Skin Deep Read online

  Luke smiled. “You’re right, that’s gross. But sweet.”

  The waiter arrived with my dessert then and I wasted no time grabbing my fork and digging in. Scooping up a hefty bite, I wrapped my lips around it, unable to stop the uncontrollable moan of ecstasy from escaping my throat as I chewed slowly.

  I completely forgot about everything but my cake as I continued to scoop bite after bite, savoring each and every mouthful, closing my eyes and moaning, groaning, or humming with every morsel. I got down to my last bite, pausing to lick the chocolate off my fork, when I opened my eyes to find Luke staring at me, his eyes half-closed, nostrils flared, white knuckled hands gripping the edge of the able, and his lips set in a grim line.

  Uh oh.

  I blinked and asked sheepishly, “Want some?” (Again hoping that he’d say no)

  Luke didn’t say a word, just barely shook his head from side to side, giving me the all clear to finish it myself (Yay!). Still holding his gaze, I briefly wondered if I’d embarrassed myself, or even Luke, eating like starving pig, but couldn’t stop myself from scooping the last bite up to my lips and then scraping the plate clean of any traces of chocolate remaining.

  Before I’d even set my fork down, Luke grabbed his wallet, threw some bills down on the table, stood up and said, “We’re done. Let’s go.”

  We left the restaurant and headed to Luke’s car. He didn’t touch me once, and we didn’t speak as we got in, he started the car, and pulled out into the street. He wouldn’t even look my way as we sat in silence. My cheeks were flaming in mortification as I thought about how much of an ass I had made of myself at dinner. I shouldn’t have ordered dessert, and I for damn sure shouldn’t have ignored him while I made love to a piece of cake sitting in a restaurant. Even though it was still relatively early, only nine o’clock, I assumed that he was taking me directly home. I wasn’t wrong.

  Swallowing my disappointment in myself and battling tears of embarrassment, I turned to Luke to thank him for the evening as we pulled up in front of my house. Before I could open my mouth, he got out, came around and opened my door. He walked me up to the door, lightly clasping my fingers in his. I guess manners still win out over disgust.

  I turned to tell him good night, leaning back against my front door, and found him watching me closely.

  “Ummm…well…thanks for a nice evening, Luke,” I said.

  “Its not over, Emma,” Luke replied.

  Erm. Its not? Holy shit!

  “Ask me in.” It wasn’t a question, and I found myself gaping at him in disbelief, unable to comprehend why he would want to prolong this any longer.

  I finally forced my lips to move. “Come in? I…I’m sure I could find a bottle of wine or something…”I trailed off, not sure exactly what to say. I mean, my cha-chi was screaming, ‘Yes! Come in! We’re open!’, but there’s no way in hell that’s what he was thinking. Right?

  Luke followed me through the door into the living room. I turned to shut the door, locking it behind us out of habit. As my fingers slipped away from the dead bolt, I became aware of Luke’s hard heat pressing close behind me. I felt him lightly stroke the backs of his fingers down my cheek and my breath caught in my throat. He leaned further into me, pressing me against the door. My head fell back against his shoulder as I felt his lips trace the side of my throat before lightly nipping my earlobe.

  “Mmmm…,” Luke whispered in my ear. “You taste as good as you look.”

  Then, pulling back from me, I heard him walk further into the room and sit on the couch. I stayed where I was for a second, trying to convince my legs to work before turning to look at him. He looked so good lounging on my couch that, for a second, I contemplated kidnapping him and holding him hostage as my personal sex slave for the rest of my life.

  “Uh, I’ll get something to drink for us,” I said before heading towards the kitchen. Luke

  said nothing in reply, just smiled.

  I rummaged absent-mindedly in the cabinet and in the fridge, finding a half-empty bottle of Ice Wine that I picked up on my last trip to Put In Bay, and an unopened bottle of tequila. Shrugging, I grabbed two shot glasses and a lime from the fridge, making a mental note to pick more up at the store so I could still make my tequila lime chicken for dinner one night. I quickly sliced a few wedges from the lime, picked up the salt and the bottle of tequila, and headed back to the living room, figuring I’d drown my embarrassment and subsequent confusion in liquor.

  “Shots,” I said, unnecessarily, as I deposited my load on the coffee table in front of Luke.

