Endless Nights (2 page)

Chapter Two

She was dreaming. She had to be. No way was she in a secluded corner of a party, wrapped up in a stranger’s arms, his mouth fused with hers.

No. Freaking. Way.

Luke’s arms tightened around her waist, pulling her close. One big hand slid down, down, until it rested lightly over her butt and she moaned against his lips. Actually
moaned
. Only approximately five seconds into the kiss too.

That had to be some sort of record.

Of course, her surprising moan encouraged him to squeeze her butt with those giant hands of his, his fingers flirting with the hem of her way-too-short skirt.

Moaning also allowed him easy access, and he took it, his tongue sliding into her mouth and against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to get closer, and he whirled her around, pressing her against the wall. His hands slid down, lingering over her backside, his mouth still fused with hers, and she whimpered. Yes,
whimpered
.

And when those big hands slid down further, grabbing her thighs and
ohmigod
, he lifted her up with ease, like she weighed nothing, her legs automatically wrapped around his hips.

What in the world was she
doing?

Letting go. Feeling good.

He had the best lips ever, just like she thought he would. They knew just how to kiss. And his tongue—it had magical talents. Every stroke within her mouth, she felt it pulse throughout her entire body, the wicked sensation landing hot and insistent between her thighs. She tightened her legs around his hips and when he pressed closer, she swore she could feel his erection brush against her.

It was very,
very
large.

Andrea broke the kiss first, letting her head drop back against the wall behind her as she watched him from beneath her lowered lids. Her breaths came in desperate little pants and her heart was racing, roaring in her ears. Her entire body shook.

All from a single kiss. All from a man she met only minutes ago.

Insane.

He said nothing, but he didn’t have to.
God, just look at him.
His hair was mussed from her hands. His mouth damp and puffy, and the front of his shirt wrinkled where she gripped the fabric. His eyes blazed dark and intense in the dimly lit corner they stood in, and she could hear the buzzing chatter of partygoers nearby.

She should say something, right?

Hey, great kiss.

No. Not nearly enough.

Wow, where’d you learn that trick with your tongue? Could you try it on me again, please?

Hmm, maybe.

Or how about,
What exactly are you packing in them jeans? Because…holy hell, it’s big.

Yeah. No. That wouldn’t work.

Andrea parted her lips, her brain scrambling to come up with something to say to break the near unbearable tension brewing between them, but Luke beat her to the punch.

“This dress you’re wearing should be fucking illegal,” he said with a growl, his hands skimming back up her thighs, fingers again playing with the hem of her skirt.

Oh God. His fingers were terribly close to her lady bits, and they were tingling, practically begging for him to touch them.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Her voice was a whispery mess and she cleared her throat, wondering what in the world was wrong with her. She needed to get herself together. Big deal. So she kissed a pro football player. A gorgeous pro football player.

A gorgeous pro football player whose hands just slid beneath her skirt and were touching the underside of her butt.

“It’s definitely a good thing,” he murmured, his fingers dancing along her skin.

Okay, she was seeing double. Little white dots blurred her vision. His touch was blinding her, and she’d certainly never heard of that condition before—and she worked in the medical field. She closed her eyes, a sigh escaping her when he slipped a finger beneath her silky panties, gently tracing the curve of her backside, and then he was kissing her again. Soft, coaxing, lingering kisses with gentle flicks of his tongue and nibbles on her lower lip.

“Your mouth should be illegal,” she whispered against his lips, her eyes flying open when she heard him chuckle. “Did I just say that out loud?”

His chuckle deepened. “You did.”

No use denying it. “Well, it’s true. I don’t normally do this sort of thing.”

Luke pulled away so he could stare down at her. “Do what?”

“Kiss strangers in darkened corners.” She lifted her chin, trying for dignified, and surely she was failing miserably. Hello, his hand was beneath her dress. His fingers were still skimming her butt. She should tell him to unhand her immediately.

