Текст книги "His Lover to Protect"

Автор книги: Katee Robert

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 11 страниц)

Chapter Sixteen

As they walked out of the café, Alexis didn’t think she’d ever felt so raw before. She’d given him everything, and he hadn’t so much as balked or made a snide comment. Instead he’d looked into her eyes and voiced the one thing she’d needed to hear above all others. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do now. Hold his hand? Kiss him? Drag him off to the nearest hostel and get him naked as quickly as physically possible? She looked around, taking in the architecture that was so prominent in the city. It was so familiar, even if she’d never walked down this street before, and it all reminded her of Mom. “I…” She cut herself off. Even now, it was so hard to put herself out there.

“Yeah?”

What the hell was the point if she didn’t take a leap of faith? Or another one in the line of what felt like countless ones. “I don’t want to stay here tonight.” She could keep going, tell him that even the cathartic sobbing at the gazebo hadn’t been enough to banish the ache of missing her mom. “Being here makes it hard to do anything but dwell in the memories, both good and bad. I just…I’m not up to it right now.”

She braced herself for a glare or angry comment, but Luke only gave a short nod. “Let’s see what our options are.” That was it. He even took her hand as they made their way down to a corner with several cabs. He glanced at his watch. “It’s getting kind of late for a flight going out, but we can see if there are any night trains.”

“I’ve never been on a train.” And she could barely reconcile this man with the one she’d met back in Cork. It was more than his taking care of her—there was something relaxed in his face that hadn’t been there before. As if maybe he’d let go of some of the baggage weighing him down. She understood. It had hurt to lay the innermost part of herself out there, but she felt like she’d lanced an old wound. It would take time, but maybe she’d heal cleanly now.

Maybe his talking about his injury and potential future had done the same for him.

“Then here’s to new experiences.” He opened the cab door for her and followed her into the backseat. “Train station.”

The cab driver muttered a confirmation and the car lurched into motion, throwing her against him. He put his arm around her shoulders. “So where else is on your list?”

She was so distracted by the insane way the cabbie was tearing through the streets, it took her a few seconds to realize he’d asked her a question. “What?”

“Your path to enlightenment or whatever you’re calling it. Where else is on your list?”

This was so much easier to talk about that the relief made her feel wobbly. “There were a couple places I wanted to see just because I’m over here—Rome, Paris, Barcelona—but there’s only one place left on my list. Verona.”

He was silent for a few seconds. “Because…”

Right. She’d told him the reasons behind the other places. Alexis looked out the window, knowing that he could see her blush. “Juliet’s Wall is there. I know the whole Romeo and Juliet thing is more tragedy than romance, but the wall itself has become something more. People write the name of the ones they love, and legend has it that doing so makes the love stronger.” Her face was so hot, it was a wonder she didn’t set fire to her skin. “And I’m sure you’ve heard of the letters people write to their lost loves.”

“There was a movie a few years back.” When she shot him a look, he shrugged. “I didn’t see it, but Aunt Rose is a huge chick flick fan.”

“Oh.”

Luke sat back, his eyes intense despite his relaxed posture. “So you’re going to go write a letter to that piece of shit ex of yours.”

“What?” She burst out laughing. “God, no. Maybe I wasn’t clear before, but that wasn’t exactly an epic love worth writing home about.” Which is why she shouldn’t have been surprised by Eric’s reaction to her barrenness. They’d never shared half the connection she felt with Luke.

Dangerous territory, Alexis.

She looked back out the window, trying to ignore the tension in the cab and how the scenery was flying by at a truly terrifying rate. “No, it’s nothing like that. I might not have been head over heels in love with Eric, but how things fell out between us… It made me bitter. I want to let that go, and I want to open myself up to loving again.”

Though she was starting to think that she didn’t need a trip to Italy to accomplish that.

“Well, let’s see what the train station has to offer, and then we’ll see about getting you to Verona.” There was a warmth in his voice that she was rapidly becoming used to. She liked grouchy Luke despite herself. A Luke who was protective and empathetic?

She more than liked him.

Alexis shut that thought down real fast. “Sounds great.”

He pulled her back against him and tucked her against his side, his expression becoming what could only be described as mischievous. “And if you’re in the mood for more new experiences, I have something in mind.”

“Oh yeah?” She let herself relax against him, letting the feel of him uncoil the stress that had every muscle in her body strung tight. It felt so damn good to not have to be the strong one for once, better than she could have imagined.

