But even so, once he’d said it with such finality, she felt a hollow tug in her chest.
She dismissed it. Forced it back where it belonged, in the box marked This is just a sexual adventure, and let the hunger reign.
‘I know,’ she said, so desperate now she could hardly breathe. ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
‘Bien,’ he said, then threaded his fingers through her hair and angled her face for his kiss.
Anticipation shimmered down to her core as she grasped his waist. His hot breath skimmed over her cheek and her heart soared.
‘Let’s take this upstairs,’ he murmured. ‘Where it belongs.’
She barely had a chance to nod before he’d lifted her into his arms and headed out of the kitchen, leaving their dirty dishes and the last of her sanity behind.
Excitement rushed through her, blasting away the last of her thoughts about anything other than feeding this hunger. She would take this chance. Take everything Luke Broussard had to offer over the next five days. Not just spectacular no-strings sex, but the chance to indulge in all the things she’d denied herself for so long.
Freedom, exhilaration, excitement, fun.
But as he marched up the stairs, holding her in his arms, she couldn’t quite ignore the weight in her chest warning her she was already more invested in this moment—this man—than she had any right to be.
CHAPTER TEN
‘ON YOUR FEET, Cassandra!’ Luke’s shouted command carried across the roar of the surf. ‘Now.’
Cassie tensed, her tired muscles straining as she leant forward on the board the way he’d instructed her. You can do this. Get off your knees.
But her fingers refused to obey her. She had only seconds before the wave would barrel past her and she’d miss her chance.
‘Look at me, cher. Don’t look at the board.’
She raised her gaze to find Luke standing a few hundred feet away, thigh-deep in the water.
The surfing lessons had been her idea—why the heck had she suggested them again...? Oh, yeah, because otherwise she and Luke would never have left the house, or rather his bed, in the last four days.
But still her fingers refused to relinquish their death grip on the board.
I can’t do this... I just can’t.
‘Cassandra, you’ve got this.’
The words carried over the tumble of water—powerful, provocative, confident. Confident in her. And in her ability to finally get this right.
And as if by magic the inadequacy which had been holding her back all morning finally let go its stranglehold on her body.
There’s no pressure here except the pressure you put on yourself.
This wasn’t about pleasing Luke. It was about pleasing herself.
The thought was like a light, blasting the last of the doubts out of her brain—and her fingertips.
The tired muscles in her thighs relaxed. She pressed her toes into the board and finally let it go...
Determination surged through her as she rose to a standing position in one fluid movement. Her legs strained, her knees shook, but she stood upright, instinctively assuming the stance Luke had taught her over the past two days—one leg forward, the other back, her arms outstretched to steady herself.
Her body absorbed the kick of power as the board skimmed across the water. The wave broke behind her and the board shot forward.
Suddenly she was flying. And shrieking. Her joy collided with the rush of triumph.
Her knees trembled, but instead of throwing herself into the sea, this time she adjusted her arms to balance her stance.