The Renegade Returns (Mill Town Millionaires) (11 page)

It wasn’t until his body was poised between her thighs that reality intruded. “Nooo,” he moaned.

“What?” Eyes widening, Avery looked down between them. “Um, what’s wrong?”

The last thing he wanted was for her to worry, but an afternoon spent with kids wouldn’t let him ignore the obvious. “I don’t have a condom.”

“Oh.” She collapsed back against the pillows with a giggle.

He glared. The raging state of his body did not find this situation the least bit funny.

One look at his face sobered her right up. She pointed to the bedside table. “Top drawer.”

That he hadn’t expected. After all, Avery didn’t date much. Wait, had she and Mark—? Luke swallowed hard. This was not going according to plan.

But the unopened box in the top drawer said if Avery had been planning for visitors, they’d never shown up. He opened it and flicked a single package between his fingers. “What are you doing with these? Huh?”

Her cheeks deepened to a darker shade of red than they’d already been. “Wishful thinking?” she murmured.

Only Avery would be embarrassed by that. “I’m glad one of us was planning ahead.”

“I wouldn’t thank me yet. You might want to check for an expiration date first.”

Determined to pay the little hellion back for teasing him, Luke quickly sheathed himself, then buried his face into the crook of her neck. Blowing against her skin had her squealing and squirming. Before long, he couldn’t resist anymore.

Long sucking kisses moved him down her body to the sensitive spot above the joint of her hip. There he slowed, brushing his lips back and forth over the soft, soft skin. The spicy scent of her arousal coated his senses. All he knew then was the need to please her.

Firm hands spread her wide, giving her no chance to hide from him. The slick, sensitive skin between her thighs reminded Luke vividly of the essence of Avery herself. So vulnerable. Yet strong.

Bending close he greeted her with a kiss. Then he opened his mouth, and proceeded to drive her crazy. Her moans and screams were music to his ears, mixing with the pounding in his blood to create a barometer measuring just how much pressure they could each take.

Finally her body pulsed one last time, her thighs tensing around his head. Instead of a scream, air trapped inside her throat, choking off the noise, ramping up the sensations. Only when her body melted into the bed and her breath released with a soft sigh did Luke rise up.

Looking across her loose limbs, sweat-slickened skin and shaking ribs, he knew he was seeing the real Avery. The woman behind the fears. The woman behind the nerves. The woman who’d got the orgasm she deserved. And he was the man who’d given it to her.

All those primitive sensations rolled around inside him, forcing him closer and closer. Lifting one of her legs, he made a place for himself between her thighs.

Her body resisted at first so he teased her with tiny strokes, then a little more. Just a little more, until she relaxed deep inside.

Like a spent battery recharging, her body regained vitality. Her hips shifted, tilting toward him, urging him deeper.

He clenched his fists in the sheet above her shoulders, desperately trying to hold out. But once his hips met hers, those primitive instincts could not be denied. Especially not while looking down at her gorgeous face.

As his body pounded into hers, their gazes met, desperately clinging to one another as if the meaning of life could be found in the other person. All too soon, their bodies betrayed them. Avery arched into him, bowing under waves of pleasure.

Her muscles tightened around him, the pressure perfect. Thrusting deep, he opened up full throttle. Heart racing, head pounding, he found the ultimate high in the arms of the woman he’d never expected to find.

In the following calm, Luke forced air into his lungs, becoming aware of his suddenly shaking arms. Easing over to the side, he settled next to Avery before he fell on her. But he couldn’t stop touching her, couldn’t break the connection. His palm settled easily against the slight rise where each set of ribs met. His hand moved up and down as she breathed, their heartbeats slowing. Energy dissipating into the shadows darkening the room.

What was this unnatural need, this feeling inside of Luke that screamed for him not to move too far away?

Despite the warning signals flashing in his brain, Luke had every intention of listening to his instincts. He forced himself to walk to the attached bathroom and clean up. After he’d made Avery comfortable, too, he lay next to her in the bed and pulled her against him in a reversal of their earlier positions. He smiled at her limp lack of resistance. Though he knew immediately when awareness kicked in, because her muscles grew taut one by one.

“Rest with me,” he murmured.

“Clothes?” Obviously her brain wasn’t on board yet, because full sentences weren’t an option for her.

