Red Hot Candy (22 All-New Delicious Romance Books by Best-Selling Authors about Alpha Males, Billionaires, Cowboys, and More for Your Summer Reading) (Red Hot Boxed Sets)

by Dani Dundee

  His eyes darkened and the smile slipped from his face.

  I reached across the table and touched his hand. “Is that why you came back?”

  A half smile quirked his lips. “Not intentionally. My friends know me better than I know myself. They pushed me to face what I wouldn’t on my own.” His eyes met mine. “You make me want to tell you all my secrets.”

  I smiled at him and tightened my fingers around his. “Is that bad?”

  He shook his head slowly. “Just different. Since the accident women are not exactly—” With a quick motion he rubbed his hand over his face, fingers lingering for a moment on the scars to the side of his lips. Was he actually worried about how he looked? Being bold and brave was a lot harder than I’d thought it would be, but I knew now was the time. I had to lay my cards on the table.

  The words flowed out of me, a bit fast but that was going to be the only way I could confess. “I’ve had a crush on you since I did your makeup for the movie Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes.”

  He blinked several times. “You did?”

  I smiled. “You were so nice to me, you asked me about my career, and how long I’d been working on the set.”

  He nodded slowly. “Your accent was way thicker then, still sexy as hell.”

  It was my turn to blink. “You thought I was sexy back then?” I remembered that time in my life all too clearly. I had no fashion sense and kept my hair in a ponytail pretty much all the time. I was just a backwater girl from Georgia chasing dreams no one thought would happen.

  Luke grinned at me. “Hell, yeah. But you were out of my league.” He let out a heavy sigh and pouted. Damn, I wanted to kiss that lower lip. He was making it hard to stay on track.

  I shook my head. “I was never out of your league, Luke. You know, you were the only person nice to me. It meant the world that you took the time to talk to me.”

  “You had a crush on me because I was nice to you?” He seemed truly surprised. What kind of women had he been dating? Stupid women; that was the only answer that made any sense.

  I grinned around a spoon full of dessert. “You had a nice ass too, that didn’t hurt.”

  Laughing, he knocked his spoon against mine. “Touché.”

  We finished our meal, Luke telling me about being raised in Montana on a farm, but how he’d always wanted to go to Hollywood. And how he regretted not going home more.

  “Despite the old biddies?” I teased as we left the restaurant, the sun dipping over the water, lighting it with orange, pink, and deep purple.

  He draped an arm over my shoulder. “Yes, despite the nagging I was getting too old at the ripe age of twenty-five, and no respectable woman would want me as her husband.”

  I swallowed hard on the words pick me, pick me that wanted to climb out of my mouth. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem for you.” He shot me a glance, but I kept my eyes forward.

  Winding our way down the docks, we walked along the beach as the sun disappeared and the night sky darkened. Distant stars blinked, giving us a little light to avoid the waves as they rushed over the sand. We stood and he tugged me gently against his side, resting his face on the top of my head. “Best night I’ve had in a long time, Soleil. Thank you.”

  I slipped my arm around his waist, resting my hand on his left hip. I tipped my head up, forcing him to look at me. “Luke.” Just his name nothing else.

  He looked down at me and I slipped around so we faced one another. I’d waited almost three years to kiss him. He dipped his head, sliding his lips across mine, the brush of skin so gentle, I could almost believe it hadn’t happened. I reached up and cupped his face, my thumb brushing over the scars on the left side. They didn’t bother me in the least. “Luke, please.”

  With a groan, his mouth took mine with a passion that caught me off guard. His tongue swirled against mine, teasing me, drawing me closer. I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him. He picked me up, just an inch or two, high enough that his hands could cup my butt, pressing me hard against his body. He ground his hips against me, his erection deliciously hard. He pulled back, his breathing erratic as he stepped away from me.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  The passion in me deflated in that single sentence. “What?”

  “It’s not just my face that’s scarred, Soleil.”

