Up to the Challenge (An Anchor Island Novel) (20 page)

Their lips met as if their lives depended on it. She clung to his wet body, vibrating with the tension coursing between
them. Sid had always wanted to jump Lucas’s bones, but never more than in this moment. All day he’d been teasing her with that tool belt hanging low over his perfect ass. She’d wanted him so bad she could taste it. And now she could taste him.

Fuck Death By Chocolate. Sid wanted to die devouring every last bite of Lucas Dempsey. His tongue was hot and invading, dueling with hers when he wasn’t taking tiny bites of her lower lip. She jammed her hands in his wet hair as Lucas spun, setting her on the counter and sliding his hands beneath her shirt.

Without hesitation she broke the kiss, leaned back and jerked her shirt over her head. She’d have worn the black lace if she’d known this would happen today, but Lucas didn’t seem to mind the white satin with colorful stars. He was looking with his hands more than his eyes, and Sid thought she might die from the sensations assaulting her.

Desperate to feel his skin against hers, to run her tongue over the muscles bunching and flexing under her touch, she slipped her hands under the hem of his shirt, pushing the wet material over perfect abs until she could take a nipple between her teeth. Lucas growled and pulled her core hard against his hips. He cradled her ass, lifting her off the counter so he could take her mouth again.

Seconds later he’d moved to her earlobe, rolled his tongue down her neck, and licked the top of her breast above the confining satin. “Where’s your room?” he asked, his voice thick and heavy.

Reveling in the feel of his hot breath between her breasts, Sid wrapped her legs tighter around his waist, anchoring
against him, and wound her arms around his neck. “Through the living room. Blue door. Right.”

Lucas found the room without breaking the lip-lock. Bless the man for being a multitasker.

The lack of electricity rendered the light switch useless, but her alarm clock battery had kicked on, the large glowing numbers illuminating the room enough for Lucas to find the bed. When he did, they toppled down together, him throwing his weight to one side, seemingly to keep from squishing her, but Sid was having none of that.

She shifted further onto the bed and urged Lucas to move with her. He was hard and ready against her thigh, sending waves of panic coursing alongside the overload of adrenaline already drowning her brain.

What if she did this wrong? What if he could tell she didn’t know what she was doing? What if she was awful at it?

In that instant, Lucas rose off the bed and Sid feared she’d aired her doubts aloud. But then he pulled his shirt over his head and her brain shut down. Good Lord, the man was gorgeous. Like rock star gorgeous. Even in the dim blue light of the clock, Lucas was a god.

And he was reaching for the button on his pants.

Panic took hold again, sending Sid scooting back against the headboard. Lucas froze.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Do you want to stop?” The words were barely audible through his heavy breathing. The tension in his body as he fought for control was palpable.

Sid shook her head no.

“Then why does it feel as if you’re about to run out the door?”

Sid shook her head again.

“We’re not going to do anything you don’t want to do, Sid. I don’t think I can make it home now, but I’ll go stay on the couch.”

“No!” she yelled, more afraid he’d leave than stay. “I’m just …” She was just what? If she told him she didn’t do this much, he’d bolt for sure. This was supposed to be casual. She was supposed to be good with casual sex. “I just wish it wasn’t so dark in here. I want to see you.”

That part was true. She’d give anything to see him in full light, naked in her bedroom.

“I want to see you too,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “We’ll just have to make sure we each get a good look when the sun comes up.” Leaning over until his hands were braced against the mattress, Lucas grinned. “Come down here, Sid.”

As if pulled by an invisible string, Sid scooted down the bed, powered by the wave of lust that had brought her this far. “You want to do this?” he asked, nuzzling along her jawline. “A summer fling could be fun.”

She had no doubt a summer fling with Lucas would be the most fun she’d ever have in her life. But what would happen when summer rolled into fall? When the fling was over and Lucas was gone?

“I did promise to show you a good time,” she said, with more swagger than she felt. “Are you up for the challenge?” Was she up for the heartbreak?

