“But what if—” I start, and Luke shakes his head.
“None of that,” he purrs, and my breath catches in my throat. “Apparently, I haven’t been clear enough with my intentions or desires. I don’t make my choices lightly.”
He moves closer, sliding his hand along my lower back and bowing his head until it’s next to mine, his lips against my ear. My eyes flutter closed against my will.
“When I want something, I take it, and I don’t appreciate what I want being questioned. I don’t make mistakes. I want you, Ethan.Youaremine,” he says, his voice low, almost like a growl, and I feel a tingle down my spine. Fuck.
I shudder at the possessiveness behind his words, hardly processing what it does to my brain—like a perpetual itch finally being scratched. I never expected anything like this to have such an effect on me—or that I would be so into it—but I can’t deny how good it feels. It’s the kind of shit I’d demand from a romance novel. Only, I didn’t believe it could exist in the real world inany other context but awkward. Luke makes it feel as natural as breathing. Like he doesn’t have to think about it.
The unanticipated result is that the jealousy I felt from all the previous attention on him is instantly snuffed out like a candle doused in a bucket of cold water. He could have a million people trying to throw themselves at him, and I would never doubt that he’d still pick me from the crowd.
Luke suddenly moves his hand against my back to yank me closer until we’re pressed against each other, and I can feel that he’s hard, sending a jolt through my core. My own dick twitches at the thought that he’s hard for me—becauseof me. His mouth crushes mine, his tongue sinking deep and desperate, and my whole face flushes hot at the sudden intensity. I lose control of myself as I push him back against the wall again, and he welcomes it.
Vaguely, I’m aware that we’re out in public, but it’s the last thing on my mind as I run my hands over his chest and down his sensual hips, wanting to get closer. A few hoots and hollers from the people hanging outside the bar down the street snap me back to reality. I break the connection and look at Luke with wide eyes, breathless and wild, before looking back at the accidental audience to my depravity.
Luke laughs, completely free and easy, but he keeps his hands on me to stop me from going anywhere—as if he can tell I’m a flight risk. I bury my face against his chest and groan, completely embarrassed, but he hugs me tightly, kissing my temple.
“Please kill me,” I mumble.
“No, I think I’ll keep you.” Luke chuckles.
“How can you just say shit like that and make it sound easy?” I ask, pulling back and looking up at his face.
He brushes his long fingers through my hair. “I told you. I like seeing you come undone, and I think I’ve finally figured you out.”
“You’ll be the death of me in the end.”
Luke smirks. “Then we’ll both go down in flames, and I’ll be happier for it.”
He grabs my hand and pulls it up to his mouth, brushing his lips against the backs of my fingers, but there’s still a glint of that raw possessiveness in his eyes that makes me weak, and I realize he reallyhasfigured me out. He knows how to push my buttons to get me going, and I’m practically putty in his hands.
“Let’s get out of here,” he says, and I can only nod.
Chapter Twenty-Four
A Night to Remember
It’s1a.m.,andthere’s no way Luke or I can drive the hour back home after everything we’ve had to drink—not to mention our mutual desire to remove each other’s clothing as fast as possible. So we look for a hotel instead.
There are places to stay on practically every street corner, but Luke admits he has a penchant for the bougier things in life and doesn’t want to settle for something simple. He wants it to be unique. It makes no difference to me, but if Luke’s happy, I don’t mind walking a few more blocks (or past three perfectly adequate hotels) to find the best one.
Eventually, we find the Detroit Foundation Hotel. The building is old and clearly used to be operated as a fire station based on the motifs still adorning the architecture. It’s sitting across the street from the old Cobo Hall, which has been renamed so many times that it’s hard to keep track of what it’s actually called now.
Although it’s late, a concierge is working the front desk, and they check us into an available room with a king-size bed.
I’m starting to feel the effects of the night and being up so late, and could easily lie down and fall asleep given the chance. But as soon as we enter the elevator, it becomes clear that Luke has no such desire.
Before the elevator doors are even fully closed, he pushes me against the wall and pins me there with one arm up over my head, and he presses his lips to mine in a desperate kiss. It catches me off guard with how forceful it is, but my hands have a mind of their own as they grab at his hips, pulling him closer. I can feel him getting hard again, and I reach down to stroke the growing bulge, making Luke shudder. He moans against my mouth before dropping his forehead to mine.
“Fuck,” he hisses. “You don’t know what you do to me, Ethan. I can’t control myself around you.”
I can’t help but grin, taking his free hand and guiding it down to where I’m already hard, pressing his hand against me. “I have some idea,” I reply.
It’s a challenge leaving the elevator as it reaches our floor, but the hallways are empty as we stumble toward our room. We can hardly walk straight, a combination of the alcohol and the gravitational pull that has us crashing our lips together every other step we take. We’re drawn to each other like the centers of two supermassive black holes. The door to the room barely clicks shut behind us before Luke loses whatever modicum of self-control he has left and comes at me with the full force of a tsunami wave.
He shoves me against the wall, on theme with the rest of the evening. It’s not hard enough to hurt, butfuck,is it hot, and I’m down for this becoming a regular thing. He pins me there with both hands on either side of my head, and his eyes are full of that raw, domineering energy I saw outside the bar, pupils blown wide with desire. I feel myself swallow and let out a shaky breath before Luke finds my mouth with his own. The kiss is messy anddesperate, a clash of tongues and biting lips, with the lingering taste of bourbon.
Luke moves his hands to me, his long fingers twisting in my hair, gripping tightly as he tilts my head back to give him the perfect angle of my jaw, and hedevoursme. A gasp escapes my lips as he drags his teeth across my neck, his breath on my skin sending sparks of pleasure through my entire body. All my nerve endings light up in response.
