by Morgan Blaze
“Oh, could we?” Jonah said flatly. “Thanks. That’s great.”
“You barely fit in my car anyway,” she said. “Now leave. Goodbye.”
They headed away in a flurry of good-natured grumbling, and Luka sighed. “Alone at last,” she said. “Come on. I’m parked over here.”
He followed her to the car and got in the passenger side. Since he’d already screwed things up, he might as well try to make the best of it. Maybe he could figure out a way to get pictures of her work. “So,” he said as she started the engine and pulled away from the curb. “My new place could use a little brightening up. Would you consider selling me one of your paintings?”
She gave him a strange look. “Selling?”
“Yes. That’s how it’s done, isn’t it?”
“Well, I guess I never thought about it before.” She smiled hesitantly. “All right. Which one?”
At least she’d agreed. But this was the tricky part. “I’m not sure,” he said, trying to sound casual. “I only saw a few. Could I stop by tomorrow and look at more of them, maybe…take a few pictures?”
The strange look resurfaced. “Is that how it’s done too?”
“I don’t know. I’m winging it here.”
She laughed, and he managed to relax a little. “I suppose it can’t hurt,” she said.
“Great. It’s a deal.”
He glanced out the window, and saw they were already pulling up to his house. How did they get here so fast? He’d accomplished his goal, so he should just say goodnight and go inside. But he wanted more time with her.
Which was exactly why he should make a clean break now.
She drove in behind his Jeep. Before he could force himself to spit out an excuse and leave, she said, “This is going to sound weird, but…can I see where you’re going to hang the painting?”
“You’re right,” he said. “That does sound weird.”
“I know. It’s just that I’ve never, uh, sold a painting before. If I see where it’s going, I think I’ll feel better about it. Like I know it’ll be safe.” She frowned. “Does that make any sense at all?”
“Actually, it does.”
Her features relaxed. “Oh, good. Thought I was going crazy for a minute.”
“You’re not.” But I might be. It was crazy to drag this out, to actually bring Luka inside, where suppressing the temptation to head for the bedroom and finish what they’d started earlier would be painful. In every possible sense.
But he would resist. If he didn’t, he’d screw up their friendship—and he couldn’t handle a life that was completely without her.
Chapter 7
Luka called herself a thousand kinds of idiot as she followed Reese inside. What the hell was she thinking? She actually did want to see where he planned to put the painting. But more than that, she wanted him. Preferably naked and in bed, though she’d take a couch or a floor or any handy horizontal surface.
It wasn’t even a subconscious ploy. She knew damned well what her intentions were, and what kind of fool she was to hope when he’d made the boundaries very clear.
But here she was. Hoping.
She’d never been in this place before. Everyone knew it had stood empty for years—but aside from a faint, musty smell, you couldn’t tell that from the living room. Gleaming hardwood floors, smooth and freshly painted walls, a beautiful stone fireplace that had been recently restored. He’d obviously done a lot of work here already.
Right now, the only furniture in the room was a couch against the wall, facing the fireplace. She forced herself not to stare at it and envision the possibilities.
“Well, this is it.” Reese walked toward the couch and gestured at the wall behind it. “I’d hang it right here,” he said. “It’ll have the whole wall to itself. What do you think?”
“It’s perfect.” She really did think that. In spite of her raging insecurities—or maybe because of them—she was delighted that he’d want to display her work. Somehow, she could tell he wasn’t just humoring her. He actually liked her paintings. That meant more to her than she could ever explain.
He smiled. “I’m glad you approve.”
“Of course. But you know, it already looks great in here,” she said. “You must’ve been busting your ass since you got the place.”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, I’ve still got a long way to go. You should see the kitchen—it looks like 1960 exploded in it.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “Sounds amazing. I guess you have to take things one room at a time, though.”
“Yep. Three down, and…well, I’m not going to count how many to go. If I do, I’ll give up.”
“Good idea. What do you have done, besides the living room?”
His eyes widened for an instant. “Um. The basement, and a bedroom.”
“Oh.” Judging from the way he shifted, the word bedroom had the same effect on him as it did on her. And now would be the time for her to say goodnight and leave…if she wasn’t an idiot set on having her hopes dashed. Again.
But apparently, she was.
She went to him. His gaze fastened on her, and he swallowed hard as she rested her hands on his waist. “We started something earlier,” she said. “I want to finish it, and I think you do, too. Am I right?”
A shudder went through him. “More than anything,” he rasped. “But—”
“No buts.” She stepped closer, until her body brushed his and set her on fire. “Please don’t say the f-word,” she whispered. “I know that’s the deal, and I’ll honor it. But we can have this, now. No strings attached.”
He stood still a moment longer with war in his eyes. And finally, he surrendered.
His hands plunged into her hair, and he ravaged her mouth with a hunger that had her responding in kind, desperate to keep up. She barely noticed his arms going around her until suddenly she was moving without effort, his lips still locked on hers. She clung to him as he carried her down a short, dark hallway into a softly lit bedroom with a massive four-poster bed.
