Frenched (8 page)

So, so long.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered we were standing on the street, but I couldn’t resist bringing my other hand to Lucas’s jaw, desire rippling anew at the feel of his stubble on my palm. I even liked the way it felt on my lips and face—a little scratchy and rough, but new and different and exotic.

Lucas broke off the kiss and looked at me with concern in his eyes.

“Mia. I don’t want you to think I—”

“Shhh.” I put a finger on his lips. “I’m not thinking anything right now except that I want you to kiss me again.”

He smiled and brought his mouth to mine once more. Shyly, I tasted his lips with my tongue, and I was rewarded with a low moan from the back of his throat as well as the soft stroke of his tongue against mine, just once.

Oh my God. I’m shaking, I want him so badly.

I pulled back slightly. “Let’s go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” The word was out before he even finished the question. “And I want to tell you something.” I put a hand on his chest. It was warm and hard, and damn, I wanted to see it naked. “I do not now, nor will I ever, think you’re anything less than a perfect gentleman, OK? I can tell that you’re worried about something—maybe moving too quickly or being too forward or maybe it’s the whole canceled wedding thing—”

“All of the above.”

“—but unless you’ve got a girlfriend back in New York or a criminal past or a creepy insect collection at your apartment, I really, really, really want to come over.”

He chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling the way I liked. “No, no, and
definitely
no. I only want to be sure you’re comfortable with it.”

“I am.” I gave him a quick kiss on the lips for being so sweet. “I like you, Lucas. And I know exactly what I’m doing.”

That was a huge lie. Enormous. The Arc de Triomphe of lies.

I wanted Lucas like crazy, if my underwear was any indication. But I had no idea what I was doing.

I just knew that I liked it.

We didn’t talk a lot on the way to his apartment, but he held my hand the entire time, and I had to try really hard not to start skipping. Had it really been just last night I was shuffling down these streets, miserable and alone, hating couples acting just like we were right now? It seemed impossible to believe how my luck had completely reversed.

“This is my street.” Lucas turned left, giving my hand a squeeze.

I glanced around, taking in the seven-story buildings of light stone with detailed entrances and decorative iron railings on the windows. At the street level were a few shops and cafes, but mostly it appeared to be a residential street. I saw no other people out and about and only one car passed us as we walked. “Quiet neighborhood.”

At least until I start screaming your name.

Jesus, Mia, stop it! What if he’s not thinking what you’re thinking?

“It is, pretty much,” Lucas said, letting go of me to take a key from his pocket. He went up to a large set of black double doors under a stone pediment and stuck his key in the one on the right. Then he paused to look over his shoulder at me, a grin on his face. “But I have double-paned windows, so we can be as loud as we want.”

Oh, he’s so thinking it.

I slapped him lightly on the back. “You’re awfully confident.”

He pushed open the door and stood back to let me enter first, a look of exaggerated innocence on his face. “I meant when I play you some records. Didn’t you want to look at my vinyl?”

His naked ass was what I wanted to look at, but I thought that might be too forward to say, so I just bit my lip and moved past him into the building.

“I’m on the third floor.” He took my hand and we climbed the stairs, my anticipation rising with each step.

He unlocked the apartment door and pushed it open, again allowing me to enter first. I gasped when he switched on some overhead lights.

“Oh my God, it’s beautiful!”

The apartment wasn’t big, but it was so stylish and well-appointed, I couldn’t imagine needing anything more. Straight ahead was a living room, and immediately to the left was a tiny but gleaming kitchen—all white with black granite counters. The floors were polished light wood, with a black and ivory chevron rug in the living room.

Lucas switched on a lamp, and I wandered deeper inside, turning in a full circle to admire the warm colors and classic décor, which was somehow elegant and masculine at the same time. The ceiling and moldings were white, but the walls were painted a warm taupe. Against the wall to the right was a brown velvet antique sofa, above which hung three large framed mirrors.

Two huge, floor-to-ceiling windows faced the street, each bracketed with long chocolate-colored silk drapes held back by thick rope tassels. Taking a breath, I turned to my left and drifted into the bedroom area, which was behind an antique dressing screen.

The double bed had a plain ivory, rectangular headboard that looked like it was upholstered in leather but I wasn’t close enough to touch it—yet. With my stomach jumping, I took in the wall behind the bed, which was papered in brown and white geometric shapes. The bold look was softened by a huge square print of a white rose hanging above the bed.

