“Is it working?” He kissed the skin where her neck met her shoulder, breathing in her delectable scent.
She let out a soft gasp and inclined her head to give him more access. “I didn’t tell you the best part about rooming with Mai. She has a double shift today. She won’t be home until 10:00 p.m.”
He grinned. The knot in his gut loosened, untied. Sex was familiar. Sex, he could handle. “Really?” he rumbled.
She nodded, that mischievous pink tongue of hers appearing as she licked her upper lip. “I have the house to myself,” she breathed, and wound her arms around his neck.
“Good to know,” he replied. He started to remove the elastic from her ponytail, but she moved away.
“No.”
He stared at her. “No?”
She nodded. “My house, my rules. And rule number one—” she stood on tiptoe so she could whisper in his ear, her breath hot against his skin “—is no touching. I get to touch you. Let’s see how you can handle not being in control.”
* * *
Danica focused on Luke, her hands gripping his tightly. When they made love, Luke ensured she was awash in pleasure before he would allow himself to take his. Even moving into his house had to be on his terms, the shots called by him.
After meeting his parents, she had a better idea of what drove Luke. Far better to separate love from sex or remove love from the equation altogether when marriage was a game of power. He’d warned her, but she hadn’t believed it. Then she’d seen it with her own eyes.
She couldn’t change him. She couldn’t make him see winning wasn’t the only thing. In fact, it didn’t even make the top one hundred of things that make life worth living. She couldn’t make him believe unconditional love had a power of its own, so great it could move worlds.
But for now, he was in her hands. Literally. She was the one in charge. “No touching,” she reiterated, and stepped back. “If you do, I’ll stop.”
She dropped his hands just long enough to grab a long piece of fabric from the organizer hanging on the back of her door while his hopeful gaze focused on the queen-size bed that dominated the space in her small bedroom. By the time his attention turned back to her, she had finished looping the item around his wrists and tying them behind his back with a square knot.
He looked over his shoulder, straining to see his hands. “What in the world did you use?”
“Hogwarts school tie from a trip to Universal Studios,” she said. “I’m a Hufflepuff.”
He shook his head. “I have no idea what that means.” Then he wagged his eyebrows. “But I like the sound of huffing and puffing.”
“I suppose that makes you the Big Bad Wolf.”
He growled, making her laugh. She began to unbutton his shirt, pausing to trail her fingers through the crisp hair outlining his pecs. His flat brown nipples just begged to be touched, and with her thumbs she drew circles, ever so softly, over each one.
A shudder racked his body, and he leaned down to kiss her. She stepped back just in time and wagged a finger in front of his tempting lips. “No touching.”
“I thought you meant with my hands.”
“Don’t think,” she breathed in his ear, then nipped his earlobe. “Feel.”
His blue eyes were even darker. “Don’t worry, that’s happening.”
“If you’re talking, you’re thinking,” she warned and scraped her nails across his nipples. His Adam’s apple worked for a few beats, and the erection she could feel against her stomach pressed harder.
She stepped back, just a smidge, so her right hand could follow the dark trail leading down his muscled stomach and disappearing into his khaki trousers. The front of his pants sported an impressive bulge. It took only a second to undo his belt and then both her hands were free to slip between the waistband of his boxer briefs and the firm skin of his lower abdomen, exploring the straining prize awaiting her.
Luke’s breath came in staggered bursts. His hips bucked, brushing against her. When she took her hands away, he stopped.
“Danica.” Her name was a strangled combination of syllables.
She grinned. Giving his erection one last caress, she moved away to slowly unbutton her blouse, pausing after each one to see if he was watching. His gaze was glued to her chest. She let the silk fabric fall to the floor and shimmied out of her skirt. When her relationship with Luke turned physical, Danica had decided she needed to invest in new lingerie. Today’s matched set was nude-colored lace trimmed with black satin ribbons. She chose the bra because it created cleavage for days, while the wisp of lace covering her bottom seemingly revealed everything yet left most to the imagination.