What the hell was I thinking, letting Luke con me into coming to his place for dinner?

It was the spider issuing an invitation to the fly, who was then stupid enough to accept it under the guise of work. I was sure we would get work done, just as I was sure that he’d have my panties on the floor, and his cock buried deep inside me before I set foot outside his apartment again. Even knowing he had an ulterior motive, my desire to get ahead on my work made me willing to chance it. Or so I told myself.

I was pathetic.

But I was here, and I needed to prove to myself that I had more willpower than lust, if only to myself. So, I smiled at the nice doorman when he walked me to the elevator and pressed a few buttons to take me to Luke’s floor. I used the ride up to give my appearance a final check in the mirrored doors. I’d gone casual in a green wrap dress with golden flats.

Just to make sure he knew, that I knew, that this was not a date.

The doors opened and Lukas was right there, acting like a pod person. He was nice and charming. Sweet, even.

“Talia you look…stunning.” His eyes were sincere and with the gold flecks more prominent, he never looked more like a big cat on the prowl. “As always.”

“Thanks, Luke. What’s all this?”

Because the place did not feel like a home where two people would be working most of the night. Nope, it looked like the stage was set for romance. The flames of several candles flickered, adding a hint of ambiance to an already dimly lit space. Low seductive music streamed from somewhere, and he’d changed into a pair of dark jeans and a blue shirt that did amazing things for his eyes. And his chest. And arms. But what really got to me, was his bare feet and the apron. He looked at home in the kitchen.

He made a delicious picture. Things were going badly for my resolve already.

“This is dinner. As promised.” He flashed that panty melting smile that somehow still had a boyish charm about it, and I felt myself crumble a bit more.

“Smells good. Which door is the chef hiding behind?”

He smiled again, this time it was a tad sheepish. “I’m right here, every sexy inch of me.”

That was the damn truth. He was a walking, talking wet dream. “You look nice too, Luke.”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Take off your clothes. Have a seat and I’ll get you a drink.”

“My clothes?”

He turned innocently. “Isn’t your coat technically an item of clothing?”

“You’re a real smart ass, aren’t you?” We both knew he was, and Luke only shrugged in return, like the troublemaker he was. I hung up my coat and set my purse down, taking a seat at the tall stool in the breakfast nook. It was close enough that we could talk, but far enough that I wouldn’t get hit with any flying bits of food. “This kitchen is great.”

“I love it. When I got this place, we gutted the whole kitchen and turned it into this. Six burners, two ovens, a warming oven and a baking station.”

“You cook a lot?”

He shrugged. “Not as much as I would like to, but I like to cook. Blake made sure we learnt the basics, and since he pretty much raised us, that meant I did a lot of the cooking.”

Something new I hadn’t known about the Sayers family. “I’ll have a-,”

“Martini,” he cut me off and set a chilled cocktail glass in front of me with two olives and, if I wasn’t mistaken a hint of brine.

“Perfect,” I told him after a long, icy sip. “Thanks, Luke.”

“My pleasure.” The words, I was sure, held a double meaning.

When he brought out dinner, duck stir fry with fried noodles and the most delicious spicy ginger sauce I’d ever tasted, I was rethinking my stance on sleeping with Luke Sayers.

“Damn Luke, this is fantastic. I want to find a flaw, because let’s face it, your ego doesn’t need it, but it’s very good.”

He beamed a proud smile across the table. “Thank you, Talia. I’m happy you’re satisfied. For now.”

I pressed my heels into the floor to stop the shiver that threatened at his sensual words, his sexy tone. “Let’s hope dessert doesn’t disappoint.”

“Not a chance.”

I was surprised Luke had easily set aside the flirting so we could get a few tasks accomplished. Well, he set aside the flirting as much as a man like him was capable of, but we got plenty done where NAC was concerned, including a new logo that combined both company’s logos, a new font and wording for the sponsorship signs that would be placed strategically so we could get the most marketing for our bucks.

