Page 40 of For Better or for Ransom

Perhaps because they’d both been silent until that moment, the sound of her own scream piercing the room took her almost by surprise. She was far from a quiet fucker, but had she even been this loud? Luke’s orgasm hit her a few seconds after hers. When both their backs landed on the mattress, they lay one next to the other trying to catch their breaths.

“I suppose talking wasn’t allowed but screaming was.” Luke was laughing.

She couldn’t avoid it, and started laughing with him.

“So, bella, can we talk now?” Luke asked in a deep voice after they’d stopped laughing and were breathing at a normal pace.

And there it was, that word again, bella. Whatever had gotten into Luke, Sol dug it.

She sat up, straddling him. “Shhh. I’m not done with you yet.”

23

Monday, March 18, 2024 — The day production of The Single Dad Situation was supposed to start

Luke

After they’d felt completely connected the night before, they’d both fallen asleep. They’d been exhausted, sore, and sticky but absolutely relaxed.

Luke’s alarm woke him early the following morning. It was Monday and he wanted to think about the chat Divya and he needed to have with Meshflixx now that Leonardo had still not been found and the show was supposed to start shooting. How much extra time for investigating was the streamer going to give them? A few days at most. And of course, there was the matter of the many open leads and the last clue Sol and he had found the night before.

He got out of bed, completely naked. He slowly headed to the shower trying not to wake Sol up, but he wasn’t successful.

“Want help there?” Her voice was broken by sleepiness and she could barely open her eyes, but she was flaunting a seductive smile.

He had a full workday ahead and he was already waking up after he’d wanted because of how late they’d gone to sleep the previous night. He was about to tell her that, and then took a second look at Sol, whose body was only half covered by the comforter. She looked irresistible.

“I’ll absolutely take your help in the shower but we need to be quick.” He used the voice that drove her crazy.

“You know I love a quick fuck,” she purred.

···

Showered, overindulged, and dressed, Luke and Sol were having breakfast on Sol’s kitchen counter.

“I was going to ask you to tell me whatever it was that had you all preoccupied yesterday,” Sol told him, clutching her tea mug. “But you no longer seem like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

He thought about it. Smiled. “I think you managed to fuck all the worries out of me, cara.”

They still needed to talk. And he still needed to figure out what it was that he wanted in his life—and see if she wanted the same. But they had to find a missing actor first. Plus yesterday’s romp and this morning’s shower together had momentarily made him forget about all the worries that wanting the title had brought.

“I’m so glad I was helpful.” Sol’s smile was practically inviting him to take off her clothes and have another go on the kitchen counter. He shook his head. This time he needed to focus.

“You’ve helped me in more than one way.” He took his mobile phone to show it to her. “Divya contacted Sandro after I texted her and told her about what we’d discovered at the Casanova. The actor can see us this morning for another chat. Do you want to join us?”

“Really?” The excitement in her voice was unmistakable.

“Really.” He was aware he was grinning. She had that effect on him. He always felt better in her immediate orbit. “But we need to hurry up and we definitely don’t have time for whatever it was you were thinking about happening here.” He pointed to her, then him, then the kitchen counter, arching one of his eyebrows.

She glared at him, fake innocence on her features. “I wasn’t thinking about anything.” She batted her eyelashes several times at him.

“Yeah, right.” He scoffed.

“Besides. We’ll have time for whatever I may have had in mind, later. And tomorrow. And the day after.”

If that didn’t sound like a promise, Luke didn’t know what it was.

···