A Modern Love Story (18 page)

*****

Robbie reached over to put the phone back on the bedside table. As she eased back, Luc wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her belly.

“Whoa. Watch the whiskers, buddy.” She squirmed as he rubbed his cheek across her navel.

“Don’t worry. I’ll soothe it, make it feel better.” He brushed his lips over her skin as he snuggled against her side. “Was that Conrad?”

“Yeah. I told him you won’t be in tonight. Hope that’s okay.”

“No problem. Couldn’t make me leave if you tried.” He planted light kisses up her chest, across her breasts. “Jesus, babe. You smell amazing. What is that?”

She couldn’t stop the moan as his tongue slid over a nipple. “Body wash. Lotion.”

“I never smelled it on you before.”

“You never got this close before.”

“My damn loss.”

“My gain now,” she said as his hand trailed up her thigh. She nearly whimpered in anticipation. “I feel like I’ve waited forever for this.”

“How long?” He teased her with his fingers, swirling little designs on her leg, and then lifted his head to nip at her bottom lip. “Tell me.”

She sighed a half-laugh. “Since you taught me how to kiss.”

His hand froze as he locked his dark eyes on hers. “For
eight
years?”

“I was starting to think you’d never take a hint.”

He chuckled, the tops of his ears turning pink. “You can thank Conrad for that one.”

“How so?”

“It seems I was missing the obvious. He pointed it out to me.” He kissed her, long and deep, and his hand crept between her thighs. “Wait. The night you moved in with me…”

“Not just the champagne.” His fingers slipped into her warmth, making her breath catch.

“And the Bahamas?”

She had to concentrate to string together the right words. “We could have done this on the beach.”

“Shit. I
am
a damn idiot,” he murmured, rolling on top to nudge inside. And then he paused, questions in his eyes. “Are you on…”

She nodded. “I’m clean, too. So you know.”

“I wasn’t—”

“It’s better to just get this out of the way straight off. I’m on birth control, and I tested clean last year.” He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off again. “I haven’t been with anyone since.” She lifted her hips, pushing into the delicious contact below. “Your turn.”

He groaned, resisting her invitation. His gaze deepened, turning serious as he stared down at her. “I’m clean. And I’ve never had sex without a condom before.”

“I thought you… You had a scare once.”

“It broke. I’ve always had the presence of mind to insist on it, no matter the circumstances. But you…” His hips jerked the slightest of movements. “You fry my brain beyond reason in a way no one ever has. There’s no logic with you.” He dipped his head to lick her neck, nipping at the tender skin. “I just need. And I want.” He lifted to trap her in his dark stare again. “And now that I know how good it feels to sink into your slick heat…” His breath caught as he slowly joined their bodies, his eyes rolling closed.

She hooked her legs around him, holding him close before he pulled back. “As long as we’re exclusive, you’re good.”

His eyes snapped open, fire sparking in their depths. “Damn straight we’re exclusive. And it better stay that way, too. No one else gets to have you. Hell, I want to lay flat anyone else who already has.” He growled as he gave his hips a firm, possessive pump. “You’re mine, Robbie.”

Wrapping her arms around him, she bit at his
stubbled
jaw. “And you’re mine.”

He moaned his assent, and all her thoughts evaporated as he moved, hard and deep, taking her straight into an oblivion she had never known.

Chapter 8

Robbie forced herself to shorten her stride as she walked down the street, and then shook her hands out, taking deep breaths as she did. When she caught herself speeding up again, she actually stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to mentally smooth herself out. Eyes closed she took another breath. Ignoring the murmured curse of the woman who had to step around her, she tried to logic through her predicament. There was no reason she should be nervous. This was
Luc
—a man she’d known for a decade. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? It was Luc.

Christ, you’d think it had been days since she’d last seen him rather than just the one. Really, how much had changed? They were still best friends, she was still in love with him, and she still knew him, trusted him more than anyone else in her life. He was the world to her, as he’d always been. So, they were sleeping together now. So what? What had
really
changed? Enough. This was Luc.

Damn! This was
Luc
!

“Screw it,” she mumbled, tugging open Hooligan’s door.

Her heart beat double-time when she saw him behind the bar. He looked…different. Better? Definitely more alluring, now that she knew what was under those jeans and shirt. Jesus. She wasn’t helping her nerves any with that line of thinking, now was she?

As she approached, Conrad elbowed Luc in the side and nodded towards her. Luc glanced over his shoulder, then bumbled the beer mug he was holding. It crashed to the floor, and he jumped back only to bang into a whole stack of them. The glasses clinked together as he fumbled to steady them, losing another in the process.

“Nice one, slick,” Conrad commented. He looked at Robbie, then back to Luc with a grin. “What’s your problem, man?”

“Nothing. Shut the fuck up,” he mumbled, although loud enough for Robbie to hear, and then arrowed his nearly-black eyes right at her.

