by Maggie Way
Startled, she pulled back.
His grip on her hip tightened. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for me not to find some quiet room to take you?” His uneven breaths rattled around in his chest. “If you keep looking at me like that, I’m not going to be able to stop myself from doing something about it.”
Desire fluttered low in her belly, and slipped lower with a delicious aching.
“God, Em, the things I want to do to you.”
Her tongue darted out to lick her dry lips. “Wh-what things?”
His fingertips found the pulsing hollow at the base of her throat. “Touch you.” He dipped his head and his lips pressed to the spot where his fingertips had marked her. “Taste you.”
She shivered.
His mouth nuzzled her ear. “Tease you until you can’t endure anymore. And then….”
“Wh-wh-what? And then wh-what?”
“I’ll slip inside you.” With an easy nudge, he entwined his fingers with hers. “I’ll move inside you.”
The swift, fierce shock of arousal clenched her core.
“I’ll take you in every way I can.” His hand explored her hip with possessive intent while his lips nibbled her earlobe. “Is that what you want, Emily?”
He overwhelmed her, and conscious of every point where his body touched hers, she struggled to catch her breath. “I thought… you said it w-was a mistake. That I w-was a mistake.”
He stiffened, and then, on a curse, his large hand clamped around hers. He hauled her away from the dance floor and hustled her through the ballroom doors. In the hall, she stumbled along behind him until he pulled her into the library and swept shut the door, plunging them into darkness.
Through the walls drifted the muffled drone of music and partygoers, but the sound of the lock turning over resounded in the quiet inside the room.
“You think I rejected you?” Emotion rode the top of his voice.
“You called m-me a mistake.” Hadn’t he?
She heard the muffled sound of his footsteps on the Persian rug, a thump and another curse, then dim light from a lamp threw a warm glow over the room.
He detached from the shadows. “No, not you.” His expression pained, he held her gaze. “Jesus, Em. I forgot to put on a condom. How could that be anything other than a mistake?”
“You w-were so upset.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just…. I can’t give you what you want.”
“You don’t know wh-what I want.” Though her voice trembled, her words were sure. “You never asked m-me.”
His taut features softened. “What do you want, Emily?”
“You.” She rushed forward with the wish, close enough to feel the warmth from his body. “I want you.”
He remained stock-still, holding himself back from her. “I suck at relationships. I work too many hours and when I get home, there’s just… nothing left to give. I’m not trying to be dramatic, or scare you. I just… can’t. Not right now.” His voice was rough, as though he was being pulled apart. “Maybe never. I don’t know.”
“I don’t want y-your promises. Or your heart.” It wasn’t a lie. Not exactly.
She wanted whatever would make her feel less alone.
“Please, Luke, don’t turn me away.” Even as she spoke the plea of her heart, she retreated until she came hard against the large mahogany desk.
Heat from his body invaded hers when he came to stand before her. He buried his hands in her tulle skirts and, slowly, inched the fabric up her thighs.
A snatch of someone’s laughter rose above the din to reach them through the door. Her gaze darted to the large picture window behind the desk. Then cool air kissed the skin of her thighs, and her bare bottom.
Her thoughts scattered.
Turning her away from him, he flipped her skirt over her waist. A soft curse slipped from him and his calloused palms rushed over the smooth globes of her buttocks, left exposed by the thong underwear she wore.
Arousal spiraled through her with dizzying force. Seeking stability, she pressed her palms to the smooth wood desktop in front of her.
He rubbed her lower back in slow, tight circles. One of his large shoe-clad feet pushed between her high heels and nudged, gently, until she stood with her feet shoulder-width apart.
Exposed for his touch, she trembled with anticipation.
Beneath the tiny string of her thong, his hand stole lower, between her legs, until his fingers feathered along her slit. Her sharp gasp morphed into a needy moan.
He explored her, circling and massaging, but not touching, never touching, the place where she most ached.
