Four
~~ ** ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~
Sitting at a small table close to the bar, Sierra forced her gaze to the woman sitting across from her. Despite the overwhelming desire to search the room for the sexy, brooding man she had been introduced to only minutes before, she fought to focus.
The man made her skin tingle. Everywhere. The way his eyes had grazed her, the equivalent of a sensual caress, had sent a shiver down her spine. Had he looked closer, and yes, she knew he had tried, he would have seen her nipples pebbled beneath the shiny black halter she wore.
Looking down at her hand, she remembered the feel of his skin on hers, the way heat had spiraled low and fierce in her belly moments before her internal muscles had contracted. She had never had a reaction as all-consuming as the one she had to the feel of Luke McCoy’s giant, calloused palm on hers.
How was it possible for a man to come across so mysterious, so powerful, that Sierra felt it all the way down to her toes? The way he looked at her, the way his penetrating hazel eyes touched every inch of her overheated skin had Sierra wanting to search the room for him once more.
“So, the flight leaves Dallas on Thursday morning at seven. Logan and I will be glad to give you a ride to the airport if you need one.”
Sierra had to process Sam’s comment and erase the graphic images of Luke from her brain.
Flight. Airport. Oh, right.
“I’m good, but thanks. I figure my mother will want me to come along with her.”
Sam nodded her understanding, taking a sip of her drink. Sierra stared down at the half empty glass of cranberry juice and vodka she’d ordered. Despite her original concern that it was a little too early to be having a drink, she found the combination was just what she needed to calm her rioting nerves. Yes, Luke McCoy was driving her to drink.
And to think, she’d just met the man.
He owned a night club, Sierra thought as her eyes drifted around the room, taking in the sleek, modern decor – smoky glass, metal and wood – that decorated the room, giving it a sophisticated feel. Admittedly Sierra had never seen a night club in the harsh light of day; the decision maker lights at two o’clock in the morning notwithstanding.
She glanced toward the grand staircase that led to the second floor, and she wondered what was up there. From where she sat, Sierra could see a set of heavy wooden double doors that were closed, and she had a desire to go up there to find out where Luke had gone.
“Have you been to Vegas before?” Sam asked, interrupting her thoughts once more.
“Several times. Some of my girlfriends and I would try to go out there a couple of times a year.” A sudden homesick ache stirred inside of her.
Sierra had only been in Dallas for a couple of weeks and leaving the comfort of the place she had grown up had been difficult to swallow at first. Granted, the opportunities that were presented to her in Dallas were vast, but that didn’t make the transition any easier.
“Well, this will be my first time.” Sam stated quietly, and Sierra was almost positive the other woman blushed.
“Really? Aside from the conference, I’m sure you’ll have a great time.” Sierra laughed. “Not that you won’t have fun at the conference.”
Sam laughed in return. “I hope we get some time to ourselves to enjoy the sights.”
“We’re in a great location. The hotel we’re staying at is one of the nicest in the area, even though it is at the south end of the strip, it’s still close to other resorts we can visit.”
“So, do you gamble?” Sam asked with a twinkle in her eye. Sierra got the impression her question had a double meaning.
“A little. I like to play blackjack, and of course, drop some quarters in the slot machines.” Sierra took a sip of her drink, letting the tart, liquid fire flow down her throat. At this rate, she’d need another, and surely it was too early in the day to actually get drunk.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Cole Ackerley stepped out into the dimly lit hallway, clicking the door shut behind him.
He’d just spent the last hour and a half with the Prescott’s, succumbing to Ava’s every desire, yet the yearning that had consumed him for the last two months hadn’t been sated. Which was unusual because Ava and Daniel Prescott could generally scratch that insatiable itch with minimal effort. The woman didn’t know the term inhibition when it came to her desires. Between her beloved strap-on, which she used rigorously on her husband, and her desire to direct every movement, Cole could generally get lost in the sensations that the man and woman inspired within him.
Not so much today.
