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Thank God the elevator from the lobby had been empty and same with the hallway to his room. He might not be from here and staying at the Hunter Valley Lodge, but I was a local. The problem with small town life was that I ran into people wherever I went. Grocery store. Gynecologist. It was one thing for others to know you bought extra strength deodorant or had a birth control prescription, it was another having someone I knew witness me all horny and desperate for dick.
Which I was. Horny and desperate for dick.
I was the last single girl among my friends who were getting some on the regular. They shared a little too much when it came to sex details. While I was happy for them, I knew exactly what I was missing. This kind of kissing. This need.
Bridget had fallen for a huge billionaire who was ridiculously obsessed with her. Maverick James was older and knew that he wanted her the moment they met. Mallory had fallen for Mav’s doctor brother, Theo. Lindy had fallen for Mav’s hockey player brother, got married and had a beautiful baby together. Eve was married to Mav’s other brother, the brilliant CEO of James Corp. Sadly, there were no more James brothers for me to claim.
Other girlfriends found their men as well. Melly Harwood fell for Daniel Pearson and while he had four lumberjack brothers–two of whom were ridiculously hot identical twins–none of them did it for me. And they’d met me more than once and showed no interest in me in return. Maybe because I was a single mom. Maybe because my boobs were too small or I didn’t eat bacon. It was probably the bacon.
I wasn’t expecting to fall in love like my friends did, but I’d be thrilled to end my sex drought. With an actual dick, not a dildo the size and shape of a porn star’s like I had hidden in my dresser beneath my bras where Sierra wouldn’t find it. When Mallory set me up on a blind date with Ronald the Radiologist Theo knew from the hospital, I agreed. Grudgingly.
I was jaded about dating. That meant I’d have to get to know the guy. Believe him when he told me about what he did for a living, how he drank his coffee, if he liked gel or mint toothpaste.
That took trust and I didn’t trust anyone with that stuff. Not when it came to love. My parents used affection as a motivational tool. Or the lack of it as punishment. I had a string of loser exs, like the gaslighting liar who already had a wife or the one who didn’t like kids even though he knew I was a single mom. My last ex had wanted me not for love, but for a political connection to my mother. Then there had been dates, but one-offs that went nowhere. There was no doubt I attracted the worst men.
So a relationship with a guy? No way.
What a guy could be good for was sex. A man’s main goal going on a date, especially one with a complete stranger, was to get laid, not get married. Since I had zero luck or skill at keeping a decent guy, I aimed for meaningless, wall-banging sex.
With that in mind, I went into the bar in the Hunter Valley Ski Resort’s main lodge armed; I had on my sexiest dress and beneath, a pink bra and panty set that didn’t leave much to the imagination. But as the minutes wore on and there was no sign of Ronald, all I could think of was getting into my comfiest yoga pants and ratty t-shirt and eating a bowlful of chia pudding with extra blueberries.
Getting myself off with a toy or my fingers night after night was fine. Fine, not amazing. But being stood up plain sucked.
Except being stood up tonight meant Luke took Ronald’s place.
Luke. Hot, manly, virile, dirty talking Luke.
Not only did we win the first place fifty-dollar prize at trivia–the guy knew all kinds of random sports and entertainment factoids–but I was getting lucky.
Really lucky because Luke was… wow. At least six feet, broad shouldered, had a strong brow that made his blue eyes intense. Women must drool after his square jaw and his scruff looked intentional, although there was a little nick on the side of his neck proving he was a mortal man with a sharp razor. His dark hair was covered by a ballcap, but it curled beneath the edge. At first, I thought maybe he wore it to hide male-patterned baldness, but when I pulled it off in the elevator, nope. He had thick locks that I tangled my fingers in.
Luke looked like a model, but his nose had a crook in it, indicating it had been broken at some time. It offset his perfection, making him seem less godlike and more… normal.
No, not normal. There was nothing normal about him because when I looked at him for the first time at the bar, my heart skipped a beat. Instant attraction. Immediate desire.
He was… pure, sweet eye candy.
When he told me Ronald wasn’t worth it, I agreed. I didn’t deserve to be stood up, even though my inner voice told me it was, for me, expected. I was mad, sure, but wasn’t surprised I was ignored, that I wasn’t valued enough for the guy to show up even for a drink.
But Luke? He saw me. Wanted me. He’d even offered me chicken wings. His mesmerizing blue eyes had met mine and it felt like… in some strange way, that he saw me. Only me.
His gaze didn’t veer to prettier women, even when I felt their gazes on him. I didn’t blame them for staring. He was the perfect specimen of a man. I had no doubt that his good looks were the destroyer of women’s underwear everywhere he went because spending an hour playing a trivia game with him had mine drenched. Our thighs touched as we sat side by side. He constantly brushed my shoulder, the ends of my hair. My fingers. Little caresses that awakened my nerve endings.
I went with him to his room willingly. Easily. We made it to the elevator, the doors barely closed before we were kissing.
Now, oh my God! We were in his room. His hands cupped my butt as he devoured me, his tongue moving in ways that made me think he could use it like that in other places just as well.
“Luke,” I breathed as he nibbled along my jaw and found a spot behind my ear that made me whimper. He settled his hand at the back of my neck, held me in place. His grip was gentle, but firm.
“Fuck, I love when you say my name like that.”
I was melting, hot beneath his touch. Then I went a little insane and tried to get his shirt up and off.
He made a funny sound, a cross between a growl and a laugh. “Easy, tiger. Need to hear you say what you want,” he murmured, his voice rough and deep as his hands stilled mine.
“What?” I said, looking up at him, his head tipped low. He was a few inches taller even with me in my heels. Broad shouldered and solid.
He pulled back just enough for our gazes to meet, then cupped the back of my neck again with his hand. “I don’t want there to be any confusion as to why you’re here. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Just need to know you want this, too.”