In the space of a breath, she was lying beneath him. His hands were everywhere—touching her face, stroking an arm, skimming her waist, as if he couldn’t create enough contact to satisfy his desires.
She knew the feeling.
Needing to touch him, she tugged at his shirt until he yanked it off with a low growl. He straddled her as her hands explored the hard planes of his chest, the washboard of his stomach. She moved lower, and his breath caught sharply.
“Wait,” he ground out, grabbing her wrist. “Please.”
She fought a stab of disappointment. “What’s wrong?”
“I want more than this.” He pushed her arm back gently, pinning it over her head as his warm weight pressed against her. “I want to touch you. Taste you. Everywhere.”
The shiver of pleasure that moved through her was almost enough to make her come. “Yes,” she whispered. “I want that.”
He kissed her, long and languid, and eased back with reluctance. “Undress for me.”
She sat up and complied slowly, her eyes never leaving his. He devoured her with his heated stare, driving her to the edge of climax without laying a finger on her. Once she’d removed the last stitch of clothing, he straddled her again and guided her back against the pillows. “Stay,” he said softly.
She nodded, her heart pounding like a drum as his head bent to her throat.
His lips brushed her skin just above her breastbone. Then his tongue replaced them, and she gasped in delight. He laid a trail of kisses along the hollow of her throat, each one burning hotter than the last. His fingertips slid lightly up her arm to her shoulder, and he gripped her there as he bent lower.
She cried out when his tongue grazed her nipple, panted as he suckled it to a hard, throbbing point. He lavished attention on one breast, then the other. She held his head firmly in place, arching against him as her sex ached to feel him inside her.
As if he’d read her mind, he slid a hand between her legs.
His thu
mb stroked her clit, teased her open, and he slipped a finger into her wet hole. She clenched instinctively, moaning as a second finger joined the first. His thumb still rubbing her most sensitive spot, he slid his fingers in and out with a slow, sweet rhythm that soon had her gasping for breath.
His tongue moved faster, teasing her hard nipple and sending waves of liquid pleasure through her. She’d never felt so much all at once. As the motion of his hand increased its pace, she grabbed fistfuls of blanket and thrust into his strokes, urging him on with a breathless plea.
Her eyes rolled back in utter abandon as she screamed his name, and a blinding orgasm consumed her.
What felt like a long time later, she fell back against the pillows with a contented groan. “My God,” she managed. “I think you killed me. That was…incredible.”
“It was my pleasure.” He kissed her tenderly, sending a fresh shudder through her. “Are you too dead to keep going?”
“No.” She smiled. “Undress for me.”
Without a word, he stripped his pants and underwear off. His cock sprang free, hard as marble as he knelt in front of her.
She sat up and reached for him. “Now, allow me,” she said.
He moaned through gritted teeth as her fingers circled him, stroking the silk skin over the steel of his erection. He was perfectly placed for what she wanted. She leaned forward, and looked up at him as she kissed the tip of his cock.
“Luka,” he panted. “Oh, God…”
She stroked him again, squeezing gently until a bead of precum leaked out. Her tongue darted out to catch the salty liquid, and she slid her lips around his cock and suckled the head, delighting in his gasps and groans.
With a hand gripping the base of his cock, she ran her tongue down the length of him and back up. She teased the spot just beneath his head, with kisses and gentle nips that had him shuddering all over.
Then she was taking him all, his hand tangled in her hair as she filled her throat with the firm, clean taste of him.
His breathing grew ragged, uneven. She felt him harden and swell further, until he suddenly pulled free with a desperate cry. “I can’t hold back much longer,” he rasped. “I need to have all of you. Please…”
“Yes,” she said. “Oh, yes.”
He laid her down and positioned himself between her legs. Holding her arms crossed above her head, his mouth locked with hers as he entered her swiftly, deeply. He stayed buried in her for a long moment, his cock throbbing with every heartbeat and sending flutters through her inner thighs.
At last, he began to move.
This time there were no long, slow strokes. His urgency matched hers as he glided in and out. She was slick and hot, her walls contracting around his thick length. Deliciously dizzy, she matched him thrust for thrust until her climax reached the shattering point.
She wrenched up and clung tightly to him as he released a guttural cry and spent himself. His teeth grazed her shoulder, spiking a fresh orgasm that had her squeezing him into a shuddering gasp.
He fell into her and rolled on his side, bringing her along to cradle against him. “Don’t move,” he murmured. “I need the support. Think all my bones melted.”
She was only too happy to stay put. The solid warmth of him beside her completed the glow from the best sex of her life—and she wanted to hold on to the illusion that it wouldn’t be the last. That they could have this and more, forever.
Bathed in the comfort of Reese’s arms and her willful ignorance, she drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
Reese came close to falling asleep. But his mind wouldn’t stop churning, so he ended up simply staring at the woman by his side for a long time, as if he could memorize every inch of her face and body to keep with him when she was gone.
He knew he couldn’t have forever. Whatever dark seed had been planted in his father, it had taken time to cultivate, to grow into the evil that eventually burst out and turned on those who were closest to him. And since Reese ended up following in his footsteps, the same fate was probably in store for him.
He was determined to be alone when that happened.
