Vivian let out a sexy cry that would’ve made any man proud. Her pleasure filled him, fueled him, drove him to devour and explore her body with fervor. He kissed. Nibbled. Licked. Sucked. Swirled his tongue over her hot folds and pushed two fingers into her pussy until he felt her climax rip through her in shaky shudders.
Never in his life had Josh achieved such satisfaction from bringing a woman to orgasm. His erection was harder than granite, straining against his boxers and pleading for release.
Not yet.
He kissed her one last time before raising himself up so that his face was inches from hers. Christ, he’d never seen a sexier sight. Viv’s cheeks flushed in a way that made her appear almost girlish, and those ragged breaths that burst from her delicate throat made him mad with lust.
He wanted to express his need for her but all that came out was a strangled, “Vivian.” Then he covered her lips with his, his mouth becoming a magnet that refused to pull away. He kissed her. Over and over again. Thrust his tongue in her mouth and shoved a hand in her hair.
He didn’t know how long they remained there, kissing. Him on his knees with a rock-hard erection. Her on the chair, skirt pulled up, her sweet mouth exploring his with urgency.
“Viv.” He pulled back and swallowed, moistening the throat that had grown dry and tight with need. “I want—”
And then the phone rang.
As if she were emerging from a hazy dream, Viv’s eyes snapped open. Her hands fell from his shoulders. Her mouth closed.
“Don’t answer it.” His eyes pleaded with her but it was already too late. He saw the remorseful look on her face and knew she’d slipped out of his grasp yet again. Whatever they’d just shared ceased. She was in control again.
“Josh.” Her voice was timid.
A spurt of anger bubbled in his gut. “Don’t say it,” he warned. “Don’t say this was another mistake.”
Their gazes locked, his glinting with determination, hers expressionless. Then she stood, gingerly moved around him and walked toward a nearby table. The mechanical ringing stopped as she clicked on the cordless phone and placed it to her ear. The “hello” she uttered was curt, but her tone softened a second later. “Tanya, hi! No, sweetie, I’m not busy at all.”
Her voice sounded strained to Josh’s ears but when she covered the mouthpiece with her hand and turned to him, she spoke calmly and quietly. “It’s my daughter. I’ll take the call in my bedroom.”
As Josh watched her saunter away, his chest sagged. Inside him, a balloon of lust and anger, disappointment and hope, deflated as if someone had pricked it with a needle. It floated down to the pit of his stomach, coiling into a knot of pain.
The last thing he heard Vivian say before her bedroom door latched shut was, “No, honey, I was just talking to the pool boy.”
***
“I’d love to.”
Luke instantly cocked his head the second he heard Ellie’s voice break through the chatter of the club. Suspicion slammed into him like a gust of wind as he wondered what she’d just agreed to. No doubt something that would make him crazy.
Or turn him on.
Across the room, Ellie’s date stood up and held out his arm. Luke clenched his fists as he saw her take the guy’s hand and lead him to the jukebox. As they examined the song selections, Enrique’s hand slid down Ellie’s back to rest on the curve of her bottom.
Anger jolted through Luke like volts of electricity. He resisted every urge to run over there and slam his fist against the other man’s clean-shaven jaw.
Clamping his fingers against the beer bottle, he tried to calm himself. Okay, some guy had his hands on Ellie’s sweet ass. No big deal. It could be worse.
And a few moments later, Luke saw exactly how worse it could be.
As a sexy salsa number filled the room, Ellie and her date strolled onto the dance floor in front of the stage and began moving together in the most erotic dance Luke had ever witnessed.
Dear Lord, she knew how to move. As if her body was liquid, Ellie gyrated against her date. Hips swaying. Butt wiggling. Breasts…rubbing against the guy’s chest.
Luke’s mouth went dry, and against all his better sense he imagined Ellie moving like that against him. His body tightened with need, and at each wiggle of her hips against Enrique’s groin, Luke’s own groin clenched. When her date ran his hands up and down her back, her tailbone, her butt, it was Luke’s fingers that sizzled.
A temptress, that’s what she was. She moved with agility, confidence and a hell of a lot of sex appeal. Along with his unbearable desire came admiration. She was good at what she did. Born to be a dancer. Whether ballet, jazz or this intoxicating salsa tune, she belonged out on that dance floor.
As the sensual dance continued, an unwelcome pang of guilt gnawed at his gut. Ellie looked happy out there, and from what Josh had told him, she’d been miserable back in San Francisco. Absolutely miserable. Was it right to bring her back to a life of unhappiness? Could he really live with himself knowing he’d doomed her to that?
