Chapter 2
ASPEN
Luke kicked his hotel room door shut with his foot, not taking his lips off mine. Holy shit, could he kiss.
Thank God the elevator from the lobby had been empty and same with the hallway to his room.
He might not be from here and staying at the Hunter Valley Lodge, but I was a local.
The problem with small town life was that I ran into people wherever I went.
Grocery store. Gynecologist. It was one thing for others to know you bought extra strength deodorant or had a birth control prescription, it was another having someone I knew witness me all horny and desperate for dick.
Which I was. Horny and desperate for dick.
I was the last single girl among my friends who were getting some on the regular. They shared a little too much when it came to sex details. While I was happy for them, I knew exactly what I was missing. This kind of kissing. This need.
Bridget had fallen for a huge billionaire who was ridiculously obsessed with her.
Maverick James was older and knew that he wanted her the moment they met.
Mallory had fallen for Mav’s doctor brother, Theo.
Lindy had fallen for Mav’s hockey player brother, got married and had a beautiful baby together.
Eve was married to Mav’s other brother, the brilliant CEO of James Corp.
Sadly, there were no more James brothers for me to claim.
Other girlfriends found their men as well.
Melly Harwood fell for Daniel Pearson and while he had four lumberjack brothers–two of whom were ridiculously hot identical twins–none of them did it for me.
And they’d met me more than once and showed no interest in me in return.
Maybe because I was a single mom. Maybe because my boobs were too small or I didn’t eat bacon. It was probably the bacon.
I wasn’t expecting to fall in love like my friends did, but I’d be thrilled to end my sex drought.
With an actual dick, not a dildo the size and shape of a porn star’s like I had hidden in my dresser beneath my bras where Sierra wouldn’t find it.
When Mallory set me up on a blind date with Ronald the Radiologist Theo knew from the hospital, I agreed. Grudgingly.
I was jaded about dating. That meant I’d have to get to know the guy. Believe him when he told me about what he did for a living, how he drank his coffee, if he liked gel or mint toothpaste.
That took trust and I didn’t trust anyone with that stuff.
Not when it came to love. My parents used affection as a motivational tool.
Or the lack of it as punishment. I had a string of loser exs, like the gaslighting liar who already had a wife or the one who didn’t like kids even though he knew I was a single mom.
My last ex had wanted me not for love, but for a political connection to my mother.
Then there had been dates, but one-offs that went nowhere.
There was no doubt I attracted the worst men.
So a relationship with a guy? No way.
What a guy could be good for was sex. A man’s main goal going on a date, especially one with a complete stranger, was to get laid, not get married. Since I had zero luck or skill at keeping a decent guy, I aimed for meaningless, wall-banging sex.
With that in mind, I went into the bar in the Hunter Valley Ski Resort’s main lodge armed; I had on my sexiest dress and beneath, a pink bra and panty set that didn’t leave much to the imagination.
But as the minutes wore on and there was no sign of Ronald, all I could think of was getting into my comfiest yoga pants and ratty t-shirt and eating a bowlful of chia pudding with extra blueberries.
Getting myself off with a toy or my fingers night after night was fine. Fine, not amazing. But being stood up plain sucked.
Except being stood up tonight meant Luke took Ronald’s place.
Luke. Hot, manly, virile, dirty talking Luke.
Not only did we win the first place fifty-dollar prize at trivia–the guy knew all kinds of random sports and entertainment factoids–but I was getting lucky.
Really lucky because Luke was… wow. At least six feet, broad shouldered, had a strong brow that made his blue eyes intense.
Women must drool after his square jaw and his scruff looked intentional, although there was a little nick on the side of his neck proving he was a mortal man with a sharp razor.
His dark hair was covered by a ballcap, but it curled beneath the edge.
At first, I thought maybe he wore it to hide male-patterned baldness, but when I pulled it off in the elevator, nope.
He had thick locks that I tangled my fingers in.
Luke looked like a model, but his nose had a crook in it, indicating it had been broken at some time. It offset his perfection, making him seem less godlike and more… normal.
No, not normal. There was nothing normal about him because when I looked at him for the first time at the bar, my heart skipped a beat. Instant attraction. Immediate desire.
He was… pure, sweet eye candy.
When he told me Ronald wasn’t worth it, I agreed. I didn’t deserve to be stood up, even though my inner voice told me it was, for me, expected. I was mad, sure, but wasn’t surprised I was ignored, that I wasn’t valued enough for the guy to show up even for a drink.
But Luke? He saw me. Wanted me. He’d even offered me chicken wings. His mesmerizing blue eyes had met mine and it felt like… in some strange way, that he saw me. Only me.
His gaze didn’t veer to prettier women, even when I felt their gazes on him.
I didn’t blame them for staring. He was the perfect specimen of a man.
I had no doubt that his good looks were the destroyer of women’s underwear everywhere he went because spending an hour playing a trivia game with him had mine drenched.
Our thighs touched as we sat side by side.
He constantly brushed my shoulder, the ends of my hair.
My fingers. Little caresses that awakened my nerve endings.
I went with him to his room willingly. Easily. We made it to the elevator, the doors barely closed before we were kissing.
Now, oh my God! We were in his room. His hands cupped my butt as he devoured me, his tongue moving in ways that made me think he could use it like that in other places just as well.
“Luke,” I breathed as he nibbled along my jaw and found a spot behind my ear that made me whimper. He settled his hand at the back of my neck, held me in place. His grip was gentle, but firm.
“Fuck, I love when you say my name like that.”
I was melting, hot beneath his touch. Then I went a little insane and tried to get his shirt up and off.
He made a funny sound, a cross between a growl and a laugh. “Easy, tiger. Need to hear you say what you want,” he murmured, his voice rough and deep as his hands stilled mine.
