Chapter 9
“Are you kidding me?” Jane sighed with exasperation. She added another pile of paper to Luke’s desk, and her elbow bumped one of the others. The papers dropped and floated to the floor under his desk as she sighed again.
It was her own fault. She was a bundle of nerves this morning and almost jittery with excitement. Luke was back in the office this morning after being gone for two weeks. She pushed Luke’s chair back, dropped to her knees and crawled under the massive desk. As she gathered the papers, she tried to tell herself she wasn’t excited about seeing Luke again.
Neither her head nor body believed her, and another slight vibration of excitement went down her spine. She had spoken to Luke by email almost every day the first week but hadn’t heard from him at all the second week. Not surprising, considering he was on holiday, but a small part of her had hoped he would email her. The second week was very quiet, and what little work stuff had come up, Mark could answer all of her questions. She couldn’t even use work as an excuse to email Luke.
She picked up the last of the papers and clutched them to her chest. She shrieked and reared up when something brushed her foot. The back of her head hit the top of Luke’s desk with a meaty thud, and she groaned as she was pulled out from under the desk. Her head rang, and little dots of light flashed in her vision as she squinted at Luke. He was sitting in his chair, his face a mask of surprise and confusion, and he hauled her to her knees before touching her head.
“What are you doing under my desk?”
“I dropped some papers.” She touched the back of her head and winced as Luke muttered a curse.
“Are you okay?’ he asked.
“I hit my head a little,” she mumbled.
“Let me see.”
“I’m fine.” She grabbed the arms of Luke’s chair and tried to stand. The room swayed, and she dropped back to her knees as Luke took her arms.
“Jane!”
“I’m okay,” she repeated. “I just need a minute.”
“Let me see your head,” he demanded. He cupped the back of her neck and pushed her head down before parting the strands of her hair. When his fingers brushed over the bump, she winced and grabbed his thighs, squeezing them as he touched the spot again.
“There’s no blood,” he said, “but you already have one hell of a bump. Do you feel faint?”
“No,” she said. “Not anymore.”
“Take a couple of deep breaths.”
She did what he asked, staring at his firm thighs as he rubbed the back of her neck. After a few minutes, she said, “Better.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“You probably have a concussion.”
“I don’t.” She lifted her head and smiled up at him. “Uh, welcome back.”
His fingers tightened on the back of her neck.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He didn’t reply. His gaze roamed over her face, and she licked her lips nervously. His gaze immediately dropped to her mouth, and lust soared to life in her veins. His look was one of pure hunger, and she looked away at the intensity of it. She blushed when she realized she was on her knees between his legs.
Don’t look at his crotch, she told herself fiercely as she stared at his crotch. His hand tightened on the back of her neck, and his chest heaved as he gulped in a sudden rush of oxygen.
“I’m sorry,” she said. She tried to stand, her eyes widening when Luke wouldn’t let her. She stared up at him, her mouth going dry at the look of desire on his face.
“No,” he said hoarsely. “Stay right where you are, Ms. Smith.”
His other hand reached up, and for one moment, she thought he was unbuckling his belt.
Yes!Her inner mind crowed. “Suck on his cock, Jane! Give him a blowjob, and maybe he’ll eat your pussy in return.
She blushed at the shameless dirtiness of her inner thoughts. Disappointment rushed through her when Luke didn’t go near his waistband. Instead, he brushed his fingers across her cheek before dragging his thumb along her bottom lip.
Without stopping to think, she closed her lips around his thumb and sucked. His low groan set her nerves on fire, and she slid her mouth up and down his thumb, swirling her tongue around the knuckle as she stared up at him.
His nostrils flaring, he cupped her neck and pulled her forward. “Fuck, Jane,” he muttered. “I want your hot little mouth on my dick.”
She was still squeezing his thighs, and he inhaled sharply when she reached for his belt buckle.
“Welcome back, buddy. How was the vaca – whoa.”
Luke yanked his thumb from her mouth and stood. He grabbed her arms and dragged her to her feet. She spun around and stared wide-eyed at Mark as he stood in the doorway with a look of surprise on his face.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said as a cheeky grin replaced the surprise. “I can come back later.”
“No!” Luke said as Mark turned to go. “Jane was, uh…”
He trailed off, and with her cheeks blazing red, Jane said, “I dropped some papers under his desk.”
“Right. She dropped some papers,” Luke said.