I looked at Lucas. “Your mother has good taste.”

“She does.” He laid his keys and wallet on a bench in front of the bedroom window. “Although I don’t think she’s stayed here in years. She and Sebastien have a townhouse over on the right bank. Mostly she keeps this for me.” He closed the drapes before turning back to me, and I gave him a sly look through lowered lashes.

“Mama’s boy, huh? Baby of the family?”

Lucas shrugged. “Not really. Maybe she feels guilty for leaving me to move back here when I was so young.”

Nodding slowly, I wondered if he harbored any resentment about that. I’d have asked him, except he was coming toward me with a look in his eye that said I Do Not Want To Talk About My Mother Right Now.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked. “A glass of wine?”

“No, thanks.” My hands were gripping my bag, and I felt unsure of myself all of a sudden. I’d actually never had a one-night stand or even gone home with someone on a first date. Would this be awkward? Should I pretend I didn’t know what I wanted to do? Should I say what I was thinking or try to be coy?

“You don’t look OK. You look nervous.” He tipped up my chin, his brown eyes soft and serious. “No pressure, Mia. We can just hang out and listen to records and drink wine, if you want. Or I can take you back to your hotel and see you tomorrow.”

God, he really was handsome. How had I not seen it from the moment we met? And he was so sweet and funny and interesting, and right now he had way, way,
way
too many clothes on. My confidence returned.

“Oh, no. You’re not getting off that easy.” I dropped my purse to the floor and threw my arms around his neck, crushing my mouth to his. He barely had time to wrap his arms around me when I pulled back slightly. “Well, I don’t know, maybe it will be that easy.”

He laughed, putting his hands beneath my ass and hitching me up so my legs wrapped around his waist. “You are a fucking delight, princess. It’s like you know the dirty jokes in my head I’m too scared to make in front of you.”

Giggling, I kicked off my flats and crossed my ankles behind him.

“Never be scared to make a dirty joke in front of me. I have a surprisingly filthy mind.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Really.”

I nodded. “Are you shocked?”

“Yes. But pleased.”

Our mouths came together again, hotter and hungrier and holy shit he knew how to kiss. Now that we weren’t in a public place, Lucas kissed me in an entirely different way, his full lips opening wide, his tongue sliding between them, thrusting in and out in a way that hinted at what was to come.

Pulling him tighter to me with my legs, I threaded my fingers through those dark curls, luxuriating in the feel of his thick hair in my hands and the gentle scratch of his stubble on my face. Had I really found it unappealing yesterday? Now I couldn’t get enough of it, and I was desperate to feel his weight on me, his bare skin on mine, his naked body between my legs.

“I can’t believe this,” I whispered as his hot mouth traveled down my neck.

“Me either. But I can’t say I haven’t been thinking about it all day.” His words were muffled against my skin and I felt the vibrations of his voice on my throat, sending another current of desire sluicing through me. He moved toward the bed and lowered me onto my back. “Give me one second.”

I released my hold on him, and he straightened, ditched his shoes and shrugged out of his coat, which he tossed on the window seat. Now that he wore only the fitted t-shirt, I could better appreciate the lean muscularity of his upper body, which tapered to a trim waist. I slipped my jacket from my shoulders as well and tossed it over his on the bench. Then leaning back on my hands, I stared at his perfect ass as he opened a small armoire against the wall.

Oh my God, he’s so fucking hot. And he’s been thinking about me like this all day?
I felt giddy, like a teenager with a first crush. I needed to get my hands on him—it took all my willpower to stay on the bed.

“Any requests?” he asked.

“Take off your pants.”

He grinned at me over his shoulder. “I meant music.”

“Oh. Hmmmm.” I rested my chin on my shoulder. “Don’t you have an American Chick in My Apartment playlist?”

“No, as a matter of fact, I don’t.”

“Well then…you can choose.”

I nodded, and a moment later, music pulsed softly from hidden speakers. Lucas turned around and took off his t-shirt, dropping it to the floor. No lie, I licked my lips, unable to take my eyes off his bare chest, tight abs, and naked back while he went into the other room to turn off the lights.

He returned to the bedside just as my patience was at the breaking point, and he left the lamp on the nightstand burning.

“Come here,” he said.