An hour dragged by before he finally decided to get up. He disentangled himself gently from Luka, making sure she was still asleep, then slipped into a pair of shorts and headed for the kitchen. There, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and tossed back a shot.
It would’ve been easy to keep going, to drink straight from the bottle until he collapsed. But passing out wasn’t sleeping. He’d still be just as exhausted—and as a bonus, he’d feel like shit too. So he put it back on the shelf.
Just as he closed the cabinet, a voice said, “You weren’t kidding about the sixties explosion.”
He turned to see Luka in the doorway, wearing nothing but panties and a shirt. His cock immediately stirred, and he was glad it hadn’t recovered enough to rise fully to the occasion. “Hey,” he said. “Sorry I woke you.”
“It’s all right. I’ve always been a light sleeper.” She took a step forward and stopped. “Mind if I come in? That is, if you weren’t heading out.”
“No, I think I’m up for a while,” he said. “Come on in, if you can stand it.”
She grinned and sat down at the kitchen table. “Did they steal this from a diner? It’s kind of…truck stop retro.”
“You don’t think it goes great with the floral linoleum?”
“Yeah, and the fridge from the Great Depression,” she said. “Does that thing even have a freezer?”
“Sort of.” He opened it and showed her the frost-caked square of plastic at the top. “It’s an icebox. And that’s about all it’s got room for, too.”
“Wow. No wonder the Wards ate out all the time.”
Reese closed the fridge and wandered over to the sink, suddenly at a loss for words. Not that he couldn’t talk to Luka. But having her in his house, dressed in practically nothing and making herself at home, was beautiful and painful at once. He wanted this to be normal. An everyday miracle.
“Reese?” Luka said softly. “Can we…talk about something?”
His heart wrenched. He turned to face her, and she must have read the misery in his eyes, because she said, “Still friends. Okay?”
Somehow, that hurt more. But he tucked the pain away and sat down across from her. “Still friends,” he said. “All right, then. What is it?”
She drew a deep breath and folded her hands on the table. “I have to ask you something, and you’re probably not going to like it,” she said. “But I need to know the truth. Can you give that to me?”
He swallowed. “I hope so.”
“Me, too.” She lifted her gaze to him, and her green eyes glittered as she struggled for words. “The day you broke up with me, before you left…what really happened?”
He closed his eyes as the memories washed over him. He’d never told anyone about his father—all through school he’d hidden the bruises, cutting classes when the damage was too bad to hide and making up excuses the few times anyone had asked. Like the cabinet story he’d told her. But maybe if he explained this, she’d understand why they could only be friends.
The fear and anticipation in her face burned him, and he almost couldn’t speak. Finally, he decided to just get it over with. “I didn’t walk into a cabinet,” he said. “Guess you already knew that, though.”
Her jaw clenched. “It was my brothers, wasn’t it?”
“No!” The surprise that bled through the word might’ve been funny under other circumstances. “They ribbed me a couple of times, especially Mark. But they never touched me.”
“So…what happened?”
He stared at the table. “My father.”
“Oh, God,” she whispered. “He hit you?”
“Yeah, he hit me.” He made an abrupt sound that was almost a laugh. “It was his second favorite thing to do. After hitting my mother.”
She was silent for a moment. Then she reached across the table for his hand.
Without thinking, he flinched away.
Damn. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s not you. I just…”
“It’s okay,” she said gently.
He knew it wasn’t, but he appreciated the effort. “That night, he…” Reese lifted his head slowly. The pain in Luka’s eyes mirrored his own, and what he said next would only make it worse. But all he could do was go on. “He found out about you and me,” he said, his voice emerging flat and toneless. “I wasn’t hiding it from him. But he’d never given a shit about anything I did, until he got it in his head that I was throwing my life away with you. Because of your…reputation, I guess. So he decided to remedy that.”
A few tears slipped down her cheeks, and his heart broke. “He hit you because of me,” she whispered.
“No,” he said firmly. “You were just a convenient excuse. My father informed me that I was enlisting, and let me know in no uncertain terms that if I didn’t, my mother would pay for it. Then he beat the hell out of me. With his fists, and his belt.”
Luka stared at him. “How could he…Reese, that’s awful. I am so sorry.”
“I couldn’t tell you. Not then.” He had to look away as his hands clenched into tight fists. “He’d been getting worse, having more episodes. Most of the time I could get him to come after me instead of Mom. But I was terrified he’d start on Georgia.”
“Your little sister,” she said.
He nodded once. “They locked him away while I was in Basic,” he said. “At the VA—the hospital. Not prison. If that hadn’t happened, I don’t know what I would’ve done. They wouldn’t have been safe without me for five years.”
“So…” She drew a trembling breath. “Your father told you to break up with me, and then forced you to join the Marines.”
“Yes.”
She said nothing for so long, he started to think she didn’t believe him. Then she rose slowly and walked around the table toward him. His body wanted to stiffen, but he forced himself to relax as much as possible. He didn’t want to hurt her again.
When she reached him, she stooped beside him and gestured at his clenched hands. “Can I…”
He gave a slow nod.