"You look incredible," he whispered hotly against her ear.
"So glad you noticed." She paused. "Finally."
He laughed, his breath brushing her skin, sending electric darts of pleasure shooting through her, ending between her legs. "Let me lock the door."
Vanessa raised her head as he moved away. She'd completely forgotten they were standing in his office in the middle of the day. The man cast some kind of spell-one she wasn't anxious to wake up from.
She should have been shocked by her behavior, or at least mildly embarrassed by her intense need. Instead, she wondered just how sturdy that desk of his was.
By the time he'd turned around, she'd shed her jacket and thought about taking off more, but decided she'd rather let him do the honors.
He pressed a button on the wall before he headed back toward her, and a set of curtains moved along the wall to black out the windows.
She glanced at the disappearing view. "Handy."
He yanked her back into his arms. "Isn't it?"
His hands and lips seemed to be everywhere at once, and she fought to adjust to the sudden change. With him, she felt off balance and steady at the same time. She wanted him, but not too close.
His revelations about his past intruded yet again. The physical and emotional hard times. The fear, pain and loneliness. The rise to the top, then the realization that he'd lost something important along the way. The need in his eyes for change, enlightenment and ultimate acceptance of himself.
She was both awed and frightened by his trust. She felt closer to him, making her doubt her vow and need to keep things light and fun between them. Could she close off her emotions just because she didn't want to get hurt? Could she find a way to blame her impulsive nature this time? When it was over, could she laugh and say, "Oh, well, it started with a one-night stand anyway"?
He trailed kisses down her neck, along her jaw, and she closed her eyes against thoughts and emotions too deep to explore. His hands molded her to his body. Clothes hit the floor. Before long, he was wearing only his pants, and she was down to her red bra, panties and stilettos.
The possessive, lustful way he looked at her made her shiver in anticipation. "You're every dream I've ever had come to life."
He wrapped one arm around her waist, then boosted her onto his desk. Watching her reaction, he drew his finger down her body, sliding it briefly beneath her bra, then moving down her stomach to the edge of her lacy panties.
He slid his hand inside, through the hair between her thighs, then diving into the heat and wetness. She let her head fall back as he pleasured her. She'd enjoyed other men, but had her needs ever been so powerful, so overwhelming? She wanted to indulge herself with him over and over, didn't want the sensations to end. She craved his touch, and delighted in the whispered words of encouragement and desire he rasped in her ear.
"You're are so hot … so beautiful," he said, his fingers moving faster, making her moan.
Her stomach tightened. Her breathing hitched. Every muscle in her body strained for the peak she was climbing. Then her hips bucked, and the ecstasy rocketed. She gasped and gripped the desk, while Lucas murmured in her ear.
Then before she'd even caught her breath, he'd ripped her panties off and was plunging inside her. "How? When-"
"I-" He struggled for breath and squeezed his eyes shut. Pleasure rippled across his face. "I put a condom in my pocket earlier."
With him buried deep inside her, she braced her hands on his shoulders. "You did?"
"I'm learning it pays to be prepared with you."
A naughty grin spread across her face. She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him in even deeper. "Doesn't it, though?"
But he didn't smile, he moved.
He withdrew, then pushed in, setting a no-nonsense rhythm that was at odds with the long, sweet seduction they'd begun with. Need was chasing him, and maybe the demons of the past. She held on for the ride, knowing every moment she spent with him, every experience they shared, only added to their intimacy.
As he pounded against her, her lace-clad breasts slid against his chest, teasing her nipples to hardened peaks. Stimulation rocked the nerves at the center of her body and flowed outward, rippling pleasure down her spine and legs, helping her block out her worries. Nothing had changed. They were enjoying each other. For as long as it lasted.
Then why did she feel as if his heart were one with hers, beating in time, racing and chasing a satisfaction and completeness only he could give? Why was she suddenly sure she'd never truly had a connection until the moment Lucas had approached her two nights ago?
This thing between them was powerful enough to enrapture her, to have her overriding all the caution she should feel about involvement with a lawyer, a competitor of her father's, a man who so quickly had embedded himself into her life. She'd risk a great deal to have Lucas.
Was it possible she was risking her heart?
She gripped a handful of his hair as his pace increased, and the euphoria surrounding her body shot to new heights. She opened her legs wider, adjusted the angle of her hips until she was sure he was pounding his way to her soul.
The first ripples of her orgasm tore through her, and she gasped. Her inner walls pulsed, squeezing him, bringing his own peak. He held her close, then his body bucked, bucked, bucked … .
She dug her fingers into his shoulders as the waves of satisfaction rose and fell across her. Moaning, trying to calm her breathing, she collapsed against him. She wanted to say something sweet and tender, so, afraid of that inclination, she didn't.
She gripped his bare neck. "I needed that."
His chest rumbled. "Clearly."
7
LUCAS FOUGHT FOR BREATH as he clutched Vanessa against him. She was a remarkable woman, but he hadn't known how amazing until today.He was spent, ridiculously happy and satisfied. He'd had a lifetime of hungering for achievement, for the next hurdle. What would become of him if he floated into contentment?
He'd gotten to the top and stayed there out of hunger. When he was full, where could he find the next challenge?
With Vanessa?
God knew a relationship with her wouldn't be easy, regardless of how far lust took them. They were very different people, with undoubtedly different outlooks on life. But he felt as if he were holding a fragile egg, a precious gift that-if nurtured-could grow into something miraculous, something way beyond what he'd ever hoped he'd have. Or deserve.
She didn't turn away.
After all he'd told her, she hadn't judged him or shunned him. Or even really asked why.
She'd just accepted.
He wasn't sure he deserved that kind of faith, but he craved it. Though he knew there was still much to explore and learn between them, he was glad he'd shared his past, his quest to make himself into a better man. He found himself wanting to reveal more, to share his fears and his hope for a future he could be proud of. To deepen their connection.
"I'm not part of your world, you know, chère. I just live there."
She leaned back and stared at him. "What are you talking about? My world?"
"My fine way of speaking, my manners and my sense of style are all just decorations. As you saw so vividly last night, I'll never be truly accepted by the wealthy and privileged."
"I couldn't care less. In case you haven't noticed, Mr. Broussard, I'm the black sheep in my family."
He kissed her temple. "Then we'll be outcasts together."
Pulling away, he zipped himself back into his pants, vaguely wondering if he should be ashamed that he'd just slammed the daughter of one of the most powerful attorneys in the South.
On his desk. In the middle of the day.
Some of those trailer-trash tendencies would probably never completely fade.
There was no repairing the panties, but he helped her gather the rest of her things and sent her into his private bathroom to freshen up, while he dressed. He also ordered lunch to be delivered from a Thai restaurant on the next block.
By the time she emerged from the bathroom, he'd opened a bottle of wine and reopened the curtains.
She walked out barefoot, her impossibly sexy shoes dangling from her fingertips, just as she had the morning she'd left his apartment. Was that only yesterday?
"I nearly swallowed my tongue when you walked in here earlier," he said as she settled on the other end of the sofa.
She accepted a glass of wine and eyed him over the rim. "You acted awfully cool."
"I was reciting statutes in my head to keep myself from jumping you."