He leaned down until his lips brushed her ear. She tensed, waiting for the inevitable outpouring of filthy suggestions that would get her so hot, he’d be lucky if she didn’t drag him into a bathroom at the train station. But he surprised her. “You’ll have to wait and see, darlin’.”

“I’m not really one for surprises.” Very few in her life had been good ones up to this point.

“That’s a crying shame, because you’re going to get one soon.” He squeezed her thigh, the heat of his hand soaking through her jeans and right to her center. The bastard knew it, too, because he grinned as he sat back. “A little waiting never killed anyone.” He was being downright playful.

“It might kill you.” She tried to fight a grin and failed.

He laughed, the sound surprising her just as much now as it did every time it came out of his mouth. It was so at odds with the personality he presented the rest of the world, so full of joy. It made her wonder yet again what kind of man he’d been before the injury to his knee. Had he been happy? Or just another variation of the grouch she first met? The puzzle pulled at Alexis, demanding she ask him the same probing questions he’d subjected her to.

But then she looked at his face, the grin that made her want to smile right back, the mischief lighting up his green eyes, and realized it didn’t matter. She wasn’t the same person she’d been before the cancer, and for the first time, she was really okay with that. She was stronger now, more in charge of her own life. It didn’t matter what Luke was before his injury, because it was part of the journey that had made him into the man he was today. That was all that mattered.

The cab screeched to a halt in front of the train station, and Luke paid before she had a chance to go for her wallet. “You don’t have to do that. I’m not exactly short on money.” One of the benefits of working as a nurse and basically being a shut-in the rest of the time was that her savings account wasn’t hurting in the least.

“It has nothing to do with what I have to do and everything to do with what I want to do.” He climbed out and held the door open for her. “You’re so damn strong, darlin’. Let me take care of you in this one little way.”

He kept staying that. She knew she was stronger than she used to be, but stronger didn’t mean strong. She hadn’t felt very strong a few hours ago when she was sobbing her heart out, but she wasn’t about to argue with him. “Just don’t get used to it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

The train station was nearly deserted, but there were small groups here and there who seemed either to be waiting for a train or to have just gotten off one. She spotted a bathroom and touched his arm. “I’m going to change into something more comfortable.” If they were taking a night train, her jeans weren’t the best option for lounging.

And frankly, she wanted to give Luke as easy access as she could for whatever he had planned. If she managed to drive him a little crazy in the process… Well, she was okay with that, too.

Luke scanned the destinations. There were two trains leaving in the next hour, one to Frankfurt and one to Venice. Easy choice. He bought the tickets, paying extra to make sure they were in a sleeper car by themselves. He had a promise to keep, after all. When he turned around, he stumbled to a stop at the sight of Alexis. She’d changed in the bathroom, and now wore a long dress that was made of some bright print that defied explanation. As she drew closer, she raised her eyebrows and held her jacket apart, and he realized two things simultaneously.

With the light coming in behind her, the damn thing was nearly sheer.

And she wasn’t wearing a fucking thing underneath it.

He glanced around, but no one seemed to be paying them a bit of attention. Thank God, because he wasn’t about to get arrested for murdering some idiot who caught an eyeful of her. He stalked over. “You’re going to pay for that little stunt, darlin’.”

“It’s worth it.” She eyed the tickets in his hand. “Where are we going?”

“Surprise.” He said it mostly to push at her, to make her pay for the way she made him feel knowing there was only a thin layer of cloth between her skin and the rest of the world. It didn’t matter that her jacket covered her from the tops of her thighs to her neck. All he cared was that she’d intentionally teased him.

Two could play that game.

Alexis trailed after him as he made his way to the train marked on the tickets. “Have I mentioned how little I like surprises?”

“At least once.” He handed the man in uniform the tickets and motioned for her to precede him through the door. “After you.”

She didn’t look particularly happy with him, but that was okay. They had plenty of time for him to get her back in the right state of mind. And Luke knew exactly how to start.

As they made their way deeper into the car, he picked up his pace until he was damn near pressed against her back. “I like that dress.”

“Hmm? This old thing?”

“I like it so much, I’m going to rip the damn thing off with my teeth later. But not before I push it up your thighs and stroke that sweet pussy of yours until you’re begging for me.”