Didn’t that sound like something out of a historical romance? Not that she’d read any in a while. She had no time. She missed reading. She missed lots of things. Like going out and having fun and getting wrapped up in a man’s arms and letting him kiss her and…

Luke was kissing her again. Silencing her thoughts, shutting down her brain so all she could do was kiss him back. She clamped her legs around his hips when he stroked the interior of her mouth with his tongue, his hand curving around her butt to squeeze and knead her flesh, getting her all worked up in no time.

God, in no time whatsoever.

She was wet. She could feel her panties dampen and her skin was tingling everywhere, but especially between her legs. She shifted against him as subtly as possible, rubbing herself on his erection, and she swore she saw stars.

She pulled away from him, trying to calm herself down. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to think of something else. Anything else to take the focus off how close she was to start grinding on Luke like he was her own personal sex toy and she was desperate to get off.

Okay, no, she never,
ever
did things like this. It was so wrong. Rubbing on a strange man she just met. Letting him put his hands and tongue on her. She wasn’t that kind of girl. She was quiet and reserved and hardworking, and she didn’t like a lot of attention either. She preferred to stay in the background. She was tall, and growing up she’d been so awkward. Gawky, with thick glasses and braces at one point, the cliché biggest nerd in middle school. In high school it got a little better. Bye-bye, braces. Hello, contacts. She filled out a little—she lacked in the boob department but made up for it in the leg department—and boys started to notice. Girls started to hate her.

She could never win. Ever. Only until she met Reagan and Natalie did she feel like she had real, honest to goodness friends.

“Hey.” Luke Nelson’s deep, way-too-sexy voice snapped her out her thoughts, made her remember that she was still in his arms, her legs still wrapped around him, his hand still on her butt. “You okay?”

“Um…” Would he think her cheap if she told him no, she wasn’t okay? That she really wanted to take this further and maybe find somewhere private where they could get naked together?

Yes. Yes, he would think she was cheap. She felt cheap just thinking it.

“I’m moving too fast, huh?” He removed his hand from her butt and she loosened her legs, which allowed him to set her down on her feet. He stepped away from her, and the hollow pang that echoed within her at the sudden loss was stupid.

Stupid.

But it remained.

“Sorry,” he said, his expression contrite. Almost…pained. He swallowed hard and ran a hand through his hair, as if he were trying to get a hold of himself. “I don’t grab random girls and kiss them in dark corners.”

She stood a little straighter, liking how that hollowness filled with hope. “You don’t?”

“Hell no. I’m not a total asshole.” He dropped his hand from his head, staring at her. “You felt it too, right?”

She nodded, all the words she wanted to say drying up and disappearing. She knew what he referred to. The attraction between them was strong. There were no explanations for it either. It was just there. She could feel it now, swirling between them, drawing them closer. He stepped back into her, his hand going to her waist, fingers gathering the fabric of her dress and hiking it up just the slightest bit.

“Tell me to fuck off. You probably should, after what I’m about to ask you,” he said, his voice so deep, so low she almost couldn’t hear him. “But…I want you to come back to my room with me.”

Words completely failed her now. She should definitely tell him no. No, no, no. She wasn’t that kind of girl. What, did he think she had the word
slut
etched across her forehead? She didn’t go to a man’s hotel room, a man she just met, because that meant she was easy.

And she wasn’t easy. No way. She was a good girl. She’d always been a good girl. Good girls didn’t mess around with strange men, no matter how famous, how gorgeous, how good they smelled, right?

“Yeah, you’re going to say no. That’s the smart thing to do.” He started to step away but she reached out and grabbed him, her fingers going around his wrist. Well, trying to because it was so thick, goodness.

The man was thick everywhere.

Luke glanced down at where she touched him, then lifted his head so his dark eyes found hers. She parted her lips, tugged on his arm, and he came closer, so close he was invading her space and her thoughts, and she knew, without a doubt, she wanted him invading her body too.

“Yes,” she whispered as she slipped her other arm around his neck and brought his mouth down to hers. “Yes, I’ll go back to your room with you.”

