Dangerous Secrets (Tall, Dark & Deadly #2)(54)

Blake grabbed Luke and shoved him back, getting between him and Hendrix.

Blake pointed at Murphy. “I suggest you get Hendrix out of here before I help Luke beat his ass.”

Hendrix grabbed his cell phone from the ground and glared at Luke. “My ass is on the line for letting you in on this. Stop thinking with your dick, man. My ass isn’t going down for you.” He headed for his SUV in a slow saunter that only had Luke ready to go after him again. Murphy saw it too, walking backward and watching Luke, while Blake stood in front of him, his hand on Luke’s chest.

“Don’t, Luke,” Blake said. “He’s a tricky bastard who might just get you thrown in jail.”

“He needs me too damn much for that.”

Julie stepped up beside Blake. “Don’t go after him,” she said softly. “Please. I’m begging you, Luke. Don’t do it.”

That plea wore him down and all the adrenaline pumping through his veins evaporated. His shoulders slowly relaxed. Blake stepped away and let them have space.

“Let’s go upstairs,” Luke said softly.

“Yes,” she said, holding his stare. “I think that would be a very good idea.”

It was an announcement of war, but this one war he intended to win. The minute she was inside his apartment, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, taking her mouth with a hot demand, and when she whimpered, he picked her up and carried her toward the bedroom.

She must have sensed how on edge he was and how out of control he felt He was certain that the only way to feel better was with her, to be inside her, and a part of her, because she didn’t argue. She didn’t try to talk through what had just happened in the garage.

He stripped her naked and barely remembered undressing himself. He just knew he took her down onto the bed, unable to stop kissing her. He spread her legs and pressed his fingers inside her, craving her soft sounds of pleasure. Craving her. And when she came, when she moaned with release, he only wanted more. He needed more.

Luke pulled her beneath him, settling into the slick, wet heat of her body. And then he was inside her, with her. Her skin was soft, her kisses sweet and sultry, her responses to his touch intensely erotic.

She moaned and arched into him, clinging to him, as if she felt what he did, as if she was standing on a ledge with him, the only thing keeping him from falling.

They clung to each other and moved together as if they were trying to become one, until she spasmed around him and took him over the edge with her. They collapsed together. Time ticked by in silence until their breathing evened out.

Until Julie said, “Luke–”

“Don’t say it,” he said, pressing his forehead to hers. “You’re not going. I’ll find another way.”

“What if you can’t.”

“I will.” Because he had to. Because he wasn’t letting anything happen to her.

***

Gina threw her purse down on the kitchen counter as she entered her apartment, disgusted from thinking about how Julie had floated around museum, being complimented by everyone. They all loved Julie at that party, and what was Gina? Her assistant. Her f*cking assistant.

Marco came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong, bebe?”

She turned in his arms. “Even you wanted her,” she accused. “I saw how you looked at her.”

“I looked at her,” he said, not even asking who she meant, because he knew. “I touch you.”

“Not tonight you won’t.” She tried to push away from him, but those big strong arms of his held her, one big hand molding her closer.

“I know what you need,” he claimed softly, that damnable sexy accent of his tingling along her nerve endings. “Something special to make you forget how much you hate this woman you work for.”

“I don’t want to forget.” She wanted to remember. Oh yes, she wanted to remember, and she wanted to do something about it.

He slipped a feather light strip of something to her lips and she frowned as it began to melt, pulling back. “What is that?”

“A new kind of pleasure,” he promised. “You will feel me in ways you never thought possible.”

She didn’t do drugs. It had always been her taboo. She didn’t like feeling out of control. But whatever he’d given her began to dissolve on her lips and instinct made her scrape it with her teeth, the sweetness of it drawing a swipe of her tongue.

“That’s ma belle,” he approved, and pressed more of the sliver of sweetness into her mouth and this time she accepted it willingly. It was good and he was just so damn convincing without even trying.

Suddenly she felt warm and wonderful, and wait, was she on the bed? How had she gotten on the bed? And where were her clothes? Not that she cared. Naked was good. Naked with Marco was even better. Her world was spinning, but in rainbow colors where time and space seemed some distant place. Marco was nowhere, yet he was everywhere, kissing her, whispering naughty, wonderful things to her.

“You hate Julie, oui?” he asked by her ear, and his hand was on her stomach, heat seeping into her skin and sending these amazing sensations through her.

“Yes, I hate her.” She rolled over and wrapped her arms around him but then she blinked and everything went blank. She couldn’t remember what she’d said but she was pretty sure that, oh wow, oh, yes….she’d just had the orgasm of orgasms. “Do it again,” she demanded. ”Make me come again.”