  “Alright.” Luke said.

  Leaning forward, Luke poured two shots into the shot glasses, then picked up the salt shaker, turning to me and grabbing my hand. His eyes burned into mine as he slowly lifted my hand to his mouth and I felt the warmth of his breath on my skin before his tongue touched me in the curve between my thumb and forefinger. I couldn’t control the small gasp that shot from between my lips at the unexpected touch.

  He then lightly shook the salt over the dampness left behind from his mouth (I ignored the granules that missed my hand and fell into the couch and carpet…well, I told myself to, anyway) before setting down the shaker, grabbing a lime wedge and bringing it to my lips. He pressed the cold fruit against my lips, wordlessly entreating me to take it in my mouth. I held it gently between my lips, waiting for his next move. He grabbed one of the shots from the table, pulled my hand to him, licked the salt from my skin, and tossed back the tequila before sliding his hand behind my neck and pulling me to him.

  I moaned softly as his lips closed over mine, tasting the tartness of the lime burst on my tongue as he bit gently into the fruit before pulling back from my mouth. I opened my eyes and looked at him in confusion because I still had the lime wedge in my mouth; he hadn’t taken it. I reached up and removed the wedge from my lips and before I could even lean forward to place the spent peel on the table, Luke moved like lightning, drawing me hard against him and boldly swiping his tongue against the seam of my lips before sliding inside when I gasped. He kissed me deeply, and I tasted the tanginess of lime and the tart bite of tequila on his tongue.

  I dropped the lime husk from my hand, not caring when it landed on the carpet before running my hands up Luke’s arms to tangle my fingers in his hair. I loved the feel of it in my hands, so soft and thick, adding another sensation to the already overwhelming tide drowning me in seduction. The silver ring piercing his lower lip pressed against mine, the contrast of its cool hardness against my heated skin driving me wild.

  We broke the kiss, both of us breathing hard, our foreheads pressed together as we gazed into each other’s eyes. He lightly skimmed his fingers up my arms to where my fingers were still tangled in his hair, wincing slightly as my fingers tightened convulsively before releasing it from my grasp.

  I blushed, muttering, “Sorry.”

  “Its ok,” Luke said. “I like knowing that I have that effect on you.” His voiced dropped an octave as he leaned in again. “Its only fair for what you do to me.”

  Whuh? What I do to him? What the fuck has he been smoking?

  I sat back against the arm of the couch, watching him guardedly as he looked at me with hooded eyes, his lips curved up at the corners in a lazy smile.

  “It’s your shot, sugar,” Luke drawled.

  I blinked owlishly at him, trying to get my wits together but failing miserably. How can he be so calm? I sat up and grabbed the shot, not wasting any time with the salt or lime, and downed it. Yikes. That was a mistake, because that shit burns! I choked on a cough as my eyes watered and, feeling like a moron, I felt Luke’s hand pound my back. I finally caught my breath and held up my hand so that Luke would quit pounding on me before I looked over at him, blushing furiously.

  “You okay there, sunshine?” Luke asked, laughing softly.

  I nodded.

  “My turn again, then.” Luke poured another shot and grabbed the salt shaker before leaning in close to me again. He jerked his he
ad in the universal motion for ‘come here’ before tilting my head to the side with his hand on the nape of my neck. I felt his warm breath bathe my skin just before his lips closed over the sensitive skin of my neck, right at the curve where it meets my shoulder. My breath shuddered out as he gently suckled before flicking his tongue against my skin.

  He pulled back and sprinkled salt sparingly over the dampness he left behind before grabbing the shot and placing another lime wedge between my lips. I waited for what was coming, holding my breath, surprised when he reached up with his free hand and pulled out the clip holding my hair up in place. My hair tumbled down in waves around my shoulders. I glanced up at Luke, watching in fascination as his eyes darkened before he tangled his fingers roughly in my hair at the back of my neck, and then, pulling my head sharply to the side, he licked the salt off my skin, and downed the shot. Then, with his fingers still tangled in my hair, he took the lime from my lips, again leaving behind the tart and tangy flavor of lime and tequila. After taking the lime out of his mouth and tossing it to the table, he brought his lips back to mine, kissing me deeply. His tongue swept inside my mouth, tangling with mine, stealing my breath with the intensity.

