Learning to Trust: Sweet Temptation (4 page)

She
had thought he’d passed out, but when they arrived at his house, he was immediately
awake and talking once more. Her intention had been to let him out at the curb
and continue on to her apartment, but that wasn’t what happened. He had seemed
a little more alert when his eyes opened, and he looked at her, so when he
asked her to come in, she’d ignored all of those warning bells that had been
clanging for the entire drive to his house.

“Want
a drink?” Kane asked as they made it through the front door after he fumbled
the keys two or three times.

Lucie
knew he was past the point of needing another drink, so she passed on his
offer, but followed him to the kitchen anyway.

“No
thanks,” Lucie answered, feigning interest in her surroundings.

His
house was immaculate, not that she had expected anything less. Kane dressed
like a man who had money. He didn’t try to make a fashion statement, but his
jeans were always expensive, his shirts always trendy and in style. Not to
mention, she should’ve been tipped off as soon as she turned into his
neighborhood. She had no idea what kind of money he made as the bar manager,
but she didn’t actually care either.  

As
she stood in the kitchen trying to divert her eyes from the sexy as hell man
standing not two feet away, she began to fidget, suddenly wanting to go home.
She shouldn’t be there, she knew that much. Not with Kane in his current state
of mind, obviously pissed off and now intoxicated as hell.

“I
should go,” she said, daring to make eye contact with him.

Kane
moved closer, and she could smell his sultry cologne, the scent she dreamed
about in the middle of the night. Despite the fact that both of them had that
lingering smell of alcohol and cigarettes thanks to working at the bar, Lucie
was overwhelmed by the unique scent of him, which overpowered everything else.

“Lucie,”
Kane whispered her name as he took two steps closer, suddenly closing the gap
between them and effectively backing her up against the granite countertop.

She
didn’t break eye contact, noticing the way the steel gray color had darkened,
swirling like storm clouds. The single curl that had fallen over his forehead
beckoned her fingers to brush it back, and then delve into the silken mass to
see if it was as soft as it looked.

“Touch
me, Lucie,” Kane insisted, and for a moment she wondered if she imagined it.

There
wasn’t an ounce of gentleness in his tone, strictly fierce hunger and need. It
was something she’d come to expect from Kane, but never had she expected him to
turn the heat on her.

“Touch
me, baby,” Kane said again, this time with more insistence.

Lucie
knew she should go, knew she should run out the front door and forget this
night ever happened, but instead she did what she’d longed to do for the past
year.

Lifting
her hand, she placed her trembling fingers against the hard planes of his
chest, letting the warmth of his skin penetrate through the soft cotton of his
t-shirt. His chest was broad and thick, and Lucie was mesmerized by how small
her hands looked in comparison to him.  

He
couldn’t have been much more than six feet tall, but at five-foot-six, he still
peered down at her. She could feel his heartbeat beneath her palm, and when she
looked back up at his eyes, she recognized the same lust burning bright and hot
just as it was in her. She knew that if she gave in to this man, he was going
to alter her in ways she wasn’t entirely sure she would be able to survive.

Lucie
shook off the memory when she pulled into the parking space in front of her
apartment. If she’d have known then exactly how much he would change her life,
she would have turned and run like she wanted to.

Without
any additional thoughts about Kane or what the night might bring, Lucie ran to
her apartment as she considered her surroundings. By the time she was inside,
she was breathless, but feeling a little more normal.

As
she moved to put her purse on the bar, a knock sounded at her door, and she
jumped.
Shit
. Lucie had hoped to at least have a shower before Kane showed
up. Without thought, she opened the door; not wanting him to knock again for fear
that the noise might disturb her neighbors. She didn’t want to give them any
reason to hate her.

“You
said you would be at the club for another half hour,” she huffed in exasperation
as she shut the door behind him.

Her
apartment wasn’t big by any stretch of the imagination, but when Kane walked
in, it suddenly felt even smaller.

“I
couldn’t wait,” Kane remarked, making his way into the apartment.

Couldn’t
wait for what? To come over there and tell her how every decision she’d ever
made was the wrong one? Hell, she knew that already, so he wouldn’t be telling
her anything new.

“For
what?” she asked, flipping the deadbolt before turning to face him.

Oh
hell.

Looking
up into his eyes, Lucie knew her life was about to veer off course yet again.

*** ~~ *** ~~ *** ~~ ***

Kane
stared down into the chocolate brown eyes that he’d been dreaming about for the
better part of the last six years. Ever since the first time he laid eyes on
Lucie Werner, he’d been captivated by her delicate beauty. Even more so now than
back then.

“To
do this.” Backing her up against the front door, Kane pressed his body against
hers, trying to contain the hunger that pulsed hot and fast through his
bloodstream. Cupping her head in his hands, he whispered, “I couldn’t wait to
put my mouth on you.”

Expecting
her to move, or even push him away, Kane paused briefly before gently pressing
his lips to hers. He had to keep himself grounded in the moment as soon as her
soft, warm lips met his because the inclination to thrust his tongue deep in
her mouth was overwhelming.

Her
hand lifted to his chest, and he could feel the slight tremor in her fingers
and the heat of her skin through his shirt. He had to coax her lips open with
his tongue, but her resistance wasn’t nearly as strong as he knew she intended.

Once
he delved into her mouth, he licked and tasted every soft, succulent inch of
her, pressing his body more firmly against hers, aligning his rock hard cock
between her thighs and grinding like a damn teenage boy who’d just figured out
what it meant to have a hard on.

Damn
she was hot. There was absolutely nothing reserved or timid about this woman
when she kissed him.

