7 Minutes in Heaven (Are You Game?) (5 page)

“The bed’s made up. And the bathroom is there.” She turned and indicated the door opposite the one she’d opened. “Can I get you anything before we go to bed?”

Her question brought images of the two of them in bed to mind and his body instantly reacted. He’d been semi-aroused for hours now, and the explicitness of his imagination sent his libido skyrocketing. He moved closer and Cassie’s breath hitched. Leaning over, he brought his mouth next to her ear and blew a stream of air over the delicate shell. She shivered and jerked back, causing Luc to smile and move closer still.

“I’m good, but seeing as I’m now on the clock is there anything I can do for
you
before we go to bed?” he murmured as he continued to crowd her against the wall.

In the dark it was hard to read her expression, but he could see her eyes widen and her lips part on a puff of air when he pressed his aroused body into hers. Luc wasn’t planning to push for more than a kiss, but the second he brushed his mouth on hers all thought fled except one.

More.

Their height difference meant he had to bend his knees to mesh his mouth fully with hers. Widening his legs dropped his head a few inches and placed his thighs either side of hers while his straining erection pressed into her softness, sending blood, hot with need, rushing into his already throbbing groin. He flattened his hands on the wall beside her head so he wouldn’t give in to the temptation of grabbing her and dragging her into the bed she’d offered him. He’d be a fool to rush her. She’d never let him get closer if he used their sexual chemistry to win her over. How he knew that he wasn’t sure, but he did. If he wanted to get to know Cassie, spend time with her, he’d have to tread carefully—needed to produce some of his legendary control and back away.

Only that wasn’t so easy when her mouth ate at his like she couldn’t get enough. When she gripped the back of his shirt like it was a lifeline. Or when she came up on her toes, arched into him and rubbed against his straining flesh. With a growl, he tore his lips from hers.

“Fuck.” Luc laid his forehead on Cassie’s and tried to catch his breath. Pleased to note her breathing came in ragged gasps as well. “Damn, you’re potent.”

“Me?” She fisted her hands in his shirt and he couldn’t recall when she’d moved them from his back to his chest.

“Yeah, you.” He raised his head a few inches and met her gaze. “You scramble my brains without trying.”

Cassie laughed and pushed him away. “Pot, meet Kettle.”

Luc grinned. He liked that she wasn’t playing coy or using his reactions to her against him. She was a breath of fresh air and Luc couldn’t wait to saturate his blood with her. But not yet. Tonight they needed to get their balance, regain some sanity and think about where this was leading. Well, at least he did. “So, is there anything you want me to do? Unpack the van?”

Her smile faltered. “Ah, no. We’ll do that in the morning when we get to the warehouse.” She ducked her head, but before she could sneak under his outstretched arm and escape, he slid his hands lower down the wall, effectively trapping her.

“Look at me, Cass.” He waited long seconds for her to comply. When she finally did, he could see the uncertainty swirling her eyes. “Make no mistake that I want you in that bed.” Luc tipped his head to indicate the room beside them. “But I want far more than a quick tumble, and if you’re honest I think you’ll admit you do too.”

She started to shake her head, but he stopped her by gripping her chin in his hand.

“You can lie to me, but don’t lie to yourself, Cass.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip and watched it tremble under his touch.

“I don’t have time to get involved. Don’t want to,” she whispered.

Luc could understand her hesitancy, but he wasn’t about to ignore the intense attraction between them. And it was between them, her body told him she was as equally affected even if her mouth didn’t. “I’m not sure what exactly it is between us but it’s far more than one night of pleasure, and I’m willing to wait because I know we’ll end up in that bed eventually.”

A burst of air fanned over his thumb when she gasped, and a shudder rolled through him as he thought about how her warm breath might feel on other more sensitive parts of his body. Leaning forward, he planted a quick, hard kiss on her lips before he stepped back and broke all contact.

It was the hardest thing he’d done in recent memory, but Luc smiled and said, “See you in the morning.” He strode into the bedroom and closed the door behind him before he could change his mind and take her against the wall.

