Staking His Claim (Line of Duty 5)

“Lucy’s accordion playing.” Brent snickered. “She’s been known to clear a room.”

Actually, everything about her performance had been adorable. Her obvious nerves, the soft, husky quality of her voice as she sang in French. She’d practically sparkled. Such a parallel to his shadowed life, he could do nothing but stare, feeling ashamed of himself. He’d taken that girl, the blushing girl with curls framing her face, and used her to slake a need she had no business even being aware of. That thought had finally sent him out the door, needing to escape the reminder of what he’d done. How he wanted to do it again. And again.

Then she’d followed him and every self-issued warning had gone flying out the window in a matter of seconds.

Troy saved him from having to answer. “Why did you ask her to play if she’s so terrible?”

“See, that’s how this sibling thing works. I embarrass her because I love her.” Brent strapped on his belt. “Don’t worry, she’s already thinking of a way to get me back. Let’s just hope it doesn’t involve burning my house down.”

Or fucking your best friend blind. Feeling nauseous, Matt considered the possibility that Lucy might have seduced him to irritate her brother, but just as quickly, discarded the notion. She might have lied to him, but you couldn’t fake their kind of chemistry. Or the way her body had responded under his treatment. Christ. Stop thinking about her.

Brent wasn’t finished talking about his sister, however. “I should be getting a call any time now to come bail her out. Maybe turn on the news and see her bungee jumping from the Chrysler Building.”

Matt frowned into his locker. That didn’t sound like the girl he’d spent the day with. A double major at Syracuse. Smart and logical, with an amazing sense of humor. A girl with job opportunities lined up. A detailed itinerary for her week in the city. Then I heard you call me a nuisance…and I guess I just wanted to be someone who didn’t inspire irritation. Just for one day. Sympathy stirred inside him before he ground it to a halt. No way would he feel sympathy for her. Anger, yes. Lust, hell yes. But he wouldn’t feel sorry for her. Not after she lied.

Daniel laughed. “She’s still up to her old tricks?”

“Actually, she’s been quiet lately. Must be gearing up for a big explosion.” Brent slammed his locker shut and twisted the lock. “I haven’t met her friend Sasha, who she brought with her from Syracuse, though. Maybe she’s the good influence.” He tipped his chin toward Matt. “You gave her a ride. What’s she like, Matty?”

Matt’s eyes slid shut and he fought the sudden urge to punch his locker. Lucy obviously hadn’t told Brent she’d come alone. Why? He didn’t know. Nor did he understand the wave of uneasiness that came with the knowledge that she’d be alone in the city all week. He only knew he was being dragged into her lie now. Making him something he hated. Unless he came clean now. Intending to do just that, he turned. Brent watched him expectantly, perpetually goofy smile in place. Matt couldn’t do it. Maybe if he hadn’t dragged her into a doorway last night and said all manner of dirty things to her, knowing full well who she was, he could have done it. But he had. He even wanted her again, despite her identity. And he didn’t belong anywhere near her.

“Jesus, Matt. You were born in the wrong era.” Brent finished tying the lace of his boot. “You would have made one hell of a silent film star.”

All four of them received an emergency page at the same time. Matt breathed a sigh of relief as they holstered their weapons quickly and left the locker room. His mind should have been on the situation they were heading into.

Instead, he thought about the itinerary Lucy had accidentally left in his car.

…

Lucy picked a spot off to the side of the gathering crowd and spread her blanket down on the grass. She thought she’d gotten to Bryant Park early enough to get a better view, but it was fifteen minutes before the outdoor screening of Back to the Future was set to begin and the entire lawn was packed. Couples and groups of friends munched on popcorn or hot dogs; some moviegoers were even sneaking covert sips from brown paper bags. Evening had just fallen and the buzz of excited conversation made Lucy smile. She might be alone, but with so many people around, it didn’t feel quite as lonely as she’d expected. The last six years of her life had been spent hunching over a textbook in a deathly silent library. There was no comparison.

She stretched her legs out on the blanket and kicked off her sandals, enjoying the warm breeze as it lifted the hair from her neck. It felt like she’d been living in jeans and a sweatshirt for most of grad school, so she’d worn a lightweight dress tonight. Freshly shaven legs, a sundress, and no assignments hanging over her head felt divine. She leaned back on her elbows and closed her eyes, for the first time letting herself enjoy what she’d accomplished. The feeling only lasted a few minutes because a prickling started along her scalp. Peeking one eye open, she moved into a cross-legged position and searched for the prickle source.

