My heart was pounding behind my ribs. “Why is it complicated?”
“Because I want to kiss you for real.” Luke slid close to me on the seat and looked into my eyes, giving me plenty of time to push him away or say something. I stared back at him and waited.
Luke kissed me, first a soft brush and then harder, hungrier. I met him with desperation of my own, having wanted this since I wanted anyone to kiss me. Luke had been the leading man in my fantasies ever since my sexual awakening.
We had kissed twice before, but both times had been part of the deal, technically. This was the first time we’d connected without any excuses to hide behind. We were a man and a woman who needed each other.
I melted into him, and he wrapped an arm around me. My hands explored his firm chest, feeling the hard ridges of him and the powerful way they flexed when he moved. I’d been wanting to touch him like that for a long time, and it made me ache for him.
His other hand landed on my knee, and I groaned, beautifully overwhelmed by his eagerness. Fire raged through my veins, and it was good to know I wasn’t the only one in the back of the limo feeling that way.
I ran my fingers over his face while his lips explored mine, touching him like I wanted to be sure he was actually there.
Luke stopped kissing me and looked into my eyes. His blue eyes were electric in the dim light of the limo, piercing into the secret heart of me. His wild grin was devilish, daring me to take a risk with him. “If I’m moving too fast, just say so. I can’t control myself around you.”
The words sent a shiver through me. “If you want to lose control with me, do it.”
His fingernails grazed my knee lightly, little spirals that sent heat straight to my core. I didn’t know whether to clench my thighs together or spread them in invitation. Instead, I took his hand and pulled it up to my breast. Luke growled into the kiss and took the initiative from there.
He caressed me, teasing my nipple, and the delicious friction had me squirming beside him, desperate for him. I arched my back into his palm, needing more, needing to feel him on every inch of me all at once. All logic and sense fled, and I began operating on primal urges, instincts as old as time.
He kissed a line down my jaw to my throat. Then he yanked my dress down and swirled his tongue over my nipple, torturing me. His hand slid back to my legs, which opened of their own accord, silently begging for something I could never ask for out loud.
His strong hands skated up my thigh, inch by inch, taking his time to really build up the fires inside me. I knew Luke’s reputation. He’d been with plenty of women, and there was something to be said for a man who knew what he was doing. I was aching and wet for him when his fingertip first brushed over my panties. I almost screamed.
His mouth found my other bare breast, giving them equal attention. That, combined with his hand, had me breathing hard. I ran my fingers through his hair and yanked his face up to look at me again. When our eyes met, he kissed me, hot and hard, and his hand slid into my panties.
He dipped a finger into my wetness and I moaned, nearly coming undone on the spot. He stroked me, finding my clit with his thumb while his finger toyed with my entrance.
“Don’t stop, Luke.”
Pleasure filled me with every touch of him, his hands, his kisses, his tongue. It had been a long time since I’d been with anyone, and no one had ever made me feel the way Luke did. He made me feel cared about, like I was precious. And I never felt sexier than when he looked at me like he wanted to devour me.
I ran my hands over his shoulders, his arms, his chest. He was made of solid steel, even though he was no longer a professional athlete. I was greedy for him.
Luke groaned into a kiss, making me tremble at the sound. I liked hearing him. It was sexy as hell and I wanted to make him groan even more. As it was, I felt amazing knowing Luke could have any woman he wanted and all of his attention was focused on my pleasure. He coaxed it out of me in waves, building me up and up until I thought I might break.
Then the floodgates opened and swept me away into bliss. Beautiful fireworks took flight inside me, light pulsing through every nerve ending, joy suffusing every bit of me.
Luke whispered in my ear. “Come for me, Clara. Let go for me.”
He held me in his arms, stroking me gently, kissing me softly, making me feel loved. When I could see again, I kissed him, pushed him down on the seat, and grabbed his belt buckle.
I felt the limo stop and we both looked out the window. We were at Luke’s building. He sat up and moved my hands away with a sigh of regret. “We should get going.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say. I didn’t want to break the spell we were under. I wasn’t finished with him.
Together, we headed inside and took the elevator upstairs. I wondered if he would attack me again as soon as we were alone. I kept looking at him, waiting for him to meet my gaze again and let nature take its course. When we made it up to his penthouse without incident, I knew the bubble had effectively burst.
Luke shut himself in his bedroom before I could find the words to ask if that had been fake or real. I went to bed, too, my only companion a headful of questions.
CHAPTER 19
LUKE
Itossed and turned most of the night, wrestling with my bed sheets and my conscience. Walking away from Clara was one of the hardest things I had ever done. It seemed like the right thing to do, though, and I tried to be a good man. I didn’t always succeed but I always tried. That had to count for something.
When had my life spiraled out of control? Probably when I agreed to the stupid bet with Troy. My pride and anger had gotten the better of me and I had agreed to the terms without really thinking what the consequences might be. And now I was miserable and restless in my own home, feeling trapped.
