Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series) (39 page)

As he draws my nipple into his hot mouth, I grab his arms since my knees decide to stop working. I sob his name, “Lucas!”

He pulls on the nipple, stretching it taut with his teeth before letting go. I cry out again, and he raises his head and draws in a long unsteady breath. His breathing is as erratic as mine. Without warning, he swings me up into his arms.

“Wh-What are you doing?” I yelp, pulling my dress back into place as he strides across the office and pushes against a door. He carries me into another room and kicks the door shut. The room we’ve entered is a soft blue with plush-looking white carpet. As I look around, I see a door opened to a bathroom.

Lucas stops and looks down into my eyes, and I peer up into his. They’re beautiful, greener, and I’m glad I can’t be compelled or hypnotized or whatever he calls it. His kisses, his voice, his touch, sometimes just the way he looks at me, affect me to distraction as it is.

“Where are we?” This is a silly question because there’s only one piece of furniture in this room. He drops me into the middle of the bed and is beside me instantly, capturing my hands above my head in one of his while the other hand smooths hair off my forehead.

“Your hair is very pretty tonight,” he says, his voice rough with passion. He pulls out the pins that hold it up, combs his fingers through the length, and spreads it out on the pillow.

“Lucas—”

“Yes, my sweet?”

I pull my hands out of his grasp, surprised he actually lets me, and trace my fingers over the stubble on his chin. I want to run my nose along that stubble. His mouth comes down on mine with wild demand as his weight presses me into the mattress. The feeling is incredible, and I want to hold him to me this way forever. I’m breathless when he raises his mouth from mine. He trails his lips along my jaw and up the curve of my ear, making me shiver.

“I want to bury myself in you as hard and deep as I can,” he growls. I moan with a need I can’t describe at his erotic words. He nudges my legs apart with his knee and lies between them. The skirt of my dress pulls up even higher on my thighs. “Then I want you to do with that lush mouth of yours—what you did in the hot tub with your hand.”

I writhe beneath him, unable to withstand his seductive words. I’ve never wanted him more. My chest heaves with my arousal and heat moves over my body. He takes my lips in a gentle, sweet kiss as his hand skims up my thigh, under my skirt, to my panties, and I moan into his mouth. When he lifts his lips from mine, he leans up higher on his arms. His eyes are full of humor.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we need to stop,” he says. Heat floods my cheeks and Lucas chuckles as he brushes his knuckles across my cheekbone. “I don’t want to have sex in Dom’s bed.”
I’m pretty sure I don’t either.
“Sofie, you have no reason to worry about other women.” His lips brush my forehead. “You are the only one I want, the only one I need.” He tilts my chin up with his finger, and his eyes stare into mine. My stomach tightens at his words. “You don’t know the lengths I’ll go to, to keep you with me.”

My breath catches. “P-Please don’t say things like that.” My voice sounds shaky and my eyes plead with him. I am so terrified of my need for this man.

His brow furrows as his eyes search mine. “What are you so afraid of?” he asks gently as he continues watching me, waiting for me to say something.

How can I tell him I’m afraid of abandonment? It makes me feel so lame and pathetic. “I’m not afraid,” I say softly looking away. Lucas remains quiet, continuing to watch me, and I become nervous under his continued scrutiny. “What?” I look back at him.

“What did Louisa say to you in the bathroom?”

Oh no. I don’t want to know her name!
And this is not a conversation to have when I’m lying beneath him. “Nothing,” I lie softly, pushing against his chest to no avail. “Would you let me up please?” I push again, but he doesn’t budge. “Get off me!” I finally lie back, sighing in frustration when he shows no sign of letting me up. “What?” I ask with irritation, at his continued silence.

“I want to know what Louisa told you.” His voice is at once rough and demanding.

Crap!
I take a deep breath. “She... insinuated several things.”

Lucas goes utterly still. “What did she say?” He finally asks, in that softly dangerous way he has.

My eyes warily search his. “She said your... sexual tastes are very eclectic.” I lick my suddenly dry lips. “Among other things,” I whisper.

All at once he sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed. I sense he’s truly angry as he stands and strides quickly to the door. His whole body exudes tension, and I sit on the edge of the bed, afraid he’s going to leave me. He turns and runs his hand through his hair, combing it off his forehead in frustration. Walking back to the bed, he squats in front of me, looking intently into my face with his beautiful eyes.

