Replace the image with something better. Something he’ll want to remember.
Could she? Would he be willing to accept what she offered this time? The kiss they’d shared earlier certainly suggested he’d welcome more from her.
If she did this it had to be with her eyes wide open. This wasn’t a fairy tale. Having sex with Luke Edgars wouldn’t mean a happily-ever-after. He was only here to help her find Brianna. Once the case was closed, he was back to being super-spy and she was headed back to her desk in DC.
Could she do this? Could she be so coolly sophisticated as the other women he’d been with?
All you have to do is open the door. Don’t be a coward.
Her hand landed on the knob. When she opened it the room was empty. The shower running sounded just beyond the bathroom door. Taking another deep breath, she eased it open on silent hinges. Steam rolled out of the shower turning the room into a sauna. It took her a moment to find him, but there he was.
Luke.
In the shower.
Naked.
The glass blocks blurred her vision, so she stepped around to the shower opening.
His back to her, she memorized every inch of his body.
The water sluiced down over his long, firm muscles and golden, tanned skin. His solid, strong shoulders and the muscles that bulged on the back of his arms. The angles of his shoulder blades and the V-shape of his upper torso. Between his trapezius muscles the line of his spine lead her down to the round, firm globes of his firm ass cheeks.
She swallowed hard. Her heart rate jumped, nipples tightening as a new kind of nervousness settled over her—a sensual awareness she’d never felt before.
Few times in her life had she reached out and taken what her heart desired. Once was joining the Treasury department as an analyst, the other insisting she get extra training as a field agent. This desire was something new. It wasn’t just a longing for something more. No, it was a need. A need to touch Luke, to hold him, to mate with him.
Before she could back out, she pulled her sweater over her head and wiggled out of her jeans, socks and shoes as quietly as possible. Finally, she lost her panties and bra. A shiver ran through her. Nerves or anticipation? She wasn’t sure, but for once she was going to sample what she’d always dreamed of—sex with Luke.
Nothing except his total rejection would deter her.
CHAPTER TEN
Letting the soap and water wash away the smell and memories of the warehouse, Luke flattened one forearm against the granite tile. Leaning over it, eyes closed, he continued stroking his cock. The image of Abby so strong in his mind, he swore he caught a whiff of the lemony scent she always seem to wear. Clean and fresh, just like her.
A warm body pressed against his back.
He froze. Recognizing the firm breasts and hard nipples pushing into his shoulder blades, he inhaled deeply to gather more of her wonderful scent and relax his body. She settled her hands on his hips, making him take in another deep breath.
“Abby?”
A short giggle escaped her. “You were expecting someone else?”
“I wasn’t expecting you.”
Shit. That’s not what he’d meant to say.
Silence came from behind him and she started to move away.
Snaking one hand behind him, he grabbed her ass and held her close. “Don’t go,” he said, his voice husky with his need and the remnants of the whiskey.
“You’re sure?” she asked, whispering into his ear as her body once again pressed against his.
He turned his head to stare into those beautiful eyes of her, now a deep forest color. The hot steam from the water floated about them. Wet tendrils of her hair clung to her face and neck, the deep, dark brown looking like chocolate. As he stared at her, she darted her pink tongue out to moisten her lips.
“I’m sure, if you are.” He punctuated his words by leaning in to kiss her, never breaking eye contact. He let his tongue slip in for a quick sample, then pulled back, taking her plump bottom lip in his teeth and giving it a gentle pull. His reward was her soft moan.
“Oh, yes. I’m very sure.”
As if to make very certain he understood exactly what she meant, she slipped her hands around the front of him. One to caress the wet hair on his chest and slide back and forth between his taut nipples, while the other she used to replace his own along his thick cock now straining up toward his abdomen.
“Oh, fuck.”
“Like that, do you?”
Her sultry chuckle in his ear sent shivers of lust coursing through his body.
“You have no idea,” he groaned when her fingers tweaked his nipple.
Bracing his free hand on the tiles in front of him, he leaned back slightly against her body as she lathered up and down the length of him. Of all the sexual fantasies he’d had about her since the day she’d bumped into him in the hallway at FLETC in Georgia, none could hold a candle to the sheer torturous pleasure she was raining down on his body at this moment.
When her lips latched onto the spot where his neck and shoulder met, he surged forward in her hand, begging for more. Her teeth grazed his skin, then her tongue lathed over his pulse.
If he didn’t stop her now, he’d be coming in her hands. While his cock might like the idea, he had other plans.
“Abby.” He grasped her hand, holding it around his cock while he took a few deep breaths.
“Did I do something wrong?”
The worry in her voice surprised and touched him, showing him just how inexperienced she was. He doubted in this day and age that she was still a virgin, but he’d bet she barely had more practice than that.
“No, sweetheart. You’re doing everything just right.” And then some.
“Why did you stop me?”
“Because I want this to last longer and if you keep that up, I won’t.”
“Oh.” She gave him a little grin and the blush that crept into her cheeks was…charming. Somehow that word described her, an old-fashioned word for a very special woman.