She stumbled, and he used it as an excuse to steady her—and pull her back to press his cock against her ass. Her gasp was audible even over the hum of the engine. Alexis shook him off, but it took her a few seconds to move forward. Her voice didn’t sound steady as she shot over her shoulder, “We’ll see.”

“Playing hard to get? I’m hurt.”

“I doubt it.” She glanced back, a wicked grin on her face. “Where are our seats?”

“This way.” He slid past her, using entirely more contact than strictly necessary. “Follow me.”

“Better than walking around with you staring at my ass.”

He laughed. “It’s an amazing ass.”

“I know.”

As promised, they had a sleeper car to themselves. The room was minuscule, with a twin bed on each side and just enough room between them for a person to stand.

It was perfect.

“Why, Luke, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you lured me back here to take advantage of me.” She dropped her bag on the bed on the left side and sat down next to it.

He sank onto the mattress next to her, intentionally crowding her, but didn’t say anything as he arranged his bag next to hers. After a little while, the train rumbled into motion. No one else had walked past them, which suited him just fine. Still, he sat back and waited.

It didn’t take long for the attendant to come through, double-check their tickets, and disappear again. Good. They shouldn’t have any interruptions from this point on. He slid the door closed and then locked it. When he turned and glanced at Alexis, he nearly laughed at the furious way her toe tapped. Poking at her was downright enjoyable.

As expected, she lasted less than five minutes after the train left the station behind. “You mentioned a surprise.”

Gotcha. “I thought you weren’t sure which way you were landing on the subject.”

She crossed her arms under her breasts. “Don’t make me take off the jacket.”

“As a threat, that’s sorely lacking.” He curled a strand of her dark hair around his fingers. “Take off the jacket.”

She grinned. “Maybe I’m cold.”

“Now you’re just being contrary. I’ll keep you warm, darlin’. Cross my heart.” He used a single finger to trace an X over his heart. The motion felt strangely intimate, as if he were promising more than sex. Hell, he kind of was. He’d already come to terms with the fact that he didn’t want this thing with her to end when she left Europe.

He just needed to convince her to give him a shot.

“How can I say no to a promise like that?”

“Simple. You can’t.” He used his free hand to drag the hem of her dress up to her knees. “Your skin is so soft. It’s practically begging for my mouth.”

Her lips parted. “Too much longer, and my skin isn’t going to be the only thing that’s begging.”

“That so?” Luke kept moving the fabric up, until it hit the tops of her thighs. He nudged her legs apart. “Darlin’, I haven’t even gotten started.”

She made a sound fantastically close to a whimper. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

“It’s a long train ride, after all. Wouldn’t want to wear you out too soon.” He traced an abstract pattern on the inside of her thigh closest to him, moving up with agonizing slowness. “That wouldn’t be very gentlemanlike.”

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, Luke.” She hissed out a breath as his thumb feathered over the dip where thigh met hip. “But you wouldn’t know a gentleman if he hit you in the face.”

“Now, that’s just mean.” He finally gave in to the temptation to cup her. “No panties. That was mean, too. Do you know what went through my mind when you opened that jacket and gave me an eyeful of those perky nipples and that delicious vee between these thighs?”

“No.” She spread her legs wider, giving him better access, her breathing coming in short gasps.

“Lose the jacket and I’ll tell you.”

She leaned forward and struggled to get it off. The move pressed her more firmly against his hand, and he couldn’t fight back a groan when his fingers slid through her wetness. She was ready for him. If he said to hell with it and knelt between her legs, she’d spread them and take his cock deep. She wouldn’t even hesitate.

But that wasn’t part of the plan, no matter how much he wanted to be buried inside her right now.

Alexis tossed the jacket on top of their bags and leaned back against the seat, her hazel eyes on him. Her dress had slipped a bit, and it would only take the barest nudge to have it dipping further and revealing a nipple. He helped it along, sliding the strap off her shoulder so that her breast was bared, much the same way it’d been that day up on the cliff.

This time he wasn’t going to let anything stop them.

Chapter Seventeen

W e’re practically in public.

The thought was on repeat as Alexis arched up to meet Luke’s mouth, his hand between her legs making her feel both powerful and needy, branding her as his and setting her free, and a thousand other impossible things. It didn’t matter if there was a locked door between them and the rest of the train. The feeling of being semipublic made her crazy in the best way possible. His tongue twining with hers only made the feeling more intense.