She arched her back and wiggled her hips in a slow circle, chasing his touch while his hot mouth suckled the side of her neck. Her moans grew desperate and he soothed her by whispering soft nonsense into her ear.
Still, he evaded her swollen core.
His hardness pressed into her bottom and she wriggled to fit herself more snugly against him.
“I can’t,” he croaked. “I don’t have a condom.”
“I’m on the pill.” Relief rushed through her that she’d made the brash decision to ask the doctor for a prescription. “And I haven’t been w-with anyone else in a long time.”
Turning her, he cupped her face with both of his hands. Green eyes pierced her. “Neither have I. It’s been…” A confused pucker furrowed his brow, and then he shook his head. “Too long to remember.”
His mouth brushed over hers in a soft, lingering kiss. She settled back against the desk, helpless to the feel of his slow, drugging kisses.
Without letting go of her face, he lifted his head. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“M-more than anything,” she breathed.
“Thank you.” He kissed her, parting her lips with the gentle nudge of his tongue.
The kiss, tender and reverent, caused a tangle of emotions to clog the back of her throat, and in that moment, the thought came to her that she could love him forever.
The kiss turned urgent and exploratory. Cool wood struck her bare bottom when he lifted her onto the desk.
Easing her down, he came to stand between her parted thighs. He watched her with suddenly hooded eyes as his palm pressed to the soft swell of her abdomen. With his other hand, he hooked a finger around the crotch of her panties and tugged them aside. The tip of his finger stroked her.
Color burst behind her eyes and she threw her head back. Sensation pulsated between her legs when the heavy slide of his fingers coaxed the first ripples of her orgasm.
Soon, she felt his hands between their bodies as he freed himself. His solid warmth brushed her opening and she whimpered with wonder. It was really going to happen. Luke Nolan was going to make love to her.
This time, he wouldn’t regret it.
Thoughts splintered when his shaft teased at her entrance. He dropped his head to her shoulder when he pushed inside her and her awareness narrowed to the slide of pleasure his body wrought from hers.
“Jesus, Em, you’re so tight.” He gripped her hips and pressed deeper.
Her body swallowed more of him, and his fingers stroked a sensitive spot. A cry tore from her throat.
Cast out to sea, she clutched at him, burying her face in his throat, while he pumped into her with long, languid strokes. In the quiet room, the sound of her slick wetness mingled with their labored breathing.
The world fell away while he moved inside her. There were no people on the other side of the door. No large windows through which they might be discovered. No spiral notebook poking into her backside.
Every stroke sent warm sensation spiraling through her body and straight to her heart. There was only Luke, and the exquisite, excruciating pleasure of his touch.
“I’m sorry, Em.” His hot breath brushed against her ear. “I can’t wait—”
His muscles bunched beneath her hands and he thrust into her with fierce desperation. With his release, he groaned her name into the side of her neck. His teeth scraped over her hypersensitive
skin and her orgasm screamed through her, beautiful and dangerous, like a comet streaking across the night sky.
After, she listened to the sound of his pounding heart while faint tremors eddied through her body.
Rising up on his elbows, he peered down into her face. He brushed a strand of her hair off her temple. “You okay?”
She nodded.
“What are you thinking?”
Thoughts. She should have some, but as she gazed up into his flawless face, only a lone, inappropriate thought crystallized. “When can we do that again?”
A surprised, helpless laugh rattled in his chest and he pressed his forehead to hers. “The second I can go again, and again, and again.” He brushed a gentle kiss across her forehead. “I’m not letting you go any time soon. I promise.”
Oh, my. She would definitely love him forever.
A soft knock sounded on the library door.
He pushed off her and she bolted upright. Still standing between her legs, he smoothed her skirt down over her thighs and fastened his tuxedo pants, but he didn’t retreat.
His hand slipped beneath her hair and he pulled her to him. His mouth met hers in a whisper-soft kiss. He dawdled, taking small nips at the corner of her mouth, as if no one waited on the other side of the door.