Sure, Cole found his release, but only when he closed his eyes, pretending the man plowing into him from behind was Luke McCoy while Ava used her very skilled mouth to suck him dry. Yep, that had certainly worked, but now, as he walked down the empty corridor to the main doors that would take him back to the main floor, Cole felt… alone.
That was a new emotion for Cole, considering he’d grown accustomed to his solitary life, enjoying it actually. Yet in recent months, Cole had found out some things about himself that he wasn’t sure he thoroughly understood.
Taking the stairs down to the main floor, Cole’s attention was drawn to two women sitting at one of the tables near the bar. He recognized Samantha McCoy immediately. The other woman, he’d never seen before, but he couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from her. Sitting at the table, talking animatedly with Sam, Cole admired her momentarily. She was exquisitely beautiful, in a very sensual, extraordinarily exotic way.
Damn near tripping over the last step, Cole focused on his feet, slowing his movements because he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the black haired beauty. When her gaze landed on him, apparently drawn to his less than graceful entrance, Cole’s heart thumped hard in his chest.
Those eyes.
Even from across the room, Cole could see the glimmer of silver in her blue eyes, a color he’d never before seen. When one slight eyebrow arched, Cole tilted his head slightly, trying to read her intent. Oh, he’d seen that look before. Numerous times.
Women were attracted to him physically. He knew that. And without ego, he accepted it. He was a big man, which in general, drew attention, often unwanted, but attention nonetheless. At six feet, four inches, two hundred and seventy pounds of solid muscle, Cole would never be considered average. And thanks to his rigorous training regimen, he kept himself in shape.
He maintained eye contact with the woman until his attention was diverted to Sam, who turned to glance in his direction.
“Cole.” When she called out to him, Cole faltered only briefly, wondering whether he should just wave a hand, acknowledging Sam, or take this opportunity to be introduced to this woman.
His brain told him to head out the back door, as was his original intention, but his dick instructed him otherwise. Several steps later, Cole was stepping up to the table, being greeted by Sam with a quick hug.
“Cole, I’d like you to meet Sierra Sellers. Sierra, this is Cole Ackerley.”
When Sierra stood from her chair, all five feet of her, Cole nearly took a step back. The woman was tiny. And when she held out her hand, he hesitated briefly before returning the gesture and taking her small, cool fingers within his grasp. A powerful torrent of desire spiked his blood stream at the contact, causing Cole to abruptly pull back.
“Nice to meet you, Cole.” Her husky, seductive voice slid over him, making the hair on the nape of his neck stand up.
“You too.” How incredibly eloquent, Ackerley.
“I hear you’re attending the conference in Vegas as a representative of CISS.” Sam stated, interrupting his temporary lapse in cognition.
“Yep.” Ok, maybe it wasn’t temporary.
“Sierra’s attending, as well. She’s new to the Dallas area, establishing her interior design company here, hoping to meet some potential clients at the conference.”
Cole couldn’t speak, so he nodded his head. Good Lord, he looked like a total idiot, but his vocabulary skills had suddenly been rendered useless.
The sound of footsteps from behind him jolted Cole, making him turn in time to see one of the McCoy brothers walking down the stairs. Logan. That certainly wasn’t Luke all decked out in an Armani suit. But it wasn’t the suit that was the main difference in the brothers. Logan had a gleam in his eye, an easiness about him that Luke hadn’t seemed to inherit, which set the otherwise identical brothers apart.
“Cole.” Logan greeted, holding out his hand.
Cole gripped Logan’s hand, returning the hand shake. “Logan. Good to see you.”
“Same here.” Logan slid his hands into his pockets. “Alex tells me you’re attending the conference this weekend. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to have a beer at some point.”
Again, Cole couldn’t seem to find his voice, the thought of Sierra’s eyes boring into him was a clear distraction, one that he couldn’t seem to shake. Just when he realized that he needed to say something, do something, so he didn’t look like a clumsy idiot, Luke McCoy descended the steps and Cole’s heart damn near plummeted to his toes. His heartbeat increased, and there was a sudden roaring in his ears. It was a visceral reaction, one only Luke managed to instill in Cole.
