by Tia Siren
“I honestly don’t know where to begin,” she said.
“The beginning is a good start,” Luke said, shrugging his shoulders. “Just a suggestion. Start wherever you want.”
“It was just a prank when I was sixteen that I can’t shake.” She trailed a hand over the cool leather to avoid Luke’s eyes. “It’s stupid. It was four years ago, but I was sixteen when the football star of my high school took up an interest me. I thought it was a dream come true, because no one had ever paid attention to me.” She swallowed thickly as that painful humiliation crashed over her again. “We had a class together, so we were spending tons of time together working on a project. We hung out behind my parents’ back quite a bit because they didn’t approve of me dating until eighteen. I knew something wasn’t right, but I kept hanging around him because it felt good to be wanted. Well, it was prom night when he asked me to go outside with him to his Jeep.”
Luke’s hand reached for hers. Their fingers interlaced, and it provided a nice distraction from the swell of emotions in her. She concentrated on the feeling of Luke’s calloused fingers twined through hers as she continued. “We started to mess around in the back seat. I kept thinking we should stop, but I didn’t want to risk losing him. It was so painfully awkward too.” Her nose wrinkled at the memory of Marcus’s hands fumbling at her. “We didn’t go all the way, but what he did do hurt, and he wouldn’t stop when I asked him to. That’s when the cops rolled up to find us in the back seat, but I also found out that his ex-girlfriend had been filming the entire thing. She posted it on the Internet out of revenge, so it’s followed me every single day of my life.”
“What a bitch,” Luke said, shaking his head. “People do fucked-up things out of revenge. I know how it feels to have something recorded that you wish wasn’t.”
She looked at him in surprise. “You do?”
“It was years ago,” he said, nodding. “I had too much to drink and left the bar with this woman I barely knew. I know, a real shocker.” Paige straightened her face with an apologetic grimace. “We ended up having sex in the elevator, but neither one of us realized there was a camera there. It recorded us the entire time until we go out. An employee posted it to TMZ, and then reporters started following me around after that.”
“It’s humiliating,” Paige mumbled, wiping at the tears that were stinging her eyes. “It follows you everywhere too.”
“I know. I’m sorry that happened to you. It shouldn’t have happened to you. You don’t deserve that type of shit.”
She shrugged while trying to fight back emotions. The past two weeks filtered through her along with the already conflicted feelings she had for Luke. Everything felt like a confusing blur as Luke pulled her sideways into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her while they sat together in silence, watching the fire smolder in the fireplace.
Despite the warning bells still in her head, Paige let herself sink into the strength of Luke’s body as he pressed his lips into her neck. He then kissed his way up to press a gentle kiss to the corner of her lips, and it prompted her to turn to face him.
Their lips met in a slow and heated kiss, their tongues tangling. They stayed like that for a long time with the dying fire glowing in the fireplace. Luke’s hands start to trail up her legs in a northerly direction, and those couple glasses of wine suddenly felt too much.
Paige’s heart repeatedly slammed into her ribcage. She felt every inch of Luke’s calloused fingers as they ran up the curves of her legs and gripped in all right places to make her squirm in pleasure. When he reached for the hemline of her skirt, Paige shot a hand down to grab his strong wrist before it could continue upward, despite the ache between her legs that begged her to let him touch her.
“Luke,” she warned, her voice hitched with desire. “We have to stop before—”
“Before what?” Luke asked. His eyes were dark with desire, a cloudy and violent storm lingering over the ocean on a hot summer day. She sweltered under the intensity of it. “What is it that you want?”
Those sinful fingers reached up to inch their way past the hemline of her skirt. Her fingers tightened around Luke’s wrist while indecision washed over her. He had to make it so incredibly hard—sticking to what she had promised herself years ago in high school.
“You’re an adult, Paige,” he said smoothly. “Heaven is not going to crack open and smite you down despite what your family has told you.”
“I never said it was because of that,” Paige said, a bit defensively. “I just—” Those fingers crept up even farther until they rested on her upper thighs. She bit her lip to keep herself as motionless as possible. He was teasing her, pushing her limits.
Her eyes fluttered closed when his hand drifted up further to sensually trace the lace of her underwear. One touch wouldn’t be so bad. It’s only one touch.
Luke let out a soft groan before leaning forward to press his lips against her neck. He teased the skin there, nipping softly and then trailing down to the crook of her shoulder. It was damn impossible not to feel the heat that wanted to consume her. Every little touch, every kiss, all of it, she wanted it. She couldn’t resist a man like him easily. He knew his way around a woman’s body even if she didn’t know what she wanted.
His index finger dipped down beneath the elastic band of her underwear. Paige’s eyes widened in shock when she felt that finger move farther.
“Luke—”
“Shh,” Luke murmured against her neck. He shifted her easily onto his lap so that she sat sideways. It put her left thigh in contact with a hard and throbbing bulge in his pants. “Just relax, Paige. Just enjoy this.”
His words were honeyed. They floated over her in a soothing wave that calmed the ebb of nerves in her. No one had ever touched her like this before. She had only ever experienced fumbling around in the back of Marcus’s car a few years ago.
