With Me in Seattle Bundle One (22 page)

“I need to take my pearls off.”  I sit up and turn my back to him and feel him unhinge the clasp.

“Why?”  He lays them on the nightstand, and I lie back down.

“I don’t want them to snag on something and break in the night.”  I sigh and glide my hand down his side to his hip. 

“I meant it, you know.” 

I smile and stretch lazily.  “I know.”

“What time are we getting up in the morning?” 

I’m relieved that he’s changing the subject.  I have a lot to think about. “Class is at nine.”

“Then we’d better get some sleep.”

“I’m not sleeping in these shoes.”

He laughs and sits up, sliding each shoe off my feet and placing them gently on the floor.  He then unhooks the stockings from the garter and peels them down my legs.

“You have beautiful legs, baby.”  He kisses them and pulls the garter off me as well, tossing it on the floor.

He crawls up next to me and covers us in the duvet, scooping me into his arms.  I rest my head on his chest and sigh, feeling his lips on my forehead.

“Go to sleep, beautiful.”

“Good night,” I mumble and drift into an exhausted sleep.

***

I wake suddenly and reach for Luke, but he’s not there.  The bed is cold and empty.

Where did he go?

I pull on the white dress shirt he was wearing earlier tonight and leave the bedroom.  He’s not in the loft, so I go downstairs.

It’s dark.  I don’t see him in the living room or kitchen, and I’m about to get really scared when I see movement on the deck.

I walk through the darkness to the open door, unnoticed.  He’s standing at the railing, bathed in moonlight.  He’s wearing a dark pair of pajama pants that hang on his sexy hips, and he’s topless.  He’s leaning his elbows on the railing and is looking out on the midnight-blue water that is reflecting the moon.

I wish with all my might that I had my camera.

I walk up behind him and kiss his back, wrapping my arms around his middle.  I love holding him like this.

“Did I wake you?” he whispers.

“No, I woke up because you were gone.”  I kiss him again.  “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just couldn’t sleep.”  He turns around to face me and leans his hips on the railing, wrapping me in his arms.  His face is bathed in moonlight, his eyes gazing intently down at me.  “How are you?”

“Lonely.  Come back to bed.”

“Okay,” he whispers and kisses my forehead.  “I see you’ve borrowed my shirt again.”

“It’s a nasty habit of mine.”

“That’s okay. You can return it to me upstairs.”  He scoops me into his arms, and I laugh as he carries me back to the bedroom.

Chapter Twenty

I’m surprised to wake before Luke.  We have to be at yoga in an hour, but I can’t resist lying here and watching him sleep.

The early morning light filters in through his floor-to-ceiling windows.  I love his large bedroom with its large-scale furniture.  The bed is enormous, the white sheets feel like Egyptian cotton, and they are soft against my skin.

Luke lies on his back, one hand flung over his head.  His face is soft in sleep, his morning stubble so sexy along his jaw, and his usually messy hair even messier than usual.

And he loves me!

I saunter into the bathroom to answer nature’s call, and when I walk back into the bedroom, I pick up the scattered clothes, shoes and hairpins from last night, a huge grin plastered on my face.

I notice one of my small suitcases is sitting on a chair near the windows, and I make a mental note to thank Jules.

I am happy to find my yoga gear, fresh underwear and other casual clothes and toiletries, including a toothbrush, all new, in the suitcase.  I decide to unpack and settle in a bit.  If he wants me to move back out, fine.  If he wants to move some stuff into my place, that’s fine, too.

I add my toothbrush and a stick of deodorant to his vanity and a bottle of body wash and shampoo to the shower.  Jules must have gone shopping for all this last night, and I not only mentally thank her, I plan to surprise her with a special treat.

I leave the clothes in the suitcase, but pull on my yoga gear and look back over to the bed.

Luke’s still asleep, and we still have plenty of time, so I leave him be and head downstairs to make coffee.

I poke around his kitchen, opening espresso-colored cabinets, and finally locate the coffee and maker, get it set to drip and find some mugs as well.  As the coffee perks, I open the French door out to the deck and step out to enjoy the view of the beautiful Puget Sound and take a deep breath of fresh air.

