Steal My Breath (Elixir #1) (14 page)

I
kneel
on the bed between Callie’s legs and run my gaze over her body. I’ve heard her complain about it before, but I have no idea why because the body I’m looking at right now is perfection. I love how she’s toned but not muscular and that her curves have just enough softness that I can grip onto. I’d take her however she comes, but in my opinion, she shouldn’t change a thing.

Her long, blonde hair fans across the bed under her and those beautiful blue-grey eyes look up at me with the kind of look a man craves from his woman. It’s a mix of hunger, longing and hope. I’d do anything to have her always watch me this way.

Taking hold of her hips, I bend and kiss her stomach. When her fingers thread through my hair, I shift my eyes so I can hold her gaze. I continue to hold it while I kiss a line up her body to her collarbone. Her legs wrap around me, and I move my hips so I can run my dick through her wetness. Thank fuck I’ve already got a condom on—I’m not sure how long I’ll last before the need to sink into her overwhelms me.

She claws at my back as she moans. “Luke, you’re driving me wild. How much longer are you going to take?”

I suck her neck. Her neck could hold my attention for days. “Baby, I could take hours yet. I’ve been waiting too long for you.” It’s been months of holding myself back while I tried to sort my life out and weeks of waiting for this night to happen. I laid her out on this bed an hour ago and as far as I’m concerned, an hour is nowhere near enough. I need my fill of Callie. The taste I had of her in the shower only fuelled my greed.

Her hands grasp my face, and she positions my mouth so she can catch it in a kiss. Her lips occupy a special place in my heart. Soft, delicious and addictive, they never fail to dishevel my thoughts. Some days they’re downright dangerous.

I groan into her mouth. “You make it hard, though,” I rasp when I come up for air.

“Hard to do what?” She seems as dazed as I feel.

I nip at her lips. “You make it hard for a man to hold out.”

A slow, sexy smile takes over her face. “Good,” she whispers as she tightens her legs around me. “Maybe you could stop holding out and then we could go again later.”

“You’re not about delaying gratification, are you?”

“Nope. Why wait for something you know is going to be so good?”

I suck her bottom lip into my mouth before taking over both her lips. They’re swollen from the kisses I’ve stolen tonight. “Because when you finally get it, it’ll be fucking amazing.”

Her eyes glaze over. “Kinda like you?”

“Huh?”

Her hands slide up my back to my neck, and she tangles her fingers in my hair. “I’ve waited all year for you, and now I have you, you’re fucking amazing. So I guess you could say I
am
into this delayed gratification. But, I don’t agree that waiting was such a good thing. I would rather have spent all that time with you rather than trudging through the guys I had—”

I cut her off. “I hated watching you go through those guys. That dating site needs to be shut down.”

Her lips twitch with amusement. “Thinking back now, you
were
pretty shitty about it. At the time, I just thought you were being a bastard putting down my dating habits, but now I can see th—”

“That I was jealous as fuck,” I growl.

She lifts her head off the bed so she can kiss me. “For the love of God, will you just put me out of my misery? All I’m asking for is one orgasm and then you can do whatever you want to my body for however long you want.”

Callie has this way of snaking herself into the deepest corner in my heart—the corner I thought I’d closed off. I’ve spent a good part of the last year trying to keep her out, but I’m slowly grasping that she’s not a woman who can be kept out. Not when it’s my heart in question. She just bulldozes her way through.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to say no to her.

I glide my dick along her pussy again, not taking my eyes off hers for a second. When I push inside her, I take in the flare of need in those eyes. And when I’m buried as far as I can be, I watch the slow-motion movement of her lashes hitting her skin as her eyes close. Her bottom lip being drawn into her mouth follows. The sequence ends with her teeth biting down on that lip.

I pull out and push back in with a little more force. Her legs clench around me and hold on for what’s next. I’m still warming up, though, and I slow for a moment so I can indulge in her lips again.

