Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Luke
You be the one.
The words reverberate in my skull.
For a moment, I don’t react. I can’t. My brain works overtime trying to process what she just said and fails completely to wrap my head around it, because every part of my body is reacting all at once.
She can’t be serious.
But she is.
I can see it in her eyes. The set of her jaw. The way her muscles are coiled and ready to go the second I move my hand away from the door. It isn’t a bluff. It’s not a throwaway comment she’ll take back in a few seconds.
She means it.
I haven’t known Lilly long. But I’ve known her long enough to see she’s a woman of her word. More than that, not once has she struck me as a brat who will use manipulation to get what she wants.
She says something, she means it.
Despite her bravado, I see the cracks. Her breath is coming fast. Her shoulders are squared, but they shake a little.
She’s terrified. But determined nonetheless.
“Lilly…” My voice comes out rough, dragged from low in my belly. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“Don’t insult me.” There’s the slightest tremor in her voice. “I know exactly what I’m asking, Luke.”
No.
She doesn’t.
Because if she did, there’s no way she’d be standing here looking at me like I was the safe option.
“You don’t need to do this to prove a point.”
“Who exactly would I be proving that point to?” She lifts her chin definitely. “This is about me. And about moving on.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“But you don’t know.” She takes the slightest step back against the door, but we’re still standing so close I can feel the heat of her.
“No,” I admit. “I don’t know.”
I can feel myself losing this battle, which is ridiculous because this entire conversation is ridiculous.
“So, if you won’t let me leave of my own free will to find someone to help me take care of the situation,” emotions I have no business feeling flare hot and wild within me as she speaks, “then I guess it’s up to you.”
I suck in a breath. It doesn’t make any more sense when she says it for the second time, but also, I’d be a damn liar if I said I didn’t want to take her up on the offer.
Very. Very much.
“I’m your boss, Lilly.”
Her face changes. “Not right now,” she says. “And not for long.” Before I can ask what she means by that, she continues, “We both know that this little arrangement isn’t going to last any longer than the month we agreed upon.”
I hate that she’s right.
Even more, I hate that she feels it too.
She stares up at me with big, unblinking eyes. She’s made her decision. I can see that clearly. It’s either me or she’s driving down the mountain into God knows what.
I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit here and let that happen.
I shift closer to her, so her back hits the door. She doesn’t try to move away. She just looks up at me like she’s waiting to see what I’ll do.
This is where I should walk away. This is where I need to make the right choice. The one that doesn’t involve me screwing my assistant.
But I can’t.
Because this is about more than her request. This has been simmering from the moment she pushed her way into my house.
The heat between us has been building with every stupid file she organizes and analyzes. With every meeting she schedules for me, I want her a little bit more.
And God help me, watching her move so confidently through my office, not just like she belongs there but that she controls it, might just be the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
And she’s right, this is temporary.
I take a breath. And then another, giving myself one last chance to shut this down.
But I don’t take it.
Instead, I close the last few inches between us, tilt her chin up with my hand, and kiss her hard enough to steal the breath from her lungs.
Lilly
I didn’t expect it. Not really.
I mean…I wanted it.
But a part of me—a big part—wasn’t convinced he’d actually do it.
So when his lips press to mine, it takes me a second to realize what’s happening.
He kisses me like he’s making a decision.
It’s hard enough to steal my breath, but slow enough that I feel every second of it, and I know I’ll remember it forever.
My back presses against the door, his hand warm at my jaw, holding me in place while his mouth, firm and certain, moves on mine.
For one stunned beat, all I can do is freeze and feel it.
This is Luke. My boss.
The grumpy mountain man who’s done everything in his power since I burst into his cabin, to push me out. To push me away.
And now…he’s pulling me close.
And my body is melting into his.
Automatically, my hands come up to press against his solid wall of chest muscle. I can feel every bit of strength and restraint he’s wound up tight with. It should scare me and have me quickly changing my mind.
Instead, I lean in, letting my hands slide over the fabric of his shirt.
Because I’ve wanted this.
Maybe not just like this. Not in the middle of an argument where he’s been backed into a corner, and feeling like he needs to take care of me or do me a favour.
But the moment his mouth met mine, none of that mattered anymore.