Well, that was until he’d laid eyes on Sierra Sellers.
“I look forward to seeing you in Vegas.” Cole managed to choke out, seconds before he headed in the opposite direction.
He might look like a stammering fool, but that was nothing compared to what would happen if he was within ten feet of Luke. After what had happened between them months before and the fact that Luke had successfully avoided him since, Cole hadn’t been able to look the man in the eye. And it had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with the fact that he longed for an instant replay of that night.
Which was another first for Cole.
Hell, the day had been full of them already, and as he walked through the doors leading to the parking garage, Cole wondered just what this weekend had in store for him.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Sierra’s attention was drawn to the omnipotent male descending the stairs. As far as appearances went, and the way that both Luke and Logan carried themselves, Sierra was pretty sure she had never seen two men look so much alike, yet so vastly different. There was something intensely masculine, and yes as Sam mentioned, very reticent about Luke.
Though Logan was the mirror image, and sexy as hell in his own right, there was something more demanding about Luke, something darker, more intriguing. She glanced quickly at Sam, who was smiling back at her knowingly.
“Don’t worry. You aren’t the only woman who has had that reaction.” Then she lowered her voice a little. “Like I said earlier, brace yourself.”
Sierra watched Luke move toward them, briefly glancing toward Cole who was exiting through the main doors at the same time.
Was it her imagination, or was Cole leaving because of Luke? She hadn’t gotten a good read on the incredibly handsome man because he had seemed incredibly nervous, or maybe that had been her.
When their eyes met, Sierra had felt an intrinsic longing reflected in the midnight blue gaze staring back at her. She’d been surprised by the all-consuming heat that rushed over her.
Hadn’t she just been thinking about Luke and the way the man seemed to make her libido awaken from a decade long coma? It seemed ironic that she would have a similar reaction to another man so soon afterward.
Hormones. That’s what it was. Luke must have awakened her to the point that she was now flooded with them.
“Let’s go next door and get a bite to eat while these two have a few minutes to talk.” Logan’s deep voice interrupted her thoughts and had her attention returning to the couple standing beside her.
Not to mention the man fast approaching, whose eyes were riveted to the doors that Cole had just exited. Interesting.
Sierra felt the butterflies take flight once more. Just being near Luke was short-circuiting her insides and now she was going to be left alone with him. She took a fortifying breath and then graced him with a smile. She could do this.
Surely she could do this.
When he smiled back at her, a sexy, crooked, mischievous grin, Sierra knew she’d need more than courage to get through the next few minutes.
“I hear you need a date for Vegas.” Luke stated as he took the seat that Sam had been sitting in, motioning to the chair across from him. The man clearly didn’t have a problem with getting to the point.
“Depends on who you ask.” Sierra stated, returning his playful grin and easing into the chair.
“Not that I have any doubt you could find one on your own.”
Was he flirting with her?
Sierra took in Luke’s rugged features, his midnight black hair and hazel eyes that were more green than brown, thanks to the forest green polo shirt he wore. His thick, well groomed eyebrows were halfcocked while his sexy lips were tilted into a smirk as he waited for her response.
“I won’t dispute that, but being I’m new in town, and definitely not looking to find anything more than someone to accompany me to the conference, I decided to take my chances.”
“Ever been to one of XTX’s vendor conferences?”
Luke’s penetrating gaze was directed at her, and Sierra felt the warmth of those radiant green-brown eyes all the way to her toes. She was grateful she was sitting down because she wasn’t sure she would be able to hold herself up thanks to the way her knees had turned to jelly.
“No, I haven’t. My mother has been to a few, but I didn’t get many details from her.”
Veronica hadn’t been forthcoming with any information; other than that Sierra would want to take someone with her because there were numerous afterhours’ events that would be mostly couples. No matter how much Sierra protested Veronica hadn’t let up.
Sierra was a little shocked at how adamant her mother had been since Veronica was single as well, and wasn’t likely to be taking a date. Though she knew Veronica and Xavier usually attended events together, as far as she knew, they weren’t actually a couple. Being that Xavier was widowed, and Veronica had been divorced from Sierra’s absent father for nearly two decades, Sierra figured they could do whatever they wanted.
