“If you don’t know him well then how would you know? He might be perfectly happy with having a relationship that’s not exclusive. In fact, he might do it all the time.”
Just ask Sandra Whoever-She Was, she’d tell you, I thought but did not say.
“I bet he does, just not with a woman like you,” Ren said.
“What’s that mean?”
I did it again! Why?
He leaned toward me. “Ava, you should know Stark and me don’t get along. We don’t because we find ourselves on opposite sides of the fence a lot of the time. We also don’t get along because we’re a lot alike. Therefore I know a man like that doesn’t ‘kind of’ see a woman like you because I wouldn’t ‘kind of’ see a woman like you. A man like that gets hold of a woman like you, all ass, legs, hair and attitude, protecting a soft spot you can just about see but she won’t let you touch. Fuck,” his voice lowered in a sexy way, he leaned in further, his eyes got that hungry look again and I found I was having trouble breathing. “A man like that gets hold of a woman like you it automatically becomes exclusive.”
Holy cramoly.
I decided I didn’t want to know any more and started spooning up the Chicken Montana.
I also decided that, even though I couldn’t stay in my pretend happy place for very long, there were certain times I was going to go visit.
This was one of those times.
“Ava,” Ren called.
I looked at him.
He still had that hungry look but it had intensified. Chicken Montana slid off the spoon and plopped on the white paper as my belly did a plunge.
“Do you understand what I just said to you?” he asked softly.
“I’m in my pretend happy place,” I told him.
He leaned back and smiled and I had to admit it was hot.
It was also predatory.
I was so screwed.
* * * * *
For some reason when Ren and I left the restaurant and I told him he had to take me to Luke’s, Ren found this amusing.
Then discovering that Ren found this amusing, I found I needed cookies. Therefore I asked Ren to detour to King Soopers so we could buy cookies.
Ren found this even more amusing.
While we were at King Soopers, I bought a whole bunch of other stuff, probably because I was stalling about going back to Luke’s. Ren seemed not to care even a little bit that we were grocery shopping at ten o’clock at night with our end destination being Luke’s.
This made me uncomfortable. Seeing as I was a dork, I again didn’t read the warning signs. When Ren parked outside of Luke’s and I got out and went for the bags, Ren came around to help me.
Not good.
“I’ve got it,” I said, struggling with five bags, two of which contained cookies.
“I’ll carry them.”
Oh no. No, no, no, no!
Ren was not walking into Luke’s loft with me.
He took the bags away from me firmly and started to walk into Luke’s building.
Crap!
Ren was walking into Luke’s loft with me.
Alert! Alert! Danger! Danger!
“Ren, really,” I said, catching up and beginning to sound desperate.
He turned to me and I stopped dead at the look in his eye. “I’m makin’ sure you’re safe in the building, Ava.”
And that, apparently, was that.
I couldn’t exactly get in a rip roarin’ on the sidewalk with him, not with Luke (maybe) upstairs. I had to be cool, calm and composed. I’d sworn off men. It was my decision and I was sticking to it.
So what? One hot guy who wanted to get in my pants was orchestrating a faceoff with another one. It didn’t touch me. I was immune. I was removed.
I’m a little scared, Good Ava was trembling, holding close to my neck.
I can’t WAIT to see what happens! Bad Ava was trembling with excitement.
I called the elevator and then used my key to the button to Luke’s floor. The whole time, even if I was immune and removed, I hoped that Luke was out doing scary shit (but not too scary) and not at home.
The elevator doors slid open and all hopes were dashed.
The loft was softly lit, Tom Petty was singing “American Girl” on the stereo and Luke was standing behind the semi-circle bar, phone to his ear.
His head snapped up when we entered. His eyes did a body scan of me, his mouth tightened then his eyes moved to Ren and his jaw clenched.
Shit.
I turned immediately to Ren. “I’ll take them now,” I said, grabbing the bags. “Thanks for helping me,” I went on, as if it was all my idea.