Her eyes flutter open when our mouths meet.

“You have no idea…” I say between kisses. “How much I want you.”

I pull out and slowly enter her again.

Fuck.

If tonight never ended, I’d die a happy man.

We move together in perfect rhythm. The pleasure intoxicates me, gradually taking complete control until I can’t slow this down anymore. As much as I want to delay and savour the intense bliss pulsing through my body, I’m now focused on one thing only.

I thrust in.

Callie moans as her fingers claw my back.

My senses are flooded, and my need intensifies.

We move closer.

Even closer.

So damn close.

“Luke!” she cries out as she comes. She stills as her head pushes back against the pillow and her back arches up off the bed.

I watch as she completely abandons herself to the orgasm. It’s a fucking beautiful sight. But as much as I want to slow myself right down to focus all my attention on every intricate detail of her surrender, I can’t. I keep pumping in and out of her, chasing my own release.

When it hits a few moments later, the pleasure is so fucking intense and unlike any orgasm I’ve ever had. It’s so much more—powerful and all-consuming.

I lose myself.

Everything is left behind.

All the pain.

The hopelessness.

Every ounce of desperation.

Gone.

In this moment, everything burns brightly.

It’s a frenzy of light and ecstasy and hope.

So much hope.

As I move through it, all I see is Callie. And when I finally open my eyes, I find her staring up at me, those beautiful eyes completely focused on mine.

Her hands ghost along my skin to bring her fingers to my hair. As they tangle there, she whispers, “That was amazing.”

I drop a kiss on her lips and say, “
You’re
amazing.”

Silence surrounds us for the next few minutes while we simply watch each other. I commit her face to memory—every freckle, every line, every contour.

Finally, I loosen my hold on her and pull out. Pushing up off the bed, I say, “Don’t move. I’ll be back.”

I head into the bathroom to dispose of the condom. When I return, her eyes are closed. I slow my movements so I can take the time to appreciate her beauty. Our future stretches ahead of us. We have years to explore each other’s body, thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, faults and everything else that makes us who we each are. I realise that I’m an impatient bastard when it comes to Callie.

I want all of her now.

I want to know it all right now.

I don’t want to take my time anymore.

Her eyes blink open, and she hits me with a lazy smile. Beckoning me, she says, “Come here.”

When she has me next to her, on my side, she rolls and drapes a leg over my hip. Her hand traces patterns along the dip of my waist. “You are sexy as hell, Luke Hardy.”

“Not as sexy as you. Especially when you’ve got that black shit on your face and cling wrap in your hair.”

She pokes her tongue at me. “I might start wearing that black shit every day if you think it’s that sexy.”

I smirk. “Knock yourself out. I’m man enough to take one for the team every day and remove it.”

She wiggles so that her body is hard up against mine. Fuck, I could get used to this.

“What time do you have to go?” she asks softly, clearly not ready for me to leave anytime soon.

I smile and rub my thumb over her cheek. After I press a kiss to her lips, I say, “I don’t have to leave tonight if you don’t want me to.”

Her eyes widen a little. “What about Sean?”

“Paris,” I murmur as I move my mouth to her neck and begin getting lost there again.

The last thing I hear her say before I’m completely lost to her is, “I fucking love Paris.”

“
S
o
, you owe me for last night,” Avery says as she paints my toes.

“Because?”

“Well, how do you think Luke managed to leave work early to come over?”

“I had wondered that but forgot to ask him. Shall I pay you in Chupa Chups?”

She finishes with my toes and looks at me from across the couch. We’ve been sitting here for the last few hours discussing everything from her family to Luke to world news. I can’t remember the last time the two of us had a Saturday night girls' night.

“I got lucky the day I found you, babe.”

I grin, ignoring her sarcasm. “You really did.”

“So, when are you seeing Luke next?”

“Tomorrow. I’m going over for breakfast, and then he’s taking me out for the day.”

