Way to Her Heart

chapter 10

“Lucas, this is so good.” Sherri sighed as she licked chocolate from her spoon. Lucas smiled to acknowledge her appreciation. They were eating dessert in her dining room, a delectable finish to the gourmet meal he’d made for her. The meal had been wonderful from beginning to end, but the pots au chocolat he’d made were sublime.

“It’s always a pleasure to cook for you,” Lucas said.

“And I always appreciate it,” she told him. “I will clean up to show you how thankful I am that you take the time and make the effort to give me such a lovely meal.”

Lucas leaned forward a little and raised one brow. “How many times are we going to have this discussion? You don’t clean up around me, babe. I’m here to serve you, so get that through your beautiful head. It will take me ten minutes tops to finish off the kitchen, so why don’t you get comfortable and wait for me in the living room?”

It was true; Lucas cleaned as he cooked so that only the dishes they ate from were left when a meal was finished. He really could set everything to rights in mere minutes. Alexis had already warned her that the VanBuren men were the last of a dying breed of men who took their role as protectors very seriously. In Alexis’s words, “They would walk through a wall of fire to protect their women, so she may as well get used to it.” It was way too easy to get used to the way Lucas treated her; he was so considerate and caring. Sherri was trying to keep her head about it, but Lucas was winning her heart more and more every day. And now they had a whole week alone.

The school year had ended, leaving Sydney free for the summer. She had summer classes in dance, Vacation Bible School and other programs to participate in while her mother was at work, and Sherri had a vacation planned for them later in the summer. But right now, Sydney was on Hilton Head Island with Lucas’s parents. His brother Damon had brought his children down to spend the summer with their grandparents, and the elder VanBurens had invited Sydney to spend a week with them. Sydney was delighted to be included because she loved Lucas’s parents and she’d been in Alexis and Jared’s wedding with his niece and nephew. They had become instant friends as a result.

Lucas and Sherri had driven her to Hilton Head and stayed for a few hours while she got settled in. It was nice to see Lucas’s brother again; he was outgoing and charming like his twin, and he surprised her with a big hug.

“Welcome to the family, Sherri. I guess I’ll have to make more of an effort to get out and meet someone like you since I’m gonna be the last single man standing in the family.” He laughed and she laughed with him, but she felt a little shock at his words. He had acted as though her relationship with Lucas was a done deal, something she pointed out to Lucas when they drove back to Columbia.

He just smiled and squeezed the hand that he was holding as he drove. “I’m sorry if he made you uncomfortable, sweetheart. You know that twins share a special bond. He knows what’s on my mind and what’s in my heart, that’s all.”

She’d been touched to her own heart by his words, but she didn’t say so. Instead she asked him an impulsive question. “Was Damon married? I shouldn’t be asking about his personal business, but he has those beautiful children,” she said shyly.

Lucas squeezed her hand again. “His best friend was the married one. Damon was godfather to their children and he adopted them when their parents were killed in a boating accident. There was no one else to do it, and he volunteered. He’s a great dad. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“Yes, I have. And it’s not all I’ve noticed either,” she’d murmured.

So now they had a week together without their beloved little chaperone—time to spend together without any restrictions. Sherri was thinking about that very thing when Lucas joined her in the living room. He brought a bottle of wine and two glasses, which he placed on the coffee table before sitting next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and was pleased when she moved so that she was sitting in his lap. She looped her arms around his neck and leaned closer so she could kiss him. It was a soft, tender caress on the corner of his lips. He could feel the tip of her tongue tease the sensitive spot and he returned the gesture, gently coaxing her lips apart until their mouths were joined.

When the kiss ended, Sherri murmured, “Thank you,” before kissing his throat. Lucas’s sexy laugh rumbled up from his chest and vibrated his throat against her mouth.

“Why in the world are you thanking me?”

“For making me dinner, for cleaning up afterward, for driving us to Hilton Head, for the fact that you have the sweetest parents in the world who treat my baby like she’s one of theirs, for being so patient with me, for just being you,” she said quietly. “For everything.”

Lucas put one hand on either side of her face and kissed her again. “You don’t ever have to thank me for anything, Sherri. You and Sydney are the best things that ever happened to me. I haven’t felt anything like what I feel for you in my life,” he said, his voice low and intense.

“Is that a good thing?” she teased.

“Let me show you how good,” he growled. He placed her so that she was facing him with her legs straddling his body. She moved her hips so she could feel his manhood swelling, getting hard and thick and ready for her. She was wearing a silky little dress with tiny buttons down the front and a flaring skirt that swirled around her legs and allowed him easy access to them. His hands caressed her thighs, moving up and down, loving the feel of her soft, smooth skin.

“You feel so good,” he said in a rough whisper.

“You make me feel good,” she murmured and moved her hips again. She could feel him, rock-hard and ready.

His hands went to the tiny buttons so he could remove her dress, but she stopped him.

“It doesn’t unbutton—those are just for decoration,” she whispered. “You have to unzip it. And I have a surprise for you,” she added.