When Jane bent over to pick up the papers, he grabbed her arm and said, “I’ll get them. Could you, uh, grab me a coffee?”
“Of course, Mr. Dawson,” Jane said.
Jane hurried past Mark with the back of her head aching and her entire face bright red. She shut the doors behind her as Luke sank into his chair.
* * *
Mark strolledto the desk and collapsed in one of the guest chairs. “Hey, Luke?”
“Yeah?”
“If you’re going to ask your secretary to give you a ‘welcome back to the office blow job’, you should lock your office doors.”
“She wasn’t giving me a blow job!” Luke snapped.
“Really? Because from where I was standing, that’s exactly what it looked like. I don’t blame you. Now that she’s gained some weight, she’s a cute little thing.”
“Stay away from her!” Luke snarled at him, and Mark held up his hands.
“Calm down, dude. I’m not interested in your PA.”
Luke groaned and rubbed his hand across his jaw. “She wasn’t giving me a blow job, Mark. She really did drop some papers. I scared her when I came into the office, and she hit her head on the desk. I was checking to make sure she wasn’t bleeding.”
“I believe you,” Mark said. “How was your vacation?”
“Fine,” Luke said.
“Fine?” Mark arched his eyebrow at him. “That’s it?”
“What do you want me to say?” Luke asked in exasperation.
“I don’t know, maybe that you got your rocks off with some saucy French maid.”
Luke rolled his eyes before swiveling in his chair to stare out the window. There was no way he was telling Mark that he spent most of his week off wishing he was home. More accurately, he wished he was in Jane’s bed.
He groaned again and closed his eyes. What the fuck was wrong with him? He was unbelievably eager this morning to see Jane. The moment he caught sight of her, his dick had gone to half-mast immediately. She had gained weight in the last two weeks, and her skin glowed. The dark circles under her eyes and the sharp points of her cheekbones were gone. She looked well-rested and healthy and…
Sexy as hell.
The way her pretty lips had pursed around his thumb and the feel of her soft tongue licking his skin was so fucking sexy. When she reached for his belt buckle, he had nearly come in his goddamn pants.
“Luke?”
“What?”
“What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.” He turned around and pulled himself flush against his desk to hide his stiffy before turning on his laptop.
“So, did you find a lovely French lady and butter her biscuit?”
“Don’t be crude, and no, I didn’t.”
“Because you want to butter your PA’s biscuit?” Mark said with a grin.
“Enough, Mark,” Luke said. “Aren’t you even going to ask how it went with the investors?”
“You sent me an email and told me they were being assholes and waffling on it.” Mark gave him a strange look. “You don’t remember that?”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m still a little jet-lagged.”
“Is that all it is?”
“Yes,” he snapped. “Are you going to get me caught up to date on the last week or grill me about my sex life?”
“Non-existent sex life,” Mark said. “Okay, okay,” he held up his hands again at the look on Luke’s face, “we’ll talk work.”
* * *
Jane staredat herself in the bathroom mirror. Her lips and cheeks were red, and her hair was mussed up from where Luke had gripped it. She smoothed it down, wincing a little when she touched the bump on the back of her head.
“Calm down,” she said. “Just calm down. You were not about to give your boss a blow job in his office.”
Bullshit.
“I wasn’t!” she said.
“Wasn’t what?”
She whirled around, staring wild-eyed at Amy as the woman entered the bathroom.
“Jane? What’s wrong?”
“Your brother is back.
“I know. I’m on my way to see him.”
“Mark is with him,” Jane said.
A grimace crossed Amy’s face. “I’ll go later. Tell me what’s wrong with you?”
“I…oh my God, Amy.”
“What?” Amy asked in bewilderment.
“I was in Luke’s office and dropped some papers under his desk. I crawled under his desk to get them, and he didn’t see me when he came in. He sat down at his desk and scared the crap out of me, and I hit my head on the desk. I was on my knees, and he was, uh, looking at my head to make sure I wasn’t bleeding. Mark came in, and it looked like I was – was…”
Amy stared at her expectantly.
“Like I was giving him a blowjob,” she finally whispered.
Amy burst into peals of laughter, and Jane scowled at her. “It isn’t funny!”
“It’s hilarious.” Amy laughed harder. “You just can’t see it because you’re too close to the situation.”
“Oh God,” Jane said. “Mark thinks I’m a whore.”
