Learning Curves(23)

“This is something…I don’t even know how to describe it.”

As his words came rushing back, it gave her pause. Was it good for him, too, because he liked her the same way she liked him? Dammit, she didn’t know, but she sure as hell needed to find out.

She pulled open the door and was about to step out when she heard Linc’s voice.

“Yeah, I was just here for the weekend,” he said.

“And you didn’t call. I’m surprised,” a woman said, her voice light, flirtatious.

“Not this time,” he said. “I was, ah…busy.”

“Too busy for a special delivery from me,” the girl cooed.

A delivery from her? What the hell was she delivering? Herself on a silver platter, or on silk sheets?

“You know you have the nicest view of the beach. I’d love to see it again,” she said, her voice suggestive.

Seriously? She’d been inside, seen his view? Lauren’s heart fell to her stomach. So much for her being the only girl he’d ever brought there. Why did he lie? Was it all part of the seduction? Part of the game they were playing? Jesus, how could she have let herself believe there could be more? That a guy like Linc could go for a girl like her?

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

“I’m sure I’ll need one of your special deliveries next time,” he said.

“Okay, I look forward to it.”

Lauren pushed the door open and rounded the corner to see the pretty blonde with the red lips walk away, an extra little shake to her hips.

Linc turned to her. He opened his mouth, paused, and closed it again. He scrubbed his chin, a frown on his face like he was battling an internal war, and finally said, “Ready to get home?”

“More than ready,” she said, pushing past him to make her way to the Cessna waiting on the tarmac.





Chapter Six

Linc paced inside his condo. Here it was, Friday night, and instead of burying himself in some hot blonde like he would any normal weekend, he was wearing a hole in his floor, a hot fucking mess since dropping Lauren off at her place five days ago. He wanted more. Should have asked for more.

But she gave him no indication that she wanted anything other than a weekend of hot sex, and she seemed to cool on him at the airport. She had hardly talked to him on the way home, like she couldn’t wait to get way.

His heart thumped. Fuck, he should have known she’d be the one, the only woman who could ease the restlessness inside him. She was unlike any other woman he’d been with, and after having her he couldn’t let her go.

So what the fuck was he going to do about it? Pacing his floor like a raving lunatic wasn’t going to win her back. He shot a glance at the clock. Fuck this. He grabbed his keys and cell phone off the table and stormed outside.

Thirty minutes later he found himself outside Onyx, one of Miami’s trendiest clubs. People filtered in, and he scanned the sidewalk, looking for Lauren. He caught a glimpse of her rounding the corner, coming his way, and it scared him a little how much he wanted her.

But it was more than that. He needed her. Not just in his bed, but with him. The time they’d spent just talking had been different. It was good. No, better than that. It was unlike anything he’d experienced with a woman. And he wanted more. So much more.

His heart thumped as she closed the distance, and he pushed off the building and stepped in front of her.

“Linc,” she said, her voice coming out on a breathless whisper. “What are you doing here?”

“What kind of guy would I be to let you attend this engagement party alone?”

Her eyes narrowed, and she took a measured step back. “How did you know where I’d be?”

He shrugged and tapped his phone in his pocket. “Connections.”

“I—” He bent and pressed his lips to hers, and her words died on her tongue. He deepened the kiss and pulled her body against his. Their hips meshed, and her moans roused his hunger. He was two second away from dragging her back to his place and showing her how much he missed her when a car horn sounded.

“What was that for?” she asked when he’d broken the kiss.

He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “That was for me. I needed it.”

Her eyes widened. “Linc, look…”

Before she could finish, someone called out her name. “Lauren,” a man said, arms open as he stepped outside to greet them. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

She went up on her toes and hugged the guy, who Linc could only assume was her cousin. “Gabe, this is Linc. He’s my—”

“Fiancé,” Linc said. That one word, and the way it so effortlessly slipped through his lips, surprised him as much as it had Lauren. What the fuck possessed me to go from weekend lover to fake fiancé?