“Last night you experienced a Scottish Christmas. So, I think to be fair, now you get to have an Italian one.”
He grabs me again and kisses my face all over. “Of all the cottages you walked into, I’m glad it was mine.”
“Technically, you walked into mine.” I elbow him.
“You’re always so analytical,” he jokes, then he starts tickling me.
“Stop it. Stop it.” My stomach is hurting from all the giggling because I’m so ticklish.
Luke pulls me back into his arms again. “I’m very happy that you came home when you did. There isn’t anyone else in the world I’d want to spend Christmas with today.” Luke’s words set butterflies off in my belly.
“Well, I hope you still feel that way after lunch. I can’t guarantee the food will be totally authentic.”
Luke kisses me gently again. “It smells delicious. Let me go have a shower, then I can help you.”
It’s only been a couple of days since being home, but it feels like a lifetime.
How have I become so close to a stranger in such a short time?
Is it because we’re forced together?
Is it chemistry?
Is it because all we have is time to get to know each other without outside interference?
Does it really matter why?
It’s not like you're going to marry the guy. He’s a holiday romance. Once his time is up, that’s it, he’ll be a lovely memory.
I hear a raised voice coming from down the hallway. Who’s Luke arguing with? He’s talking in rapid Italian, and I can’t quite catch what he’s saying. You shouldn’t be listening, Lilly. He has a right to have a private conversation. A short time later, Luke storms into the kitchen looking agitated, swearing under his breath.
“Are you okay?”
He stills, looking at me, his face softening. “Just business stuff.”
“On Christmas Day?”
Who calls their boss on Christmas Day? An asshole, that’s who.
“My business is kind of twenty-four-seven,” he adds quickly.
I haven’t pushed him about what he does for a living. I haven’t really pushed him much about his life.
He then pulls me into his arms and kisses me gently. “When I’m around you, you make me feel calm. That nothing outside this cottage exists.”
I know what he means.
Grabbing my ass and lifting me on top of the kitchen counter, he pushes open my legs. Thankfully, I’m still in my sleep shirt and knee-high socks. What? My toes get cold. He easily fits between my legs, which I wrap around his thick waist.
“Is anything going to burn if I take your attention away for at least ten minutes? I can make it quick, just this once.” He smirks at me.
I look over his shoulder and check what I’m cooking. Yeah, it should be fine. I mean, if anything starts to burn, I’m just here.
“Should be okay.”
He pushes up the hem of my sleep shirt, exposing my panties.
“Good.” He rips my knickers off in one easy tug. Holy shit! He just ripped my knickers off, that’s some kind of porn star move. I mean, damn those knickers were flimsy. I thought Marks & Spencer was supposed to have good quality underwear. They shouldn’t tear like that. Wish I had my receipt, I could’ve taken them back for faulty workmanship.
“Lilly.”
I pause my inner monologue and look up at him.
“You were in your head again.” And so, I was. “Let me help you focus on other things.” He pulls me to the edge of the island, giving me a devious grin, before opening my legs. Thick thumbs tease my outer folds, back and forth, until they slowly slip in.
My hands hit the counter. My head falls back as the electricity begins to pump through my veins. He continues until his fingers are slick with my arousal.
When I open my eyes, I notice his track pants are down around his ankles, and he’s sheathing himself. “Sorry, it’s a quickie this morning, but I need you.”
My teeth sink into my bottom lip at his confession.
He needs me. Yeah, that has to be like lighting a barrel of gunpowder at a woman’s vagina. That comment makes a woman combust in mere seconds. He needs me. They are three words all women want to hear.
Luke pushes himself inside me, and I love the feeling of stretching all around him. We’re connecting at this moment as close as any two people can be. Those chocolate eyes are intense as he fills me. He doesn’t move, we just share the moment of raw togetherness.
His forehead falls to my shoulder. “You were an unexpected surprise, Lilly.” I could say the same thing about him. “And most of the time, I don’t know what to do with you.” This isn’t the sexy times I thought we’d be having. “You’ve opened my mind to many new things that I never dared possible.”
My dirty-talking Luke has been replaced by a philosophical Luke.
“I…” Luke pulls himself nearly out of me, his fingers gripping into the flesh of my ass, then drives himself back into me, pushing me hard against the countertop. “I never thought…” He pushes inside of me again, deeper, seeking to be as connected as we can be. “I never thought there could be another way.” My mind is swirling with orgasmic fog. What’s he talking about? “You’re special, Lil.”
His perfect rhythm is taking over as he continuously slams himself into me. Now, that’s my version of what a quickie is all about. We both hurtle toward each other’s orgasms, higher and higher until we reach that peak simultaneously, then slump against each other, heaving with strenuous exertion.
“That was… different.”
Luke looks up at me with a frown on his face.
“Your dirty talking was a little different than what you normally say.”
“I’m sorry about that,” he quickly adds, looking slightly uncomfortable for the first time, ever.
“Hey.” Pulling his face to mine, not letting him feel embarrassed about sharing a part of himself with me, I say, “I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” Pressing a kiss against the stubble of the beard he’s starting to grow, I