“Who cares what he thinks,” Amy said scornfully.
Like always, whenever the subject of the CFO came up, Amy was immediately tense and moody.
“Hey, Amy? Is there something going on with you and Mark?” Jane asked.
“Of course not,” Amy said. “Why would you think that?”
Jane shrugged. “I know the three of you grew up together, but you don’t seem to like him very much.”
Any’s cheeks reddened, and for a moment, it looked like she would cry.
“What’s wrong?” Jane hurried over and patted Amy’s arm. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing,” Amy said. “Mark and I used to be friends, and now we’re not.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s an asshole,” Amy snapped before wincing. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Do you want to talk about it?” Between her day job and her job at the club, she didn’t see a lot of Amy, but even the couple of weekends she’d spent with her was enough to see that Amy wasn’t the carefree, loving hippie she pretended to be. There was something wrong, just lurking under the surface of her happy fa?ade that Amy couldn’t quite disguise no matter how hard she tried.
“Not really,” Amy said. “I’m making lasagna tonight for supper. I’ll put the leftovers in the fridge for you when you’re done at the club, okay?”
“You don’t have to make me dinner every night,” Jane said.
“I don’t mind, and besides, you cook on the weekend, so it evens out. Speaking of, I’m going for a girls’ weekend with Valerie and Monique, so I won’t be around this weekend. You’re on your own, okay?”
Jane nodded. “When are you leaving?”
“Friday night. Are you still planning on painting your bedroom?”
“I was thinking I might if you’re sure you’re okay with me changing the colour?”
“Of course I am. Besides, it could use a fresh coat of paint, so you’re doing me a favour. Leave me the receipt, and I’ll pay you for the paint and the supplies.”
“Absolutely not,” Jane said. “I want to change the colour, so I’ll pay for it.”
“Nope,” Amy said. “It’s on me.”
“Everything’s on you,” Jane said.
Amy grinned at her. “It’s why I make such an awesome roommate. Now, we both better get back to work. I know you and Luke are hot for each other, but now that he’s back from Paris, try not to engage in any sexual shenanigans at the office.”
“I’m not – we’re not – I mean, nothing is going on between us,” Jane sputtered.
Amy grinned at her. “You know there isn’t a rule here about coworkers boinking, right? Technically, you can’t be fired for any…sexual shenanigans you engage in.”
“He’s my boss!” Jane squeaked out as her face turned a fiery red.
“I know, and normally, I would caution against sleeping with your boss, but there’s something between you and Luke that’s worth exploring. I’ve never seen him act this way before.”
Despite her embarrassment, Jane couldn’t resist asking, “What way?”
Amy shrugged. “So thoughtful and… caring, I guess, is the word. My brother is usually pretty aloof. Even with the women he’s been in actual relationships with.”
Jane didn’t know what to say to that, so she stared at the floor as Amy squeezed her arm. “Give it a chance, why don’t you, Jane?”
“Because sleeping with the boss is a mistake,” Jane said.
“Are you speaking from experience?” Amy asked.
The bathroom door opened, and a blonde woman gave them a curious look before slipping past them into the closest stall.
“I’d better get back to my desk,” Jane said.
“Me too,” Amy said. “I’ll see you later.”
* * *
“Welcome back, Lukie.”
Luke looked up from his computer as Amy walked into his office. She shut the doors and kissed his cheek before sitting down.
“Thanks, Amy.”
“You look tired.”
“Still a little jet lagged.” He glanced at his watch. It was almost twelve-thirty, and he was starving. He was reaching for the phone to ask Jane to order him lunch when there was a soft knock on the door, and it opened. Jane, her cheeks red and the scent of snow clinging to her, carried in a large brown paper bag and set it on the desk.
“I ordered you lunch,” she said.
“Thank you.” He avoided looking at her, and she did the same before giving Amy a brief smile and leaving the room.
“Well, that was awkward as hell,” Amy said.
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Whatever, big brother.”
He leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat. “How is living with Jane going?”
“Really good,” Amy said. “She’s a real sweetheart and the perfect roommate.”
“Are you two becoming friends?” Luke asked.
“I think so,” Amy said. “I don’t see that much of her during the week. She usually goes from here to visit her foster mother and then goes to the club.”
“The club?”
“Yes. She has a second job waitressing at some club on the west side. You didn’t know that?”
“No.”
She works there Monday to Thursday. She doesn’t get home until after two usually.”
