Page 48 of Up In Smoke

“One in the chamber?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Didn’t get that far. I was just going for the threat.”

“Well, you’re very threatening in your happy polar bear towel.” It must have been something he’d picked up at a camp or as a prize for something. She turned her head sideways trying to read whatever event the towel said it was from.

He looked down as if even he didn’t know what he’d slapped around his waist when he’d heard her enter. With the gun and the clip still in one hand, both of them relaxing a bit, he said, “I didn’t expect you.”

She tipped her head side to side. “That got me revved up.”

She’d been on her way to work and she’d simply stopped by. She hadn’t slept well without him there and she didn’t want to tell him that. Ivy had known he’d just gotten off shift and it was Wednesday, so she’d made the turn and hoped to find him still awake.

As she’d put the key in the lock, she’d experienced a moment of utter fear—that she would open the door and find him with someone else. Instead, her fear had been correct, just dramatically misplaced.

“I should have told you I had the gun,” he said, but Ivy was already crossing the floor.

She’d been hoping to hit him up before he fell asleep, and now with her heart doing double time still and her body on high alert, it felt like maybe coming apart in his arms was the only thing that would calm her down. Her fingers snaked into his hair and she pulled him down for a searing kiss.

Luke’s arm came around her, starting to pull her up tight against him until she realized he was still wet from the shower. “Whoa …”

She whispered it as she bit and tugged at his lower lip and backed away. “Follow me.”

Her sweater was easily peeled and she dropped it on the floor. Reaching for the button on the front of her pants, she kicked off her heels and stepped out of them, Luke still behind her.

“Is this what you showed up for?”

“Is that a problem?” She looked back over her shoulder at him, the coy expression having the effect that she hoped it would.

“It is absolutely not. I’ll just make sure to ask if it’s a robbery or a booty call next time.” He was grinning and she could see the front of the towel move as she turned to face him and dropped her bra.

It was heady, the power of making him react. It had always been heady making a man want her, but with Luke it was tenfold. She understood now why her family had always thought it was a sin that women could have that kind of power. Hooking her thumbs into her underwear, she tugged off the last of her clothing and stood naked in front of him.

What her upbring had missed was that Luke had the same effect on her.

She reached out, tugged at the towel and used it to dry him off. His eyes fell closed as his head tipped back and he stood statue-still under her touch. But touching him turned her on just as much as it did him.

He must have heard the towel hit the floor, because his eyes snapped open and his gaze focused on her mouth. She was biting at her own lower lip now, not even realizing it was a reaction to being naked and so turned on around him.

Luke started to walk forward, moving her back to the bed, but Ivy took control and tugged him with her, turning at the last moment and pushing him backward. She wasn’t sure which one of them growled with the motion or why it tugged at her heart so hard.

His hands reached up to touch her breasts and her head fell back. In a moment she was on the bed, straddling him, moving her hips in a way that made both of them moan. Her hands rested on his chest, both supporting herself and holding him down.

When his hips bucked up under hers, she fought the urge to climb right onto him. Leaning over, she closed her lips over one nipple then traced a path up to his jaw. She found the lobe of his ear and bit down softly until he returned the favor on her nipple.

Her fingers curled into his shoulders as she found his mouth and kissed him hard.

When he tried to roll them over and take the top spot, Ivy refused. One shake of her head and he stopped, leaned back, and let her run the show.

She ignored the understanding she saw in his eyes, hating it. But she needed this, needed to bend him and make him come on her schedule. Rubbing herself against him again, she pushed up, lifted her head until her back arched and she hit the sweet spot. She was so close to coming. Given his heavy breaths and occasional groans, he was, too.

Ivy lifted herself on pure muscle, letting his erection lift itself. God, he was so hard, he wanted her so much. She didn’t let herself think how much she wanted him, or how much she was beginning toneedhim. No, if she was being honest, she’d passed need some time ago, but she only had the bandwidth to ride him like a bronco right now.

She moved her hips slowly, too slowly, until she found the tip of him. Changing her angle, she sank slowly onto him. The buzz in her nerves and muscles growing louder with each inch she pressed.

When Luke bucked his hips again, she matched the movement, pulling away and not letting him slide any deeper. She was so wet that all she’d have to do was stay still and he could have fully seated himself. Instead, she leaned forward again, her hair swinging down until it brushed his chest.

He groaned and opened his eyes. She was caught in his gaze. There was nowhere to go, nothing she could hide from him. Luke saw everything and the fear of what he would know was a petrifying aphrodisiac.

She pushed downward, seating him fully inside her in one rushed stroke, as though she could distract him with sex. His eyes dilated, his breath rushed out as though he’d gotten the wind knocked out of him, and his hips bucked upward. This time she let him push, feeling the thick slide of him inside her.

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