Lucas crawled back onto the bed until Sid was prone beneath him and ground his hips against her thigh. “I’m up, Sid. I’m definitely up.”

He took her mouth slowly this time, savoring her. Tasting and teasing, his hands on the bed beside her head instead of where she wanted them, on her body. Her hands explored at will, showing Lucas what she wanted in return. The muscles of his upper arms were rock solid as he held himself above her, leaving too much space between them. When she reached up and tugged on his neck, he kept the distance, but ground his hips once again.

An odd sound filled the air and Sid realized the animal moan had come from her own throat. A kind of purr she’d never uttered before. For a brief second the sound made her wonder where Drillbit was, but then Lucas rolled his hips once more and thoughts of the feline fled.

When he left her mouth to shift attention to her neck, Sid begged. “Touch me, please.”

“Patience. We have all night.”

Sid did not have all night. If he didn’t touch her in the next five seconds, she would burst into flames and die without ever feeling Lucas inside her. With a move honed from years of wrestling a giant of a brother, Sid locked her legs around Lucas’s waist and flipped them both until she was on top.

Hands braced on his shoulders, she stared down into startled eyes and smiled.

“
I’m
the one showing
you
a good time, remember?”

“By all means,” he said, sliding his hands over her thighs. “Present your case, Ms. Navarro.”

Sitting up taller, Sid reached back and freed her hair. She’d always seen chicks look hot doing that in the movies, and hoped she was pulling off the same effect.

“I love your hair,” he whispered, a potent hoarseness in his voice. “I’ve wanted to yank out that ponytail for a week.”

She wiggled one finger before his nose. “There will be no hair pulling.”

His grin turned wicked. “We’ll table that one for further discussion.”

Sid’s stomach clenched as Lucas thrust up off the bed. Her hands hit his shoulders again, draping the both of them in a mass of dark waves. As he moved it away from her face, their eyes met. “You’re beautiful,” he said.

And for the first time in her life, Sid believed the words.

“So are you,” she said, needing to make him feel what she was feeling. “You always have been.”

His body stilled and he pulled her face down for another hungry kiss. This time, they kissed each other, taking and giving in turn, thrusting, parrying, breaking contact only when breathing became absolutely necessary.

With the flick of one hand, Lucas unhooked her bra, the satin sliding down her arms and disappearing somewhere near the dresser. Cool air caressed her nipples for only seconds before the brush of course hair and hot skin replaced it. She pressed down as Lucas squeezed tighter, neither able to get close enough. Her body was a coiled spring, threatening to snap and send her flying across the room.

Lucas took charge again, rolling until he was once more hovering above her, then lavished detailed attention on her breasts. The right, then the left, each forlorn when his lips wandered away to the other.

Between nibbles he said, “We’d better get out of these wet clothes, don’t you think?”

Sid nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see her with his nose pressed between the girls. “Yes. Please.”

Lucas rolled to the side, far enough for her to reach between them. “Undo the button. Please. I need you to touch me, Sid.”

Pushing through her growing panic at how fast they were moving, she watched his eyes as her fingers steadily did as he asked. Sliding a hand down behind the open zipper, she found no further material in her way.

“You’re not wearing underwear,” she said, as if discussing the absence of personal clothing were an everyday thing.

“I never do unless I’m running,” he mumbled between gritted teeth. His eyes were closed, and judging by the muscles in his neck, he was ready to snap.

A sense of power mixed with lust was a heady cocktail. Sid stopped thinking about her lack of experience, as she’d never pleasured a guy, for lack of a better word, with her hands before. Instead she let instinct take over, pushing the cotton down over his ass until what she wanted sprang free. Whoa. That was more than she’d expected. Fascinated, she ran a hand down the side, then gripped the base.

Very interesting tool. And it fit nicely in her hand.

“Are you trying to kill me?” Lucas asked, dropping his head on her shoulder and bracing himself half on top of her.

She’d almost forgotten the rest of him was there.