He reaches for my hands, looking down at them, and frowns as he rubs his thumbs over my knuckles. “First of all, Louisa was out to hurt you. She wanted to place doubt in your mind. She wanted to make you afraid of me. Sofie, I told you the other night there were dark times in my life when my world felt empty. I did a lot of things to try to make myself feel something.” His eyes search mine.

“You’re going to have to explain this to me, Lucas—so I can understand.”

“I thought I did the other night,” he says softly.

“If you want me in your life as much as you say you do, you can damn well explain to me what that nut job was hinting at!” I think I see a glint of surprise in his eyes. I’m a little surprised at my sudden anger too.

“All right, how remiss of me,” he mocks. “I should have laid it all out for you.”
Geez!
Why do I feel as if something more is going on here? “Would you like all the tawdry little details?” He snaps.

Oh crap!
This is going to be bad.

“Not... really,” I say cautiously.

“What, my sweet? You don’t wish to hear how I used women as an addict would use a drug?” His eyes scorch me. My mouth drops open. Oh, this is bad, real bad.

“Are you a sex addict?” I try to keep the shock from my voice.

Lucas blinks slowly, surprise etched on his handsome face, and then he throws his head back, laughing. “No, Sofie, I am not a sex addict.” His eyes dance with amusement as he looks back at me. Sobering, he says softly, “Well—perhaps I am where you are concerned.”

I swallow visibly. “She... she said you need a steady supply of women,” I say in a soft voice.

He goes still. His sculptured mouth forms a hard line. “Is that right?” His eyes suddenly burn with anger. “What else did she say?” His voice is deceptively quiet. I look down at my hands. “Sofie?”

I shrug, still looking down.

He surges to his feet and paces across the room to stand with his hands on his hips. I think he is trying to get his temper under control. Then he’s back in front of me. “Sofie—women have been throwing themselves at me since I was thirteen.”

“Without a doubt,” I whisper.

I see a flicker of something in his eyes, but he quickly hides it. “At a young age, I learned that most of their words were empty and insincere.”

I can’t help my sudden compassion for him. “Why would you think they were insincere and they didn’t want you, Lucas?”

He smiles slyly. “I didn’t say they didn’t want me, Sofie.” He cocks one of those damnable black eyebrows and my cheeks flush. His chuckle is lightly tinged with mockery.

Of course it wasn’t that they didn’t want him. A woman only has to look at him, with all his beauty and sexual allure, and she wants him. He meant they would lie, cheat, beg, borrow, and steal to have him. I know he’s not being conceited, and I’m sure that even at a young age he possessed the same magnetism that draws women to him now.

He squats down in front of me again, taking my hands in his. “What I’m trying to say is there have been a lot of women in my past—” My breath hitches at the thought of him with those women. “Hey,” he says softly, tugging on my hands. “They
are
in the past.” I smile weakly.

“Right from the start,” he says softly, standing and pulling me up with him, “I wanted you more than anything, but you were so elusive, like some high-strung filly. Every time I took a step forward with you, I felt as though I was kicked back two.” Pulling me close, he buries his face in my hair. “I’ve never been happier than I am right now with you, Sofie.” I lean back and look up at him and my heart slams against my rib cage. He weaves his fingers into my hair. “Losing you is not an option,” he murmurs.

“You’re not going to lose me, Lucas.”

He smiles and pulls me close again. “I meant what I said. You are the only one I want—the only one I
need
.” The fervent note in his voice brings my head up.

I stand on tiptoe, to bring my lips to his. I kiss him passionately, with love and every other emotion in me clamoring to get out. Lifting me up, Lucas returns my kiss, passion for passion, until our breaths are mingled gasps as I cling to him.

Lucas breaks the kiss, letting me slide to the floor. “Damn it, Sofie!” I draw in a shuddering breath. He laughs unsteadily, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t want to take you here in Dominic’s bedroom; he’d derive too much pleasure from it.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

He smiles, shaking his head as if in resignation. “Let’s go, sweet; it’s getting late.” He holds out his hand.