Taking a gulp of his beer, he debated getting out of here. Leaving, hopping on the next plane back to San Francisco and forgetting he’d ever bothered Ellie.
When she turned her head and met his gaze, he quickly changed his mind. Their eyes locked in a heated stare, and even if he’d tried, he wouldn’t have been able to look away. Her big blue eyes flashed with…with that? She didn’t look irritated to see him. She didn’t look angry, either.
She looked pleased.
Her gaze flickered from him to her date, then back at him again. A small smile tugged at her full lips, and she continued to eye him, looking thoughtful, mischievous. And then, never once breaking their gaze, she ran her hands down Enrique’s chest and proceeded to dance her way down his hips, until her face was inches from his crotch.
Luke shot to his feet.
Too far. Ellie knew she’d crossed the line the second Luke jumped from his chair and marched toward her and Miguel. Fire flashed in his gray eyes, filling the room—and her body—with a rush of heat.
She fought against the heavy thudding of her heart, gathering up confidence she didn’t have and wishing she’d never decided to take this course of action.
“I need to talk to you.” Luke’s voice was rough, tinged with danger. He didn’t once glance in the direction of Miguel. Didn’t ask permission, just grabbed her arm and began leading her across the dance floor.
Her pulse quickened at the feel of his warm hand against her bare arm, but the brief desire-filled reaction dissolved into anger as he dragged her through the bar.
With a helpless glance over her shoulder, she silently pleaded with Miguel to step in, but her date looked too stunned by Luke’s macho display to move.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed as Luke led her out the door of the club and into the humid night air.
He didn’t speak, just tugged on her arm again and directed her to the alley next to the Dancehall. Darkness enveloped them, but the inferno still raging in Luke’s eyes was enough to light up an entire city street.
“You’re playing with fire,” he hissed back.
Playing with fire. There it was, that phrase again.
She took a step back, her back against the brick wall, hoping to put some distance between them. Hoping her heartbeat would slow. But Luke only moved closer, until his denim-clad thighs pressed against hers.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.” His hard gaze made her legs shake.
“I’m not doing anything.” Her squeaky reply sounded unconvincing and they both knew it.
“Don’t test me, Elenore. There’s only so much a man can take.”
Heat spilled through her cheeks. What was he saying, that he wanted her? No, that couldn’t be true. He didn’t want her, never had. Teasing him was supposed to make him head for the hills at top speed, not turn him on.
So why did he look turned on right now?
His silver-gray eyes continued to glimmer, with anger, heat. Lust. Dear God, lust. And as he stepped closer, pressed himself against her, Ellie felt the unmistakable hardness of his body.
“I’m on a date,” she whispered.
“Bullshit. You’re putting on a show.” He chuckled, low and menacing. “For me.”
The hard ridge of his erection brushed over her pelvis, and shockwaves singed each and every nerve ending in her body. A dull ache settled between her thighs. Her breasts grew heavy, her nipples hard. The dark alley seemed to grow even darker, until shadows danced over Luke’s head, making him appear dangerous and seductive at the same time.
How had this happened? How had she gone from the seductress to the seduced?
“Luke…” Her voiced trailed off, the sound of his name coming out in a breathy whisper.
“Don’t Luke me.” His eyes narrowed into two dark slits. “You came here tonight to get to me, Ellie.”
“No.”
Liar.
He dug his fingers into her arm, eliciting a swarm of shivers in her skin. “You wanted to make me jealous. That’s why you were rubbing yourself all over that guy. Isn’t that right?”
She swallowed hard before finding her voice. “Is there a reason you’d be jealous?”
Uncertainty flashed in his eyes, and the brief show of weakness gave her the confidence to continue.
“I’m Josh’s little sister, remember? Nothing more. So why would you be jealous? Why would the sight of me rubbing against another man make you this crazy?”
His body tensed. “You’re playing games with me, Ellie.”
She held his gaze. His face hovered over hers.
“And I can tell you right now exactly how this game will end,” he added, his voice rough.
“How?” God, why had she asked? She didn’t want to know the answer at all.
He let out a harsh laugh. “You’re a fool if you don’t know that.”
“Luke—”
He slammed his mouth on hers and parted her lips with his tongue without invitation.
Oh God. His mouth felt and tasted like heaven. With the skilled ease of a man who’d obviously kissed many women in his time, his tongue explored her mouth, hot and greedy.
He demanded and all she could do was give. The sharp, urgent thrusts of his tongue, as it swirled and pushed against hers, were almost too much to bear. Heat spiraled down her body, hardening her nipples, making her clit swell. When he shoved a knee in between her thighs and pressed his straining erection against her, it was all she could do not to sink to the pavement.
