by Becca Steele
“I’m so sorry, Liv.” He lowered his remorseful gaze to mine, his voice filled with raw emotion. His hand, still holding my own, was shaking, and I squeezed it automatically, running my thumb over his knuckles.
“What went wrong, Luke?” As much as I’d tried to hold them in, tears formed in my eyes. I battled to keep my composure—not to rage, or scream, or cry, but to listen.
“I—I was scared. So fucking scared. Everyone I’ve ever loved has left me. I was pushing you away before you could do the same.” He scrubbed a hand across his face, trying to compose himself. “It’s no excuse, I know that now. Ethan and Alex helped me to see that. I threw away the best thing that ever happened to me.” He took my chin in his hand, his eyes full of bleak despair. “I needed you to get the message and leave me, so I hurt you. The feelings I had for you were so overwhelming. I didn’t know how to handle them. You consumed me, Liv. You still do.”
He reached out, gently tugging me into his arms. Sighing, I rested my head against his chest, hearing the wild staccato beat of his heart. My arms slid around his waist, and we stood, hugging one another. A lump formed in my throat, and tears filled my eyes once again.
He rested his chin on my head. “I missed you so much,” he breathed unsteadily, his words muffled by my hair. I drew back a little and tilted my head to look at him, taken aback by the sadness in his gaze.
“I missed you, too,” I admitted. “But—”
He cut me off, shaking his head. “Please. Just let me get the rest of this out. You can say whatever you want afterwards, I promise. Lay into me, shout, walk away—do whatever you like. I just need to explain.”
I nodded jerkily, unable to speak.
He released me. Biting his lip, he rubbed the back of his neck, looking more unsure than I’d ever seen him before.
Oh, Luke. I concentrated on breathing in and out, trying to keep my composure.
“We started getting closer, and it frightened me. I started pulling away, and I could feel it inside that I was going to fuck everything up.” His mouth twisted. “You were so good to me, so patient, and gave me all the space you thought I needed. I could tell how much you were falling for me, though, because the same thing was happening to me. It all got too much for me. I didn’t know how to deal with the feelings I had. I knew I’d end up causing you pain. I knew I’d break your heart.”
He closed his eyes briefly, his expression resigned. “I know I can’t expect another chance with you. I hurt you so badly. I just hope you can forgive me, at least.” His voice cracked, and I lost it.
“Luke,” I whispered brokenly, tears tracking down my cheeks. My heart went out to the man I loved. “I forgive you.”
I slid my arms around his neck as I’d done so many times before, and we rested our foreheads against each other, clinging to one another desperately. He made a choked sound and swallowed hard, working his jaw, then clasped my chin again, lowering his face to mine.
He opened his mouth, his full lips so close that they were almost brushing my own.
“You’ve become my world, Olivia Payne.” He whispered his confession against my lips. “I love you.”
Three words.
Eight letters.
My heart soared, overflowing with the love that was pouring out of him with every breath he took, every look he was giving me, every touch of his skin on mine.
“I know that I don’t deserve anything from you. But, Liv, if there’s even a tiny part of you that would consider taking another chance on me, on us, I’ll spend the rest of my life doing whatever I can to show you just how much you mean to me.” His voice shook, and I closed the last millimetre of space between us, my mouth meeting his. He kissed me fiercely, passionately, and I returned the kiss, pouring all the love I felt for him into it.
I pulled away, both of us breathless.
Unwinding my arms from around his neck, I clasped his face in my hands. “It’s your turn to listen to me. Yes, you broke my heart. Shattered it. It killed me to think that you didn’t want me, that I had to see you at work every day and know you’d never be mine.” I took a deep, bolstering breath, staring into his eyes. “I meant what I said, though: I forgive you. I think we have a lot of issues to work through, but I promise you this, right here, right now. I’m not going anywhere. As long as we can promise to be open with each other, then we’re going to be okay.” Conviction filled my voice, and his tortured gaze cleared. “I love you, Luke Davenport.”
