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He coaxed her into submission with his tongue, and as he worked her body with his hands, he was quite sure he’d won the battle… Until she broke the kiss again and grasped his wrists.
“We’ve got to stop this,” she said, out of breath.
Beside them, the coffee had finished percolating. A rich coffee-bean aroma permeated the air, and Luke knew that from then on, the scent would have a distinctly erotic association for him.
His body, tense with pent-up desire, suddenly felt electrified.
“You’re sure?”
She expelled a ragged breath. “Hell no. But we’re not doing this. Not here, not now, not so you can prove me wrong.”
Luke let his hands fall to his sides, and he took a step back from her. “How about so we can have a night of great sex?”
Jane smoothed down her skirt and tossed him a wry look. “Stop trying to catch me in a contradiction.”
“I’m just trying to get you into bed. No hidden motives.” He smiled, and with a bit of resistance, she smiled back.
“We’d regret it in the morning.”
“Speak for yourself,” he answered, and Jane diverted her gaze to the coffeepot, her cheeks blushing scarlet.
Luke realized for the first time that maybe she wasn’t nearly as relaxed about his advances as he’d assumed.
She busied herself with pouring coffee. “Still want a cup?”
“I think I’ve got plenty to keep me awake tonight without caffeine. I’d better go.”
Jane shrugged, clearly pleased with his state of arousal. “Suit yourself.”
“I’ll be here around ten o’clock. Try not to do anything life-endangering, like jogging alone in the woods, before I get here.”
She didn’t make any biting comebacks as she walked him to the door, and when Luke stepped out into the cool night air, then heard the door close behind him, his body relaxed a bit. Away from Jane, he could think a little straighter. He could stop the “Me Tarzan, you Jane, let’s go have wild sweaty jungle sex” thinking.
He could even think about something besides sex.
Maybe.
JANE SAT AT HER COMPUTER, a cup of coffee steaming nearby and a chocolate chip bagel with cream cheese in one hand. She’d eaten one halfhearted bite of her breakfast, and so far she’d written two entire sentences. In the past hour. She’d risen early in the hope of catching up on the writing time she’d lost because of Luke, but the events of the night before haunted her.
She put down the bagel and took a long drink of coffee. It was her second cup, but she still hadn’t quite gotten out of the funk of a poor night’s sleep. And the hormones raging through her veins didn’t help, either. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so keyed up and horny, and yet she still couldn’t explain her behavior the night before.
Jane had always been in control of her emotions and her actions, but with Luke, she never had any idea what crazy thing she might do from one moment to the next. Being in his presence was a little terrifying. The fact that he was due to arrive in a matter of minutes didn’t help soothe her nerves.
She glanced at the clock in the lower right-hand corner of the computer screen. Nine forty-five. She had fifteen minutes to steel herself to his caveman charms. All she needed to do, she decided, was focus on Bradley.
Yes. That was it. If she concentrated on the things she loved about Bradley Stone, she couldn’t help but notice how each of those qualities was missing from Luke Nicoletti. Okay, so focusing on Bradley hadn’t helped her much last night when she’d nearly had sex in her parents’ bathroom and then on her kitchen counter with Luke. But she had to believe it would work this time.
Jane turned her laptop to low-power mode and carried her uneaten breakfast to the kitchen. On her way to the boxes in the hallway, she caught herself checking her reflection in the mirror. She’d definitely done more to get herself ready this morning than she normally would on a lazy Sunday, going so far as to apply light makeup and put on her most flattering pair of jeans and a snug black top.
She scowled at herself and turned her attention to the nearest box. She tore through the wads of paper until she came to a framed photo of her parents. She’d just grabbed a hammer and nail off the top of the next closest box to hang the photo, when her doorbell rang and her entire body went on alert.
A peek through the peephole revealed Luke’s outrageously handsome face on the other side of the door, so she took a deep breath and opened the locks.
Her lower belly clenched when she took in the full view of him, dressed in a faded pair of jeans, a tool belt and a black T-shirt pulled tight over his chest and shoulder muscles. His hair was secured back in a ponytail, and he gazed at her with those dark-chocolate eyes that seemed to see exactly how much he aroused her.