“What?” Luke stared at her, and Amy nodded again.
“I know, right? I don’t know how she does it. I told her she could drive to the office with me in the morning so she wouldn’t have to take the bus anymore, but that still only gives her four hours of sleep. I’d be a friggin’ zombie. We’ve been spending some time together on the weekends when she’s not at the care home with her foster mom, and I like her, Luke. She’s sweet and thoughtful. I’ve made her come to family dinner the past two weekends, and Mom and Dad like her, too. Heck, I think Mom already considers her family. She clucks over her like a mother hen.”
Amy suddenly laughed. “She made this giant casserole and sent it home with us because she thought Jane was too thin. We’ve been eating it for lunches for the past week.”
“She looks like she’s gained weight,” Luke said.
“Yep, she has. Thank God. I was worried about her when she first moved in, but a couple of weeks with a steady supply of groceries has done wonders. She looks so good now. Don’t you think?”
Luke gave his sister a suspicious look before shrugging. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Bullshit,” Amy said. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off her ass when she was leaving your office a few minutes ago.”
“Keep your voice down,” Luke said. “What club does she work at?”
“I have no idea. She’s weirdly vague about it.”
“She shouldn’t be out alone that late at night.”
“I offered to loan her the cash to buy a car, but she refused,” Amy said. “She said a bus pass is cheaper than gas and insurance. Maybe you should give her a raise.”
Luke didn’t reply, and Amy picked at her bright pink thumbnail before smiling at him. “I’m glad you’re home, Lukie.”
“Thanks, Ames. I am too.”
“Meet anyone interesting?”
“The investors were -”
“I’m not talking about the investors,” Amy said. “Did you meet any girls?”
Luke rolled his eyes. “We’re not teenagers, Amy.”
“Don’t I know it. Did you meet anyone?”
“No. Why would I? I’m not looking to settle down. Besides, a long-distance relationship never works.”
“They don’t,” Amy agreed. “Which is why it’s nice that you have a lovely, sweet woman just twenty feet away.”
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Luke opened the bag and pulled out the sandwich and soup. Jane had ordered his favourite, and he took the lid off the soup. “Is that it, Amy?”
“Almost,” she said. “Are you going to family dinner this weekend?”
“Yes.” He spooned soup into his mouth. “Are you?”
“No. I’m flying out for a girls’ weekend on Friday night.”
“Oh.” He tried to hide his disappointment. If Amy brought Jane to dinner with his parents, he’d have a perfectly valid excuse to be near her.
“I was hoping you would pick Jane up for dinner,” Amy continued. “Don’t let her tell you no, okay? Mom already told her she was welcome to come to dinner without me.”
“Uh, sure, I can do that. No problem,” Luke said.
“What are your plans for the weekend?” Amy asked.
“I don’t know, why?”
“Well, Jane is painting her room on Friday night, and I thought it would be nice if you went over and helped her.”
Luke frowned at her. “Why would I do that? She’s my assistant, not my friend.”
“Just thought I’d throw it out there,” Amy said innocently as she stood. “I’ve got some casserole with my name on it to heat up. Bye, Lukie.”
“We need to talk about my Paris trip,” he said.
She rolled her eyes and collapsed back in the chair. “You’ve got five minutes.”
“I won’t need five minutes,” he said. “It was a bust. Neither Pierre nor Julien would give me a firm yes on investing in the company. They like your designs, they’re impressed with our distribution strategy, but they think our digital storefront in a word - sucks.”
Amy frowned. “It can’t be that bad. We sell plenty of clothes online.”
Luke shrugged. “Honestly, it’s not that great. If we want international investors, we need to upgrade our digital presence. We could hire an in-house team to maintain and market our digital channel.”
“Fine with me,” Amy said breezily.
Luke smiled a little. “We need to convince Mark it’s worth the extra money. If you can meet with him and - ”
“Nope,” Amy said. “You meet with him. You have more influence over him than I do, anyway.”
“Bullshit,” Luke said. “You’ve got him wrapped around your finger, Amy. You have since we were kids. He thinks of you as his baby sister, and he - ”
“I’m not his sister!”
Luke blinked at her. “We grew up together. You’re as much a sister to him as you are to me. Why are you pissed about that?”
“I’m not,” she said.
