Page 111 of Whispers and Wildfire
I was relaxed, and not from the wine. Something had changed between us. Over the past few days, I’d told Luke some of my worst memories and darkest secrets, and he hadn’t shied away. Instead, it had drawn us closer.
Tension still pulsed between us, but it was different—no longer anger. My instinct to snap at him was melting in the heat of his gaze into something much deeper. A swirl of desire that pooled in my core.
The attraction had always been there, but as we let go of the layers of sarcasm and ire, it moved to the surface, hot and demanding. What he’d done to me in his office had been only the beginning.
I wanted him.
Brynn gifted us a bottle of the Cabernet—after all, we were practically family. We left, and the hand he placed on the small of my back as we walked to my car lit my body on fire.
He felt it too. I watched him from the corner of my eye as I drove back to Tilikum, and I could see it in the set of his jaw and the way he flexed his hands.
When I parked in front of his house, he glanced at me, and I could see the question in his eyes.
Ask me, Luke. Ask me to come in.
“Do you maybe—”
“Yes.”
He smiled. “How do you know what I was going to say?”
“You were going to invite me in.”
“I want to lean over and kiss you right now, but I don’t think I can.”
“How about we go inside?” I bit my lower lip. “I’ll be gentle.”
“I won’t.”
I made a little noise in my throat as I unfastened the seat belt and lurched over the center console to kiss him. I probably should have pretended to be less eager—play at least a little bit hard to get. But I was over playing games. I wanted him. He wanted me. That was all we needed.
We got out of the car, and he took my hand as we walked up the steps on the side of the building. My heart started to race, and heat was already building in my core. He unlocked the door, and we went inside.
The door had hardly finished closing before he hauled me against him. His mouth devoured mine, his kiss hard and aggressive.
“Bedroom,” he growled into my mouth. “Clothes off. Now.”
“You think you can boss me around?” I asked between frantic kisses.
He pulled my shirt off as he backed me toward the bedroom. “Yes.”
“Fine, you can. But only in here.”
The rest of our clothes came off and my eyes widened when I saw his bruises. A large part of his torso was black and blue.
Gently, I reached out to touch him. “This looks terrible. Are you sure you can…?”
“It’ll hurt, but it’ll be worth it.” His eyes roved up and down. “Holy shit, Mel. Look at you. You’re fucking gorgeous.”
He pulled me against him, kissing me deeply, and the feel of his skin on mine was electric. My body ached, desperate for him.
We got on the bed, and he put on a condom. Despite his assurances that he’d be fine, I didn’t want to hurt him. I nudged him onto his back and climbed on top.
“Will this work?” I asked.
“Baby, this is amazing.”
I loved the way his voice was awed, almost breathless.
