One Fiery Night (6 page)

Suddenly he lifted his head. Their gazes clashed. Bolts of lightning sounded in her mind as the electricity flashed.

“Christ, Josie.” He plucked her off her feet and stood in one fluid motion, bearing her across the short span of the room. He kicked aside a desk chair and leaned against the desk. Pressing on the small of her back, he brought her hips flush against his.

She gasped as his steely length ground against her lower belly. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she yanked him down. Flicking her tongue over his lower lip, she rocked into him.

His reaction was swift. He pinched the clasp on her bra and popped it. The lacy cups fell away from her body, sending a shiver of heat through her. He peeled the fabric off and dropped it without a care. Then he opened her waistband with one practiced tug.

She smoothed her hands over his roped muscles, learning each cut and swell. The thickness of his shoulders drove her wild. She needed to feel him over her, his weight pressing her down, making her feel more precious and safe than she had in years.

Plucking at the short hairs on the back of his head, she parted her lips to his plundering tongue. Lust spiked in her core. Her nipples drew up as hard as gems against his warm flesh.

He captured one nipple between his fingers, rolling it, pinching it with a slow, steady pressure that made her cry out. Juices flowed out of her sex and wet her panties further. The afternoon with Luke had been the worst kind of foreplay. Keeping their distance for Maggie’s sake had been torture. And the times Luke had touched her had sent her from simmering to boiling in milliseconds. For hours, she’d existed in a state of absolute need. Now she planned to take what she wanted, and more.

Reaching between his legs, she smoothed his length through his worn jeans. The head seemed to pulsate. She craved a taste of his salty come. Still responding to his kisses, she dipped her fingers into his waistband and stroked the tip.

He reared back with a growl. The feral light in his eyes sent tremors of passion through her. This was Luke at his finest, times ten. The young man she’d been in love with early on had morphed into this rough and demanding firefighter.

He shoved her jeans and panties down her hips. Before she could even step out of them, he had her buttocks in hand, kneading them, stretching the flesh apart to allow the cooler air to wash over her intimately.

She moaned and worked on his jeans too. He was still leaning against the desk, so the fabric was trapped. Insistently she tugged. A crooked grin cut a path across his chiseled features and he rocked away from the desk.

“I’ll give you your way this time.” His eyes were candles, holding more than the fires of desire. Could he possibly still feel the same way about her that she did about him? Worry blanketed her once more. He still hadn’t responded to her love words. Not really. Not unless “Christ, Josie” was a response.

She hooked her fingers into his jeans and boxers, pulling them off together. The musky scents of his body filled her head, spearing her with lust all over again. She needed him in every way possible—over her, under her, in her mouth and stretching her heated walls.

A shiver tore down her spine, leaving gooseflesh in its wake. He gave her a smoldering stare. The ice blue of his eyes did nothing to cool her.

He leaned against the desk once more and drew her between his thighs. Hooking an arm under her leg, he pulled it up, planting her foot on the desk. And giving him complete access to her pussy.

A coo left her. Out of her head with need, she dug her fingers into his spine, trying to force him into her, where she most wanted him. He slid his fingers between her legs and circled her throbbing clit. She cried out, tossing her head back.

He swooped in and kissed the arch of her throat as he strummed her button. Dark tendrils of bliss spread through her rapidly—too rapidly. She wanted to savor each exquisite touch, but in seconds, she was pleading with him.

“Make me come, Luke. God, your fingers are so good. Ohhh, yes. There!”

He ground her core into her body, wriggling gently. Cream flooded her inner thighs and his hand. He continued his assault on her throat, nipping the skin down to her breasts.

Gasping, she flipped her head down to watch him swallow one turgid peak on his tongue. Quaking now, she could barely stand. He sucked her nipple as he flicked her clit, driving her higher. Higher.

She splintered with a guttural moan, curling around him, jerking as the waves of ecstasy pounded her. Sanity fled. Her world narrowed to include only this strong man supporting her and bringing about the contractions of her release.

“That’s it, darlin’. Come for me. Drench my fingers. Then I’m going to keep stroking you until you’re on the verge once more. Only then will I fill you with my cock.”

His words inflamed her. She cried out and he found her mouth, swallowing her noises, pulling them from her with his tongue and his rough fingertips. As the last pulsations ebbed away, she collapsed forward.

He cradled the back of her head, tucking her solidly against his shoulder, and buried his finger to the knuckle.

She shattered again. The orgasm struck her from nowhere. But he’d primed her pussy so well, each touch ripped through her. Pumping his finger rapidly in and out, he extended her release. She bucked against his hand, her breathing harsh and ragged in the quiet space.

“Mmm, Josie, baby, that’s it. God, I love seeing you come. Feeling your pussy hug my finger. How about two fingers?” He added a second, stretching her until she hung suspended in a state of orgasmic bliss. Every nerve in her body sang. Just when she didn’t think she could survive another hypersensitive second, he withdrew his fingers.

Her pussy clenched around the emptiness, aching for him already. But he filled her mouth with his tongue even as he rolled a condom onto his thickened shaft and eased into her wet pussy.

She scraped her nails lightly over his shoulders and down his spine, dragging him closer. His flesh was like steel covered with warm velvet.

He tore his mouth from hers and gazed into her eyes. She watched his face convulse in pleasure as he sank his cock to the root. Holding completely still, they stared at each other.

“I can’t withhold myself from you any longer, Josie. This is much more than sex.”

Her heart palpitated and she held her breath, waiting to hear those words. The ones that meant she wasn’t just a walk through the halls of memory, but truly a person he could love in the present. She could move past the pain of their breakup. They’d been young and hadn’t exactly known who they were yet.

