Feel the Heat: A Contemporary Romance Anthology (3 page)

His hand skimmed over her belly and she tried not to think about how much her body had changed since giving birth to her daughter. Luke loved her pregnant body. As soon as she and the doctor convinced him that sex was safe, he’d made love to her with the same fierce hunger that initially drew them together. But with the wait after Bella was born and the exhaustion that hung around her like a fog, it had been a long time since they enjoyed each other the way they used to.

One more thing to add to the list of things that needed to change, but she didn’t have to wait for this one. She could take matters into her own hands.
Literally
, she thought, stifling a giggle. Wiggling her butt tighter against his body, she fitted herself to him, feeling the press of his cock against the cleft of her ass. Sucking in a breath, she rocked back and felt him start to swell. Before he came fully awake and took control, she spun around in his arms and pressed a kiss to the warm skin of his bare chest.

He must have stripped out of his clothes before climbing into the bed with her. He’d stayed up working after she’d fallen asleep, and she didn’t remember him coming to bed. But he was definitely with her now—every glorious naked bit of him. She could feel every inch of his beautiful sculpted body and inhaled the heady scent of his aftershave. She never got tired of the smell of him: complicated, expensive, and undeniably Luke. Burrowing under the covers, she laid a trail of kisses down the center of his chest, nuzzling his sleep-warmed skin and relishing in the scent and taste of him.

She could tell the moment he woke because his hands went from gently holding her to tangling in her hair, urging her lower. She happily complied, loving the power in his demanding touch. When she reached the soft thatch of hair ringing his thick base, she breathed him in before sliding her tongue up the length of him in one smooth, long stroke, licking him like he was an ice cream and she was starving. She felt his groan under her hand still resting against the flat plane of his stomach.

Wrapping her lips around the tip of his cock, she slid down, taking as much of him into her mouth as she could. The groan rumbled through his chest and his fingers tightened in her hair, pushing her to take more of him. She squeezed her fingers around his base and bobbed her head, trying to go farther with each stroke until her nose bumped against his stomach. It had taken her awhile to figure out how to take all of him and still be able to breathe, but it was worth it to have her husband lose control at her touch. He was normally so strong and in charge, and she loved being the one to make him lose himself in pleasure.

“Not this time,” he whispered in the dark, tugging her off him and pulling her up his body to face him. “I need to be inside you.”

Any disappointment she’d felt at stopping before he lost control vanished as he kissed her. His tongue stroked and teased her as if he was making love to her mouth. His hands slid over her bare back, holding her like she was something precious and he couldn’t get enough. Breaking the kiss, she sat up and straddled him. The thick, hard length of him rode the slick seam of her body. All she had to do was tip her hips and she could take him inside her, but it had been so long since they’d had any real time together. She didn’t want to rush. She heard some fumbling beside the bed and then the lights came on, dim but enough to see.

“I need to see you,” said Luke. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, Claire.”

Keeping his gaze locked on her face, he ran his hands up her ribcage to cup her breasts. He hadn’t stopped touching her breasts while she was nursing. They both enjoyed it too much for that, but it had been different. It had been a long time since he could touch her there the way she liked—the way they both liked—but there was no reason to stop him now. His thumbs grazed the tight peaks, and her back bowed in response, arching and offering her body to his touch.

She rocked her hips forward, sliding over him, dragging the thick crown of his cock over her swollen clit. With every stroke, she inched closer to her opening, teasing them both until she couldn’t stand it a moment longer. Lifting her hips, she wedged him at the opening to her body and then sank down, taking him deep inside her.

She couldn’t catch her breath. He filled her thick and hard and long and there wasn’t room for anything but his body and the pleasure he drew from hers. Gripping her hip with one hand, he took over, setting the pace and driving her on and his body surged in to her. He reached between them, touching the spot where their bodies joined and dragging her slick arousal over her aching clit. With his fingers and cock, he played her body like an instrument he’d mastered, winding her higher and higher until she couldn’t see or feel anything but him.

