And frankly, she wanted to give Luke as easy access as she could for whatever he had planned. If she managed to drive him a little crazy in the process… Well, she was okay with that, too.
Luke scanned the destinations. There were two trains leaving in the next hour, one to Frankfurt and one to Venice. Easy choice. He bought the tickets, paying extra to make sure they were in a sleeper car by themselves. He had a promise to keep, after all. When he turned around, he stumbled to a stop at the sight of Alexis. She’d changed in the bathroom, and now wore a long dress that was made of some bright print that defied explanation. As she drew closer, she raised her eyebrows and held her jacket apart, and he realized two things simultaneously.
With the light coming in behind her, the damn thing was nearly sheer.
And she wasn’t wearing a fucking thing underneath it.
He glanced around, but no one seemed to be paying them a bit of attention. Thank God, because he wasn’t about to get arrested for murdering some idiot who caught an eyeful of her. He stalked over. “You’re going to pay for that little stunt, darlin’.”
“It’s worth it.” She eyed the tickets in his hand. “Where are we going?”
“Surprise.” He said it mostly to push at her, to make her pay for the way she made him feel knowing there was only a thin layer of cloth between her skin and the rest of the world. It didn’t matter that her jacket covered her from the tops of her thighs to her neck. All he cared was that she’d intentionally teased him.
Two could play that game.
Alexis trailed after him as he made his way to the train marked on the tickets. “Have I mentioned how little I like surprises?”
“At least once.” He handed the man in uniform the tickets and motioned for her to precede him through the door. “After you.”
She didn’t look particularly happy with him, but that was okay. They had plenty of time for him to get her back in the right state of mind. And Luke knew exactly how to start.
As they made their way deeper into the car, he picked up his pace until he was damn near pressed against her back. “I like that dress.”
“Hmm? This old thing?”
“I like it so much, I’m going to rip the damn thing off with my teeth later. But not before I push it up your thighs and stroke that sweet pussy of yours until you’re begging for me.”
She stumbled, and he used it as an excuse to steady her—and pull her back to press his cock against her ass. Her gasp was audible even over the hum of the engine. Alexis shook him off, but it took her a few seconds to move forward. Her voice didn’t sound steady as she shot over her shoulder, “We’ll see.”
“Playing hard to get? I’m hurt.”
“I doubt it.” She glanced back, a wicked grin on her face. “Where are our seats?”
“This way.” He slid past her, using entirely more contact than strictly necessary. “Follow me.”
“Better than walking around with you staring at my ass.”
He laughed. “It’s an amazing ass.”
“I know.”
As promised, they had a sleeper car to themselves. The room was minuscule, with a twin bed on each side and just enough room between them for a person to stand.
It was perfect.
“Why, Luke, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you lured me back here to take advantage of me.” She dropped her bag on the bed on the left side and sat down next to it.
He sank onto the mattress next to her, intentionally crowding her, but didn’t say anything as he arranged his bag next to hers. After a little while, the train rumbled into motion. No one else had walked past them, which suited him just fine. Still, he sat back and waited.
It didn’t take long for the attendant to come through, double-check their tickets, and disappear again. Good. They shouldn’t have any interruptions from this point on. He slid the door closed and then locked it. When he turned and glanced at Alexis, he nearly laughed at the furious way her toe tapped. Poking at her was downright enjoyable.
As expected, she lasted less than five minutes after the train left the station behind. “You mentioned a surprise.”
Gotcha. “I thought you weren’t sure which way you were landing on the subject.”
She crossed her arms under her breasts. “Don’t make me take off the jacket.”
“As a threat, that’s sorely lacking.” He curled a strand of her dark hair around his fingers. “Take off the jacket.”
She grinned. “Maybe I’m cold.”
“Now you’re just being contrary. I’ll keep you warm, darlin’. Cross my heart.” He used a single finger to trace an X over his heart. The motion felt strangely intimate, as if he were promising more than sex. Hell, he kind of was. He’d already come to terms with the fact that he didn’t want this thing with her to end when she left Europe.
He just needed to convince her to give him a shot.
“How can I say no to a promise like that?”
“Simple. You can’t.” He used his free hand to drag the hem of her dress up to her knees. “Your skin is so soft. It’s practically begging for my mouth.”
Her lips parted. “Too much longer, and my skin isn’t going to be the only thing that’s begging.”
“That so?” Luke kept moving the fabric up, until it hit the tops of her thighs. He nudged her legs apart. “Darlin’, I haven’t even gotten started.”
She made a sound fantastically close to a whimper. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“It’s a long train ride, after all. Wouldn’t want to wear you out too soon.” He traced an abstract pattern on the inside of her thigh closest to him, moving up with agonizing slowness. “That wouldn’t be very gentlemanlike.”
“I hate to be the one to tell you this, Luke.” She hissed out a breath as his thumb feathered over the dip where thigh met hip. “But you wouldn’t know a gentleman if he hit you in the face.”
“Now, that’s just mean.” He finally gave in to the temptation to cup her. “No panties. That was mean, too. Do you know what went through my mind when you opened that jacket and gave me an eyeful of those perky nipples and that delicious vee between these thighs?”
“No.” She spread her legs wider, giving him better access, her breathing coming in short gasps.
“Lose the jacket and I’ll tell you.”
She leaned forward and struggled to get it off. The move pressed her more firmly against his hand, and he couldn’t fight back a groan when his fingers slid through her wetness. She was ready for him. If he said to hell with it and knelt between her legs, she’d spread them and take his cock deep. She wouldn’t even hesitate.
But that wasn’t part of the plan, no matter how much he wanted to be buried inside her right now.
Alexis tossed the jacket on top of their bags and leaned back against the seat, her hazel eyes on him. Her dress had slipped a bit, and it would only take the barest nudge to have it dipping further and revealing a nipple. He helped it along, sliding the strap off her shoulder so that her breast was bared, much the same way it’d been that day up on the cliff.
This time he wasn’t going to let anything stop them.
Chapter Seventeen
W e’re practically in public.
The thought was on repeat as Alexis arched up to meet Luke’s mouth, his hand between her legs making her feel both powerful and needy, branding her as his and setting her free, and a thousand other impossible things. It didn’t matter if there was a locked door between them and the rest of the train. The feeling of being semipublic made her crazy in the best way possible. His tongue twining with hers only made the feeling more intense.
He kissed down her neck and over her chest to the breast he’d freed. When his mouth closed around her nipple, she nearly cried out. Only the fact that there might be people in the next car over kept her silent—and ramped up the desire pumping through her body.