No way was he letting fabric rest between him and all the delicious skin tempting him to fully wake back up. “Not tonight.”

“Too tired?” she whispered.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, teasing a little. “I have a physical therapist who tried to kill me today.”

Her giggle made him smile, even as it trailed off into even, peaceful breaths. Luke let the world fall away, until all that remained was the warmth between them and the feeling of perfection deep inside.

ELEVEN

A
very came to awareness by degrees, her body awakening like a closed flower to the sun, one petal at a time.

A soft light filtered between the part in the curtains—not quite full daylight. She felt the unusual warmth in her little cocoon of covers—enough to keep her sleepy. And the heavy weight of someone at her back… Had anything ever felt so heavenly? The core of her body throbbed as she remembered just who it was in bed with her.

Lucas Blackstone.

Gone were the girlish dreams from so long ago, fiercely replaced by the desires of a woman. She should feel shy, nervous about seeing him again this morning. After all, she hadn’t woken up with anyone of the male species since college. And never with a specimen of Luke’s caliber. Boys compared to a man.

But she feared she’d experienced far more than Luke’s physical prowess last night. Touching him, savoring him, sleeping beside him… Her heart was long gone. Maybe it had been since she’d been a child. That hero worship from afar had blossomed to full maturity with time and space. But now—well, now there was no turning back.

Worried that her restless thoughts would cause her to move and wake up Luke, Avery eased out of the bed and stood for a moment in the cool air. Her naked body shivered—she wasn’t sure if it was the chill or her surprise at actually being bare. But as she watched Luke reach out to find the warm spot her body had just left behind, curling toward it, she yearned to be beneath his hands once more.

But after such a long day yesterday, she imagined he’d want a hot cup of coffee this morning.

She quickly pulled on some yoga pants and an oversize T-shirt, then eased out the door before pulling it closed. He’d slept soundly all night with barely any movement. From his remarks at the center, she’d gotten the impression that wasn’t common for him. She’d let him sleep…while she figured out how to act natural.

A cup of creamed coffee only served to remind her she hadn’t had dinner last night. A protein bar steadied her jitters. The front bell rang as she was looking through the cabinets, wondering what she should cook for breakfast.

She hurried down the hall and into the front foyer, hoping to catch the visitor before the bell rang out again. The sound wouldn’t be as loud upstairs—she knew from experience—but she wasn’t sure how light of a sleeper Luke was.

With only that thought in mind, she threw the door open to find Mark standing on her doorstep. She froze. He hadn’t been to her house for several months. She certainly hadn’t been expecting him this morning. “Um, hi,” she said with awkward hesitation, her mind still on the man sleeping in her bed upstairs. “What can I do for you?”

The classically handsome man frowned, a crease forming in his perfect brow. “You can stop talking to me like I’m a traveling salesman, for one. We’ve been friends a long time, Avery. Aren’t you going to at least invite me in?”

She bristled at his tone, but good manners dictated she let him in to find out what he wanted. After all, her house wasn’t on the way to anywhere. He’d come here for a reason. What that was, well, she couldn’t imagine.

“I’m sorry,” she said, stepping back and gesturing him inside. “I haven’t been up long. My wits haven’t kicked in yet.”

She led him into the front parlor, pausing awkwardly next to the proper antique sofa that had belonged to her father’s parents. As she glanced around, she realized this entire room would easily fit in at a museum. It still had the original fabric wall coverings from when the house had been built, along with needlepoint from her great-grandmother’s own hand and original furniture. She’d made it into a sort of memorial to her family. Though it wasn’t comfortable for lounging, she came here often to look at the pictures on the mantel.

Just as Luke had last week, Mark paced in front of the fireplace, studying the photographs she’d framed in antique picture frames to fit the room’s decor. Mark seemed to fit here—he’d been born into one of the oldest families in Black Hills outside of the founding family, the Blackstones. He’d attended the only private school in the area, same as Avery. Had gone on to a prestigious college, and had done well as far as she could tell. He’d worked his way up into executive management at the mill, though “worked up” sounded a little harder than it had actually been. He’d never actually worked on the mill floor. He’d simply held white-collar jobs there.

Mark was an intellectual kind of guy—not into sports or cars. He’d filled his own house with antiques, liked the challenge of numbers and enjoyed fine dining.

