Risking the Vine (Romancing the Vine Book 1) (21 page)

With a laugh that bordered on the embarrassed, he relaxed against the door as he pulled her wrist up, lacing their fingers together and resting their joined hands over his heart. Jac felt each hard thud in the side of her hand. The rapid tattoo resonated in time with her own heartbeat.

He drew her closer, until she was nestled between his spread legs. “I want you more than I can find words to express at the moment.”

“Then don’t articulate, just take.” She nipped his chin and followed the bite with a lick to his lush lower lip.

He tangled his tongue with hers until he’d sucked it between his teeth. The pressure was delicious. When he released her lips, he stroked his hand along her back, from the swell just above her butt to the nape of her neck.

“You’re distracting me.”

Her chuckle was low and breathy. She caressed his cheek with her free hand. “That’s the idea.”

“And as ideas go, it’s stellar.” He nibbled at her lips. “Baby, I’ve been working for nearly twenty-four hours. I was hoping I could impose on you for a shower. I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m a little ripe.”

What she’d noticed was the intoxicating blend of Luke’s unique scent of spice and pine. If there was an aroma of sweat underlying it, she found it more of an aphrodisiac. He worked hard, unafraid to stick with a job until it was done. “I didn’t notice, but you are more than welcome to use my bathroom. Do you want me to soap your back?” She slipped her hand behind him, and rubbed his sexy ass, giving it a squeeze for good measure.

His breath caught, hitched back out. “You can if you want, however, that isn’t my back. But consider this, I’ll be in your bed—in you—quicker if I go it alone. At least before. Maybe later we can shower together.” He waggled his brows.

Jac eased her hold on his backside and moved away from him. She pointed to her bedroom, where her mattress beckoned them. “Bathroom is at the end of the hall. Are you hungry? I can fix scrambled eggs while you’re in there.”

“Baby, I’m only hungry for you.”

Her eyes nearly crossed as she held his gaze. “You say the nicest things.”

He laughed and bent to scoop up the bag he’d dropped. “See you in five?”

“Or sooner.” She watched him saunter away from her, his legs slightly bowed.

Oh, he definitely wanted.

Chapter 20

The second Luke disappeared through the door to her room, Jac pulled her thin cotton T-shirt over her head in one smooth motion, and chucked it. Kicking off her flip-flops, she followed him down the hall.

Water rushed through the pipes. He’d left the bathroom door cracked and she caught a tantalizing glimpse of his bare ass. Jac’s mouth watered at the sight of his tan line, dusky skin above, paler below. She caught her tongue between her teeth. Honest to God, she wanted to lick the divots hollowing out the sides of his butt.

With efficient movements, she unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. Hooking her thumbs under the stretchy lace of her panties, she shimmied out of everything, leaving it in a bundle at her feet. Next came the bra, straps falling off her shoulders. She dropped the scrap of lace she’d donned especially for Luke’s pleasure to the growing pile of clothes next to the bed.

Water stopped running in the shower and she heard the swish of the towel as Luke pulled it over the glass wall surrounding the tiled enclosure. The last drops from the rainwater showerhead dripped, nearly masking the sound of Luke drying his body. Jac flipped her decorative pillows into the corner and pulled the comforter down to the end of the bed.

She climbed on the mattress. Knelt in the middle. Sat back on her heels.

Waited.

With a towel wrapped around his waist, Luke emerged from the bath, droplets of water shimmering in the halo of light from behind. The sight of the pale yellow towel riding low on his hips made her nipples pebble. She longed to explore the muscular cuts on his sides, to trail her fingers down the gorgeous line of dark hair plunging below the edge of the fabric.

The expression on his face went predatory and hot as blazes when he caught sight of her, naked and waiting. Lips quirked in a half smile, he stalked toward the bed. His erection tented the front of his towel.

“Much better. And look, my shower gave you time to unmake the bed.” Grinning, Luke rested one knee of the mattress.

He reached for her, stroking the back of his fingers down the slope of her breast. Catching the taut peak between his index and middle finger, he squeezed. When he rolled the pad of his thumb over the tight bud, fire arced through Jac, zeroing in on her pussy. She grew wetter with each swipe of his thumb.

She grasped his forearm, trying to ground herself through the touch. “It’s nicer to unmake the bed than . . .”

His lips replaced his finger.

“Oh, God, Luke, that’s wonderful.”

The tug, nip, lick rotation of his mouth, tongue, and teeth continued, sweet torture to be sure. Jac fisted his hair, holding his mouth in place as she eased backward. Luke followed her down, hips nestling between her thighs. Through the towel that somehow managed to stay on, his erection prodded her.

