TWO
Luke
I feel her before I see her.
I swear I don’t know how that shit is even possible.
Ana Elizabeth Canden. Dark blonde hair. Gorgeous brown eyes. Full, kissable lips. A body that can bring the strongest of men to their knees.
And now she’s here, standing beside me with her perfect smile and an innocent expression that masks her desire for me. She hasn’t hidden the fact that she wants me, and I want nothing more than to take her in every single way possible. But no matter how desperately I want her and the awareness that crackles uncontrollably between us, I won’t cross that line. I don’t do relationships and Ana is the kind of girl you take home and introduce to your parents. Not my parents though. Those two are shit. They are the two coldest people I know, deliberately stuck in a loveless marriage because of money – to be precise, because of greed. Ice has got nothing on them.
Ana is definitely not the type of woman I can mess around with. She’s too good. And I’d hate for it to be awkward whenever I visit my best friend. Considering that she is one of Rae’s best friends, I’m sure she’ll be sticking around for a very long time.
And more importantly, the woman is dangerous. I have a very strong feeling that once I taste her, it’ll have a profound effect on me and I’m not willing to take that chance.
I seriously need to find a way to stop thinking about her. It’s bad enough that the only way I’ve found release is from my hand while thinking about her. I’ve imagined her countless times in my bed or kneeling in front of me with my dick in her mouth. I’ve even had fantasies of fucking her on my desk in my office. And I never ever mix business with pleasure. I’ve never touched a woman in my office and I don’t ever intend to cross that line.
“Hey, Cole. Luke.” Her voice is like liquid sin – smooth, alluring and irresistible.
I make sure that I keep my expression blank.
“Ana,” I say.
Rae smiles at me, immediately going to stand next to her fiancé who wraps his arms around her.
“Why are you two gorgeous men standing here talking instead of mingling?” Ana asks, her gaze on me.
Because I’m trying to keep my distance from you. I’m not sure what Cole’s reason is.
Cole answers, looking at his fiancée. “Sorry, babe. We got carried away discussing football.”
Ana’s gaze doesn’t waver from mine. “Speaking of sports, Luke, I hear you’re an excellent tennis player. I’ve always wanted to learn to play. Maybe you could teach me. We could get together a couple of times a week for lessons.”
Yeah, that’s exactly what I need – seeing Ana in a very short skirt and spending time with her alone. No, that’s not going to happen. I’m about to suggest a coach I know but Mia joins us, interrupting me.
“Hey, guys. Rae, Ana, I need to talk to you.” She looks expectantly at them.
“Sure,” Rae says, kissing Cole and murmuring she’ll be right back.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Ana says, keeping her eyes on me.
Mia turns to her. “Ana, it’s important.”
She realizes I’m not going to give her an answer about the lessons. “Sure,” she mumbles, and then turns and walks away reluctantly.
“So, tennis lessons, huh?” Cole asks, amused.
“Not going to happen,” I say, downing the rest of my scotch and trying not to watch Ana walk away. I think it’s time for me to leave. “We’re still on for tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I’ll come over by five.”
I nod. “Please thank your lovely fiancée for a wonderful evening. I want to take a look at what Gale and his team have done.” Cole and I own Enton which controls a number of online marketplaces that sell digital assets, and Xavier Gale is our head of operations. We currently have a community of twenty million people and five million active buyers. I met Cole at Stanford over a decade ago and we hit it off immediately. We set up our company right after college and moved to London a few years later. I live a few doors away from him. Cole has been a permanent fixture in my life since we met, and I consider him and Jake my only family so I’m not willing to do anything to risk our friendship no matter how tempting a certain gorgeous blonde is.
“Tonight? That can wait till Monday.”
“I’ll do it tonight.” He knows why I want to leave.
“You should stay.” I’m already shaking my head before he finishes speaking. “Okay, Luke. Whatever you want.”
I make a beeline for the front door and step out into the cold March night.
***
My doorbell rings the next evening.
Gavin’s already here to watch the game so that should be Cole at the door. I open the door to find him with Rae and her two best friends. Ana is on my doorstep.
I blink, surprised to see her and Mia. I didn’t know she liked football. I’ve never once heard her talk about it, and though she may not know it, I listen to everything she says.
“Hey, man. Are you going to let us in or stand there staring?” Cole asks.
“Come on in. I wasn’t expecting everyone.”
“Yeah,” he says and gives me a look I’m too distracted to decipher. He walks past me, his fiancée’s hand in his.
“Hi, Luke,” Rae says with a smile, sticking close to Cole.
“Hey, Luke. Thanks for having us,” Mia says, smiling up at me. Gavin will be happy to see her. The guy met her last night and he’s already clearly smitten.
Ana takes her time coming in. She stops right in front of me. Fuck. She’s beautiful. She’s looking up at me with those enchanting brown eyes of hers. She takes a step closer and her sweet scent surrounds me. There’s barely any space between us.
“Luke.” Her voice goes straight to my dick, and I fight hard not to look at her pink lips. “I can’t believe I’ve never been in your home. I figured it was time we rectified that, don’t you think?”
Instead of answering her question, I ask, “Do you like football?”
She nods. “I’m a Spurs fan. Huge.” Her eyes drop to my crotch, and then back up at me. “I’m eager and ready for it. I mean to watch the match, of course. I especially like watching in bed on a wet day.”