There was no fumbling when it came to Luke’s fingers. One strong arm curled around the back of her waist to steady her. The fabric of her skirt hitched up her thighs. Her fingers were still tight around Luke’s wrist as that finger inched closer and closer until it made contact with the center of her.
The intensity of that brush of his finger against her nerves and core crippled her. A gasp escaped her lips. That flicker of heat and pleasure filled her rapidly. She dimly felt Luke growl into her neck before that finger was replaced with even more. His hand moved against her mound expertly, teasing her in a sensual rhythm that she was utterly powerless against.
Luke’s lips pressed up against hers in a fluttering series of kisses to let her gasp and moan at the sensations spiraling through her body. She could feel the heat radiating off Luke as well while his hips ground up against her thigh with eagerness.
“You feel so good,” Luke whispered hotly against her mouth. A finger dipped into her. “You’re so tight. I don’t even know how the fuck I’m going to last in you.”
“I-I—” Words were lost to her. She couldn’t even formulate a coherent thought with the feel of Luke’s fingers pressing against her intimately.
He increased his rhythm then until her hips were twitching with pleasure. Sweat poured down the back of Paige’s neck as something delicious built up inside her. It caused her hips to twitch upward while an abrupt cry escaped her lips. She was dashing blindly toward what felt like a sweet orgasm.
Her back made contact with the cool leather, but Luke’s fingers didn’t stop. Instead, he knelt between her bent knees while pushing her skirt all the way up. His eyes flicked over the exposed skin hungrily, and if it weren’t for that hot feeling coursing through her, she would’ve flushed with embarrassment.
“Keep going, baby,” he said. “Let yourself go. I can feel how close you are.”
Paige’s fingers clutched desperately at the leather to root herself there. It all became too much. She felt herself come hard in violent shudders that ripped through every inch of her body. Sated, she fell against the leather cushions and pillows while trying to regain
her breath.
She came back to when Luke reached down to unzip his pants. Nerves crashed down on her, chasing away that thumping pleasure in her body.
“Luke,” she started, shaking her head, “we can’t do this here. Toby or someone is going to be here any minute.”
That caught Luke’s attention. A wicked grin tugged at his lips.
“You’re right,” he said. “So, I’ll settle for something else in the meantime.”
Wariness filled her when Luke reached into his pants. Her eyes flicked down to take in his hard erection, and she swallowed the thick lump of desire at the back of her throat.
He has every right to walk around the way he does.
She stood stone still, taking in the sheer size of him. The tip of his cock glistened as he reached forward to grab her trembling hand.
“Touch me.”
Paige’s eyes widened at the command. “What?”
“Do it quickly,” Luke said, guiding her hand to his arousal. “I can hear Toby coming up the hallway outside.”
The heat and hardness surprised her as Luke circled her fingers around him. It would never be possible for them to have sex. The size, the length of him. Paige swallowed thickly as Luke guided her hand up and down him in a hurried fashion.
Those nerves faded away as she watched pleasure contort Luke’s face. His head was tilted back slightly as low-throated groans left his mouth. His skin was a simmering rosy red while his hips bucked under her hand’s movement.
“Keep going,” he gritted out, thrusting openly against her hand now. “Keep going, baby. Don’t stop.”
His hand released her wrist to clutch at the couch when his body spasmed with his own orgasm. He let out a sharp cry while he released himself onto her hand and thighs. Paige let go of him quickly as the front door opened, followed by Toby’s voice calling out for them.
Luke lifted his head to look down at her. There was something about this gaze that was different this time around. She couldn’t decipher it though.
Footsteps approached the bedroom.
“Better make yourself decent,” Luke said. “Although, I’m sure Toby’s used to stumbling in on me like this.”
He laughed while quickly zipping up his pants. Distantly, she wiped herself dry with the edge of the blanket that was on the back of the couch before rising to her feet. Her legs threatened to give out from the conflicted feelings rushing through her. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Luke as he wiped his forehead clean of sweat.
“I need to go back to New York,” Paige said. “I need to get back to my dorm to study for my exams I have to make up tomorrow night.”
It was a flat-out excuse and lie to run from the intensity of the situation between them. Luke knew it, too, from the cool look he sent her.
“You don’t have to regret what happened,” he said a bit sharply. “I don’t know the bullshit your parents put in your head—”
Spite filled her at the mention of her parents. “Don’t talk about my parents like you know them, Luke. They are good people who raised and loved me.”
“They filled your head with bullshit. It’s okay to be attracted to someone, and to be with them in whatever way you want.”
“Get out,” Paige cried, rising from the couch to shove him in the chest. “Get the fuck out of my room, you heartless drunk.”
“Luke?” Toby called out, knocking on the door. “Are you in there?”
“Yes,” Luke said. His eyes glittered angrily as he rounded the couch to the bedroom door. He paused before opening the door, giving Paige a look that rooted her to the spot. A long moment had passed between them before he opened the door to step out. Then the door slammed shut, vibrating in the frame, and she heard them walk away and out of her suite.
She let out a trembling breath before collapsing on the side of the bed. There was no hope of escape tonight. Even if a part of her wanted to get behind the wheel and navigate through the blizzard conditions, Luke was right. She was stuck in the lodge with him no matter what happened.
