Road to Recovery (10 page)

He paused, watching as she listened. “I
live my life by a code of my own. I try to be fair, and try to do
what’s right, try to help others. Everyone needs help now and
again, even if they don’t think they do. And isn’t it a nice
feeling to know that someone would be there to give it to them?
Pretty simple in the scheme of things. Too bad we don’t all live
that way.”

He saw her smile of understanding. “I
want to do what’s right, in my job and in my life. Unfortunately,
I’m not perfect. So I make mistakes. We all do. But I always try to
do what’s right. I guess that’s what’s important.”

Staring deep into her eyes, he sat up
straighter, edged closer to her on the couch. Reaching down, he
pulled her hand into his, threaded his fingers through hers, and
felt her shiver as he rubbed his thumb along the inside of her
palm. “I want you to know that’s who I am. No games, no lying, or
cheating.”

Reaching out with his other hand, he
slid it across her cheek, into the silky texture of her hair, and
spread his fingers down her neck. Caressed the pulse that leapt
under his thumb. Pulling her head toward him, he closed the gap and
whispered against her lips, “Are we done going through your list
now? I can’t wait any longer to taste you.”

Lucas felt the slight nod of her head
in his hand and he pressed his lips to hers, softly at first. He
applied just enough pressure to taste, but not enough that she
couldn’t escape if she felt the need. Hearing the soft moan, he
knew escape was the last thing on her mind.

His tongue slid out to lightly trace
her upper lip, urging her to open for him, to allow him entrance.
Once she parted her lips, he slid his tongue in search of hers,
sought the taste he so desperately craved. Together in a dance of
their own, their tongues explored, then departed, only to return
again. Filling a need, trying to quench a thirst they both
had.

Releasing his other hand from hers, he
slid it over her waist, slowly up her ribcage, then back down
again. Stroked her through the softness of her shirt, as their
tongues continued their dance.

His fingers made their way back up her
ribs, finally settling over her breast, where her nipple pebbled
through layers of clothing under his palm. Needing to touch more of
her, he slipped his hand into the scooped neckline of her shirt,
traced his fingers around the edge of her bra. He moaned in his
throat, loving the contrast between her soft smooth skin and the
rougher edge of lace.

He tested the boundaries, moved his
hand further in until the tips of his fingers brushed over her
hardened nipple. Teased her softly, moved his fingertip across and
around in circles. Finally he grasped the pebbled bud between two
fingers and applied a bit of pressure, causing her to arch into
him.

Her hand moved over his shoulder, into
his hair. Then, on another groan, gripped him harder and pulled him
even closer to her, as if she wanted to devour more of
him.

He was drawn in deeper, knew he was
going to lose control. He hadn’t felt a need this strong, ever.
Knew deep down she wasn’t the type of person to let go this early
or this fast. He wanted no regrets from her, so it would be up to
him to step back.

Reluctantly, he lifted his lips from
hers, keeping one hand in her hair. But he returned the other hand
to his lap, already missing the feel of her breast. Placing his
forehead upon hers, breathing heavily, he whispered, “Give me a
second here.”

His thumb continued to move over the
pulse in her neck until he felt it start to slow down a tad. “I
have to ask, but I’m afraid I know the answer. If you aren’t ready
to take this any further right now, then we need to stop. Because
I’m not sure how much longer I can be a gentleman
tonight.”

With an unsteady breath of her own, she
replied, “Yeah, I mean no, I’m not ready yet.” He let out a rough
chuckle and she amended, “Well, I’m ready, but not mentally. I want
to make sure I’m all the way there. For me, and for
you.”

“
Don’t hold back for my
benefit,” he remarked, fighting the impulse to taste her some
more.

She eased back a little, dropped her
hand from his shoulder, and clasped both of them in her lap. “Oh,
believe me, sometimes I wish I weren’t so practical all the time.
Because my body is telling me to go for it, but my brain is telling
me not yet.”

“
And your brain tends to win
all the time, huh?” He sighed, let his hand drop from hair, placed
it on top of hers, and gave her a gentle squeeze.

“
It has to. It has
to,
now
. Part of
that baggage thing,” she clarified.

He moved back into the corner of the
couch. “Yeah, I figured as much.” Looking at her swollen lips and
passion-filled eyes, he wondered at her restraint. He was holding
on to his by a thread, and if he continued to stay on the couch
with her another minute, that thread would break.

Standing up, he looked down at her. “I
better go then. I still have a bit of a drive to get
home.”

“
Oh, you don’t live close
by?”

“
No, I live on Saratoga
Lake. Little less than an hour from here, so I better go now,” he
repeated.

She stood up next to him, closer than
he expected. Looked into his pale blue eyes, still filled with
passion, and bluntly stated, “If you don’t I might change my mind,
but I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to stay
either.”

“
Well, I guess that is
honesty for me. I’ll give you one in return since I don’t want any
regrets when the time comes. Be ready next time we’re alone
together, because I won’t be stopping.”

She walked him to the door.
“Understood.”

He reached for her one last time. “And
I always end the night with a kiss.” He pulled away quickly when he
felt her start to lean into him, testing his control. “Just a
little more for you to think about tonight.” He closed the door
softly behind him.

***

She didn’t know how long she stood
there staring at the closed door, but she finally turned away and
walked back to the couch on shaky legs. She grasped the edge of the
cushions to steady herself and sat down. Then placed her hands on
her head, ran them over her face.

What was she going to do? She was
suddenly terrified that her carefully guarded heart was about to
lose control.

