Closer to My Heart (5 page)

“Wait—I thought you said the night I met you that you’d just finished up a deadline and that’s why you were up so late. Are you sure you’re not brushing me off?”

He knew their attraction was mutual; the physical signs were just too obvious. Maybe, like him, she was nervous and afraid to take a chance.

But she shook her head, clearing the sensual spell he was weaving between the two of them, and stepped back from his embrace.

“Oh, no, I’m not brushing you off. Actually, I’m thinking I could take my notebook with me. Come on, let’s head inside and get some things together.” She started to move around him, but he was standing in the middle of the doorway. The only way around him was to brush up against him or wait.

So when she squeezed past him, Luke inhaled sharply and held very still. She took his hand, pulling him behind her. He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed in her wake, smelling hot, sexy woman. Her skin was still heated from their run, but there was also an underlying trace of her flowery shampoo. Beyond his control, his body started tingling and he could feel his groin growing heavier with arousal, his sex thickening and swelling. Christ, it felt like a baseball bat in his shorts.

“Duke Gardens is about five miles away, or there’s a nice hiking trail over at the Eno River but it’s farther. Which would you rather do?” She kept her voice light and even, which drove him even more nuts. They both knew he’d rather
do
her.

“How about we do Duke Gardens today and head over to the Eno River next weekend. That okay?”

“Yep, that’s good for me. Leisurely picnic today, exhausting hike next week. I know we’re going to be playing outside, but let’s clean up from our run. I’ll feel better once I can wash off some of this sweat. I’ll meet you back down here in fifteen minutes, okay?”

Jane was pulling her hair out of its ponytail and trotting back to her room, when Lucas called to her from the back staircase. She stopped: “Is Duke Gardens close enough to walk to, or are we going to drive over? You know, flip flops or running shoes?”

He reached back to the nape of his neck and pulled his pink Mr. Bubble T-shirt over his head. His eyes were closed and he had no idea her attention was on him while he swiped the shirt down his face and chest, drying off some of the dripping sweat. He was muscled like a Grecian statue—Jane hoped his dangly bits were still intact, because he was a real flesh-and-blood man. The man, she was quickly learning, who was for her.

Her body broke out in a new sweat at the sight of all that muscle. He was hot, and she was prepared to get burned. She’d finished her big deadline and was going to celebrate by splurging on hot sex with Lucas. Some women preferred hot fudge sundaes or shopping sprees; she preferred a new lover. She couldn’t wait to try him on for size.

She just stood there, staring. “Oh, God. Uh, I figured we’d drive over.”

And now she had his attention and his eyes moved hungrily, proprietarily over her body. He panted through his mouth and she could see his erection growing in his brief running shorts. She licked her lips and he growled. In the past, he turned away rather than letting her see his physical reaction. Not today. They were both set on the same path of combustion. And just as it seemed he would abandon all thoughts of his shower and stalk toward her, she turned and ran the rest of the way to her bedroom shouting over her shoulder, “Hurry!”

He could hear her nervous laughter all the way to the attic apartment.

Jane took an extra long shower so she could shave her legs and armpits. Luckily, she’d gotten a Brazilian wax from her lesbian friend, Annie, at Bella Trio Day Spa a couple days ago. She’d been so busy since February that she hadn’t dated—at all. When she’d been in for her waxing—and she wouldn’t trust just any ol’ stranger with such an intimate task—Annie told her she was going to close up because she’d been celibate for so long. To Annie, a week was devastating.

Jane smoothed her favorite lily and jasmine lotion all over so her skin wouldn’t be dry. She even added some to her slick outer labia so the scent would tease Lucas all afternoon—especially when he peeled her out of her clothes later on.
 
She hummed while she dried her hair and flossed and brushed her teeth.

God, she loved men. The way they smelled. The way the hair on their chests and legs felt rubbing against her body. The way their large, rough hands could bring such exquisite, carnal pleasure and yet offer such loving, soothing comfort. She wondered if Luke would be a gentle lover who coaxed a response from her, or if he would hold her down and fuck her senseless? Not knowing was killing her, holding her on the knife-edge of desire.

Jane was no prude. Actually, quite the opposite. She knew what she wanted and was never shy or hesitant. She’d just been busy. But that was about to change. The sexual tension arcing between the two of them could supply power to a small town.

Lucas groaned as he wrestled with the ties on his shorts, trying to get the damn things off. He’d been half-hard since stretching out with Jane before their run…just like he’d been everyday since she’d knocked on his door. He was disappointed to find Jane missing when he’d met her that first day, and he’d been dreaming of waking up to find her sweet ass settled on his lap again. He had wanted to cook her breakfast and find out more about her. And, okay, he wanted to cop a feel—but he wasn’t a total bastard…he was fine with her copping one right back. But she had fled. At first he’d been pissed, but he knew her now. He liked how she thought and the way she talked. It had been a long time since he’d had a woman, and even longer since he’d had a relationship. And he knew enough about himself to know that Jane was different than the other women he’d known and been with, and was surprised that he was so willing to try something new with her. She was no one-night stand. He could tell it was time.