“I’m impressed with our Luke Hardy,” she says. “He’s a tough man to please at work, but I’d say you’ve got him wrapped around your little finger. I’m glad it’s him because he’s treating you right. And you deserve that.”

I know she’s comparing Luke to my previous boyfriend. Mark was a dick, but I was blind to it for a long time. Or perhaps just desperate to find someone to love me, that I ignored all the signs. It wasn’t that he always treated me badly, he was just too engrossed in himself to consider my thoughts and feelings very often. Plus, he had a temper, so we spent a lot of time arguing. That relationship lasted just over two years, and then I tackled online dating in my effort to find someone to cherish me.

“Right, now it’s time to talk about you and Tyler. When are you two going to get your shit together?”

“No… There’s nothing there,” she says, but it’s obvious she doesn’t quite believe it. The hesitation in her voice is a dead giveaway.

“Oh, there is definitely something there. You two have been flirting for months. I vote you sleep with him and see where it leads.”

“Tyler is a player, Callie. I’m not going there.”

My eyes widen as realisation hits me. “You like him too much to just sleep with him, don’t you?” Avery doesn’t give her heart easily, but when she does, she loves fiercely. She can do casual sex with guys that mean nothing to her, but not with someone she’s actually interested in. She did this once, and the outcome wasn’t pretty. It took her almost a year to get over that guy.

She takes a moment to respond. “I like him. Which means I can’t sleep with him because we all know what happens when Tyler sleeps with someone.”

Yes, we do. It never lasts very long, because he soon grows bored. He’s a good guy, but he has ADD when it comes to women.

I sigh. Motioning towards the bag of Doritos on the couch near her, I say, “Pass me the chips. I think we need all the chips tonight to deal with this development.”

She nods. “Yeah. That and alcohol.”

T
he next morning
, I arrive at Luke’s house bright and early. Avery consumed alcohol last night, but I refrained because I knew I had to be here by seven-thirty. Luke told me to come later if I wanted, but what I want more than sleep is to get to know him and his son. Sean is up early ready for breakfast, so that means I am too.

Paris meets me at the door with a huge smile. “You’re keen,” she says. “I like your dedication.”

“I like yours, too. Thank you for Friday night.”

Her eyes light up, and she waves me away. “That was nothing. Anytime you guys want a night, just let me know.”

“Well, it might have been nothing to you, but it was everything to me.”

Her features soften. “You’re something else. I’m so happy Luke has found you.” She steps aside to let me in. “They’re at the dining table.”

I make the short journey to where she directed and come to a stop as I take in the sight before me. Luke and Sean are seated next to each other at the table with a plate of cut-up oranges between them. They each hold a fork and after Sean stabs at a piece of orange and places it in his mouth, he says, “Your turn.” The joy in his voice rings out loud and clear, and I sense this is a cherished ritual between them.

Luke smiles and says, “Which piece should I choose?”

Sean bounces excitedly in his seat as he points one out. “This one.”

Luke messes his hair and smiles. “Looks good to me, little man.”

At that moment, Sean looks up and catches sight of me. Grinning, he says, “Callie!” He then turns to his father and says, “Can Callie be part of our orange party today, Daddy?”

Luke finds my eyes and smiles. Oh, dear God, he’s bringing out the big guns today.
That smile
. “Do you like oranges?” he asks.

Hell, even if I didn’t, I would say yes. “I do.”

He jerks his head towards the kitchen. “Grab a fork and join our party.”

I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about eating oranges. When I take a seat on the other side of Sean and take my first piece of orange, I know for sure that I’ve never loved eating them this much.

We each take turns choosing a piece of orange. It soon becomes apparent which pieces are the most coveted and I leave them for Sean. He prefers the middle pieces rather than the ends. Luke also leaves them for him.

When we finish, I say, “Have you guys been partying with oranges for long?”

Luke’s lips twitch.