Giving her nipple one last lick, he shifted his attention to the other breast as he slipped a hand under her and pulled her leg around his hip. Tingles of molten lust sparked to life at the feel of his fingers trailing through her folds. He slipped two inside and continued to run his thumb over her clit, mimicking the action there with the lash of his tongue on her nipple. Each exquisite touch of his lips and fingers created cascading light behind her eyelids.

Raking her nails over the smooth skin of his back, Jac gave herself over to the pressure and pleasure building to a fever pitch in her body.

He pushed her to the brink of reason, the point where she ceased thinking and simply flowed with sensation. He licked a circle around her areola, then whispered a breath over the wet surface. She shivered. He slid his fingers out of her, leaving her feeling momentarily empty.

The lonely sensation didn’t last. Shifting off to her side, Luke stroked his hand along her raised thigh. His movement loosened his towel, and it puddled on the bed, partly draped over her knees. She released her grip on his head and pulled the towel away, dropping the damp material over the side of the bed. Her muscles clutched as his fingers filled her once more. He buried them deeply within her as he claimed her lips. Bolts of need pinged from her head to her toes.

Jac rocked her hips up to meet his questing hand. “Not enough, Luke. I need you in me.”

“I’m getting there,” he murmured against her lips as he pressed long fingers deeper and twisted them, stroking the ribbed muscles inside.

“Now.”

Not waiting, she pushed on his shoulders until he lay flat on the bed, his thick erection bobbing against his stomach. Holding his wrist, she trapped his hand between her legs as she rose to her knees to straddle him. The muscles in his forearm flexed with his every movement.

Offering more of herself to his touch, her breath hitched in her throat with each wiggle, each thrust of his fingers. He dropped his other hand to her hip and stroked small circles over her skin until his fingers slipped into the cleft between her cheeks. She arched her back as he pressed his fingertip to the tight, puckered opening. Jac thought her body might just implode.

She stretched over his chest for the condom she’d left on the bedside table. Luke surged up, muscles tensing, to claim her breast again, his hands and lips everywhere, prodding, stroking; pulling. With unsteady fingers, Jac managed to tear open the wrapper and pull the latex circle from the foil.

She grasped his shaft at the base, reveling in Luke’s groan. She smeared a drop of come on his hard flesh as he circled his fingers in her sheath and dipped his other hand between her cheeks. Heady sensation spread like fireworks along her spine.

Jac rolled the condom into place, then rose on her knees and he replaced his fingers with his hot length. Passion flared brighter with the feeling of fullness, of completion. Jac set a rhythm, bobbing on his lap, rocking her hips forward on the rise, rolling them back of the descent. Each time she slid down, Luke pressed his finger deeper.

His other hand flexed on her hip, encouraging her movement, helping to guide her pace.

“That’s it, baby,” he mumbled against her breast and thrust his hips up hard. His body slapped against hers as he buried himself deeper. He growled and dug his fingers into her flesh. “Ride me, honey.”

She couldn’t form any words. Never before had she felt the moment growing and expanding in her this way. Increasing her pace, erotic quivering started deep within her. It built with every stroke against his groin, every dip of his finger, and the bite of his teeth on her nipple.

Color exploded behind her eyes as her orgasm crested. She couldn’t hold in her scream. Straining, arching against him, her trembling limbs echoed the shivering deep inside at such a powerful climax. “Oh, Luke. Oh my God!”

Luke’s muscles tensed and bunched under her hands as he flipped her to her back. Elbows resting on either side of her head, he gripped her hair and drove into her with wild abandon. The weight of him, the demanding nature of his thrusts, prolonged her orgasm and rebuilt it until sensation swelled again. The pleasure bordered on sweet torture until she came a second time as Luke groaned his own release.

Luke’s heart thundered like a freight train in his chest. Arms trembling, he ground his pelvis against hers until he was buried balls deep inside her. The tight muscles of her pussy rippled along his length, wringing everything from him. Jac flexed her fingers deep into his hips, urging him closer still. He dug his knees into the mattress between her legs, rocked back, then surged forward, pressing his forehead to hers.

A breath squeaked between her lips, caressing his cheek. “Yeess! Oh, God, yes.” She arched, quivering, and contracted her inner muscles hard around him.

Something awakened in him, something he’d buried so far from the surface, he’d lost sight of it himself. When he collapsed against the heated flesh of her breasts, the slow melt of his heart, his soul, puddled in his brain. With lips barely able to form words, he whispered his thoughts. “I love you, Jac.”

Her quick intake of air hissed against his ear as her hands stilled on his backside. “What did you say?”

His heart sped up again. This time strong emotion was the cause. He loved her. In the span of just days, he’d tumbled head over ass in love with this woman whose soft, delicious body still cradled him, the muscles of her channel still working in a sensuous rhythm on him.

Positioning his lips by the side of her head, Luke inhaled her spicy scent. “You heard me.” He swirled his tongue around the shell of her ear, from tip to lobe, continuing along her jaw with tender kisses.