He smiled, a wide, genuine smile, and my heart skipped a beat.
An answering smile spread across my face. We stared at each other wordlessly for a moment, then he lowered his eyes to my mouth.
“I love you. I love you. I love you,” he repeated, punctuating his words with soft kisses. I melted into his embrace, savouring the slow, sensual slide of his lips against mine.
Breaking the kiss, I took a tiny step back, putting a hand onto the smooth wooden pergola for support. My heart was racing, and my legs shook.
“I missed your kisses.” My voice came out breathy and high-pitched, and I took a deep, steadying breath.
“Come here, baby.” He pressed a soft kiss to my neck, trailing his lips upwards until he reached my mouth. Lost in the sensation of his touch, I pressed into him, aligning the hard planes of his body with mine, pulling him closer.
Dropping one last kiss on my lips, he tilted his head and studied me intently for a long moment, his gaze tender, a soft smile directed at me.
The softness in his smile gradually faded, replaced by a devious grin, and a predatory gleam appeared in his eyes.
“I bet that wasn’t all you missed, was it?”
“No…” My voice trailed off as I eyed him apprehensively.
“You know what happens now.”
“What?”
“Make-up sex.” His tone was low and throaty.
A shot of heat went straight to my core, and I clenched my legs involuntarily. Graphic visions flashed through my mind, making my cheeks flush. I licked my lips, and his pupils dilated, eyes hungrily raking over my body.
I wasn’t going to make it easy for him, though. “You’ll have to catch me first,” I sang, darting away.
“You’ll never outrun me,” he growled, giving chase.
The hunt was on.
33
Olivia
I ran headlong through the hotel lobby, stumbling a little in my heels, barely registering the surprised glances of hotel guests as I flew past. The lift doors at the back of the lobby were wide open, a guest exiting, and I barged past him, frantically stabbing at the button that would close the doors. I leaned against the smoky glass of the mirrored wall, breathless and laughing, watching as the doors slid shut. A hand appeared in the rapidly closing gap, followed quickly by an arm, and Luke was in the lift with me, the doors finally shutting behind him. He pressed a button on the panel to the side of the doors and the lift began to rise. We stared at each other, the humour melting away and the small space filling with thick, heady sexual tension. Luke prowled towards me, his eyes almost fully black, his gaze feral. Reaching me, he pressed the full length of his hard body against mine and inclined his head so his mouth was hovering over my ear, his hot breath sending shivers through me.
“You’re mine,” he rasped. “Now that I have you back, I’m never letting you go.” He nipped at my ear, then ran his teeth lightly down my neck. I found myself unable to form a coherent thought, waves of white-hot pleasure arrowing through me as he picked me up, my back supported by the wall, his hard cock against my soaked underwear. I trembled, grinding against his hardness as our mouths met in a wild, frantic kiss. Locking my legs around him, I was grateful for the high split of my dress, as I supported myself on his strong shoulders with one arm and the other sliding up into his hair and tugging on it. He growled and bit my bottom lip, immediately licking it to ease the sting.
“Wait,” I managed to breathe. “Where are we going?”
“My room,” he husked out, peppering f
iery kisses all over my face.
With a concerted effort, I moved my hand to his face, gripping his chin. “Bit presumptuous,” I murmured against his lips.
He moved his head back and kissed the tip of my nose. Breathing raggedly, he let me slide to the floor and stared into my eyes, the intense desire in his gaze making my knees weak. He cupped my aching pussy over my underwear, and I whimpered at the sensation, my eyes fluttering closed.
“I can feel how much you want me, baby,” he crooned, pushing my underwear aside and sliding his rough fingers over my drenched slit. “So. Fucking. Wet for me.” He slanted his lips over mine, kissing me and moving his fingers against me until I was trembling and gasping, desperate for him to be inside me.
“Still think me having a room is presumptuous?” His voice, full of lust, was almost pleading. The lift pinged, and he tugged me out of the doors, stopping just outside.
