Page 23 of Condemned By Secrets

Lost in a sea of so many new sensations, she lifted her hands to trace the dimples in his cheeks. The scruff there tickled her palms and made her catch her breath.

At her sharp intake, Luther stilled her hands. When she met his eyes, they were as dark as a storm cloud.

“Anna,” his voice begged while his eyes raged at her. “Kiss me.”

Kiss him? Where?Her eyes fell to his shoulders and the muscles of his chest. Why wasn’t he wearing a shirt? Wanting to touch him there, Anna placed her palms on his chest, admiring how hard it was. She ran her hands over him, feeling her way down his bare torso.

Luther shuddered under her touch, and Anna—shocked—stopped and pulled her gaze to his. Had she hurt him?

Lightning from the storm in his eyes flashed at her, and his voice was strangled as he begged. “Kiss me, Anna.”

Luther’s hands caressed her back and sent shivers down her body. Standing on her toes, Anna leaned into him. As her chest pressed against his firmness, a bolt of heat arrowed to her core, making her whimper. Closing her eyes against the feeling, she searched for Luther’s lips with her own.

When they connected, the thunderstorm she’d seen in his eyes erupted. Luther growled and grabbed her, lifting her up until he had her legs wrapped around his waist. With her back pressed into the door, he devoured her with the force of a hurricane, and she was helpless to do anything but let the wind and rain barrage her.

His tongue swept inside her mouth, and he tasted familiar, almost . . . like candy. He caught her lip between his teeth and sucked. Anna moaned, and he answered by moving his hands to her breasts. Her head fell back on a groan when he caressed her nipples.

What was he doing to her?It feels too good.

Her skirt was bunched around her hips, and when she arched her back, pressing her center to his, a bolt of heat pierced her. She gasped, and Luther swallowed it with his lips and tasted her some more.

A kiss?She’d never been kissed like this. There was a pressure building within her, and she thought if he didn’t stop, it might burst.

“Luther!” Anna tore her mouth free. Her breath rushed over her swollen lips as she searched for the eye of the storm in his dark gaze. She needed a measure of calm, a quiet port, to understand what was happening.

He blinked and dropped his forehead to hers. His breathing was labored, but his voice was gentle when he spoke. “Sweet. You taste so sweet, Anna.”

I do?

“You taste like, like Skittles,” Anna said as she recognized the familiar candy flavor.

Luther chuckled and leaned back to look into her face. “You smell like them.”

“What?”

“Skittles. They’re my favorite candy, and you”—he leaned in and sniffed at the base of her neck, licking his way up her throat—“smell like them.”

His mouth on her wasn’t helping clear the fog from her brain.

“I want to taste more of you.” He nipped at her jaw. “Come to bed with me, Anna.”

The word ‘bed’ was like getting hit in the face with sleet. The cold, wet precipitation woke her up, and she stiffened in Luther’s embrace. “Put me down. Now.”

Luther’s head flinched back at the force of her words, but he complied. With her feet on the ground, she adjusted her skirt and avoided eye contact with him. How had she let this happen? She’d let him trick heragain. Shame heated her face, and she wanted nothing more than to escape. Where had she left her bag?

As she glanced around for it, Luther spoke, “Anna—”

“Don’t!” She didn’t want to hear whatever he had to say.No more lies!

“Look, I’m sorry if that was too fas—”

“Stop!” She wheeled on him with the force of a tornado. She’d never been more charged up and confused. There was an electricity sparking through her, threatening to lash out at any moment.

Luther’s face fell at her shout, and when he opened his mouth to speak again, she ran, afraid of what she might do if she didn’t get away from him. On her way out the door, she about tripped over her work bag.

As she scooped to grab it, she thought she heard him mutter, “What the hell just happened?” and she wondered the same. Chest heaving, she raced down the stairs on shaky limbs, desperate to flee the scene of the crime.

???

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