“What’s the matter, princess?” he purred in her ear.
So, so evil. Leave it to Luke to turn the word princess into something dirty in her head, said with such affection and dominance. She’d never be able to hear that word again and not think of him here, like this—his bite marks aching and drying on her neck. His cock pressed hard against her ass. Her next trip to Disney would be awkward.
Rather than try another muffled response, she opened her mouth and flicked her tongue against his palm. He grunted, and let go of her mouth, but only to press his finger into it. She suckled at it, played with it with her tongue and teeth, remembering how crazy it had made him the last time.
He drew his finger out, and it made a smacking noise as her lips reluctantly parted with it.
“Let’s go,” he said roughly. “Before I fuck you right here. I want to find somewhere a little more comfortable.”
The ground here was uneven, and if the underbrush was already scratching her ankles, she could imagine what it would do to other bits of her.
They made their way up the next small hill, stopping when they reached a hip-high outcropping of rock that was more or less smooth. He lay his hand against the stone.
“It’s even warm.”
“Such a gentleman.” She rolled her eyes.
“Better than when you ended up in the dirt, but that was your fault for being distracting.”
“Oh, so it’s my fault your IQ drops when you’re horny?”
“Of course.” He looked down at her, his gaze betraying both heat and something akin to affection.
Would he remember her fondly after they went their separate ways? How long would it take before he just thought of her as the girl from the road trip? Would he forget about her altogether?
And what if they ran into each other? Vegas was only so big. How would it feel to see him with some other girl on his arm?
An anxious possessiveness flashed through her. Why was she even thinking about this? It was pointless. Did she expect him to join the priesthood when today was over?
And yet . . . would it be so wrong to ask if he was Catholic?
“It’s too bad we can’t see each other anymore,” she blurted finally. Meeting his gaze for so long was making her feel too open and raw.
“It really is.” He kissed her then, slowly, as though he wanted to remember it. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part. “It’s less scandalous for you, and safer for me, if we don’t. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
It would be so much easier to deal with going their separate ways if he wasn’t so much fun to be around. Being with him brought a mixture of exhilaration and yet a feeling of safety to her life. He understood her in ways no one else had ever bothered trying to, even though it had only been a week. They clicked, but more than that, he made her feel interesting and intelligent and important—before and after he had his nefarious way with her.
With all the shit she had going on in her life with her dad’s company—now her company—it would have been so nice to have someone in her corner. Someone like Luke, who she could love and relax with and vent to and didn’t have some sort of suspicious level of interest in her business activities.
Crap. Was that the L-word that just trotted through her mind? She was losing it.
His charming face was serious now. The twinkling of dark eyes, the sexy smile, and the impish dimples had fled, leaving what—regret? Disappointment? Maybe even sadness? No one was that good an actor. She was too adept at reading people to fall for a guy acting sad to try to let her down easy. He hadn’t been faking his feelings for her at all, which made this suck even more.
Unrequited love was awful, but this feeling that they could have had something real together, something awesome, was worse. But the harsh truth was their individual circumstances would never allow for them to be together.
She needed to accept that and enjoy their last few hours together. Then she’d have to put this beautiful human being behind her.
Whoever Luke Larson ended up marrying was going to be one lucky woman.
Whoever he slept with next was going to get a fist in the eye.
Ugh. None of her business, right?
Just think about now. Don’t think about later.
He kissed her again, like he was losing something by losing her, and she slid her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. Breathing in the scent of his river-washed body, knowing that for a long while the scent of the forest would make her think of him. Maybe forever.
Kisses moved from her mouth and trailed down to the hollow of her throat. He brushed his lips lower, over the swell of her breasts, making her sigh with pleasure. She rubbed her hands over the stubbled sides of his head, loving the way the short hair there felt against her palms. It was an addictive feeling, and the longer they were together, the less shy she was getting about rubbing his head. He chuckled, the curve of his lips against her skin bringing a sad smile to her lips, not that he could see it.