Page 109 of See You There

“I have never been with a man who wasn’t only in it for himself. Either for a networking opportunity or just to get off. I can do that on my own.”

Dahlia froze as soon as the words passed her lips, and her cheeks felt like they were on fire. She hadn’t meant to say that, but other than a slight slacking of his jaw, Luke hadn’t reacted. “In the past, sex hasn’t been a priority for me. My career was. I realized the other night—in your condo—life is too short. I’d like to change that.” Dahlia’s eyebrow twitched. That hadn’t come out exactly as she had imagined.

“You don’t like sex?” Luke sounded appalled.

Her lips thinned. He wasn’t getting it. It wasn’t that Dahlia didn’t like sex. It was only the act never lived up to what it promised.

“I’m not a prude. Sex is fine.” This wasn’t going how she had hoped. Dahlia threw up her hands, almost knocking her beer from the armrest. “Most of the time, it hasn’t been worth the hassle. I had to be careful that I wasn’t hooking up with someone I could develop feelings for. As long as I was tied into this contract with Victor, it could never go anywhere.”

“So, you haven’t…” Luke looked flabbergasted.

“I have,” she grimaced. “But nothing to write home about. It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m human… I have…” Dahlia waved a hand in the air, aware of how stupid she must sound.

With Scott, sex always started great, but after a few minutes it was all about him, and inevitably she was left frustrated and wanting. Dahlia learned over the years that it was better to invest in a good toy rather than put up with awkward small talk and the mess afterward.

“Lots of people have casual flings. No strings attached.”

She grimaced. “In my business, there are always strings attached.”

“What are you trying to say, beautiful?” Luke’s eyes were inscrutable.

Dahlia shifted in her seat. “I heard about your two-week rule.”

Luke inhaled a sharp breath.

“We won’t be here for two weeks, but for the time we’re here, I thought…”

“Do you want me to touch you?” Luke rasped, his eyes molten steel. He leaned forward, his fingers flexing on his chair. “Do you want me to prove to you it’s possible for a man to give you pleasure without asking anything in return?”

Dahlia’s chest rose and fell, her breath coming rapidly. A flush swept her body, part embarrassment, part arousal. That was exactly what she wanted. For Luke to put his words from the photo shoot into action.

She didn’t recognize the voice that said, “Yes.”

Satisfaction flared in his eyes. “Then come here.”

Tremors ran down Dahlia’s legs as she came to her feet and stepped in front of where he sat. Luke looked up at her even as his hands came to rest on her waist.

“I’m not going to fuck you.”

Dahlia staggered. “I don’t—”

“If I fuck you, that defeats the purpose.” Luke’s thumbs hooked into the waistband of her shorts, making her stomach muscles contract. His eyes didn’t leave hers. “I don’t know what kind of selfish, pathetic men you’ve been with in your past, but as of right now, they are gone.” His gray eyes flashed almost angrily. “Do you understand? I don’t want them in your head. Only me.”

Dahlia bit her lip as heat poured through her. She managed a nod.

Luke hummed his satisfaction, even as the backs of his fingers grazed the bare skin of her stomach, one finger gently tracing her belly button.

“Take it off.” His voice was husky as he gestured to her shirt. Dahlia only felt a moment’s hesitation before she pulled the overshirt over her head. Goosebumps rose on her bare arms. The position left her breasts eye level to where he sat in the Adirondack chair.

Luke sucked in a breath through his teeth before his eyes flicked up to hers. “Are you sure about this?”

Dahlia felt exposed and on display, standing in front of him, the fire at her back highlighting her body. In othercircumstances, she would be self-conscious, but the way Luke worshipped her with his eyes made her feel powerful.

“Yes.” The simple word was apparently all Luke needed to hear. He captured her hand and tugged her into his lap.

Dahlia wasn’t sure what she had expected. For Luke to paw at her, immediately trying to get her shorts off? Instead, he cupped her face gently and smiled, his lips an inch from her own.

“It’s like I’ve been waiting a lifetime for this,” he said before briefly sucking her bottom lip into his mouth.