TheBurnList (4 page)

She cleared her throat, butterflies taking flight in her
stomach once again.
“I have no idea.”

“You, poured into the tightest, sexiest black dress you can
find.
I want every single curve on display.”

She licked her dry lips.
She’d have to go shopping on her
lunch hour.
Her brows drew together, what if she couldn’t find something?
She’d
never shopped for a skintight black dress before.
Maybe Jane could meet her at
the mall and help.

“Understood?”
The word sounded like a sharp command and her
belly dipped.

“Yes,” she managed to squeak out.
Her sister probably had
the perfect black dress already hanging in her closet with the tags still on.
But her sister was a size two and never let Abby forget it, but maybe, if all
else failed, she could call Eden and ask where to go shopping.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Lukas said, startling Abby out of
her anxiety about finding the perfect dress.

“Yes?”

“I want your pussy bare.
I want to feel nothing but
satin-smooth skin when I make you come.”

She sucked air into her tight lungs.
No one had
ever
said anything like that to her.
It was blunt.
Crude.
And so…
dirty
.
So
why was it such a turn-on?
Already her nipples puckered into tight points so
they rubbed exquisitely against her bra.
And she couldn’t deny that between her
thighs was an unfamiliar ache.

Lukas Marlow was so out of her league.

His low voice came over the line.
“You want to back out now,
little girl?”

The “little girl” crack snapped her to attention.
Determination to go through with this crazy idea had her straightening in her
chair.
Afterward she’d have to move, but it would be worth it.
He’d already
turned her on more with this phone call than during the sex she’d had with the
couple of guys she’d slept with.
“No, I’m ready.”

“Good.
I’ll see you at eight.”

Chapter Four

Lukas rang Abby’s doorbell at eight sharp.
Much to his
relief, she didn’t back out as he’d half expected all day.
He jingled his keys
in the pocket of his black dress pants while he waited, way more excited to go
out with Abby than he should be.

But, to hell with it, he stopped caring about her being his
neighbor about thirty seconds into her email.

The door swung open.
His jaw unhinged.

Holy fuck!
He’d been a blind idiot to miss how pretty
she was.

A tumble of golden-brown waves fell to her shoulders in a
wild tousle, highlighting her high cheekbones and full lips.
Smoky makeup and
thick, sooty lashes made her big brown eyes exotic.
As he’d requested, she wore
a mid-thigh, black, V-necked sleeveless dress so tight it may as well have been
painted on.
The dress revealed those killer curves, so lush he wanted to sink
into them for days.
Not to mention her breasts, Jesus, they were enough to make
a man break out into a sweat.
She’d completed the outfit with a pair of
stiletto heels, accentuating a set of endless legs.

He shook his head.
Most women would flaunt that body for
everything it was worth, so why did she insist on hiding behind that librarian
exterior?
He’d be getting to the bottom of that story.

“Very nice, Abby.”
The words were woefully inadequate.
“Aren’t you a good girl following my instructions?”

A blush stained those pretty cheeks and she flashed a
too-bright smile.
“Um,” she said, her gaze darting on and off of him like
skittish fawn ready to bolt.
“Let me grab my purse.”

“Wait a minute.”
He stepped through the door and shut it
behind him.

Her throat worked and she blinked up at him.
“Did I do
something wrong?”

“No.”
Wanting her aware of what she was getting into, he
slid his hands around her waist and pulled her close, aligning their hips so
she could feel his erection.

Her eyes went wide as saucers.
“Oh.”

Before she could give too much thought to running, he
captured her mouth with a hot, demanding sweep of his tongue.

A nicer guy would deliver a soft, exploratory kiss to put
her at ease.
A nicer guy would have waited until after dinner.

But when it came to sex, Lukas wasn’t a nice guy.

And based on Abby’s list, the last thing she needed was
polite.