Lucas was too aroused to answer; he just put his fingers on the zipper and began to pull it down. When the zipper came all the way down, he slid the delicate fabric off her shoulders, and her surprise was revealed. He grinned when he saw the sheer sexy bra in the soft champagne color.

“No more schoolgirl white.” She giggled. “I got an upgrade for you.”

She gracefully got off his lap and shimmied the dress down her legs so he could see that she had on a matching thong that showed off everything that made her a woman when she turned to show him her high, rounded derriere. She wiggled her hips to his delight. He got off the sofa at once, picking her up with his hands on her hips. As he lifted her, her legs went around his waist and she gave a throaty laugh that aroused him even more. His mouth came down on hers and they began kissing wildly as Lucas started walking to the stairs. He stopped the kiss long enough to say, “This time I know where to go.”

In seconds they were in the bedroom. Lucas placed her on the bed and she turned on a small bedside lamp so they could see each other clearly. He watched her intently as he unbuttoned his linen shirt.

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said reverently.

“Thank you, Lucas. That’s very sweet, but I’m pretty average,” she said modestly.

He’d removed the rest of his clothing and was looking down at her with desire on his face. “You’re crazy,” he said roughly as he helped her turn the bed down. He got in the big bed next to her, and the way he looked at her made her blush. She could feel the heat in her cheeks as he examined her like she was a remarkable and priceless work of art.

“You’re gorgeous, Sherri. I love your face,” he said, kissing her soundly. “You look like a real woman—not like those chicks with the false eyelashes and the crazy hair. You have a real, natural beauty. It shines out of you.”

His words were so sweet that Sherri’s eyes filled with tears. “No one has ever said that to me before,” she whispered.

“That’s because you’re mine. You were made just for me and I was made for you. No one else had the right to tell you how beautiful and how incredibly sexy you are.” She was on her back and he leaned over her, his hand moving up and down her lithe torso. “I love your body. You’re slim but strong. And I really love those long pretty legs of yours.”

Sherri smiled up at him. “My legs were so skinny and my feet were so big that people used to call me ‘the flamingo.’ But then I grew into them, I guess. I started running track and they got strong and muscular and I wasn’t the flamingo anymore. My feet are still pretty big, though.”

They both laughed but Lucas said, “Don’t you have a romantic bone in your beautiful body? I’m trying to seduce you, to tell you how much I want you,” he pointed out.

She rolled over so that she was on top of him, her legs entwined with his. “I want you just as much, Lucas. And in case you don’t know, you’re the sexiest man I’ve ever known. I didn’t know what love making was until you. I love the way you look—your height, those shoulders, your cheekbones,” she murmured, stroking and kissing him as she counted off his attributes. “I love the way your body feels against mine. The way you touch me drives me crazy.” She stopped and rubbed her face against his chest and touched his hand with her fingers.

“When we went to the farmers’ market and you helped me out of the car, your hand touched mine and it was like being struck by lightning,” she confessed. “I’d never felt anything like it before, and it scared me a little.”

“Are you still scared?” he asked.

“Not of you—never in this world.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” he murmured. “Now let’s see if I can make lightning strike twice.”

Sherri raised her body so that she was straddling him and he slipped her bra straps off. She guided his hands to the front fastener and he freed her breasts. He cupped them and flexed his fingers over their soft roundness, circling her sensitive nipples with his thumbs before adjusting his position so that he could fasten his mouth over one. His tongue went over the hardened tip over and over and he sucked on it while squeezing the other one. The sensation drew a passionate response from Sherri; she slid her fingers into his thick, soft hair and held his head in place while her hips began to move against him. She gasped and moaned his name when he moved to the other side and treated her other breast to the same pleasure while his thumb continued to rub the tip.

A delicious pressure was building deep inside her. She was wet and a slow throbbing was taking over; she could feel it coming and she wanted more. Lucas continued to suck her nipples in turn but his hands moved down to her hips. He held her tight with one big warm hand and slid the other one into her, rubbing back and forth and finding her moist and hot, her * swollen and ready for him. With one quick movement, she was on her back as he removed the tiny thong and his mouth took over. Her legs went over his shoulders and he held her butt in his palms so he could have full access to her essence. His tongue was hot and wet and he devoured her, rolling it around her jewel, stroking it over and over until he felt the throbbing deepen and the juicy flow that let him know she was having her first release.

Her hips were moving wildly, following every stroke of his tongue until the sensations came together in a shattering climax that made her scream his name. He finally let her go, burying his nose in the neatly trimmed cluster of curls at her apex. He moved so that he could join their bodies in one swift stroke, pushing into her sweetness with his name on her lips. She held on to his broad shoulders and he plunged into her taut body, over and over as she ground her hips against him. He could feel his climax approaching and he pulled her up so she could ride him harder until they were both caught by their rising tide of release.

They clung to each other, hot, sweaty and totally satisfied, before finally collapsing on the bed. Neither one of them could say a word; they just held each other with the occasional soft, sweet kiss until they fell asleep in each other’s arms.