Cassie flopped face down on her bed and groaned. Her body thrummed with arousal. She felt achy and needy and empty. Sensations she hadn’t experienced in a long, long time. The last man to pique her interest had made it more than clear he didn’t want to date a workaholic, and Cassie couldn’t blame him. When she’d first started Are You Game?, her whole existence had revolved around making her business a success. And obviously Jared hadn’t been enough of a draw for her to put that aside and satisfy his demands for more of her time. There was no doubt in her mind that Lucas was enough incentive to test her all-work-no-play schedule.

He’d already made her forget the job.
Twice.
Hell, she was pretty sure it would have taken her minutes to remember her own name if someone had asked after he’d kissed her. With another groan, Cassie rolled over and stared at the ceiling. He was in the room next to hers and he’d made it perfectly clear he’d welcome her in his bed. Only he wanted more than one night tangling the sheets and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Until Lucas had spoken his intentions she hadn’t thought beyond the overwhelming desire he provoked, but now she was forced to examine what she wanted. And Cassie had the uncomfortable feeling she wouldn’t like what she uncovered.

Lucas Wilhelm was trouble with a capital T. He’d managed to do what no other man had. Distract her from the most important thing in her life. Nothing and no one had been able to pull her focus from Are You Game? since the day she’d overseen her first event. She couldn’t afford to be sidetracked. Not now that she was launching the adults-only line of parties. Tonight had been a resounding success, but that didn’t mean she could relax. Far from it. If anything, she had to be even more vigilant. She’d taken a huge risk in diversifying in a direction that might offend future customers, especially those who booked children’s parties or her corporate team-building packages.

Cassie sighed and brought one arm up to cover her eyes. Worrying wouldn’t do her—or the situation—any good, and she’d never fall asleep if she didn’t shut down her racing mind. She needed a shower. Needed to wash away the day’s grime and hopefully the negative ions would clear her head as well. Sighing, she rolled off the bed and padded over to her dresser to grab some PJs. The idea of running into Lucas in the hall had her pausing at the door. Like a thief, she stuck her ear to the timber and listened before venturing out of her room. All was quiet, so she cracked the door an inch to see if he was using the bathroom. No light showed beneath the closed door and she wasted no time sprinting the two metres to the bathroom and safely shutting herself inside.

Although tempted to linger beneath the hot spray, Cassie made quick work of cleaning up and pulling her PJs on. Using the same caution as before, she snuck back to her room and closed the door behind her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she switched off the light and climbed into bed. The house was warm, the residual heat of the day remained trapped inside, but it wasn’t hot enough to turn on the central air. It would be a waste anyway, she’d be leaving for work in a few hours and she wouldn’t be home all day, plus she figured Lucas would expect her to stay at his place tomorrow night. She shivered. Staying with him would be dangerous. He was already hard to resist, but Cassie got the impression spending the day with him would make it next to impossible.

The floorboards in the hall creaked a second before the bathroom door closed. Vivid images of Lucas standing beneath her shower, his body wet and slick as water cascaded down every ridge of muscle in his magnificent physique played through Cassie’s mind like an X-rated movie. Her pussy fluttered and moisture seeped out to soak her panties. She clenched her thighs, but the action brought no relief from the ache burning in her sex. Cassie couldn’t remember any guy producing such an intense reaction, and Lucas wasn’t even in the room. His potent sexuality required no more than a thought to have her panting for breath and struggling to keep from marching across the hall and making him finish what he’d started.

Old pipes rattled as water rushed through them and another spasm gripped her lower belly. She was wound so tight it wouldn’t take much to get her off. Her breasts felt heavy and her nipples puckered, throbbing to the beat of her racing pulse. Sliding a hand over her abdomen and into her pants, Cassie zeroed in on her clit and circled the protruding bundle of nerves she knew would bring her relief quickly.