It didn’t take her long at all to spot him. His stillness gave him away. Across the park, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest, stood Matt. For a split second, before he’d gotten his mask in place, she saw hunger tightening his darkly handsome features. It sent heat moving through Lucy in a slow ripple, making her aware of every inch of her exposed skin. She could hear the quick pace of her breathing, loud to her own ears. The blanket underneath her legs went from comfortable to caressing. What was he doing here? Did he come just to stand there in his uniform looking delicious, merely to torture her? If so, holy smokes, it was working. With desire coursing through her, she felt indecent just being in a public place with so many witnesses.

The movie started then, giant projection screen at the front of the park flashing white, then rolling the opening credits. Still, Matt didn’t move. Why did it feel like he was touching her from a hundred yards away? Everyone around her had settled onto their blankets, wrapped up in nostalgia as Marty McFly enters Doc Brown’s garage in the first scene. She tried to ignore Matt, she really did. He’d made it perfectly clear last night that he wanted nothing to do with her. But her gaze continually returned to him, making sure he was still there. His steady perusal of her distracted her to the point she couldn’t focus on the movie. Finally, she’d had enough. She needed to force him into coming closer or leaving.

Please let him come closer.

Lucy unfolded her legs and slid forward onto her belly. She propped her chin on her hand, and crossing her ankles, she let her legs sway back and forth in the air behind her. It was a provocative pose, especially for a girl sitting by herself, but she took comfort in the fact that no one sat behind her to see her bare thighs on display. As she predicted, though, Matt didn’t like it. When he pushed off the tree wearing a warning expression, a low thrumming began in Lucy’s stomach, spreading lower with each passing second.

These instincts she had where Matt was concerned were completely new, yet she somehow trusted them. She knew what turned him on because it did the same to her. Driving him crazy, pushing his limits, made her feel desirable. It gave her a sense of control while simultaneously giving her permission to lose control. She wanted to tempt him past the point of return so he’d have no choice but to fulfill his needs with her. Somewhere underneath his stoic expression, he wanted it, too, or he wouldn’t be here.

Hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, Lucy could tell he wanted to close the distance between them. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck, while at the same time writhing her hips ever-so-slightly on the blanket. When Matt began stalking his way to her through the crowd, she felt a surge of triumph, but lust quickly blanketed it. Female heads turned in his direction as he passed but he didn’t remove his eyes from her once. Matt held an air of command at all times, but he wore his uniform today, only increasing his air of authority. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to refuse to kiss her. Nothing made sense any more.

Matt finally reached her, but she made no move to change her positi

on. A growl lingering in his throat, he knelt down on the blanket beside her.

“Sit up,” he commanded, keeping his voice low. “Immediately.”

“I’m good.”

His gaze lingered on her bottom before coasting down over her thighs. “You’re the opposite of good.”

Everything below her waist tightened. “W-what are you doing here?” she managed.

He sat back on the blanket keeping his legs bent, moving like such a sleek animal that Lucy’s breathing faltered. “Your brother doesn’t know you’re alone. Apparently you weren’t finished lying when I dropped you off on Friday.”

His harsh comment hit home and she finally sat up, wondering if he’d known calling her on her lie would achieve his goal. “Mood killer,” she muttered. “If you came here to knock me down another peg, it’s not necessary. You did a bang-up job of it last night.”

“I just came to check on you,” he said curtly.

Anger sparked along her nerve endings. “I don’t need to be checked on. I’m watching a movie in the park, not dancing topless in Times Square.” When he only continued to watch her, she sighed. “Look, I didn’t lie to him for the fun of it. He’s got all this engagement stuff happening with Hayden. Not to mention the two jobs. I didn’t want to be a—”

“Nuisance?”

Hearing him call her that—again—did not sit well. Lucy knew from experience that redness was climbing her neck, coloring her cheeks, and she refused to let him see it. She grabbed her purse and attempted to stand, but Matt curled an arm around her waist at the last second and dragged her down onto his lap.

“Hey. I didn’t mean that.” His voice rumbled at her neck and caused her to sag back against him, the new contact allowing his mouth to sift through the hair behind her ear. “Not the first time I said it. Not now. Okay?”

She blew out a breath. “Can you please strike it from your vocabulary, then?”

Matt hummed in his throat by way of answering. She couldn’t help but marvel at how right it felt being held by him like this. Cradled against his chest, his body temperature warming every inch of her. Their bodies molded together, like they’d been superglued. How could she have missed touching him when they’d known each other such a short amount of time?

“What movie is this?” he asked into her hair.

Lucy’s eyes shot wide. “Back to the Future. You’ve never seen it?”

“No.”

“I weep for your childhood.”

Matt’s hesitant laughter rolled through her, but she quickly became distracted when his rough fingers began drawing patterns on her inner thigh, teasing the hem of her dress. He might as well have been stroking her between her legs for the sensations he was creating. “Catch me up.”

“Huh?”

“On the movie. Tell me what’s happening.”