He skimmed his fingers along her back, pausing to stroke the
bare skin of her shoulder blades before continuing upward to grasp her neck.
Her lips opened under his, and he tightened his hold on her waist to anchor her
in place, taking full possession.

She melted into him before wrapping herself around him like
a snake.
Her tongue tangled with his.
Delicate fingers climbed up his chest to
clench the fabric of his white shirt as she rose onto tiptoes.

She squirmed and shimmied under him until she found his
straining erection.

And just like that she swept the rug right out from under
him.

Moaning, he walked her backward until she hit a wall.
He
kicked her legs apart and slid his hands down her body, stroking down one
thigh.
In perfect sync, she hooked one leg over his hip and his fingers curled
around her knee.
Her dress rose high, stretching to accommodate him as the head
of his cock nudged between her legs.
Covered by only thin panties he could feel
her heat, smell her desire.

She rocked against him.

He thrust against her clit.

A whimper came from deep within her throat.

Goddamn, he wanted to devour her.
How could he ever have
guessed that his sweet, innocent little neighbor was actually a powder keg
waiting to detonate?

He needed to stop.
Get back in control.
Their first time
couldn’t be up against a wall before they’d even left the house.

With considerable restraint, he released her mouth and
stepped away, his breathing ragged.

One little kiss and she’d managed to knock him to his knees.
He wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.

Her lids fluttered open to reveal glazed eyes.
Her chest
heaved as she sucked air into her lungs.
Between her bruised mouth and color
high on her cheeks, everything about her screamed ready.
He gritted his teeth.
Cock aching with the need to pound into her, he ran his fingers through his
hair.

She deserved better, and he intended to give her everything
she deserved and then some.
“Let’s go.”

* * * * *

Twenty minutes later they were seated in a private U-shaped
booth lining the back wall at Sabatino’s.
Abby blew out a deep breath, still
trying to get her bearings and figure out what happened.
One touch of Lukas’
mouth and it had been more exciting than sex.
No other man had kissed her like
that.
Ever.
It had been thrilling.
Like being claimed and possessed, like
everything she’d ever dreamed about but was too afraid to hope for.

She’d loved every second of it.

Unfortunately, the mood had turned.

Lukas had almost looked angry when they’d left the house and
the car ride to the restaurant had been filled with tense silence.
When they’d
been walked to the table in the Tuscan-decorated restaurant, he’d held her
elbow with ruthless efficiency.

Since they’d sat down, he’d barely spoken.

There was only one explanation.

Throat constricting, she squeezed her hands tight in her lap
and tried her best not to be hurt.
She’d known going into this he might not
want her.
It had been silly to think a tight dress and makeup done at the MAC
counter would be enough to change his mind about her.
Sure, she’d thought the
kiss had been great, but he was used to much more experienced women.
She must
seem terribly dull in comparison.

She had no other choice but to let him off the hook.
She
couldn’t force the poor guy to have sex with her.

The waiter came over and Lukas ordered a bottle of wine
without consulting the menu, letting her know she wasn’t the first woman he’d
taken here.
She stared down at the empty white plate.

She refused to feel sorry for herself.
No, that was the old
Abby.
This new Abby took her punches then climbed right back into the ring.

The second the waiter walked away, she raised her chin,
twisted the napkin in her lap and plunged into the difficult conversation
ahead.
“Lukas, it’s okay.
Please don’t feel obligated.”

His attention snapped to hers, his dark eyes narrowed.
“What?”

She put on a bright, cheerful smile.
“It’s totally fine, I
get it.
Let’s forget this whole thing ever happened.
I promise I’ll never speak
of this again.”

“What are you talking about?”
His brows drew into a vee in
the center of his forehead.

Hand fluttering to her neck, she toyed with the delicate
silver chain at her throat.
Geez, couldn’t he just take the out she was
offering?
She cleared her throat.
“I totally appreciate your willingness to
help me out.
It’s really great of you.
But I understand you’re not attracted
enough to me to…um…consummate our friendship.”

