Текст книги "His Lover to Protect"

Автор книги: Katee Robert

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 11 страниц)

Her smile was a little unsure. “I kind of feel the same way.”

He couldn’t afford to forget that he had a temporary role here, and that wasn’t about to change. They were worlds apart. It was only a strange circumstance that brought them together right now. Hell, he was pretty damn sure he didn’t even like her.

But as he dried off, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was a goddamn liar. He liked Alexis. A whole hell of a lot more than he should.

Chapter Eleven

Luke walked back into the room as Alexis dried off, and his attention snagged on the bag she’d spent time organizing—and that he’d practically dumped out in his search for condoms. He tucked the towel more firmly around his waist and sank carefully to the floor next to it. The least he could do was put things to right here.

He started putting the various things back into the empty interior pockets they’d obviously fallen out of, but stopped when something crinkled in his hand. He frowned and pulled it out of the backpack. It was a picture of a couple that he suspected were Alexis’s parents.

“Put it down.”

Though every instinct demanded he drop it at the frantic tone in her voice, he lifted it up for a closer look. A Chinese man and a willowy brunette in their mid-thirties stood in front of a gazebo that looked strangely familiar. Where the hell had he seen that gazebo before? “Are these your parents?” They had to be.

“I swear to God, if you don’t drop that right now, I’m going to hurt you.”

Luke finally looked up to find her in the doorway, pale and shaking. He could understand if she was pissed because he was theoretically going through her things—even if that wasn’t his intention—but this reaction seemed extreme. “Why are you freaking out?” He knew her and Avery’s mother had died quite a while ago, but that still didn’t explain it.

Instead of answering, her bottom lip quivered. “Please put it down.”

Holy shit, she was about to cry. He carefully set the photo down on top of her backpack and moved away when she hurried over to snatch it up. Only when it was in her hands did she take a shuddering breath and seem to get a hold of herself. “Sorry.”

Did this have something to do with the shit she wasn’t telling him? He resisted the urge to demand answers, and leaned back against the bed, watching her. She looked so fragile right now, like a sharp word would shatter her into a million pieces. “Care to explain?”

“It’s…” Another deep breath. “It’s my last photo of my parents together. Or the last one where Mom is healthy and smiling and not ravaged by cancer and chemo.” Her half smile didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “When she was diagnosed, they decided to take a trip to Austria and kind of see her heritage—our heritage, I guess. This was from the Sound of Music tour she made Dad take.” This time her smile was a little more real. “It was one of our favorite movies, and the first one I remember watching with her.”

The sheer amount of loss on her face struck him dumb. There was nothing he could say to fix it, or even understand. His deadbeat mother had taken off when he was a kid, but he’d had Aunt Rose. She was as steady as the Mississippi and healthy as a horse. Luke wasn’t always easy on her—even now—but he couldn’t imagine a life where she was gone. “I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago.”

Maybe, but her feelings about the whole thing obviously hadn’t faded over the years. Even though he’d promised himself that he wouldn’t pry until she was ready, he couldn’t help asking, “Is that why you’re over here? Because of your mother?”

“Partly.” Alexis wiped at her eyes, and because she was trying so hard to pretend there weren’t tears there, he followed her lead. She tucked the picture back into her bag. “My mother was so strong and in love with life, all the way up to the end. Some people go through cancer treatments and become bitter and angry, but not her. If she could hold on to that happiness even when she knew she wasn’t going to make it, it kind of puts a lot of things into perspective, you know? I should be able to do the same thing.”

“What—”

“I’m not dying.” She gave him a half smile. “But I used to be a lot more like her, and in the last few years, I’ve let…stuff…weigh me down until it felt like I was underwater. So I’m reclaiming myself, a little piece at a time, with the added bonus of feeling closer to her.”

She might not be pouring her heart out to him, but she was giving him a glimpse of what she’d been thinking coming over here. And hell, he’d judged her too quickly. If Aunt Rose died, wouldn’t he want to hold her memory close in any way he could? It wouldn’t require a trip halfway across the world, but this journey wasn’t his. It was Alexis’s. “So, Cork?”