“I’m amazed that Logan thought to invite me.” Luke said, but Sierra got the impression he didn’t mean to say the words out loud.
“Why is that?” Unexplainably intrigued by the man, Sierra wanted to know more about him.
“Tell me a little about you, Sierra.” Luke obviously wasn’t interested in talking about himself if his deflection of the subject was anything to go by.
“What do you want to know, Luke?” Sierra addressed him, using his name the way he had used hers.
She was all for getting to know this man, but based on the vibe she felt coming off of him in waves he was used to things going his way. The slight tilt of his lips into a barely there smile told her that he realized she would be a challenge.
“Kane, bring Sierra another drink.” Luke instructed the bartender, but he never took his eyes off of her.
She liked the way he looked at her; the dark passion that swirled just beneath the surface was there for the world to see, but Sierra knew he held something back. Probably a lot of somethings if she had to guess.
“You’re from Nashville?”
“Born and raised. My mother moved to Dallas right after I graduated from high school. I stayed to go to the University of Tennessee. Until recently, I’ve been working for a design firm in Nashville. I started there after I graduated, but I’ve always intended to start my own business.”
“Other than your mother, what made you want to come to Texas?” Luke asked as Kane sat her drink on the table, removing the empty glass.
“Nothing, honestly. I love Nashville, and if she hadn’t been so far away, I probably would’ve never left. But, design firms are a dime a dozen here, the clientele desirable, so I figured I could kill two birds, so to speak. Being close to my mother is important to me, more so than where I start my business.”
“Do you live with your mother?”
Sierra laughed, trying to imagine how that would even be possible. “Hardly. I think we’d kill each other if we were under the same roof.”
Growing up in a house, just her and her mother, had been a challenge. Two of them, both self-sufficient, exceedingly independent, and more than a little bit princesses in their own right meant that neither of them could be under the same roof for long without trying to see who the bigger diva was. They had barely managed to survive Sierra’s teenage years.
No, she certainly hadn’t moved in with her mother.
“What about you, Luke?” Sierra asked, trying to turn the tables. If she wasn’t careful, she got the impression Luke would know everything there was to know about her while she would walk away knowing nothing.
Likely his intention.
“What about me?”
“Do you live with your mother?” Sierra smiled, then took a sip of her drink. Wow. Apparently Kane thought she needed some courage of the liquid variety by the strength of the drink he’d made for her.
Luke’s raspy laugh tickled Sierra’s insides. A gruff, unpracticed sound. Like his laugh muscles hadn’t been used in quite some time.
“No.”
Well, hell. Talking to this man was like pulling teeth. Instead of asking anything more, Sierra pierced him with a glare, tilting her head slightly to the side as she waited for him to continue. When Luke leaned back in his chair, crossing his massive arms over his chest, Sierra knew they were at a standstill.
So be it. She wasn’t about to give in.
“Can I assume you’ll be attending the conference in Vegas?” Sierra finally broke the silence, figuring she needed to get this conversation over with before she lost the little bit of nerve she still had left.
“You can.”
Sierra laughed again. If nothing else, this trip was sure to be interesting.
Pushing her chair back from the table, Sierra stood, shocked momentarily when Luke rose abruptly, his enormous size making her feel even smaller than she normally did. She couldn’t look him in the eye without tilting her head back. Even with heels she came just barely to the middle of his broad chest, and he was easily twice her weight and width, but she wasn’t about to let him intimidate her.
“I’m glad to hear it. I think I should be going. It was very nice to meet you, Luke. I look forward to seeing you in Vegas. I’m sure you’ll be able to find me if you’re interested.” With that, Sierra gave him her brightest smile, turned on her heel and walked straight out the front doors without looking back.
Her heart was racing, her hands were sweating, but Sierra wasn’t about to let that man know what he did to her. He was dangerous. She could feel it in her bones. He would want things from her that she wasn’t sure she was ready to give.
But, damn was she tempted.