Lucas walked out to stand by the pool, listening to the rumble of thunder in the distance. A storm had been brewing for the last couple of hours, but it was still too far away for him to pick up the glare of any lightning flashes. The brooding weather seemed to match his mood, with the electrical energy in the air signalling atmospheric change a reminder of what was going on between him and Ruby.
Change that could not be reversed.
He had set a seven-day limit on their arrangement, but was a week going to be enough? The first day was almost over and he was already anticipating the next and the next and... Then what? What about when he got to day seven? Would this ache in his flesh have died down by then? Or would his body be as on fire as it was now?
He was already tempted to extend their arrangement, but he didn’t want her to get the wrong impression about his motives. It had never been his intention to complicate their relationship. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted to do. She had been hurt too much already by people who should have loved and protected her. How Ruby hadn’t ended up as cynical and jaded as him was a miracle, but she stubbornly refused to give up hope. Hope that one day someone would sweep her off her feet and ride off into the sunset with her.
Lucas rubbed a hand over his face and tried not to think of who that person might be. He only hoped it would be someone who took the time to understand her, to be patient and gentle with her. Someone who would admire and respect her as he did for overcoming such a rough start in life.
The sky lit up in front of him with a flash of lightning, closely followed by a booming crash of thunder. The storm was getting closer by the second.
But the savage storm in his body, and in his mind, was even closer.
Ruby turned on the dishwasher in the kitchen and just then the horizon lit up with silver swords of lightning stabbing at the sea followed by the sound of a booming crash of thunder.
She went and stood next to the open door leading to the terrace. ‘Lucas? Don’t you think you should come in? That storm is getting pretty close.’
He turned and came over to where she was standing, his expression difficult to read. ‘Time for bed?’
She sent the tip of her tongue over her lips, feeling a wave of heat flow through her lower body. ‘Did you want me to sleep in my room or...?’ She left the question hanging in the air, along with her hopes.
Lucas took one of her hands and lifted it to his mouth, his lips brushing her fingers in a light caress that sent a shiver rolling down her spine.
‘Or...?’ There was a teasing note in his tone.
‘Or...sleep in yours.’
He tugged her a little closer, bringing her up against the deliciously hard frame of his body. ‘What do you think?’
His eyes gleamed with erotic intent and her body was swamped with another tidal wave of longing. ‘I think it makes sense to make the most of the time we have here.’
His gave a lazy smile. ‘My thoughts exactly.’
He placed his hands on her hips, holding her against the primal throb of his body. His mouth came down and covered hers in a kiss that triggered a firestorm in her flesh. His tongue entered her mouth with the same earthy drive as his body had done, making her gasp with delight. Her tongue met his in a sexy tangle that made her blood simmer and her heart pound. Desire throbbed and pulsed between her legs with each flicker of his tongue against hers.
Another zig-zag of lightning cracked overhead, and an almost instantaneous boom of thunder. But the wild weather only seemed to heighten the electricity fizzing between their bodies.
Lucas groaned against her mouth, deepening the kiss even further, one of his hands going to the base of her spine and pressing her harder against his body. Ruby kissed him back with the same intensity, winding her arms around his neck, letting her fingers play with the curls of his hair that brushed against his collar.
He broke the kiss to bring his mouth to the neckline of her dress, his lips blazing a fiery trail across her skin. ‘Ever made love in a storm before?’ he asked.
‘No. Have you?’
‘Not that I can remember.’ He nibbled on her earlobe, sending another shiver skittering down her spine. ‘But first we need protection.’
Ruby glanced warily at the sky outside. ‘But surely we can’t get struck by lightning under the shelter of the terrace roof?’
‘I meant a condom.’ He nibbled her other earlobe and added, ‘But making love with youisa little like being struck by lightning.’
‘Right back at you, buddy.’ Ruby gave a half-laugh. ‘I don’t think my body will ever be the same again.’
Lucas frowned and stroked her cheek with his index finger in a gentle touch. ‘Have I rushed you? Made you sore?’
His voice was full of concern, and that made it so much harder to control her feelings. Feelings she had promised would not exist between them during their ‘arrangement’.
‘No, of course not. I just meant making love with you is so different...so wonderfully different from what I’ve experienced before.’
What were her chances of finding such perfect chemistry with someone else? She might be an optimist, but even she could see there might be a problem finding a partner who met her needs as wonderfully as Lucas. Who else would she love as she loved him? Had sheeverstopped loving him? Her teenage crush had simply grown into a more mature love. A love that didn’t disguise his faults but accepted them as part of who he was.