He let me take the bags (luckily cookies didn’t weigh that much in cookie form, their weight multiplied significantly once they’d processed themselves onto your ass).
Ren smiled down at me. “Nice night, Ava,” he said softly.
Don’t touch me, don’t touch me, don’t touch me, I thought.
“Thanks for dinner,” I replied.
His hand came up, I held my breath and he tucked my hair behind my ear. All the while he did this he was looking into my eyes, his carrying that look that made me feel like I was going to pass out.
Then he walked into the elevator, turned, his eyes moved to Luke then back to me, he smiled and the doors slid closed.
Alone again with Luke.
Shit.
I walked into the loft not looking at Luke and planning my defense.
He’d mostly touched my hair, not me. I was going to argue that hair didn’t count.
I put the bags on the counter at the back wall not looking at Luke and heard Luke say into the phone, “Call me when you have an update on his condition.”
At his words, I turned to him woodenly and heard him beep the phone off. My eyes moved to his and I wished they didn’t.
He was way pissed off. Super pissed. Ultra pissed.
Still, I had to know. “Bobby?” I asked.
“Found him,” Luke answered. “Fractured skull, major head trauma.”
I closed my eyes and opened them again. “Is he going to be okay?”
“We’ll know more tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry, Luke,” I said quietly, meaning every word.
“You didn’t smash him in the head.”
This was true. I still felt like shit, Bobby got hurt looking after Sissy and me.
“I don’t know what to say,” I told him.
“Nothin’ to say.”
He was likely right about that.
“You wanna tell me why you brought Ren Zano to my loft?” he asked, his voice had changed from matter-of-fact to lethal and I tried to find my immune and removed zone (and failed).
I turned away from him and started to unload cookies. “I told him about my troubles. He wanted to make sure I got in safely,” I tried to pretend it was nothing when I knew it was anything but.
“Ava, turn around and look at me.”
Not gonna happen. “I’m putting away the groceries. Some of it has to get in the freezer.” Like the three containers of ice cream.
“Ava, turn around.”
“Luke, no. I know you’re angry but you’re just going to have to get over it,” I shoved the ice cream in the freezer and slammed the door, all the while avoiding his eyes. “We just had dinner. We talked. Nothing more. That’s it. The end.”
I started unloading cookies. Double Stuff Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Nutter Butter, regular Milanos, Mint Milanos, orange-flavored Milanos…
“You stood right in front of me, wearin’ a fuck-me skirt and fuck-me shoes and let him touch you,” he said to my back.
All right. Enough.
I whirled on Luke. “He touched my hair.” There, I used that as my defense. It didn’t sound good but I was going to go with it. “He just took me out to a nice dinner. I could hardly bean him with a grocery bag full of cookies for touching my hair!” I snapped.
That’s when Luke moved.
One second, he was three feet away, t
he next second he was on me. Or I should say, I was in his arms and he was giving me an angry, shut-Ava-up kiss.
Then (I swear I couldn’t help it) my mouth opened under his, my tongue touched his fantastic lips, his mouth opened, my tongue slid inside and the kiss exploded.
In fact, it kind of felt like everything exploded.
After that we were all over each other. My hands pulled his tee out of his cargoes and up, his mouth disengaged and he took over, yanking the tee off and throwing it aside. His hands went to my ribcage then up, over my breasts, one hand pulling down my shirt and one of the cups of my bra, exposing me to him. I did a swift half-shocked, half-turned on intake of breath and his hands slid around my back, pressing in, arching it, his head came down and his mouth closed around my nipple and he sucked deep.
I gasped then moaned, shock gone, now only turned on. My hands went to his head, holding him to me when he did the same to the other side.
His lips started gliding up my chest and I went for his buckle, yanking at it, losing patience, wanting a feel of him now. I gave up and slid my palm down his hard crotch. When I did his mouth came back to mine kissing me hotter, deeper than before and pushing me into the back counter. He tore his mouth from mine, leaned to the side, did an arm swipe at the counter and cookies went flying.