The
urgent scrape of her fingernails against his scalp when she slid her hands into
his hair had Kane pulling her closer, growling into the kiss. There was no
turning back tonight.  Since he couldn’t turn back time to relive that moment
from years before, it was high time they made some new memories.

After
long, drugging kisses, Kane reluctantly pulled his mouth from hers but didn’t put
any space between them. When their eyes met, Kane knew there wouldn’t be any
talking tonight. He was confident that’s what she thought he wanted and maybe
somewhere deep down he did want to know why she thought it best to keep such an
enormous secret, but right now, he just needed to feel her. More importantly,
he needed Lucie to give herself to him.

“I
need a shower,” he finally said, as he held her close, his palm pressed into
her lower back, the other on her hip.

After
having been at the bar for fourteen hours, he could smell the revolting stench
of cigarette smoke, beer and the various liquors he poured all night. He knew
she would be able to smell it on him too.

“It’s
down the hall,” Lucie stuttered, not breaking eye contact.

“Show
me,” Kane told her before taking a step back. He fully intended to take a
shower, but he didn’t plan to do so alone.

Kane
could feel Lucie’s reluctance; it billowed around her like a lingering cloud
undisturbed by the forceful winds churning around them. If he guessed, she was
both nervous and anxious, both emotions warring inside of her, and like him,
she wasn’t sure where this was going. He was going to make the decision for her
unless, of course, she told him no.

Kane
wanted her with a gut wrenching passion, but he would never force her. He just
couldn’t sit back and wait for her to come to him anymore. It was clear she was
keeping herself distant, and there was no way in hell he was about to let
another man intrude on what he considered his.

When
Lucie stopped in front of the bathroom, he took her hand in his and pulled her
to him once more. He wasn’t letting her get away that easily, and he knew if he
left it up to her, she would run and hide from him until he forced her to face
the searing heat that they couldn’t deny any longer.

Moving
her backward until she was in the bathroom with him, Kane shut the door,
letting her know his intentions. It was now or never. Either she would succumb
to the inferno of lust that ignited when they were in close proximity, or she
would turn and run. Either way, he was ready to move on to the next phase of
what was happening between them.

“Turn
on the water, Lucie,” he instructed her as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

Watching
the emotions play across her face was like watching a deer caught in the
headlights of a vehicle moving at a high rate of speed. She wasn’t sure what
was coming at her, but she knew something was coming, something she couldn’t
control.

“Kane,”
she whispered his name, barely audible even in the small area.

“We
can’t run from this,” he told her, reaching behind her to turn the shower on
because it was obvious she wasn’t able to do it based on the way her hands were
visibly shaking. “Do you want to run from me, Lucie?”

He
wanted to know the answer, but more importantly, he wanted to know the truth.
She could deny him all she wanted, but he saw the desire in her penetrating
gaze. He’d felt her passion in their kiss, knew she wanted him as much as he
wanted her.

“Answer
me,” Kane ordered, taking a step closer and reaching for the buttons on her
shirt. He eased one small disc from its mooring as he kept his eyes locked with
hers. The rich chocolate brown swirled, darkening as he continued to undress
her one tiny button at a time.

“I’m
scared,” she whispered.

“Of
me?” he asked, suddenly worried about what exactly
had
happened between
them all those years ago. Kane could be rough on his lovers, he knew that. And
considering the compelling hunger he harbored for Lucie consumed him,
overpowered his senses, he wasn’t quite sure what he was capable of. Especially
at that moment in time.

“No,”
she assured him with what sounded like conviction in her tone.

“Then
what are you scared of?” Slipping her shirt off of her shoulders, Kane allowed
the cotton to glide down her arms, falling to the floor at her feet as he
trailed his fingertips down the inside curve of each arm, then back up until he
reached the underside of her breasts.

Glancing
down, he watched as her chest expanded with every choppy breath she inhaled,
imagining what it would feel like to bite the pebbled tips of her nipples. He
didn’t give in to the craving yet though. Instead, Kane let the backs of his
fingers graze over her white lace bra, before tracing his fingers over her
collarbone and then slowly back down. Slipping one finger between her soft skin
and her no nonsense bra, Kane scraped his fingertip over her nipple, moving his
eyes up to meet hers.

“What
are you scared of?” he repeated, insisting that she answer.

“This,”
Lucie said the word, and then released his gaze before turning her attention to
where his hand lingered on her breast.

Kane
pulled her bra down forcefully, releasing one plump, beautiful globe from the
silky confines before he tweaked her nipple with his thumb and forefinger. When
Lucie would’ve thrown her head back, he put his other hand on the back of her
head, holding her so she was forced to watch.

“Don’t
look away,” he demanded. “Never look away.” The steam from the shower was
filling the room, coating her body in a fine sheen of moisture, which only
increased his urge to lick her.

Everywhere.

~~*~~

Oh,
God!
Lucie wasn’t sure she would survive the onslaught of sensation that Kane’s brief
touched ignited. She was aching for his touch, his kiss, and anything else he
could give her.

From
the instant he had pressed his lips to hers, her body had caught fire, every
nerve ending tingled, begging for the man to do to her what he had done to her
so many years ago. She couldn’t find her voice, or she would have been begging
him, pleading for him to ease the pain that came from wanting him.

When
he forced her bra down, Lucie gasped. And when he lowered his head and sucked
her nipple into the white hot depths of his mouth, she cried out, pulling his
head closer to her breast as he suckled desperately before easing off and using
his tongue to bathe her with his tongue. As she held him to her, she watched, captivated
by the sight of his mouth on her skin, the feel of his tongue as it rasped over
her hypersensitive nipple.