Both of his fingers were tweaking her nipples, teasing and torturing the sensitive buds while he watched her move against him. It occurred to him that, if she were on top, he could pleasure her breasts more thoroughly, and she would have a better time of shifting against him the way she wanted to.
With that in mind, he lifted her up and reversed their positions. He almost laughed at her surprised expression, but he was in too much pain at the moment. He needed her to ride him. Hard!
“Move, Naya. Any way you want,” he urged and shifted his hands against her hips, showing her how she could move. “Your choice. Do what you want with my body.”
Naya glanced down at the man, her breathing ragged and her body vibrating with need. Move against him? Any way she wanted?
She experimented, lifting up on her knees and then…Oh yeah! On the next shift, she closed her eyes, moving against him, shifting her body so that he hit that spot that felt so good. Again! Again and again she moved against him. When his fingers lifted to tease her nipples again, every tweak, every torturous rub shot pleasure down her body and she whimpered as she tried to reach that point, that pinnacle. It was there, just out of reach. She shifted, almost frantic with her need, desperate to find that nirvana he’d given to her last night.
He pulled at her nipples and… “Luke!” she screamed, arching her back against him as pleasure throbbed through her body. It was almost too much, too intense. But he wouldn’t let her stop. His hands moved from her nipples to her hips, lifting her up again, pressing her down hard against his body. She loved it! She hated it! The waves were coming too strong, too fast, and she couldn’t handle them, couldn’t slow them down or avoid them. When their positions were reversed again, she could only hang on and then she was on her back, Luke pounding into her body. Once more, a climax shook her and she screamed, begging him to not stop.
She wasn’t aware of her fingernails raking down his arms or the way he whispered her name as his own climax rode him higher. All she knew was that he was holding her, keeping her safe.
A long time later, she lifted her head to look around. Her bed sheets were in shambles, her hair probably looked worse and both of them were still trying to get their breathing back to normal.
“You’re beautiful,” he groaned when he watched her lift her hand to her hair.
She almost laughed, trying to pull the robe closed over her nakedness. But he wouldn’t let her. In fact, he pushed the silk further away, giving himself a full view of her breasts and her stomach. “I like being able to see you.”
Her hands shifted, trying to pull the silk closed over her body. “I’m not sure if I like it.”
He chuckled and kissed her shoulder. “Tough.”
He sat up, looking around. “I’m starving,” he announced and stood up but he still paused to look down at her, still sprawled across the bed, looking like a sexy goddess. “Don’t move,” he commanded and walked out of the bedroom. He returned a moment later carrying a large bag.
Naya sat up, pulling the sheet closer, trying to cover her body but he sat down, the bag on her nightstand and lifted her up so that she was straddling him. Completely naked and completely open to him. “That should work,” he told her, admiring her breasts and between her legs.
“Work for what?” she asked, her hands balancing herself on his stomach.
He reached into the bag then handed her a pair of chopsticks and then a white box. “Don’t ever think I won’t take care of all of your needs, love.” He teased, and reached down to grab his own chopsticks and box.
Naya opened up the box, her hunger hitting her full force now. She’d skipped dinner, too nervous about Luke coming over to eat anything. She’d gone to the gym again, remembering how good she’d felt yesterday after a hard workout.
“What happened at work?” she asked, taking a large chunk of juicy chicken out of the box. The flavors burst in her mouth and she closed her eyes, savoring the taste. “Oh, this is good!” she gasped.
“Yeah, I know of this great Chinese restaurant right by my office. It is more of a hole in the wall, but they really make the best stuff.” And for the next hour, they munched on delicious food and talked about their days. Naya chuckled at some of the problems he’d encountered and Luke felt better after relaying the chaos. He even liked it when she laughed, thinking that the soft sound made him dismiss the stress as pointless as well.
And when they’d finished most of the meal, he took the boxes out of her hands, dumping everything into the kitchen trashcan, then coming back to bed and making love to her again. With the robe. He really liked the robe.