He captured my lips again, his hands going down, tugging my skirt up to my hips then yanking down my panties. I shimmied out of them and he lifted me, hands at my ass, and planted me on the counter. He spread my legs and moved his hips between them, all the while his lips on mine, his tongue in my mouth.
His hand went between my legs and hit dead on the target and it felt so good, my back arched, my head dropping back, losing contact with his lips. His mouth went down my neck, my chest, back to my nipple as his hand worked me, thumb rolling on the target while a finger slid inside.
“Luke!” I gasped, close, oh so close, I was nearly there and I knew it was going to be good.
Upon hearing my gasp, his hand and mouth instantly went away. I gave a small cry of protest as his other hand fisted in my hair.
“No you don’t,” he growled and picked me up, one hand at my ass the other one still in my hair. I wrapped my arms and legs around him as he carried me to the bed with his face buried in my neck, his tongue sending shivers sliding straight from the skin under my ear on a no fail trajectory to my special girl parts. He set me on my feet beside the bed and released me.
At that point, it was all go, go, go. Not because I thought we would get interrupted but because I wanted him inside me and I wasn’t going to wait one fucking second longer.
My hands went back to the buckle of his pants. As I worked it, I got up on tiptoe and my mouth went to his neck, tasting him with my tongue. He tasted great, he smelled great, everything about Luke was great. I got the buckle free, undid the button and slid down the zip as he unzipped my skirt at the back and shoved it down so it fell at my feet.
My mouth now at his throat and working my way around, he pulled my shirt up, foiling my plan to stick my hand down his pants. Without a choice I leaned back, lifted my arms and he whipped it over my head. He picked me up, hands at my ass again, my legs went around his hips and he put a knee to the bed, planted me in it and covered me with his body.
Now we were getting somewhere.
During this maneuver, wanting to be ready for anything, I slid his cargoes over his tight ass. I dipped my chin and looked at him, my eyes hooded, his molten. His hands went to my hips, lifted them, I felt him there and, eyes on mine, without hesitation he slammed inside me, burying himself to the hilt.
I closed my eyes, arched my neck and breathed, “Yes.”
He felt good, he felt hot, he felt hard.
He felt right.
I lifted my knees and pressed them against his sides as he drove in again and again and again hard, hot and totally out-of-control. While he slammed into me, he kissed me. When I started panting, his mouth went to my ear and I lifted my head and pressed my lips to where his neck met his shoulder, wrapping my arms tight around his back, my legs around his hips like I was never going to let go.
I was there, right there when I heard him say, his voice hoarse, “Ava.”
I dropped my head back and tried to focus on him but couldn’t because it hit me. I came and it was toe-curling, world-tilting amazing.
I didn’t know it but when I came, I gasped Luke’s name and, shortly after, I smiled.
And he watched the whole thing.
* * * * *
Luke rolled to his side, taking me with him, still inside me, his hand behind my knee to keep my leg wrapped around his hip.
I’d just done the nasty with Lucas Stark.
I’d played the scenario in my head dozens of times, hundreds of times and never, not once, was it as good as what just happened.
Shit.
I was so screwed.
Luke gently slid out of me, tugged at the bottom of the comforter and pulled it over my body. Then he rolled over on his back, bucked his hips pulling up his cargoes. Then he moved away and I watched as he silently sat at the edge of the bed. He put his elbows to his knees, forehead in the heels of his hands in a masculine position of defeated reflection.
I stared and felt my throat close as if in slow motion.
Of course. Fatty, Fatty Four-Eyes Ava Barlow had just done the nasty with ultra hot, tough guy, macho man Lucas Stark which meant Lucas Stark just gave the business to Fatty, Fatty Four-Eyes.
He must be mortified.
I rolled taking the comforter with me. All I could think of was escape. I had to get out of there, get away from him. Wyoming wasn’t far enough. I had to buy myself onto one of those spaceships that they let rich people take a ride on and never, ever come back to earth.
