake for a few hours yet. With a grin, he whipped his shirt up over his head and shucked his pants. Cassie stared at him with wide eyes, her gaze glued to his rapidly filling erection. Naked, he walked to the bed and slid in beside her.

  The big king-size bed meant that she was too far away, so he reached over and dragged her close. She didn’t protest and he took advantage. Slipping his arms around her, he turned her so her back was to his front. Spooned together, he took a moment to savour the sensation of having her in his arms. It didn’t take long for desire to take over. He started slow, ran his hands over her stomach and along her ribs in sweeping caresses that were designed to inflame. When her arse began to wiggle against his groin, he knew his attention was accomplishing its purpose.

  He moved his hand up and palmed her breast. The nipple puckered tight and pressed into his palm. He trailed his other hand down her side, over her hip and into the dip between thigh and body. A sweet little moan slipped from her throat and egged him on. Moving lower, he found her slit, wet with need, and wiggled a finger between her folds. She was slick and hot to the touch, and he was helpless to stop his hips from rocking into her arse.

  She thrust back and he lost all thought of going slow. Gripping her thigh, Luc raised her leg and slid his cock along her pussy from behind. Her head arched back, and another sultry moan broke free. His sac tightened, drawing his balls up into his body in preparation for release. He flexed his pelvis in several fast pumps that drove his shaft through her silken folds and spread her juices over both of them. Heat scorched his skin, spread through him like wildfire, and he knew in seconds his control would be a thing of the past.

  Withdrawing, he leaned back and reached for one of the condoms he’d dumped on the bedside table earlier. He tore open the packet and sheathed himself in record time. Ready, he spooned behind Cassie and pulled her leg over his once more. Angling his hips, he lined his head up with her drenched opening and drove forward in one hard thrust. She cried out, the sound ripped from her as her walls clamped around him.

  He held still, buried to the hilt as he searched out the hard knot of nerves between her legs with his fingers. She pushed back against him and Luc moved with slow, steady strokes. Circling his fingertips on her clit and thrusting his cock into her soon had them both breathing hard and wanting more. Cassie bucked, her hips thrashing back and forth as she worked herself up on his hand and cock in turn. Her gaspy breaths and sexy cries of pleasure drove him closer to the edge, but he held back, wanting her to reach the peak before him—waiting for her pussy to milk him of his orgasm.

  “Luc,” she cried out as she went over.

  Her climax hit her hard and fast, slamming into her with such force that she almost dislodged his cock as her body undulated with each spasm. Heat—wet and slick—flowed over his shaft, easing the glide of his length as he drove it in and out of her body. He gripped her hips and rolled until he pinned her beneath him. He dug his fingers into her soft flesh as he rammed himself in and out of her clenching pussy. Five quick thrusts and he was coming undone, filling the condom with spurt after spurt of come.

  Spent, he collapsed forward. At the last second, he dropped his elbows to the bed and held his weight off her. Breathing hard, he tried to clear his mind and instruct his muscles to move. He forced himself into action and pulled from Cassie’s still-quivering body, both of them making a cry of distress as their bodies separated. He’d love to remain inside her until they drifted off to sleep but he needed to dispose of the used condom or wearing it would be pointless.

  Luc headed to his en suite and dropped the rubber in the bin. He cleaned up and then grabbed a wash cloth and dampened it with warm water. When he returned to Cassie he found her exactly where he’d left her. Face down with her beautiful rear end on full display. Smoothing his hand over the sleek curve of one cheek, he tapped her hip to get her to turn over.

  “Let me get you cleaned up.”

  She mumbled someth
ing he didn’t catch but rolled over. Luc parted her legs and wiped the cloth over her well-loved folds before tossing it aside and climbing back into bed with her. He pulled Cassie into his arms and tugged the covers over them. Her breasts were pressed into his side, her head rested on his shoulder and one leg lay draped over his. A smile curled his mouth. This was exactly where he wanted to be. She was exactly where he wanted her to be. Now he just had to convince her it was what she wanted—where she belonged.

  Cassie woke in the pre-dawn light and attempted to roll over, except something held her pinned to the bed. Lucas. He had one arm thrown over her waist, his chest plastered against her spine and his morning erection pressed between her arse cheeks. Aroused and embarrassed by their intimate position, heat flooded her face. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp but the man wasn’t budging, not without considerable effort, and after all they’d done she wasn’t ready to face him yet.

  So she lay there contemplating their weekend. Their challenge hadn’t really been a challenge. They’d simply hung out together. There was no bossing each other around and certainly no toes had been stepped on like she’d imaged when they’d shaken on the deal. She was forced to admit spending time with Lucas had been more than fun. It had felt natural—right. She’d never expected them to hit it off the way they had. Never expect this deep connection with someone who before Friday night had been a stranger.

  She wasn’t looking for a relationship, didn’t have time with everything going on at work. Only Cassie couldn’t bring herself to think about leaving him and never seeing him again. The thought alone produced a twinge in her chest and a heaviness that felt distinctly like sadness—regret. He’d made it clear he wanted more than one night, but did that mean he wanted more than the weekend?

  “Stop thinking so hard.” Lucas’s deep voice rumbled in her ear, his warm breath bathing her neck. “It’s too early to be awake.”

  Cassie smiled. “It’s not that early. And I need to get home before going to work so I can’t lie about in bed all morning.”