But for now, she’d take—
Pleasure.
She dropped to her knees before him.
“What? No, you don’t—”
She caught the waistband of his open jeans and shoved them down. Took his c**k in her hands. His length was swollen and heavy, reaching toward her with moisture glistening on the broad head.
Her hands pumped him. Primed him.
His groan filled her ears even as his hands fisted in her hair.
He wanted this. So did she. Time to take what she wanted.
Her lips closed over the rounded tip of his erection. She took that salty drop onto her tongue and swallowed.
“Monica…”
Deeper now. He tried to control her with his hand, but she didn’t want control. Not from him.
Not from anyone.
Her mouth widened, and she took him deeper, faster. Monica used her tongue as she sucked and licked.
And he swelled even more inside her mouth.
Her panties were wet. The fabric rubbed against her, and her hips rocked in time with each move of her mouth. Arching forward, wanting his touch, the thrust of his length in her—
“Enough!” He caught her wrists and jerked her up. Luke didn’t touch her wound; he didn’t even come close. Because he wouldn’t forget; he wouldn’t hurt her. Not him.
She raked her nails down his chest, scoring the flesh. “Don’t go easy on me.”
The smile he flashed was one that the devil would wear. “I won’t.” At that rumble, she knew his lust matched hers.
He moved fast and pinned her against the wall as he took her mouth again in a hot, wet, open-mouthed kiss.
Luke ripped her panties away, and he tossed them to the floor. She just wore a t-shirt now, an old, thin FBI Academy t-shirt.
His fingers pushed between her thighs, parting her folds and shoving deep into her sex.
Monica rose onto her tiptoes, choking back a moan. More.
Luke’s head lowered. He laved her ni**les through the shirt, and now she was the one to sink her fingers into his hair, to hold him tighter, to press him closer.
His fingers plunged, in and out, and his thumb pressed over her clit. Her muscles tightened, the wild rush of pleasure tempting her. So close. She could come if—
Her elbows jabbed against the wall behind her. Pain shot through her arm. Not enough pain to stop her, hell no, nothing would stop her now. Noth—
She came, exploded with a burst of pleasure so sharp her body shook.
“Fuck.” Luke slid on a condom and positioned his c**k at her entrance. The thick head pushed inside, just a bit, lodging at the mouth of her sex. His eyes held hers, his pupils so big and dark, and then he shoved inside.
And the climax continued. Harder. Pleasure lashed her as Luke thrust into her. Over and over. Oh, sweet hell.
His fingers bit into her flesh, and he plunged, so deep. He lifted her—damn the man was strong, she had almost forgotten—and Monica wrapped her legs around his waist. Her heels dug into his hips, and she tightened and held him as her sex rippled around his c**k and the contractions continued.
So good. Living. Feeling.
He stiffened against her.
Her eyes were still on his. So much heat in that green gaze. Need. Pleasure. The same fire that he would see in her eyes.
His mouth crashed onto hers as his hips jerked.
Pleasure.
Monica’s knees trembled when she tried to stand on her own. Good sex would do that to a woman.
Luke wrapped his arm around her waist and braced her against him. Monica was so tempted to lean against him, just for a little bit longer.
But the vicious lust had been satisfied. A lust she knew they’d both felt. They’d been riding adrenaline from the shooting. Both skirting the fine edge of control. That wild rush happened all the time to cops, to firefighters. To FBI agents.
But the need was slaked. Her limbs seemed heavy now from the wild rush of release that had left her hollowed out.
She licked her lips and realized she didn’t know what to say. “Thank you” just seemed awkward. Like he’d done her a favor by screwing her. “More” seemed too needy, and she wasn’t one hundred percent sure she could go another round right then.
Her gaze slid over, drifted down.
He might be able to go again, though.
“Get in bed.” The gruff order surprised her and had her head whipping back up.
Since when did Luke—
Forget it. Monica cleared her throat. “I-I’ll see you in the morning.” Because in the past, she’d always left after sex, or she’d sent him away. She’d stayed at the cabin, but that had been a one-time deal. The wrong place, too much need.
Monica had sex with her lovers. She didn’t sleep with them. In sleep, her walls came down. She didn’t want them to see her when she was weak.
Because sometimes, the monsters crept up on her in the darkness. That’s why she had to stay on guard. Always.
Her gaze darted to the broken door. Ah… explaining that could be a bit tricky, but she’d get Hyde to toss in some cash to smooth things over with the owner.
“I’m not going anyplace tonight.”
Her gaze snapped right back to him. Luke watched her, his jaw clenched. “Kicking me out isn’t gonna work now, baby.”
He headed into the bathroom.
Her brows shot up. Kicking him out had been the plan and now…
Now he came back, closing the distance between them quickly, minus the condom. Yeah, he was aroused again. Or still aroused, and she knew he’d climaxed. No way to miss that hard jerk of his c**k inside her.
“I’m sleeping with you tonight.” He caught her chin. “We’re breaking the rules.”
Of course he knew about her rules.
“Lay with me.” A whisper now. Not an order but a soft entreaty from a lover. “Let me hold you.” His jaw tightened. “And let me forget that you could have died today.”
Let him. The whisper from her own mind.
Luke Dante. Her temptation.
Because she’d always wanted to be held in the darkness. To know she wasn’t alone.
But what if the nightmares came again?
His fingers drifted down her throat. Goose bumps rose on her flesh.
If I wake up screaming, I can say the dreams are from the Jones shooting. Just a flashback. That’s all. He’d believe the lie. He’d believed the others she’d told him.
“Come to bed with me.”
What would it hurt? One night. The door was broken anyway. Might as well be in the same room because the door would be open all night.
She didn’t realize that Luke had been maneuvering her to the bed until her knees bumped against the mattress.