Frankie hummed louder, bending to pull off her trousers and throw them his way. She turned her back to him, her bottom swaying provocatively just out of his reach. Undoing her bra, she flung it over her shoulder.
Never before had his plain white boxers looked as sexy as they did right then as they encased Frankie’s round bottom. He reached out for her, but she danced on, her eyes closed as she turned back to face him, swaying to the tune.
“Please?” he asked. “Please come down here.”
“Now you ask nicely.” She grinned as she moved over to him, positioning herself across his body. Her breasts rested against his chest, the apex of her thighs against his erection.
“I’m not above begging, Frankie, please….”
“What do you want, Lucas. Tell me what you want,” she whispered next to his ear, her voice a husky promise of what was to come.
“I want to feel myself inside you.” He kissed her. “Please.”
He opened himself up to her as much as he could. His broken leg meant moving was difficult, the weight of the plaster weighing him down. He was at her mercy in more ways than one, but he couldn’t give her the words that she wanted—he couldn’t promise her what he knew he wasn’t able to give.
Even as her eyes asked for those things, he could only give her what he had. Lucas grabbed a condom and sheathed himself before Frankie began to lower her hips down to meet his.
She moved slowly, her breasts enticingly near his mouth with every thrust of her hips. Reaching upwards, he captured a nipple in his mouth, laving his tongue over her. Her tempo increased and he recognised the sounds she made as she approached orgasm.
As the waves ripped through her body, she kissed him long and hard.
“I love you, Lucas.” She muttered the words against his mouth in the very heart of her release, but he still heard them. He’d known the truth in every look she’d given him over the last few days, but hearing the words shattered him.
She didn’t deserve to be hurt again. But she would be. Because, despite what he felt for her, he had plans for his future, and they didn’t include a relationship. No matter that she made him want things he’d never saw himself as having.
It took no effort to imagine her compassion as she worked right alongside him, her whispered kisses that would soothe his nightmares, or her body swelling as it carried his child.
Chapter Ten
Lucas pulled his luggage from the carousel and watched for Frankie’s. He’d made no effort to sit near her on the plane, wanting their private goodbyes in the pre-dawn hours to be final. He cursed the stupid male pride that made him heft her bags onto the trolley alongside his, despite wrestling with his crutches.
“Thank you.” Her gaze was downcast. She heaved in a massive breath, the only sign that she was close to losing it.
“Your parents are here to meet you?” Lucas turned on his phone.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t ping to life within seconds, letting him know he had messages and email waiting for him. There was only one person who contacted him regularly, and his steadfast refusal to contact her himself had brought about one of Frankie’s disapproving glares.
“Yes, they’ll be waiting to take me home.”
How nice that sounded. Someone waiting to take you back to a place that could be called home. His two-bedroomed flat wasn’t home. It was a place he rented out while he was away and crashed in for the few days’ recovery he needed between missions.
“Be happy, Frankie.” He stopped pushing the trolley and caught hold of her arm.
The pain in her eyes as she looked at him cut through him like a scalpel through flesh. “You don’t have any right to say that to me.”
Lucas tried to find the words to let her know how much she meant to him, how he’d enjoyed their time together. Nothing came. He opened his mouth to tell her he’d never forget her, but the words wouldn’t go past the lump in his throat.
Frankie shook her head and walked towards the exit. He followed behind, hanging back to give her some privacy with her parents.
She gave a little shriek then rushed forward. Her father pulled her into an enormous hug while her mother ran a hand down her hair. Watching their reunion made him miss what he didn’t have even more. His stomach twisted at he thought of his mother and Frankie’s belief that he had done the wrong thing by limiting her involvement in his life.
It had been less painful to tell himself his very presence hurt his mother, but what if Frankie were right? What if he had inadvertently added to her misery? He took his phone back out of his pocket and pulled up his contacts list. Maybe he should just call her.
“Lucas?” Frankie called.
Lucas pushed the trolley over and pulled his luggage off, placing it at his feet.
“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” Lucas held out his hand to Frankie’s father.
“Thank you for looking after our girl.”
“Mrs Hamilton.” Lucas turned to Frankie’s mother.