He shook himself out of his stupor, finally getting the damn pants off. The shower downstairs was still on, so he rushed to get himself clean. The water warmed slowly, so he brushed his teeth while he waited. He rinsed, spit and turned to get into the shower when he heard Jane singing. She’d been humming for a few minutes, but now she was singing along with Elton John on the radio. She had a beautiful voice. It was lucky he’d already gotten out of the pants because his half-mast was now at full sail and would have snapped in two if he had to wrestle it now. Every beat of his heart throbbed through his dick, which was now pounding painfully along with his racing heart.

Shit!
He grabbed a new bar of soap from under the sink, stepped into the shower and took himself in hand. It was the only way he’d find any peace of mind until they got back from the park, and even then he couldn’t guarantee he’d be able to get inside Jane’s panties. The thought made him groan and work himself over faster.

“Hey slowpoke,” Jane teased when Lucas finally walked into the foyer.

He was frowning and a little grouchy when he stepped through the living room, where sunshine poured through the windows. The shadows from the swaying branches of the voluminous Cherry trees in front of the bay windows played across his face.

When he stopped in front of her, Jane’s mouth dropped open and she stared conspicuously towards the lower half of his body. He had the urge to turn his back to her to make sure his dick wasn’t poking out of his shorts, but
Christ,
he’d just pumped himself dry ten minutes ago. Yet it was a wonder he could walk because he was half-hard again.

“Sorry it took me a couple minutes extra to be ready,” he murmured. Jane couldn’t tear her eyes away from his hips and his legs. “Jane,” he said.

She was dumbstruck, and couldn’t tear her eyes away from his strong legs. They were as sexy as the rest of him. She blinked, and closed her mouth, but didn’t say anything.

He gave in to the urge to shield himself, and said more sternly, “Jane!”

She jumped nearly a foot off the ground and blinked when his hand covered his crotch. She looked up to find a hot blush covering his neck and most of his cheeks. Well, hell, at least the scowl was gone. In its place, though, was a look of total disbelief.

“What’s wrong with you?” His voice was a little huskier than he’d have liked but he couldn’t help it. She’d been staring, and where he came from a woman didn’t get to get away with such an obvious action.

Now she was blushing. And cursing under her breath. And sputtering about while she tried to regain a little composure. Most days he wore long sweat pants for their run.

“I … I, uh, was, uh … I called and ordered lunch for us. You know,” she said nervously over her shoulder while she finished packing a large white and red canvas LL Bean bag. She stopped and took a deep breath. “You know, so we wouldn’t have to wait once we got to Wellspring. I didn’t know what you’d like, but you look fit enough to me—”
shit,
he heard her say to herself and there was that beautiful blush. She’d put on a pink T-shirt with a wide scoop neck that showed off her beautiful and delicately made collarbones and shoulders, and he could see the tiny strings to a bikini tied around the back of her neck halter-style. He loved little string bikinis. He couldn’t wait to see her in nothing
but
that bikini.

“Um, yeah. You look fit enough to me so I thought you might like to eat me. No! I mean, I thought you might like to eat what
I
like to eat.”

A bubble of hysterical laughter rose out of her throat against her will. Lucas settled his hips against an old barrister-style wooden and glass bookcase and stretched out his long legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. He was enjoying the show and found that the longer he kept his mouth shut, the more obsessively she babbled. She was nervous and embarrassed and he didn’t want her to be either with him, but God help him, he couldn’t stop watching her plight.

“So I got us a couple of smoked turkey sandwiches with cucumbers and basil aioli. And some chips and pretzels. And I got us a couple of cookies. Actually, a lot of cookies.” She picked up the bag and put it on her shoulder, then took it off to straighten her shirt. The motion moved her closer to Lucas’ feet, so he took advantage of widened his legs to bracket her inside his calves. Then she moved the bag from the bench to the floor and back again.

Her continued agitation moved her further inside the cradle of his legs, and as she shifted from foot to foot her sleek hips teased the insides of his knees. He didn’t think she realized she was moving, and she certainly wasn’t aware of brushing against his highly over-sensitized legs. The ones that were attached to the dick he’d been pounding away on less than half an hour ago and her contact with them set his body back to simmer.

After a minute, she stopped moving all together. Her head was bowed and her hands twisted together nervously. Her breathing was shallow and quick and he could see the blush once again on the tops of her cheeks. She held her breath for a second and said, “I’m so embarrassed. I’m not usually so nervous around you, but this feels so different.” Another calming breath and he could see her finally gain a little control. “I think my brain is working faster than my body’s coordination.” She smiled and leaned into his chest.

“I didn’t mean to stare, Lucas.” Her voice was so soft, but she looked him right in the eyes and spoke surely, even though her cheeks were pink. “Actually, I was checking out your legs. Your arms and chest are so filled out… wondering what your legs looked like has been driving me crazy. But they’re as beautiful as the rest of you. Anyway, that’s why I was staring. You’re usually wearing sweatpants when we jog. So when you covered your…you know…I, uh, realized what it looked like and it made me more nervous and silly. And now I just feel like an idiot.”

Lucas reached out and gently cupped her beautiful face in his large, warm palm. His fingers curved around past her ear and rested lightly against the soft nape of her neck. He was burning her alive. She breathed through her mouth, licked her lips. Considered begging him for the kiss he was holding hostage right now.
 
His other hand settled on top of Jane’s twisting fingers, and he waited for her to look at him again.