“I’m stuffed.” Something else I would never admit to a guy, not because I was afraid he might not like me, but because I never let relationships get even that serious. We talk, we fuck and we say goodbye. But Lukas wasn’t just any guy, he was a man who would be in my life for the foreseeable future, which meant I could say whatever I liked.

“Not yet, but I can help with that.”

“Oh god,” I groaned at his lines, maybe because they were getting to me, or because he was so relentless, but probably a little of both.

“That’s a good start to what you’ll be saying.” He stood with a confident air that I found less and less unattractive the more he did it. “Let’s have a nightcap and then I’ll walk you to your car.”

“I drove, no nightcaps for me. But I’ll take another slice of that tart if you’re offering.”

“Or we could have it as a middle of the night snack?”

“Maybe another time,” I said before my brain could stop me, and his eyes gleamed. I knew I was doomed. “I mean, not a good idea.”

“I heard what you really meant Talia, and to prove it, I’m going to walk you to your car.” I gathered my belongings and stood beside him as the elevator doors opened. We both stepped inside and at first the car was silent.

At first.

Then Luke turned to me and used his height advantage to back me into the corner, cupping one side of my face and shoving his hands into my hair with his other hand.

“Talia.”

“Luke,” I said, breathing in the martini he’d had with dinner, and the sweet fruitiness of dessert. When his lips touched mine, none of my earlier reservations seemed to matter one bit. His lips were firm and soft, but his kiss was skilled, a practiced seduction that I was powerless against.

It had been too long since my last lover, and even that was on Luke. He had me so disjointed, so desperate not to fall into old traps that I’d shut down altogether. And now his touch, his kiss was about ninety seconds from my first non-self-induced orgasm in months. But I couldn’t let that happen, my ego wouldn’t allow it, so I let my hands take over, using his big, muscular body as my own personal playground.

His hips surged into mine and I could feel his desire, and in that moment I didn’t care that Luke was a bad idea, that this would end badly and I would probably be out of a job and a best friend. But his tongue, dancing with mine, was more than I could take, and I let my hands graze under his shirt, touching his hot skin and feeling the way his muscles jumped at my caress.

Luckily the elevator bell brought me to my senses, forcing some distance between us. I stepped out first and he followed me, frowning at the empty street.

“Where’s your car?”

“I parked in a lot a few blocks away, but you don’t have to walk with me.” I knew he would resist. He had manners and kindness to go along with his commitment issues.

“No, it’s fine.”

I put a hand to his chest. “I know it is, but I’m telling you it’s not necessary. Thank you for dinner, you really are a great cook.” He stole another quick kiss and when he pulled back, I turned and walked away.

I had to.

My sanity depended on it.

Another long week was finally over, and I was on my way to Poppy and Blake’s place for dinner, enjoying the warm breeze of the early evening. It used to be me, Poppy and Maple, Poppy’s crazy grandma, but now that she was engaged it only made sense that those dinners would expand to include Blake and his family.

Lacey, Blake and Luke’s sister, had shown up for a few, but she now had a hot hunk eager to marry her too, so I hadn’t seen much of her lately. Being on bed rest, I was surprised Poppy wanted to do anything, but after the week I’ve had, I could use some time with my best friend.

Maple pulled open the door before I even knocked, smiling with an oversized margarita glass in her hand. “Come on in girly, you’re late and two drinks behind.”

I guess I wasn’t getting any alone time with Poppy tonight based on the loud noises coming from inside the house.

“How’s it going, Maple?”

“Just fine Talia. Fred’s taking me to a nudist’s resort this winter, so I need to get in shape.” She pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek without spilling her drink around the ten thousand bangles on her arms.

“Fred likes your shape just fine if those animal noises you make are any indication.”

She pretended to be shocked, but the gleam in the old girl’s eye was unmistakable. “Yes well, the man does have excellent taste. Get on in here, you’re the last one to arrive.”