Her body tightened around him as the climax rolled over her in waves. His fingers dug into her hips as his punishing strokes became more erratic, drawing out every last bit of her orgasm. And then they were coming together, falling into each other as the pure, complete pleasure of their joined bodies rolled through them.

L
UKE TOOK
A SWALLOW OF his Kona coffee and watched the waves crash against the rocky beach. He was going to have to give his PA a bonus. Colin had outdone himself finding this place on such short notice. The minimalist design of the beach house hanging on the side of the cliff made nature the focus. The glass-meets-glass sections of wall showcased the lush vegetation and the ocean just beyond. He couldn’t wait to show Claire. It had been too dark when they arrived to see the power and beauty of the water right outside the glass doors.

Despite how much he wanted to roll over and slide into her sweet body, he’d slipped out of bed without waking her. She’d blown him away, waking him with her mouth and her willingness while they were on the plane, but he knew how tired she was. He wouldn’t be the one to cut short her sleep. Even with the extra sleep on the plane, he was still on East Coast time, as was most of his business. Settling deeper into the deck chair, he pulled out his tablet and thumbed through his never ending stack of emails, answering what he needed to and shuttling requests to the appropriate departments. By the time he heard the glass door slide open behind him, the sun had risen completely over the water, and he’d managed to whittle his inbox down to a more reasonable—or rather, less insane—size.

“You’re awake.” He turned in his chair to see a sleepy-eyed Claire staring breathlessly at the view.

“Thanks for letting me sleep.” She let her hand rest on his shoulder and he reached up to catch her fingers with his. He brushed a kiss over her knuckles before he tugged her around to the front of the chair and into his lap.

“Hey! I’ll squish you.” She yelped, trying to wriggle off his lap. He caught her around the waist and held her firmly in place, exactly where he wanted her

“Please,” he said, making sure she saw his eye roll. “The only danger I’m in is not making it to my meeting on time if you keep squirming around on my lap like that.”

“Is that so?”

She snuggled against him, nuzzling his neck and kissing his jaw. His cock had already taken notice of the soft press of her butt against his groin and the gentle swell of her curves in his arms. He could have her every day for the rest of his life and he’d never get enough of her. He loved that she seemed to be feeling rested enough to want him too. He’d been careful not to say anything—she didn’t need him adding to her stress—but he’d missed making love to his wife. Hell, he’d missed fucking his wife.

When emotions came too hard to him, sex was the one thing he could count on to cut through the bullshit and bring them closer together. She grounded him, and even though he’d gotten a hell of a lot better at telling her how he felt, old habits died hard. Cupping the back of her head, he threaded his fingers through her auburn hair, anchoring her in place so he could kiss her senseless. He pulled back to look at her and got a jolt of satisfaction at seeing her eyes as dazed as they’d been looking at the view. He loved that she reacted so quickly and completely to his touch. For a man like Luke, the surrender of a strong woman like Claire was a drug so addictive, he’d never break free.

“Wow,” she said, blinking hard.

“Wow is right.” He pulled her tighter into his arms, tucking her head under his chin so they could watch the waves together. “Are you feeling better?”

“Much, thank you. I can’t remember when I slept that long and woke up on my own.”

He watched her, waiting for any sign of the guilt that always seemed so close to the surface. She took a deep breath, exhaling deliberately and softening in his arms, and something relaxed deep in his chest. She might not see herself the way he did or believe him yet when he assured her she was a great mother, but like everything else his wife did, she seemed determined to give it all her effort.

That’s part of the reason she was having trouble in the first place—she was a perfectionist and a damn good one. When Claire set a goal for herself, she didn’t miss it. She just kept ignoring the fact that she wasn’t the only parent in this equation and that no one, no matter how diligent, believed they did enough. Or maybe that was at the heart of being a good parent: knowing how much there still was to learn. It didn’t matter. They’d find their way through it together and if he had to, he’d keep reminding her that she wasn’t alone. As long as he drew breath, she’d never be alone again.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said.

