Page 123 of Another Girl Lost

Not Tanner. Luke. I nodded.

Carefully, he pressed his erection between my legs. I could say no. And he would back off. But I didn’t want to say no, so I drew in a breath and arched toward him, pressing closer. He eased into me, stretching and filling. A spark of panic flickered. I gripped his shoulders, my gaze not wavering.

When he slid all the way in, I released a breath, the unseeable coil in my chest unfurling a fraction. Luke remained still, as if sensing the knot loosening. I wasn’t so ruined that desire couldn’t fill the enduring emptiness for a little while.

“You okay?” Luke’s voice was gruff.

“Yes.”

Slowly, he began to move. On the edges, ghosts drifted past me. Desire flickered brighter. Frustration for satisfaction nibbled. I wanted the release. My hands slid lower.

As he moved in and out of me, a heat built inside my belly. I began to rub. He pressed faster, harder. What came next was a swirl of sensations. I kept my gaze on him, imprinting this moment and praying it would override all the bad programming.

I lifted my hips, encouraged him to pump harder, faster. I used to do this with Tanner so that he would end it quicker.

Luke resisted, as if he wanted this to last. But I knew how to moan and cup my breasts. He shoved inside me harder, and I rubbed until therush of sensations washed over and through me. I arched. He plunged deeper. Stiffened.

He collapsed against me, resting his face in the crook of my neck. Like Tanner.

Tanner.

When was I ever going to let Tanner go?

Luke remained inside me as if not ready to break contact. “You okay?”

My smile was as close to genuine as I could get. “Yes. You?”

He chuckled, rolled on his side, and smoothed his hand over my flat belly. He teased the curls between my legs. “I’m very fine.”

We lay arms entwined, boneless.

He sighed, rose, and looked at me. “This wasn’t the plan. You know that, right?”

“What was the plan?”

He kissed me. “Dinner. More conversation.”

I smoothed my fingers along the deep lines bracketing his mouth. “You’re indeed a patient man.”

“Not really. It didn’t take much to crack my resolve.”

I laughed. “You aren’t complaining, are you?”

“No. Not at all.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

DAWSON

Friday, July 19, 2024

2:00 a.m.

Dawson sat with his back to the headboard, staring at the flowered wallpaper. Beside him, Margo lay naked, swirling a manicured finger up and down his belly. His gaze skimmed over her body up to her eyes. She was watching him closely. He’d been up late working when she’d texted to tell him she was outside his door.

“What’s that look?” he said.

“I told you I got an apartment.”

---