Sensations pounded her immediately, making her weak-kneed. God, what this man did to her . . . Moments after touching her, she turned dizzy. Her fists clawed uselessly at the wall. An uncomfortable, undeniable need to submit rolled through her. As much as she resented his power over her, she couldn’t help it.
“That’s it,” he crooned. “So wet. Always wet.”
Luc plunged two fingers into her pussy. For him, she was always ready. Despite being swollen from all the recent activity, she melted, completely ready for whatever he demanded of her.
He couldn’t possibly imagine she was this ready for anyone else.
“Tyler doesn’t—”
“Not another word about him,” Luc roared, penetrating her deeply with a third finger.
She gasped at the fullness, then again when he rubbed her G-spot mercilessly.
“No more Tyler, period. I watched him kiss you . . .” He drew in a deep breath, as if trying to get himself under control.
“Luc . . .”
“No! As long as I’m fucking you, damn it, you don’t fuck him.”
His words finally pierced her haze of pleasure.
“What are you saying? I can resume my torrid affair with him as soon as my door hits your ass?”
More deep breaths. His chocolate eyes darkened to something nearly black. Dangerous. His cheeks flushed and his expression tightened as he grabbed her hips in a biting grip. Furious and aroused, he looked like a warrior ready to fight, to stake his claim.
God, she wished he’d stake his claim on her permanently, not simply try to hoard her until he left in three days. Was she anything to him beyond a great lay?
He didn’t reply, just slanted his mouth over hers again and kissed her with a ferocity that stole her breath. Alyssa tried not to lose herself, but he pressed against her and her mind jetted away in a stream of relentless desire. A moment later, he bent and scraped her nipple with his teeth. She arched and cried out.
“Spread your legs.”
Alyssa hesitated. She knew where this was headed . . . but she also knew their time together was limited. Her fantasies of making him fall for her in a week had been wishful thinking. He was leaving soon, and she couldn’t stop him. The best she could hope for was to store up memories.
Closing her eyes against bittersweet desire, she complied. He nipped at her other breast with his teeth, then scooped up her legs, one in each arm, and pinned her firmly to the wall. An instant later, his cock probed her folds. She barely had time to wonder when he’d unfastened his slacks before he plunged deep inside her, past swollen tissues and resistance, guided by her wet need and his seeming instinct to conquer.
He probed her for torturous moments, sliding in with toe-curling friction. Panting, Luc finally worked himself balls deep inside her. Now that her wet flesh surrounded him and he had control of their encounter, he trapped her with a wrenching glare.
“God knows, I can’t stop you from fucking Tyler again once I’m gone, if that’s what you want, but now . . . You’re all mine, and I’ll make sure you know exactly who’s making you scream.”
“I don’t fuck him,” she confessed in a gasp, done playing coy games. “I never have. I hired him for protection. That’s it.”
Luc sucked in a breath, looking torn. Then he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
Because they were only fucking. Right . . . His refusal to care about her wasn’t really about Tyler; her bouncer was just a convenient excuse. That fact crushed something inside of her.
At the same moment, he sent her body soaring.
Reaching under her thighs, he curled his hands around her hips and pushed up, then plunged back down so fast and deep, her nails bit into his shoulders.
“Luc!”
Electric need sizzled across her skin, bubbled in her blood. He set a lightning-fast pace that had her gasping. His hips pressed against hers, creating a friction on her clit that blew away thoughts, objections, regrets. As soon as the feeling flooded her clit, the ram of his cock through her sensitive channel sparked her desire again until she could no longer catch her breath.
The explosion hit her bloodstream like dynamite—sudden and devastating. She screamed his name, then bit into his shoulder, clamping down on him like nothing she’d ever felt.
“More,” he demanded, not missing a beat.
Then he pressed his mouth into hers again, sinking into an endless kiss that hit her in the heart, a mating of mouths that overtook her completely. She didn’t know where she ended and he began, and she didn’t care. She just knew that she’d given some part of herself to him irrevocably.
And he’d be leaving in a handful of days and would never look back.