As she curled up in his arms, he thought about leaving, about adhering to her boundaries. “Do you want me to go?” he asked as her lashes fluttered against the pale skin of her cheeks.
“Please stay,” she pleaded, yawning. “You feel good.”
Luke listened to her sleep, her breath tickling his chest. Only when her breath calmed to a steady rhythm did he allow himself to succumb to sleep as well.
Chapter 9
Naya took a deep breath and forced herself to enter the ballroom. Another charity event. Another room filled with people. Not just people, she reminded herself. Potential clients. These were all people who had lived in Seattle for a long time and might be interested in a new home, larger or smaller, or they might have a friend who was moving to the area. She wanted to make sure they remembered her name.
Game face on!
She stepped through the entrance and accepted a glass of champagne from one of the solicitous waiters. One moment, she was alone, wondering where she could get a drink and the next moment, she was almost surrounded by waiters in black jackets carrying silver trays filled with sparkling wine.
“Thank you,” she smiled to the nearest one, unaware of the furious looks from the other waiters. She’d told Luke that she was coming to this event. He would be here too, she knew that. It was part of the world in which they worked. And he would be here for the same reason, trying to get Steele Industries in the minds of potential buyers. They wouldn’t be competing for the same clients, but it would still be an interesting night. Initially, he’d suggested he would pick her up for the event.
Boy, he hadn’t been happy about it when she’d declined, reminding him about their rules. She didn’t want to be seen on Luke’s arm. Not at this kind of an event. And definitely not in a restaurant or bar. She wanted to be able to survive the aftermath of their affair with as few questions from her co-workers as possible.
The blonde woman from the seminar that first time she’d met Luke sauntered into the room and Naya cringed.
“No magnificent Steele brother on your arm tonight?” she smirked.
Naya looked up at the woman, astonished by her vicious tone. She’d never experienced such blatant rudeness before. “I didn’t know that it was any business of yours who I attend the various functions with,” Naya replied with as much professionalism as possible. “I don’t even know your name.”
The blonde offered her hand, but it was a lame effort. She was already looking around at the crowd. “Tanya,” she offered out.
Naya shook the woman’s weak hand and pulled away quickly. “Pleased to meet you, Tanya. I’m…”
The blonde turned her body, definitely snubbing Naya in the most obvious way. “I know who you are. Naya Jefferson. You’re the competition.”
Naya almost laughed. “I doubt we work the same neighborhoods.”
Tanya sneered. “You were seen around town with Luke Steele. Are you trying to convince me that you aren’t trying to get the man into bed?”
Naya’s mouth fell open. “Umm…well,” she wasn’t sure what to say. Was she trying? Nope.
“See?” Tanya smirked. “You’re the competition. I have no interest in being a real estate agent. I only got my license so that I had an excuse to attend these shindigs and meet the appropriate people around town.”
Naya stared up at the beautiful, tall, blonde woman. “You aren’t an agent?”
The woman scoffed. “Well, I sell homes occasionally. But no. I don’t want to do this stupid stuff for the rest of my life.” She glanced to the right and her whole demeanor changed. “I have bigger plans. My fish are the wealthy sharks of this world.” She squared her shoulders and glanced down at Naya. “Stay out of my way, little girl. I’m warning you, I don’t play nicely with others in the sandbox.”
A moment later, she moved off, a bright smile on her nude colored lips.
Naya glanced in that direction and her whole body stiffened when she spotted Luke entering from another doorway. He hadn’t seen her yet and an iron band tightened around her chest. When Tanya sidled up to Luke, a green fire ignited in Naya’s eyes, causing her to lose focus for a long moment. She had to blink rapidly, but was relieved when Luke disentangled his arm from the blonde woman and he started to move off. Unfortunately, Tanya didn’t take the hint, moving closer once again. So, Naya moved to the left, refusing to watch the man she’d taken into her body just last night while another woman attempted to seduce him.