“Okay,” Luke said after a moment, “so, you meet with Mark and convince him to find money in the budget for an upgrade, and I’ll - ”
“No,” Amy said again before standing. “I’ve told you before, I don’t want anything to do with the business side.” She winked and smiled at him, but both looked forced. “I just want to make pretty things, remember?”
“Amy, I’m swamped. It would help if you could meet with Mark.”
“I said no,” she retorted. “Either convince Mark yourself that this is a good idea or fire him and hire a CFO who does think it’s a good idea.”
Luke’s mouth dropped open. “Ames,” he said cautiously, “what the hell is going on with you? You want me to fire Mark?”
She sighed and rubbed at the back of her neck. “No, of course not. I’m just tired today. Let me know what you and Mark decide, okay?”
She reached across his desk and squeezed his hand before leaving the office.
* * *
Jane addeda final strip of painter’s tape to the baseboard before standing and surveying her work. It was almost seven, and she debated whether to start painting tonight or leave it for the morning.
She wandered out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water and grabbed some crackers to munch on. Even after three weeks of living with Amy, she couldn’t get over her delight at always having food to eat. She’d stopped to see Mama J after work, and after nearly a week and a half of confusion, her foster mom was alert and knew who she was. She had exclaimed repeatedly about how good Jane looked, and they had a good visit before Mama J started to tire.
Jane smiled to herself and drank some water. It was so good to have the old Mama J back. She was starting to worry that this was it, that the Mama J she knew and loved was gone forever. To have her back made her nearly giddy with happiness.
She grabbed some cheese from the fridge and cut a few slices to add to her crackers. She needed to feel happy right now. The last five days at work with Luke were nearly agonizing in their awkwardness. Every time she looked at him, she would remember the way he had stared at her, the low rasp of his voice when he said he wanted his dick in her mouth.
A little shudder of pleasure went through her belly, and she scowled. God, she had to stop thinking about it. Luke was as uncomfortable and awkward around her– if not more – as she was around him. It wasn’t until yesterday afternoon that he’d looked at her for more than a few seconds.
She finished her food and drank the rest of her water before washing her hands. It wasn’t that late. She’d try to do the first coat of paint tonight and finish the rest in the morning before visiting Mama J.
She put her glass in the dishwasher, jumping a little when the doorbell rang. She walked to the front door and peered through the peephole. Her mouth dropped open, and she pulled self-consciously at her t-shirt and yoga pants before opening the door.
“Hi, Luke.”
“Hi, Jane.”
“Um, Amy isn’t here.”
“I know. Can I come in?” He asked.
“Oh, of course,” she said. He stepped inside and shut the door before taking off his jacket. He wore a t-shirt and jeans, and she tried not to drool at how his shirt clung to his broad chest.
“I’m here to help, ” he said.
“Help with what?”
“Painting. Amy mentioned you were painting your room and asked me to help.”
“Oh, well, that’s nice of you, but I can’t ask you to give up your Friday night to help me paint.”
He took his boots off and hung his jacket on the hook. “I don’t mind.”
“I’m sure you have better things to do,” she said.
“Nope.” He squeezed past her and started down the hall to the stairs. She stayed where she was, and he glanced at her over his shoulder. “Ready to paint?”
“Um, yes, okay.” She followed him up the stairs.
She tried not to blush when they were standing in her room together. There was no need for it to be weird. Furniture and pictures covered her bed – it wasn’t like they would have sex or something.
She blushed at the thought, and Luke gave her an odd look. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said. “I, uh, I finished taping.”
“Looks good,” he said. “Do you prefer to cut in or roll?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Honestly, I’m probably not great at either.”
“Well, I happen to be an expert at cutting in,” he said with a slight grin, “so I’ll do that. Okay?”
“Okay.”
She watched as he pried open the paint can and stirred it before grabbing a brush and carrying it and the paint can to the step ladder. He climbed the ladder and placed the paint can on top before dipping the brush into it.
She opened the second can and stirred the paint as he swiped the brush along the ceiling. She poured it into the tray and grabbed the roller. She rolled the opposite wall as Luke said, “I like the colour.”
“Thank you.” There were a few moments of silence, and feeling awkward, she said, “So, I never got the chance to ask how your holiday was.”
“It was good,” he replied. “I love Paris.”
“Someday, I’ll go there,” she said.
“You should. It has amazing architecture and history.”
“Do you travel a lot?” she asked.
He considered her question for a moment before nodding. “More than the average person, I think. How about you?”