Dipping lower, she spread her body’s creamy essence through her folds and back to her clit. Her breathing shallowed—shortened—and she bit her lip to hold back the moans of pleasure bubbling in her throat. Cassie’s hips rocked with her hand as she inched closer and closer to orgasm. She brought her other hand to her breast. Pinched and pulled at her erect nipple and pretended it was Lucas delivering the delicious sensations screaming through her system. Vaguely, she registered the water turning off and realised he wasn’t showering, but she was too far gone to worry if he could hear her whimper and moan as she approached the jagged edge of release. Using a second finger, she pinched her clit and sent herself flying.

A cry tore from her chest, the sound of pleasure unmistakable in the quiet room—and probably the rest of the house—only Cassie didn’t care. The hum of satisfaction settled over her, the discharge of tension softening her muscles until every limb—every cell—grew heavy. Her eyelids drooped, her mind floating on a wave of bliss as the day finally caught up with her. With a smile curling her lips, Cassie thought of Lucas across the hall and wondered if he was seeking his own pleasure.

Luc stood in the dark and cursed. Barely in control, he fisted his hands and clenched his jaw. He’d come close to losing it in the bathroom. With Cassie’s sweet scent surrounding him on the humid air, he’d known she’d showered only moments before, which had his imagination spinning visions of her naked in the glass-walled shower cubicle. Add in the red lacy underwear dangling from beneath the hamper lid and Luc had to douse his head under cold water to cool off. And now, in the hall, with Cassie’s cry of pleasure echoing in his skull, Luc knew nothing short of drowning himself in the Arctic Sea would cool him down. He still couldn’t work out what it was about Cassie that set his blood boiling so quickly.

Forcing himself to move, he walked to the room she’d given him—not hers, even though a voice inside his head was screaming he should. After listening to Cass get herself off, he’d love nothing more than to go to her and slake his own lust. However, he had enough control to know that wouldn’t get him the ultimate prize. And at some point between going toe-to-toe with the diminutive Cassandra Moreland for the first time and now, he’d come to the realisation that
she
was the goal, not the pleasure they’d find in bed together. Which meant he had to get his head—the one on his shoulders—in command of his body.

He stripped out of his clothes and crawled beneath the covers. His cock ached and Luc couldn’t help palming his throbbing flesh. With a firm grip, he stroked from root to tip. A shudder rippled through him, and he closed his eyes and imagined Cassie’s hand in place of his. On each pass, he increased the pressure, sped up the pace and in an embarrassingly short amount of time, he found himself on the brink of coming. Stomach muscles clenching, balls drawing up tight, Luc let his orgasm take him and came in hard spurts over his hand and torso.

Cursing his lack of control and the arousal still humming in his veins, he got out of bed and stalked back to the bathroom. Uncaring of his naked state, he didn’t even glance in the direction of Cassie’s room. Didn’t dare—she’d just proven, without being in the same room, she could get to him. He’d never felt so out of control. Not with a woman, not with his job. Flicking on the water, Luc stepped beneath the cold shower and rinsed away the evidence of his weakness. She’d gotten under his skin—in his blood—and he didn’t have a clue how to get her out or even if he wanted to.

With a groan, he closed his eyes and ducked his head under the spray. The water pelted his scalp, the sound drowning the voice in his head that told him to go to Cassie and finish what they both obviously wanted. He had no idea how long he stood beneath the cold shower, but he finally roused himself and switched it off. Eyeing the only towel on the rack, he couldn’t bring himself to use it, knowing she’d rubbed it all over her body first. Glancing around the room, he spied the cupboard tucked in behind the door and opened it to find shelves filled with female toiletries as well as fresh towels.

Grinning, Luc snagged one and ran it over his face only to have the smile die a quick death when he caught Cassie’s distinct scent. With a moan, he buried his face deeper into the soft fabric and drew in a breath. Her smell surrounded him. It wasn’t as pronounced as when he’d held her in his arms, but it was just as effective. The erection he’d so recently satisfied re-emerged, and he wondered if he’d ever quench the thirst for Cassie his body seemed to have. One thing he was sure of was this wasn’t your everyday run-of-the-mill kind of lust.