Chasing Memories: The Forevermore Series, Book 2 (11 page)

Chapter Seventeen

India’s heart pounded, loud enough for the people on the street fifteen stories below to hear. She watched, waited, for Lucas to say something, anything, but he didn’t.

Heat scorched her cheeks, but it had nothing to do with the sun blazing through the floor-to-ceiling windows and everything to do with the mortification coursing through her. Dear God, what the hell had she been thinking climbing on top of him the way she had? And the bit about wanting him so much she ached… It was the truth, but why had she told him?

Wouldn’t you know the one and only time she’d mustered up the courage to make a move, the guy wasn’t interested.
Idiot, Idiot, Idiot.
Everything inside seemed to cave in on her. She made to scramble off his lap, but he tightened his hold on her. A slow smile spread across his handsome face.

“Come here,” he demanded.

She didn’t move. Couldn’t.

He dragged her closer, and the hard length of his erection pressed against the cotton fabric of her pants at the center of her core. He definitely wanted her. No doubt about it. Heat surged through her on a wild wave of pure pleasure. India groaned.

“I want you, too. Can’t you tell?”

Relief flooded through her. His lips touched hers. Her muscles went limp, and a languid flow of desire flowed through every cell in her body.

He kissed her slow, and sweet, and with a tenderness that touched her deep inside, but India didn’t want gentle. With him, she wanted passion, excitement, ecstasy.
Just this once.
With a soft little cry, she opened her mouth and deepened the kiss.

Lucas didn’t hesitate. His tongue darted in, caressed, tasted, teased until she was burning up, clutching at him, and craving what only he could give her.

“Baby, I need to touch you,” Lucas groaned.

The rough, ragged plea kicked her pulse into overdrive. Breathless, her heart pounded, and a wave of white-hot heat ripped through her. “Yes.”

Dark mesmeric eyes flashing, he slid his hands under her top, then up her ribcage. She arched toward him, desperate with need. “Lucas, oh, yes please, Lucas.”

He eased the shirt over her head, removed her bra and looked down at her. “Beautiful,” he murmured.

She smiled, her breasts swelling under his heated gaze.

Leaning in, he drew one taut peak between his lips. His teeth tugged, nipped and the wet rasp of his tongue laved and swirled. Rational thought evaporated, leaving a world where only sensation existed. “Oh, Lucas.” India writhed, moaned, her whole body on fire. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back as he continued to toy with the achingly sensitive peak.

“You taste so damned good. Like sweet cream,” he said. “I can’t stop.”

“Then don’t. Please. I don’t want you to stop.” He began the same sensual assault on her other breast. A hunger ignited and burned deep inside.

Peeling his hands from her shoulder, Lucas gently lifted her and eased her down on the couch beside him. Standing, he ripped off his own shirt with one impatient move. His trousers and boxers came next, and then he stood before her, wonderfully naked, like a Greek god in all his glory.

Mouth dry, India stared, transfixed, as his strong muscles strained and flexed. A hot flood of liquid heat pooled at the heart of her. Dear lord, she couldn’t wait to run her hands over every inch of him.

He came back down to her, eyes smoldering, his fevered tension as marked as her own, then he removed her pants and thong. “You’re exquisite.”

With a dark, driven groan, he lifted her to him and ravaged the interior of her mouth with a raw demanding passion that overwhelmed her.

Struggling to get air back into her lungs, India laid her palms on his bare chest and breathed in the faint tang of expensive cologne and his unique male scent like a drug. She trailed her hands over his strong shoulders, across his hard pecs, and over his washboard abs, loving the feel of smooth, warm skin beneath her fingertips. Lucas shuddered. Emboldened by his response she laid her lips at the hollow at the base of his throat. His pulse thumped a ragged beat. She twirled her tongue over it.

Lucas let out a deep, guttural groan. “I don’t think I can wait much longer. I need to be inside you. Now.”

“Yes, oh yes, Lucas. Now. Please,” she begged. Everything inside her buzzed and hummed. It had never been this way before. This aching need burning deep inside.

He pulled away from her, and her blitzed brain couldn’t fathom why. Her stomach sank, then he flashed a wicked, sexy smile.

