Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
I t was tempting to throw herself into his lap, but Kelsey waited for him to come around the Jeep and help her out of the car. She picked up her purse and shoes as he swung the door open. Then he picked her up as if she weighed nothing and she twined her arms around his neck. He shut the door with his foot and carried her to the house.
He stopped on the porch. “Crap, I have to set you down to unlock the door.”
“I can do it. Keys in your pocket?” At his nod, she reached into his pants and pulled out his keys. Her hand grazed the steel of his erection.
“Um, a little to the right?” he urged.
She smiled as she reached over and unlocked the door. He pushed inside and set her down, then shut the door and locked it. That was pretty much all she could stand.
Dropping her shoes and purse over the back of the couch, she stood on her toes to kiss him. He met her more than halfway. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her against his chest, his mouth plundering hers in desperate abandon.
She hiked up her dress and wrapped her legs around his waist. He groaned and carried her forward, taking her in the direction of the bedroom. His bedroom.
Once he’d reached his destination, she unwrapped her legs from him and slid down his body.
He pulled his mouth from hers. “Why’d you do that?” His lips tracked along her jaw.
She pushed his coat from his shoulders, and he shrugged it to the floor. “To undress you, silly.” She tugged at the knot of his tie and loosened the fabric, then pulled it free. She went to work unbuttoning his shirt. “Although I sort of hate to do that, because you look so damn hot. Please find another reason to dress up soon.”
“I will wear this every day if it turns you on.”
After she had all his buttons free, she rubbed her hand against his face and kissed him briefly before tugging on his lower lip with her teeth. “And don’t shave. I like the scruff.”
“Right, you said that. I’ll never shave again,” he rasped, claiming her mouth in a heart-stopping kiss.
She drew away long enough to say, “Never say never. Honestly, you’re sexy without it too.”
He kissed along her throat, and she cast her head back. “If you’re trying to seduce me, allow me to let you in on a secret: I’m a sure thing.”
She laughed, tangling her fingers in his hair. “I should’ve realized that earlier. The way you were looking at me… I was certain my clothes would melt off.”
“Now that’s a superhero trait I wouldn’t mind.” He licked the spot just beneath her ear, causing her to shiver. “Alas, I’m going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. And as much as I hate to divest you of this incredibly sexy dress, it’s kind of in my way.” His fingers found the zipper at her back and eased it down, exposing her flesh.
She retaliated by pushing his shirt off and reaching for his belt buckle.
He arched a brow at her. “Oh, we’re going for that now, are we?”
She lifted a shoulder and gave him a saucy stare. “Seems fair.”
He growled just before he kissed her again. This one was hotter and wetter than the others. It stoked the fire within her until she was moaning into his mouth. His hands dove beneath the open back of her dress and massaged her flesh. His fingers flicked at her bra strap until it came loose.
She whipped his belt off with a whoosh and cast it aside. Then she felt for the button on his pants. Her knuckles grazed his erection through the fabric, and she got distracted. She rubbed her hand against him as desire pulsed through her.
His hips came forward, pressing into her hand, and she increased her pressure. He backed away from the kiss and pushed her dress off her shoulders. She helped him pull it down and shimmied out of it before kicking it aside. He swept her bra off, tossing it away, then brought his hands up to cup her breasts.
The second he touched her, she closed her eyes and moaned. He flicked her nipples lightly, then massaged them with what felt like the pad of his thumbs. Sensation pooled and built from those peaks, sending wild desire arcing through her. Then there was heat and moisture. Her eyes flew open. He was bent over her, his mouth and tongue teasing her breast.
She arched back but couldn’t keep herself upright. She turned and fell back on the bed, taking him with her.
He wrapped his arms around her and broke her fall against the mattress. He landed beside her instead of crushing her with his weight. He’d moved quickly, thoughtfully. And now purposefully as he rose over her and rededicated his attention to her breasts. His mouth tantalized one while his fingers pulled and played with the other. He was focused and intense, stirring a pleasure she’d never experienced. She hadn’t realized this sort of foreplay could drive her so close to an orgasm, but that was exactly how it felt.
Heat flooded her core, and she pivoted her hips toward him, seeking his touch, seeking release. His hand skimmed down her abdomen, stoking her arousal to even greater heights. He found the edge of her underwear and tugged them down. She wriggled her hips to help him, and a moment later, she lay nude beside him.
