He responds by adding a second finger alongside the first and sucking gently on my clit. The dual sensation pushes me right to the edge, and my entire body tenses as pleasure coils tighter and tighter at the base of my spine.
When I shatter, it’s with his name on my lips. My body arches against the wall as waves of ecstasy crash over me. He works me through it, his touch gentling but not stopping until I’m trembling from oversensitivity.
Only then does he pull away, pressing a kiss to my inner thigh before looking up at me with an expression of such raw hunger that it steals my breath. I expect him to stand, to seek his own release, but instead, he rests his forehead against my hip, his breathing ragged.
“You have no idea how beautiful you are when you come,” he says, his voice strained.
I reach down to pull him up, intent on returning the pleasure he’s given me, but he shakes his head.
“Too late,” he admits as a flush spreads across his cheekbones. “Just watching you, hearing you. I couldn’t help myself.”
The realization that he found his release simply from pleasuring me, without even being touched, sends a fresh wave of heat through my body. There’s something profoundly intimate about it—and more vulnerable than anything I expected from the always-composed Lucas Carmichael.
“That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard,” I tell him honestly.
Laughing, he rises to his feet and scoops me up in one fluid motion. “Next time I’ll show more restraint.”
“Next time?” I arch an eyebrow as he carries me to the bed.
“Unless you have objections, Mrs. Lexington-Carmichael?” There’s a hint of vulnerability beneath his confident tone.
I should have objections. This complicates our arrangement beyond measure. But with my body still humming from his touch and the promise of more nights like this, I can’t bring myself to care about the consequences.
“None whatsoever, Mr. Carmichael,” I murmur as he lays me gently on the bed.
He disappears briefly before returning with a warm washcloth to clean us both up. The tenderness of the gesturecontrasts sharply with the intensity of moments before, revealing yet another layer to this man I thought I had figured out.
As he slides into bed beside me, pulling me against his chest, I realize how perfectly I fit against him, how his heartbeat seems to sync with mine.
“What are you thinking?” he asks, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my shoulder.
“That you’re full of surprises, “ I say honestly.
He laughs softly and presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Get some sleep, Jess. We’ve got a long weekend ahead of us.”
As sleep begins to claim me, I can’t help but wonder if this is what it could be like all the time. Not just explosive passion, but genuine connection. Not just six months of pretending, but something that outlasts contracts and arrangements.
twenty-four
. . .
Lucas
I waketo the feeling of warm skin against mine, Jess’s body curled into my side, and her blonde hair splayed across my chest. For a moment, I just breathe her in. The lingering trace of her perfume is something uniquely her that I’m already becoming addicted to.
Memories of last night flood back, sending heat through my veins. The way she responded to me. The sounds she made when I touched her just right. The surprising vulnerability in her eyes when she came apart.
I should be panicking. This wasn’t part of our arrangement. This crossed every line we’d carefully drawn. But watching her sleep, her features softened and unguarded, I can’t bring myself to regret it.
Jess stirs, and her eyes flutter open. For a heartbeat, confusion clouds her face before recognition dawns, and she smiles a sleepy, unfiltered smile that hits me square in the chest.
“Morning,” she murmurs, her voice raspy with sleep.
“Morning,” I reply as my fingers trace lazy patterns on her bare shoulder. “Sleep ok?”
“Mmm, fantastic.” Her smile turns teasing as she stretches, causing the sheet to slip dangerously low.
I pull her closer and press a kiss to her forehead before I can second-guess the gesture. “We should probably get downstairs soon. My mother’s making her famous breakfast casserole.”
