Tempting the Crown (The Crown 1)

I threw the bag over my shoulder, shaking his heavy hands from my body. I wanted out from under this.

“Don’t you want to hear what happened?” he asked.

I was three steps out of the living room, but I slowed down before I made it to the garage.

“Does it matter?”

“It does to me. Come back and sit down, Alexa.”

It was the way he said my name. The gravel in his voice. The forlorn look in his eyes. Shit. My phone buzzed again and I hesitated to answer Jake’s next call.

“Don’t answer it,” he instructed.

My eyes darted to Luke. I didn’t have to listen to him. I didn’t have to do anything he told me to do. But I thought about last night. How I gave myself to him. How when I let myself be free in his arms I’d never felt more alive in my life. Listening to Luke Canton last night had been the best decision I’d made in years.

He unlocked something in me I couldn’t get anyone else to see. No one wanted to see it. But Luke did. And only an hour ago I had been ready to go right back to that place. To his bed. To do all the dirty and naughty things we could under his sheets before I had to get on a plane to Nashville. I’d only had a few short hours with the man who had made every part of my body vibrate with ecstasy. It wasn’t enough.

And before now I wasn’t worried about his reputation. I didn’t care about what people thought about Luke. All I cared about was what he could do for me. How he could make me feel. I was here to drain every last drop of pleasure from him before I flew out of town. Because what I wanted was the bad boy. I wanted a rule breaker. Someone to push me.

Did that make me any better than Luke? Or were we the same? Both needing something from the other? Using each other? It was personal gain in different forms. Shit.

My boots clacked along the hardwoods. I stopped in front of the couch.

“Ok, I’m listening. You have two minutes,” I threatened.

“I didn’t think you would turn around.”

“I didn’t think I would either.” My eyes narrowed.

What was the feeling running through my body? Defeat? Anger? Anticipation? I closed my eyes. Luke had set me on edge and we were completely clothed. There was an electric source that trickled from his body. No matter what I did I was drawn to it. Angry or not.

“Sit.” He patted the leather seat and I did as he commanded.

I felt tiny, dwarfed by the huge pieces of furniture and Luke’s big frame. He was tall even when he was sitting.

“I’m sorry about the press attack.” His hand landed on my knee. “It wasn’t my idea, but I went along with it.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to spend time with you.” His hand inched farther up my leg, and I couldn’t help the fire that spread between my thighs.

“You could have done that without the cameras.”

“And I was going to. We had that planned before the paparazzi showed up. After you left this morning, I had a meeting with my new PR consultant. Charlie says I have to rebuild my image. I think our meeting at the gala last night was the inspiration for the whole thing. You could help change the public’s perception of me.”

“But it’s only perception, right? You aren’t actually interested in becoming a different person.” I didn’t know how I could sound so hostile, while at the same time my body was firing with want for him. His fingers dug into my skin.

“I never said I wanted to be a new man.” His voice deepened. “I play football. I want to play football. This is the condition I’ve been given if I want to stay a Warrior.”

I gasped when he shoved my other leg to the side and began to stroke the inner fabric. But I didn’t stop him. I sat listening, talking, and soaking in every stroke.

“And using me seemed like an acceptable price.” I ignored that in this moment I was using him. Draining every sexual thrill I could from his hands. My body syphoned every shred of lust rolling off of him.

“I was going to see you anyway, Alexa. The press was called in by PR. And they could have followed us if they wanted to. It might have happened anyway. I was going to kiss you like that no matter who was watching. I couldn’t keep my hands off you.”

“But you led them down there. They knew exactly where we were going to be.”

“Fuck, Alexa. I’m sorry. I had to do it.”