Page 22 of Condemned By Secrets

“You didn’t tell me this was your apartment building!”

She was yelling at him from the hall, and Luther winced, hoping his neighbors didn’t overhear and come to investigate. He grabbed her arm and tugged her inside to avoid making more of a scene.

Before he had a chance to respond, she jerked out of his grip and stabbed at him with a finger again. “You’re a liar, and I—”

Luther clamped a hand over her mouth. “Anna, will you calm down? What does it matter if I live here? It’s not my apartment that’s available. I knew Cass’s would be perfect for you. That’s why I told you about it.”

His rushed explanation didn’t have much effect. She was glaring daggers at him, and her chest heaved hot breaths against his hand.

“Ow!” Luther yelped, pulling his hand away. She’d bit him. Hard.

“You are so, soinfuriating!” Anna yelled.

Luther stared down at the bite mark on the inside of his palm. At least she hadn’t broken the skin, but was she crazy?Who bites people except for toddlers and Mike Tyson?

“You bit me.”

“You deserved it.”

Luther felt his own anger starting to stir. He’d done her a favor, and this was how she was going to repay him? “I didn’t lie to you.”

“Oh really? A lie by omission is still a lie.” She hurled the statement at him with enough disdain to have his anger boiling over.

“You want complete honesty, Anna? Is that it?” Luther bit out through clenched teeth.

“Yes!”

“Fine!” Her eyes widened as he advanced on her, backing her up against the door. “Then I’ll tell you I want you so bad, I can hardly breathe past the hunger clawing at my throat.” He rested his hands on either side of her body, caging her in.

Her breath hitched, and a thrill rushed through him. “Your lips.” He stared at them, his own lips aching to touch the ruby red temptresses. “I dream about them, about what they’ll taste like.”

Leaning down, he gripped a handful of the hair by her neck and lifted it to his nose. “And your perfume.” He breathed in deeply, and her eyes were glossed over when he looked at her. “It drives me crazy.”

He bent his head again and angled his lips toward her ear. “I want to lick every inch of you, everywhere that scent has touched. It lingers, and I can smell it even when you’re not around.”

Having said his piece, Luther released her hair and leaned back, keeping Anna caged in with a hand on either side of the door above her shoulders.

He’d succeeded in silencing her. When she swallowed, he traced the line of her neck with his thumb. “Nothing to say to that, Anna?”

Her pulse fluttered under his hand, and he leaned down, his cheek nearly touching hers as he breathed her in. “Honesty goes both ways.” Luther grazed his lips across her cheek to her ear lobe.

At her soft sigh, he whispered against her ear. “Tell me you don’t want this too. Tell me, and I’ll stop.”

She didn’t say anything, so he placed an open-mouthed kiss on the spot just below her ear. When she shivered, he smiled against her reaction like the Cheshire cat and ran his hands up her lithe little body. She melted into him and made his own pulse jump with need.

On a groan, he skimmed the outside of her breasts with his fingers and watched her eyes close. When her lips parted, Luther leaned in, gliding his mouth across her jaw before pulling back just enough to look into her face.

“Anna.” At his voice, she opened her eyes. They were dark and heavy-lidded. “Do you want me to kiss you?”

Her gaze fell to his mouth.

Yeah, she wants it.

On a grin, which had his dimples popping out, Luther goaded, “Be honest.”

CHAPTER 8

Anna had lost the ability to think. All she was able to do was feel as her heart pounded in her ears. The fire from her anger had cooled into a liquid warmth that sat low in her belly. She stared at Luther’s mouth. It was moving, but she didn’t catch the words.

---