will be fine, Julia.” Luke moved his lips to her forehead. “Trust me.”
What else could she do?
Chapter 4
Her fingers fumbled so much with the key card Luke finally took it from her and swiped it through the slot. As soon as they entered her room, she began to tremble, and he drew her into his arms. Sheltering her. Reassuring her.
“Are you scared to make love, Julia? Does it frighten you?” He brushed his mouth against hers and pressed his warm palm against her back. “What kind of life do you have where sex is such an enemy?”
Illumination from the outside slanted in through the partially open drapes, providing enough light without turning on the lamps. The darkness made her feel more secure, insulated, but still her mouth couldn’t form any words to answer him. She was conscious of his maleness, of the feel of his body against hers, of the unfamiliar heat of desire rushing through her. Feelings she’d never known before gripped her and held her. She stood there, wanting his touch more strongly than she could admit.
“I’m going to kiss you,” he said. “We’ll take it from there.”
Slowly, Luke enfolded her in his arms again and began to stroke her back, to kiss the edges of her ear, the side of her neck, the line of her jaw. They were soft kisses, undemanding, and they eased the edge of her nervousness. His hands were warm; wherever he touched, little sparks of fire burned on her skin. He moved his mouth across her cheek to her lips and touched his mouth to hers in a gentle caress. His lips were strong and soft at the same time.
In moments, gentleness quickly flew out the window. He urged her mouth open, savoring her with his tongue, coaxing her to do the same to him. He tasted of whiskey and maleness, an earthy combination that teased her senses. A jolt of electricity sparked as he probed the hot, dark recesses of her mouth, seeking every inch. His tongue moved over every surface, traced a line across the roof of her mouth, rasped against her own small tongue. A different kind of dance took over, a more sensual one capable of fanning her senses to life. She shook with a kind of need she’d never experienced, and he did nothing more than kiss her.
The kiss went on and on. He licked at her lips, his mouth moving against hers as he slanted it first one way and then another. His large hands, with their long fingers, cupped her head with a touch both gentle and commanding. She could feel the imprint of each finger against her skull. His seduction on the dance floor paled compared to the impact of this kiss. Now Julia knew what it meant to be kissed breathless.
With a mind of their own, her arms crept up his back, pulling him closer, sliding her hands against the soft fabric of his shirt. She was in unfamiliar territory here, operating purely on instinct. Her breasts ached even more, silently begging to be touched and held. Her nipples tingled, fire built between her legs, and she didn’t know what to do with it. This was so new to her.
Without releasing her mouth, Luke slid his hands under her sweater, caressing the soft flesh with feather-light touches on her ribs and her spine, tracing lines and drawing patterns as he learned the curves and angles of her body. His fingers branded her every place he touched her as he impatiently drew her sweater over her head.
At last! She sighed with relief.
When his thumbs rasped against her nipples, she felt them harden—a delicious shiver ran through her body. With an easy deftness, he slipped the hooks on her lacy bra, releasing her breasts and cupping them at last in his hands. His lips were voracious on hers and the entire time his hands roamed over her upper body, his mouth never left hers. He kept her welded to him as he fed on her taste, stealing her breath.
He drew patterns on her with light touches of his fingers, caressing each bump and space. Pausing for a moment to skim the upper swell of her ass, he shifted his hand to trace a line up her ribs to her breasts.
Aroused by Luke’s stimulating touch and desperate to feel his naked skin, she brought her hands around and opened the buttons on his shirt. Yanking the tails from his trousers, she frantically pushed the garment from his shoulders and down his arms until it fell to the floor. She ran her hands over him, exploring his upper body, wanting to touch him everywhere at once. She skimmed his chest with her fingertips, relishing in the feel of the crisp hair curling on his chest and the hard buttons of his nipples.
The thickness of his cock pressed against her stomach, increasing her own heat. Her legs suddenly grew weak and shaky, and she clung to his lean body for balance. His hands dropped to her waist and slowly unfastened the button on her slacks. The rasp of the zipper sounded loud in the room. As he pushed her slacks down her hips and thighs, he lifted his mouth from hers at last. Lowering his head, he closed his mouth over one taut nipple.
“Ohhh.” The tiny cry of pleasure rippled from her throat as his lips tugged and pulled on the hardened bud and his fingers kneaded her soft flesh.
In a frenzy of arousal, Julia unfastened his slacks and shoved at them. Clumsy in her efforts, she made small sounds of frustration as she pushed at the clothing.
Luke finally lifted his head from her breasts, pulling one last, erotic time on a nipple and stepped back to rid himself of his clothes. Kicking his shoes off and yanking away his socks, he knelt in front of her. With careful attention, he tugged her slacks and panties down to her ankles, lifting each foot to step out of them. He pulled off her shoes; then he placed his hands on her hips to hold her steady and pressed his head against her mound, inhaling her scent.
“Ohhh.” The pleasure of the sensation spiraled through her.
When he opened the lips of her cunt and licked the sensitive tip of her clit, she thought she would melt to the floor. Only her hands braced on Luke’s shoulders kept her upright. Again and again he flicked his tongue over the swollen knot, each stroke making her insides quake and her nerves fire. She felt dampness on the inside of her thighs as Luke’s wicked tongue did its work. Inside her, the manacles locking her down released with agonizing slowness and her body unfolded, one delightful burst at a time. Luke moved his tongue lower, tracing the length of her slit with the tip of his tongue. She cried out with pleasure at the sensations whirling through her body. It was too much. It wasn’t enough. Stop! No, she wanted more.
She clutched at his shoulders, digging her nails into the skin as he took her higher and higher. When her climax exploded, every muscle spasmed in response. The walls of her pussy clenched over and over again, and her body shook so hard she didn’t know if she could remain upright. She collapsed forward, leaning into Luke, held in place by his strong hands. His warm mouth whispered kisses over the softness of her belly as she tried to regain some sense of balance.
“Remarkable.” His voice was so deep and sensual. “You are the most responsive woman I have ever known.”
She was breathless, unable to answer him.
Luke slow-walked them to the bed and reached for the bedside lamp. Julia stretched out her hand to stop him.
“No. Please. I’m… I’ve had children… I… I’m not a teenager any more, Luke.”
“Thank God. Neither am I.” He stroked her cheek gently. “I want to see you, Julia, to look at you. Please. It would give me such pleasure.”
Reluctantly, she withdrew her hand and he snapped on the light. She would have crossed her arms to cover herself, but he held them at her sides, his eyes raking her body.
“You’re lovely,” he whispered, drinking in the sight of her. “Why
