Chapter 20
MEGAN
I got off the counter slowly, taking in this gorgeous man as I did. He had a sheen of perspiration on his skin, as did I. We'd been very active. Those sinful eyes were still dark.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I’m in heaven."
"Are you, now?” He smirked. “I like to know the kind of effect I have on you. Though I had a pretty good idea before too."
I blushed, licking my lips. "Oh my God, was I too loud?"
"No fucking way. Can't be too loud."
I rolled my eyes. "Really?"
"Yeah, baby, trust me. You’re damn gorgeous. The way you give yourself to me… fuck, I'm getting hot just thinking about it."
"You're greedy, aren't you?" I asked.
He wiggled his eyebrows. "Is that a problem?"
"Not in the slightest."
My stomach rumbled. I smiled sheepishly. “No idea what that’s about. I ate a lot, but I’m beginning to feel hungry again.”
"Come on," he said.
"Where are we going?"
"We’re going to the bathroom, and then I’m making you a late-night snack."
"Oh, first you give me an orgasm, and then you feed me. You are the perfect guy."
He looked at me with soft eyes. "I've got some work to get there."
"You're on your merry way," I assured him.
I let him walk a few feet in front of me, admiring his perfect ass. He made a pit stop at the bathroom, taking off the condom, and we both refreshed ourselves at the double sinks.
"Do you want to take a shower?" he asked.
"No, I just wanted to clean up a bit."
He moved behind me, kissing my shoulder while staring at me in the mirror. Damn, he looked sexy like that. He palmed my ass cheek, making me grin.
"Hey, no fair. I wanted to do the same with you."
He laughed, taking a step back. I moved to look at him, and then he turned, glancing at me over his shoulder. "What are you waiting for?"
"Wow, I’m getting an invitation to fondle your ass, huh?
" He really was the perfect man. I massaged the left cheek and the right one, then moved my hands to his front, cupping his cock.
"Okay, now I'm happy. We can go to the kitchen, and you can fix me that snack. I don’t understand why I’m hungry. "
He took my hand, leading me through the house. He chuckled, then said, "Your stomach was rumbling before."
I felt my face flush. "What? You heard my stomach while we were having sex?"
"Why does it make you so embarrassed?"
That was a good question. He'd seen all parts of me and heard a lot of sounds.
"I don't know."
When we'd reached the kitchen, I looked around with curiosity. I'd been so focused on him before that I hadn't paid much attention to the surroundings. His penthouse was perfect. There was no other word that came to mind to describe it. It was sensual, masculine, and elegant.
"I like your place. It's so elegant. I'm almost afraid I'll break something. Where does that staircase lead to? I didn’t notice it before.” It was tucked behind the entrance area.
“The rooftop terrace. Where I also have a pool.”
My jaw dropped. “You have a pool. On a terrace.”
“Yes. But don’t get too excited. It’s been out of order for a while. Every time they fix something, another thing breaks. One of the reasons I think rooftop pools are a terrible idea.” He moved into the kitchen. “Do you like waffles?"
"You’re gonna make some?" I felt like a kid on Christmas morning.
"I can if you want me to.”
"Oh, I'd love that. That's so decadent, eating waffles in the middle of the night."
He bent down, taking a waffle maker from under the counter, as well as a waffle mix, then mixed everything up to make the batter.
"I've got Nutella and peanut butter in that cupboard." He pointed behind him. I took everything out while he poured the mixture into the waffle maker.
"Okay, sexy ass, I have to ask. How do you even have all these ingredients?"
“Sexy ass?” he questioned.
“Seems appropriate.”
He laughed. “And to answer your question, Paisley likes waffles. I bought her some once and tried telling her that I made them myself. Then the joke was on me because the next time she came, she wanted to watch me make them. You should have seen me looking at recipes on YouTube. I’ve had a stash of batter mix ever since. "
I threw my head back, laughing. Oh my God, I could not imagine this muscular god, this beautiful man, looking at a YouTube tutorial to learn how to make waffles.
"Why are you smiling like that?" he asked.
"Because this short movie is running in my mind. It's hilarious." I put my hands on my hips, biting my lip as I took him in. "You’re more than a pack of muscles and a pretty smile."
“Thank you. I didn't know that was your opinion of me until now."
"I know you're smart and great at your job," I said quickly, feeling like an idiot now. "And obviously, I like you."
He winked. "Thank you for that too."
I was getting flustered now. "Luke. Obviously, I’m attracted to you. You got me into bed that first night. It's just that… I don't know… there are layers to you as well, and I like them."
