pain of failure, and there was one thing she’d always been good at. One thing she’d always succeeded at…and she was too tired to deny the pull that Lukas’ eager-to-please attentions awoke within her. “One night,” she whispered.
“One night?”
“One night. You and me. No dinner, and no promises.” She met his gaze and let him see the need she felt rising from deep within. “Tonight.”
Shock whipped through Lukas. She’d said yes! Adrenaline filled his veins and he fought the urge to shout out. Finally, after so many rejections, Grace had said yes.
His elation faded as her words sunk in. One night.
No dinner.
She hadn’t said yes to a date. She wanted a one-night stand.
Disappointment flooded him and he started to shake his head-then he took a better look at her.
“Grace, what’s wrong?” Her normally bright green eyes were dark and dull, the skin around them pinched and drawn. “Are you okay?”
She looked at the hand he’d placed on her shoulder, her head turning slowly, as if it took a lot of effort.
“I’m not hurt, Lukas.” She looked up at him from beneath those long sweeping eyelashes and his pulse jumped at the raw need there. She stepped closer and placed a small hand on his chest. “I just need to feel something. I need you tonight.”
There was no way in hell he was going to turn her down.
They left the grocery store quickly and quietly, neither of them buying a thing. Grace was amazingly passive as he led her out to the car and got her settled in the passenger seat. He’d never seen her so…dim before. As if the light from within had gone out.
The drive to her place was silent. Lukas wanted to talk to her, to ask her what had happened. What had made her change her mind about him, finally? But he wasn’t sure that was the smart thing to do.
He’d never been attracted to tough girls before, and when his father had told him Grace’s story it never occurred to him he’d be interested in her. But when he met the ex-stripper, he’d fallen hard and fast. The vibrancy of her personality softened the hard edges he knew she’d developed in her youth, and her love for the troubled kids she worked with was obvious to anyone with eyes.
The vibrancy was gone right now though. And so was the hardness. As a defense attorney he worked with all types of people and saw all sorts of things, and it almost seemed like Grace was in shock. If she wasn’t technically in shock, she was certainly close. Making her talk about whatever set her off wasn’t the smart thing to do.
And taking advantage of her vulnerability by sleeping with her wasn’t the right thing to do.
He’d been enthralled by Grace ever since he met her. Her personality, her background, her attitude…the whole package had hooked him from day one. Not to mention she was the first woman he’d met that had made his cock stand at attention just by being near.
Lukas wasn’t a fan of one-night stands. In fact, he wasn’t even sure what the big attraction to sex in general was. It was nice, but it never made him feel the way he thought it should. So in the five minutes it took to get to her place, he made a decision. As much as he wanted Grace in his life, he wasn’t going to change his ways.
Grace unlocked the door and entered her small house. She didn’t look around, she didn’t want to see what was there. Instead, she stepped inside, waited for Lukas to enter, then closed the door behind him. “Follow me,” she said.
“Grace,” he spoke softly as he followed her down the small corridor to her bedroom. “I don’t think this is-”
She spun around just inside the entrance to her bedroom, stopping him cold. “Then don’t think.” She stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed the full length of her body against him. “Just feel.”
Two
Grace swept her tongue across his full bottom lip before delving deep into Luke’s mouth, enjoying his smooth clean flavor. His hands circled her waist, and for a minute she thought he was going to push her away. Then his grip on her tightened, pulling her closer. The hardness of his muscles against her had heat thrumming through her body, attacking the cold knot of failure that had settled deep in her chest hours ago.
She pulled back, twisted her hands in the front of his shirt, and stepped backward, pulling him into her room. His warm hands covered hers, and he tried to pull them away gently. “Grace.” He shook his head at her. “This isn’t right. It isn’t what I want.”
“It’s what I want.” She looked into his eyes as she walked. When the edge of the bed hit the back of her knees, she stopped. “I need to feel something warm, Lukas. I need you.”
She pressed against him, kissing her way up to his ear. She nipped at his earlobe and ran her tongue gently around the rim. “This is what I want. What I need.”
He pulled back slightly, and the emptiness inside her spread. She thought he was going to walk away. Their gazes locked and she knew the minute he gave in. His eyes darkened, softening as he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.
He was smooth and gentle when she wanted hot and hard. His tongue slipped between her lips, searching out her secrets and soothing her soul. His touch, his feel, his flavor was so much…
Then
A sigh of satisfaction welled up within her, and she reveled in the warmth his touch imbued. It seeped into her body, into her soul, reminding her just how good human contact could feel.
She wrapped her arms around him and fell back onto the bed, pulling him down on top of her. She’d thought she needed to dominate him; to tease and please him until he begged her to let him come, until she regained some sense of control. But really, what she’d needed instead was to remember what it was to feel. Wanting more of his warmth, she tugged his t-shirt free and reached beneath it to find hot smooth skin that shifted beneath her fingertips with every touch. Lukas nudged her chin, and she tilted her head, moaning at the fire that burned along her skin when he trailed nibbling kisses down her neck to her collarbone.
He was taking things too slow, teasing her when she didn’t want teasing. She wanted more, fast. She braced her heels on the bed, and with a heave and a twist had him right where she wanted. On his back and between her legs.
She whipped her shirt over her head, discarded her bra, and leaned forward, placing a ripe pink nipple directly above his lips.
“Take it in your mouth,” she told him. “Use your hands
“Grace?” His eyes widened, heat flaring within their depths.
“Please me, Lukas.” The soft command echoed in the room.
Large male hands slid up her ribcage and cupped her breasts. When his warm mouth surrounded her nipple and he started suckling, Grace let her eyes drift shut and reveled in the sensations that swelled deep within with each tug of his lips.
She tightened her thighs around him and rocked her hips. Pressing down so the hard ridge beneath his zipper rubbed against her core, and the heat within her spread.
More, she needed more heat.
As if he could sense her thoughts Lukas shifted and sucked on her other nipple. His teeth nipped, his tongue swirled, and then he sucked and laved it. The fingers pinched and pulled at her other nipple and she gasped, her insides melting, her juices starting to flow.
“Oh yes,” she sighed. Taking a deep breath she pulled away and shed the rest of her clothes. She glanced back at Lukas to find that he hadn’t moved from his position on the bed except to watch her. His heated gaze ran over her nakedness, and a tight knot of arousal formed low in her belly.