He kissed down her neck and over her chest to the breast he’d freed. When his mouth closed around her nipple, she nearly cried out. Only the fact that there might be people in the next car over kept her silent—and ramped up the desire pumping through her body.

He knew. Of course he knew. Luke lifted his head as he plunged a finger into her. “Better be quiet, darlin’. Someone might hear your whimpers and come to investigate.”

That accent should be illegal, especially when it was whispering such dark and dirty things to her. She bit her lip as he hitched her right leg up, baring her completely and leaving her open to whatever the hell he wanted to do her with his hand. All the while, his gaze never left her face. “You like that.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t.” He spread her wetness up and over her clit, pausing to circle it once, and then again. “Like you’re not about to come just thinking about someone walking in on us. Just imagine the picture they’d see.” As he spoke, he used his thumb to press against her clit as he thrust his finger into her. “You, with your dress up around your hips, my hand between your legs.” He used his free hand to pull down the other strap of her dress, leaving her naked from the waist up. Hell, from the waist down, too. “Anyone could see you. All of you.”

“Yes.”

“Yes?” He took his hand away, and she almost sobbed out a protest. “Wrong answer, darlin’.” Before she could say anything, he shifted, sliding to his knees and pushing her legs up and out. “The only one who gets to see you like this is me. Say it.”

His first slow drag of tongue over her clit nearly stole her ability to breathe, but she still managed to grind out the words. “You’re the only one.”

“Darlin’, I’m the only one, period.” Another lick. “I’m the only one who’s going to lick this pretty pussy, and I’m sure as fuck the only one who gets to fuck you until you scream my name.”

She fisted her hands in her dress as he continued the slow, exploring licks. It was tempting to give herself over to how good he made her feel, but his words were on a different level than they’d been up to this point. This wasn’t just possessive dirty talk. He was practically declaring his intentions to… She couldn’t let it go. “What are you saying?”

He shifted, shoving two fingers into her as he sucked her clit into his mouth, setting his teeth against the sensitive flesh. Shock had her slapping her hand over her mouth to stifle her cries as his assault shoved her into a free fall. By the time she came down, he’d gentled his ministrations to the barest brushing of lips against her heated skin.

Then Luke slid back onto the bed and pulled her up to straddle his lap. She could only cling to his shoulders and shake as he undid his jeans and shoved them down his thighs. A whimper slipped free as she slid against his hard length, not up enough to let him in, but just enough to tease. God, she wanted.

He stilled her with his hands on her hips. “Condom, darlin’.”

Condom. Right. She’d been dangerously close to forgetting that one little fact. Pregnancy wasn’t a factor but… “Should I be worried about you?”

The shock on his face nearly made her laugh. “I haven’t been with anyone in over a year. I’m clean.”

She kissed him. “I can’t get pregnant, Luke. I want to feel you. All of you.”

“Are you sure?” He groaned when she slid against him again. “Darlin’, be sure before you say shit like that.”

“I’m sure.” It might have only been a few days, but how did such a relatively short time hold up against the fact that they’d bared their souls to each other? Like called to like, and she and Luke were the same in too many ways to discount. He understood her like no one else in her life did, and she might be the first person to look at him and see the scars as just another part of the man. They didn’t make him less. They were simply a part of his journey that other people could see.

She wanted this closeness, too—a physical closeness to match the emotional one that seemed to grow with each passing hour. She reached between them and took him in hand, guiding him to her entrance.

He pulled her down onto him, sealing them as close as two people could be. Then he hooked the back of her neck and held her far enough away to force her to meet his eyes as he used the other hand on her hip to slide her up and down his cock. “To answer your earlier question… I’m saying I want you, all of you, only you. I want you on my cock, in my bed, and in my life.”

She moaned as he brought her down, grinding against her clit. “That’s all?”

“Darlin’, that’s everything.” He kissed her, the softest, sweetest kiss of her entire life, as if she mattered more than breathing. She clung to him, riding him as pressure tightened low in her body, pushing her closer and closer to oblivion with each thrust.

“Luke—”

“I know. I’ve got you.”

His words—the same words he’d whispered earlier that day—unleashed the pleasure inside her. He kissed her, swallowing her scream and drawing out her orgasm, until her entire world narrowed down to the feeling of his hands on her hips, his cock filling her completely, and his mouth on hers.

He was right. This was everything.

Luke cradled Alexis against his chest and just let himself be. There was nowhere he had to go, nothing he was supposed to be doing, nothing weighing him down. For the first time since his injury, he actually felt at peace. He stroked her hair back from her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I mean it.”

