Risking the Vine (Romancing the Vine Book 1)

by Gemma Brocato

  “No clue. I’ll text you the attorney’s contact info. You should try to see him while you’re up here next weekend.”

  For the next ten minutes, Rowena chattered on about the details of her upcoming move. As her cousin settled in for an extended conversation, Jac shoved to her feet. Listening with half attention was all Ro required, so Jac moved into the kitchen to do inventory of what she needed in Eugene and what she could purge.

  It was after ten-thirty before Rowena had exhausted her word supply. With another promise to send details about the trust fund, she disconnected. True to her typical form, Ro hadn’t asked Jac a single personal question, like how her love life was going. For once, Jac would have had an answer that didn’t begin with a scoffing laugh.

  Back in the living room, she set her iPhone on the table and took a seat on the soft area rug in front of the couch. Leaning back against the sofa, she drew her knees up to her chest to take a break.

  Jac let her thoughts meander to her new home. Since she couldn’t really plant until spring, she planned to redecorate the interior. New paint, window treatments, and maybe she’d refinish the gorgeous maple floors. All projects she could do on her own. In her imagination she pictured Luke by her side. Joining her on weekends to help with some of her to-do list. Working side-by-side during the day . . . sleeping with him curled around her by night.

  Would he help happily? Or would his visits taper off over time? She rested her cheek on her knees, gazing out the balcony doors at the night sky. In the distance, lightning danced over the mountains, reminding her of the heated electric sensation of Luke’s fingertips gliding over her skin. Sparks of desire lodged under her heart, sizzling and crackling the way water would as it hit heated rocks.

  Had mere thoughts of a man ever aroused her the way thinking of Luke did? She couldn’t guarantee she’d be able to restrain herself once he finally arrived. A quick glance at the clock revealed he’d show up soon. She gazed down the hall, catching sight of her neatly made bed, certain they’d be in it scant minutes after he arrived. She doubted she’d be able to wait to get her hands on him.

  To feel his skin against hers. To be together the way they couldn’t be for the past few days, due to distance and lack of condoms.

  I’m such a Girl Scout. Planning ahead, she’d stopped at the drugstore just before she’d picked up her dinner. It felt a little strange dropping the eight-pack box of condoms on the counter manned by a kid who was barely eighteen. The leer he’d given her after checking out her ring finger sent fiery heat to her cheeks. But she held the kid’s gaze. She was an adult and could buy what she wanted.

  For a brief instant, Jac considered adding a pregnancy test and tampons to her purchase, just to freak the kid out. Instead, as she accepted her change and the bag from him, she winked. With a grin, she’d swished her hips from side-to-side as she left the store. Take that, insolent little shit!

  If the condition of her body at this moment was any indicator, she’d be ready with very little foreplay. She fervently hoped Luke would feel the same way. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the cushions, relishing the tingly pulses brought about by imagining his body pressed to hers, hard and demanding to her soft and melting.

  The intercom buzzed, shattering her quiet reverie. He was here. She scrambled to her feet and raced to the front door, pressing the Talk button. “Hello?”

  “It’s Luke. Can I come up?”

  God, his voice sounded sexy even through the intercom. The nerves jumping in her system escalated. In response, she slid the Lock Release lever to the side and held it for a moment, to be sure. She eased the door open and stared at the elevator, willing it to rise as fast as her level of excitement.

  The stainless steel doors at the end of the hall slid open, revealing the man of her dreams.

  Luke slumped against the back wall, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the bag slung over his left shoulder. He was wearing navy scrubs, which accentuated the blue tones of his eyes. His right hip jutted to the side, bearing all of the weight of his casual stance. A tired smile illuminated his face as he simply stared down the hall at her.

  As the doors began to slide shut on him, he leaped forward and thrust his hand toward the opening, stopping their progress. The move reminded her of a cat, smooth and efficient, despite the exhaustion evident in his casual posture. He prowled on nearly silent feet toward where she waited, not taking his gaze from her face. With each step, his expression grew lighter, until the moment he reached her. His huge grin was the last thing she saw as he enveloped her in a bear hug worthy of the name.

