His lips grazed the sensitive outer shell of her ear as he nuzzled her neck. “It gets better.”
She didn’t know how that was possible, but he turned her toward the dining area. A large wood trestle table sat in splendor atop a sumptuous area rug. Two huge wooden chairs dominated the ends while long, high-backed benches flanked the sides of the table. It looked very old and very solid, and Candy loved it on sight. She didn’t realize she’d slipped out of Lucas’ grasp and hurried forward to stroke her hands over the backs of the benches before reaching out to tentatively touch the table until he laughed. Like a guilty child, she pulled her hands away and tucked them behind her back.
“No, don’t stop. Go ahead and touch it.” Picking up her hands with his, he laid them back on the table, covering them with his own. “I did the exact same thing the first time I saw it. I knew it had to be mine.”
She could certainly understand that feeling. She’d love to own something like this. It spoke of history and permanence and felt almost alive beneath her fingers. In the quiet of the room, she’d almost swear she could hear the sounds of people who’d sat at it over the past several hundred years. “It’s amazing, Lucas.” A large antique sideboard dominated another wall, its construction simple but the quality obvious.
“But there’s still more.”
She was loath to leave the table behind, but allowed him to lead her to the kitchen. A three-foot-wide granite countertop jutted out at a right angle from the wall separating the kitchen and dining area. About eight feet long, the countertop was actually at two different levels. The lower section had two comfortable stools pushed up next to it on the dining room side, making it a cozy breakfast nook. The slate floor was almost too beautiful to walk on and the appliances were obviously high quality and gleamed even though the light was dim. The amount of counter space was incredible, but it was surprisingly uncluttered, everything tucked neatly away in the vast expanse of oak cabinets that filled the area.
“Wow.” She didn’t know what else to say. Her own apartment had a postage stamp-sized kitchenette and she didn’t cook very much, but this looked like a cook’s dream straight out of a fancy decorating magazine.
Lucas chuckled as he tugged her into the kitchen behind him. Turning her, he backed her up against the lower section of the counter. His hands were warm as they stroked down the length of her bare back before coming to rest at her waist. Wrapping his fingers around her, he lifted her and perched her on the edge of the counter.
Candy licked her lips in anticipation as he leaned toward her. When their mouths met, she sighed deeply. This was what she wanted. What she needed. His hands came up to frame the sides of her face and she could feel the roughness of his fingers against her cheeks. The contrast was highly arousing. There was no doubt that Lucas was strong and tough, but his touch was always gentle, always restrained, as if he were well aware of his strength and didn’t want to hurt her. It made her feel special and cherished, but it also made her want to strip away his control and have him be as wild for her as she was for him.
His tongue stroked along the seam of her lips and she parted them eagerly. But instead of plunging inside, he barely flicked the inside of her mouth before withdrawing again. Her hands gripped his shoulders for support, digging into the muscled expanse beneath his suit. Over and over, he tasted the inside of her lips but went no farther into her mouth. It was intoxicating and it was maddening.
Finally, unable to take it any longer, she sifted her fingers through his short hair, gripped his skull in her hands and pulled him tighter. Plunging her tongue into his mouth, she took what she wanted. She stroked his tongue with hers, reveling in his deep groan of pleasure as he responded to her. His tongue played with hers before he tilted her head for a better angle and began to plunder her mouth.
Heat rushed over her skin. Her clothing felt tight and confining and when his hands left her face to spread her thighs wide open, she eagerly complied, almost whimpering when he shoved the skirt of her dress high on her thighs and pushed his way between them. His hands slid over her hips, pulling her close, angling her so she could feel the outline of his erection pressing against her slit. She could feel his cock pulsing through the fabric of his pants and her sex throbbing heavily in response.
Lucas tore his mouth away from hers, gasping for breath. “Dessert. I promised you dessert.” Stepping away, he removed his suit jacket and tossed it over the end of the counter. His tie quickly followed.
“Dessert.” Her mind was muddled with desire. She wanted him now. No more waiting.
He smiled at her as he unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside. The large expanse of male flesh distracted her. She hadn’t gotten a good look at it that day in the storage room. It had been too dark to see much. She knew his chest was impressive by feel alone, but that was nothing compared to actually seeing it. His shoulders looked about a yard wide and his chest was thick with muscle as it tapered down to his waist. She’d never seen an abdomen like his before outside a magazine. His abs were clearly defined and rock-hard.
Reaching out, she laid her hand on him. The muscles beneath her fingers jumped before hardening to steel and the heavy thump of his heart beat against her palm. Placing her other hand on his stomach, she slid it upward, enjoying the feel of the crisp line of hair that ran from the center of his chest downward and disappeared into his pants. The hair was blond but slightly darker than the hair on his head.
He captured her hands in his and kissed them before stepping back. “Much more of that and you won’t get dessert.” His voice was deep and husky with desire and she shifted uncomfortably as her body clenched with need.
Turning from her, he lit the candle under a small fondue pot that was set up on the upper part of the counter before he went to the refrigerator and pulled out several containers. While he was rummaging around the cupboards, setting up a few more things, she took the opportunity to study him further. The man was as fine from behind as he was from the front. The muscles in his back and arms rippled as he moved about the kitchen, and his butt was tight enough to make any woman drool.
But it was the tattoo that captured her interest the most. It wrapped around his entire upper left arm and seemed to be barbed wire, if she wasn’t mistaken. It definitely enhanced his bad-boy image. “Was it painful to get?”
He placed a plate on the counter next to her. “Was what painful?”
“This.” She traced her finger over the design.
“Not really. I was young and brave and stupid.” He laughed, but the laughter didn’t reach his eyes. Reaching over, he plucked something off the plate and held it to her lips. “Taste.”
Candy was smart enough to know when someone wanted to change the subject, so she didn’t mention the stylized Celtic knot tattoo on his left shoulder. Maybe he was embarrassed by it. After all, lots of people did things when they were younger that they wished they hadn’t. She dismissed it from her mind as something smooth and cool touched her mouth.
Flicking her tongue out, she tasted chocolate and strawberry. Taking a bite, she savored it. Licking her lips, she opened her mouth for more and he obliged, feeding her the entire treat. “That was delicious.”
Twisting around, she looked with keen interest at the plate he’d laid there. A cream-filled, bite-sized pastry sat next to what looked like another one of those amazing brownies. There was another chocolate-covered strawberry as well, but this one seemed to be dark chocolate on one side and white chocolate on the other. Candy moaned in anticipation.