“What have I gotten myself into?” Paige whispered, rubbing at her face in frustration. She had told Luke about one of her biggest scars, but that hadn’t mattered when it came to the magnetic tug she felt between them. She didn’t think of things like that when she was with him, and that unnerved her more than anything.
Rising, she readied herself for bed by slipping into a sleeping shirt. Sleep took her surprisingly fast, and it wasn’t until blankets were being tugged back from her legs that she woke to a completely pitch black room. The fire in her fireplace was now completely out.
Luke’s spicy and familiar cologne filled Paige’s lungs. She lifted her head to gaze him as he slipped into the bed next to her, a mixture of alarm and sleepy confusion filling her.
“Luke?”
Strong arms wrapped around her waist in response. A scruffy and wet cheek pressed up against the back of her neck.
“I’m not trying to do anything,” Luke said. The tremble in his voice disarmed the tension in Paige’s spine. “I just want to lay here next to you. Please.”
She could smell the whiskey on his breath again, but true to his word, he didn’t make any advances. The muscles in Luke’s body relaxed a moment later, and the mattress shifted from the extra weight. He was asleep and snoring within a matter of minutes, one arm wrapped around her waist tightly.
Paige let her head fall back down on the pillow, because it was pointless to try to move away. If she moved, he would wake, and her head already ached from their previous argument. She was still angry with him, though, for his harsh words—even if it had been the alcohol talking.
These were the moments that made it hard to see Luke as any other man. He was the type of man haunted by demons who lashed out at anyone or anything. She also had a feeling he didn’t just sleep with anyone. Ever.
Her heart skipped at the thought.
It’s just an arrangement, Paige. She forced her eyes to close, trying to drift back to sleep with Luke’s strong body curled up against hers in a protective gesture. It’s just a business deal for us both.
Chapter Ten
Luke
Luke felt a warm body curled up next to him when the sound of the snow plow stirred him back from a drunk but surprisingly peaceful sleep. A pair of soft and shapely legs were tangled with his own beneath the blanket. His arm was curled over a slender waist.
Luke forced his eyes open and stared at the back of Paige’s head as snippets from the night before replayed in his mind. He had kissed Paige out frustration after dinner. They had argued vehemently in her room, too, before passion had taken ahold of them both. He had been so close to having her. He could still remember the feeling of Paige’s thighs gripping his hips, the cotton of her underwear rubbing against him.
He hardened just thinking about it. He was surely going to explode if he didn’t find a way to get Paige’s defenses down.
And lying in bed with her, her curled up on her side and only wearing a large sleeping shirt, didn’t help anything.
Lifting his arm slowly so as not to stir her, Luke let that hand slip beneath the hemline of her shirt. A strong back and warm skin greeted his fingertips as he traced the bumps of her spine with a painful longing. Of all the women in the world, this one was the perfect one, but she refused to let him be the one place he wanted to be.
It hit him hard then why he had come stumbling back down the hallway drunk. It hadn’t been over the nightmare of his father. It had been because he’d craved that sense of comfort he found in Paige’s presence at all times.
Luke swallowed thickly at the realization. He had to get himself in check before he let things get out of control in this area that was foreign to him. Falling in love was not on the agenda. Staying married was not on the agenda either, and he had a feeling there was a part of Paige that hoped they would remain that way.
I’m going to break her heart by doing this.
For a moment, though, he savored the intimate f
eeling of Paige’s warm body curled against him as she slept on peacefully, unaware of the torment raging inside him.
He untangled his legs from Paige’s slowly and then slipped out of bed. He ghosted his side and then tucked the sheets and blankets back up over Paige’s shoulder before he left the room to return to his own for a shower. The entire lodge was motionless, as he expected at such an early hour.
Father down the hallway, though, he heard the kitchen staff over the bubbling of freshly brewing coffee as they prepared for breakfast.
His room was still toasty thanks to the now-smoldering fire he had made in the fireplace. The whiskey bottle and glass were still on the table where he had left them the night before. He realized it was a right damn miracle that he hadn’t done something irrationally stupid when he saw the level of the amber liquid. He needed to slow it down a bit. His head even ached from it.
There were five missed phone calls from Alicia, too, when he checked his phone.
“Who is this bitch I see you with all over the papers and tabloids?” she demanded in one voice mail. “This was your big and grand loophole and plan to get your inheritance? What sort of bastard are you?”
“The worse one,” Luke answered, and tossed his phone onto the table with a frustrated sigh.
He let the hot shower water soak every aching muscle in his body. When he finished, he heard the rest of the lodge stirring awake as he walked into the kitchen. Toby was sitting at the breakfast bar with snowflakes dusting his broad shoulders.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he said cynically. “Coffee?”
“Yes,” Luke said, grimacing at the headache throbbing in his temples. “I need some Tylenol too.”
He sat down on the breakfast bar stool next to Toby as one of the kitchen staffers poured a cup of coffee and handed him two Tylenol. He gulped them down with a hot swish of coffee.
“Where is everyone at?” Luke asked, setting his mug down on the countertop. “Did my father’s friends leave yet?”