Slowly he turned, pulling her into his arms, crushing her against his body and capturing her lips in a deep, hard kiss. Parting her lips to give him access, she wrapped her arms around his neck, sliding her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer. Her invitation snapped him into another world of need. Pulling her hips in to grind his erection against her stomach at the same time he slid his tongue in between her parted lips, tasting the uniqueness of her—the spice of her arousal and the chocolate she must’ve eaten before coming in to join him.
The need to be inside her, connected at the core, clawed at him and he slid one hand down to lift her thigh, moving her moist slit to settle against his aching balls. Abby clutched at him, then wiggled her hips, letting her sex slide up to the base of his cock. Stumbling backwards, he came in contact with the tile bench.
God bless the guy who designed this shower.
He sat, pulling her with him. Without hesitating, she straddled his hips, impaling him deep inside her with one full thrust.
“Yes,” he groaned as they sat locked for a moment, her heat and tightness pulsing around his cock.
Then she moved, lifting her legs to wrap around behind him, driving him in deeper and tighter. The sensation was so overwhelming he dropped his head to her shoulder, clutching her to him as he sucked in air.
A whimper sounded in his ear. He lifted his head to see her biting her lip. Reality slipped through his haze of pleasure.
He knew he was big and she was little more than a novice. Had he hurt her?
“Abby? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I need…” She stopped talking, shaking her head.
He slid his hands up into her hair, holding her head still until her gaze met his. “Tell me. Whatever you need I’ll do, even if it means stopping.”
God, please don’t let her say stop. Because he would. The last thing he would do was force her to go further than she wanted, even if it killed him.
“No. I ne
ed…I need to move…to…” She lifted slowly and settled back down, showing him what she wanted. “Yes.”
The word literally purred out of her, sending his own pulse skyrocketing.
“You can move all you want, sweetheart.” He leaned his upper back against the tiles, gripping her by her hips to pull her up and back. “Ride me, Abby. Ride me as hard as you want.”
Releasing her hold on his neck, she slid her hands onto his shoulders, her fingers clenching him as she extended her slender arms to lift halfway off his shaft, then sink down completely, repeating the act. Her pussy clenched around him, her juices helping him slide in deeper each time. He focused on her, praying he’d last until she’d found her orgasm. In all his life he’d never seen a woman more beautiful or more erotic. He watched her face, her eyes closed and mouth open in pleasure as she worked her body on his.
“Oh, oh,” she moaned and shifted her rhythm, staying tightly impaled on him. His gaze flew down to the spot where they were joined as she moved forward and back, rubbing the hard nub of her clit against his pelvic bone.
“That’s it, baby. Right there.” He gripped her hips tighter in his hands, urging her to move faster. His balls started to tingle and the need to release poured through him. He gritted his teeth, determined to last. “Come on, Abby. Do it. Come on me.”
Almost as if she’d been waiting for his strangled command, she tightened around him as a spasm wracked her body, her fingers digging into his shoulders. “Oh, oh…ah.”
Her half-moan, half-scream echoed around the shower’s walls, sending him over the edge. Gripping her to him as he surged his hips off the granite seat and exploded inside her. “Fuck!”
She collapsed down onto him and he wrapped his arms tightly around her as their bodies rode out the storm raining through them in aftershocks. As his brain cleared and he sucked in slow deep breaths to will his heart to slow, he felt her shiver in his arms.
“Abby?” He reached up to smooth the wet strands of hair from her face.
“I didn’t…know.” She murmured, her face still against his neck.
“Didn’t know what?” he asked, cupping her head in his hands and making her look at him.
“That I could let go like that. And…”
“And?”
A beautiful grin split her lips and lit her face. “That it could be so damn good.”
He brought her head down towards his, claiming her lips once more. He took his time, pressing, releasing, stroking her tongue with his. He varied the pace. Long and slow. Quick nips until she was trying to rock on him again. His cock thickened with the need for more of her.
Another shiver ran through her. He released her face and slid his hands down her arms, noticing the goose flesh pebbling her skin.
“You’re cold.”
“No, I’m not,” she argued, trying to capture his lips once more.
Before she could, he gripped her arms a little tighter and pulled her back.
“Not here. The water is growing cold.” He let go with one hand to turn off the showerheads. Then gripping her ass to keep her legs locked around him, he stood and carried her out of the bathroom, slipping only once on the slick floor and causing her to hold him tighter even while she giggled.
At the bedside he paused, capturing her mouth once more in a hard, hot kiss. Breaking the kiss, he knelt one knee on the bed and lowered her onto the mattress. He settled in between her thighs, his cock sliding back into the moist, hot warmth of her pussy.
“You fit me so perfectly,” he murmured, before kissing her again in a long slow savoring.
She wiggled beneath him, wrapping her long legs around his hips and thighs once more. “You fill me completely.”
“Aha, your former lovers were a bit lacking, huh?” he teased, leaning back to stare into her eyes, only to see the pleasure darken just before she looked away.
What the hell? Had something bad happened to her with another lover?
Cupping her face in his hands, he gently forced her to look at him. “What’s wrong, Abby? You can tell me.”
“It’s just that…” She paused a moment. “It was only one other lover. I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Why not?” Had someone hurt her? Raped her? If so, he’d find out the bastard’s name and hunt him down.