  “And you think that makes a difference to me?” Frustration surged where just a moment before passion had ignited me. “You think I’m that shallow? I’m not Abby, Luke. And I want you. I have for a long time. Good, bad, scarred, healed, or broken. Get that through your thick head.”

  His eyes, God the pain and insecurity were like a punch to my gut. “She did a number on you didn’t she?” Damn Abby and her mean heart.

  His jaw flexed and I knew there was only one thing I could do to fix this. I had to convince him how badly I wanted him, how beautiful he was to me. I had to be brave enough for the both of us. Taking a deep breath I reached for his hand. “Come with me, I have something to show you.”

  ***

  Chapter Five

  Luke

  Soleil took my hand and led me back the way we’d come, past the restaurant and into her apartment building. Her place was on the third floor, and she fumbled with her keys. I didn’t know what to say to her, didn’t know how to explain that my body had scars I hadn’t shown anyone. The ones on my face were bad enough, but the rest were worse.

  And I didn’t think I could handle her rejection.

  “Soleil—”

  She yanked the door open and all but pushed me inside.

  I had to bite down on the smile that threatened when she grabbed me and shoved me toward the couch. If nothing else, she had fire in her, and I couldn’t help but respond. I flopped down into the soft cushions, but wisely kept my mouth shut.

  “Do you think I’m beautiful?”

  Her question stopped me. Did she really have to ask? She was stunning, with her toned body, gentle blue eyes, and long blond hair that had tangled in the wind from the ocean. I ached to taste her breasts, to bury my face in her sweet curves, to grind—I shook myself out of the growing fantasy.

  “Yes, you are quite possibly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” I’d said those words before to other women. But this time . . . this time it was true and that hit me like a shit ton of bricks. It would be easy to fall for her, easy to hand her my heart and soul.

  Steady, Luke. Steady, you’ve done that before and look where it got you? A broken heart and a house full of lonely.

  Her hands went to the bottom of her tank top and she pulled the shirt up and off in a single swift jerk. My mouth dropped as I stared at her perfect breasts, the creamy mounds pushed up in a white lacy bra that did indeed clasp in the front. And then my eyes traveled to her right side where a tattoo curled from below her skirt’s waistband, up her ribs and stopped just under her breast. The picture was a jaguar climbing her side, as it looked over its shoulder with bright green eyes, its claws digging into her ribs and shoulder.

  “The tail lays at the top of my thigh, where my birthmark starts.” Her lips trembled. “I hated that birthmark, it was dark and ugly and huge.” She motioned at it from the side of her breast down to her thigh. “When men saw it, they pulled away, disgusted. So I covered it with something that inspired me to be confident and remember that you can always change your spots. But you know what happened?”

  I shook my head, my hands skimming the soft skin under the tattoo. I hadn’t even realized I’d stood and closed the distance between us. “Tell me.”

  Her eyes lowered and her voice softened with pain. “Men still turned away from me. They thought I was a nice girl and when they saw the tattoo they were embarrassed. Said I wasn’t the kind of girl to take home to their mother.” She bit her lower lip and slowly looked at me from under those long lashes, blue eyes peeking at me, waiting for my reaction.

  “They were idiots.” Damn, her skin was like silk under my fingers as I
traced the jaguar, drawing her close.

  “You’re about to be one of them if you walk away. Don’t put me in the same category as those other girls. I’m not them,” she whispered.

  I closed my eyes and leaned into her. “You’re braver than I am.”

  Her laugh was soft, her face against my chest. “I doubt that.”

  If I could face my fear of the stunts, this couldn’t be worse, could it? I knew I was wrong, I would face a thousand stunts if it meant I wouldn’t be put on display. She would reject me like the others, walk away and . . . before I lost my nerve I grabbed my shirt and yanked it over my head.

  Eyes closed, I waited. Her hands started at my waist and traveled upward. She never hesitated over the ridged scars, never slowed her perusal of my torso. That was the worst area, where the fire had clung to me and turned my side into a strangely smooth, but oh so wrong, melted flesh. The rest of me had been spared that horror, but it was hard to feel grateful when a woman was about to reject you.