“When my sister and I were little, my mom used to read us Irish fairy tales. It might seem kind of silly now, but with the way she told them, it was hard not to believe in magic and faeries and good-luck charms.” She pulled her hair over her shoulder and absently started braiding it. “The Blarney Stone, in particular, always fascinated me. I’ve always wanted to be able to speak up and say the right thing in any given moment. It’s not one of my skills.”

Luke snorted. “You could have fooled me.” When she frowned, he said, “Darlin’, you’ve been speaking up and putting me in my place since the day we met.”

“That’s different. You’re different.”

“Or maybe you’re not giving yourself enough credit.” He moved on before she could argue with him. “And the cliff?”

“My mom wasn’t afraid of anything.” She shrugged. “There were probably simpler ways of going about it, but I stumbled across a picture of Pulpit Rock last year, and even that was enough to lock me up in fear. I made it my screen saver. I promised myself I’d go there one day, climb it, and touch the edge.”

God, this woman was amazing. She’d systematically picked out parts of herself that she found lacking and done what she felt necessary to change them. He shifted up to the bed, since the floor was hurting his knee, and considered pointing out that she’d already started conquering her demons before she’d ever gotten on a plane. “Where to next?”

She hesitated and then reached into her bag and pulled out the picture. “Here.”

It made sense that she’d want to visit the last place she had evidence of her parents being healthy and happy. It made his heart ache a little. “Want some company?”

“What?”

“Well, I’ve always had a thing for The Sound of Music.”

Alexis laughed. “You are such a liar.”

Yeah, he was. He’d seen the movie once, under protest, and been dragged to the live play another time by his auntie. But he liked that Alexis was now grinning and the shadows were gone from her face. “You’re coming across very judgmental right now.”

“You’d know.” She sobered. “Luke—”

It was now or never. “Look, darlin’, I know I might have a funny way of showing it sometimes, but I like you. I think you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, and you’re sexy as fuck.” He took a deep breath, feeling curiously like he was walking on a tightrope. “I’m not ready to end this. So if you’re okay with it, I’d like to come with you to Austria.”

She searched his face, and he had the insane thought that now was the time to fully come clean. She’d be pissed, really pissed. She might even walk away from him for good—which was no more than he deserved.

He couldn’t do it. Not yet.

Alexis finally sat back. “You know, I kind of like you, too. Most of the time.”

He could hardly believe what he was hearing. He’d hoped, of course, but part of him had already resigned itself to having to chase her ass to Austria when she left him again. He’d hoped after her declaration in the shower, admitting that she couldn’t get enough of him either, but that was sex. Hearing that she was starting to like him, too? It settled something in his chest and lessened the tension in his bones. He managed to keep his expression neutral, but only barely. “So that’s that, then?”

“I guess so.” She grinned. “Let’s go to Austria.”

Chapter Twelve

Alexis couldn’t get off the plane fast enough. Every time she moved through the short two-hour flight, her shoulder or knee brushed against Luke and set off a chain reaction of desire through her body. After his blowing her mind seven ways to Sunday in the shower last night, he’d backed off and hadn’t whispered so much as a dirty word.

It felt like the entire dynamic between them had shifted, and she wasn’t sure what to do with it. Letting him tag along to Austria had been a mistake, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was starting to understand what she wanted to accomplish with this trip. There had been something almost like respect in his eyes last night.

But she still hadn’t told him the truth.

Not all of it.

It was so stupid. Luke obviously understood what it was like to lose a vital part of himself and keep on kicking. If anyone could understand what she’d gone through—and what she was trying to reclaim—it would be him.

All she had to do was open her mouth and say those damning words. I had cancer. I beat it, but it took a bloody chunk out of me in the process. I can’t have kids. Hell, there’s no guarantee the cancer won’t come back and finish the job at some point. That was the difference between them. He’d battled his demons. Maybe he hadn’t conquered them yet, but he would—because they were in the past.

Hers could reappear at any moment.

She couldn’t live her life fearing that, though. There were no guarantees, for either the good or the bad, and she’d spent the last year missing out on all sorts of experiences because fear had been in the driver’s seat.

No more.

