The Sweetheart Bargain (A Sweetheart Sisters Novel) (21 page)

She sure as hell didn’t want a relationship—her life was complicated enough right now, thank-you-very-much—but that didn’t mean she wanted to live in an empty black hole, either. Especially after that kiss.

Oh my God, that kiss. Amazing, incredible, toe-curling. And when he’d taken her breast in his mouth? Dear God, she almost climaxed right there in the cul-de-sac. She’d been reeling ever since. She turned to him, laid a hand on his arm. “Why don’t you come in for a little while?”

“You sure?”

“Stop asking questions and just come in,” she said. Because if she thought about it too much, she’d change her mind, and right now, she didn’t want that.

She bent over long enough to unclip the dogs from their leashes, and when she turned back, Luke was there, reaching for her, pulling her toward him, kissing her. Fire rushed through her veins, and she clawed at his back, drawing him closer, until his chest was crushing hers and she could hardly breathe.

He kicked the door shut with his foot, then drew back long enough to capture her gaze. His blue eyes glinted in the dark, catching the hall light. “Bedroom?”

“Upstairs.”

He bent down, scooped her into his arms, then started up the stairs. She clung to him, kissing him, touching him, aware of nothing but the heat between them and the urgent need to have more, more, more. His free hand slid between them, fumbling her shirt up and over her head. When the air hit her chest, her nipples puckered beneath the lace of her bra, and Luke let out a groan, then covered her lips with his, devouring, nipping, tasting.

He nudged the door open with his knee, then crossed to the bed in two quick strides. He leaned over and deposited her gently on the covers, before stepping back. She lay there, arms above her head, legs spread, breasts peeking over the lace of her bra, on display for him, feeling more wanton than she ever had before in her life.

“You are beautiful,” he said.

Her face heated, and she turned away. “Thanks.”

He sat on the edge of the bed, cupped her jaw, and turned her face until she was looking at him again. “You are beautiful, Olivia,” he repeated.

She wanted to look away, to deflect the compliment, but Luke wouldn’t let her. So she swallowed those doubts that said she wasn’t a woman that men desired or a woman that made a man want to be faithful, and said, “Thank you,” her voice soft, vulnerable.

Then he leaned down and kissed her, but took his sweet time doing it, letting the fire build between them again, a little at a time. When she arched against him, he shifted until his long length covered hers, his shoes tumbling to the floor with twin thuds.

He ran a finger along the lacy edge of her bra, teasing at the curve over her breast with the very tip of his finger. Ice and fire ran through her veins. “Luke, Luke. Please.”

He grinned. “Please more or please stop?”

“Please stop teasing me and give me
more
.”

He chuckled. “Your wish is my command, milady.” Then he reached around her, fingering the clasp until it sprung free, and her breasts spilled over the fabric. Olivia began to wriggle out of it, but Luke stopped her.

“Let me.” With agonizing slowness, he peeled down one strap, then the other, following the satin’s path with his mouth, kissing her shoulders, then the little valley beneath her neck, then the swell of her breasts. His mouth closed over the right one and he sucked the nipple into his mouth. She gasped at the sharp fire of his tongue teasing the sensitive nub. His free hand slipped down to her waist, fumbling to undo the buttons and zipper of her jeans.

She rose up on one elbow, which made him suckle her nipple harder. “Oh, God, you don’t make this easy. And I mean that in an oh . . . oh, good way.” She fumbled with his fly, then yanked his jeans down and off. His boxers followed, and his hard cock throbbed against her belly.

She curled her hand around its length, loving the way he gasped and froze for a second, enjoying her touch. She stroked up and down, toying with the tip with her thumb, then sliding her hand down the full length and pausing to swipe her finger across his balls. She twisted her grip as she came up and Luke let out something that could have been a groan or a curse, but sent a clear message of
don’t stop
.

His mouth covered hers again, hot, hard, insistent. Then he slid his fingers under her panties and into her warm, wet vagina. She sucked in a breath between her teeth and bucked up against his hand. He rubbed his thumb up and down her clit, and that fast, Olivia felt the pounding rush of an orgasm sweeping over her, bursting in her brain, obliterating thought for one hot, sweet second.

“That was fast,” he said, a tease in his words.

“It’s, uh, been a while for me.”

“Me too.” His eyes met hers in the moonlight. “So that means we can either take it slow, or very, very fast.”

“How about very, very fast the first time? And then the second time, make it last.”

A smile curved across his face. “Your wish is my command.”

She laughed, then gave his cock one long, hard stroke. “Then don’t make me wait.”

He groaned. He pulled his hand out, then tugged at her panties, so fast, she was surprised they didn’t tear. The panties joined the rest of their clothes somewhere on the floor, and then the two of them were naked, warm skin meeting warm skin, like heated silk along her nerve endings. He nudged her legs apart with his knee and settled between them, his cock poised at her entrance. “Protection?”

“I . . . I don’t have anything.” She didn’t want to tell him that she hadn’t bought a condom since her divorce. It wasn’t the kind of thing one put on a grocery list.

“Neither do I.” Reality popped up like a weed. What were they thinking? They weren’t teenagers. They knew where unprotected sex could lead—to very bad decisions and mega consequences.

He shifted away from her and flopped onto the bed. He willed his body to stop insisting he go back to what he was doing. He should be grateful he’d stopped when he did, before they got too close. Before it got . . . complicated. “I’m sorry. I didn’t exactly plan this.”

“Neither did I,” she said, echoing his words. “It just . . . happened.”

