Staking His Claim (Line of Duty #5)(18)

He nodded once, as if he’d made a decision. Then he turned and walked out the front door. Brent and Hayden were having an animated conversation that looked like it would end in them making out, so they didn’t notice his exit.

She should let him go. Definitely shouldn’t follow him. So why were her feet moving? Maybe she would just explain, issue an apology, and get it off her chest. Perhaps it wouldn’t do an ounce of good, possibly could even make things worse, but she couldn’t just let him walk out after shocking him the way she had. The thought that he might leave hating her was a decidedly sour one. At the very least she could get some closure on this situation.

Lucy almost laughed. There wouldn’t be closure any time soon. Not after what they’d shared. Not a moment had passed since last night that she didn’t replay his fervent words against her lips, the hint of torment in his voice. His hands, the way they’d positioned her so commandingly, so he could drive into her with perfect precision.

Decision made, Lucy skirted past a group of women discussing their plan to snag police officers for themselves and darted along the wall, hoping no one saw her. Warm summer breeze greeted her outside, carrying the scent of the Hudson River and a nearby bakery. Descending the steps, she looked right and left, finally catching sight of Matt halfway down the block.

“Matt. Wait.”

His shoulders stiffened and he slowed to a stop, but didn’t turn around. She kept walking until she stood five feet away, staring nervously at his back.

“What is it, Lucy?”

The sharp way he said her name sent a jolt through her, but there was also a sense of relief to finally hear him call her by the correct name. And boy, did that make her feel like an *. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I know that’s not even remotely adequate, but I couldn’t let you leave without hearing it.” He turned slowly and she fell back a step at the anger she saw in his expression, yet still he said nothing. “Could you please say something?”

“Why did you do it? Why lie?”

Stupidly, that was the one question she hadn’t anticipated. She’d expected, or hoped rather, that he would just shout something awful at her. It would have made her feel better. Absolved her of a tiny bit of her guilt. Instead, he’d caught her off guard, giving her no choice but to answer honestly. “I wanted you. In the coffee shop, before I knew who you were,” she said quietly, watching his jaw clench. “Then I heard you call me a nuisance…and I guess I just wanted to be someone who didn’t inspire irritation. Just for one day. I didn’t want to be your best friend’s little sister. I wanted to be me.”

“Only you weren’t you. You pretended to be someone else.”

“The only thing I lied about was my name. Everything else—”

“In this case, your name was the most important detail.” He pushed a hand through his black hair. “I never would have touched you if I’d known.”

“That’s the other reason I lied,” she whispered, trying to ignore the stab of hurt over his statement. She didn’t want to hear that. Wanted to keep imagining that he’d been so attracted to her that he’d had no choice.

Eyes closed, Matt shook his head. “It can’t happen again. It won’t.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I f*cked you on your hands and knees on the floor of a dingy motel room that rented by the hour. More than that, I—”

“Spanked me. Manhandled me.” She didn’t know where the words came from, only knew that now that they’d been spoken, the air thickened between her and Matt. In the space of seconds, her breath had grown shallow, cheeks flaming. She might have stopped there, but Matt’s chest shuddered and she couldn’t hold back the truth. “I liked it, Matt.”

“Stop.” He stepped even closer, contradicting his harsh command. As though he couldn’t help himself, his gaze dropped to her breasts where, thanks to her excitement, they swelled at the top of her dress. “It doesn’t matter. Now that I know who you are, touching you would be inexcusable.”

“But you want to.”

He sucked in a breath. “Lucy, that’s enough.”

The authority in his voice brought her back to the motel room, when he’d given her no choice but to obey him. If his intention was to push her away, his demands were having the opposite effect. Her pulse drummed loudly in her ears; her hands ached to run up his sculpted chest. She’d come out here to apologize for her lie, but now that they stood so close and she could feel the undeniable pull between them, she wondered if her lie had affected yesterday’s outcome whatsoever. This attraction would have been there even if he’d known her identity from the beginning. She was sure of it. This wasn’t a lie.

The girl she’d been before, the one who catapulted headlong into the unknown, wanted to push him to admit it. What they’d shared couldn’t be chalked up to convenience. A way to kill time as the car was repaired. No, he’d shown her a part of himself she suspected he didn’t reveal to many women. In turn, he’d taught her something about herself. Unlocked a side to her she hadn’t known existed. Lucy closed the distance between them, letting her curves brush against him. His muscled chest heaved before her eyes. She could feel him, huge and straining at the front of his dress pants. For her. It was the final encouragement she needed. “I thought of you every time I sat down today. Just like you told me to, Matt.”