“Mmm hmm.” He murmured his agreement, keeping his eyes on her instead of the view.

“Can we go swimming later?”

“We can do anything you want, sweetheart, as long as it includes a significant amount of time with you in my arms.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. “Why don’t we go grab a shower before we have to leave for the site? We have a couple of hours, right?”

She gave him a look that spoke volumes about what she thought they should do with those hours and his body woke up with a vengeance. Still holding her in his arms, he stood and took off for the room-sized shower with its dozens of jets.

“Damn straight, sweetheart.”

C
LAIRE STEPPED
INTO the outdated lobby and breathed in the scent of old cooking grease and tropical air freshener. In a place where the actual air carried the heady scent of fresh flowers, masking it with a canned spray felt especially offensive. They weren’t there for the ambience, she reminded herself. If Luke bought the building, it would be a tear-down, and they’d start from scratch. The land the hotel stood on made it more than worth considering. They were only a few blocks from the ocean, and she’d bet when they got to the higher floors, there’d be a spectacular view of the water.

“As you can see, it’s been awhile since anyone paid attention to the property,” said the agent. “That combined with the motivated seller means you should be able to walk into this at a very nice price point. Let me show you the view from a couple of the floors and then we can walk the lot if you’d like.”

Unlike so many of the women who came in contact with her husband, the pretty agent seemed immune to Luke. She noticed the wedding band and engagement ring on the woman’s hand and smiled, wondering what her husband was like and whether she was happy in her marriage. Not that being married had stopped other women from losing their minds and mentally drooling around Luke. She used to call it the
your wish is my command
complex.

Between his money and his looks, Luke rarely had trouble getting people, especially women, to do what he wanted. It was one of the biggest hurdles they’d faced when they first got together. He was so used to getting his way without thinking about it. He’d just assumed she’d fall in line too. It had taken every bit of her will to disabuse him of the notion. In his defense, he’d grown exponentially from the selfish billionaire playboy she’d fallen in love with. The man beside her had proved himself to be an exceptional father and husband. In lots of ways, she felt as though he’d turned into the more evolved of the two of them. It was another thing that didn’t sit well.

The elevator doors slid open onto a dark, narrow hallway. If they did the project, she’d want to pay extra attention to the lighting in the common areas on the condo floors. It might not make sense to maximize the views in the spaces people passed through, but she could use the lighting plan to enhance the open natural feel she already envisioned for the building.

The agent opened the door to one of the unoccupied units and Claire sucked in a breath. A long, dark hallway ended with a standard sliding glass door, but on the other side of the five-foot opening stretched the Pacific Ocean in all its unadulterated glory. Ignoring the tiny boxes of rooms stacked along the right side of the unit, she headed straight for the tiny balcony barely large enough for a plastic lawn chair but with a view that would make anyone who owned the place lucky to live there. If they were doing a tear-down, the ways to maximize the floor plan were almost limitless and her mind raced with images of big, airy rooms that moved seamlessly between inside and out. Her fingers practically itched to start sketching and she felt an excitement for work she hadn’t experienced in months.

“What do you think?” Luke rested his hands on her shoulders as they watched the palm trees sway below.

“I want it.”

As the words came out of her mouth, she ignored the logistics and let herself sink for just a moment into the satisfaction that came from taking a space and turning it into something beautiful. Something breathtaking if they did it right. Behind her, she felt Luke let out his breath and wondered whether she’d misread him.

The past year had been such a whirlwind. So much of their focus had been on getting married and getting Bella there safely. She was only now realizing that they hadn’t really talked about how that would shape the way they worked together. It felt so shortsighted and like one more thing she was doing wrong. She’d forged ahead, trying to balance what she wanted with what she’d grown up with. She’d never asked him what he expected. What if what he wanted was for her to take a less active role in the business, not more active? Their daughter certainly deserved a mother who wasn’t distracted all the time. Pictures of the light, airy rooms faded and she tried to ignore the disappointment that took their place.

“If it’s what you want.” She turned to face him and pitched her voice low enough so only he heard her.

