Author: Jaci Burton

She leaned back in the chair. “Good. I’d hate to be boring and predictable.”

“You’re definitely not either of those things.” He poured another shot and handed it to her.

She took it and downed the shot, then placed the glass on the table.

“Like this.”

She turned to him again. “Like what?”

“You. Doing whiskey shots. I would never have guessed you to be a whiskey drinker. More like the fine-wine type.”

She laughed. “I don’t know whether to be complimented or insulted. But I do like wine, too. Both out of the box and the kind you use a corkscrew to open.”

“See? Again . . . unpredictable.”

Her lips curved.

“You like being mysterious?” he asked.

“Not really. I just don’t want to be . . .”

“Want to be what?” he asked when she didn’t finish her sentence.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just who I am, Luke. I don’t try to be anything else.” She got up and went to the balcony, looking out over the water, her emotions jumbled up inside.

She finally turned so she could face him. “We’re all a product of our pasts. That’s what shapes the choices we make, for good or bad.”

“Is that how you ended up back in Hope? Your past?”

“Partly. I can’t say it wasn’t nice to be back with my family again. I liked working for the veterinary practice in South Carolina, but when the opportunity came up to buy Doc Weston’s practice here, it seemed like kismet. I could be home again and near my family. I’d missed so much time with them because of Vaughn—because of the choices I’d made. I wanted to be home again.”

“Home is good.”

“Yes, it is. After all the mistakes I’d made, plus all the choices I’d had taken away from me, it felt good to make this decision.”

“You made the right one this time.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you, Luke.” It felt good to be validated instead of criticized for a change. He was so . . . different. With him, she felt relaxed, like she could be herself for the first time in a very long time. She didn’t have to try to live up to an image someone had created of her, or be afraid that every step she took or every word she said would be the wrong one.

It was quite the revelation. She had Luke to thank for it, too, because he’d given her the freedom to admit the mistakes she’d made, and hadn’t judged her for them. He accepted her—past and all—and he still wanted to be with her.

He looked damn hot sitting there in the moonlight, his hair so dark and thick she itched to run her fingers through it, his mouth so tempting it physically hurt to know how it felt to brush her lips against his.

And he’d been great to her, really there when she’d needed him.

Like now, offering to listen. Luke was good for her, good for her ego. She needed that right now. Even more than that, she wanted it, wanted him.

There were so many things she wanted, so much she’d denied herself because of that stupid mistake she’d made so long ago.

If she’d had a normal life, she could have a wild weekend fling with Luke and walk away without looking back. She could be free and easy about her sex life without a second thought. Instead, she always second-guessed everything in her life because of the potential consequences. She was always afraid every choice she made would be the wrong one, that every man she chose would be the next one to hurt her as badly as Vaughn had.

But Luke hadn’t hurt her. Not yet, anyway.

Yet every time she saw him, every minute she spent with him, she grew closer to him. And she knew that no matter how hard she tried to downplay her feelings, she knew just that—she had feelings for him.

And that meant he could hurt her. Which scared her more than just a little.

It scared her a lot.

Obviously this brave new Emma wasn’t quite as brave as she thought.

Luke stood, came over to the balcony, and leaned against the railing, not getting too close but close enough that she picked up his scent. It made her want to take a deep breath so she wouldn’t lose his unique flavor. He always smelled so good, and he never even wore cologne.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, and her skin prickled with goose bumps.

“I think deep inside you’re still a little bit afraid.”

She quirked a brow. “Of?”

“Men. Or maybe just me.”

Her lips lifted, the two shots of whiskey making her feel braver than normal. She placed her palm on his chest, the thump, thump, thump of his heart making her own beat wilder and faster. “Are you trying to offer me some kind of therapy?”

He let out a short laugh. “I’d be the last person to offer to psychoanalyze anyone, Emma. If anyone’s had one hell of a fucked-up life, it’s me. But I know what it’s like to be hurt by someone you care about. And if you want to talk about that, I want you to know you can trust me.”

Her eyes burned with the tears that pricked them. She lifted her gaze to his, seeing the pain that lived in his eyes, too.

He understood. And she could talk to him, lay out her fears, but not now. Not tonight, when there was something else she wanted so much more. She dug her nails into his chest, heard the harsh intake of his breath, and knew right then that she was playing with fire.

She was more than ready to go up in flames, as long as he was with her.

“That’s . . . really nice of you to offer, Luke. But I’m kind of talked out for a while. Wouldn’t you rather kiss me?”

He inched closer, his body vibrating against hers as his hip brushed hers.

“You want me to kiss you. You sure about that?”

She nodded. “Very sure.”

He reached up and swept his thumb across her bottom lip.

“You’re trembling, Emma. Are you cold?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m kind of hot.”