She shouldered her backpack and headed for security, Luke matching her every step of the way. A cab would be the fastest way to the hotel, and then… Then she didn’t know. It was too late in the day to try for the tour, but the thought of wandering around with him glowering beside her made her skin feel too tight. All she’d wanted when she got here was some time alone to figure her issues out, and it seemed like she’d barely gotten a moment to breathe since landing in Ireland. Nothing about this trip was going as planned.

In some ways, it had gone better. Would she have reclaimed that part of herself that made her feel so…womanly…if she hadn’t run into Luke in the alley? Her transformation wasn’t anywhere near finished, but it had started that night in Cork when she’d met him every step of the way and goaded him into taking her back to his room. It was a move she never would have made back home in Wellingford.

And then, in Norway, she’d gotten to the edge of the cliff. Maybe she hadn’t done it entirely on her own, but she’d made that hike without help, and Luke hadn’t exactly held her hand while she took those last steps to the edge.

He’d helped. It might not make her entirely comfortable, but he’d helped.

She glanced over and realized Luke was a few steps behind her. His limp wasn’t as bad as it’d been last night, but it was still more prominent than in Ireland. She slowed to match his pace, which only served to annoy him if his expression was anything to go by. “I don’t need special treatment.”

“It’s not special treatment, and you know it.” She rolled her eyes. By now, she knew that he got extra snarly when his knee was hurting him. It had nothing to do with her, and she didn’t mind his grouchy attitude because the bite behind it wasn’t there anymore. “We’ll find some more ice at the hotel.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re stubborn. I’d bet this trip is the most exercise that knee has seen since physical therapy. It’s no wonder it’s bothering you.”

Neither one of them said anything else through the entire cab ride and checking into the hotel—which Luke insisted on paying for. She took one look at the stubborn expression on his face and just let him have his way. After she found him some ice, she’d make a trip back down to the lobby to put her payment information in instead of his.

The only reason he was in Austria was because of her. She wasn’t going to let him foot the bill, too.

He led the way up the stairs and to the room halfway down the hall. Thankfully, it had a private shower and bathroom, and even had two beds. She put her hands on her hips and stared at them. I need to get him ice and go back to the front desk.

But the intentions failed when faced with those plain white beds. Things with Luke had become so complicated in the last twenty-four hours. Her nerves were a strained mess, and that wasn’t even getting into her emotions. She had no idea what the hell was going on there.

If she brought him the ice right now, he’d be forced to lie still and they’d end up talking. With the quiet way he accepted things last night—totally unexpected considering some of their initial conversations—it was only a matter of time before she told him the rest of the story. She couldn’t stand the thought of seeing disappointment in his eyes. She might be feeling stronger and more independent, but that would bring all her progress crashing down around her. She was sure of it.

But there was another option.

She dropped her pack on the floor and turned to him. “Take off your clothes.”

He gave her a long look. “Feeling twitchy, are we, princess?” She couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew exactly what she was trying to do right now—create a distraction.

“Yes.”

“Thought so.” He nodded like she’d confessed more than a single word. And then he crossed his arms over his chest, a challenge written all over his face. “You want them off? Do it yourself, then.”

Desire curled through her. A chance to fully explore his body? Like hell would she say no to that. Alexis crossed the room and pushed his backpack off his shoulders. From there it would have been simple to yank off his shirt and go for the front of his jeans. But she took her time, slipping her hands under the hem of his shirt and sliding them up his chest, raising the fabric. His breath hissed out when her fingers skimmed over his nipples, and so she paused, looking directly into his eyes as she explored just how sensitive he was. “You like that.”

“Yeah.” Luke’s voice dropped an octave or two. “Keep going.”

“Don’t rush me.” She pushed the fabric higher, prompting him to raise his hands so she could pull the shirt over his head. After dropping it on the floor, she went back to his shoulders, following the line of the muscle roping down his arms. So strong. She wanted to ask about the unfinished tattoo on his left arm, but held back. If he answered her questions, she’d have to answer his. She wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

Instead, she traced the tattoos winding down his right arm—a ship in the midst of a violent storm, encircled by long arms rising out of the sea. Below the surface, a kraken lurked, ready to bring the sailors to their depths and, below that, a ring of skeletons in various positions circled his forearm. It was dark and gritty and she completely empathized with the lost sailors. Sometimes there was no way out, no way to win, no way to survive.

