Page 116 of See You There

Luke stopped at the cabin steps to let Dahlia climb down. She had an impish look on her face as she placed her foot on the first step. Luke caught her hand, yanking her back against him. The kiss was as electric as the surrounding storm. Rain sluiced over them as he feasted on her mouth. Burning need flowed through him, but a brilliant flash of lightning brought him back to sanity.

“Go get in some dry clothes,” Luke rasped, with a primal satisfaction that Dahlia looked as dazed as he felt. “I’m going to grab some wood from under the deck.”

Dahlia nodded, her fingers pressed to her lips, and disappeared into the house. It took a few minutes for Luke to gather enough dry pieces from the middle of the wood stack. The shower was running when he entered and started the fire. Shedding his own sodden clothes, Luke pulled on gray sweatpants and stretched out on the sofa in front of the flames towarm up. At the sound of the bathroom door opening, he lifted his head and stopped breathing.

Dahlia stood in front of him completely nude.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“What are you doing, Dahlia?”Luke’s low voice rolled through her.

“I would think it’s pretty obvious,” she said, crossing the room to stand before him.

Her stomach swirled with a mixture of nerves and desire. Last night lying in her bed, she had replayed the evening, trying to figure out why Luke had refused to take it further between them. It couldn’t just be because he had promised her an orgasm. She’d made it clear she wanted more.

Finally, the truth had come to her. Luke wanted to be with her, but the circumstances of how they met were like a wall he refused to climb. But something had changed from the time he went to the deck to talk to his mom and when they left for their hike. He was lighter. And when he said he wanted a future together, Dahlia thought her heart would burst.

The ugly voice in her head whispered that this couldn’t work. She was being greedy. She couldn’t have someone as wonderful as Luke. But Dahlia refused to listen, and she would not let Luke listen to whatever was holding him back, either.

Luke made a noise low in his throat. “It’s not a good idea. We should wait. I’m your lawyer and—”

“You’re fired.”

Luke’s brows met as he pushed to a sitting position.

“You’re fired,” Dahlia repeated. “You aren’t my lawyer anymore. That was your objection, right?” She was proud that the nerves currently wreaking havoc inside her didn’t sound in her voice. She knew Luke wanted her, but there was still a chance she wasn’t enough.

Dahlia reached out and brushed her fingertips through his hair. Her voice was husky when she said, “Life’s too short to play it safe.”

Luke stroked his hand lightly over her hip, leaving a searing path where his fingertips touched.

“Dahlia.” Her name rumbled in his throat, and her knees turned to jelly. She swayed toward him as his other hand came up to grip her hips, his fingers flexed almost painfully into her soft flesh. Luke yanked her forward until Dahlia was straddling him, his erection pressing against her bare heat. Electricity arced through her, making her gasp.

Luke’s hands were suddenly entangled in her wet hair, pulling the mass tight at her nape, as his hot mouth closed over hers hungrily. She welcomed his roughness. Her own urgency swept over her like an inferno.

Dahlia rocked shamelessly against him, moaning into his mouth. Her insecurities had disappeared as she surrendered to the sensations racing through her. “Luke,” she panted and then cried out, as she found the angle she had been searching for.

Her hands splayed against the hard ridges of his stomach, her nails digging in sharply. Her hair wrapped around his fist, Luke pulled Dahlia back, before raining kisses onto her neck, his teeth scraping painfully where her pulse beat. Luke nipped her neck, and Dahlia whimpered, her hips rocking harder against his thick length.

“I want you to come just like this.”

Dahlia moaned at his words, her thoughts fragmenting. She surged over him again and again as pleasure overcame her brain.

“Fuck, Dahlia,” Luke groaned against her flushed skin, as he licked her shoulder and palmed her breasts. His thumb flicked across her pebbled nipple. “You’re incredible.”

“Yes,” Dahlia gasped. “Oh god!” Luke’s fingers found her nipple again, plucking and pinching until Dahlia let out a keening cry as a powerful orgasm swept through her.

Dahlia’s body was still shuddering when Luke’s mouth closed over hers. His kiss was ravenous as the desire he’d kept in check for the last week came rushing out.

In one smooth motion, Luke rose and flipped her onto her back, hooking her legs over his hips. His heated eyes stared down at her, and for a second, she saw hesitation in his eyes. Dahlia reached up, grasped him through the gray pants, firmly stroking down his entire length. Desire shot through her when his erection grew even harder in her hand. Luke’s head fell back with a groan.

Dahlia looped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her. When her nipples crushed against his warm chest, Dahlia purred.

“I think I’ve created a monster,” Luke smiled at her, breaking the kiss, his breathing ragged.

“Is that a problem?” Dahlia arched an eyebrow. Her superior expression would have been more effective if her hips weren’t already moving feverishly under Luke.

“Not at all.”