He snaked an arm around her waist and tugged her against him. His body was hard—all over. She grabbed hold of his shirt like a lifeline, as if she were afraid he’d disappear right in front of her eyes.

And when he slid his other hand across her neck, his breath warm against her cheek, their eyes met in this slow dance of heat and promise.

And still, he paused, his lips only inches from hers.

“Be careful what you ask for, Emma. You might get it.”

“I really hope so, Luke.”

His lips came down on hers, and this time there was no hesitation. She wound her arm around his neck as his mouth invaded hers.

It was always like this with Luke, this dizzying, crazy, make-her-knees-weak kind of kiss. And when his tongue slid inside to tangle with hers, she buckled, and Luke tightened his hold on her, but didn’t break the kiss.

She caressed his shoulders and slid her fingers into his hair, tugging it until he groaned, which only made her nipples tingle. And when he backed her up against the wall of the deck and ground against her, letting her know that he was very much turned on and oh-so-ready to do something about it, her body responded by quivering and dampening in just the right place. If he had a condom on him, they could do it right there on the deck. She was primed for the kind of orgasm she hadn’t had since the last time they were together.

And when he moved his hand from her hip to her waist, lifting her T-shirt, she was all in on this, breaking contact with him just long enough to pull her shirt over her head and toss it on the deck.

His gaze met hers, and he grinned, then pulled off his shirt.

“Wait,” she said.

He frowned. “Is this too fast for you?”

“No. Definitely, no. I just need to look at you.” She gave him a slight push so he’d take a step back.

She took in the sight of him. Well-sculpted shoulders, a wide expanse of chest, and oh, God, those abs. She was going to have to spend hours exploring his abs. With her tongue.

She took a deep breath, then sighed.

“Are you ogling me?” he asked.

“Maybe a little. Okay, yes. I’ve missed seeing you naked.”

His lips curved. “You’re killing me, Emma.” He moved in and kissed her again, this time laying a very possessive hand on her breast. She gasped, especially when he deftly pulled one side of her bra down to brush a thumb over her nipple. If she came while he did that, it would be so embarrassing. Then again, she might not care, as long as she got a great orgasm out of it.

Except right now she was breathing so fast and so hard she was afraid she might hyperventilate. But the sensations he evoked when he touched her were almost more than she could bear.

His hand drifted down her rib cage, and when he reached her pants, he slipped his hand inside and cupped her sex.

She pulled her lips from his. “Oh, God, yes, please touch me there.”

He met her gaze and moved his hand. “Like that?”

She grasped his wrist, too far gone and close to the edge to even care about how brazen she was being. “Yes. Just like that.”

His erection was hard and thick as it rested against her hip.

“Have you come since the last time we were together, Emma?” he asked, slipping his fingers inside her panties.

She could barely form words, but she managed a strangled, “No.”

His fingers were rough, and they felt so good against her skin as he took her right to the edge in a few expert strokes.

“Then let me take you there.”

Taut with tension and teetering right on the edge of climax, she moved against his questing fingers, listening to the hard edge of his voice. And when he tucked his fingers inside her, she quivered and rocked against the heel of his hand as he moved it over her sensitized flesh.

“I know exactly what you need,” Luke whispered, his voice a dark promise in her ear.

She was there, all she had to do was let go.

“You’re so soft,” he said. “So wet under my fingers. I can’t wait to put my mouth on you and make you scream, Emma. And when I’m inside you . . .”

The sound of his voice, so direct, so coaxing, did her in. She came with a wild cry, digging her nails into his arm as she bucked against his hand. He took her mouth in a hot kiss that made her soar even higher, leaving her trembling in his arms and utterly satisfied, yet still wanting more from him.

He withdrew his hand and wrapped his arm around her, holding her close as he pressed soft kisses to her neck.

“That,” she said as she rested her head on his shoulder, “was exactly what I needed.”

“I could tell,” he said against her neck. “That was one hell of an orgasm.”

She laughed, loving that he kept it light. “That was just the first. I intend to have more than one.”

He pulled back and looked at her. “I’m glad to hear that, since I’m hard as a rock right now.”

She took his hand and led him inside the house. “I assume you brought condoms?”

“I told you, I’m always prepared.”

She smiled. “I brought condoms, too.”

Chapter 18

LUKE LAUGHED, AND dragged Emma into his room. “Again, Emma, you surprise me.”

She flopped onto his bed. “Why, because I brought condoms?”

He kicked off his boots and climbed onto the bed next to her, pulling her into his arms. “Yeah.”

“I like to be prepared, too.”

“I’m glad, because I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot of sex this weekend, and I don’t want to have to go back to the store.”

She rested her head on her hand. “Feel that supremely confident about your prowess, do you?”

He circled the swell of her breasts with his fingertips. “I made you come once already, didn’t I?”

She drew in a sharp breath. “Yes, you did. How about we do that again? It’s been a long time since we were last together.”