Brooke had another sleepless night,
which consisted of tossing, turning, sweating and adjusting the
pillows in an attempt to get comfortable. She glanced at the clock.
Saw it was only seven on a Saturday morning, no less. Resigned to
the fact she wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep, she pulled back the
covers and decided to take a quick shower.

Stepping under the spray, she was
shocked to feel the sensitivity of her skin. Still on fire and
tingling from Lucas’s touch, still craving him hours later. No
amount of self-lecturing had cooled down her overheated body the
night before.

She reached for the cold water and
turned it up a bit more in an attempt to lower her body’s
temperature. If it worked for men, maybe it would for her
too.

Ten minutes later, shivering now,
Brooke stepped out of the large tiled shower and reached for a
towel. Vigorously drying off, hoping to warm her skin. At least she
was awake now, if nothing else.

She threw on yoga pants and a tank top
and then towel dried her hair quickly before pinning it on top of
her head. Grabbing the yoga mat that was always stored neatly in
the corner of her room, she headed into the living room for a quick
workout.

She was sitting down with a bowl of
cereal and cup of steaming coffee when her cell phone chimed from
other room. Wishing she could ignore it, but knowing she couldn’t,
she went to retrieve it. Her OCD personality had never let her
ignore an incoming message.

Her smile was warm and quick
when she read the message.
Bet you slept
better than I did last night. And, yes, I got your number the same
way as your address.

Grinning like a fool, she
typed back.
You might lose that
bet.

Really? Willing to risk
it?
she read.

Fingers flew over her smart
phone.
Maybe,
she
replied, having fun with the flirtatious bantering.

She fumbled the phone when it rang in
her hand. “Morning,” she answered.

“
I would ask if I woke you
up, but I’m pretty sure you’ve been up a while,” he
said.

Getting comfortable at her kitchen
island, she picked up her mug and took a sip, knowing he could hear
her on the other end. “Up, showered, a yoga session and sitting
down to breakfast right now,” she confirmed.

“
Well, you have me beat. I’m
not even out of bed.”

Choking on her coffee, voice hoarse,
she asked, “You’re in bed? Right now?”

He pushed the envelope. “Yep. Want to
know what I’m wearing?”

Even though she did, she wasn’t about
to say so. Scoffing, she asked, “What are you, sixteen?”

He chuckled. “Hardly, though it feels
like it right now.”

Brooke refused to comment on that. She
knew exactly what he was talking about, mainly because she was
feeling the same way. This whole conversation was making her feel
like a giddy teenager, not to mention ruining all her attempts to
cool her body down earlier.

“
Was there a reason you
called?” She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her
mouth and hoped they didn’t seem harsh.

But he laughed at her question. Did
everything make him laugh? She wasn’t laughing while she lay in bed
this morning. That was for sure.

“
Of course,” he said dryly.
“I was calling to see if you had plans today.”

“
No, not really. I have a
few errands to run. I thought I would go to the mall today. That’s
about it.”

“
Want some
company?”

“
You’re volunteering to go
shopping at the mall with me?” she asked incredulously.

“
Sure. I like shopping.
Besides, maybe I’ll get lucky and have you model a few things for
me. I can think of a few stores on the top of my list.”

With a very unladylike snort, thankful
he couldn’t see or know what her traitorous body was starting to
feel again or the blush she was positive was spreading across her
face, she said, “Ah, I don’t think so.”

“
Well, it was worth a
try.”

“
Is that water running?” she
asked with a hitch in her voice.

“
Just about to step in the
shower. Pick you up in an hour?”

“
Huh? Oh, the mall, sure. If
you really want to,” she hedged doubtfully.

“
See you soon,” he
said.

The call ended before she could say
anything else. Which was a good thing, because she didn’t think she
would have been able to form an intelligent thought knowing he was
getting in the shower. Naked. She started to fan herself right
there in the kitchen.

***

That was exactly what Lucas had hoped.
Of course when he made the decision to call her, he was only trying
to feel her out from the night before. Trying to see if she had
thought of him as he did her all night long.

By the time he hung the phone up, he
was pretty sure he had her just as worked up as he was. Or he
hoped. He was positive it wasn’t one-sided at all.

And since he didn’t think he would be
getting much further today than yesterday, he turned the cold water
on. His second cold shower in less than twelve hours. He hoped it
wasn’t going to become a habit.

Almost twelve hours later, she was
opening the door to him for a second time. He took care with his
appearance, however laid back it was. He looked the part of a sexy
successful lawyer dressed in another pair of designer jeans with a
soft faded shirt and casual sneakers. Blond hair tousled slightly,
the result of running a towel through it before he walked out the
door. Grinning from ear to ear, he leaned in for a quick kiss, then
chuckled when her eyes widened. “Ready to go?”

“
Sure, come in. I want to
power down my laptop and grab my purse.”

Lucas took his time looking her over.
She was always so put together. What might have taken hours for
another woman to throw together and look good, probably took her no
time at all. The results were effortless.

Today she had on another pair of skinny
jeans, though this time in a pale orange color, with a simple white
shirt. The low cut V exposed just a hint of cleavage, more than
enough to draw his eyes there. Not wanting to be caught ogling her,
he quickly shifted his gaze as she slipped her narrow feet into a
pair of bright floral flats.

He loved that about her—simple, sexy
and feminine as hell. She fished her keys out, turned to lock the
door behind her and bumped her hip right into his groin, causing
him to let out a grunt.

Turning to face him, she muttered,
“Sorry.”