“Hold on, baby.” Standing once more, he reached for his pants and grabbed his wallet out of the back pocket. He withdrew a condom, and then tossed the trousers and billfold to the floor. Excitement tore through her like a raging fire consuming everything in its path.

He pressed her back into the plush, soft fabric of the sofa and came over her.

His heavy weight crushed her. She started to shake, couldn’t breathe.
No, no. Not again.

Lucas pulled back and stood. “India? Are you okay, sweetheart?”

The sensation of being trapped disappeared. She gulped in deep, steadying breaths.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“No, I mean yes. I want to.” She really did. Had been so ready, and then the memories surfaced. Her rat-bastard ex-manager, lying on top of her, pinning her down…
No.
“Can I… I
need
to be on top. I just need to be on top. Is that okay?” India held her breath waiting for him to answer.

He stared at her. A flash of hesitation crossed his face, and then that sexy smile again. God, she loved his smile.

“Baby, you can have it any way you want.”

She released the breath she’d been holding.

Lucas sat down beside her. “Come here.” He patted his sculpted bare thighs.

India straddled him again. He eased her slender legs apart and began to caress her wildly sensitive flesh.

Lucas stared at her with eyes burning like molten pools of lava. “Oh… You’re already ready for me.”

A surge of almost intolerable pleasure coursed through her. “Yes, God yes.” India lowered herself on him, taking the whole, hot, hard length of him deep inside. “Oh, Lucas.” He filled her completely.

He gasped. Trembled. Eyes closed, head flung back he rasped, “You feel… So. Damned. Good.”

Gripping her hips, he eased her back then thrust into her again. Slow, painfully so, and a tiny tremor quaked through her. “So good.”

“Better than I imagined.”

She gazed at him, eyes wide. “You’ve thought about us being together?”

“Since the day we met at the investment seminar in LA. The chemistry between us soared off the charts that night, and again when we had dinner a few days later.” He drove into her again.

His kisses had pushed her to the edge of sanity on those occasions and he’d barely touched her. “Yes,” she said on a breathless sob. Her insides tightened, and the primitive rhythm of his possession engulfed her.

With every driving invasion Lucas sent excitement surging through her at tornado-force potency. She clutched his shoulders with frantic need, her hips meeting his, matching thrust for thrust.

Release came in shattering waves of euphoric pleasure.

Lucas hit the pinnacle a beat later with a shuddering groan.

Chapter Eighteen

“That. Was. Amazing.”

Lucas flashed a lazy, satisfied smile.
More than amazing.
Mind blowing didn’t even cover it. He’d never had anything as good. Ever. “Yeah, but next time, we’ll take things slower.”

“Next time?”

“Definitely.” He gave her a slow, thorough kiss on her startled mouth then rose from the sofa. Lifting her into his arms, he strode the short distance down the carpeted hall to the guest room.

“Where are we going?”

“To bed.”

She arched a brow. “Oh really?”

He laughed. “To sleep. You need rest. Doctor’s orders. Remember?”

India lifted her hand from where it lay against his chest and raised her pointer finger. He didn’t let her protest get started. Instead, he grabbed it, planted a kiss on her palm and placed it back against him.

She shivered. He grinned.

“I’m fine, Lucas.”

No, but I’ll make sure you are from now on.
“You had heavy debris fall on you yesterday. Today that goon dropped you, and you landed with a thud on a concrete floor.”

“On my butt.” She twisted in his arms and laid a light smack on her ass. “Lots of padding.”

“I happen to like your ass.” He wiggled his brows. “I stare at it when you’re not looking and imagine all sorts of inappropriate things we could do.”

Color invaded her cheeks. “You are incorrigible.”

“I know. It’s why you like me so much.”

She laughed. “Who said I like you?”

“I can tell.” He waggled his brows. Who knew playful banter could be such fun?

When they reached the bedroom, he shifted her weight into one arm and opened the door with the other, then strode to the bed, tossed back the blue-and-white-striped comforter, and laid her down on the cool cotton sheets.

She gazed up at him with eyes that glittered like the finest sapphire jewels. “Okay. I do. Like you. A lot.”

He drew in a sharp breath. “I like you, a lot, too.” More than he imagined possible, and a hell of a lot more than he ought to. She made him feel…want…things he couldn’t have. Things he’d given up on a long time ago.
No.
He wouldn’t go there. Couldn’t. He liked his life just the way it was.