Naya rarely hated anyone. She preferred to focus on the positives in life, so hatred wasn’t a good thing.
Yes, there was that teacher in third grade, who had accused her of cheating. And then there was the guy at the mall who glared at her when she’d tried on too many dresses. It was hard to find a dress that worked with her height and curves! There had been no reason for his huffiness when she hadn’t bought anything after trying on so many dresses!
Okay, so she hated the women at the gym who were tall and skinny with smaller boobs that didn’t jiggle obscenely when they jogged on the treadmill. But that wasn’t personal. It was just…being human.
So when Naya felt the hatred seeping through her body towards Tanya as the woman continued to flirt with Luke, she wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with that reaction. It seemed so petulant. Juvenile, even.
But she couldn’t watch. She couldn’t rationalize her feelings towards Tanya, nor could she forgive Luke for letting the woman drape herself across him like that.
She moved to the opposite side of the room, wanting to keep her eyes away from him. Needing to keep her claws away from Tanya’s perfectly tanned skin with her nude lipstick and fake blonde hair that was perfectly highlighted with those annoying platinum colors. Ugh!
She clenched her glass of champagne and, turning towards the wall, she downed the glass in about one swallow. Another waiter walked up to her, smiling as he offered her a fresh glass. Naya tried to smile, but the startled expression on the cute waiter’s face made her suspect that her “grin” was more of a snarl. He moved off quickly, which was a shame since she wanted another glass. Her second was already empty.
Looking around, she searched for another waiter, relieved when one approached.
“Having a good time?” a sleazy looking man asked as he inched closer to Naya.
Naya looked up into his blue eyes, wondering why he looked so unattractive. Before meeting Luke, she would have at least given the man a chance. She suspected he would have failed the test, but at least she wouldn’t have pre-judged him.
But now, all she wanted to do was take a bath because he looked at her in a dirty way. And she wanted Luke by her side.
Stupid rules! She downed the champagne in her glass and grabbed another. Why had she demanded that they stay separate during these events? She couldn’t remember now. Nothing made sense and the world was getting a bit more rosy. “Not really,” she finally replied to the man by her side. She turned slightly when she felt his hand touch her back. “No touching,” she snapped at him, ignoring the way his boring eyes widened and he held his hands up in the air.
“Sorry!” he laughed. “You just looked like you were about to fall backwards during that last glass. Only trying to help.”
Naya’s eyes tried to focus across the room, but it was difficult. The champagne was going to her head since she hadn’t eaten enough today. On the upside, her stomach wasn’t growling any longer and she didn’t feel that aching stab of jealousy. Of course, it also helped that she wasn’t watching a mean, beautiful blonde woman try to make a pass at Naya’s man.
But Luke wasn’t her man. She’d made sure that Luke wasn’t hers. She’d very clearly stated that theirs was only a sexual relationship. She’d set up rules to ensure that they kept their distance.
Of course, he’d completely ignored all of those rules. He slept at her house or she slept at his every night now. He either grabbed take out at a restaurant or she cooked their dinners. And breakfasts were always enjoyed together…and sometimes lunches when they could get together during the week or on the weekends.
Darn it! She’d set up all the rules and now she didn’t like the ones that were still in place! The man had completely messed with her head! She couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him. All day long, she was excited, anticipating their evenings together. And even when she was in his arms, completely sated from his incredible lovemaking, she dreamed about him, about his touch, about his laugh. About everything! The man had made her crazy!
A part of her wanted to talk with him about their future, about how she’d changed her mind. She wanted him. Forever!
But as soon as that thought popped into her mind, she wondered how long it would be before their arguing started. How long before they hated each other?
She’d seen it. Naya had lived that life and she didn’t want to do that to the next generation.
“Want to dance?” another man asked.