The next thing I knew, he’d stepped up close to me, pushing me against the counter. Our bodies were still a bit hot from before, and his cock was semihard against my thigh.
"Holy shit, that escalated quickly!"
"I'm more than happy to share all those layers with you, Megan," he growled.
"You are?"
"Hell yes."
In my mind, he truly was the perfect guy. I wondered why he thought differently. "So… you’re a catch. How are you not married with fifteen kids by now?" I asked it jokingly, but his eyes went flat. He took a step back, focusing on the waffles again.
"I was with this woman, Cammy, for some time. Actually, it wasn't long, but I was young, and you process things differently then. I even bought a place a few hours away from Chicago, thinking it would be a good spot to raise a family."
"What happened?"
"We broke up. We were very young, so I don’t blame her. Looking back, it was obvious we wouldn't have lasted long-term."
"And after that?”
“Just casual dating. Fun. I liked keeping it simple."
I nodded. "I know what you mean.”
He trained his eyes on me while we waited for the waffle maker to beep. “You said you were with your ex for a long time.”
I sighed. “I was, and it blew up in my face. That’s why I’m doing things differently now. I’m not even sure I can go down that road again. Dream up a future, or even believe it can happen.”
He frowned. Something seemed to bother him.
“You were young for a serious relationship, that’s true.”
“My aunt always said I turned into an adult almost overnight after she took me in.”
“Do you remember your parents?”
“I do. I was eight when they passed away. Mom loved cooking. She was a foodie. I was too young to pick up any cooking skills, but the foodie trait is alive and well with me. She and Dad were so in love. Anyway, Aunt Dana thinks I matured fast because I lost them when I was so young.”
I put a hand on my chest, massaging my sternum. I always felt a hollow ache there when I thought about my parents.
“You do seem mature for your age. I was more concerned with partying when I was twenty-six.”
I narrowed my eyes, looking at him playfully. “You’re thirty-five, right?”
“Yes.” Wiggling his eyebrows, he added, “Does it bother you?”
“Not in the slightest. You’re like a fine wine. Getting better with age. At least, I imagine you do.”
He threw his head back, laughing. “That doesn’t feel like a compliment.”
“Oh, but it is. Besides, when I met you, I thought we were the same age.”
“My cousin Reese said something similar.”
I felt my eyes widen. “You spoke with her about this?”
“Yes. I like asking my family for advice.”
“Huh! I would have pegged you for someone who only does exactly what he wants.”
He flashed me a devilish grin. “I said I ask for advice, not that I follow it.”
I burst out laughing. “So, tell me about that property. Do you still have it?”
"Yeah, but it's rented out now."
"Does that mean you gave up on the idea of a family?"
A smile curled on his lips. "I just gave up on the idea of moving out of Chicago. I don't know why I had it in the first place. I love this city. It's my home.” He faced me head-on and looked me in the eyes. “Meg, I want to make one thing clear.”
“I’m listening.”
“You and I—we’re exclusive.”
I couldn’t fight a smile. “Yes, we are. I kind of got the memo when I saw the look in your eyes at the restaurant. When that guy hit on me.”
My tone was playful, but it meant a lot to me that he was talking so openly about this.
“Good, then that’s settled.”
"So… back to our conversation. You grew up here, right?"
"Sort of. My childhood home is about forty minutes away. It's an old vineyard," Luke said.
"I bet that was fun."
"My dad had the wine bug, and my brother Tate inherited it."
"I quite like his wine."
"Everyone does. My brother is a genius. Anyway, I'm good in this city. I like the penthouse, and my life."
I got the message. He wanted to keep things simple and casual, and that was more than fine by me.
I wasn’t sure I could give him more than that…
not after the way things ended between Carson and me.
His feelings had changed after six years.
Six. I had a hard time believing anything could last after that.
Luke took out a waffle. He had great timing; it was golden and bit crispy, and I think that with a few seconds more, it would have burned.
"This looks delicious," I said. He put the waffle on a plate, and I dripped maple syrup on it, taking a bite. Closing my eyes, I hummed.
I heard him clear his throat and blinked my eyes open. The look in his was almost feral.
"Luke, are you okay?"
"The way you looked just now, it turned me on."
"Oh sweet Lord. Really, the way I eat?"
"The way you savored it, the way you moaned."
"You, sir, need some manners. You can't talk to me like that while I'm eating, even if we're in your kitchen.”
He kept staring at me intently.
I sighed. “Okay, I give up. You get a hall pass to look at me any way you want. Just don’t flirt with me while I eat."