Last? Just how many people were in there? I hung up my jacket and purse and followed Maple into the dining room where Poppy and Blake sat with his sister Lacey and her guy Walker on one side, and Maple and Fred on the other, leaving me and Luke sitting at the end. Together.

“Great.”

I dropped down and reached for the wine, grateful to Poppy for not being one of those pregnant women who bans all the things she can’t do for everyone else.

“Good to see your face, Talia. It’s been a while.”

“It’s no longer than we usually go without seeing each other.”

Only we didn’t usually sit so close, which was a blessing and a curse, because Luke smelled like sandalwood and leather and sex. And man, like the manliest kind of man who chops wood and rides horses and builds things with his hands. It was a heady scent that shot lust straight to all the parts that could receive it. And now I was horny at a table full of people.

“Something I’ve been trying to correct.”

Some days I think it might be easier to just give in to Luke, let me screw my brains out and then promptly forget I exist. At least then the torture would be over. At least I could stop fighting the attraction, and go straight to legitimately hating him. It was something I would have to think about, later.

“Now who’s talking bullshit?”

He held a hand to his chest in mock offense. “You doubt me? I’m happy to show you exactly what I mean.” Luke leaned forward and his hand went to my thigh, large and warm, daring me with a look to push this.

“You’re not exactly subtle, it’d be hard to miss what you mean.” I bypassed his thigh and let my knuckles graze the hard ridge between his legs and he let out a groan that quickly turned into a cough. “Better have some wine to take care of that tickle.”

He glared at me, but I only smiled and turned to ask Fred a question just to get some space from Luke. He was potent, which is why I kept my distance. “Coward,” he whispered in my ear, chuckling at my reaction to him.

The jerk.

“I have to tell you guys all about the location Talia found for the wedding!” Poppy gushed, trying to stand but Blake was there, grabbing her phone and handing it to her. “Thanks, babe. It’s amazing and I just can’t…believe,” she started, but tears began to flow, as they often did these days, and she thrust the phone at Lacey and went back to her tears. Lacey showed Walker and he handed the phone across to Fred and then Maple.

“It was Luke who found it, actually.”

He leaned in and whispered, “You’d throw me under the bus after I found that magnificent location?”

I turned to him, and he was close. Too damn close. I could count the flecks of gold in his eyes at this distance, and see the little creases around his eyes, the exact hue of his lips.

“In a heartbeat.”

He laughed and grabbed my wine, finishing it in three swift gulps. “Thanks, Talia.” He pinched my thigh and I returned the favor. Harder.

“Anytime.”

“Stop playing grab ass under the table!” Maple said, calling us out, and making the table laugh.

“Right back ‘atcha,” I told her, drawing a gasp and a blush. Checkmate.

The food was spectacular as always, and even though it meant I’d be eating salad for the rest of the weekend, I indulged. And it was all Luke’s fault. If I wasn’t trying to avoid him and distract myself, I might have been able to exercise more self-control.

With my belly full, I looked around the table at three happy couples at different stages in life and in their relationships. They couldn’t stop touching one another and their smiles wouldn’t quit. They looked happy, but more than that, they looked content, and it had me second guessing my own decisions to avoid relationships. Poppy had been burned more than once, but she’d found her happy ending, and I didn’t think Maple would ever settle down after losing her husband, but she finally gave in to poor old Fred.

Was I short changing myself?

“Wanna get out of here?” Luke’s voice startled me and pulled me from my thoughts.

Did I? Dessert was done, and everyone was lingering. Which meant the couples were canoodling, leaving me and Luke the odd ones out.

“Absolutely.” We jumped up and said our goodbyes, ignoring the worried and knowing looks around the table as we made our escape.

“That was…weird.”

“It was all right. I’ll see you around, Luke.”

He frowned and followed me down the street. “I’ll give you a ride.”

“No thanks, I live nearby.”

“Are you always this stubborn, woman?”

“I’m not stubborn, I’m just not doing what you want me to do.” I’d learned that lesson the hard way. Keep letting other people make decisions for you, and you might forget how to think for yourself.