India yawned. He chuckled, grateful for the distraction. “See, you need to rest.” Picking up the remote from the bedside table, he pressed the button to lower the blackout shades and engulfed the room in darkness, except for the soft light filtering in from the hall.

“Will you lie down with me?” She tapped the empty spot beside her. “Please?” She shivered. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Yeah, he could stay with her. Wanted to. Needed to be with her. Definitely uncharted territory for a casual-relationship-only kind of guy. He dropped a kiss on her sweet lips and slid beneath the covers. Pulling her into his arms, he held her close and let her warmth surround him.

Minutes later India said, “Lucas?”

Eyes closed, he murmured, “Mm.”

“Um, thanks again for staying with me.”

“You’re welcome. Now, go to sleep.”

Lucas pulled her tighter against him. He was on the verge of drifting off when India spoke again.

“Do you have enough blanket?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, good.”

She wiggled her perfectly shaped ass against his groin. Exquisite pain and pleasure shot through him. He sucked in a deep breath and groaned. “Stop moving around.
Please.
”

“Sorry. I’m a little nervous. I’ve never slept with a man before.”

His eyes snapped open and he stiffened. “Come again?”

India rolled over to face him, her eyes wide with…worry. What troubled her?

“I’m not talking about having sex, obviously. I mean I’ve never…” She pointed to him and then back at her. “I haven’t done the whole after—” She swallowed hard. Her words came out in a choked rush. “After- sex sleepover, cuddle, whatever-you-want-to-call-it thing before.”

“Not with anyone?”

She gave a nervous shake of her head. “I, ah… No. Never.”

Satisfaction roared through him. “Why?”

She gulped in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “It has to do with what happened earlier. In the living room.”

Earlier? In the living room?
He frowned. “You mean when we were having sex?”

She nodded but didn’t look at him.

The sex had been great. Fantastic. She’d enjoyed it too if those little cries of pleasure were anything to go by. Except… An image popped into his mind. India’s drawn, pale face. It was why he’d hesitated. Told her they could have stopped. He’d meant it. It would have killed him, but he’d have done it. “What is it?”

Shit, shit, shit.

India got out of bed, pulled the sheet with her and wrapped it around her body as she paced back and forth in the confined space. What was she thinking trying to explain the little panic attack she’d had earlier? He hadn’t even noticed anything odd. Not really.

But he might next time.
And then what would happen? Would he walk out on her, like Josh had? Maybe. Probably. Oh, who the hell was she kidding? He’d definitely bolt. It’s what happened when you freaked in the middle of making love and started shoving your partner and screaming for him to get off you. Okay, that hadn’t happened with Lucas. Yet.

India blew out a breath. “I have a problem when… It’s just that…”
Stop it, stop it, stop it.
You sound like a bumbling fool. Just spit it out, damn it. “I have issues when it comes to sex.” There. She’d told him. Laid it out on the table. Now, she waited. For the fallout.

At first Lucas didn’t respond. He only stared off in the distance with a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about expression on his face. She’d seen the look before. Knew what would come next.

“Okay…”

She gasped. What kind of an answer was okay? “Did you hear what I told you?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.”

He reached for her. She jerked away. “You say that now.” Swallowing hard past the sudden lump in her throat, she added, “But what are you going to do if I have a full-blown panic attack while we’re making love and I start screaming or worse, I—” Her breaths came in short, sharp gasps. She couldn’t finish the sentence.

“I don’t know, India, but we’ll figure—”

“I’ll tell you exactly what will happen. You’re going to push me away with a disgusted grunt and leave. And when I try to explain—” Her breath hitched, and oh hell, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
No, no, no.
She blinked them away. “Just go, Lucas. Go now and save us both the trouble.”

He laid gentle hands on her shoulders. “Is that what you want? For me to leave.”

“No.” She started to shake. “No, but I know you will and—” And the idea of him leaving, of never seeing him again. Never hearing his laugh, seeing that gorgeous, sexy smile, tasting his to-die-for kisses. Feeling wanted. Cherished. She clutched her chest at the horrible ache spreading inside. Oh dear Lord, she might…no, was already sure…oh hell, she loved him. She loved Lucas Morgan with all her heart. How had she allowed it to happen?