“N—no,” I gasped, trying to catch my breath. “I’m glad you have it.” Licking my lips, I pulled his head down to mine again. “Do you know why?” I whispered thickly.
“Why?”
“Because I want you to fuck me senseless.”
His whole body shuddered, and he groaned, sweeping me into his arms and carrying me down the hallway, kissing me as if his life depended on it. I returned his kisses, so lost in this man that everything else faded away. Stumbling, rebounding against the walls, we feasted on each other, starving.
He broke our kiss, and I whimpered at the loss of contact.
“Just getting the key,” he said, breathless from our kisses, trying to dig around in his pocket with one hand, supporting me against the wall with the other. I hung on to him tightly, kissing up his neck and over his jaw.
“Baby, you’re killing me here.” He fumbled with the key card, eventually getting the door open, and we tumbled into the room.
The door swung shut.
We clashed together.
There was nothing romantic about it. We clawed at each other hungrily, desperately, all nails, teeth, lips, ripping off clothes, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. Our foreplay was rough and savage, a punishment and an atonement.
“I’m going to fuck you now,” Luke growled. “Bend over the bed.”
I moved to the huge bed that dominated the room, leaning over, placing my palms on the cool sheets. I turned my head, watching as Luke stood stock-still, drinking in my naked body with a fierce hunger in his eyes.
“Fuck, Olivia. You are the sexiest fucking woman I’ve ever seen in my life.” He advanced on me, all sexy, athletic grace, his muscles flexing as he moved, red scratches from my fingernails decorating his torso. His hard cock jutted out, and I arched my back, desperate to feel him inside me. Reaching me, he gathered my hair into a ponytail in his hand, winding it around his wrist, then pulling my head back and gripping my hip, he thrust straight into my aching wetness. I pushed back against him, meeting him thrust for thrust, and he reached forwards, working his fingers against my clit as he pounded into me hard and fast.
“Baby, you feel so fucking good,” he rasped. “I missed being inside you.” He thrust deeper, moaning. “I missed talking to you.” I felt his hot breath on my back, his grip tightening on my hair. “I missed you. You’re. My. Fucking. World,” he gasped between thrusts.
Waves of pleasure washed over me, growing more and more intense, and I moaned, low and needy. “Luke. I’m so close.”
“I need to see you.” He pulled out of me and lifted me so I fell on the bed on my back. Positioning himself between my legs, he slammed into me, burying himself to the hilt, and we both gasped at the intense sensation. Our eyes met, something monumental passing between us. It was as if he’d finally let go; every single one of his barriers were down, and I responded by letting everything I felt for him show in my eyes.
“Olivia.”
He captured my clit between his thumb and forefinger, and I fell over the edge, crying out his name.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he gasped, his whole body tensing as he came, emptying himself inside me.
He pulled out, straightening up, and I rolled over on the bed, burying my face in the sheets.
“You okay, baby?” His soft tone caressed my ears as he traced a gentle finger down my back, and I shivered.
“I’m good.” My voice was muffled.
I dragged myself up to face him, moving into a seated position. He sat next to me, the bed dipping as he did so, and then he scooped me up and gathered me into his arms. Holding me tightly, he smoothed my dishevelled hair back from my face.
“I missed you so much, Liv.” He repeated his earlier words. “I felt so hollow, so empty without you.”
“Me too.” I tucked my head under his chin, hugging him with everything I had, my heart swelling with love. All our earlier fire and passion had burned away, leaving us with something new and fresh and real.
“Fuck…Liv…the way I treated you…” he said hoarsely. “When I think back on it, I feel sick to my stomach.” He took a deep, shuddering breath, tightening his arms around me as if he was afraid I might disappear.
“Luke,” I breathed. I lifted my gaze to meet his so he could read the truth in my eyes. “I love you, and I believe that you won’t knowingly hurt me like that again. We’re going to be okay. Let’s move forward; this is a chance for a fresh start.”
“Okay. But I want to tell you everything. Everything I told Ethan and Alex.”