I’ll take him in any way he’ll give himself to me because this feels real in a way that nothing has for way too long.
A soft sound slips from my throat. His thumb moves against my cheek. I part my lips on instinct.
It’s not like I’ve never been kissed before. But I’ve never been kissed like this. And with the promise of everything else to come.
The kiss deepens. It’s still controlled, but more demanding now, a little less careful.
My pulse races, and hot heat rushes between my legs.
Oh yes.
Heat pools low in my belly, my breathing coming shallow now. I can feel the exact moment that whatever is left of my uncertainty turns to want. Suddenly, I’m no longer thinking about the consequences of what this could mean.
All I can think of now is the way his mouth feels, the solid press of his hips, pushing me against the door. The thick outline of his hard cock making itself known against my belly. The way his hands feel on me.
He lifts his head just enough to meet my eyes. “Last chance, Lilly.” His voice is rough, only barely controlled. “Say the?—”
“Don’t stop.”
His nostrils flare, but instead of kissing me again, he traces one finger down my cheek before outlining my lips. “Okay,” he says slowly. “We’re going to do this, Lilly.” My breath hitches. “I’m going to take care of you.” My stomach flips. “Understand?”
I nod even if I don’t understand. Not completely. But his words are so confident. So sure that there’s no room for me to feel anything else but total certainty.
“Yes,” I whisper.
A brief, almost imperceptible shift crosses his expression. Then his mouth brushes against mine again.
A flood of heat pools between my legs before he bends and lifts me as if I weigh nothing. One arm under my knee, the other behind my back, I let out a surprised sound as he pulls me tight into his arms.
“I’ve got you.”
I believe him.
His hold is solid and careful, like he’s carrying a precious package and not the woman who more or less backed him into a corner in order to convince him to take her virginity.
He walks through the cabin, down the hall to a room I haven’t been in yet.
His bedroom.
It’s bigger than mine. A king sized bed in the middle of the space, a few matching pieces of furniture, and an overstuffed chair by the window.
Beyond that, there aren’t any decorations or personal effects.
The only clue that it’s Luke’s room, besides the massive bed, is the flannel shirt tossed over the back of the chair in the corner.
I don’t have much time to think about it as he lowers me onto the mattress.
We’re really doing this.
He follows me down to the bed, bracing himself over me for a second before his mouth finds mine again, slower now. My fingers curl into the cotton of his shirt, holding him in place so he doesn’t change his mind and send me down into town to take care of my problem.
But I know he’s not going to do that. I saw the look in his eyes when I suggested going to the Rusty Nail. It was practically feral. Besides, he’s not the type of man to go back on his word.
This is happening.
“You’re so fucking delicious,” he murmurs against my lips. “I can’t stop kissing you.”
“Good.” My hands reach up to thread into his hair, tugging him toward me. “Don’t.”
“Mm.” He pulls away from my mouth. “I’m gonna have to, sweetheart. I told you, I was going to take care of you. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
My heart flips at that, but I quickly squash any feelings beyond desire. This isn’t anything more than one night. A means to an end. That’s it.
There are no feelings here.
Then his mouth is moving again. Down my throat, to the triangle of exposed skin where my blouse is buttoned. A shiver races through me, and my back arches automatically as he starts working the buttons through the silk.
“Can’t wait to see what you’ve got under this, sweetheart.” His voice is low and rough, turning to a growl when he parts the fabric of my blouse to see the black, satin bra I’m wearing. “Fuck, Lilly.”
He holds himself up with one arm, while the other hand, big and rough, slides over the fabric of my bra, cupping and squeezing my tits. “Look at you,” he murmurs. “So sweet. So beautiful.”
His words make my breath hitch. No one’s ever looked at me like this, like I’m something to be savored. Like I’m sexy or desirable.
His free hand moves around my back and deftly unclasps the bra so he can pull it free, leaving my breasts exposed completely.
His eyes darken, and he once more reaches for me, cupping my breast, his thumb circling the nipple until it peaks, hard and throbbing.
I arch into his touch, a moan escaping me as he lowers and sucks it between his lips.
“You want this,” he says, almost to himself.
I do. Oh God, do I ever.