“Nothing to talk about. It’s in the distant past,” she said, reaching down to cup his ass cheeks and pull him in tight. “Make love to me, Luke. Make me feel like flying again.”
He stared into her eyes, then tucked one loose strand of hair behind her ear. Later he’d get her to tell him what happened. But for now he’d be sure to replace that old memory with another earth-rocking orgasm. Leaning in, he kissed her long and slow, letting tenderness show before the heat sparked once more.
Reaching down he pulled her hands free and brought them up to the spindles in the wrought-iron bedframe. “Hold on, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear. “It’s going to be bumpy ride.”
“I sure hope so,” she said and the sexy, playful smile was back on her face.
Extending his arms so he rose above her, he drank in the sight of her stretched out before him. The passion in her wide, green eyes. The pert nose that balanced her glasses when she was working. The plumpness of her freshly kissed lips. His gaze traveled lower—across the long slender column of her neck, the collarbone of her strong, but delicate shoulders, finally landing on her breasts. Not huge, but big enough to fill his hands, their dusky tips taut and tempting.
Mine.
“Damn, you’re beautiful,” he murmured just before latching onto one tight nub and suckling on it.
His reward was her moan of pleasure and the arching of her back, making her pussy glide over his cock until just the head was in her entrance. Without breaking his hold on her nipples, he thrust forward, burying himself hilt-deep again. He repeated the motion, growing thicker inside her and his need to claim her rushing through his veins.
Releasing her nipple, he reached up to entwine his hands with hers around the spindles and rested his forehead on hers.
“Look at me, Abby,” he ordered her.
She focused those magnificently intelligent eyes on him and he began the fast, hard joining of their bodies, her legs wrapped tightly around his hips as he drove deeper and deeper into her core.
As her body clenched around him, she closed her eyes, her mouth parted in her passion. He wanted to watch her release, to see her when he finished his.
“Look. At. Me,” he growled as he worked harder, every muscle in both their bodies, taut and straining in the age-old rhythm of the mating ritual. Her eyes snapped open, their depths so dark he felt his soul sliding into them. Bending his knees, he pushed her thighs wider as he pumped into her with every force his body could muster.
“Luke. Oh, sweet heaven.”
“That’s it. Sweetheart. Come. With me.”
She panted, fighting the need, until her body couldn’t help itself. With one giant spasm, her body arched beneath him, gripping his cock tightly as her orgasm tore through her, bringing him over the edge as well. He sank down on her, his face pressed into her neck, shuddering as his orgasm ripped through him.
As Abby dragged in ragged breaths, her scent—lemony-citrus mixed with the heady spice of her passion—and her arms came around him, holding him close.
Then it hit him.
Twice he’d come inside her. Unprotected.
“Shit,” he muttered into her shoulder. Then he lifted up to stare at her once more. Worry filled her eyes. “I’m sorry, Abby.”
“What for? I don’t think I could survive anything more intense than that.”
He gave her half a grin. “Neither can I. No, I’m sorry I didn’t protect you.”
Confusion quickly replaced her worried look. “Protect me from what?”
“Abby. We didn’t use a condom. Either time.”
She blushed when she smiled. “It’s okay. I’ve been on the pill for years.”
“Good.” H
e kissed her softly, slid out of her and rolled to his side, pulling her up against him. “Next time I promise to use a condom, extra protection wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Especially since the way his body was already warming to the idea of another go round, he doubted he could keep his hands off her.
“You’re pretty sure there’s going to be a next time, aren’t you?” she murmured against his chest, but he could hear the humor in her voice. He waited a few minutes, listening to the rhythm of her breathing as she fell asleep.
As he drew the covers over them, he faced the truth. Five years ago he’d resisted the need for her, knew just how hot things would be between them, even if she’d had no clue. They’d both been too young, had too much to learn. He’d pushed her away and kept his distance. But now? Now that he’d tasted her, held her, claimed her body with his… Hell, yes there’d be a next time.
Resting his cheek against the top of her head, he wrapped his arms around her.
But first, he had to keep her safe.
* * * * *
The sound of the garage door motor grinding woke him with a start. The sun was just coming up. Grey streaks of light filtered into the room.
Luke slipped away from Abby’s warm body, drawing the covers over her. He slipped on his black jeans and threw on his T-shirt then grabbed his gun from the holster by the bedside. Barefooted, he hurried quietly to the garage door and waited, willing his heart to slow as he focused, ready to take down the intruder.
The knob turned and the door opened inward. A large body with a hoodie covering his head and hiding his face entered the nearly dark kitchen, and set a bag on the table.
Luke moved in behind him and pressed a gun to the back of the man’s shoulders. “Don’t move.”
“I hope you don’t plan to use that thing. Your mama’s grown to like me, kid.”
“Dammit, Frank,” he said, lowering the weapon and moving away from his friend. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too. I told you once I’d wrapped up what I was working on, I’d be up to help you.” Castello shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the back of a barstool at the island separating the kitchen from the great room.
VANISHED, A Romantic Suspense Novel (Edgars Family Novel) Page 13