Against all common sense, she reached up and held onto his shoulders, steadying herself, searching for the strength to put an end to this explosive, body-numbing kiss. But she couldn’t. As one of his hands tangled in her hair, angling her head to give him better access to her mouth, she simply whimpered. When his other hand cupped her breast over the thin fabric of her dress, the whimper became a moan.
The sound reverberated against their mouths, sending a tornado of shivers spinning through her body, until she could barely let out a breath. Her breast throbbed under his touch, and a desperate wave of hunger crashed over her. She wanted his hands and mouth on her. All over her.
Pulling back, Luke’s lips hovered over hers. “This is what happens when you play games with me,” he muttered, keeping his hand firmly on her breast.
Wordlessly, she met his gaze, shocked by the need and urgency she saw in those gray eyes. “Luke—”
He didn’t let her finish, just covered her mouth with his, and gave her another toe-curling and knee-buckling kiss, before prying his lips away and taking a step back.
His eyes glimmered with desire. Anger. Satisfaction. He looked pleased with himself, like he believed he’d won this round. And truth was, he had.
“Remember this.” His voice was low, tinged with danger. “Because the next time you flaunt yourself in order to get to me, it won’t end with just one kiss. And believe me, I won’t be as gentle.”
Ellie forced her mouth closed. Gentle? What on earth was his definition of gentle? The way her body still ached from his erotic assault, she wondered, what did he consider
rough
?
And a better question—did she even want to know?
Chapter Six
“It’s time for Plan B,” Ellie announced the next morning. She turned to Vivian with a look of steel in her eyes.
“What’s Plan B?” Vivian asked, her expression distant as she stirred the iced-latte in front of her with a plastic straw.
Well, this was odd. Ellie had never seen her boss look as distracted as she did now. Vivian was the epitome of cool, calm and collected. Always alert, always ready with a sharp comeback. Not today, though. Ellie had a feeling she could declare aliens had landed in her backyard and demanded she board their ship and Vivian wouldn’t even blink.
But Ellie definitely understood distraction. Her head had been all over the place since the moment she’d opened her eyes this morning. Not only that, but she’d had to take a cold shower. A
cold shower.
It was seriously sad that twenty-four hours after Luke’s kiss she still needed to cool the desire raging her body. Even sadder that the shower hadn’t helped at all.
She’d hoped going into town with Vivian might help her organize her thoughts and regain focus. So far it hadn’t.
They were seated in the outdoor patio of a little Mexican restaurant Ellie loved. Overhead, the sun dominated the clear blue sky, its heat sweeping through the main tourist strip of San Valdez in the form of a balmy breeze. Most of the shop owners had rolled out racks of merchandise onto the uneven sidewalk and were beckoning the occasional August tourist to stop by and examine their grossly overpriced goods.
Normally Ellie got a kick out of seeing the pale-skinned, Hawaiian-shirt-clad people barter with the shop owners. This morning, though, her sense of humor eluded her.
“Subtle isn’t going to cut it anymore,” she declared, then lifted her glass to her lips and took a sip of ice water. She slammed the cup down on the stained wood table, causing the ice cubes to whirl around and collide into each other.
“Okay,” Vivian said, finally snapping out of whatever funk she was in.
“I need to bring out the big guns. Throw all my cards on the table.” She pursed her lips together in thought. “I’m going to tell Luke I want to sleep with him.”
Vivian raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yep. I think it’s the only way I can get him to leave.”
But do you want him to leave?
The little voice in her head was seriously annoying her today. Of course she wanted him to leave. Unless she agreed to come home, Luke would continue to hang around and pressure her, and she was sick of being pressured. So what if his hot mouth had felt wonderful against hers? So what if her lips still tingled from his kiss?
“Where is all this coming from?” Vivian paused. “What exactly happened last night?”
Ellie suppressed a groan. “Luke happened.”
Vivian’s face lit up for the first time all day. “Ah, so the plan worked. Seeing you with Miguel succeeded in making him jealous.”
“Oh yeah.” She blew out a sharp breath. “He kissed me.”
Kissed her? Wasn’t that the understatement of the year. More like he’d greedily
devoured
her.
“I see. Well, did you like it?”
She moaned. “Yes.” Not only had she enjoyed it, but the second Luke’s lips had crushed over hers she’d felt as though it had been meant to be.
She’d pined over the guy for so long it was almost ridiculous. He’d been her first crush. The star of her early sexual fantasies. The guy she’d wanted to lose her virginity to. God, how incredible would it have been if Luke was her first. But he hadn’t been, of course. Scott had. Sometimes she still wished she’d acted differently, never gotten involved with Scott, waited for the right man.
