Her cheeks went a faint shade of pink. ‘Erm… There is one other thing…’
The prickle moved from his neck to his spine. ‘Go on.’
The tip of her tongue swept over her lips, making his groin tighten. ‘You tell me you love me all the time. In public.’
Luke couldn’t remember the last time he’d told his mother and sister he loved them, let alone anyone else. He wasn’t a wordy guy. He did rather than said. His father was the opposite—lots of words and empty promises and nothing to back them up. ‘O-kay.’
‘And you use a lot of terms of endearment. Like honey, and baby, and sweetheart.’
That was another thing he wasn’t big on, dropping cutesy endearments into every conversation. But a man had to do what a man had to do. ‘Got it.’
‘And we kiss. A lot.’
Luke’s groin was asking for more room. Urgently. Just looking at her mouth made his blood pound and head south of the border. What would it do to him to actually kiss her? ‘I’m not big on public displays of affection.’
‘You are now.’
Freaking hell. What had he got himself into? ‘Will you be okay with me kissing you?’ Luke asked, frowning.
Her gaze kept flicking back and forth from his mouth to his eyes. ‘Maybe we should have practised a bit first, you know, so we don’t look stilted or awkward together.’
Now he couldn’t stop looking at her mouth. Imagining how it would feel against his. ‘Where do you suggest we practise? Here in the car?’
‘We have time before the valet guy gets to us,’ Abby said, glancing at the line of cars waiting to be parked. ‘The queue is long enough.’
But was Luke’s self-control strong enough? He hadn’t kissed a woman in five years. Not unless he counted his mother and sister but clearly a peck on the cheek wasn’t going to make the grade here. ‘You really think this is necessary?’
She was already over his side of the car, her face so close to his he could feel her breath on his lips. ‘Kiss me, Luke.’
Luke slid his hand along the curve of her cheek, his blood pumping so hard he could feel his erection pressing against his zip. He brought his mouth down to hers in a soft touch. Just brush her lips and get the hell out of there. He lifted off but her lips clung to his and something inside him gave way like tectonic plates shifting during an earthquake. He went back down again, breathing in the scent of her, relishing the fresh fruity taste of her. Her lips were soft and pillowy and tasted of strawberries or was it cherries? She made a little whimpering sound and opened to the stroke of his tongue, her tongue dancing with his, making his blood throb all the harder.
He didn’t want the kiss to end. He could have kissed her all night. The feel of her lips against his, the flirty little flicker of her tongue made desire roar through his system like a rabid dog suddenly snapping its chain.
He crushed her mouth beneath his, cupping the nape of her neck so he could deepen the kiss even further. Her hands came up to link around his neck, her soft sounds of approval making everything that was male in him vibrate with fierce longing. He hadn’t felt so turned on by a kiss in years. Possibly ever. Her soft mouth moulded itself to his, moving with and against his in a sexy rhythm that echoed the pulse and pound of his blood. Her perfume dazzled his senses, the luscious curves of her breasts pressed against his chest, sending a knockout blow to his self-control.
The sound of people cat-calling outside the car was the only thing that pulled Luke out of the moment. That and the flash of paparazzi cameras that were as bright and blinding as summer lightning.
Abby pulled back from him and gave a tremulous smile, her mouth slightly swollen, her cheeks flushed. ‘Wow. Who would’ve thought?’
Right back at you, sweetheart. ‘Please tell me there isn’t going to be a picture of us kissing in tomorrow’s tabloids,’ Luke said.
She did that cute little lip chew thing again and grimaced. ‘Sorry.’
CHAPTER THREE
ABBY WAS STILL trying to get her senses back under control when Luke helped her out of the car. Her mouth was tingling and so were her girly bits. Not just tingling, but aching and throbbing. She’d been kissed in the past but nothing like that. Luke’s mouth had set fire to hers, making her lose all sense of time and place. But even more surprising…there hadn’t been any awkwardness between them. They had kissed as if they’d been doing it for years. As if their mouths instinctively knew what the other liked.
The press surged closer and Luke put a protective arm around Abby’s waist. She smiled up at him, her heart almost coming to a standstill when he smiled back. His smile made his eyes come alive in a way she had never seen before. It made him look younger, more carefree, less serious and forbidding. ‘Ready?’