This had to be one of the top five most embarrassing moments
of her life.
If only the housing market hadn’t crashed and she could move.
Now
she’d be stuck with him as a neighbor for god knew how long.
She took a deep
breath.
She’d get through this.
When she recovered from her mortification and
bruised ego in about a hundred years, she’d try again.

“Not want you?”
His lips firmed into a hard line.
“How in
the hell could you think I don’t want you?”

“Well…um…you’ve been kind of sullen since you kissed me.”

His face smoothed over.
“Ah, I see.”

“Yes, well, I’m letting you off the hook.”
She tried for a
smile but feared it failed miserably.

He moved to the center of the booth and crooked a finger.
“Come over here.”

“What?”
She stared at him, totally confused.

“Come here.
Now.”
His voice was a hard I-mean-business
command.

She blinked as butterflies took flight in her stomach.
What
was it about that tone that got to her?
She’d figure it out later.
Right now
she had to get through this torture.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.
I’ll
survive, I promise.”

One dark brow rose.
“Are you going to make me come get you?
Because, I warn you, in my current state it’s not a good idea.”

She searched his expression for any clue to his thoughts.
All she saw was hard-eyed determination.
She bit her bottom lip—okay, he
probably wanted to comfort her—she’d let him and get it over with.
He obviously
had a hero complex.

Carefully, she scooted next to him.
His strong thigh,
pressed against her bare leg, the fabric of his black dress pants rubbing
against her oversensitive skin.

Arm sliding along the back of the booth, he leaned in close
enough for Abby to smell his aftershave.
A mixture of man and spices that would
have been intoxicating if it weren’t for the circumstances.
Warm breath fell
over the shell of her ear and she shivered.
A pang of loss made her chest hurt.
She closed her eyes, hoping to push it away.
Maybe someday she’d find another
guy who made her melt.
Maybe someday—

“That was about the hottest kiss I’ve ever had.”

Her lids snapped open.
What did he say?
She had to have
heard wrong.

“Despite what you think,” he continued in a low rumble
filled with unmistakable heat, “I don’t normally have a hard time not fucking
my dates before I’ve even taken them to dinner.”

A hot flush fanned out over her chest and up her neck to
splash over her cheeks.

“But damn if I didn’t have a hell of a time resisting you.”
He picked up a lock of her hair, letting the strands fall between his fingers,
creating a rush of tingles down her back.

She stared at the white tablecloth, unsure of what to do.

“Look at me, Abby.”
His voice a soft whisper over her skin.

She complied because she felt powerless not to.

He pressed his forehead into hers.
“I’m sorry about the car.
I didn’t stop to think of how you’d perceive it.
The truth is I spent the ride
trying to muster all my self-control so I didn’t jump you between the house and
the restaurant.”

She swallowed hard, trying to grasp the knowledge that Lukas
Marlow considered her desirable.
She couldn’t quite make herself believe it.
In
a soft whisper she asked, “So you’re not just being nice?”

He chuckled, a low, lazy sound that sent a jolt of
excitement through her.
“If you had even an inkling of all the kinky things
I’ve been thinking about doing to you, that would be the last question on your
mind.”

Hope, and what might be a tiny seedling of confidence,
bloomed in her chest.

For now, he was hers.

Oh, she didn’t harbor any delusions, she understood this was
temporary.
But how many women got the chance to live out their fantasy with the
object of those fantasies?
Not many.

No matter how uncomfortable.
No matter how scary.
She was
going for it.

The waiter returned with their wine, and Lukas pulled away
from her to nod at the bottle.
She attempted to pay attention to the server,
but Lukas’ fingers kept sliding up and down her bare shoulder as he went
through the tasting and pouring ritual.

He wanted her.
He really wanted her.
Unable to help
herself a smile slid over her lips as she chanted the words in her head in time
with his hand brushing over her skin.

The waiter left and Lukas leaned close and nipped her
earlobe so she jumped.
“What’s that smile for?”