It’s a beautiful day.  The sky is a brilliant blue, as the morning sun is up fully and shining on the deep blue water.  The ferry is gliding gracefully toward Bainbridge Island.  Seagulls fly over the water, and the breeze is blowing gently through my hair.  It’s a glorious day.

“I thought you weren’t a morning person.”

I spin at the sound of his rough, sexy voice.  He enfolds me in his arms and hugs me close.

“Good morning, handsome.”

“Good morning, baby.”

Leaning my head back, I grin up at him.  “I’m making coffee.”

“So I smell.  Thank you.  Why didn’t you wake me?”  He kisses my forehead and takes a deep breath.

“You looked so peaceful, and we’re in no hurry.”

“You unpacked.” 

I lean my head against his chest, avoiding his gaze. “Yeah, I can repack if you’d rather I didn’t leave my stuff here.”

He grips my chin in his fingers and tips my head back, brushing my lips with his in a kiss that makes my toes curl.

“I like having your stuff here.  Leave it.”

“Okay.”  I smile shyly at him.  “Let’s get some coffee.”

***

“Are you ready?”  I grin at Luke, who’s now dressed in loose, black basketball shorts and a tank top.  He looks fantastic.

“As I’ll ever be.”  He looks nervous, and my heart melts.

“You’ll be fine.  Just remember what I said. Go at your own pace and stretch only as far as is comfortable.  I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t get hurt.”

“Okay.”  I know he thinks this is going to be a piece of cake.  I have no doubt that he’s in excellent physical condition, but yoga is more physically demanding than most people realize.

I unlock the studio and usher him in.  The glass windows are frosted so people walking by can’t stop and stare.  There are mirrors covering one whole wall with a barre mounted to it for the afternoon ballet class. Yoga mats are rolled up and stacked in a corner.  I walk over to the sound system and choose some calming music.

“Okay, let’s grab our mats.  Clients will start trickling in soon.”

“How many people usually attend this class?” 

I can sense his unease about being recognized. “Only about eight or ten.  It’s a small class.”

He nods, and we spread out our mats, me in the front of the class by the mirrors and him in front of me.  Clients walk in and grab mats, spread all over the studio.  No one even pays any attention to Luke, and I see him relax.  I smile at him reassuringly, and he winks back at me.

“Okay, everyone, let’s get started.”  For the next hour I lead the class through the series of poses, varying my poses to accommodate both novice and experienced clients.  I typically lose myself to the music and the flow of the yoga itself, but I can’t help but be distracted by Luke and his strong body.  He’s more flexible than I gave him credit for, and he’s graceful.  Watching his toned body move and flex is a delight.

He’s watching me, too, with more interest than just to see which pose I’m moving into.  When our eyes meet, the heat is unmistakable, and I know I’m turning him on as much as he’s turning me on.

I can’t wait to get him alone.

I’m in the downward dog pose, and I turn to look out over the class and see that Luke’s gaze is on my ass.

I smirk.

Finally, class is over, and I’m so turned on I can hardly see straight.  The clients all wave goodbye and shuffle out to get on with their day, and finally Luke and I are left alone.  He walks over to the door and flips the lock, and my heart does a big ol’ flip in my chest.

“Is there another class in here this morning?” he asks.

“No, not until this afternoon.”

“Good.”

“What did you think?” I ask.

“I think,” he begins, as he walks slowly toward me, “that you are the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”

His eyes narrow, and his face is serious.

“Oh.”  I try to gather my wits.  “So, I take it you liked it?”

“I had no idea you could move that gorgeous little body of yours like that.”

“I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“Yeah, I see.”  He’s finally standing less than a foot away from me, and I reach up to run my hand down his face.

“I’m glad you were here.  It was a pleasure to watch you move.”

He smiles, delighted with me, and cups my hand in his own, leaning in to my touch and closing his eyes for just a few moments.  He opens those baby blues, and they are now on fire.

Holy hell, I love it when he looks at me like that.

He backs me up against the mirror and clasps my face in his hands, kissing me as if his life depends on it.  I grip his hips and give myself over to his kiss, pouring all my frustration from the past hour into it.

“I want you,” he murmurs against my lips.

“I’ve wanted you for the past hour.  I’m surprised I was able to speak during class.” 

He smiles against my lips. “Let’s take these off, shall we?” 