I neared the end of the bed, I was still wearing my pointy-toed, pencil-heeled sling backs and they kept catching on the covers hampering my movement. I was just about to crawl over the footboard when he tagged me with an arm around my waist and I landed on my back. He pinned one side of my body with his and looked at my face. I saw, somewhat surprised, that his eyes were still ink.
“Where you goin’?” he asked, voice soft, slightly husky and very sexy.
“I’m going to spend the night with Sissy and her Dad,” I told him voice quiet, slightly husky and very scared.
I watched in total shock as he gave me a sexy half-grin then touched my mouth with his. His mouth moved away but his face didn’t and he kept looking in my eyes.
“You missed it again, babe,” he said in his gentle, affectionate voice.
“What?” I whispered, transfixed by his inky eyes and caught up in The Voice.
He lifted his head a bit and shook it, his hand came up and he sifted his fingers through my hair at my temple. He watched his hand’s movement then his eyes came back to mine.
“I’m not gonna clue you in this time, Ava. This time, you’re gonna have to figure it out for yourself. One thing I’m gonna tell you is that you’re not goin’ anywhere.”
The way he said it, I knew he didn’t just mean tonight.
Guess he wasn’t mortified by giving the business to Fatty, Fatty Four-Eyes.
Seriously, I was screwed.
Chapter Fifteen
Together in A Way You Can’t Deny
In the dead of the night, Luke tugged me over the top of him to his other side. I started to settle into him face-to-face but, with pressure at my hip, he rolled me so my back was to him and he leaned in so we were bent at the waist.
I didn’t say a word. I didn’t mind this new position, it was nice.
And anyway, I was tired.
I started to fall asleep again when his arms wrapped around me; one of his hands went north and one went south.
I sucked in breath and came awake when one of his fingers hit the target between my legs and the thumb and finger on his other hand did a delicious nipple roll.
Um… wow.
“Luke?” my voice sounded sleepy and
quiet.
“Quiet, Ava,” Luke murmured into the back of my neck and then I felt his lips there.
For some reason, I snuggled my ass into his crotch, feeling him hard against me. He did another roll at the target and I made a small noise in my throat as heat shot through me.
Then his body shifted and, I kid you not, he slid inside me.
Oh… my… God.
None of my lovers had been adventurous (weirdly, not even Dave, the sex maniac, he might have been a perv but he wasn’t imaginative). I’d never been cuffed to a bed and I’d never done it in any position but the two top sellers (him on top, me on top).
This was nice, very nice, ultra nice, moaning, panting with mouth open nice. His hands kept at me as he moved inside me and I pressed into him, wanting more.
“Luke,” I breathed, nearly there and his hand went away from my nipple, came to my jaw, his thumb slid across my opened lower lip and I came. Hard.
Minutes later his arms tensed, he drove into me one last time, his mouth in the crook of my neck where I heard (with deep satisfaction, I had to admit) his low groan.
Moments after he finished, his arms came around me tight, one at my waist, the other one slashed diagonally across my torso. He stayed inside me and his mouth moved up my neck.
“Wow,” I whispered, somehow moved by the experience, feeling for some strange reason it was the most intimate moment with another human being I’d had in my life.
I felt a movement of his lips at my neck and I was pretty certain he smiled. Then I snuggled my behind into him and I heard him groan again. I smiled to myself in the dark and believe it or not, wrapped tight in Luke’s arms, Luke still inside me, I immediately fell back to sleep.
* * * * *
I was in my usual morning position, tucked into Luke’s side, arm around his abs, leg thrown over his thighs when Luke woke me by tilting up my chin and kissing me.
Then he rolled me to my back. Then his mouth moved down my body. Then it was between my legs.
After he made me finish, he came up over me and he finished.
All of this was done without a word.
When it was over, Luke stayed where he was, his bodyweight pressing me into the bed. One of my legs was bent, foot on the bed, inside thigh pressed against his hip. The other leg wrapped around his thigh, my arms around him, hands idly sliding across his skin and muscle.