She felt his smile against her lips right before he kissed her.

Thank Christ he was staying in the same hotel that Declan’s little gathering was being held at. The faster he got Andrea back to his suite, the faster he could get her naked.

They left the party without saying a word to anyone, not that he could find anyone to say goodbye to. It was like they all scattered. Andrea texted her friends, letting them know she was all right, and then she dropped her phone into her little purse, smiled up at him, and it was like his world titled on its axis.

Damn, she had a pretty smile. A pretty body. Pretty lips. Pretty everything.

He escorted her through the casino area, the musical sounds of the machines loud, the cheering at the tables on the other side of the room even louder. It was a busy Friday night—the floor was packed, and he noticed numerous women giving him the eye, men doing double takes because he was familiar.

The men were also doing double takes because of the gorgeous woman walking beside him in the sexy-as-fuck dress. Where did she find it anyway? It clung to her body almost lovingly, covering her in all the right places that set his imagination wild.

He was going to have a good time taking it off of her, that he could guarantee.

“People are staring at you,” she murmured, smiling up at him when he glanced down at her. He liked how tall she was. He still towered above her, but at least she was in manageable kissing distance.

“I think they’re staring at you,” he replied, tearing his gaze from hers so he could walk like a normal human being and not do something stupid like trip over his own feet because he was too entranced with her.

“No.” She laughed. “You’re the famous football player. Didn’t your team go to the Super Bowl recently?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, we did. And we lost too, unfortunately.”

“Thought so. Not that I really paid attention. I usually only watch it for the commercials.”

The more she talked, the more he liked her. And the more he touched her, kissed her, the more he
really
liked her.

“You’re not a football fan?” he asked, steering her out of the way of a large group of guys headed straight toward them. They all leered at her, every single one of them, and when they looked up, he shot them a murderous glare.

Their eyes widened, and one of the men pointed at Luke, muttering, “Aren’t you…”

He ignored them and kept walking, slipping his arm around Andrea’s waist and pulling her close to his side.

“See? They recognized you,” she said, seemingly oblivious to the way they just stared at her with their tongues practically hanging out.

“Yeah, after they undressed you with their eyes,” he said, his voice tight. Maybe the dress wasn’t so great after all. It drew a lot of unwanted attention.

“They did not.” When he sent her a look, her eyes widened. “They did?”

“Oh yeah. I told you that dress should be illegal.” He guided her to the left, down the hall where the bank of elevators up to the rooms was. “It’s fucking lethal.”

She giggled, sounding uncomfortable. “Yeah, I swear my butt is going to fall out.”

“That’s what everyone’s hoping for.”
Including me.

“Really?” She sounded shocked. Completely unaware of just how sexy she was.

“Uh-huh.” He slowed down, smiling and nodding at the man who watched over the guest elevators.

“Good to see you again tonight, Mr. Nelson,” the employee greeted. “Having a nice evening?”

“I am,” Luke said with a smile, turning toward the right and stopping in front of the first elevator, hitting the button for the highest numbered floor.

He’d reserved one of the best suites at the hotel, never expecting he’d bring a girl up to his room. Declan had the penthouse suite, and the plan had been for he and Noah to hang out in his suite tomorrow night, create their own party with a few friends.

That was the last thing Luke wanted to do now, not if Andrea was still with him by tomorrow night.

“Tell me you have a great view of the city,” Andrea said, resting her hand on his chest.

He smiled down at her. “I can do better than that. I’ll
show
you the great view I have of the city.”

She glanced around, stepping closer to him when a laughing group of women pushed past them, heading for another elevator. “This hotel is gorgeous.”

“You’re not staying here?”

“No, we’re down the street. Our hotel is nice, but not as beautiful as this one.”

He squeezed her waist, his hand resting possessively on her hip. She was thin. Didn’t have much on top, but he’d always been more of a leg and ass man, so that worked for him. “Wait until you see my room. It’s ridiculous.”