He pulls my tank and sports bra over my head and throws them on the ground, then makes quick work of my pants and underwear.  I repay the favor, divesting him of his black workout clothes, and he spins me around to face the mirror.

“Put your hands on the bar, baby.” 

I gladly comply.  He kisses my shoulder and wraps his arms around my front, cupping my breasts and worrying the sensitive nipples with his fingers.  Watching our reflection sends electricity straight to my groin.  His large bronze hands span my chest, cupping my white breasts.  His lips are on my shoulder, his eyes closed, and the look on his face is primal and needy and
oh my.

“Ah!”  I lean my head back against his chest, pushing my breasts into his hands.

“You made me crazy watching you in all those poses, baby.  I don’t know how I managed to control my hard-on.”

I gasp and smile at him in the mirror. 

He glides a hand down my side, tracing my tattoo, over my hip, across my buttock and finds my center.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so ready for me.”  His lips are on my neck, nibbling, sending shivers down my spine.

Suddenly, he pulls back on my hips so I’m bent over, bracing my hands on the bar, and he smacks my ass hard before slamming his cock into me.

“Oh God!” 

He grips my hair in one hand and my hip in the other and pushes into me, faster and faster, harder and harder, his stormy eyes on mine in the mirror. 

Fuck, it feels so good!  I push back on him and feel the orgasm rip through me, fast, hard, and I explode around him.

He thrusts twice more and shudders in his own release.

***

As we leave the yoga studio, I get a text from Jules.

Birthday dinner at the folks’ tomorrow night?  Bring Luke.

I frown.  How do I bring this up?

“What’s wrong?” He ushers me into his car and leans in to kiss me before getting behind the wheel.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

He raises an eyebrow at me, and I squirm.

“Talk to me, baby.”

“Jules’ parents have invited us over to their place for dinner tomorrow night.”

“Oh?  What’s the occasion?”  He starts the car and pulls out of the lot toward his house.

“My birthday,” I whisper and bite my lip.

“What?”  He glances over at me, his eyes wide, then back to the road ahead.

“Well, it’s not really until Saturday, but they want to do a birthday dinner tomorrow night.”  I twist my fingers in my lap and gaze down.  This is uncomfortable.

“Are you close to her family?”

“Yeah, they pretty much adopted me after my folks passed.”  This is much easier to talk about.  “Her parents are great.  She has four older brothers.  The oldest, Isaac, and his wife just had a baby.  I haven’t met her yet.”

“So it’ll be a family thing.” 

Oh, what is he thinking?  He doesn’t look mad, but he doesn’t look pleased.

“Yes.  Will you go with me?”

“Of course.  Sounds fun.  But when were you going to tell me your birthday is this weekend?”

Oh.

I shrug and look out the window.  “I hadn’t really thought about it, honestly.  I don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“Maybe I want to make a big deal out of it.”  His voice is deceptively soft.

“Don’t be mad,” I whisper.  “It would make me feel stupid to say, ‘So, let’s go to yoga, and by the way, my birthday is Saturday.’”

“No, that would have been helpful.”  He pulls up to my house, dropping me off so I can work.  He grabs Jules’ dress and my shoes out of the back, and we go inside.

“So, I guess we’re going to the dinner tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, we are.”  He hugs me tight.

“Thank you.  Do you have much work today?” I ask, trying to distract him.

“Yeah, some.  You?”

“I have two sessions, and I have to take Jules’ dress to the cleaners.”

He frowns deeply.  “Jules’ dress?”

Crap.

“Yeah, she lent it to me.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t have any formal wear.”  I shrug.  “It’s no big deal.”

“I don’t want you to have to borrow clothes.”  He narrows his eyes and plants his hands on his hips.

“Luke, that’s what girls do.  We borrow each other’s clothes.  It’s no big deal.”

“I want to take you shopping for your birthday.”

“No.”  I shake my head emphatically and walk toward the kitchen.

“Why ever not?”

“You do not need to buy me clothes.  I can buy three-thousand-dollar shoes without batting an eye, Luke.  I don’t need you to clothe me.”

“I didn’t say you needed me to.  I’m your boyfriend, for Christ sake.  That’s what we do.  Let me spoil you.”