The knowledge made her feel warm allover.
Tears trembled on her lashes and spilled over during the marriage ceremony. They were tears of happiness, but not for B.J. and Randy. They were for herself. She was in love. And she’d found the man she wanted to spend the rest of her lifewith.
Once they got to the reception at a snooty country club, Luke kept his part of their original bargain. “You do a great job pretending to be my devoted love slave,” she told him laughingly as he brought her a glass of champagne and kissed herhand.
His eyes laughed right back at her, but his words were seriously sexual. “Iamyour devoted loveslave.”
Her breath caught as he cupped her cheek and kissed her lightly, murmuring, “I’ll prove it when we gethome.”
Whether it was his teasing words that put her on simmer or her newfound knowledge that she’d fallen in love with him, she didn’t know, but desire bubbled constantly as she chatted with old friends and introduced Luke tothem.
With smug pride, she noted that he was quite a hit. And as a love slave he wasn’t bad, either. Throughout dinner, he took every possible opportunity to touch her, whether with a nudge of his knee under the table or a caressing finger down her cheek or his arm thrown seemingly carelessly along the back of her chair so his fingers just touched her bareshoulder.
She knew it was deliberate. She knew it was extended foreplay. She suspected it came straight out of that damn book of his. It didn’t matter; he was driving her absolutely wild withlust.
She hoped he’d had a recent physical, for she was planning to retaliate when they returned home, and he’d need all his strength to keep up withher.
After the speeches, which she barely heard over the sound of her own blood roaring in her ears, they watched B.J. and Randy enjoy their first dance as a marriedcouple.
“I can’t believe you broke your heart over that guy,” Lukesaid.
“What can I say? I was young and foolish.” She turned to Luke and patted his cheek. “I have much better tastenow.”
“Let’s dance,” he said when the floor was opened toeveryone.
She melted against him and found he danced with the easy athletic grace he did most things. She moved with him instinctively, and she imagined anyone watching them would immediately know they werelovers.
It was heaven to be with him, to smell his scent when she laid her cheek on his shoulder, to know that soon she’d be in his arms makinglove.
As though he’d read her thoughts, he said, “We’re getting out ofhere.”
“But we can’t. It would be rude to leave before the bride andgroom.”
“Consider it payback time forLeaves ofGrass.”
“I don’tthink—”
“I need to be inside you.Badly.”
A tiny, helpless moan was surprised out of her. What were social manners when set against this kind of burning, physical need? “I’ll pretend I’m going to the washroom. You head for the bar, and we’ll meet at thecar.”
“Gotit.”
They snuck out of the country club parking lot like a pair ofcriminals.
“Do you think they’ll notice we snuckout?”
“Do youcare?”
If her choice was between socializing with people she hadn’t seen in years or making love with Luke, there was really nocontest.
She replied by leaning across the seat and tracing the curve of his ear with her tongue. “No. I really don’tcare.”
“Pass me my phone,” he saidurgently.
“Why?”
“Need my GPS. There must be a shortcut to gethome.”