He sighed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Fine. I’ll walk you home, then.”

I didn’t argue, because his company was no hardship, and I hoped the more he talked, the more it would serve as a reminder that he was the wrong guy for me. If there was a right guy.

“Why?”

“Because I’m a gentleman, Talia.” To punctuate his point, he kissed me chastely on my cheek at my door and walked away with a whistle.

I knew he was playing games, but I didn’t have the energy to worry about it with so much piling up on my plate. In addition to NAC and the wedding, there was still Poppy’s regular workload which had fallen to me in her absence. It was exhausting and sort of maddening, considering this was never what I wanted to do with my life. This job was supposed to be temporary, just helping out my best friend until she got her bearings, but two years later I was still there. Assisting.

Not achieving my dreams. Which I probably wouldn’t recognize if they walked up to me and bitch slapped me.

“Ugh, why can’t I have normal shower thoughts?” I stepped onto the bath mat, determined to think about my future once NAC was over. And the wedding. And the honeymoon. When Poppy was back, I could think about my future.

A knock sounded on the door, and I was instantly on alert, grabbing my taser as I crept to the door. I relaxed—slightly—when I saw Luke and pulled open the door, but I kept the taser.

“Forget something?”

I saw the look in his eyes, but by the time I recognized the heat, the desire, it was too late. He was inside, kicking the door closed and cupping my face more gently than his lips which crashed down on me. His tongue didn’t hesitate, diving in and fucking my mouth. Now was the time to push him away, to end this nonsense for all.

But another voice in my head spoke up. You could do it this once, and get rid of him for good.

It wasn’t the sexiest thought I’d ever had in the heat of the moment, but it was practical. And I was in, thanks in part to the feel of his delicious abs under my fingertips.

And his fingers brushing against my swollen core. “Tell me to stop, Talia.”

“No.” The word came out on a growl, and I tugged his hair, nibbled his bottom lip.

“Talia,” he warned, but that rough, gravelly sound shot straight to my pussy and I shivered.

“Don’t stop, Luke.” I pushed at his chest and he tugged my robe off, drinking me in.

“Fuck, you’re even more beautiful than I imagined.” His brown eyes raked over my body, making my nipples pebble and bead. Down my quivering belly to my pulsing core. “Fuck, Talia.”

“That’s the idea,” I told him with a laugh. But this was no laughing matter, so I tugged his t-shirt up and over his head and swiped my tongue across one of his nipples and then the other until he hissed out a breath.

Luke smacked my hands away from his pants and quickly shoved them down his legs. “Fuck,” he growled when I wrapped my hand around his cock.

“Very nice,” I told him. “Long and thick,” I spoke softly and stroked his cock up and down, changing my grip, fascinated with the way the color of his eyes changed. “So hard. Is this for me?” I swirled my thumb over the slit of his cock and sucked it off.

“Goddammit, Talia.” His control snapped and he pushed me against the wall and lifted me up, grinning tightly when my legs automatically wrapped around his waist. “You’re playing with fire.”

My hips undulated and I slid up and down his length while he fumbled with protection. “I’m just trying to get off.”

“Fuck!” He bit down on my shoulder until I cried out and he was able to slide the condom on, and then he slammed deep.

“Oh shit! Yes!” It had been too long, and one thrust put me on edge. He was wide and I was completely full of his girth, so thick it almost hurt, but every stroke loosened me up until he was completely coated in my juices.

It was hard and fast. Luke gripped me tightly, his body pressing mine into the wall as he fucked me in long, hard strokes that grew faster as his passion intensified. Deeper and deeper, harder and faster and I bit his neck as my orgasm washed over me. It was so long I was barely aware of Luke’s pleasure as he surged into me time and again, growling until he exploded with a roar.

My legs quivered as an aftershock tore through me and I knew I’d made a grave miscalculation.

I shouldn’t have been so worried about Luke getting bored, but more concerned about my own greedy libido needing more of him.