My dick hardens instantly. All I hear are the words eager, ready, bed and wet. It’s been drizzling intermittently all day but I know she’s not talking about the weather.
It takes almost all my willpower not to pull her closer and wrap her gorgeous long blonde hair in my hand while I devour her lips. She smells so good, like flowers I think. My hand tightens on the door. I should close the door and join the others before I give in to temptation.
“We should go in. Everyone’s waiting.” Thank goodness we’re not alone in the house.
She puts her hand on my chest. “Okay, Luke. Whatever you want.” She bites her lower lip.
I almost groan out loud. What is she playing at? This woman is so fucking dangerous. I hope Ana knows what the fuck she’s doing.
I keep my expression blank and she stares at me for a second longer before she takes a step back and goes to join our friends in the living room. I refuse to look at her as she walks away. I already know how gorgeous her ass is.
Taking a deep breath, I close the door and go to the living room to ask everyone what they'd like to drink. After getting everyone’s drinks, I sit on the single chair farthest from Ana, and do my best to focus on the match that’s about to start.
An hour later, I don’t know what the hell is happening in the game. I’m too aware of Ana. How am I supposed to concentrate with her here? She looks so alluring. She’s wearing some kind of feminine top with very thin straps. It’s not fitted but the back is cut a bit too low for my comfort, making me wonder if she’s wearing a bra. Great! This is exactly what I should not be thinking about – Ana’s breasts and nipples. Fuck! I bet they’re perfect. I try to ignore the need stirring in me. My dick is already partially awake, and I’d hate for it to come fully awake in front of my friends. The skinny jeans she has on shows off her deliciously rounded ass – yeah, I looked – shapely hips and perfect legs, and those fuck-me heels make me think of sex and how much I’d like to see her wearing it in my bed while I fuck her. No, she’s definitely not dressed for the game. Maybe she has a date afterwards. The thought makes me clench my jaw, and some of the lust fades. I don’t like thinking of her with anyone. I know she’s single and I’d really like it if she stays that way. I wouldn’t blame any man for wanting her. She’s beautiful and so hard to resist.
“Luke.”
Someone calls my name and pulls me from the fantasy of Ana bent over my desk with nothing but heels on.
Cole is looking at me. He doesn’t look happy. Very few things make Cole unhappy. He’s a very laid-back guy.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“Are you watching this?” He asks, waving a hand at the TV. “I was asking you if you thought the referee was conned into awarding a penalty against us.”
I turn to the screen. Shit! We’re losing against a team ranked fifty places below us. Spurs losing is one of the few things that can make him unhappy. It’ll definitely make me unhappy. If we lose this game, we’re out of the FA Cup.
“Of course he was conned. Lawrence dived,” Ana says. She was watching? She even knows the name of the opposition player. And I was busy thinking about all the ways I could fuck her.
I see Gavin nod his head in agreement even though his eyes are on the screen.
“Let’s hope he misses,” Rae says. Mia is also watching. Great. So I’m the only one who wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t even know when the other team scored.
He doesn’t miss the penalty, and we lose the game. I don’t feel as disappointed as I normally would be. It’s because of her. She’s distracting me from everything.
“Well, we’re still in contention for three other trophies,” Gavin says as he opens another bottle of beer and watches Mia. He asked her out yesterday but she turned him down. I’m certain it’s a new experience for him. I have no doubt whatsoever that that won’t deter him. Gavin is one of the most persistent and determined people I know.
“Do you guys want to stay for dinner?” I ask. “There’s a great Italian place we can order from.” Cole and I have ordered from them a lot. Everyone is in, including Ana, which makes me very fucking happy because it means she doesn’t have a date.
Right after dinner, Rae announces she has to leave and reminds Mia that she said she wanted to leave for some reason I don’t understand. Probably some feminine thing. Gavin, never one to miss an opportunity, offers to take Mia home. She looks like she’s about to come up with a reason to turn him down, but Rae says she thinks it’s a fantastic idea. Everyone leaves . . . except Ana who’s sitting way too comfortably on a chair, watching me.
“Do you need a ride home,” I ask, hoping to move her along and avoid giving in to temptation.
She stands up and walks towards me, swaying her hips seductively. “Maybe later,” she says. “I was thinking you and I should bond a little. Get to know each other better.”
I deliberately, and with great effort, keep my expression neutral, and tell her, “That's not a good idea.”
“Why not, Luke?” she asks, her hand on my chest. My body wants to get closer. “You want me, and I want you too. We’re both adults, and both single.”
There’s no need pretending that I don’t want her. One look below my belt would confirm that I’m eager.
“You don’t know what you’re asking.” I know that despite the words coming out of my mouth, I’m going to fuck her tonight if she lets me. I’ve never wanted a woman more. Is there really any doubt that I’ll give in?
“I know exactly what I’m asking. It’s what we both want.”
“I don't do relationships,” I tell her, giving her a chance to back out.
“That’s fine, Luke. I’m not looking for one.”
“I’m not going to call you tomorrow,” I tell her. I need to make it clear that this is purely about sex, nothing more.
“I don’t want you to call,” she says, unbuttoning my shirt.
“Ana.”
“Luke, are you going to keep talking or are you going to fuck me?” she asks coolly, her striking brown eyes looking steadily at me.
Fucking hell!