“What?” I said, looking up at him, his head tipped low. He was a few inches taller even with me in my heels. Broad shouldered and solid.
He pulled back just enough for our gazes to meet, then cupped the back of my neck again with his hand. “I don’t want there to be any confusion as to why you’re here. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Just need to know you want this, too.”
He was asking for my consent. Even though my fingertips were brushing over his happy trail and his hand was possessive on my nape, he was checking in. While there was no way–even if the fire alarm got pulled–I was going to want to stop.
His blue gaze met mine, his pupils blown. His cheeks were ruddy and flushed and his lips glistened.
“Luke, I want you to fuck me.” I licked my bottom lip. “Is that clear enough?”
A growl escaped his chest and his eyes darkened. He lifted me and moved across the room to the bed. Spinning around, he dropped onto the edge so he sat and I stood between his parted knees. I was taller now and his gaze was affixed to my chest, right in front of his face.
His hands went to my back and roamed, then he frowned.
“How do I get this dress off you?”
I raised one arm and reached across with the other to the zipper on the side.
“Ah,” he said, as he took over.
With the fabric loosened, he gently nudged it off my shoulders, then lower until it pooled around my feet.
For a few seconds, only the sound of the air conditioner could be heard. Neither of us breathed.
“Holy fuck.”
His words whispered over my skin as he stared at my body almost reverently. With one finger, he slowly traced over my skin. Across my belly, down one thigh, up my arm, over the top edging of my bra. My nipples hardened as my nerve endings were awakened.
He’d barely done more than kiss me and I was dripping for him. I couldn’t remember being this turned on before in my life.
“Turn around.” His voice was deeper, almost a growl.
Slowly, I did as he wanted until I faced away from him.
“Stop.”
I glanced over my shoulder and saw his eyes on my butt.
I felt beautiful. Oddly powerful the way I made this guy have to adjust his dick in his pants because I was affecting him so much.
The good thing about being a yoga instructor was that I was toned.
Hours of classes a day made my ass probably my best feature, especially in the pretty pink lace thong.
My boobs were small, but the way he was practically licking his lips, it seemed he was an ass man.
“Touch your toes.”
Oh. My. God. Touch my–
His eyes lifted to meet mine. He didn’t say any more. Just waited as the corner of his mouth tipped up. He was giving me an opportunity to say no, but also clearly showing me how this was going to go.
He was in charge and had very naughty plans. Based on the thick bulge in his jeans, he wanted to fuck me, but was in no rush to get there. This wasn’t going to be quick missionary sex.
Taking a shaky breath, because fuck, this was hot… I slowly leaned down and set my hands on the tops of my feet which meant he could see–
“Ah!” I gasped when he growled, then took hold of my hips and put his mouth right over the gusset of my panties.
Oh my God.
“Fucking soaked,” he snarled. I felt his hot breath, the way my panties were practically glued to my sex.
“Luke!” I cried when his tongue slid right up the lace and over my clit.
I wobbled, because what woman could keep her balance in heels when a guy was eating her out in this position?
He was fully dressed, and I was practically naked. My thong was completely useless and my lacy, barely-there bra hid nothing.
He turned us so I was still leaning forward, but he placed my hands where he wanted them on the bed as he curved over me. “Don’t move, pretty girl,” he murmured in my ear. “You’re going to like this part.”
Luke dropped to his knees on the floor, and I could watch him–even upside down–slide my thong down. With big, gentle hands, he lifted my feet, one then the other, to remove the scrap of lace.
Then… then! Holy shit. Our eyes met as he sniffed the damp thong before sticking it in his pocket. “You smell so fucking good.”
I’d never, ever, had a guy tell me he liked my pussy’s scent.
“You ready, gorgeous?” His hands slid up the backs of my thighs, over my butt, then back, as if he couldn’t stop touching me. “I’m going to eat this perfect pussy until you come. Gonna get all that cream on my face because I want to smell you on me.”
Oh shit.
“If you’re a good girl while I do that, then I’m going to fuck you good and hard. Not sure if you’ll be able to take all of me, but you’ll open nice and wide and try. That work for you?”
That totally worked for me. Except–
“Um, Luke?”
His hands stilled.
“Yeah, tiger?”
I bit my lip, glanced away. Every bit of self-confidence slipped. I felt more bare admitting my problem than I did having him see my body. “I… um, I’ve never come from this before. From a guy going down on me.”
His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. He looked like a knight who’d just been forced to a duel. Or a modern-day man telling someone to hold his beer. “That’s not on you.” Suddenly, he grinned, looking very pleased about something. “That’s because you weren’t with me.”
Oh. Well then.
I didn’t want to call him cocky. Clearly, he was sure of himself and his skills, which based on how close to orgasm I already was, were pretty good, but I had my doubts.
I’d never been good at sex. No guy I’d been with had the same foreplay game as Luke, that was for sure.
No one was overly adventurous and never got me this hot.
Because of that, I’d never come with a man before, having to use my fingers every time to make myself get there or get left behind.
But I shouldn’t have even thought that Luke couldn’t accomplish the task.
Because as soon as he said those words, he went after the task of making me come like it was his new mission in life.
Hands on my bottom, he clenched and held me in place, nice and open for him. His tongue licked me from top to bottom. When I said bottom, I meant bottom. And I groaned. Dropped to my forearms. Gripped the bedspread and held on.
Because he found my clit, sucked on it and flicked it in some magical way that had me close to coming. Then he got his fingers in on it. In my pussy and… “OH MY GOD!”
A thumb in my ass where a thumb had never been before.
THERE WAS A THUMB IN MY ASS AND IT WAS AMAZING.
So amazing that I was moaning and sobbing and begging and… yup.
Coming.
“Luke. Yes. Oh. OH!”