  Luke used his fingers, still entwined in my hair, to thrust my head back, exposing my throat to him. He licked across my full bottom lip, sucked it between his teeth, and nipped at it sharply. A surprised sound escaped from me at how good that felt; the perfect combination of pain and pleasure. I felt his other hand slide up my thigh, skim my ribs and cup my breast, his thumb finding and circling my nipple with sure strokes.

  I moaned into his mouth and he dragged his lips down my cheek to my neck, kissing, sucking, and licking every inch of my skin along the way. His fingers left my hair and both hands then cupped my breasts, palming the soft firmness of my flesh. I arched into his hands, my thighs squeezing together restlessly, trying to alleviate the ache building between them.

  “Emma,” Luke whispered.

  I opened my eyes, gazing at him through a haze of desire.

  “Sugar, watching you wrap your lips around your fork, licking chocolate off your lips, and hearing you moan all night…I’m about two seconds from ripping your clothes off and fucking you senseless on your couch. Baby, you have to tell me to stop now if you don’t want this. Otherwise, I’m gonna slide inside your hot, wet body, inch by inch, until I’m buried so deep between your thighs…” his words cut off on a harsh breath.

  Stop? Tell him to stop? Is he insane? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m not that kind of girl; I hardly kiss on the first date, let alone jump into bed like my thighs were spring loaded and ready to part. But there was something seriously wrong with his brain if he thought for one second that I would ruin what was shaping up to be the single most satisfying, screaming orgasm inducing, hottest sexual encounter of my life.

  My cha-chi was quivering with excitement, screaming, ‘Hallelujah, the desert days are over, girl! Bring on the rain!’

  My voice was breathy when I said, “No, Luke. I don’t want you to stop. Please…”

  Luke growled low in his throat before grasping my legs behind my knees, pulling me down and my legs out, kneeling between my now outspread thighs. I moaned at the feel of his hardness pressed against my aching softness, and then he was over me, thrusting against me, sliding his hands under my shirt and devouring my mouth in a furious kiss.

  And then it happened. No, no…I don’t mean It. If that would have happened, I wouldn’t be sitting here hornier than a horny toad, glaring at the object of my fury. Well, objects, plural. And boy was I pissed!

  Just when we were getting to the good part, my legs wrapped around Luke’s waist, his hips flush against mine, his hands tugging my shirt up, a noise broke through my daze and I raised my eyes over Luke’s shoulder. Standing there, faces red with suppressed laughter and shock, was my brother, Calland, and my younger sister, Leah. Calland had his hand slapped over Leah’s mouth but I could still hear her muffled snorts of glee.

  I scrambled out from under Luke, tugging my clothes back into place and throwing a mumbled ‘sorry’ over my shoulder when I inadvertently elbowed him in the stomach in my mad dash to get away. He got up painfully and perched on the edge of the couch, trying to hide his condition from my family but it wasn’t working.

  I glared at Calland. “What the hell are you doing? Don’t you know how to call first?”

  He chuckled, finally removing his hand from Leah’s mouth. She immediately let loose with a loud hoot of laughter, throwing her head back and gripping her stomach, leaning so far back that she lost her balance and fell on her ass. Wonderful. She’s drunk.

  Calland looked behind me and grinned before saying, “Hi! I’m Calland, Emma’s brother. Apparently she has forgotten her manners or she would have introduced us by now. But I guess she was pretty preoccupied…” his words trailed off in laughter.

  “Again,” I said between clenched teeth, “What are you doing here and why didn’t you just call?”

  “I did call. Four times. You didn’t answer, but now I can see why.” He grinned unabashedly at me. “Leah called from the bar, said her date was a douche and she needed a ride. Cant take her home like this, so…tag! You’re it!” With that, he gave Luke a two fingered salute, nudged Leah off of his foot where she had landed, and took off towards the front door.

  “Calland!” I yelled. “Get your ass back here, you stupid son of a motherless goat!” I let out a scream of frustration before remembering that Luke was still sitting there, taking everything in.

  I blew out a breath, knowing that my night of debauchery was now out of the question. Leaving Leah where she lay on the carpet, I moved to stand in front of Luke, who had now risen from the couch.