On my knees, I moved to the edge of the bed, my legs quivering. I wanted this, wanted it badly, but it had been so long since I’d been with anyone besides Tucker…I was simultaneously ecstatic and terrified. Lucas cradled my face in his hands and kissed the tip of my nose. I could practically feel the heat radiating from his bare skin, and my hands ached to touch him.

“We only go as far as you want to,” he whispered, planting kisses on each cheek, my forehead, my lips, and then bending to rub his lips on my throat.

As far as I wanted to go? My mind exploded with all the far places I wanted to go with Lucas. Extremely far places. Places so remote I’d never even
thought
about visiting them with anyone else before.

“Lucas.” I slid my hands up the sizzling skin on his chest. “My blouse hooks behind my neck. Stop talking and undo it.”

Once he’d lifted my blouse from my arms and set it aside, he lowered his mouth to my shoulder and reached behind me to undo my strapless bra. Chills cascaded down my arms as cool air swept over my breasts. Finally we were both naked from the waist up, and Lucas wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, our bare chests pressed together. “You’re so beautiful.” His voice was reverent and raw at the same time, and his hot torso against mine made my blood go from simmering to molten.

I slid my hands up his shoulders as his mouth slanted over mine. Lucas’s touch was warm on my skin, but I shivered when he moved one hand to my stomach and up my chest, brushing his thumb across one nipple. It tingled beneath his touch and I arched my back, desperate for more.

“Oh God, your body,” he murmured, dropping his lips to the swell of one breast. He kissed his way to its peak and circled my nipple with his tongue before taking it in his mouth and sucking gently. My mouth dropped open, my breath coming hard.
I have to get my hands on him.

Running one hand down the front of his jeans, my core clenched when I felt how hard and thick he was. Slowly I rubbed my hand up and down the solid length of his cock through his pants and imagined what he would feel like inside me. It was enough to make me stop breathing momentarily.

I reached for his zipper.

But before I could get it down, Lucas looped an arm around my back and moved us lengthwise on the bed, bracing his arms at my sides and settling his hips over mine. Then he kissed me again, setting fire to my lips and tongue as I widened my knees and slid my hands down his lower back.

Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygod.
Just the weight of his hard, tight body between my legs was goddamn glorious. And when he started to move—

Jesus, did I just yelp?

I couldn’t help it. Gripping his ass, I pulled him into me, feeling his hard cock right where I needed it, even through two layers of underwear and two pairs of jeans. I gasped, bucking up against him, feeling more than ever like a teenager, about to go off just from this. We still had our pants on, for fuck’s sake.
But God, I’m close already! If he just keeps the rhythm steady, keeps his dick right there, yes, yes, yes, yes, right there, maybe moves a little quicker…
I yanked him into me harder and moved my hips faster.

“Mia, Mia.” Lucas swept his lips across my cheek to my earlobe, which he took between his teeth for a second. “Slow down, gorgeous. I’m not in a rush.”

“I know, but it just feels so good, and it’s been so long since I…I don’t want it to go away,” I whimpered.

He picked his head up and looked at me strangely. “Don’t want what to go away?”

“My orgasm.”

“Your orgasm goes away?”

I opened my eyes and peeked at him. “Well, let’s just say it’s only made a rare appearance during actual sex these last couple years. So when I feel one coming on, I—”

“You feel one coming on already?” The pride in his voice was unmistakable.

“Yes, so please don’t stop.” I kissed his chin, his jaw, his throat. “God, you smell good.” Burying my face in his neck, I breathed him in, digging my heels into the back of his thighs.

“Mia.” Lucas took my wrists and pinned them next to my ears on the pillow. “Look at me, please.”

“That’s not going to help me slow down.” But I looked up at his handsome face, my heart beating faster still as I took in the full lips, the straight nose, the long lashes.

“Listen. I don’t know what kind of assholes you’ve been with before, but I promise you, your orgasm will not only make an appearance tonight, it will be the star of the show.”

My nipples perked up even more. “Really?”

“Really.” He slid down my body, trailing kisses from my lips down the center of my chest to my belly button. Then he unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans, rubbing his mouth and chin back and forth just above the lace of my underwear. “In fact, I will venture to say that there may even be an encore or two.”

“Oh. My. God.” Yanking the pillow from beneath my head, I smushed it over my face before screaming into it. Loud.

The warm breath of Lucas’s laughter tickled low on my belly. “I haven’t even done anything yet.”

“Yes, you have.” My words were muffled by the pillow, so I lifted it up slightly and looked down at him. “Yes, you have. You have no idea.”