She almost laughed at the display, but spared him the humiliation. At least
she
wasn’t
that
nervous, and knowing he
was, effectively smoothed her out. However… Just because she wouldn’t poke holes in his male ego about his behavior, didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun at his expense.

She smiled as she leaned against the bar. “You okay, Stretch?”

He cleared his throat, leaned a hip against the bar. “Yeah. Why?”

“You seem a little tense, is all.” She reached over and trailed a finger down his forearm. “Do I make you nervous now?”

“Why the hell would you?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I’m a known temptress when in a relationship. Some have even compared me to a succubus.”

That got his long, lean frame to relax, and even incited an easy smile with his quick laugh. “Is that so?”

“Mmm. So you better watch out. Fair warning.”

He leaned closer, took her hands in his. “Sorry, Squirt. But you couldn’t put me off, or surprise me, if you tried.”

“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think. There was this one guy I dated—a quiet, country boy with wire-rimmed glasses. I gobbled him up in one bite.”

“Maybe he wasn’t man enough to withstand you.”

“No. He just couldn’t resist my wily ways.”

Luc chuckled as he laced their fingers. “Babe, I’m pretty sure I could resist you, if I put my mind to it. I hate to tell you, but you’re not the great seductress you seem to think you are.”

“Really?” She raised a brow and smirked. “You sure you could resist?”

Conrad stopped picking up the broken glass long enough to lean into Luc and mutter, “Danger, Will Robinson. Danger.”

“Try me.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” She slipped her hands out of his and eased around the end of the bar, pressed up against his side to whisper in his ear. “What if I told you I want you? That I want to take you, to have you, any way I pleased.” She felt him tense as she laid a hand on his thigh.

“I want explore your body with my hands,”—she lightly dragged her nails across the fabric of his jeans towards his groin— “and with my mouth. I want to taste you.” She flicked his earlobe with her tongue. “Everywhere.”

“Mmm. The things I could do to your body, and all before taking you deep inside. Only then would you own me, rule me. God, I’d be at your mercy.” She forced her breath to catch and his hand gripped her hip. “I’d scream your name, beg you for more.”

She leaned back and studied her work. His jaw was clenched, shoulders tense, tips of the ears red, and eyes clouded with lust. Oh, yeah, nicely done. “Now, what were you saying about resisting me?”

“I stand corrected.” He shook his head, let out a breath.

“She’s got my number,” Conrad piped up as he dumped the broken glass. He peered around Luc to see her. “Could you do that part with the tongue again?” He looked up when the door opened and immediately shoved the dustpan into Luc’s hand. “You got things covered here tonight, right Luc?”

Robbie glanced over to see Lizbeth approaching.

Conrad didn’t wait for a response and was across the room in a flash. He grabbed Lizbeth, pressing close to devour her mouth. As soon as he pulled away, he spun her around to drag towards the door. Lizbeth, eyes wide, shot a baffled look at Robbie, then waved with a huge grin plastered to her face.

“Have fun!” Robbie hollered, a second before the door closed behind them.

“At least someone is benefiting from your sweet talk,” Luc muttered. “Jesus, babe. Where did you learn to talk like that?”

She laughed, shrugged, and hoped she wasn’t blushing too much. “I don’t know. Just came to me.”

“I like it,” he said, grabbing her by the hips to pull her near. “I’ve never seen that side of you before. It’s exciting.” He leaned down to kiss her, and she simply melted into him.

His mouth was amazing. All that heat between them ignited the moment his lips touched hers. It scorched and burned, racing through her body and lighting everything on fire. He consumed and demanded more without saying a word, and she wanted nothing more than to give him everything, anything, he wanted.

“How long until the bar opens?” she mumbled, her mouth racing down his neck.

She heard him groan as he put a firm hand on her shoulder. “Dammit. About five minutes.”

She hung her head and stepped back. “This is your fault, you know. You shouldn’t have dared me.”

He tipped her chin up. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not pinning this shit on me. But, I’m glad to see I’m not the only one suffering. Serves you right.” He chuckled, releasing her. “And, since you’re the reason I’m short-handed tonight, you get to help pick up the slack.”

She grimaced. “Fine. But no waitressing. Last time I got my ass pinched about twenty times. Even had the bruises to prove it.”

He sobered immediately. “You’re goddamn right you’re not waitressing. I’ll put you behind the bar. Anyone gives you a hard time, crack their skull with a mug.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?”

He pulled her close again, ran his hands down her back to cup her ass, giving it a light squeeze. “No one puts their hands on you, except me.”

His mouth took hers again, to sink her back into the inferno. She was being burned alive, and in the midst of all that heat she briefly wondered how she was ever going to survive him.

*****

 
“What can I get you?” Robbie asked.

“A lite beer. Whatever you have on tap will be fine.” The nicely-put-together, leggy, platinum blond, who had commanded a demanding audience as she strode through the room to cozy up at the bar, and was now staring at her with crisp ice-blue eyes.