Pushing the dark thoughts aside, she stroked her hand down his scar. He opened his mouth—no doubt to throw out a biting comment—but she pressed two fingers to his lips. “Not now.” If anything, his glare deepened, but he didn’t say anything as she moved down to the button at the top of his jeans.

The boots. Damn it, she’d almost forgotten.

Alexis went to her knees and quickly unlaced his boots. They looked military grade, which made sense, though she’d never noticed before now. It took some wiggling and help from Luke, but she finally got them off. Then, with her still on her knees, she looked up and met his gaze. His green eyes darkened, and she could almost hear all the things he must be fighting not to say. Sexy words that seemed to drive all the way to her soul and leave their imprint there. He made her feel like a seductress who could bring men to their knees with the least bit of effort.

There’s only one man I want on his knees.

You.

Luke could barely catch his breath. In the few days he’d known her, he’d spent considerable time imagining Alexis in this position in front of him. She licked her lips and he nearly groaned. “Darlin’, you’re killing me.”

“Not yet. But I will be.” She unbuttoned his jeans and worked them down his hips, taking his boxer briefs with them, lightly dragging her nails over his skin.

He braced himself for the inevitable flinch when her hand came in contact with the worst of his scars around his knee, but she gave it a cursory glance and then nudged his legs up, one at a time, to get his pants and underwear off. Once the last of his clothes were gone, she just looked at him, stripping him bare in a way he never had been before.

Alexis gave a strange little happy sigh. “You really are beautiful.”

Her words hit him in the gut. She sounded like she meant it, and he wasn’t prepared for the shock to his system. What the hell did a woman like Alexis see in a scarred and battered man like himself? Whatever it was, it made her lips curve up and her eyes shine. She ducked down and pressed her lips to his knee, backing up quickly, as if she wasn’t sure of her welcome.

She’d kissed him there, where most people could barely stand to look.

Luke’s heart gave a heavy thump and his body felt too hot. “Again.”

“You’re sure?”

He swallowed down his reflexive sharp comment. Her question was serious, and so he owed her a serious answer. “Please, darlin’. Touch me.” He needed her hands on him like he needed his next breath, and he wasn’t about to stand in his own way, not right now. Not when it came to Alexis.

Her smile widened. “I’d hoped you’d say that.” Another kiss to his knee, and then she worked her way up the outside of his right thigh, pressing kiss after kiss to the scarred skin until she hit his hip bone. Her cheek brushed his cock, and he couldn’t hold back a groan. She ran her hands up his legs to his hips. “You want me here.”

This was no time for games, but he couldn’t stop the words demanding to be voiced. “I want those pretty lips of yours around my cock.”

Another kiss to the sensitive skin inside his hip. “Tell me more.”

“I want you to put that wicked mouth to use and suck me deep, until you’re sure you can’t take any more. I want you to use your tongue to drive me crazy until my knees buckle and all I can think about is dragging you up my body and fucking you senseless.”

She took his cock in her hand and slid her fingers up and down his length. “Is that all?”

The little tease. Luke barked out a laugh. “Darlin’, if you keep it up, I’m going to skip right to the fucking you senseless part.” His breath shuddered out when she made a fist and pumped him twice. “I changed my mind. I’m going to toss you on that bed over there and rip those jeans off so there’s nothing between my mouth and your skin. I’ve been craving another taste of you.”

“Not yet. I’m running this show, remember?” And with that, she took him in, her lips sliding along his cock and her wet mouth dragging him deeper.

Luke gave up trying to hold himself back and laced his hands in her long dark hair. “That’s it, darlin’. Fuck, you make me feel so goddamn good.” She rolled her tongue along the underside of his cock, nearly making his eyes cross. “Christ, Alexis.” He couldn’t take much more of this. Desperate for her, he used his grip on hair to pull her up and into a kiss. “I need you—right now.”