Naya looked up into his dark eyes. Not green. Not right, she thought. “Sure,” she agreed and let this newest man lead her onto the dance floor. She only cringed a little when the man touched her waist. He wasn’t Luke, so his touch wouldn’t feel “right”. And Luke was too busy with the Tedious Tanya. He was occupied.
“Darn it!” she muttered when she looked over to find Luke staring right back at her. But Tanya was next to him and she was talking to him, laughing about something. And if that woman didn’t get her manicured claws off of Luke’s arm…. Naya turned her head away, unable to watch the woman flirt with Luke.
Naya nudged her dance partner over to the opposite side of the dance floor, ignoring his protests about letting him lead. She didn’t care what the guy said, she needed to stop looking towards Luke!
When they were once again hidden, she sighed and looked around. “I’m Dan,” the man offered, pulling her closer.
Naya didn’t even acknowledge his introduction. “I have to go. I’m sorry,” she walked off, heading straight for the nearest exit. She had to get out of here. She had to get out of this place where Luke was falling for another woman, right in front of her eyes!
It was hard to breathe and she hurried through the crowds of beautifully dressed people. Because she was shorter than almost everyone around her, it was easy to slip between the bodies and find her way out into the fresh, night air.
Taking deep, cleansing breaths, she leaned against a cement column on the side away from pedestrian traffic. Closing her eyes, she tried to figure out what she was going to do. She couldn’t stay with Luke. This hurt too much, she realized. He was the man every woman wanted, but she couldn’t have him because…well, because she couldn’t! She wouldn’t!
It would never last. Marriages don’t last! They break up. More than fifty percent of relationships fail and she had absolutely no knowledge on how to make a marriage work. Her parents had fought every day and even after the divorce, they’d fought over the phone, in restaurants, during hand-offs when they traded custody of her…she’d learned to distance herself from both of them. She’d learned to not listen, to wear headphones and listen to music at all times so that she wouldn’t have to hear the arguments about…everything!
Nope. Luke wasn’t the man for her. She refused to put herself into a position where they would fight all the time. What they had right now was great.
Well, not exactly great, since she was standing out here under the portico while he was inside letting a bl
onde, evil woman fawn over him. Not ideal, but she’d brought this on herself. She’d set the terms. He’d even suggested that they attend this function together, but she’d said no. Oh, she’d been tempted, but no. It wouldn’t have worked.
Pushing away from the column, she walked to the valet, handing her the ticket she’d received only a few minutes ago. Glancing at her watch, she realized that it was later than she’d thought and…uh oh, she was more inebriated than she’d thought.
“Wait!” she called out to the valet who was just about to run to the parking lot to retrieve her car. The man stopped, his eyebrows lifted in surprise.
“I can’t drive,” she told the man. “I’ve had too much to drink. I’ll just catch a cab home and come pick up my car tomorrow.”
The man nodded his head and walked back to her. “Here are your keys. I’ll get you a cab, ma’am.”
Naya smiled weakly, feeling old all of a sudden. The valet was probably only about twenty years old, most likely attending classes at the University of Washington and needed all the money he could scrounge up just to pay for beers and books.
She pulled a five dollar bill out of her wallet, then slipped into the cab he’d hailed for her. “Thank you,” she said and ducked into the back seat of the vehicle. She gave the cab driver her address, then leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes as she tried to come to terms with what she’d seen tonight.
Before she realized they’d arrived, the door to the back was yanked open. Her eyes popped open and she looked around. They were here? Already? And…
“Luke? What are you doing here?” she demanded.
Luke handed the cab driver some cash and took Naya’s hand, pulling her out of the back seat. “I saw you leave. We need to talk,” he told her and slammed the cab door closed. “Come on,” he urged and took her hand, leading her towards the parking lot. A moment later, he handed her into his black Porsche and slammed the door. His big body slid into the driver’s seat and Naya couldn’t stop the catty remark that slipped out. “What happened to Tanya? She looked good on your arm.”
Defying His Charm Page 11