"Aagh," I snarl at him in frustration. "You are impossible."
Spinning around, I bolt for the door that leads to the deck, intent on grabbing my purse and getting the hell home.
If you leave now, my subconscious says, you'll lose him to naked volleyball.
I don't give a shit, I hiss back at my subconscious.
Just before I reach the door, I feel a hand clamp down on my elbow and I am pulled to an abrupt stop.
"Oh no you don't, Stephy," Lucas says. "We need to talk."
I try to pull my arm away. "No, we don't."
"Yes, we do." And the next thing I know he is dragging me back through the living room into the hallway and straight into Garrett and Olivia's master bedroom. He shuts the door behind us and releases me.
I spin on him. "What are you doing? It's totally rude to be in their bedroom."
"You don't have to worry," he says with a sly smirk. "I don't plan on fucking you here."
"Don't plan on fucking me anywhere," I snap at him.
He just smiles placidly at me and I can tell he still thinks I'm freaking adorable.
"I am not jealous," I tell him again as I cross my arms over my chest.
He crosses his arms to match me. "I'm not jealous either."
"Fine," I retort.
"Fine."
"So where does that leave us?" Lucas asks.
"I'm going home," I reply primly.
Lucas's eyes grow dark and he gives me a mischievous grin. "Sounds good. I'll meet you there."
I ignore the thrilling sizzle that courses through me and stubbornly remain aloof. "No, you're not."
"Yes, I am."
"No, you're--"
Lucas is on me, hands in my hair, mouth crushed against mine, and my refusal to let him come to my house is swallowed down his throat. The minute his tongue touches mine, my entire body betrays me by melting into him.
When he ends the kiss, his eyes bore into mine and he asks, "Am I coming home with you?"
I nod dazedly at him.
He smirks back at me.
"I am not jealous, though," I reiterate.
"Neither am I," he murmurs, then touches his mouth to mine for a very brief, sweet kiss. "Let's make our goodbyes so we can get naked."
--
Lucas shoves his face in my neck as he plants himself deep inside of me and groans out his orgasm. My hands skim over his back, marveling at the way he shudders against me.
"God, that's good," Lucas mutters with hot breath against my skin.
I couldn't agree more. I had two orgasms to his one. The first he induced with his fingers, the rest with just his cock as he rode me. He is so beautiful when he's above me, my legs spread and knees pressed into his sides. The brown in his eyes is taking over the green, but they're still streaked with gold. I know this because he stares at me the entire time, refusing to break eye contact, and the connection is intense. Now that I think about it, that second orgasm may have been due in part to his eyes as well.
Lifting my head, I put my lips to Lucas's shoulders and kiss him softly. His breathing is ragged and he just rests his weight on me for a moment as if he's too exhausted to move.
"Would you have gone to naked volleyball tomorrow had I not let you come over tonight?" I ask suddenly, and if my hands weren't busy stroking his back, I'd clap one over my mouth in shock over that popping out.
Lucas lifts his head and he stares down at me with dancing eyes. "Who says I'm not?"
My hand slides to his ass and I pinch it. Lucas yelps as his torso bucks, and I didn't know men could make that type of noise. Then so fast I'm not even sure how it happens, Lucas rolls us and I'm straddling him with his half-hard dick still lodged inside me.
I balance myself with hands to his chest and he palms my thighs as we look at each other. His mischievous expression, though, is gone and I watch as his eyes slide down past my breasts to where we are still connected. My breath catches as I realize he's looking at where his dick disappears into my body with a measure of awe and hunger. I let my own eyes drop and I see what he sees. He brings a hand to my mound and touches me gently, but not without impact. My entire body jolts from that small touch.
Still staring at our joining, Lucas murmurs, "Look at this. My cock in your pussy. That is so fucking hot to me, and I swear, Stephy...if you started moving on me right now, I'd get fully hard again. I'd be ready to go for another round."
I hold my breath and watch him, because I don't think that's the important thing he's trying to convey. I think it's something else.
He makes it clearer when his eyes move to mine, where they lock. "Why in the hell would I ever want to go to naked volleyball when I have this right here?"
I cough to clear my throat, ignoring the pure joy that filters through me at his words.
"Um...because it's naked volleyball with strippers?" I say tentatively, unsure why he would do such a thing.
Lucas presses his thumb against my clit, causing me to moan and rock my hips as he chides, "Trust me when I say nothing is better than this right here. Understood?"
"Yes," I say breathlessly, holding the urge to start bouncing up and down on him. I don't know if he can really go again so fast, but I'll let him make that call.
"This isn't casual, Stephanie," Lucas says soberly. My joy fizzles a tiny bit and is replaced by fear. "And there are strings, unfortunately. I didn't like the thought of you flirting with another guy. I don't know if it's just proprietary over what I've exclusively claimed as mine for right now, or what, but I didn't like it."
I'm shaking my head in denial because that's what I'm trained to do when I think someone might get too close. Lucas is getting too close, and his words affect me in two different ways. They make me want so much with him, and they make me want to shut the door firmly on the possibility.
"There aren't any strings," I lie outright to him. "Either of us can walk at any time."
He gives me a sad, knowing smile. He gets why I just said that, and he understands me better than perhaps I know myself at this moment. I don't know if I should like him or hate him for that.
"There are strings," Lucas says firmly. "I was jealous of you talking to Cash. That's a string. If you were honestly jealous of me talking to Rona, then that's a string. I'll let you discuss that with your conscience, but I've got no problem admitting it. Not when what we just shared in this bed is so beautiful and amazing."
Oh God.
Just...oh God. He really means that and
this is really happening.
"I don't think I'm ready for strings," I whisper fearfully to him, my heart now racing as fast as it was right before he brought me to the height of pleasure. My chest feels weighted with anxiety as I consider how very threatening this is to my way of life, and at the same time, I've got this undeniable excitement making me absolutely jittery.
Lucas's hands grab mine and he squeezes them gently. "Stephy...it's just a string. Not a commitment, not a proposal, not a declaration of emotion or feelings. It's just a string. Probably means nothing more than we are proprietary about each other's bodies."
He's lying to me to help put me at ease, damn him and his sweet ways. That's not what it means, but he sounds so earnest in his reasoning I think I'm going to accept that. No, I know I'm going to accept that, because even though I'm not ready to consider something that risks my heart with Lucas, I'm not ready to give him up either.
So I nod to him and exhale. "Okay."
"Okay," he says with a smile. "Now we need to talk about something else."
"Can we talk over Cherry Garcia?" I ask with a perky smile.
He rolls his eyes and then lifts me off him. He slips out and I hate how I hate losing that connection.
"Go get us some ice cream," he orders with a swat to my ass.
I scramble off the bed and run through my small apartment. In less than a minute, I'm back with a fresh pint. The one he and I started three days ago is long gone.
Lucas is in bed, sheet pulled up to his waist, watching me with appreciative eyes when I walk in. He's told me so many times how beautiful I am. How beautiful my body is, and yet...when he looks at me, he conveys something even deeper about how much he likes what he sees. His expression actually makes me giddy.
Crawling into bed, I hand over the ice cream. He opens it while I situate myself beside him against the headboard. I don't bother with bringing the sheet up to my breasts and instead keep it just over my lap like him. Our legs are pressed together and our shoulders touch. I watch as Lucas takes the first spoonful of ice cream before handing it over to me. "I have to stop joining you in your cravings. I'm going to turn into a cow at this rate."