He draped an arm over his head and didn’t say anything for a long minute. Cold now, Olivia reached out and dragged the edge of the blanket over them. As the quilt settled onto Luke, he let out a gust and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He grabbed his boxers and jeans off the floor and tugged them on. “I can’t do this,” he said. “I can’t be the man who does the dishes and comes home every night and takes the dog for a walk.”

She sat up in the bed and clutched the sheet to her chest. “I didn’t say I wanted any of that. Last I checked we were just kissing. Or, well, more than kissing.”

“And that’s the problem. More than kissing leads to . . . complicated. And I don’t do complicated.”

It was as if a winter wind had skated into the room and settled its icy grip on Olivia’s heart. She could tell he was gone, that he had left her, long before he got to his feet and said good-bye.

It wasn’t until she heard the front door shut that Olivia allowed the tears to fall.

Fourteen

The pounding woke Luke from a sound sleep. “Go away!” He rolled over and stuffed a pillow over his head.

More pounding.

Luke opened one eye. Glanced at the bedside clock. Six in the freakin’ morning. Who the hell—

He let out a curse, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and got to his feet. He dragged on yesterday’s shorts and T-shirt, then headed out of his bedroom and down the hall. The knocking—more like punching—of his front door continued. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” he grumbled. What the hell was with people? Didn’t they realize what time it was? Luke undid the locks, then pulled open the front door.

Leaning against the jamb was a six-foot-seven freak of nature. Lieutenant Mike Stark had the body of a football player, the height of an NBA center, and the brains of a physicist. He’d been Luke’s nemesis in boot camp, the man who could outrun, outpower, and outanswer anyone else in the unit. The two of them had been stationed at AIRSTA Kodiak at the same time, which could have ended up as an epic fail, with two hardheaded mustangs intent on proving their worth as officers. Instead, he and Mike had become friends after a messy fight in a bar over a woman neither of them remembered.

“Took you long enough. What, are you sleeping in now?” Mike said. “Retirement got your lazy ass in bed half the day?”

“It’s six in the morning. Early, by most people’s standards. And I’m not retired. I’m out.”

“Same difference. Why are you being such an ass? Did someone piss in your Wheaties this morning?” Without waiting for an invitation, Mike stepped past Luke and into the house. He turned back and pressed a bag into Luke’s hands. “Here. I figured you wouldn’t have anything decent to eat, so I stopped and got us some health food.”

Luke peeled open the bag and inhaled. “Doughnuts? You call that health food?”

Mike reached past him, plucked out one of the sugary treats, and took a bite. “Yup. I’m rewriting the food pyramid.”

“Turning it upside down is more like it.”

Luke hadn’t seen any of the guys since he’d left Alaska. They’d been a tight crew, bonded by experiences most people could never imagine. Mike being on his doorstep was like a visit from a brother. A welcome irritation.

“You know I was never one to play by the rules,” Mike said. “Especially when it comes to food, alcohol, and women.”

“Or mixing the three.” Despite the early hour, Luke found a smile curving across his face. Damn, he’d missed Mike. He hadn’t realized how much until now. “You want some coffee?”

“As long as you can make it strong enough to fry my hair, yeah.” Mike followed Luke down the hall and into the kitchen.

Luke took his time making the coffee and got through the process without dumping a pot of water on his feet this time. He told himself not to wonder about Olivia and whether she was hating him right now. He’d done a shitty thing last night. A cowardly thing. Taken the easy way out, which wasn’t like him. Or didn’t used to be like him. The man he was and the man he’d become were like Jekyll and Hyde. He wasn’t sure which version he disliked the most.

Luke dropped into the seat across from Mike.

“So how bad is it?” Mike asked.

Leave it to Stark to get right to the point. “The doctor says I should regain limited vision. But it’ll never be perfect. And that means I’ll never fly again.”

“You could work ground or—”

“No!” The word exploded out of Luke and he got to his feet, crossing to the coffeepot and pouring two cups while he inhaled a few breaths and worked the beast out of his system. “I don’t want to go back to half a career. All I ever wanted to do was fly.”

Mike got up, took one look at the scar on Luke’s face, and shrugged, nonplussed. “Well, you’re not completely hideous. You could always get a job as a male stripper. How’s your affinity for bow ties?”

Luke chuckled. “You’re an ass, you know that?”

“Yeah, that’s what my ex says.”

“Ex? I thought you and Jasmine—”

“Are over. I got the final divorce papers last week. On my birthday, no less. Happy birthday to me.” Mike raised an imaginary toast. “Quick tip. Never marry the first woman who sleeps with you after a long deployment. When your dick does the thinking, you make poor choices.”

“Sorry.”

Mike shrugged. “It is what it is. I miss the kids like crazy, though. I was heading to Georgia to see them, but then I got a text from Jasmine saying she left yesterday to see her family in Toledo. She made it clear I’d be an uninvited guest if I tried to tag along.” He shook his head and cursed. “Anyway, the kids get back in about ten days, and since I’m temporarily between residences, I thought I’d come down here and bug you.”

“When are you heading back to base?”

“Few weeks. I have a lot of leave saved up. Was saving it to finally go on a honeymoon and all that, but now . . .” He shook his head, then got to his feet and crossed to the pot to refill his mug. He stayed by the window, his back against the sink, and drank the coffee. “Anyway, I figured it might be a good idea to come down here and live the beach life with you for a little while. Hot sun, hot girls in bikinis . . . Kodiak can wait.”