Lie to Me (Pearl Island Trilogy #4)(78)

He smiled up at her with such heat, her breath caught. In the past, he’d always let her take the lead until she got him too worked up to hold back. Now, though, even though she sat on top of him, he looked like the aggressor.

One finger of his right hand slipped inside the neck of her dress, between her breasts, and gave a small tug.

“Off,” he commanded.

A thrill went through her as she reached behind her to pull down the zipper. Gathering up the yards of fabric, she pulled it over her head and sent the dress sailing to the floor. Since the dress had its own built in support, she’d worn nothing underneath but a pair of bikini panties. The cool air made her nipples go taut and his eyes dilated at the sight.

Her muscles quivered as his hands skimmed up her thighs and over her torso to cup the weight of her breasts. His thumbs tweaked the hard pebbles of her nipples and heat pooled instantly between her legs, where his shaft pressed against her.

When he tried to pull her down to him, however, she took his wrists and pressed them to the cushion on either side of his head.

He arched his brow, questioning.

“Let me,” she said in a needy voice. “Please.”

His eyes widened, then went heavy as she shifted to kneel between his legs. She kissed and licked a path down his throat and over his chest, where a growl rumbled against her lips. Then he inhaled sharply as she went lower, to the defined muscles of his abdomen. Teasing him with her tongue, she unbuckled his belt. His groan nearly drowned out the rasp of his zipper.

He lifted his hips to let her draw down his pants and boxers and she lowered them just enough to let his erection spring free.

His glorious length stood proudly before her, begging to be touched. She glanced up, saw the heat in his eyes, and flashed him a smile before lowering her mouth to him.

She lost herself in pleasuring him. This was what she needed. This raw, open desire. No pretenses, no promises. Just honest physical giving and taking.

Suddenly, his hands fisted in her hair.

“Enough,” he said, gasping for breath. “Condom.” He shifted to pull his wallet from his back pocket.

Chloe stood and pushed her panties down. By the time she straightened, he’d already kicked out of his pants and sheathed himself. She started to climb back on top of him, but he slipped to kneel on the floor.

“Come here,” he said, tugging down on her hand. When she knelt before him, he plowed his free hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head. His eyes glinted in the darkness. For once, though, when he turned commanding, she didn’t see Blade. She saw only Luc.

His mouth descended to take hers in a hard kiss. She thrilled at the demand. Breaking the kiss, he nudged her to turn and bent her over the coffee table. She barely had time to brace her weight on her forearms before his hands were sliding down her back, urging her to lower more, until her breasts pressed against the table. The cool surface hardened her nipples into aching peaks.

His hands slipped lower, over her bottom, squeezing and shaping. Then, one of his hands moved between her thighs. On a gasp, she flung her head back as he slipped a single finger into her wet passage.

Yes, she thought, yes. This was what she needed. To surrender to a man she totally trusted with her body. She might never trust anyone with her heart, but with Luc, she felt safe to let go physically.

The thrill of that built inside her, into a tight ball low in her belly. She moaned, straining for that pinnacle of pleasure. She needed it so much, needed it to rip through her and shatter all the fear and longing that clawed at her heart for just a split second of blessed relief.

“Please,” she panted.

“I’ve got you, baby,” he said in a surprisingly tender voice. She felt his lips touch the small of her back in a soft kiss amidst the maelstrom of passion.

“I need—” was all she could get out, unable to express everything clamoring inside her.

“I know,” he said in a throaty rasp as he widened the gap between her knees with his own. Then his shaft pressed at her entrance.

She arched her back, pressing onto him as he eased inside. Slowly. Too slowly.

“More,” she pleaded.

And he gave her more. One of his hands moved around to pleasure her from the front as he thrust in and out of her with hard, demanding strokes. The ball of physical and emotional need increased until an orgasm tore through her. Feeling it, he gave in to his own need, thrusting hard, then holding himself deep inside her as he shuddered.

To her horror, even as her body shattered with pleasure, she broke into sobs. All the emotions she’d held locked up inside broke free. Her body heaved as she gasped for air, only to find she couldn’t breathe.

“Chloe? Chloe?” she heard Luc calling. “Hey, I’ve got you.”

She felt his arms going around her. Felt him pulling her into his lap as he moved to the sofa.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry.” He ran his hands over her, trying to soothe her. “Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head, managing to take in a shallow breath. He hadn’t hurt her. He’d just unlocked a Pandora’s box of emotion. Clinging to him, she cried with a gut-wrenching strength that threatened to tear her open.

“What did I do?” he asked, clearly panicked. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t,” she got out. “J-just h-hold me.”

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she let herself go for the first time in her life. No holding back. She let all the hurt well up from the very pit of her being and come out with bone-shaking anguish.