Sean nods. “Yes. Grandpa showed me first and then Daddy did it.”

“It’s something Dad started with him. Orange parties were their thing.”

I place my fork on the plate. “Well, I like it.”

“You should come every day. We have parties at breakfast,” Sean says as he looks at me expectantly.

“Callie can’t come every day, Sean. She has work to go to during the week,” Luke says.

Sean’s face falls. “Oh, okay. But maybe on the weekends?”

I nod. “I’ll come whenever I can.”

He smiles again. And then a mischievous glint hits his eyes. “Maybe when you come, we can have pancakes and ice cream, too.”

Luke shakes his head. “That was a special breakfast,” he says as I fight to hold back the laugh bubbling up. Sean is a master negotiator, but his father holds strong. I love watching them together.

Paris enters the kitchen and glances at us. “I’m heading out now, Luke. What time do you need me home for Sean?”

“Three if possible. I want to go through some paperwork before work tonight.”

She nods. “No problem. I’ll see you then.”

I watch her leave and figure Sean is spending the day with us. I have no problem with this. But as Paris leaves, I hear her welcome someone else into the house. I don’t recognise the voice of who she is speaking to.

A moment later, a short, dark-haired woman joins us, her eyes firmly fixed on me. Those eyes are hard and a little unnerving. “You must be Callie,” she says, her voice as hard as her eyes.

“Yes. Hi,” I say, trying to put some warmth into my voice.

Before Luke can introduce us, she says, “I’m Glenda—Luke’s sister-in-law. Jolene’s sister.” She adds the last two words with emphasis as if she’s trying to remind me that Luke is married.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” I say.

It’s not.

How the hell is Luke surrounded by women I take an instant disliking to?

Luke finally gets a word in. “Thanks for today, Glenda. Sean’s looking forward to it.”

“Oh, he’s not coming with us?” I ask. I’d much rather that than leaving him here with her. Something about this woman rubs me the wrong way, and I’m not sure I’d trust her with my son if I had one.

Luke shakes his head. “No, he’s hanging out with Auntie Glenda.” Leaning close, he murmurs, “I’m not ready to share you yet.”

I’m not ready to share him either, but I’ll always share him with his son.

Luke stands and clears the orange party plate away. “You hungry, Glenda? I’m about to make bacon and eggs.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t touch her eyes. “I’d love some breakfast.”

Oh, goodie.

Yay.

Not.

When she sits opposite me, I push my chair back so I can go help Luke.

“You don’t need to help,” he says as he fries the bacon.

I place my hand on his ass and smile up at him. “Can I pretend I’m helping? Just so I can stand near you?” I speak quietly enough so that Glenda and Sean can’t hear. Besides, Sean has already engaged his aunt in conversation. And as much as she appears to be straining to hear what I’m saying, there’s no way she’s escaping her nephew.

“Baby, any time you wanna put that hand on my ass, you go right ahead,” he says, his voice quiet, but deep.

“I think you’re going to become my drug of choice,” I say as my tummy does somersaults. Being this close to him is one thing, but when he uses that voice on me, I’m done for.

His arm slides around my waist, and he dips his mouth to mine for a kiss. When he pulls away, he says, “You’re already mine, Callie.”

He lets me go so he can direct his energy to cooking, and I just stand by helpless to think straight.

Please, God, never let this change.

I need Luke to always look at me that way.

And speak to me like that.

I’m not naïve to believe we’ll never have problems, but so long as my man feels enough for me to give me those things, we can get past anything.

“
H
ow did you two meet
?” Glenda asks as she and I are packing the dishwasher. Luke is getting Sean ready for his day out.

Breakfast was a chore. She spent the whole meal sucking up Luke’s ass and pandering to Sean. He was fussy during breakfast again, and she tried to argue on his behalf to Luke. I wanted to gag. Luke didn’t back down, and all she achieved was to inspire more tears from Sean.