But how was she supposed to know Scott would throw her away like a piece of garbage after—
Don’t think about it.
“What’s wrong?”
The urgency in Vivian’s voice snapped Ellie out of her thoughts. She found her boss’s green-eyed gaze searching her face with concern.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said quickly.
“Then why do you look like you’re about to cry?”
“I…I’m fine.” She took a breath. “I was just thinking about…the past. That’s all.”
Vivian reached a manicured hand across the table, grasped Ellie’s hand with it and held it tightly. “You’re white as a ghost, honey.”
She turned to the front window of the restaurant to examine her reflection and was surprised to see she did look a bit pale. Thinking about Scott always did that to her, made her feel weak and dizzy.
She let out a shaky breath and struggled to find words that would ease Viv’s worry. “When Luke kissed me…it just made me wonder what it would be like, you know, to actually
be
with Luke.”
“You may not have to wonder anymore.”
“What?” she asked.
“Well, if he kissed you last night, maybe he’s starting to see you as more than his friend’s sister.”
Maybe there was some truth to that. Ellie remembered the way he’d pressed against her, his unmistakable erection. There was no doubt in her mind he’d been turned on. That
she’d
turned him on. But with Luke, even the obvious wasn’t as obvious as it seemed to be.
Although they’d known each other for fifteen years, she had no clue what was in his heart. All of his relationships were brief, fleeting, you blinked and he had another woman on his arm. And that had always made her wonder.
She knew his childhood hadn’t been traumatic. His parents had been happily married until his mother died when he was a teenager. His father seemed like a kind, down-to-earth man, at least from the few times Ellie had met him. And as far as she knew, Luke hadn’t been in any disastrous relationships that might have scarred him for all other women. So why was he still a bachelor? Did he simply like the casual lifestyle, or was there something more to it?
And why did it matter? There was no point in analyzing Luke’s love life, especially when she would never be a part of it.
“Maybe he is seeing me as something more,” she relented, glancing at her boss. “But even if that’s so, it doesn’t mean anything. Luke and I will never have a relationship.”
“Why not?” Vivian shrugged. “You two are both young, single, annoyingly stubborn. If you ask me, you’re the perfect match.”
She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. “I don’t have anything to offer a man, Viv. Not anymore.”
Her friend’s eyes narrowed, sharp as a hawk, but there was also sympathy in that gaze. “Ellie, what happened after the car accident? You’ve been hinting at something since the day you came here, and for the life of me, I can’t figure it out.” Vivian exhaled slowly. “What really happened with Scott?”
Ellie’s throat went dry. God, she couldn’t count the number of times she’d been asked that by her brother. Like if she opened her mouth and revealed the truth he could make it better.
Yet as she looked at Vivian, saw the softness in her eyes, she couldn’t lie anymore. For so long, it felt like a weight was pressing down on her body, the cold revelation that refused to go away. She hadn’t talked about it with anyone, and carrying the solitary burden was becoming too much. Just this time she wanted to ease the load, have someone else bear that burden with her.
Inhaling the warm salty breeze, Ellie gave in. “There were complications after the accident.”
Vivian’s gaze offered encouragement. “What kind of complications?”
“The miscarriage.” She bit her lower lip. “After I lost the baby, the doctors told me I couldn’t have any more children.”
A short silence descended, until Vivian broke it with, “Are you sure? I mean—”
“I had an emergency hysterectomy, Viv.”
The confession hung in the air, making it difficult to breathe. Her lungs heaved, desperate for oxygen, but the air was laced with a bitter taste that choked Ellie’s throat. She’d said it. After months of bottling it up inside, she’d said it out loud.
“That’s why Scott left me,” she continued, surprised by how steady her voice sounded. “He said he refused to be with a woman who couldn’t offer him children.” She sucked in a breath. “He said I was damaged.”
“Excuse me? Are you serious?” When Ellie nodded, Vivian let out a curse. “Well, then he’s insane. Not only insane, but disgustingly insensitive. In fact, the only thing he is, pardon my French, is a complete asshole.” Shock and anger glittered in her eyes. “Don’t you ever believe that.”
The fury in Vivian’s voice touched her. After the accident, she’d been angry too. Her rage and indignation had helped her get through those first couple of weeks, but when the reality of the situation sunk in, shame and sorrow had replaced her volatile emotions. Her career was over, her fiancé had left her, her baby was gone, and as time passed she’d begun to wonder. If her own fiancé couldn’t handle her situation, what other man would?
“I don’t believe it,” she said quietly. “Most of the time, anyway.”
“Most of the time?” Vivian echoed. “Oh no, hon, there is no truth whatsoever in what that man said to you. You’re a gorgeous, intelligent,
desirable
woman. The fact that Luke is panting after you proves that.”
