Chapter Twelve #3
‘Okay, but can we talk about the present? The way I see it,’ Luke said slowly, eyes locked onto hers, ‘after the flea market, and last night, too, you and I can’t ignore this .
. . thing between us anymore. We’re still drawn to each other, but you’re always running away. What are you afraid of, Blair?’
Blair was afraid of so, so much. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.
The prophecy said to go to Luke, so maybe that’s what she should do.
But she couldn’t pick up where they left off.
The risks to her and her sisters’ safety were too high.
And the risk to her heart, too. But he was sitting there, so tall, brown eyes heating her skin.
She wanted to touch him so much that her fingers hurt.
‘What if . . .’ Blair swallowed. ‘What if instead of reopening that chapter, we start a different one.’
Luke blinked. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean . . . we were kids then. But we’re adults now. I’m not . . . I mean, I can’t commit to anything serious at this point. For my own reasons, but also, you’re only here temporarily. So . . . we could start a more casual chapter.’
‘Casual.’ His voice was gravelly. ‘You’re suggesting a casual fling. Friends with benefits.’
Blair nodded. ‘Let’s not get caught up in the past and heavy feelings and just .
. . enjoy each other.’ She exhaled. She couldn’t believe she’d suggested a friends-with-benefits fling with Luke Caldwell.
But she needed to do something about this sexual tension if she wanted to be the slightest bit functional to figure out what was happening in this town.
Plus, the prophecy said to go to he who makes tall buildings, so that’s what she was doing.
Going to Luke. Spending time with him, even if that time was naked time, could help her figure out his role in all this.
Luke finally laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
Blair frowned. ‘You don’t want that?’
He smiled an almost roguish smile. How did anyone manage to work with this man without turning into a pile of goo? ‘No, Blair. I want that very much. But are you sure about this? Be sure that you’re positive, because if I come over there, I promise you won’t be able to think straight.’
She already couldn’t think straight. In fact, she was kind of hoping that him coming over here would help her make sense of things again. She locked on to his eyes. ‘I want it. You.’
Luke got up from his chair and moved toward Blair.
His eyes looked intense. Almost predatory.
Luke had really, significantly, upped his seduction game since their last time together.
He sat next to her, leg touching hers. Blair could feel the heat from his body and smell his soap.
She exhaled slowly. He put his hand on her thigh, his long fingers gently moving on her grey tights, wiping all thoughts and objections from her brain.
Something that felt so good, so right, could never be wrong.
And being this close to Luke had always felt this right. Being even closer was better.
Blair put one hand on the back of his neck, taking a second to appreciate how soft his skin was there, and pulled him down until his lips were on hers.
And, holy hell, they should have done this the minute Luke moved back to town.
He tugged her close, immediately deepening the kiss.
Luke was just the right amount of forceful, letting Blair stop being the person with too many responsibilities and too much to worry about, and let someone else lead for a while.
He was a man starved, kissing almost desperately while his stubble rubbed against her cheek, the friction delicious against her skin.
Eventually Luke wrapped his strong arm around Blair’s waist and pulled her onto his lap, using his other hand to place her thighs exactly where he wanted them, so she was straddling him, her skirt bunched up on her waist. She could feel his erection against the seam of her tights, dragging across where she needed him most. When he reached into her sweater and pinched her sensitive nipple hard, she rolled her hips into him, throwing her head back with pleasure.
‘Blair,’ Luke murmured as he lavished attention on her neck.
‘You have no idea what you do to me.’ He raised his head to look at her, hands dragging up her thighs to the waistband of her tights.
‘Do you want me to take my shirt off?’ he asked, eyes dancing with mischief.
‘You looked like you wanted to lick me like an ice cream cone when you got here.’
‘I did not.’
He laughed. ‘You did.’ He dipped his chin to run his tongue down her neck and onto her chest. ‘It’s okay,’ he said against her skin.
‘I’ve wanted to lick you since you first threw that pumpkin spice latte on me.
’ His fingers hooked under the waistband of her tights, tugging them downwards so he could squeeze her bare ass.
‘Luke?’ She pressed into his hardness, aching for release.
‘Yes, Blair?’
‘This would be better on a bed.’
He chuckled. ‘You always were the smarter one.’ In one smooth motion, Luke stood from the sofa, lifting Blair with him, and taking her the two steps to his bedroom.
This wasn’t a mistake. Not even a little bit. Blair deserved to feel this good.