But he was still wearing pants. And a T-shirt. She pushed at him and turned so that she could grasp the hem. The position was awkward, but she didn’t have to do much. He sat up and pulled the garment over his head, then threw it across the room.
“Pants, please,” she said, her voice husky and dark.
He rolled to his back and unzipped his fly while toeing off his shoes. She grasped the waistband and tugged it down his thighs, but abandoned her effort when he leaned down to pull the pants off completely and remove his socks. As soon as he lay back, she snagged his boxer briefs and drew them down, exposing his flesh, her gaze riveted on his hard shaft. It sprang free when the briefs were low enough, and she didn’t wait to reach out and touch it, her fingers curling around him.
“God. Kelsey. Just…wait.” He moaned and then gasped, his breath coming harder as she worked her hand along his length.
“Hmm. No, afraid I can’t.” She smiled to herself as his hips moved in response to her touch.
He managed to get his underwear off despite her unwavering attention. With another low growl, he flipped her to her back and came over her. His mouth came down on hers hard, but she loved every second of it as his tongue plunged into her mouth. It was a fierce coupling, a desperate exchange, as she strained up to press herself to him in any way that she could.
She clasped his hips and pulled him between her legs. His cock was hot against her, thrilling her. “Condom?” she asked between kisses.
His body went still, and he retreated from her. Cool air rushed over her as the space between them grew. She propped herself up on her elbows. “What’s wrong?”
He sat back on his haunches. “Is this…too fast? I don’t want to rush you.”
“You aren’t.”
“You were hesitant before, and while I recognize we have some crazy chemistry going on, I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
Kelsey scrambled up, kneeling before him. She touched his smooth cheek, her fingertips caressing his soft flesh. “I won’t.” She leaned forward and kissed him, her lips gently suckling his. She pulled back, smiling at him. “I love that you’re the cool head of reason. That means more to me than you know. I’m ready for this. I want you. If you want me too.”
He cupped her face and kissed her, his tongue playing sweetly with hers as he smoothed her hair back from her cheekbones. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.”
A giddy burst of warmth exploded in her chest. “Really?”
He laughed softly. “Honest to God.” He kissed her again, this time with more heat and urgency. He caressed her breast, tugging briefly on the nipple before descending between her legs and finding her clit. His touch was soft at first, teasing, then more insistent as his fingers dragged over her cleft.
She clutched his shoulders and rode his hand, her hips moving as he pushed her toward release. It had been so long since she’d orgasmed with someone…and she was so close.
He left her mouth and kissed a trail to her breast, where he licked and sucked her nipple, drawing forth a guttural moan from her as pleasure spiraled through her. His hand worked faster, his fingers slipping inside her now, filling her, then going back to her clit. She held on for dear life as he coaxed her body to shuddering new heights.
“I can’t.” Her knees buckled, and he guided her back to the bed.
He drew on her nipple, pulling, as ecstasy raced over her. He thrust his fingers into her. “Scream for me, Kelsey.”
He didn’t have to ask twice. She arched off the bed as she came, crying out, heedless of how she sounded. He soothed her through the release, and then he was gone. Mindless, she lay there panting, her body aquiver. That had been…life changing.
He came back between her legs, and she opened her eyes to see he was wearing a condom.
“Just so you know, I’m clean,” she said. “But I’m not on any birth control. Sorry. I didn’t have a reason.”
“Don’t apologize.” He bent forward and kissed her. “I’m clean too.”
She reached between them and clasped the base of his cock. He thrust into her hand. She parted her legs wider and bent them at the knee as she guided him to her sheath. He slid into her, and she let her head fall back, her eyes closing. She was so sensitive from before, and now it felt as though she was going to have another orgasm, which had never happened to her before. White lights danced behind her eyelids. He slipped in deeper, filling her. She let her legs fall open, laying herself bare to him, and brought her knees up even higher. The intensity of his invasion grew to an intoxicating height so that she thought she might burst.
Then he moved, and she quite simply fell apart. Another orgasm, more powerful than the first, washed over her. She clutched at his hips and arched up against him. He drove into her again and again, and it was absolute bliss. She’d never felt such acute pleasure.
He didn’t let up, relentlessly pulsing into her until she heard him groan. She ran her hands up and down his back. “Yes, come with me,” she urged.
He yelled her name and buried himself deep inside her. She held him tight, smiling. Minutes later, he gently rolled away. She reached for him.