  Her hands stopped at my face and her voice was husky, “Luke, I’m not going anywhere.”

  My eyes popped open and I stared down at her smiling at me.

  I slid a hand between us, resting my fingers on the buckle of her bra. She took a deep breath, pressing the soft mounds against my knuckles. My dick took notice, sat up, and begged me to rip off the rest of her clothes.

  I dipped my face to hers and took her mouth, tasting those sweet lips. They would become an addiction. I knew it already, a straight shot to my lust that set me on fire with a bare whisper. With a twist, I had her bra undone and stepped back to look at her. Her dark pink nipples perked up in the cool air, puckering as if for a kiss, begging me to touch them, to take them in my mouth.

  Her blue eyes were wide and I forced myself to go slow. “Beautiful.” I reached out and cupped one breast, thumbing the nipple, almost groaning myself at the feel of her in my hand.

  “I could say the same,” she grabbed the waist of my jeans and tugged me forward, popping the top button as she did. Groaning, I kissed her again, my arms snaking around her and clutching her to me. The feel of her skin on mine was like nothing I’d ever experienced, which seemed ridiculous. I’d been with women before.

  But I’d never felt like this, like she was a piece of me that had been missing.

  I scooped her into my arms, spinning so I could set her on the couch. She shimmied out of her skirt, a tiny pair of lacy white panties the only thing between me and seeing her completely bare.

  Starting at her feet, I ran my hands up her body, over her knees and stopping at the top her thighs. I slid my thumbs under her panties, feeling the freshly smooth skin, dipping farther and finding her wet and warm center.

  She let out a tiny whimper and her hips slid forward, begging me. I couldn’t help but bring one thumb forward and stroke her clit, watching her eyelids flutter and her whole body arch from that simple touch. What would she be like when I loved on that sweet spot, suckling it?

  I licked my lips. “Are you sure?”

  “Don’t you dare stop.”

  Twisting my fingers into her panties I slowly pulled them down and flipped them away. “As you wish.”

  ***

  Chapter Six

  Soleil

  Sitting naked on the couch, my legs spread with Luke between them, I’d never felt so beautiful, so desired. He stood and unzipped his pants, sliding them down around his ankles.

  “I’m on the pill, if . . .” I spoke softly not wanting to break the mood but also not wanting to be stupid.

  “I’m clean.”

  He stood for a moment, looking down at me while I stared up at him. His body was well muscled, and the scars on his left side were hardly noticeable. At least to me. Other things had my attention.

  Like the size of his . . . my mouth dropped open and I snapped it shut. He winced. “Biting motions like that when you look at my cock, maybe not such a good idea.”

  I slapped a hand over my mouth as I giggled. “I just . . . you’re really big.”

  He grinned and winked at me. “Yes . . . yes, I am.”

  And then he dropped to his knees, his face inches from my aching center. He ran his fingers from my belly button, over the lips, fingering them open gently. Shameless, I arched toward him. “Please, Luke.”

  His fingers circled my clit, but his eyes were on mine. “I like it when you say my name, Soleil. I want to hear you cry it out as I make you come, over and over again.”

  I couldn’t stop the tiny gasp that escaped me as he pressed his thumb against my clit and rolled it, the pressure sending waves of pleasure through my body. His hands shifted to my hips, tugging me forward on the couch. He dipped his mouth to my clit and sucked it in, tugging at it lightly with his teeth as his hands made their way to my aching nipples.

  In seconds he had a rhythm, suckling and licking in time with his hands as they worked magic over my breasts, drawing sensations from my body I’d never had with anyone.

  The rising pressure brought my hips thrusting of their own volition, his mouth sucking harder as I cried out. I wanted more, wanted him deeply inside me as I came, wanted to feel him fill me but he didn’t seem inclined as he took his time exploring my body.