“Would you like some coffee?” she asked.

Mark turned to face her, but his gaze wandered around the room, not landing anywhere for long. “I didn’t come here for pleasantries, Avery. I came to ask if you think you’re making the right choices.”

That forced a double take. “What?”

He shook his head, as if he were talking to a disappointing child. “Avery, I saw you with him that other day, then yesterday. Do you really think this is the best thing for you? The right thing?”

Avery felt a wave of heat roll over her as she remembered meeting Mark’s gaze in the diner. For a moment, she felt ashamed, knowing she had assumed she’d be good enough for a superstar personality like Luke.

His earnest brown gaze finally met hers. “You’re a small-town girl, a quiet homebody. Do you really think you can compete with his career? The attention? The freedom? The women?”

A familiar sense of inadequacy sparked deep inside Avery, spreading until her hands trembled. She knew if she took one step forward, she’d fall. If she picked up something, she’d drop it.

Instead she lowered her eyelids, wishing she could hide away from that knowing look on Mark’s face. But in the darkness behind her closed lids, the sensations from the night before surfaced to flood over her. Her body moving in harmony with Luke’s.

There’d been no shame last night. No clumsiness. Just two people exploring each other and giving each other pleasure. Luke may not love her, but they were friends. He wouldn’t want her to be embarrassed by what they’d done.

“Mark, I appreciate your concern. But what happens between me and Luke isn’t any of your business.”

“We dated for a long time. Doesn’t that count for anything?”

Therein lay tricky ground. “We went to community functions together. That’s not dating.” But that wasn’t the whole of it. “You’ve been my friend for a lot longer than that, Mark. That counts for a whole lot more than a few appearances. If you have something helpful to say to me, great. But I will not let you make me feel inferior, simply to make yourself feel better.”

A look of almost desperation came over Mark’s face, furrowing his brow and glittering in his eyes. He stepped forward, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them a little harder than she liked. “I thought we were perfect for each other, Avery. You’d be an excellent hostess, a beautiful companion. We were meant for each other.”

That was so not what she’d expected. “Mark, you never acted like you felt that way.” She swallowed hard, wishing she didn’t have to hurt her friend on top of everything else. “I’m sorry, so sorry if you wanted something more than friendship, but I’ve never had romantic feelings for you.”

Mark’s color deepened from red to purple. “So you think a small-town girl can compete with the excitement to be had in North Carolina?”

Ouch. “There’s no competition.”

“There will be…the minute he steps out of Black Hills.”

He wasn’t telling her something she didn’t already know. “That’s not your concern. Or mine, either.” If she worried about the future, she’d go crazy. “I’m sorry that you learned exactly what was going on like this, but I never meant to hurt you.”

“So you’d rather whore it up for one of the Blackstone brothers than be the lady your parents wanted you to be?” His hands squeezed, the pressure making her wince. “You could have been my wife, one of the most prominent women in Black Hills. Why would you ruin everything for him?”

Her gasp sounded loud in the room, but she didn’t have long to dwell on the shock.

“That’s enough.”

Luke’s voice rang through the downstairs, strong and clear. Mark let go of her, turning toward the entryway. The sounds told her Luke was coming down the stairs, though she couldn’t see him from her angle. But she could tell from the widening of Mark’s eyes that he had a clear view of Luke’s approach.

Avery looked back at the doorway just as Luke crossed the threshold, and she almost choked. It was Luke, all right. All gleaming muscles, in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. Obviously, self-consciousness wasn’t an issue for him.

From Mark’s apoplexy, it was clearly an issue on his part.

As he took in all of Luke’s bare skin, then turned to study Avery’s loose-fitting clothes, knowledge dawned in his eyes. Uncomfortably aware of her braless state, Avery crossed her arms over her torso, only to realize the move probably made her lack of undergarments even more obvious.

Suddenly Mark twisted his lips into a smirk. “Well, well. You aren’t just planning to whore it up…you already have.”

“I said, that’s enough,” Luke said, the hard edge to his voice making Avery just a little bit scared, even though it wasn’t aimed at her.

Mark’s expression said the wheels were still turning in his brain. His gaze was no longer blank as he looked between her and Luke. The knowledge of the night they’d spent together added fuel to his earlier anger. He opened his mouth to speak, but Luke beat him to it.