“I’ll be right back,” he said softly before pressing his lips to hers. Then he left the bed, and she heard him in the bathroom. She pulled the covers back and burrowed between the sheets.
A minute later, he came and slipped in behind her. She scooted backward, and he wrapped his arm around her to hold her close to his chest.
She lifted his hand to her mouth and pressed a kiss to the back. “Thank you. That was a first for me—multiple orgasms.”
“Really?” He sounded surprised but also a bit proud. As he should be.
She grinned. “Really.”
He kissed her temple, her cheek, the shell of her ear. His heat and strength seeped into her, and she fell asleep smiling, thinking she hadn’t felt this protected—this safe —in years.
Actually, she’d never felt that ever.
It took Luke a moment to realize the soft, warm body against his wasn’t a dream and that last night had been real too. He turned to his side and inhaled the fruity scent of Kelsey’s hair. Pushing the dark curls aside, he pressed a kiss to her neck—that tender, delicious spot just beneath her ear.
She lay on her side, her back to him, as she let out a small sigh that brought his cock fully erect. He scooted closer, spooning her from behind. She bent slightly at the waist, gently thrusting the sweet curve of her ass against his erection. Lust jolted through him, and he slipped his hand over her hip, lightly caressing her flesh as he moved up to cup her breast. Her nipple hardened with the barest touch. She had to be awake now, but her eyes were still closed.
He pinched the nipple, pulling it before gentling his ministrations. Her breathing picked up and her lips parted. Definitely awake.
He trailed his fingertips down over her belly, grazing her pelvis as he found the sweetest spot between her legs. She opened her thighs, giving him better access and he slipped his finger into her cleft. She was hot and wet, and his cock was throbbing. He could slide into her from behind right now and bring them both to easy ecstasy. But last night had been her first experience with multiple orgasms, and she’d seemed so…happy. He wanted to do that for her again.
He ducked under the covers and clasped her hip, pressing it down to the mattress. He stroked her clit as he rolled over her leg, settling himself between her thighs. It was relatively dark, but he didn’t need to see. Only to taste and feel. He licked at her folds, and she arched up, gasping. Her fingers tangled in his hair.
“Luke!”
He smiled against her before suckling her flesh and burying his tongue deep inside her. She cried out, her legs falling open to encourage his mouth. He pulled her thighs over his shoulders and spread her with his fingers. She bucked up and let out a series of pants and moans that were the most erotic sounds he’d ever heard. His cock strained against the bed, and he could barely wait to lose himself inside her.
He pulled his mouth from her and used his hand to massage her flesh and his fingers to thrust into her. She moved with him, fucking him, and he could sense that she was close. He tongued her again and pressed on her clit. A rush of moisture was his reward as she came hard against his mouth.
He pushed the covers back and licked up her abdomen. Her harsh pants filled the room. She clutched at him, and he clasped her knees, pulling them and pushing them wide as he positioned himself between her thighs. She grasped his cock, her hand tightening around the base. He sucked in a breath.
“Kelsey, I’m so close.”
She slitted her eyes at him, and he’d never seen a sexier sight—her dark hair spread over the pale gray pillow, her pink lips parted in desire. “Good.” She stroked his shaft and used her thumb to flick the tip. Her eyes opened wider. “Um, condom, please.”
Shit, he’d almost forgotten. Amateur move. He left her briefly to grab a condom from the bedside table. She reached over and snatched it from his fingertips, then opened it with her teeth. He’d never wanted to be a condom wrapper until that moment.
She rolled the condom over his cock, turning a mundane task into something unbelievably sensual. He groaned and nudged at her opening. She guided him in, and he drove hard and fast. He slid his hands up to her thighs, holding them as he thrust into her. She cast her head back, crying out.
“Tell me you’re coming again,” he rasped.
She made a cacophony of those delicious, erotic sounds. “Almost.”
He reached down and stroked her clit. “How about now?”
She made a high, keening sound, and he had his answer. He drover harder and deeper into her, feeling his own orgasm building. It might not be more than one, but if it was anything like last night, it was going to be epic.
Her muscles continued to contract around him, and he lost sense of time and space, his body simply moving with need. Ecstasy flooded him, and he cried out her name.
She moved with him as he came, her muscles clenching around him, taking everything he had to give. When he could think coherently again, he opened his eyes a fraction and saw her lithe body still arching with him. He stroked her abdomen, loving the silky feel of her. Then he massaged her breasts, lightly tweaking her nipples. She squeaked and opened her eyes. “Aren’t you done?”