“Good, because the feeling’s mutual.” She pulled her shirt off while he went to work on her pants, nearly toppling them onto the bed in his haste to get her naked. She laughed, and he was surprised to find himself joining in. As intense as shit was between them, this light moment almost meant more to him than the rest of it.

Then she was naked and in his arms and he stopped worrying about anything but getting her to scream his name.

Chapter Thirteen

Luke guided Alexis onto the bed. She couldn’t stop another giggle from slipping free when they bounced on the mattress. Another new experience. She was racking up plenty of them when it came to him. In all the time she’d been intimate with Eric, it couldn’t compare with the sheer desire she felt when Luke touched her.

And now there was an element of fun that she hadn’t expected.

He kissed her, his weight settling between her legs as his tongue twined with hers. Considering how desperate he’d sounded when she was on her knees in front of him, he seemed totally content to take his time now, exploring her mouth as if memorizing the contours of it. She ran her hands up his back, trying to arch against him, but there wasn’t enough leverage to get him where she needed him.

She broke away long enough to gasp. “Please, Luke.”

“Please what?” He dragged his teeth down her neck as he hooked one knee, pushing it up and out so his hard length rubbed right down her center. Another inch lower, and he’d be notched at her entrance, but he didn’t push that far. Instead, he sealed their bodies again, stroking the underside of his cock against her clit, the delicious friction making her moan.

It wasn’t enough. “More.”

His tongue swiped down the sensitive spot where her shoulder met her neck. “Tell me what you need.” The rough edge of his voice made her shiver the same way his calloused fingers did as he skated them down her thigh to cup her ass. “Who you need.”

She laced her fingers in his hair and pulled him back into a kiss, but he didn’t give her the opportunity to sink into it. He pulled back, keeping his mouth just out of reach, his body pinning her so she couldn’t quite make that contact she needed. “Please.”

“Tell me who makes you feel like this.” He nipped her bottom lip, retreating before she was satisfied. “The only one who makes you feel like this.”

There was only one right answer, and the terrifying part was it wasn’t a lie. She’d never felt anything that could hold a candle to what Luke did to her. She loved every second of it, the way he met her challenges and took it to the next level. This wasn’t a man who feared a strong woman. A broken woman.

And… She was finally starting to feel more strong than broken for the first time in her life.

Luke’s fingers dug into her ass, just this side of painful. “Who?”

“You.” She sobbed the word out, rolling her hips even though she knew it was useless. He wouldn’t be inside her until he was damn well good and ready. The waiting only made her want him more. When he didn’t move, apparently willing to wait her out, she hissed out another breath. “You, Luke. You’re the only one who makes me feel like this.”

“Don’t you dare forget it, darlin’.”

Now, finally, he took her mouth again as he shifted, reaching over the bed for their packs. Anticipation curled through her, heightening the desire sparking in every place they touched. The rough skin of his scar scraped against her thigh as she hooked her free leg around his waist, that little movement sliding him against her clit and nearly enough to send her over the edge.

He knew what she was doing, the ass. Luke chuckled against her mouth. “Not yet.” He pulled away enough to reach between them to roll on the condom, and then he was back, pressing against her entrance.

She expected him to shove home, the way he’d done up to this point. She needed him to do that.

But he worked his way into her in short, controlled thrusts, until she whimpered and strained against his hold, needing him deeper, needing him to push her over the edge of the pressure already building beneath her skin. Nothing she did helped, though.

When he was finally sheathed completely inside her, he went still. “Christ, you feel good.”

“More.” She clutched his shoulders, moaning when he propped himself on his elbows and shifted inside her. It wasn’t enough. “I need you, Luke. Deep, hard. Make me come.”

His grin was just this side of savage. “You need me.”

She was too far gone to deal with the conflicting emotions flickering over his face. All that mattered was getting him to move. “I need you.” The words resonated, but she did her best to ignore it. The truth, however complicated, didn’t matter right now. She’d deal with the consequences later, when she had a moment alone.

“I got just what you need.” He thrust into her hard enough to make the bed frame rattle.

She reached over her head and gripped the thin metal bars, giving herself to him completely. The look on his face was reward enough, but she wasn’t prepared for him to loop an arm under her waist and roll them, leaving her straddling him. Shock froze her for half a second, but his hands on her hips urged her to move.