“You don’t like this?” she asked, knowing to tease was cruel, but having too much fun to stop.

After rolling over to kick the pants onto the floor, Lucas returned to Sid’s side in all his pride and glory. And glorious he was. “Time for me to return the favor,” he said,
making short work of removing her jeans and thong, tossing them through the air to join the bra somewhere on the floor. Sid tried to stay relaxed, fending off the feeling of complete and utter vulnerability.

She hated feeling so exposed and defenseless, but then Lucas began exploring and Sid’s body tensed for a totally different reason. One nimble finger found what turned out to be the magical spot, sending Sid soaring through the air with surprising speed, her scream of raw pleasure rattling the walls.

As far as first orgasms went, Sid was certain of two things. She’d been missing out, and she wanted a lot more of those.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

H
oly shit, that was awesome,” Sid said, an electrical current still charging through her bloodstream. She was literally vibrating from the sensations, stretching her legs as if her body were trying to chase the ribbons of pleasure flying out her toes.

Turning toward Lucas and throwing a leg over his hip, she realized he was still as hard as a rock. He’d just given her an orgasm and they hadn’t even had sex yet. Talk about skills. Sliding him between her thighs, she licked his chest and said, “How many of those do I get?”

Lucas remained still and Sid worried she’d done something wrong. Through clenched teeth he asked, “Do you have any condoms?”

Sid made another mental note. This time, to buy Will the biggest Christmas present ever for forcing her to stock up, just in case. Rolling to her left, she opened her nightstand drawer and pulled out a blue box. “We’re fully stocked.”

“Thank God,” he said, relief and a hint of joy laced in his voice. A reaction that did positive things to Sid’s ego. Positioning himself above her again, he pushed the box out of her hand, then pinned both her arms over her head. “Now where were we?”

Sid coughed away a nervous giggle. “I don’t know about you, but I think I was just somewhere around Mars.”

Lucas dropped sexy kisses along her jaw. “How was the trip?”

“Hmmmm …” she hedged. “Good, I think. I’ll need another trip to be sure.”

“Then prepare for takeoff.”

Their mouths met like two armies charging into battle, each trying to force the other to surrender. Lucas’s hands were everywhere, and yet she wanted more. Needed more. Her hips rose off the bed through no control of her own, the brain surrendering only to the demands of her body.

The seconds it took for Lucas to open the box of condoms and sheath himself felt like an eternity in hell. Her body on fire, wanting only to get closer to the flame. She was covered in sweat, his or her own she wasn’t sure, nor did she care. When his mouth returned to hers, she pulled her knees up, flattening her feet on the bed and lifting in invitation.

Lucas hesitated above her. Staring into her eyes, he gently brushed a wet lock from her cheek, then ran his thumb along her jawline. The threat of sudden tears took her by surprise. She couldn’t let him see her cry.

Digging her nails into his shoulder blades, she begged, “Lucas, please. I can’t take any more.”

He took her mouth at the same moment he thrust inside her, her muscles rebelling and accommodating at once. The pace started slow, too slow, and she dug her nails in again. Lucas took the hint, increasing the speed, driving harder with every thrust. God, he felt so good. So right. Sex had never been like this. She’d never imagined it could be.

The bed rocked beneath them as the storm outside raged against her tiny cottage. But the storm building inside put any hurricane to shame. Her body tensed, her ankles pressed against Lucas’s firm ass, encouraging, demanding. She gripped his sides, desperate to hold on, fighting the feeling she might fly away at any moment.

Lucas reached an arm behind her left knee, pulling her leg higher and thrust home, sending her off on that magical trip again. Another scream ripped from her lungs, then several thrusts later, Lucas growled in her ear and his body went straight and taut.

They remained connected, lying atop her disheveled blue comforter, panting, sweating, and in Sid’s case, smiling. Lucas’s nose was tucked in against her neck, his breath hot against her skin. This is where she wanted to be every night for the rest of her life. But if the next five weeks were all she could have, then she’d take them.

They’d just have to get her through the next five decades.