“We met at his bar about a year ago. My best friend works full-time with him,” I answer her question begrudgingly. I don’t want to give her any information.

“Oh…” She doesn’t end that sentence, and it pisses me off. Her tone is bitchy as fuck.

“Oh, what?” I demand, my body tensing.

She stops what she’s doing and turns to face me completely. “Oh, so you’re a bit of fun for him that he found at his bar.”

The bitch.

Jesus, they’re flying at me thick and fast around here.

“I wouldn’t say that.” I restrain myself, mindful that this woman is related to Luke.

“What
would
you say? Luke’s hardly interested in anyone at the moment.”

“What does that mean?”

“Do you know his history, honey?”

I place my hand on my hip. “Yes, I know his history,” I snap, unable to control myself.

“Do you really think someone who’s been through what he’s been through is ready to find a long-term woman? If it were me, I’d only want some quick fun for a while.”

My chest tightens with anger. That and the urge to scratch her eyes out. “You know nothing about our relationship, Glenda, and I don’t appreciate your bitchy comments.”

Her eyes widen. And then they darken. She leans so close that when she speaks, her hot breath causes my nose to wrinkle. “I’m just looking out for the man my sister screwed over. He’s been through a lot in the last two years. Things you can’t even imagine. And he doesn’t need another woman to come into his life and fuck him over again. So, you take a long hard think about your intentions before this goes much further.”

My hand clenches at my side while I think about slapping her. “Take a step back and never say that to me again. I know what your sister did to him, and I am not like that woman at all. I don’t know if you’ve got some hidden agenda here besides looking out for Luke. If you do, I’d suggest you forget it, because he’s mine now.” My chest is pumping furiously as my anger reaches boiling point.

We glare at each other until Luke interrupts us. He’s oblivious to what has just transpired. “Sean’s ready, Glenda. Thank you for today.”

“Always, Luke. Whenever you need me, I’m happy to help.” She reaches her arms out for Sean, who happily moves into her embrace. “Sean and I are going to have so much fun at the museum today.”

“Yay!” Sean exclaims.

This woman standing in front of me now is a one-eighty turnaround to the woman who just spewed poison at me, and all I can do is stare in confusion.

After she and Sean say goodbye to Luke, she turns to face me. “Goodbye, Callie.”

I watch her leave and can’t help but think her goodbye insinuated that she thinks she’ll never see me again.

Luke moves behind me and his arms snake around my waist. “I’ve finally got you all to myself.”

“And what are you going to do with me?” I ask as I run my hands down his arms.

Turning me in his embrace, he says, “What I’m going to do and what I’d like to do are two very different things.”

“Are you going to share with me what they are?”

“I’d
like
to strip these clothes off you and spend the next six hours fucking you, but what I’m
going
to do is take you out on a date.”

Whoosh.

Lust hits me right in my core.

“You know I’d be good with either of those options,” I say.

His lips curl at the ends. “I thought you might be, but we both know I’m all about delayed gratification.”

I smack his chest lightly. “Pfft, we both know
I’m
not. You should take that into consideration every now and then.”

He chuckles. “I will, but not today. Today is all about me. And what I really want is to get to know you better.” He smacks my butt. “We need to get going.”

“Okay, just let me grab my bag.”

Five minutes later, we’re in his BMW heading to a destination unknown to me. When I asked him, he refused to tell me.

As he pulls the car out of his street, he says, “How did you go with that sugar tax article you were writing?”

I settle back in my seat, loving the view of him driving. Those strong arms of his, and his masculine hands all over the steering wheel. Call me strange, but there’s just something about being driven around by a man. “I decided I am definitely for a sugar tax, so long as the money goes toward educating the public more about the dangers of sugar. I also decided you are right that there’s a deeper wound in society that needs more attention and why not impose a tax to try to help fund that initiative. I don’t believe a tax would necessarily fix the problem, but it could be a weapon in the battle.”