“If you walk out right now, we’ll just chalk this up to your disappointment in losing the girl.” He crossed the room and placed a protective arm around Avery’s shoulders. Her lashes fell for a moment as his fingers brushed over a sore spot from Mark’s hold. Luke went on, “If not, I’ll see to it that Jacob hears every detail. And you can look forward to Monday being your last day at Blackstone Mills.”

“You aren’t my manager,” Mark growled. “You can’t do that.”

This time it was Luke’s turn to smirk. “No, but he can. And I’ll make sure he does.”

“Fine.”

Mark stalked over to the door, and for once, Avery was glad to see him go. She didn’t need people in her life who intended to tear her apart. Life had taught her that long ago.

Mark opened the door, then glanced back at where they stood in the entryway to the front parlor. Avery felt the large span of Luke’s palm blanket the small of her back. Mark’s gaze flicked down, then back up to her face. “Think about it,” he said. The door slammed behind him.

Luke moved as if to follow, but Avery grabbed his arm.

Thankfully, Luke pulled her close. She rested her forehead against his chest, breathing in the musky scent of his skin. His hand covered the back of her head, holding her close until her trembling stopped. Then she forced herself to pull back, stand up tall and smooth down her hair—no matter how she felt inside.

“I’m sorry,” she said, unable to meet his gaze…or anything else on him, for that matter. “I don’t know what got into him.”

“I don’t, either,” Luke said. “That didn’t seem like jealousy. It was all aimed at you.”

Avery was already shaking her head. “I didn’t give him any reason to think that I—”

“I know,” he assured her as he stepped closer. There was no getting around the sight of all that sexy bare skin with him two inches away.

Skin she wanted to touch. Just as she had last night.

“What we do here is between you and me. No one else. Don’t let him change that, okay?”

“I won’t.”

As he led her back up to bed, she was determined to hold on to that promise with all her heart.

* * *

“Master Luke, there’s someone at the door for you.”

Luke looked up from the racing magazine he’d been reading to find Nolen in the entryway to the front parlor. “Who is it?” he asked.

For once, the butler’s somber face gave way to a slight smile. “Someone I believe you will want to see.”

Luke glanced across at his brothers, who were playing a game of chess near the fireplace. They both shrugged.

Guess he’d go see who the mysterious visitor was, and what he wanted, since the old guy wasn’t going to say. As he walked by, Nolen’s grin grew. Now Luke knew something was definitely up. Something big. Nolen’s smiles were as rare as two-dollar bills.

Luke enjoyed his newfound freedom as he walked down the short hall to the foyer. He’d forced himself to give up his cane almost a week ago. Moving with care, he’d regained his equilibrium and added a bit of speed to his gait. Avery had been complimentary of his progress, though he could see the sadness beneath her smile. One step closer to freedom. One step closer to leaving…her.

Something he hadn’t figured out how to handle yet.

Behind him, he could hear multiple sets of footsteps as his brothers and Nolen followed. He hoped whatever stood outside the door wasn’t an embarrassment.

As he stepped out the front door onto the veranda, Luke’s eyes were drawn to the shiny black hot rod in the drive. The sleek, low-slung coupe set his heart racing the way most men’s would for a sexy woman. Behind him, he heard a masculine whistle of appreciation that echoed his own feelings.

Then the driver’s-side door opened, and out stepped Avery. Her buttery-soft tan pants and leather jacket finally drew his gaze away from the car. The uncertain edges of her smile tugged at something in his chest he couldn’t name. She closed the door and stepped around the car to meet them on the porch.

“What’s all this?” he asked, his gesture encompassing the car that she couldn’t have gotten anywhere around here.

She glanced at all the men in the small space, then turned all her focus back to him. She probably thought it was a safer option.

“I came to give you the good news,” she said. “I’ve had all your X-rays and evaluation results looked over by your doctor. You passed. It’s time to drive again.”

Luke stared for a moment, not quite comprehending her words. They’d talked about his driving as being something he would do
in the future
, but she’d never given him a firm date. He’d known she was evaluating his progress this week, but didn’t question why. He’d known he was on the right track. He’d just hoped to learn how far along it he was.