“I need to freshen up first.” He sweeps his arm toward the bathroom, and I hurry across the room. When I look back, he’s straightening the cover over the bed. “Lucas, please let your friend know we didn’t do anything.” I’m so embarrassed we rolled around on a stranger’s bed.

He turns and smirks at me.

I leave the door slightly ajar as I step into the bathroom. The bedroom’s decor might be lacking, but the bathroom is beautiful with a sunken tub, granite tiles, lots of gleaming glass, and shining fixtures. Though I feel drained from this night, I smile and think about what Lucas has said to me.

“Lucas?” I reach down to pick up what looks like an article of clothing lying on the floor. “Do you think we could get something to eat? I’m—” The piece of clothing is the white shirt Lucas wore earlier. Buttons are missing as if someone ripped it from his body, with the back of the shirt shredded.

“Sofie!” The door flies open, and Lucas comes to a halt when he sees what I’m holding. He gives me a long, steady look. I drag my upper teeth across my bottom lip. I want it to hurt, I want it to hurt more than what I’m thinking. “I saw Louisa as I left you to find Dominic,” he says carefully. “She was upset and confronted me about you. I haven’t seen her since I broke it off in November, right after the first time I saw you.” He pauses as if letting me think about what he’s saying. I look up to see his frown, his eyes suddenly tight.

“Her jealousy overcame her when she saw us together. She followed me to Dominic’s office—became angry—and my shirt bore the brunt of that anger.” His eyes burn into mine, willing me to believe him.

I take a deep, tortured breath, knowing this won’t end tonight. There will be other lovers who will come forward, and I’ll have to face his relationship with them. Can I do that? I know I’ll have to because I will not give up on us. He says he wants me, and that means everything, Lucas means everything to me. I know, beyond a doubt, I’ll stay with him for as long as he wants me.

I move to the small bathroom trashcan and drop in the shirt. I take a deep breath and turn toward him. “I want to go home.” My voice is heavy with unshed tears. “This has been the shittiest night, and I just want to go home.”

“Come here,” he says gently. I step into his arms, and he holds me tightly.

We straighten ourselves before we leave the room. I don’t want to look as if we’ve been rolling around in the hay. As Lucas opens the office door, he takes hold of my wrist, and I hiss softly at the contact of his fingers on my pulse. Looking down, he smirks.

I narrow my eyes. “I wouldn’t feel so smug if I were you.” He lifts an eyebrow. “You
suck
at dating, Lucas Santiago.” Both brows fly up in surprise and the expression on his face is almost laughable.

I step out into the hallway and see someone standing at the entrance to the hall. His back is against the wall with one knee bent, foot flat on the wall. He pushes away as soon as he sees us and walks in the same sinuous way as Lucas toward us. He’s grinning, and I smile back shyly.

Lucas’ voice is deep and sure. “Dominic, I’d like to introduce you to Sofie. Sofie, this is my good friend, Dominic.” I know from what I’ve heard that Lucas and Dominic are close friends, but I realize from the vibe Lucas emits and his tone that their relationship goes beyond friendship. These two share a bond.

I hold out my hand to the handsome blond man from the office earlier and he kisses the back. I catch myself staring into his beautiful, jewel-colored eyes. “Lucas did not exaggerate your beauty,” he says.

I glance up at Lucas.

“Don’t pay any attention to him, my sweet.”

Dominic releases my hand and laughs softly. “You will find Lucas is jealous of anyone paying you compliments or attention.” He has a beautiful British accent. “I’ve been trying to get him to bring you here for a while now, but he wants to keep you hidden away all to himself.”

Lucas wraps his arm around my waist, and I lean into him. “Is that true?” I ask.

He looks at me from under his lashes, and I see a flicker of something in his eyes that gives me unease. It happens so quickly and then he’s leaning down, whispering in my ear, “I’m not sharing you with anyone.” He squeezes me tightly against him.

Dominic laughs as if he hears what Lucas said. We head out into the club and find Andy and Emma Rae. Dominic kisses the back of Emma Rae’s hand and is as charming to her as he was with me. Dominic walks with us to the exit and steps out into the cold night as we say our goodbyes.

“Sofie, Emma Rae, please come back with your girlfriends anytime,” Dominic suggests.

Andy and Emma Rae continue toward the Hummer.

“That’s not going to happen,” Lucas growls. I lift a brow, giving him a look.