“No. I’ve never been out of the state.”
“You didn’t travel with your parents before…”
“No, not really. We didn’t have a lot of money for travelling.”
“We didn’t either,” he said. “It’s probably why Amy and I travel so much now.”
“I want to go to Ireland,” she said.
“I went there a few years ago,” he replied. “It’s worth a visit.”
“I read online that you can stay in an actual castle.” She rolled more paint onto the wall. “How cool would it be to sleep in a castle?”
“Very cool,” he said with a grin.
She laughed. “You’ve slept in a castle in Ireland, haven’t you?”
“Guilty.”
“Well, it’s definitely on my bucket list,” she said. “Some day, I’ll save enough money for the trip.”
“I was thinking I would give you a raise,” he said.
She blinked at the rapid change in topic. “I’m sorry?”
“A raise,” he repeated.
“For what? My job duties haven’t changed.”
He laughed. “Are you really trying to talk me out of giving you a raise?”
She flushed. “I don’t want a raise that I don’t deserve.”
“You deserve it,” he said. “I’ll talk to HR on Monday about it.”
“Well, thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome. How is your foster mom doing?”
For a moment, she wondered if she was dreaming. Luke was being so friendly and downright chatty, and she’d never seen this side of him before.
“Jane?” he prompted.
“She’s good. She had a bad week, but I visited her tonight, and she was very alert.”
“That’s good.”
“I was starting to,” she paused, and he gave her an encouraging look, “I was starting to be afraid that she was lost forever. This was the longest stretch she’s gone with being this confused.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “That must be difficult for – shit!”
He had knocked the paint can with his arm, and she watched in horror as it tipped over and spilled down the front of his shirt. He grabbed the can, light blue paint coating his arms and hands and spilling onto the drop cloth on the floor as he uttered another string of curses. He finally righted the paint can and dropped the brush on the floor as he jumped off the step ladder.
Jane hurried forward, trying not to laugh as she stared at the paint soaking through his shirt.
“Fuck!” Luke said.
“Bend over,” she said.
He bent obediently, more paint dripping from his shirt to the floor, and she reached over him and grabbed the back of his shirt. She pulled it over his head and dropped it to the floor with a wet plop.
He straightened and stared at the paint on the drop cloth. “Christ, what a mess.”
She giggled as he held his paint-covered hands out in front of him. He gave her a mock scowl, and she laughed harder. “It’s just paint. You’ll be good as new with a little soap and water.”
“I look like a Smurf.”
“Yeah, you do,” she giggled.
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Be careful, or I’ll share.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she said as he stepped toward her.
“Wouldn’t I?” he said with a wicked grin.
She started to back away. Luke’s grin widened, and he quickly wiped his hand across her flat abdomen. She stared at the smear of paint.
“Jerk!”
He laughed and smeared more paint on the thigh of her yoga pants. She suddenly bent and dipped both hands in the pool of paint on the drop cloth before slapping her hands against his flat abdomen.
He growled at her, an honest-to-god growl that sent a little shiver down her back, before grabbing her around the waist and yanking her toward him. She stumbled over his paint-sodden shirt and fell against his hard chest as he wiped more smears of paint across the back of her t-shirt.
She laughed and squirmed against him. “Stop!”
“It’s just paint,” he said. “A little soap and water, and you’ll be good as new.”
“Hey!” She squealed when he spread the paint in a line across her right cheek, and then her left before making one on her forehead.
“Now you’re an extra in Braveheart,” he said.
She laughed and pushed at his chest, leaving more paint on his skin. “I look terrible in a kilt.”
She was still pressed against his body, and he studied her mouth. Suddenly nervous, she bit at her bottom lip and watched as desire replaced the playful look in his eyes.
“Luke,” she said.
“Ms. Smith,” he rasped before bending his head and kissing her. She clutched at his broad shoulders as he traced her lips with his tongue.
“Open,” he murmured against her mouth.
She parted her lips, and he dipped his tongue between them, touching her teeth delicately before sliding past them to explore and taste. She moaned and returned his kiss. Her fingers dug into his warm skin as his big hand moved to her ass and squeezed it.
She rubbed her belly against the hardness she could feel pressing against it, and he groaned harshly, his hand tightening on her ass. His other hand cupped her breast, and she arched her back as he rubbed his thumb over her hardening nipple.
He kissed her throat before nipping it. She jerked against him, and he licked his way to her ear and sucked on her earlobe.