  Wrapping his arms around her waist, he squeezed tightly, snugging her against his hard body. He buried his face in her neck and breathed deep. Warm breath tickled the sensitive skin beneath her ear as he groaned on his exhale.

  “Good Christ, you smell wonderful.” He tightened his grip and leaned backward, lifting her until her toes dangled over the gray patterned carpet.

  He flexed his fingers on her hips. The soft pressure sent shivers whizzing up her spine. Her voice came out on a breath. “You look exhausted. Poor baby.” She nuzzled the crook of his neck as she stroked her fingers through his disheveled curls.

  Luke kissed his way along her cheek, seeking her mouth. When he skimmed her lips, a groan rumbled deep in his chest. Jac felt the vibration below, where an erotic pulse pounded, communicating urgent need throughout her body.

  His lips were demanding on hers, the dark scruff on his cheeks a combination of scratchy and soft. Their tongues collided, stroked, probed. A moan built in the back of her throat as he cupped her butt and nibbled on her lips. The kiss eased to gentle, worshipful.

  Luke lifted her until she could wrap her legs around his waist, locking her feet behind his back. The motion opened her center. The hard ridge of his erection pressed into her right where she craved it. As the angle of their kiss changed, Luke walked through the door to her condo. The door banged as he kicked it, crashing into the doorjamb, shutting out the rest of the world.

  His bag clunked as he dropped it to the floor. He tightened his grip on her behind and pulled her closer, rocking his hips as he did.

  She held his head between her hands as a wave of sensation washed over her, beginning at the base of her neck and building until it crested into flaring sparklers behind her eyelids. Had anything ever felt this wonderful?

  Without releasing his lips, she unlocked her legs from his waist and slid down his body until she found her feet. His erection throbbed against her stomach and his solid, unmovable chest cushioned her breasts. Liquid heat swirled in her veins as she reached behind him to twist the lock. Then she pushed his shoulders until his back hit the hard wood behind him. She slipped her fingers under the hem of his scrub top to caress the hard ridges defining his waist.

  Flattening her palms on his abdomen, Jac started to slide them up, stopping when he grasped her arms.

  Chest heaving, he pulled his mouth from hers, gripping her wrists. “Wait.”

  His single word tore through the haze of lust fogging her brain. She eased away and slanted her gaze up at him. “You don’t want . . .?”

  Oh, God. What if he didn’t want? What if the ardor and passion she felt for him, that she thought he felt for her, wasn’t reciprocated? Maybe he’d only meant for their time together at Team Vino to be a vacation fling, and this would be their last hurrah, so to speak.

  Jac jerked her arms from his grip and took a hasty step backward.

  “Aw, shit. I’m handling this wrong.”

  Damn straight. No one in their right mind started a break up speech with a soul-searing kiss like the one they’d just shared. He reached for her hand again, pulling it toward his body and pressing it against his hot, straining cock. He gasped and thrust his hips forward, grinding against her hand, and groaned. “Jac, you can tell I do want.” />
  Yes, she could, and thanked her lucky stars for it. This wasn’t a let-her-down-easy chat. She molded her fingers over his rock-hard shaft. “Why stop?”

  With a laugh that bordered on the embarrassed, he relaxed against the door as he pulled her wrist up, lacing their fingers together and resting their joined hands over his heart. Jac felt each hard thud in the side of her hand. The rapid tattoo resonated in time with her own heartbeat.

  He drew her closer, until she was nestled between his spread legs. “I want you more than I can find words to express at the moment.”

  “Then don’t articulate, just take.” She nipped his chin and followed the bite with a lick to his lush lower lip.

  He tangled his tongue with hers until he’d sucked it between his teeth. The pressure was delicious. When he released her lips, he stroked his hand along her back, from the swell just above her butt to the nape of her neck.

  “You’re distracting me.”

  Her chuckle was low and breathy. She caressed his cheek with her free hand. “That’s the idea.”