  I clutched his hair, holding him tightly against me as a wave of sensation rolled through me, again and again. Shots of electric pleasure coming from both my taut, teased nipples and throbbing swollen clit.

  The orgasm washed over me in a crashing wave, drawing a scream from my mouth, wordless and far louder than I would have liked but I had no control. Shuddering from the release, I lay there, my hands still in his hair. He grinned up at me. “We’ll have to try that again. You made a mistake.”

  Blinking, I tried to understand what had gone wrong.

  Seeming to interpret my confusion he slid up my body, his erection pressing against my still throbbing clit. “You didn’t say my name.”

  Laughing, I wrapped my arms around him. “Your turn.” I flipped him over, his eyes going wide with surprise. I positioned myself over him and lowered my body so just the tip of his shaft slipped into me, then out again. He grabbed my ass and tried to hurry me, but I resisted and took my time.

  “Tease.”

  I threw my head back with a laugh. “Takes one to know one.”

  Slowly, I inched my way down his erection, squeezing him with my inner muscles, clutching him to me. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “Soleil, I don’t think I can last if you keep this up. I haven’t been with anyone for a long time.”

  “Then don’t last. We have the night.” I said as I slid down his shaft, taking all of him into me. I gasped at the sensation curling through me, the tremors of his body into mine as I slowly rode him. In complete control, I pressed my breasts close to his face as I rocked. He nipped at them, sucking one at a time, kissing them gently and then tipping his face to mine. I kissed him as I found a pace that began a second slow build within my center.

  The tremors that began startled me, the orgasm climbing my body sending me into a pace that drew a cry from his lips. “Soleil, kitten, don’t stop.”

  “Never.”

  I wanted to take him more of him in, wanted to hold him forever. The climax hit me a split second before Luke’s claimed him. We cried out together, our bodies clinging to each other as we peaked. Slumping in his arms, I struggled to catch my breath. “I don’t recall, did I say your name?”

  His chest rose and fell rapidly. “I don’t know.” His calloused hands rubbed my back, then surprised me as he stood with me in his arms. “Perhaps we should try the shower?”

  Pleasure flushed me.

  “Perhaps we should. The echo will make it hard to miss me calling out your name.”

  Laughing, he half stumbled to the bathroom. I knew this was going to be a long night.

  And I couldn’t be happier.

  *

  The morning sunlight warmed my face, pulling me from extremely pleasant dreams. Luke had been biting my ear while he took
me from behind, one of his hands on my breast, the other between my legs stroking my clit. I threw a hand over my eyes and rolled over. “That wasn’t a dream,” I whispered to myself.

  But there was no one in my bed with me.

  He’d left.

  A pang around my heart shattered all the illusions I’d built. Who was I kidding? Of course, I was a one-night stand. Why would someone like him want me? Swallowing the tears, I sat up and pulled on a long shirt that came to my mid thigh. Hunger gnawed at me and I forced myself to go to the kitchen. I had a big to-do list today.

  I needed food for my fridge.

  I needed to find another job.

  I needed to find a way to heal the hurt in my heart that shouldn’t have been as bad as it was.

  The living room was covered in clothes tossed away from our bodies. Wait, his clothes were still here.

  I tiptoed farther into the living room. There he was, sprawled out on the couch, a blanket covering his lower body. I leaned over him, brushing a hand over his face. “Luke?”

  ***

  Chapter Seven

  Luke

  Her voice called to me and I slowly woke. My angel stood over me, her hair backlit with the morning sun. The angel from my pain-induced hallucinations. I sucked in a sharp breath. “You visited me in the hospital?”

  She blinked rapidly. “I didn’t think you remembered.”

  I reached up and cupped her face. “I didn’t know it was you, but I knew . . .”

  “Knew what?”

  I tugged her down to me. “I knew if I ever found her, I’d never let her go.”

  Soleil dropped into my arms as her tears dropped in a warm rivulet on my chest . “I thought you’d left.”