He let out a low chuckle. “For now. That doesn’t mean you have to be.” He wanted to bring her to orgasm again and again. Maybe all day.
She looked over at the clock on his bedside table. “Unfortunately, I do. We slept kind of late, and I need to shower and get to the library.”
Damn, that put a damper on his plans. “There’s no one else who can work for you?”
“Afraid not. My assistant isn’t scheduled today, and I think she’s busy anyway.”
He exhaled in disappointment. “Can I at least make you breakfast while you shower?”
She smiled. “That I will take you up on.” She rolled away from him and nodded toward the condom. “Go do your thing first.”
He stood and walked toward the bathroom.
“And, hey, can I have a rain check?” she called after him.
He looked back over his shoulder, grinning in anticipation. “Absolutely.”
She licked her lips, and he groaned before heading into the bathroom.
After pulling on some athletic shorts and a loose T-shirt, he headed into the kitchen to make some eggs and sausage. He hoped she liked sausage. And eggs. These were important things he really ought to know. He looked forward to learning every little thing about her.
Just as he was about to throw the eggs into the skillet, there was a knock on the door. Who the hell would be coming by on a Sunday morning? Maybe Jamie had forgotten something else.
Luke wiped his hands on a towel and jogged to the door. He opened it and froze. Standing on the threshold was the last person he’d expected to see.
“Paige.”
She smiled, and he realized he’d forgotten her dimples. “Luke!” She sprang forward and wrapped her arms around him. Then she kissed his cheek, her mouth lingering against his flesh.
He took a step back and noticed that her gaze was fixed behind him and to the right. Toward the bathroom where Kelsey had been drying her hair and probably hadn’t heard the door. He realized—too late—that the sound of the blow dryer had stopped.
Well, shit.
He spun around and saw Kelsey’s wide-eyed stare just before she recovered.
He needed to think fast, but he couldn’t seem to come up with words.
Damn it.
Except curse words. Those were coming at him in a deluge.
He took a few steps toward Kelsey, putting more space between him and Paige. “Uh, Kelsey, this is Paige. Paige, this is Kelsey—my girlfriend.”
Kelsey’s gaze locked with his for a moment, and her eyes widened again, though more subtly than before.
Paige stalked forward and offered Kelsey her hand. “Hi, I’m Luke’s ex. He didn’t tell me about you when I talked to him the other day. Silly boy.” She laughed and cast him a dark look that didn’t match the jovial response.
Kelsey’s mouth pulled into a tight smile. “Oh, well, he didn’t tell me you were coming for a visit either. I guess his memory isn’t the best. Anyway, I need to get to work.” She went to the couch and grabbed her purse. “Bye.”
She left before Luke had a chance to salvage the situation.
Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.
Yep, he had plenty of swearwords.
Finally regaining his senses, he ran to the door and dashed outside, just barely catching Kelsey before she drove off. “Wait,” he said as he jogged up to her passenger window.
She pursed her lips and waved him off.
He shook his head and knocked on the window.
After a pause, she rolled down the window. “What?”
“I’m really sorry. Can we talk about this?”
She glanced at the clock on her dash. “I need to get to the library.”
“You have a few minutes. You were going to eat, after all.”
“Luke, I can’t do this right now. Last night was…a big step for me. And to have this thrown at me this morning—” She turned her head away from him.
“I had no idea she was coming.”
She looked at him again, and her eyes were sad. “It doesn’t matter. You need to go deal with that. Listen, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a relationship, and I’m definitely not ready for a guy with baggage.”
Goddammit. He ran his hand through his hair, growing frustrated. “There’s no baggage.”
She tossed an irritated look toward the house. “I’d beg to differ. Please let me go.”
Frowning, he took a step back. “We’ll talk later.”
She rolled up the window and backed out of the driveway. As he watched her leave, he wondered why she was even taking her car since the library was only a few blocks away. Maybe she didn’t plan to come back after work.
A cavalcade of curse words marched through his brain. He turned and stalked into the house, slamming the door after he got inside.
Paige had doffed her jacket and set her purse down and was now stirring eggs on the stove. She smiled brightly. “Can’t let good eggs go to waste. I always loved your scrambled eggs.”
Seriously? “You think I want to have breakfast with you after that?”
She shrugged. “You have to eat. So what’s the story? You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend.”