“Hmm?”

“Every word I said. I mean it.” He wasn’t ready to start throwing around certain four-letter words, but it was time to stop ignoring the connection between them. For the first time in nearly two years, he felt alive and worth a damn, and it was because of the woman blinking sleepily at him.

She gave him a tentative smile. “It’s okay, Luke. You get a free pass on anything said in the heat of the moment.”

That was the thing, he didn’t want a pass. “Darlin’, don’t think you’re getting out of this that easily.” He lifted her and set her back down in his lap, her legs on one side and her head against his shoulder.

“Will you…” She took a deep breath. “Will you tell me about how you hurt your knee? The full story?”

Every instinct screamed for him to change the subject or snap at her or do anything other than take that fun little trip down memory lane. But hadn’t he asked her exactly that back at the café? It was only fair to trot out his wounds for her inspection.

But as he looked down at her face, he knew it wasn’t curiosity driving her. She caught him watching her. “It’s a huge part of your life—of who you are now. I just… I feel like you know all the ugly parts of me, and maybe it’s not fair to ask for you to lay yourself bare the way I did earlier, but I’d like you to tell me. If you want to.” She smiled. “I already know that you love your auntie, even if she’s a tough lady, and that you’re going to be okay. You might feel like you stalled out, but you’ve been moving in the right direction all along. And you’re proud and stubborn and know how to drive a woman out of her mind with pleasure.”

“Not a woman. You. Only you, darlin’.”

She bit her lip as if she didn’t quite believe him. “But my point is, I’d like to know more about that pivotal part of your life.”

If he was serious about pursuing this thing with her, it meant he had to open up about the specifics at some point. It might as well be now. He considered how to tell the story without giving away that he’d been a PJ. At least he didn’t have to edit out Flannery—he’d been sent to the northern base in Afghanistan, while Luke ended up at the southern one. “All clusterfucks start out as routine missions, and this one was no exception. We were in the area for some recon.” Or at least the Marines he was accompanying were. PJs normally didn’t head out on shit like that, but there’d been a report of an injured soldier in the area, and they were tasked with finding him and keeping him alive until they got to the hospital. “No one knew it was an active minefield.”

“Oh, honey.”

He shook his head. “Part of the job description.”

“Just because you know it’s a risk doesn’t mean you have to bear it all with your chin up.” She cuddled closer and kissed his shoulder. “Sorry. I’ll keep quiet.”

Having her in his arms made it easier to keep going. “I had our patient over my shoulders. The guy next to me, Barger, took a wrong step. I didn’t even have time to register what happened when I was flying through the air.” The world had dissolved to pain and red and a roaring in his ears. “I don’t remember much after that.” The PJ still in the helicopter had filled in the details. How Barger was beyond saving, and how the blast had severed an artery in his leg, killing him within minutes. That was the hardest part to live with—knowing that he hadn’t saved his friend. Yes, he’d saved the man they were sent in for, but it wasn’t enough. “I woke up in the hospital in Landstuhl. They’d done what they could at the local base, and they saved my life, but they weren’t worried about making me pretty.”

He paused, half expecting her to cut in with something, some meaningless apology, or an assurance that he really was a hero even though he’d failed his teammate. He should have known better. Alexis didn’t do any of that. She just pressed another kiss to his neck and hugged him tight. “I’m glad you lived.”

“I am, too.” If he hadn’t, there would be no ridiculous mission sending him across Europe after this woman who seemed to see the man beneath the scars, this woman who was stronger than she gave herself credit for, who’d given him a gift beyond measure. “It was a long recovery, and the doc sat me down three weeks into it and flat out told me that I’d never regain full motion in my knee, and the muscle damage meant it’d always cause me problems, no matter how hard I worked.”

This part, strangely enough, was harder to get out than the rest. “I went into the military straight out of high school. It gave me a purpose I was missing. It was my everything.”

“You lost your identity and purpose in one fell swoop.”

Exactly. “I’m not proud of it. Seems a man should be more than his job.” But everything about Luke had been wrapped up in the PJs. Without that…What was left? He laid his cheek against her hair as the answer came to him for the first time that he’d been wrong—he was more than the PJs. He was a nephew and a mechanic and a man. More than that, he was a survivor.

And the woman in his arms was the one who’d forced him to realize it.