“We’ll talk whenever you’re ready. But there’s no pressure, and no rush,” I assured him.
“Thank you. Thank you for understanding. Thank you for loving me, despite everything.” His words were soft, his gaze imploring. “Listen, baby. I’ve been staying here all week—that’s why I had the room. I want you to know I wasn’t expecting anything from you; I didn’t think you’d even forgive me, let alone give me a second chance. You can check with Eth if you like; he was here yesterday. I needed somewhere to regroup and think about everything after my talk with Ethan and Alex, somewhere away from my home. Everything there reminded me of you.” Sadness flickered over his face, and I bent my head to kiss his chest, placing my hand over his heart.
“I believe you. And I’m truly grateful you had the room. You know, we would have been arrested for indecent exposure otherwise.” I smiled playfully.
“Good point.” His lips turned up at the corners as he looked down at me, the sadness clearing from his eyes.
Kissing my head, he stood, keeping a tight hold of me, bracing his legs so he didn’t lose his balance. I hung on to him as he carried us into the huge bathroom, not stopping until we’d entered the large shower. He placed me down and turned on the water, directing the jets away until the temperature was to his liking.
Pulling me under the water, he massaged shampoo into my scalp, so carefully and gently I felt like crying. After all our ferocious lovemaking earlier, he was so considerate with me.
“Turn around,” he instructed, once he’d finished rinsing my hair. He lathered up some shower gel and used his hands to caress every single inch of me, following the path of his hands with his mouth. I closed my eyes, unable to stop a moan escaping. He spun me back around, and I opened my eyes, taking a step back to enjoy the sight. Standing under the jets, water running down his face making his long eyelashes stick together in spiky clumps, sluicing down his gorgeous body to his hard cock, he made me weak with desire. I staggered backwards, leaning against the tiles for support. My gaze flew up to his, and he stared at me through half-lidded green eyes, a sultry smile on his lips.
“Ready for round two?” I barely recognised my own voice, the lust making me sound like a phone sex operator, all throaty and raspy.
“Fuck, yes.”
Never taking his eyes from me, he reached up and turned off the shower, then opened the door.
34
Luke
“Morning.” Olivia blinked at me sleepily, and I tugged her towards me, wrapping her in my arms. She sighed and wriggled closer, burrowing in
to my chest. We’d spent the whole day and night after the awards dinner making up and talking everything through, and I still couldn’t quite believe she’d agreed to give me another chance. Brushing her hair out of her face, I dropped a kiss on the end of her nose, then reached over to my bedside table to grab my phone. I held it up in the air, then took a quick selfie of us both.
“What’re you doing?” Olivia mumbled.
“You’ll see.” I tapped at my phone until I’d finished my task, then lay back. “Check your phone, baby. And be thankful you unblocked me from your social media yesterday.”
She raised an eyebrow but turned over and picked up her phone. I watched her expression as she scrolled through her notifications, a huge beaming smile spreading across her face.
“Oh, Luke.” She sighed. “I guess this means we’re official now, huh?” Her gaze met mine, her blue eyes sparkling happily.
“Yep.” I grinned. I’d posted the selfie of us on all my social media accounts with the caption “you made me smile again” and tagged her in the image. I’d also changed my relationship status, and I could see the comments already rolling in as our friends reacted to the news.
Stretching, I yawned. “First things first, I need coffee. After that…what do you want to do today, my beautiful girlfriend?”
Olivia stared at me from under her lashes, a shy smile on her lips. “I like the sound of that.”
“What?” I knew what she was talking about, but I wanted to hear her say it.
“You, calling me your girlfriend.”
“Well, you are my girlfriend. And I love you.”
Her gaze turned soft, and she melted in my arms.
“I love you, too.” She reached up and kissed me, carelessly throwing her phone onto the edge of the bed.
Pulling her on top of me, I cradled her in my arms. She wriggled against me, letting out a breathy moan, and my dick hardened in response. “I can wait for coffee.”