  “And as ideas go, it’s stellar.” He nibbled at her lips. “Baby, I’ve been working for nearly twenty-four hours. I was hoping I could impose on you for a shower. I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m a little ripe.”

  What she’d noticed was the intoxicating blend of Luke’s unique scent of spice and pine. If there was an aroma of sweat underlying it, she found it more of an aphrodisiac. He worked hard, unafraid to stick with a job until it was done. “I didn’t notice, but you are more than welcome to use my bathroom. Do you want me to soap your back?” She slipped her hand behind him, and rubbed his sexy ass, giving it a squeeze for good measure.

  His breath caught, hitched back out. “You can if you want, however, that isn’t my back. But consider this, I’ll be in your bed—in you—quicker if I go it alone. At least before. Maybe later we can shower together.” He waggled his brows.

  Jac eased her hold on his backside and moved away from him. She pointed to her bedroom, where her mattress beckoned them. “Bathroom is at the end of the hall. Are you hungry? I can fix scrambled eggs while you’re in there.”

  “Baby, I’m only hungry for you.”

  Her eyes nearly crossed as she held his gaze. “You say the nicest things.”

  He laughed and bent to scoop up the bag he’d dropped. “See you in five?”

  “Or sooner.” She watched him saunter away from her, his legs slightly bowed.

  Oh, he definitely wanted.

  Chapter 20

  The second Luke disappeared through the door to her room, Jac pulled her thin cotton T-shirt over her head in one smooth motion, and chucked it. Kicking off her flip-flops, she followed him down the hall.

  Water rushed through the pipes. He’d left the bathroom door cracked and she caught a tantalizing glimpse of his bare ass. Jac’s mouth watered at the sight of his tan line, dusky skin above, paler below. She caught her tongue between her teeth. Honest to God, she wanted to lick the divots hollowing out the sides of his butt.

  With efficient movements, she unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. Hooking her thumbs under the stretchy lace of her panties, she shimmied out of everything, leaving it in a bundle at her feet. Next came the bra, straps falling off her shoulders. She dropped the scrap of lace she’d donned especially for Luke’s pleasure to the growing pile of clothes next to the bed.

  Water stopped running in the shower and she heard the swish of the towel as Luke pulled it over the glass wall surrounding the tiled enclosure. The last drops from the rainwater showerhead dripped, nearly masking the sound of Luke drying his body. Jac flipped her decorative pillows into the corner and pulled the comforter down to the end of the bed.

  She climbed on the mattress. Knelt in the middle. Sat back on her heels.

  Waited.

  With a towel wrapped around his waist, Luke emerged from the bath, droplets of water shimmering in the halo of light from behind. The sight of the pale yellow towel riding low on his hips made her nipples pebble. She longed to explore the muscular cuts on his sides, to trail her fingers down the gorgeous line of dark hair plunging below the edge of the fabric.

  The expression on his face went predatory and hot as blazes when he caught sight of her, naked and waiting. Lips quirked in a half smile, he stalked toward the bed. His erection tented the front of his towel.

  “Much better. And look, my shower gave you time to unmake the bed.” Grinning, Luke rested one knee of the mattress.

  He reached for her, stroking the back of his fingers down the slope of her breast. Catching the taut peak between his index and middle finger, he squeezed. When he rolled the pad of his thumb over the tight bud, fire arced through Jac, zeroing in on her pussy. She grew wetter with each swipe of his thumb.

  She grasped his forearm, trying to ground herself through the touch. “It’s nicer to unmake the bed than . . .”

  His lips replaced his finger.

  “Oh, God, Luke, that’s wonderful.”

  The tug, nip, lick rotation of his mouth, tongue, and teeth continued, sweet torture to be sure. Jac fisted his hair, holding his mouth in place as she eased backward. Luke followed her down, hips nestling between her thighs. Through the towel that somehow managed to stay on, his erection prodded her.

