I ONLY MANAGED to eat a slice and a half. Honestly, I wasn’t trying to fake a ladylike appetite in front of Luke. He’d seen me chow down on many kinds of food. But the pizza was just so filling.

Luke finished three slices as well as his beer. I went to the kitchenette and looked around. It definitely wasn’t stocked for hosting, but I was able to offer him soda or red wine. He chose the wine, and he cleared away the plates as I removed the cork.

I poured two glasses, embarrassed that all I could find in the cabinet were two standard-issue juice glasses. I brought them over to the bed, which seemed more intimate now that it was a bed again, not a makeshift table.

“Thanks,” Luke said, and clinked his glass to mine. “To your new job.” He took a sip and then set his glass on the nightstand next to the bed. Casually, he began unbuttoning his shirt.

I froze, unsure what to say, as his hands moved down his chest, undoing one button after another. While I certainly couldn’t complain at seeing more of his smooth, muscled chest, it all seemed so sudden. We hadn’t even been on a date yet. We hadn’t even kissed.

Luke glanced over and did a double-take at the shocked expression I must’ve been wearing. “Sorry! I wasn’t thinking.”

I forced my jaw closed and tried to act casual. “It’s fine, make yourself comfortable.” I moved to the other side of the bed and sat down, leaving a foot of neutral space between us.

Luke looked a little sheepish. “I know it’s stupid, but I always take off my shirt when I have something like red wine. They make us wear these damn button-downs, and they’re a bitch to clean when they get stained. And I hate ironing them, so I try to keep them wearable as long as possible.”

I laughed—it seemed like such a male attitude toward clothing. “Then why didn’t you take it off when you had the pizza?”

“Unlike this time, I stopped myself when I realized how it might look.”

My gaze was drawn to the expanse of smooth, tan skin stretched over hard muscles. I sighed wishfully. “Actually, it looks pretty damn good.” This time, I was the one examining his face, unsure of how he would react. My brain and body were registering that this was the first time I’d truly been alone with this really sexy guy—one I liked a lot. I wanted to kiss him, but I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. His friendship was far more important to me than anything physical. I’d never been the type to jump into bed with guys right away. Except that we were already in bed. Crap. Maybe I’d made a mistake.

But Luke smiled, and when he didn’t immediately jump my bones, I was relieved … mostly. Instead, he reached out and turned off the overhead light above the headboard. The glow from the TV seemed brighter as the rest of the room was cast in shadows. He was still watching me. When he held his arm out, I scooted next to him. His arm around my shoulder felt so good—warm, firm, and strong.

We watched the movie for a while, but I couldn’t keep my mind on the plot, not with Luke’s hard body pressed against my side. When I glanced toward him, I could still see his bare chest from when he’d started unbuttoning his shirt. I wished he’d undone it all the way. He was in really good shape, better than I would have expected. He must work out in the mornings before his classes.

Finally, Luke leaned over and kissed me lightly on the forehead. I turned my face up to his. Soft lips brushed against mine, a gentle tickle at first, and then a slightly more insistent pressure. I angled my body toward him and closed my eyes. He gave a soft sigh that I could both hear and feel as a whisper of warm air on my tingling lips.

Then his mouth was on mine more fully, more firmly, and it felt like I’d been waiting for this for months instead of mere weeks. I loved the way I fit in the circle of his strong arms with his bare chest pressing against the soft material of my sweater. Yeah, I admit it, I’d picked something soft and touchable on purpose.

He ran his hands across my back, sending shivers in new directions. His kiss grew more intense, and my pulse quickened as I parted my lips in response to his teasing tongue. Damn. It felt so good. I ran my hands through his wavy hair, then down around his neck, trying to pull him closer.

I let one hand trail down his throat, and then I placed my palm flat against the warm, hard muscles of his chest. I rubbed in a circle, and let out a little moan. I pushed his open shirt to the side. Okay, so he could probably totally see that I was drooling over his chest, but I couldn’t help it. He looked—and felt—so damn good. I couldn’t help myself.

Luke chuckled lightly against my lips and pulled his head back an inch. “Do you want me to take my shirt off?”

My eyes flew open and warmth flooded my face. I tried to pull back a little more, but his arms were still wrapped around me, and he didn’t loosen his grasp.

He looked directly into my eyes. “It’s okay if you do.”

“But we’re friends,” I said, my protest sounding feeble even to my own ears.

“Yes, we are. Good friends. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve been dying to touch you since the day you checked in. But I’m not going to rush you or expect you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” He continued to look steadily at me, his vivid blue eyes penetrating my defenses. Then he grinned and broke the spell. “I wasn’t kidding before about hating ironing. It’s probably not a good idea to get it all wrinkled.”

I laughed lightly. “You do have a point.”

“So, do you want me to take it off?”

I nodded, my gaze drawn to his chest again.

“Then maybe you should ask nicely.”