He shifted within her. Air rushed from her lungs. She closed her eyes against the heat snapping through her system.

“Look at me, baby. When I start to move within you, I want to look into your eyes. When I tell you I’m still in love with you, I want to see your expression.”

Shock stole her ability to think. Had she heard him correctly?

Silver lights played in his eyes and a smile teased his lips. He brushed his mouth over hers. Before she could respond, he moved away. She followed him and he caught her lower lip with his teeth, tugging lightly.

“Move with me, Josie. Ride my cock.”

She let go of her control and simply let herself feel. Swaying her hips forward, she sank over his length. He hissed his pleasure. She withdrew slowly, holding his gaze. The passion and love in his gaze warmed her heart and soul. Finding him again had been the best thing to happen to her next to the birth of her daughter. Even though she’d lost her home and all her possessions, she’d gained so much more when Luke entered her life again.

His veined erection filled her, stretched her perfectly. Her body clamped down on him and he released a groan. Lashing an arm around her waist, he anchored her solidly against his chest so not a fraction of space was present.

Then, without warning, he plucked her off her feet. She wrapped her thighs around his hips automatically, locking her heels behind him. The desk softly thumped the wall with their movements.

Each thrust nudged her neediest spot, shooting her higher up the incline of need. Rarely had she experienced this sort of lovemaking—the full body, mind and soul kind. Being linked in that moment was like the stars had lined up and the entire universe heralded the news of the love they shared.

She kissed him, flipping her tongue against his as they rocked together in perfectly timed unison. Juices soaked him, easing his path. The fires in her deepest core were raging out of control.

“I’m going to come!”

“Yeah, baby. Give everything to me. Let yourself go. Let me hear you say my name!” He plunged deep once, twice…

With a harsh growl, he came. His orgasm heated her walls, sending her over the edge.

“Luke!”

He swallowed her cry with his mouth, feeding her the rasping growls bursting from him as he spurted his seed.

For long moments she rode the pulsations of bliss. He splayed his big palm over her spine, spanning most of it and making her feel delicate in his hold. His breath fluttered the hair at her temple.

“Mine.”

The single word inspired pure joy in her. A puff of a sigh burst from her chest and a smile spread across her face. She searched his icy eyes and saw only warmth and love.

Holding her gaze, he pushed away from the desk and carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently, their bodies still connected. He stretched over her, bearing his weight on his elbows. His muscles bulged and she couldn’t help but run her hands over them.

“I know it’s only been a few days, Josie, but I mean it when I say you’re mine. I want you in my life every day. It killed me to let you go.”

A sharp pang struck her heart. “Then why did you? I never really understood…”

He dipped his head, hiding his gaze. “Because of Ryan.”

Confusion rose up inside her. What did his brother have to do with anything? Had he persuaded Luke to dump her? And if so, why? She’d always felt a camaraderie with Luke’s brother. They’d felt like family from the start.

“Ryan?”

He shook his head. “Forget it.” He rolled off and walked to the far side of the room. With his back to her, he removed his condom and dropped it into the trash. She watched him fearfully. Would it always be like this for them? A roller coaster of highs and lows? Flashes of pleasure followed by steep drops that ripped her stomach—and heart—out?

“Luke, talk to me.” Her sexual haze had faded and now she lay shivering, alone and cold and more afraid than someone should be after making love to a man who confessed his love for her.

He pivoted but kept in profile. The dim light in the room outlined his muscular body, making him look like a model or a god. To her, he was, and so much more. But she had to know what was going on in that head of his or they’d never resolve the differences between them.

“I saw the things that were going on between you and Ryan.”

Shock tore through her. She jerked upright and was on her feet in a flash. “What?” she practically screamed. “Nothing ever happened with your brother. I-I don’t know how you could think that. I never had contact with him after our relationship ended, and I have no idea where he’s at now.”

“He’s dead.” His voice was flat but held an underlying note of despair.

Her heart clenched. She took a hasty step toward him, wishing to comfort him, but he made a sharp gesture to keep her at bay.

“He died in a fire, trying to pull a family out.”

She stared at Luke’s pained expression and her chest quivered with silent tears. More than anything, she wanted to draw this man into her arms and ease him. But he was apparently angry with her, laboring under the delusion that she and his brother had betrayed him.

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Luke.” Her voice broke and he swung his gaze to hers. For a moment, she stopped breathing. His jaw was set and a tendon violently jumped in the corner.

“I know you were interested in Ryan,” he accused.

“What? Why would you think that? I was never interested in him as more than a friend!” The sticky juices she’d spilled for Luke wet her inner thighs. She crossed her arms over her body to try to still the shaking.

“I saw the way you were starting to look at him. Flirting with him.”

She shook her head. “I-I didn’t. That was your misconception!”

“Really?” He rooted her in place with his sharp gaze. The accusation in his eyes cut her to the quick. Tears prickled her eyelids.

“Luke, it was always you. I never strayed from you. If you hadn’t ended it, I would have hoped to have someday become your wife—”

“Stop it, Josie! At least tell me the truth after all this time!” His bark brought her tears to the surface. They bulged at the roots of her lashes and ran down her face. Devastated, she began to cry in earnest.

“I have no reason to lie about this, Luke. Not ever, but especially not now.”

“If you tell me the truth, maybe I can get past it in my mind and we can make something of this.” He waved a hand to indicate them and the hotel room that was still wreathed with the scents of their passion.

Her heart cracked in two. What could be salvaged after his accusation? He’d dropped her years ago because he felt he couldn’t trust her. What would convince him now?