He lifted himself from her body, resting on his elbows, and let his cock slip from her. Yet he didn’t move from his prime spot between her thighs. From this position, he held her gaze as he lowered his mouth to hers.

Moving her hands to his head, she held him still, prolonging the deeply poignant kiss. She licked her way around his mouth, and he felt her lips curve up, saw little laugh lines crinkle around her eyes. Those brown stunners turned to liquid heat as he sucked her tongue, stroking his along its velvet surface.

She pulled away slowly, breaking the seal between their lips. Deviltry danced on her face. “I know. I just wanted to hear it again.”

“Hear what?” He leaned on an elbow. With a smile, he lifted a strand of her silky hair, rubbing it between his fingers.

“You know. What you said before.”

His heart kicked against his ribs. “I. Love. You.” He punctuated each word with a kiss. “Happy now?”

“Delirious.” Heat left her eyes and her smile dimmed.

Doesn’t look so delirious to me
.

“What?”

“It’s just . . .” She covered her eyes and huffed out a breath, but didn’t continue.

Didn’t take a rocket scientist to know something wasn’t right.

“It’s just what?” he prodded.

Her chest heaved, her throat worked, but she pursed her lips, holding back whatever was bothering her.

He settled alongside her, dropping a kiss on her shoulder. “Jac, are you crying?”

“Trying not to.” Her voice shook.

“Tell me why, baby. Have I done something wrong?” Luke rolled to his back and gathered Jac close, cradling her head on his chest.

She shook her head, her chin bumping his body. A tear splatted on him. Dread claimed a corner of his soul. He’d reduced her to tears with his profession of love. What the fuck was wrong with him? Way too fast. Skating his finger over her spine he stared at the ceiling, waiting for her answer.

Her body was stiff against his, at odds with his wish for soft, spent pliancy.

Her shoulders lifted, her palm spread on his pecs. “It’s all sunshine and lollipops right now, Luke. But what happens when I move? Eugene is a long, tedious ride away. Your schedule is demanding.”

“Yeah, so?”

“I don’t see how this can work, Luke. How
we
can work. My last long distance relationship died a painful death.” Her voice quivered. “It would be smarter to not get involved, with me moving away so soon.”

She wanted to say goodbye before she moved?

He stilled his hand on her back, tightened his fingers on her upper arm. “Hell no, it wouldn’t. We have something special.” In his experience, love was rare. Once found, it was worth fighting for. “I love you. I’ll do whatever it takes to make us work.”

The laugh she released was bitter. “Heard that before.”

Digging for patience, he tucked his finger under her chin and lifted. He held her gaze. “Whoever you’re thinking about right now, this bed is already occupied. Only room for me and you.”

Her eyes fluttered shut.

Swallowing was difficult with a big lump of panic clogging his throat. He wasn’t giving up without a fight.

With a gentle prod, he encouraged her to look at him again. “Talk to me, baby. Help me understand why you think we won’t stick.”
Please let it be something I can fix.

Resting her head on his chest, she sighed. She hesitated so long, he feared she wouldn’t talk to him. To his relief, she finally spoke. “I’ve been in a long distance relationship before. My college boyfriend spent a semester abroad. It should have worked. We were solid, strong. We’d been a couple for a year before he moved to Italy. Our future looked bright.” Her fist clenched on his chest. “Within a month, he met someone else. Someone he could touch . . . who could touch him back. That was pretty important to him. Suddenly, having a girlfriend five thousand miles away wasn’t desirable. The dirtbag broke up with me by text message.”

Anger at the nameless fuck-tard hit Luke like a tidal wave. “He sounds like a douchy bastard to me.” He sucked in a calming breath and drew circles on her back. “But I’m not him. Cheating isn’t my style. Neither is screwing someone just to get my rocks off. I’d never do that to you.”

“The distance and your schedule still present problems.”

She was doing her best to rationalize why they wouldn’t work.

Barreling forward, he tried to explain why they would. “Gonna disagree, baby. I’ll come up every weekend. Even if I can only swing a day trip, I’ll be there. A hundred miles is nothing. I can come up after work some days. Things won’t always be this crazy at work. We’ll be together. It’ll be a piece of cake.”

“You won’t end up resenting that you have to drive to me all the time?”

He pressed a kiss to her hair, the scent of her shampoo filling his senses. “Baby, every day I get to see you will be bright and shiny, no room for resentment. You’ll come to Medford when you’re able. I know you’ll want to see Bella.”

“I don’t know.” But he felt her lips curve into a smile against his chest.

“Jac, shut up.” He cupped her head, stroking her russet hair. “I’m fighting for us. I’d love for you to fight as well. Together we’ll win. We’ve already proven we’re a great team.”