Ooooo. That was unexpected. I gaped up at Luke in surprise, and he winked at me, a gleam of excitement in his eyes. I wondered if he could tell his words had excited me, too. I rubbed my hand up and down his smooth skin and said in a low but clear voice, “Please take off your shirt, Luke.”

His eyes widened slightly at my husky tone. Good to know I had maybe made his pulse quicken, too. But his features quickly settled into a wicked grin. “I will … if you’ll put it on.”

I was surprised. “That’s a change. You’re in a girl’s bed and you want her to put more clothes on?”

Luke laughed and released me. He sat up straight and undid the last few buttons of his shirt. I could see the top of his snug, black jeans. “I was hoping that girl might take a few things off before putting the shirt on.”

“How many is a few?”

“I’ll leave that up to her. To you. Are you game?”

I thought about it for a minute. I really did trust Luke not to do anything I didn’t want to. The bigger problem was how much I might want him to do. But right now, the desire to be playful with him, and the thought of kissing him again was just too strong. I held my hand out. “I really don’t see how this counts as keeping the shirt from being wrinkled,” I said, but I smiled as I watched him peel it off his firm biceps.

Damn, he looked good. I tried not to stare, but … damn. His arms, which I fervently hoped would be wrapped around me soon, were really well-muscled. And his chest … let’s just say that the little peak through his unbuttoned shirt before hadn’t done it justice. Wow. He handed his shirt to me, and I reluctantly tore my eyes from his torso and forced my feet to move in the direction of the bathroom.

After a quick internal debate, I emerged a few minutes later wearing his white dress shirt partially buttoned over my black lace bra and panties. Sure, I felt a little shy, but at least I was reasonably confident in my appearance. Thankfully, I’d shaved the day before and painted my toenails a hot pink. Wishful thinking, perhaps?

Luke had his back to me; he was pouring more wine. When he turned, he stilled. His eyes raked over my body once, then twice. “Good choice,” he managed, after a long moment.

I moved to him and took my glass. Took a long sip. Set it down. Moved into his arms. He kissed me again, and his hands rubbed my back through the shirt. His fingers traced the outline of my bra, and then he moved them lower, no doubt feeling the high cut panties covering my ass. “Really good choice,” he murmured against my lips.

My hands were busy, too. His bare torso felt unbelievably strong and smooth. I still couldn’t believe he was in such good shape. How had I not known that?

Our kiss deepened as he backed me up against the bed. He lowered me down and then gracefully lifted himself up and over, settling on my other side. He pulled me close again, and I couldn’t help wrapping my bare leg around his.

I rested my head on his bicep, and he plunged his free hand into my chestnut tresses, squeezing them and gathering a handful. He tugged, gently, and it made completely unrelated body parts course with pleasure. He moved his hand down my arm, to my waist, and then slid his fingers under the edge of my shirt. He cupped my ass in his strong hand, and I buried my face in his arm and tried to stifle a moan.

Why did that feel so good? Okay, it was true that no one had touched me there in quite some time. I’d definitely been having a dry spell as of late, but my career had come first. I loved my job, but it wasn’t a good place to meet eligible men—at least not ones who were born after World War II.

I leaned into Luke, kissing the corner of his mouth and then trailing my lips down his neck, making him moan. When I got to his hard brown nipple, I licked around it, teasing and nuzzling it.

He groaned deep in his throat. “That feels so good, Darcy. You feel so good.” His wandering hand moved back up my thigh and pulled my leg up higher, until my knee was resting on his hip. Since I was half on top of him, I could feel the hard, hot bulge straining under his jeans. I rubbed against it and was rewarded by another moan.

I attacked his other nipple with my mouth. He was busy, too. His free hand caressed my thigh again, rubbing up and down, each time getting closer to the thin strip of lace that covered my slit. His touch was light, teasing.

He grazed his fingers softly over the crease at the top of my leg, and I gasped. I squirmed on top of him, trying to escape his torturous touch. “No tickling,” I pleaded, even though the delicious shivers radiating through my body thrilled me.

His fingers paused, and he looked up at me. “Oh, does that tickle?” he asked as innocently as possible, which wasn’t all that innocent since he looked hot as sin underneath me.

“Don’t be a jerk,” I said, but I couldn’t help smiling as I said it.

He grinned. “Seems like if my touch tickles, the only way to fix that is for me to stop touching you … or to touch you harder.”

I rested my chin on his chest and looked up at him. He cocked his eyebrow, clearly wanting me to choose. I mentally debated for only a few seconds. It would be nice to knock that smug smile off his face and pick the former, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that. “Harder,” I whispered.

His fingers remained maddeningly still. “Sorry, can you speak up?”

I rolled my eyes and squirmed against his erection. “You know you want to touch me.”

He removed his hand from my thigh entirely. “Yes, I do. But the question is, do you want me to touch you?”

I never would have guessed that he could be so infuriating, but I had to admit, it was turning me on. I couldn’t very well deny it since he could probably feel my racing heartbeat pounding against his bare chest. “Yes. Please touch me harder, Luke.”

