He chuckles. “Yeah.”
I almost ask him if there’s anyone he’s interested in, but I don’t want to seem like I’m fishing. “It’s late. I should get to bed.”
I hear a hitch in his breathing. “Yeah. Let me read you to sleep.”
“The duke book?”
“Yeah, I think we should finish it.”
“Okay.” I expect a pause as he finds the book, but he starts right into it.
“It was all he could think about,” he says softly. “Shewas all he could think about. She’d been in his head all day, distracting him at work. Normally he resents anything that distracts him at work, but he can’t resent her. He can’t blame her either, because he doubts she knows how she’s taken over his thoughts.
“But it’s the gloss of her hair,” he continues. “The slope of her neck. The sweet, sweet curve of her ass. He’s devoted a lot of time to thoughts of her ass, but he doesn’t think a single minute has been wasted.”
“Luke,” I interrupt, because there’s no way this is coming from a book.
“Shh,” he says. “Just listen, Milly. He knows he should stay away from her, but the fact she’s forbidden only increases the temptation. And he’s obsessed. So after a fight with his conscience, he drives to her house. Knocks on the door and waits impatiently until she answers.”
His voice is rougher now, and I can sense his hunger through the phone. “Luke?—”
“She’s already changed for bed,” he continues, “andher nightgown is sexier than anything he could have imagined; pale pink and cut very low up top. He can see the tops of her breasts, and he’s dreamed about those breasts. The nightgown’s sleeveless, held up only by tiny lacy straps. He’d like to chew through those straps with his teeth.”
That flutter of excitement is in my belly again. I can see myself in that sexy pink nightgown, with Luke’s eyes roaming over me.
“He sweeps her into his arms and carries her up the stairs. He’s never seen her bedroom, but somehow he knows which one it is. And he’s right; the room smells faintly like her. Like everything he’s ever wanted.”
Luke pauses for a beat before going on. “He lays her on the bed. He’s dying to strip off his jeans and throw himself on top of her, but he forces himself to stop. He’s this close to losing control, and if he does, this will be over in minutes. He needs to make it good for her, so he takes a step back. Takes a moment to savor the sight of her.”
I imagine myself on the bed, with the heat of Luke’s eyes on me.
“Her eyes are as blue as the sky, and they’re fixed on him like he’s the only man in the world. Like she wants him just as much as he wants her. Her silky dark hair is fanned out against the pillow, and he can see the peaks of her nipples through her nightgown.”
“Luke,” I breathe. My breath is coming quickly now, and there’s a tingle between my legs.
“She says his name, and he feels it in his cock,” Luke says raggedly. “He’s harder than he’s been in years, and he feels his restraint slipping away. He takes off his jeans and lies down next to her. Turns his face into her neck and stops there for a minute, inhaling the scent of lemon and woman and Milly.”
I let out a moan at the sound of my name. He’sdropped the pretense that this is a book; this is about him and me, and he wants me to know it.
“She moans and turns toward him, and he kisses her. Her lips are pillow soft, and he takes his time, exploring her mouth with his tongue. She shifts closer, pressing her breasts against his chest, and his leg slips between her thighs.”
“Please,” I whimper.
“Then he kisses her neck, licking and sucking until he knows she’ll have a mark there the next day. He loves the idea of leaving a mark on her. He plays with the strap of her nightgown, and she pushes it down to free her breast. It’s full, plush, and when he takes it in his hand, it feels better than he dreamed it would. And he’s dreamed about her breasts a lot.”
Now both my hands are on my breasts, squeezing and rubbing my nipples to try to relieve the tension that’s growing inside me. But instead of bringing relief, the tension grows.
“Her nightgown’s hot as hell, but it’s getting in his way. He wants to feel her, skin to skin. So he tugs the nightgown up over her shoulders, and she lifts her arms to help him get it off. The nightgown hits the floor, and his shirt follows it.”
I imagine how Luke would look without a shirt, with his broad shoulders and trim abs . . .
“And now she’s only wearing panties,” he says. “They’re pale pink cotton, and he finds that so sexy. His hand drifts toward them, over the silky soft skin of her belly. He’s never felt anything so soft, so good. Then lower still, until he’s touching her pink panties. He slips a finger under the elastic and finds that she’s ready for him.
“I’m ready,” I say on a moan, imagining his finger touching me there.
“He decides he’s waited long enough.” Luke’s voice is raspy, rough. “He strips off his boxers.”
“Yes, Luke.” My hand is between my legs and I’m writhing on the couch. My entire vocabulary seems to have shrunk to two words:yesandLuke.