The thought skittered away when he jerked away from the wall, holding her body against him, then turned toward the bed. He bent to ease her onto the mattress and slammed deep inside her, all in one motion.
“Spread wider. Bend your knees. Take me deeper.”
His voice was almost an unrecognizable growl. He gave her no time to comply before he wrapped his hands around her thighs and opened her to him even more. She moaned as he sank deeper. God, perfect. Luc always knew exactly how to steal her control.
Her limbs heavy, her thoughts scattered, delicious pleasure built in her body again. Urgent pressure filled her clit again as he continued to penetrate deep with every long, hard stroke. Soon she was gasping, constricting around him, nearly bursting with feverish need.
He took her hips in his hands and pushed her down onto his cock as he thrust up. Hard. Directly at the mouth of her cervix. His hips ground against hers and, oh, dear God, the gathering storm swelled inside her, growing beyond her ability to absorb it.
Before she could release, he withdrew, flipped her to her hands and knees, then rammed home again, barely missing a beat. He smacked her ass, leaving behind a hot sting that had her gasping. Then Luc draped his damp chest over her and wrapped one arm around her body. Then he began to torment her clit.
“Does Tyler do this for you?” he whispered against her ear as the explosion brewing inside her gathered, lengthened, multiplied.
His fingers left her clit, and she cried out in protest. He nipped at her neck, eased away, then sank his cock into her pussy at the same time he plunged his wet fingers into her ass.
Sensations sparked as Luc swore and plunged into her again. Alyssa pushed back against him, countering each pounding thrust with her own demand.
A million tingles lit her up like a lightning storm. Orgasm shot from her clit to her toes.
“Oh, God.” Alyssa fisted her hands in the sheets and whimpered.
Luc moaned as his climax neared. The sound vibrated through her, making her nipples tingle, her body shudder. His fingers twitched, his cock pulsed, pushing her over the edge again. Rapture crashed and writhed, ripping away her sanity, as the cataclysm coalesced inside her. She screamed with a pleasure so brutal her mind emptied, her throat went numb, and her world nearly went black. A moment later, his seed splashed hotly inside her.
Damn, they’d forgotten a condom again.
Alyssa closed her eyes. She couldn’t think about it now. She couldn’t think about anything—except the fact Luc had ruined her for any other man and he continued to allow her nonexistent relationship with Tyler to drive a convenient wedge between them.
She had to be the one to stop it. Now. Alyssa couldn’t keep “just fucking” him. He’d shatter her heart.
Without waiting for him to move, she wriggled away and, on wobbly legs, stood. Without a word, she crossed the room and searched her drawers for a fresh bra and new shirt, all the while feeling Luc’s intent gaze on her.
And the more she thought about this encounter, the angrier she got.
Getting out of this room
now
wasn’t a choice but a necessity. She had to think. Alone. Before he clouded her thoughts and made her yearn again. Right now, she felt like a stupid, spineless bimbo. How could she let him have such control over her body when she clearly meant so little to him? What they shared was like a living flame, hot and destructive. She couldn’t stand in the middle of the fire and not expect to get burned.
Turning to him, she clutched her clean clothes over her chest, teeth gnashed. “That’s it, Luc. That’s . . .” She broke off, refusing to cry in front of him. “No more.”
“Alyssa, I—I’m sorry. I was angry and I . . .” he croaked into the silence, standing anxiously with pants fastened and shirt buttoned. “Did I hurt you?”
“You think?” she tossed back sarcastically. “This is just a contest to you. Tyler doesn’t do
anything
to or for me, and you refuse to believe that. Not that it really matters. You don’t want me for yourself, but you don’t want him to have me, either. You’ve chosen to make me the bone between two snarly dogs, not because I’m meaningful, but because you don’t have to deal with whatever you might feel for me if you can convince yourself that I’m a whore who’s banging some other guy. I won’t put up with this shit anymore.”
“That’s not true. You make me feel things for you that I . . .”
He raked his hands through his hair, looking for words.
Excuses,
she thought. No more.
“Can it. I don’t fucking care. I’ll have Sadie bring me home around four. You’d better not be there. Since Bonheur and Sexy Sirens are both closed on Sundays, don’t make me lay eyes on you until Monday’s dinner service. Even then? Don’t talk to me. And don’t ever touch me again.”