Finally, he left her and crossed the room. He opened the door a tiny fraction of a crack.
“Is Emily with you?” She recognized Noah’s voice.
“She is.” The possessive edge in Luke’s tone sent a shiver rippling through her.
“Now that she’s family, I have to ask—do I have any reason to kick your ass?”
Luke held his body rigid. “Not one.”
“Oh, good.” Noah’s tone lightened. “Then there’s someone here looking for a room. She says she has a reservation.”
Emily placed a hand on Luke’s elbow and he stepped back to allow her to pass.
Noah took one look at her and shot Luke an exasperated look. The color heightened on Luke’s cheeks, though rather than remorseful, his expression turned roguish.
“All the rooms are reserved for the night with w-wedding guests.” Emily entered the hall. “Is she one of the guests?”
“She’s not one of the guests.” Noah motioned to the end of the hall, where a woman stood waiting in the foyer.
While Noah headed back to the ballroom, Emily moved toward her. Luke followed a step behind.
“M-may I help you?”
The woman wore her dark hair pulled back in an unruly ponytail and heavy horn-rimmed glasses obscured her dark eyes. “I hope so. I’m here to check in.” She had a subtle southern accent, as one who’d grown up in the Deep South but hadn’t returned home in many years.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have any rooms available tonight.”
The woman frowned. “Are you sure? Max Foley was supposed to book a room for me.”
Emily stepped aside as the Mayor of Thief Island passed through the foyer on his way to the front door.
“M-Max? Are you with the film crew?”
“That’s right. I’m Honey Breedlove.”
Drew slid to a stop and pivoted. His pale gaze lighted on Honey. “Excuse me, did you say Honey Breedlove?”
Honey eyed him.
“Y-you’re reservation is for M-Monday.”
Drew took Honey’s hand and, lifting it to his mouth, pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. “To what do we owe the honor of your presence on our little island?”
At her side, Emily sensed Luke’s rigid alertness.
“Well, aren’t you a sexy ass-kisser,” Honey cooed.
“I’ve been known to kiss women in all sorts of interesting places.”
Honey rolled her eyes and pulled her hand from Drew’s grasp. She turned back to Emily. “Is there any chance you can make room for me tonight? I’ll sleep on a couch or the floor. Anything’s better than my car.”
Emily hesitated, her mind fuzzy. “Of course. I’m sure I can find something….”
Honey’s smile was bright and warm. “Thanks. I owe you.” Then she turned on Drew, her gaze sliding over him with such heat Emily felt the blast of radiation. “I’m going to go grab my bag. You’ll be here when I get back?”
A slow smile curled Drew’s lips. “I’ll be here.”
Honey disappeared through the front door and Drew leaned into the doorjamb, watching her retreat.
Then he regarded Emily with glinting light eyes. “So tell me, why is a porn star staying at your inn?”
Chapter Sixteen
A strenuous swallow worked Emily’s throat, but just then, the ballroom door banged open, depriving Luke of her reply.
Mina and Noah tripped down the hall toward them.
“That’s it, we’re done.” Mina leaned into Noah’s side. “I’m dead on my feet.”
“We’re leaving you to deal with the rabble-rousers back there,” Noah said. “You throw a hell of a party.”
Honey returned with her suitcase in tow. “I’m ready for my couch.”
Emily’s hand touched the pendant around her neck. “M-Max said y-y-you’re filming a horror movie…?” Her question hung in the air.
“That’s our agreement.” A hint of defiance slid through Honey’s tone.
Not the ringing endorsement Luke was hoping to hear. “The script didn’t convince you?”
“I’m still waiting to read the script,” Honey said. “Max hasn’t sent it to me yet.”
“How exciting,” Drew said. “A slice of Hollywood here on our little island.”
Emily twisted her hands in front of her. “Let m-me go find you a room.”