  “Luke, I’m sorry,” I said quietly, my voice filled with regret.

  Luke grinned and said, “I’m not,” before drawing me into his arms and pressing his lips to mine lightly. “Don’t worry, sugar. We’re gonna fuck. Just not tonight.” With that said, he kissed my lips softly once more and then was gone.

  I stood there gazing longingly at the door for a minute until an animalistic snore broke through my reverie. I walked over to my sister, nudging her with my foot, telling her to get her drunk ass up. Leah is the youngest of us kids, just barely 25. She had a natural perkiness that had served her well as the captain of the cheerleading team in high school, long, dark, wavy brown hair like mine, and the jade green eyes that we all shared. She was tiny like Jenna, worked as a hairstylist in a shop by the mall, and had men follow her around in droves, all hoping to be on the receiving end of her bright smile.

  I reached down and grabbed her under her armpits, hefting her up into a sitting position. She opened her eyes blearily and blinked at me before saying, “Emma? ‘Zat choo?”

  “Yeah, Leah, its me. C’mon, lets get you to bed.”

  It took some finagling, but I finally got her up, down the hall, and safely tucked into my bed before crawling in beside her and falling into a deep sleep. My last thought before it was lights out was, “Calland is going to die.”

  Chapter 5

  The rest of the week flew by. I was so busy with work and fielding calls from Allie demanding details from my date with Luke that I didn’t have time to dwell much on the fact that I hadn’t heard from him. Okay, so I lied. Its all I could think about. I could just shoot my brother for doing that to me, and I probably would, once I could get my hands on him. He wisely has been avoiding me.

  On the bright side? My boss, sweetheart that he is, so kindly agreed without hesitation to bond me out of jail after I shoot Calland. Of course, I didn’t tell him why it would be necessary. He’s cool like that.

  On Friday afternoon, having spent most of my morning fielding my usual ration of legal questions, phone calls (quite a few were hang ups or heavy breathing in my ear; weird), and client meetings, I answered my phone one last time as I shut down my computer, prepared to once again explain why someone couldn’t get their marriage annulled. That, let me t
ell you, is a fascinating conversation: They say, “I want to get my marriage annulled.” I say, “okay, have you consummated the marriage?” They say, “what?” I say, “Did you consummate the marriage?” They say, “What’s that mean?” I say, “Did you have sex with your wife/husband on your wedding night and/or any other night (or day) during the course of your marriage?” And so on, and so forth. My favorite was an older woman who had called and we had the same conversation, but her response to my last question was classic. She said, “Well wasn’t I supposed to? He told me it was against the law if we didn’t…” Poor woman.

  “Good afternoon, Floyd Grim’s office, can I help you?”

  “Hey, sugar,” a deep, sinfully rich voice said in my ear.

  Gah! “Hey,” I said breathlessly.

  “I’ll be there to get you at six. Be ready.”

  Ummm…no? I mean, we’ve had one date. So who collared me and made him master?

  “Sorry, Luke,” I replied in a clipped tone. “Got plans with Allie. Another time?” I really did have plans with Allie, but even if I didn’t, I would have made some. As it was, she and I had a date with our fat clothes, junk food, and an Amanda Seyfried movie marathon; we had Letters to Juliet, Mama Mia, and Dear John. (Which we watch more for Channing Tatum. Yum. I mean, have you seen Magic Mike? Heellooo!)

  “Cancel them,” came the quick reply.

  “No, Luke. And what gives you the right to call me up out of the blue, at my job, no less, and dictate what-”

  He cut me off mid-sentence. “Babe. I’ll call Allie. Six. Be ready. Later, sugar.”

  I heard the phone click off in my ear and stood there in shock , the receiver still pressed to my cheek.

  After a minute, I replaced the phone on the hook, gathered up my purse and my keys, and locked up the office. Heading out to my car, I dialed Allie’s number on my cell. She didn’t answer, so I left her a message, demanding that she call me immediately. I figured she was closing up the store or she would have answered. She’s manic about answering her phone, always telling me that if she didn’t, she could miss the “party of a lifetime” call that would keep her in enough Nipple Dip, Jack Rabbits, and Turtle Tools (Oh, my!) to last a lifetime.