  Giving her nipple one last lick, he shifted his attention to the other breast as he slipped a hand under her and pulled her leg around his hip. Tingles of molten lust sparked to life at the feel of his fingers trailing through her folds. He slipped two inside and continued to run his thumb over her clit, mimicking the action there with the lash of his tongue on her nipple. Each exquisite touch of his lips and fingers created cascading light behind her eyelids.

  Raking her nails over the smooth skin of his back, Jac gave herself over to the pressure and pleasure building to a fever pitch in her body.

  He pushed her to the brink of reason, the point where she ceased thinking and simply flowed with sensation. He licked a circle around her areola, then whispered a breath over the wet surface. She shivered. He slid his fingers out of her, leaving her feeling momentarily empty.

  The lonely sensation didn’t last. Shifting off to her side, Luke stroked his hand along her raised thigh. His movement loosened his towel, and it puddled on the bed, partly draped over her knees. She released her grip on his head and pulled the towel away, dropping the damp material over the side of the bed. Her muscles clutched as his fingers filled her once more. He buried them deeply within her as he claimed her lips. Bolts of need pinged from her head to her toes.

  Jac rocked her hips up to meet his questing hand. “Not enough, Luke. I need you in me.”

  “I’m getting there,” he murmured against her lips as he pressed long fingers deeper and twisted them, stroking the ribbed muscles inside.

  “Now.”

  Not waiting, she pushed on his shoulders until he lay flat on the bed, his thick erection bobbing against his stomach. Holding his wrist, she trapped his hand between her legs as she rose to her knees to straddle him. The muscles in his forearm flexed with his every movement.

  Offering more of herself to his touch, her breath hitched in her throat with each wiggle, each thrust of his fingers. He dropped his other hand to her hip and stroked small circles over her skin until his fingers slipped into the cleft between her cheeks. She arched her back as he pressed his fingertip to the tight, puckered opening. Jac thought her body might just implode.

  She stretched over his chest for the condom she’d left on the bedside table. Luke surged up, muscles tensing, to claim her breast again, his hands and lips everywhere, prodding, stroking; pulling. With unsteady fingers, Jac managed to tear open the wrapper and pull the latex circle from the foil.

  She grasped his shaft at the base, reveling in Luke’s groan. She smeared a drop of come on his hard fl
esh as he circled his fingers in her sheath and dipped his other hand between her cheeks. Heady sensation spread like fireworks along her spine.

  Jac rolled the condom into place, then rose on her knees and he replaced his fingers with his hot length. Passion flared brighter with the feeling of fullness, of completion. Jac set a rhythm, bobbing on his lap, rocking her hips forward on the rise, rolling them back of the descent. Each time she slid down, Luke pressed his finger deeper.

  His other hand flexed on her hip, encouraging her movement, helping to guide her pace.

  “That’s it, baby,” he mumbled against her breast and thrust his hips up hard. His body slapped against hers as he buried himself deeper. He growled and dug his fingers into her flesh. “Ride me, honey.”

  She couldn’t form any words. Never before had she felt the moment growing and expanding in her this way. Increasing her pace, erotic quivering started deep within her. It built with every stroke against his groin, every dip of his finger, and the bite of his teeth on her nipple.

  Color exploded behind her eyes as her orgasm crested. She couldn’t hold in her scream. Straining, arching against him, her trembling limbs echoed the shivering deep inside at such a powerful climax. “Oh, Luke. Oh my God!”

  Luke’s muscles tensed and bunched under her hands as he flipped her to her back. Elbows resting on either side of her head, he gripped her hair and drove into her with wild abandon. The weight of him, the demanding nature of his thrusts, prolonged her orgasm and rebuilt it until sensation swelled again. The pleasure bordered on sweet torture until she came a second time as Luke groaned his own release.

  Luke’s heart thundered like a freight train in his chest. Arms trembling, he ground his pelvis against hers until he was buried balls deep inside her. The tight muscles of her pussy rippled along his length, wringing everything from him. Jac flexed her fingers deep into his hips, urging him closer still. He dug his knees into the mattress between her legs, rocked back, then surged forward, pressing his forehead to hers.