Ellie had to admit Viv’s words were an echo of her own thoughts. Last night, in Luke’s passionate embrace, she’d felt more like a woman than ever. The way his strong hands had cupped her breasts, the way his erection had pushed against her sex. Luke had made her feel something she hadn’t in a long time. Wanted.
It would be so easy to fall into bed with him. If she pushed him hard enough, he’d give in sooner or later. He’d probably be an amazing lover too. But she also knew if she slept with him, she’d be risking her heart. She’d been half in love with him all her life. She didn’t think she could handle being just another notch on his belt.
“It does feel nice knowing Luke is attracted to me.” She slugged back the rest of her water and pushed the glass away. “But it would be nicer if he was here because he wanted to be and not because Josh forced him to—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Vivian broke out in a fit of coughs. She reached for her iced-coffee and took a long sip, then flashed an apologetic glance. “My throat. It got dry all of a sudden.”
The explanation was as flimsy as they came, but for the life of her, Ellie couldn’t figure out what she’d said to make Viv look this nervous. She didn’t get the chance to question her, either, as Vivian cleared her throat and said, “So, ready to get out of here?”
Ellie nodded, and the two women dropped a few bills on the table to pay for their drinks then left the little patio. They had driven to town in Vivian’s bright yellow Jeep, parked it on the outskirts of the downtown core and opted to stroll the strip. Neither woman said much as they walked down the sidewalk, dodging passersby and firmly shaking their heads at the merchants who tried to pull them over.
They were halfway to the car when Ellie stopped in her tracks. “Oh my God! It’s perfect.”
She stared at the display window of San Valdez’s only decent clothing store, mesmerized. Vivian came up beside her, took one look at the mannequin and chuckled. “Luke will faint if you ever wear that around him.”
“That’s the plan.” Without another word, Ellie strode into the boutique and made a beeline for the cash counter. The plump, dark-haired saleswoman standing there barely had time to say hello as Ellie pointed to the dress and said, “I want that one.”
The woman followed Ellie’s finger and smiled knowingly. “Oh yes. Wonderful selection.” She had a heavy Spanish accent. “You are size five, six, yes?”
“Six.”
“I will get you dress in this size.” The woman scurried past a curtain that led into a back room. She returned seconds later with the dress and handed it to Ellie.
With a small grin, Ellie ran her fingers over the red satin then held the garment over the T-shirt and denim shorts she wore. The silky material just barely reached her lower thighs and the neckline plunged so low she knew Luke’s eyes would pop out when he saw her in the dress. Which is why she had to have it.
“How much is it?” she asked the saleslady.
“One hundred and twenty.”
The price was steep, but worth it. Grin widening, Ellie reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. “I’ll take it.”
Moments later, her bank card was being swiped through the outdated machine and Ellie was punching in her PIN. She looked over at Vivian as she waited for a receipt, unable to contain her glee. “So here’s the plan,” she said. “I’ll ask Luke out tonight, wear this dress and—”
“There is problem with card.” The sales lady cut her off, smiling apologetically.
“What kind of problem?” Ellie asked in surprise.
The woman handed her a slip that said “Transaction Declined. Exceeded daily limit”. She furrowed her brows as she read the cryptic words. “Limit? I don’t have a limit.”
“Maybe it’s the machine,” Vivian suggested. “There’s an ATM around the corner. You could try withdrawing cash.”
Ellie told the woman to hold the dress for her, then left the store. Her sandals clicked against the cracked pavement as she headed for the machine, with Vivian struggling to keep up. “I don’t get it,” she muttered to herself.
She went through the motions of sliding her card into the ATM, punching in her PIN and the amount she wanted to withdraw, and waited.
“What the hell!” She cursed as the machine spat out a slip of paper that again told her she’d exceeded her limit. Confusion muddled her brain as she stared at it. “This makes no sense,” she finally said, turning to Viv. “The only time I’ve had a limit on my withdrawals was in college. Josh set up the account for me but when I graduated we changed it to…” She suddenly growled. “That little—”
“Come on, honey, I doubt your brother would stoop so low,” Vivian interjected.
“Are you kidding? This is exactly his style!” Ellie noticed her friend’s cheeks had turned a rosy pink. She narrowed her eyes. “Are you getting heatstroke or something?” She didn’t let Vivian answer, just changed the subject back to her slimy brother. “He thinks if he screws around with my bank account I’ll come crawling home to him. Ha! Does he think I’m so dependent on him that I can’t pick up the phone and call my own bank to undo what he did?”
“Ellie—”
She tightened her lips in a line of fury. “Well, he can think again.”