“I want you so much, Jane,” he said.
“I want you too,” she gasped. She traced the dark hair on his chest as he squeezed her ass again and trailed kisses across the line of her jaw.
He slid his hand under her shirt and pulled the cup of her bra down. She cried out when he pulled on her nipple before teasing it with the pad of his thumb. He kissed her again, sucking roughly on her bottom lip before licking it with his warm tongue.
“Please, Luke,” she moaned.
“I want to fuck you, Ms. Smith,” he whispered into her ear.
She moaned again. Her panties were soaking wet, and she couldn’t stop rubbing her lower body against him.
“I want to find out how tight your little pussy is,” he breathed. “I want to know what you look like coming all over my dick.”
“Oh God,” she moaned.
“Do you want that too?” He pinched her nipple, and she arched her back again before nodding frantically.
“Yes. God, yes!”
“Good,” he said. “Let’s go to the shower and -”
“Well, that’s the shortest girls’ weekend of my life. Wait four friggin’ hours in the airport to have our flight cancelled because there’s a blizzard two states over that’s headed our – holy shit!”
Luke tore away from her so quickly that Jane nearly fell. He cursed and kept her upright with one hand on her elbow. Her face flaming, Jane turned around and readjusted her bra before taking a deep breath and turning back.
“Um, hi, Amy.”
“Hey, you two,” Amy said with a cheerful grin. “I’d ask how painting is going, but from the looks of it – not so great. You know the paint should go on the walls, not your bodies, right?”
“I spilled the paint.” Luke’s face was red, and he stared self-consciously at the smears of paint on his bare upper body as Amy leaned against the doorway. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on a plane?”
“I am, but it was cancelled due to poor weather.” Amy studied them. “I’m so sorry I interrupted your painting. I’ll head to my room and leave you two alone.”
“No!” Jane and Luke both shouted.
Luke cleared his throat. “Uh, no, that’s fine. I’ll clean this mess up and then head home. I’ll return in the morning and help you finish, Jane.”
“That’s okay.” Jane stared at the floor. “I can clean it up myself, and it won’t take long to finish tomorrow.”
“No,” Luke protested. “I made the mess. I’ll clean it up.”
“It’s fine, really,” Jane said. “Thank you, but it’s probably better if you go home now.”
“Nonsense,” Amy said. “I was thinking of heading to a movie anyway.”
“It’s fine,” Luke said. “Jane’s right. I should get home and shower.”
“You can shower here,” Amy said.
Luke glared at her, and she smiled sweetly at him. “You don’t want to get paint on your car, Lukie.”
“I’ll risk it,” he muttered. “Bye, Jane. I’m sorry I made such a mess.”
“It’s fine, really. Bye, Luke.”
Without looking at either of them and leaving his shirt on the floor, Luke brushed past Amy. They stood silently until they heard the front door slam. Jane cleared her throat. “Well, I’d better get this cleaned up.”
“I’m so sorry, Janie,” Amy said. “I feel awful.”
“For what?” Jane said. “You didn’t do anything.”
“Like hell, I didn’t. You and my brother were about to get busy, and I ruined the whole mood.”
“We weren’t,” Jane protested. “We were trying to clean up the paint mess.”
“With your mouths?” Amy said.
“You didn’t see what you thought you saw,” Jane said. “We weren’t doing anything.”
Amy snorted laughter before grabbing Jane’s arms. She steered her across the room, skirting around the puddle of paint, and stood Jane in front of the mirror mounted on the back of the door.
“This,” she pointed to the blue handprint on Jane’s right breast before spinning her around and pointing to the handprint on her ass, “and this looks like you were doing something. Unless you like grabbing your own boob and butt for fun?”
Jane turned scarlet before slapping herself in the forehead. “Oh, God. I’m an idiot.”
“You’re not,” Amy said. “I keep telling you there’s something between you and Luke. Hell, the sexual tension practically seeps from both your pores whenever you’re in the same room together.”
Jane sighed. “I keep telling you it’s a bad idea.”
“Yeah, I know. But for what it’s worth, I think you should go for it.”
“I know you do,” Jane said. “Listen, I’d better get this cleaned up before the paint seeps through the drop cloth.”
“I’ll help,” Amy said. “Just let me change.”
“You don’t have to help.”
“I know,” she said. “I want to. Give me two minutes.”