“Because I didn’t when I talked to you. This is new.” So damn new it might not even count as official. “You also know how much I value my privacy.”
Her face fell, and he could see that she was disappointed. “I see.”
“Paige, I don’t know what you were thinking would happen by surprising me, but we’re over. We’ve been over for a long time.”
She pulled the eggs from the stove and served them onto the plates he’d gotten out of the cupboard. “Only because you live here, and I lived in California. But I have a job interview tomorrow. It looks promising. We had a phone interview last week, and we really hit it off.”
“I’m happy for you. But you moving up here isn’t going to change things.” While he’d relied on the excuse of the geographical distance for the growing rift in their relationship, he’d also told her he thought it was for the best that they break up.
She dished up the sausage, which she’d also apparently finished cooking while he’d been outside. “How do you know it won’t change things? If we’re together, things might go back to the way they were.”
How could she want that? They’d been happy for a while, but the clingier she’d become, the more he’d pushed her away. She wanted their relationship to progress, and the more she’d told him that, the farther he’d wanted to run. “I don’t want things to go back to the way they were.”
She’d carried the plates to the table while he’d been thinking and now folded her arms over her chest. “Right. That would be too much effort. I wonder if Kelsey is aware of how little you like to contribute to a relationship.”
“If that’s how you feel, why are you here?”
She dropped her arms to her sides and came toward him, stopping far too close for his comfort. “Because I still love you, Luke, isn’t that obvious? I’ve tried to move on, but I can’t.” She looked away from him, and he could see that she was truly hurting.
Damn and damn.
His ire faded. “I’m sorry. Really. But I can’t change the way I feel.”
When she looked at him again, some of the fire had returned to her eyes. “I hope you’ll be honest with Kelsey. She deserves to know that you have issues with intimacy. Or whatever it is. Don’t let her fall head over heels in love with you while you’re thinking you’d rather just be fuck buddies.”
“Hey, you meant more to me than that.”
“Did I? I’d thought so—once. But now I’m not so sure.” She picked up her jacket and purse. “If you ever felt something for me, please be honest with Kelsey. Or maybe I should tell her what you’re really like.”
The irritation he’d just quashed flared into anger. “Don’t threaten me. I never took you for nasty.”
She averted her gaze again. “I’m not. I’m…sorry.” She shook her head and sent him a sad look. “Tell Kelsey the truth so she can go into this with her eyes open. You owe her that much.” She turned and went to the door. “See you, Luke.”
Literally, if she was going to be working up here. And wouldn’t that be awkward as hell?
“Hey, where’s your interview tomorrow? Maybe I can put in a good word.” He might be annoyed with her, but at the end of the day, they’d had good times together and he didn’t wish her ill.
“Bellwether—in Salem.”
A good half hour plus away. Yay. “Hmm, I don’t know anyone, but I can ask around.”
“Only if you want. I appreciate it, thanks.” She opened the door, and he walked over to see her out.
“Good luck, Paige.”
She gave him a last, longing look before turning and going to her rental car parked in the street.
Luke closed the door and leaned against it. That had been an absolute disaster. He wanted desperately to talk to Kelsey, but Paige’s words weighed heavy on him.
Did he have issues with intimacy? He knew she meant closeness in a romantic relationship and not just sex. But the sex was a red flag. There’d been an occasion when Paige had asked him to make love to her. Those two words had frozen him—he’d realized in that moment that he didn’t love her, not the kind of love she deserved, and wasn’t sure he ever would. From then on, he’d started to distance himself from her.
Would the same thing happen with Kelsey? He couldn’t know. He hoped not. He cared about her so very much. The thought of feeling that way about her, or rather, not feeling that way made him queasy. He tried to think back and recall if he’d felt that way at the start with Paige. She was the longest relationship he’d ever had. He’d dated someone in college for a year or so, but they’d never been serious.
Apprehension wove through him. He’d been angry with the way Paige had shown up without warning and her feeble attempt at blackmail, but he’d also seen her hurt. He hadn’t meant to cause her pain. When he thought about inadvertently doing that to Kelsey after she’d already suffered so much…
He closed his eyes and knocked his head back against the door. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and went to the kitchen to clean up the breakfast he no longer felt like eating.
He stalked to the bedroom and took in the rumpled sheets. Memories of last night and this morning rushed over him, sparking his desire for Kelsey—both physically and emotionally. He had no idea where they were going, but he wanted to find out.