She looked like a goddess with her dark hair spilled out around her and across her chest, her breasts full and waiting for me.
I climbed off the bed to finish removing my clothes then slowly pulled the lace off her hips and down her legs.
When I moved back between her legs, she pressed the tips of her fingers to my chest, and I paused to look at her. “For tonight, can you . . .” She trailed off and swallowed thickly. Even in the dark room I could see the way her blood rushed to her cheeks. When she continued, her voice was barely above a whisper. “Can you pretend that you could love me, too?”
“Blackbird . . .” I didn’t tell her she was asking for something I would never be able to give her, she already knew.
Placing one hand over her chest, I memorized the feel of her thundering heart as I slowly pushed into her heat. Her sharp inhale mixed with my low groan as I filled her inch by inch. Incredible. I never wanted to stop being overwhelmed by the rush of emotions when my body joined hers. I never wanted to stop being overwhelmed by her.
Our movements were never hurried, and there was never any more. And as she whispered my name against my lips when she came, I found it all too easy to pretend.
Chapter 30
You’re Dangerous
Briar
My eyes felt scratchy and raw when I woke the next morning. When I first arrived, I had gotten so used to days upon days of crying that I hardly noticed the feel of it anymore. This felt miserable, and I still felt emotionally exhausted. But memories of last night and how beautiful it had been had me eager to see how this morning would be.
I rolled over to an empty bed and frowned at the piece of paper that was propped up with my name on it. The last letter from Lucas had broken my heart, so I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this one.
I studied the offensive paper for longer than was necessary before grabbing it, and rolled my eyes when I read the few words there.
My blackbird,
I have some errands to run. I’ll be back soon with breakfast.
Your devil
P.S. . . . my shower isn’t that complicated.
I pulled on my clothes from last night then hurried to his bathroom for morning necessities, stopping at his shower to study it again on my way back to the bedroom.
No, it was definitely too complicated. There weren’t any knobs, levers, or handles. There was a screen on the wall I couldn’t get to turn on.
Once I was back in the room, I made the bed and took my note before heading upstairs so I could rinse off my body and change. While I waited for the water to warm, I went into the closet, pulled open the drawer that held the skimpy lingerie I still refused to wear, and dropped my morning note on top of the letter from last night.
I had decided the day before that if anything ever happened and this life was torn from me, I wanted to have something to know that it had been real.
That he had been real.
I was pulling on a pair of shorts not long after my shower when I heard Lucas’s heavy steps in the bathroom, and I bit back a smile when I glanced at him over my shoulder.
His arms were folded over his chest and his mouth was curled up on one side in a smirk that made my heart beat harder. “Morning.”
“Morning,” I echoed when I turned and walked toward him, and let my smile broaden when he pulled me in for a soft, teasing kiss that made my knees weak.
“Hungry?”
“Mmm-hmm,” I hummed against his lips. “What about work?”
He leaned back only far enough for those dark, dark eyes to search my face then said simply, “It can wait another day.” He cradled my head in one of his large hands, securing his fingers in my hair as he did, and tipped my head back to brush a feather-soft kiss across my lips. “Some things are more important,” he whispered, pulling me out of the closet. “Come on, breakfast is out back.”
With the havoc he’d just inflicted on my heart and my body, I wanted to forget about the food . . . but I let him lead me through the house to the doors that opened up to the backyard and sent him an excited smile when he waited for me to go ahead of him.
I’d looked down on this yard from the top floor numerous times, but looking down didn’t compare to this.
My breath rushed from me when we walked straight into a mini paradise, complete with palm trees, lush greenery, and a multitude of gorgeous flowers. A large pool was straight ahead with lounge chairs positioned on one side and an oversized cabana on the other. Before that, couches and tables with plush chairs littered an equally large patio, all covered by an extended wooden roof.
“Lucas,” I said on a breath, “this is beautiful.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed me to his chest. “I’m glad you like it. Maybe now someone will actually use it.”
“I can come out here?” I asked, surprise lacing my words.
His laugh was silent, but his chest moved with the force of it. “Yes, Briar, you can come out here. You can go anywhere you want.”
“You’ll never be able to get me in from the backyard,” I said excitedly, and he barked out a laugh.
“Come on, let’s feed you.”
We’d spent hours after breakfast talking about nothing and everything while lying on the king-sized lounger in the cabana. I was pressed close to Lucas’s chest as I took my time studying his arms and his face for the first time, my lips twitching into little smiles every time he’d hum in appreciation when my fingers would trail over his tanned skin.
I paused over one of the many scars on the arm I was focused on and chewed on my bottom lip for a second before whispering his name.
One of his dark eyebrows lifted before his eyes slowly opened.
I started to speak but stopped before I could ask my question.
“Whatever it is, ask.”
I searched his eyes for a few seconds, letting my gaze trail to where my fingers were drifting over his forearm. “I thought I knew you,” I began, my voice soft and unsure. “I thought I had you so figured out . . . but your arms make me wonder if there’s a part of you I don’t know at all.”
If I hadn’t been pressed so close to him, I wouldn’t have noticed how still he had become at my comment, because his face and his eyes gave nothing away. But I knew in the way he’d tensed I was right, and there was another layer to my devil I had yet to meet.
And as I lay there waiting for him to respond, I wondered if I wanted to meet him at all.
His brown eyes danced and his chest jerked from the force of his unexpected laugh. “My arms? What exactly are my arms telling you, Blackbird?”
I held his stare as I continued my slow dance up and down his arm. “You live in a multimillion-dollar home and have a driver. You wear suits ninety percent of the time and buy me everything, even if I don’t ask for or want it. You aren’t even thirty and you own an energy company—”