That was all it took. A second later, his strong fingers were pushing the lace fabric into me, moving up and down my slit, occasionally flicking against my clit, making me simultaneously shiver and moan.

Determined to make him feel as good as he was making me feel, I grabbed him by the back of the head and kissed him hard. His lips parted, and he plunged his tongue into my mouth at the same time one of his strong, thick fingers snaked underneath my panties and entered me. I shrieked, but my cries were muffled by his warm lips and skillful tongue.

I brought my other leg up so that I was straddling his torso. From that position, I could feel the prominent bulge under his jeans press against the front of my panties. Without breaking the kiss, I put my hands in his hair, tugging, teasing, playing.

He put a second finger inside me, and I just about died of pleasure. I must have been quite wet because his long fingers glided in easily. I ground myself against his hand, but then I went still, wondering if I was hurting his cock underneath me. I was uncertain for a moment. Should I unzip his fly? But I wasn’t ready for that yet, was I? Then Luke’s thumb found my clit and all rational thought left my mind.

It was almost too much sensation … his warm, insistent lips, his tongue in my mouth, his hard chest underneath my breasts, his fingers moving in and out of me. I writhed on top of him like I was being electrocuted. His thumb sped up, flicking across my clit, going faster, almost as if it were his tongue. And damn, wasn’t that a delicious thought.

My pulsed raced as the orgasm built inside me. Gasping for air, I pulled my head up, moaning, making short little gasping sounds.

“Come on, babe … come for me,” Luke crooned. His free hand moved up my side and pushed between our bodies. It slipped inside my lace bra, cupping me, tracing around my hard nipple.

He gave it a light pinch at the same time his fingers pushed into me as far as they could go. I cried out, my breath leaving me in short, uneven gasps. Then I froze as the orgasm exploded through me, and I shrieked again. I clenched around his fingers as I rode the orgasm out. Unable to even hold my head up anymore, I collapsed against his chest.

He eased his fingers out of me, but still kept his thumb pressed lightly against my clit. My body jolted with aftershocks, and Luke chuckled as another one shot through me, making me flinch.

Slowly, I slid off of him until I was leaning against his side. It was a while before I got my breathing under control. Okay, mostly under control.

He was looking at me with a smile that was part tender and part smug. That was fine with me. He’d given me an amazing orgasm, and he had a right to feel smug about his skills. I smiled up at him through my post-orgasmic bliss and ran my hand down his tight abs. I slid a finger under his waistband and undid the button. It was definitely his turn.

I pressed my breasts against his side and kissed his neck while my hand delved lower, teasing his zipper open. His cock was a hot, hard bundle under the soft cotton of his boxer briefs. It jerked when I cupped it in my palm. His skin was burning to the touch, straining against my hand.

I caught his eye and gave him a wink, and then placed a series of kisses past his throat, down his chest, leaving him in no doubt where I would end up. But then his free hand came up, caught my chin. He raised my head up to his and kissed me firmly. I kept rubbing his hard cock, but I was surprised.

“Not that. Not yet. Not tonight,” he said in response to my questioning look.

What? The first blow job I’ve been tempted to give in a hell of a long time, and he wasn’t interested? My hand paused on his stiff cock, but then he arched his back, lifting his hips off the bed, pressing against me. “That, you can keep doing,” he whispered. “But not your mouth. You’re not ready.”

That was a little insulting. Who was he to tell me that? Miffed, I rubbed harder, and he groaned again. I liked turning him on, but still … “Who says you get to determine when I’m ready?

“I do,” he said simply.

He was being maddening again. But something about his tone when he took charge like that really got to me. I stroked his rigid length harder, and I wrapped one leg around his, subtly rubbing myself against his firm thigh.

I was getting excited again, and I reached down and cupped his balls, squeezing gently, before resuming stroking his cock. I was breathing harder myself when it occurred to me to ask, “So, according to you, when will I be ready?”

His eyes were closed, and he seemed to have totally given himself over to the sensation. I felt his muscles tense under me, and I thought he wasn’t going to answer, but after a long moment, he said, “When you beg for it.”

Warmth pulsed through my body at his words. His cock swelled under my hand, and I knew he was close. I was too. He must have known this, because he pulled me halfway on top of him. As I moved my hand more frantically over his cock, he brought his arm down and found my clit, still wet from before.

In only a matter of seconds, I was on the brink. He came first, erupting in a thick stream. I milked his cock while enjoying my own full-body tremors. I shuddered to a climax just as he was finishing his, and collapsed, half on top of him, completely spent.

I wiped my hand on his jeans, but I was too tired to do much else. I lay with my cheek on his chest, feeling it rise and fall from his still-heavy breathing. By the time I’d caught my breath, it was all I could do to keep my eyes open.

Luke's arms came around me, holding me close. I felt like I could stay in his embrace forever.