Luc didn’t say a word as she disappeared into the bathroom. His silence broke her heart all over again. Tears stung her eyes like acid drops. She knew what she’d said, but a part of her wished he cared enough to fight for her. Apparently not. Ridiculous, wishful thinking. She’d learned fairy tales were shit at fifteen. How had she forgotten that valuable lesson?
After cleaning up, she dragged on a new thong and brushed her hair, marveling at the flushed, swollen-lipped woman in the mirror. She’d finally fallen in love for the first time in her life. What a miserable fucking experience.
Turning away from the mirror, she breezed past Luc and headed for her bedroom door. He stood in her way.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you. Don’t do this.” A battle raged on his face, and he looked both uncertain and contrite.
“Do what? Be smart? Did you plan to ever see me again after Thursday?”
Guilt tightened his face. He looked away. “No.”
Pain swelled inside her all over again. “I’ve been through too much to be your doormat. Since you’re so eager to cast me in the role of slut . . . forgetting me should be a snap.”
With that, she slid past him and stomped out the door. As soon as she cleared the bedroom, the tears began to fall in earnest. Never again. After he left, she could never again lay eyes on that man. Be alone with him. He’d already crushed her, and she’d crumble at his feet. Beg for his affection.
Damn it, she refused to put herself in a position to be tempted to grovel for anything, especially from someone who didn’t value her.
She barreled down the hall, to the stairs, hiding behind the wall of props as she made her way backstage.
“Alyssa?”
She heard Sadie call to her—and she couldn’t respond now. She held up a hand and ran to her office where she opened the door, slammed it, locked it, then flipped on the lights.
Closing her eyes against tears, she felt her way to her chair and collapsed in it. A moment and a sniffle later, she opened her eyes to reach for a tissue.
Peter stood there—and he looked beyond pissed.
Chapter Ten
L
UC stared at the closed door of the bedroom. He could still hear the slam reverberate in his head.
Her anger had been tangible—and well deserved.
Swiping a hand down his face, he felt exhaustion seep into his bones. Yet . . . deep inside, he itched, wanted, yearned. It had taken everything inside him to be honest about their future and let her walk away.
Seeing Tyler’s mouth on Alyssa’s had wrung his guts inside out. The beast inside him had screamed, lurching to life, demanding her body and submission. And anything else she’d give him. He couldn’t even put a name to everything he needed from her. But it wasn’t good-bye.
Yes, she’d let Tyler kiss her, but Luc knew that, of the two of them, he’d fucked up more. After tonight, after losing control with her, he deserved whatever she threw at him.
Now that Alyssa had gone, he had to confront the most basic question rolling around in his head: Why did jealousy get the best of him whenever he thought for a moment that she might have another lover? He couldn’t stay. Why did he take his frustration out on her sexually?
Because you’re falling for her, and that scares the hell out of you.
He staggered to the bed, then sank down. Was that even possible? Could he really have fallen for her in a matter of days?
They had as many arguments as they did sexual encounters, both heated. But Alyssa was so much more. Determination, grit. Kind to the other girls. Smart. Pragmatic and unafraid . . . except that vulnerable side she’d let him glimpse only once or twice. There was a part of her she kept hidden that he was dying to know. Everything about her fascinated him. Despite being in a flashy business, Alyssa was so . . . real. More real to him, in fact, than any of his previous lo vers.
But she didn’t fit in the future he had planned.
Since she wasn’t his exclusively and never would be, he had to stop acting like a jackass, even if it killed him. She’d demanded that he leave her in peace until he departed Lafayette. Somehow, he would. It was for the best, and he owed her that. He’d just have to figure out how to forget her. Or learn to live with the open wound.
A moment later, someone pounded on the door. Wincing, he trudged across the room and pulled the door open. Tyler.
Luc had no idea what to think about the man. On the one hand, he acted with the familiarity of Alyssa’s lover. The guy had to be one of her friends with benefits, right? But Alyssa had sworn that Tyler wasn’t. Luc wanted to believe her so badly.