His forehead creased, and he arched one of his brows, but he nodded before ushering her back into the unit. They toured condos on two more floors, not pausing to do more than take in the view. By the time they reached the penthouse level, Claire was so twisted up inside, she wasn’t sure what to hope for. Again the glass doors were much too small; probably in an attempt to minimize energy costs. But the view was better than she could have hoped for.

They were nowhere near the height Luke’s building would be if he decided to build on the spot. Standing in the center of the small living room, they’d already exceeded the height of the buildings around them, giving the unit what felt like an infinite view of the ocean. The urge to get a pencil in her hand roared back with a vengeance. She turned away from the view, hoping that for once in her life, her face didn’t give away every conflicted emotion she felt. She heard Luke say something to the agent about wanting to look at the grounds and then they were following her out of the unit.

“Do you have children?” the agent asked, while they waited for the ancient elevator.

Claire went very still, and beside her, she felt Luke waiting. She’d been so caught up in Hawaii and picturing what they could do in this spot, she hadn’t thought about Bella since she walked into the lobby. The guilt she’d worked so hard to push back settled over her like an itchy blanket, stifling in the tropical heat.

“We have a daughter.” Luke took her hand and gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze. She could practically feel him trying to pull her back to the present with him.

“Oh, how old is she?”

“Six months,” said Claire, finally finding her voice. “Do you have children?” She followed the other woman into the badly carpeted elevator with faux woodgrain paneling.

“Two boys. Five and two,” said the woman with obvious pride.

It was silly. They’d just met. Claire didn’t know her at all, but suddenly, looking at the woman who had a career and kids and still managed to look happy and sane, it felt as if Claire was face to face with someone who had the answer to all her problems.

“How do you manage it?” she blurted, swallowing hard when her voice cracked.

“Oh Lord.” The other woman shook her head and smiled. “You’re assuming I do. It’s not a smart idea to say this to someone who I’m trying to convince to trust me with their business, but I barely remember my name some days.”

“Thank God.” The words were out of her mouth before she thought about how they sounded. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay,” said the agent, laying a reassuring hand on Claire’s arm. “Honestly, it is. You’re right in the middle of the hardest part and everything is so new.”

“Does it get easier?”

The woman paused before she answered. “It gets different. Some things get easier and some things get harder, but you’ll get better at managing it all.”

“How do you do it? Balance a career you obviously care about with having a family and a relationship? I’m sorry.” Claire tipped her head to the side. “That’s too personal. Forget I asked. My mouth’s gotten ahead of my brain.”

“No,” said the woman. “I’m happy to talk about it. I don’t think I’d have survived any of it if I hadn’t had girlfriends to talk to.”

The elevator bounced to a stop on the main floor and the doors slid open. Luke put his hand along the jamb and waited for her and the other woman to get out of the car, but once they were back in the lobby, he stayed a pace behind her, clearly giving her the space she needed to talk. She should let it go. The polite thing would be to change the subject back to the building the woman was trying to sell them, but Claire wanted to know what she knew so badly; she waited a few beats instead.

“To answer your question,” said the woman, moving seamlessly across the lobby to the door to the outside pool area. “I’m not sure you can balance it all—not by yourself and not every day. Some days I’m a better mom and some days I’m better at my job. The hardest part is making time for my marriage, but I have a great husband. He doesn’t let me push us aside for too long, and he shoulders half of the kid-wrangling. More than half in the summer. He’s a teacher.”

She smiled when she said it and Claire didn’t have to wonder whether the other woman was happy in her marriage. The love she felt for her husband shone clearly in her eyes.

“I couldn’t do any of it without him. Now I’m the one oversharing.” She waved her hand in front of her face.

“No,” said Claire, hurrying to reassure her. “You’ve been a huge help.”

“Don’t worry.” The woman met Claire’s gaze with clear, determined dark eyes. “And don’t beat yourself up. You’ll figure out what works for all of you. Now, let me show you the grounds so I can close this deal.”