Then pleasure took over.

“Take control. Ride me, darlin’. I want to watch your face as you come on my cock.”

His words drove her on as much as his hands. She grabbed the top of the headboard and lifted herself nearly off him before slamming back down. They both moaned when she did it again. He let go of her hips to cup her breasts, lifting and squeezing, the pressure spiking her desire.

“That’s right. Just like that. You’re almost there.”

She was. Each stroke of him inside her pushed her closer to the edge. Alexis started to close her eyes, but forced them open. She wanted to see him as pleasure took over. Needed to. It made no sense, but she was too far gone to question it.

Grinding against him, the wave of her orgasm rose and pulled her under. It kept cresting, driven by Luke’s urging. He drew out her pleasure until she couldn’t keep her eyes open, until her entire being was consumed with him. She was distantly aware of him finishing beneath her, but it was all she could do not to collapse on him. Her arms shook with the effort to keep herself up.

“Come here.” He pulled her to his chest and cradled her there. She let herself relax into him, promising it’d only be for a little while. Then she’d get up, take a shower and…do something.

But she could enjoy this while it lasted.

Luke stroked her hair, struggling to deal with the feeling in his chest. It was soft and gooey and completely focused on the woman in his arms. She’d looked magnificent with her back arched, her hair a mess around her face, her hazel eyes hooded with pleasure, as she rode his cock. He’d never forget that image as long as he lived. He didn’t want to.

Which was a goddamn problem.

He put it out of his head as he tangled his fingers in her hair and brought her up for another kiss. “Wow.”

“I think that’s my line.” She gave him a long look, and he found himself holding his breath as she seemed to consider something. He didn’t relax until she settled back down and laid her head on his shoulder again. “You can borrow it, though, because that was wow.”

Another problem. Instead of scratching an itch, every time he was with her only got better. It was as if, by letting him between her thighs, she was working her way into him.

Guided by an urge he didn’t want to ignore, he kissed the top of her head. This wasn’t so bad. Right now, he didn’t have to focus on how even the sex was complicated when it came to Alexis, let alone the rest of the tangled mess of emotions in his chest. He liked her. He admired her. He didn’t want to see the end of his time with her.

In short, he was well and truly fucked.

“Are you going to continue being a mechanic?”

The question hit him in the stomach. He almost laid her on the bed and made some excuse—any excuse—to walk out of the room, but something stopped him. She wasn’t accusing him of anything. There was only an innocent curiosity in her voice. As if she thought this was a safe subject.

Hell, it should be a safe subject.

He braced himself for the guilt that came with the answer. “I don’t know.”

Alexis lifted her head. “What do you mean?”

It was harder to put into words than he would have guessed. “It took a long time to put me back together. Even when the doc gave me the thumbs-up, I still wasn’t cleared for duty. I can’t meet the physical requirements anymore.” And he never would again. The failure stuck in his throat. “I know that. But a part of me has been hanging on to that hope. I haven’t been the best employee to my cousin, because I’ve been living with one foot out the door.”

There was no judgment in her eyes. “Sometimes it takes a while to find your feet after the universe knocks you on your ass.”

“Yeah, but it’s been almost a year. It’s time to get over my shit and move on—actually move on. I guess I’ve just been holding on to my anger, instead of looking for something productive to do with my life.” He actually enjoyed working in the shop. There was something satisfying about taking a vehicle that was on its last legs and making it purr. He’d just been fighting that satisfaction every step of the way. “My auntie threatened to wallop me if I didn’t pull my head out of my ass in the next few weeks.”

He felt her smile against his chest. “I like this aunt of yours.”

“She’d like you, too.” He already knew what Aunt Rose would say about Alexis—and that she’d have hit him upside the back of the head with her purse a few times for being such an asshole initially. She would approve of Alexis’s spunk and her ability to drive him up the wall. And Aunt Rose would have respected the hell out of her because she was a survivor. He didn’t have to know the details to know that.

“You’ll figure it out.” Her quiet assurance wasn’t false comfort. She actually believed that he’d be okay.

And in the face of her belief, he started to believe it for the first time, too.