Drew stuck out his elbow. “I’ll be glad to show Ms. Breedlove around while she waits.”
Honey slipped her hand under his arm. “What are you going to show me?”
“I’ll show you anything you want to see,” Drew said as he led Honey toward the ballroom. “And probably a few things you don’t want to see.”
“Trust me, I’ve already seen it all,” Honey said.
“That sounds like a challenge.”
“Who is that?” Noah whispered.
“A famous actress,” Luke whispered back. “She’s here for the film.”
“Two days early.” Emily’s hushed tone managed to ring with panic.
“Aren’t all the rooms taken with wedding guests?” Mina hissed. “Where are you going to put her?”
Emily lifted her shoulders. “I can’t put her on a couch.” She worried her bottom lip. “I guess I’ll put her in my room.”
“Why are we still whispering?” Luke asked.
“Where will you sleep?” Mina’s voice returned to a normal level.
Luke slid a hand to the small of Emily’s back. “She’s staying at my place.”
Mina’s eyes grew wide and Emily turned an unnatural shade of pink.
“We wouldn’t want to put you out,” Noah said smoothly.
“It’s no hardship.” Luke tugged Emily back toward the library. “You two enjoy your wedding night. Don’t worry about us.”
When he’d closed the door behind them, she whirled on him. “Was that really necessary?”
He didn’t know if it was necessary, but it was unavoidable.
He’d tried to stay away from her, but that was no longer an option. Having blown past the point of no return, his only concern now was finding a way back to the hot, secret place between her thighs.
He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial, intimate purr. “I’m ready.”
A fiery blush blotted her peaches-and-cream skin. He wanted to lick every inch of it.
Now that he’d made his intentions clear to her, there was nothing holding him back. It was just sex. Fulfillment of a biological need. Release.
With no fear of hurting her, and no chance of suffering a fate like the one that ruined his dad, his desire for her rushed forward to consume him.
“I want you in my bed, Emily. I don’t want to wait.”
“I can’t leave.” A flash o
f disappointment flitted across her face. “I have a houseful of people.”
“I’ll have you back first thing in the morning.”
She wavered and her hand motioned to the couch. “This couch has a pull-out bed. We could, uh, sleep here.”
The ferocity of his desire for her unsettled him. “What do we have to do to get rid of all these people?”
They devised a quick and dirty plan, which had Luke pulling Matt aside while Emily talked with the DJ. Soon the flow of alcohol slowed to a trickle and the parade of upbeat pop songs downshifted into ballads with slow, melancholy tempos.
It was another hour, however, before the last guests wandered up to their rooms for the night and they closed the doors on Mina and Noah’s wedding party.
Emily, her arms loaded down with bed linens and pillows, slipped into the library and he swung the heavy wooden doors closed behind her.
The puffy expanse of her skirt sprang up and he shoved it down to avoid catching the delicate fabric in the door.
“That dress is ridiculous,” he said.
She deposited her armload on one end of the sofa and faced him. The corners of her puffy mouth turned down. “I think it’s p-pretty.”
“It is. Take it off.”
The pulse point at the base of her throat thumped wildly. In response, his erection throbbed.
Her small, oval face clouded.
She’d worn the same expression earlier, and with it, a nugget of unease had wedged beneath his breastbone. But then he was inside her and he’d forgotten all about investigating the cause of that look. Damn, but he couldn’t think straight with her hot sex clamped around him.
He circled wide around an armchair and meandered closer to her. The hollow of her neck filled with shadows and he trailed the tips of his fingers along her collarbone.
Her breath hitched.
“You said it’s been a while since you’ve been with anyone. How long has it been?”
He didn’t miss the frisson of alarm that chased across her face, but she quickly tamped it down.
He watched her mind working the problem a moment, and then she made her decision.
A predatory smile curved her lips. “You’re not worried, are you?”
“Worried? Why would I be worried?”