He found his chest aching as he moved to the cedar dresser and began removing random items of clothing from the drawers. He was disappointed. He was angry. And he was saddened by the fact that the gorgeous blonde in the other room couldn’t see what was right in front of her eyes.
Oh well. He’d get over her. He’d managed to function these last two years, succeeded in putting Viv and that goddamn kiss out of his mind and focused on his life. And he’d do it again. All he had to do now was talk some sense into his sister and then he’d be on the next plane out of this town.
“What are you doing?”
His fingers curled over a pair of socks in a tight fist. He saw Vivian in the doorway from the corner of his eye, but forced himself not to turn his head. Without acknowledging her, he continued grabbing items from the dresser and tossing them into the suitcase.
The sound of soft footsteps filled the room as Vivian slowly walked toward him. He froze again, feeling her come up beside him, smelling that damn scent of hers again. She lifted one hand and held onto his chin, pulling it toward her with two unyielding fingers. Unable to stop himself, he met her gaze.
“We had a deal,” she said quietly.
He heard the trembling in her voice but didn’t stop to analyze what it meant. Her hand felt too damn good on his face, her manicured fingertips brushing over his five o’clock shadow in a way that sent a single shiver tearing down his spine. What did she want from him? Why did she have to torture him like this?
“I’m keeping my end of that deal,” he replied roughly. “I’m leaving.”
He held back a groan as she slid her other hand up and cupped his face. “You said if I changed my mind about you that you’d take me out on a date.” He saw her swallow. “Well, I changed my mind, Josh.”
A small burst of hope swelled in his chest, making his heart beat a little faster and his breath come out a little sharper. “You did?”
She nodded, never breaking their gaze or letting go of his chin. For the first time since he’d gotten here she didn’t appear wary. Right now she just looked calm and completely unruffled.
“I’m sorry for what I said,” she added, lightly brushing her fingers over his lips. “You’re right. There’s nothing childish about you.”
Well, hallelujah.
“And I would really like to go out with you.” Her gorgeous lips curved in a tiny smile. “That is, if you still want me.”
Chapter Seven
As Luke steered the SUV in the direction of Ellie’s bungalow, he came to the conclusion that he was a complete fool. Not only had he kissed her senseless last night, but he’d actually warned her—warned her—that next time he would take it further.
Why the hell had he said that? The sleepless night he’d faced since walking Ellie back to the club and hightailing it out of there should’ve provided him with an answer, but it hadn’t.
Kissing Ellie had been the stupidest thing he could have done, given the situation. He knew damn well what she’d been trying to do last night. She thought that if she pushed him hard enough, she’d scare him away. Under any other circumstances, her plan probably would’ve worked. But no matter how much she teased and taunted him, he knew he had to stay. Josh rarely asked for favors, and the fact that he’d trusted Luke to come after his sister was reason enough to stick around.
He wondered if Josh would still trust him if he knew what Luke had said to his sister last night.
Next time I won’t be as gentle.
Christ, what was wrong with him?
With a groan, Luke pulled into the small driveway and killed the engine. His palms were unusually damp as he reached for the door handle. Damn, he had to talk to her about that kiss. If it were any other woman, he’d turn on the charm, explain it had been a mistake, and offer a quick can we still be friends? But it wasn’t another woman. It was Elenore Dawson.
The image of her on the dance floor floated into his head, quickly followed by the memory of how soft her lips had felt under his and how warm her tongue had been as it swirled against his own. His cock instantly stirred, causing him to let out a string of expletives that fortunately nobody was around to hear. Why couldn’t he turn off his desire?
Why do I have to?
The thought made him pause. He let go of the door handle and leaned back in the leather seat, staring out the windshield at Ellie’s pink bungalow. Suddenly he was doubting himself. Hesitating. Reconsidering.
Why couldn’t he get involved with Ellie? She was gorgeous, after all. Ridiculously stubborn, but he liked that about her. He also liked her fire. Her spunk. Her dancing amazed him. Her passion overwhelmed him. So what kept holding him back? Was it Josh, or was it simply—
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts. Ironically, the second he glanced at the caller ID he remembered exactly why he couldn’t be with Ellie.
“Hi, Dad,” he said into the phone.
The sound of his father’s voice brought on the usual feelings of pity and weariness, along with the sobering realization of why he’d decided to remain a bachelor all these years. It was a voice tinged with sorrow and pain, hopelessness and defeat.
“You’ll be coming home next month, won’t you, Lucas?” Gregory Russell sounded distressed.
“I’m not sure yet, Dad. I might be on assignment.”
“But it’s your mother’s birthday.”
My mother is dead. He wanted so badly to shout out those words but he bit them back. It was pointless. His father would probably never accept the fact that his wife was dead. She’d passed away from breast cancer almost a decade ago, yet the man still acted as if she was alive and kicking. He set the table for two every night when he ate dinner. He prepared two cups of coffee every morning when he woke up. He spoke of his wife in the present tense, kept all of her clothes hanging in their closet and bought her Christmas presents each year.
And he never forgot to celebrate her birthday. Gifts, cake, decorations, the whole production. Luke had humored his father at the beginning. He showed up for the birthday celebrations, casually ate his damn cake and acted like everything was normal. Until enough was finally enough.
He suspected that’s why he’d been so drawn to bodyguard work. The constant traveling, never really getting too close to the people he was supposed to protect. Though he had a small apartment in San Francisco, he was very rarely there, and that suited him just fine. Living out of a suitcase sure as hell beat seeing his father on a daily basis, witnessing the old man’s slow approach to the edge of insanity.
Luke did his best, though. Whenever he wasn’t working he visited his dad. They had dinner together, watched the Super Bowl every year, even caught a Giants game once in a while. When they were out of the house, surrounded by people, Luke even forgot about his dad’s deteriorating mental state. Until Gregory brought up Luke’s mother—that’s when the reality of the situation came rushing back.
Put him in a home. That had been Robin’s solution, to sweep the problem under the rug and forget about it. But Luke would never have been able to live with himself if he’d just shipped his father off to an old-age home. His dad wasn’t senile, he was just…off-kilter. And Luke simply didn’t have the heart to send him away.
“I really hate to miss Mom’s birthday,” Luke said into the phone. He felt disgusted with himself for contributing to his father’s delusions but he’d been doing it for so long it came naturally now.
“Well, you know we’d love to see you, but if you have to work…” Gregory sighed. “There’s always next year.”
“Right next year.” Luke’s chest began to ache and so he quickly ended the call. With an abrupt goodbye and the promise he’d call soon, he hung up the phone and let out a ragged breath.
With a sudden burst of determination, he hopped out of the car and strode up the path leading to Ellie’s door. He needed to convince her to come home. That’s the only way he could put a stop to this ridiculous infatuation he’d suddenly developed for her. Once Ellie was i
n San Francisco, Josh would get off his back. He could take an assignment that required he trek off to some remote location and forget all about that explosive kiss he’d shared with Ellie.
Feeling like a man with a plan, he rapped his knuckles against the door and waited. No more playing around. Time to show her who the boss is.
When the door swung open, however, it became clear exactly who the boss was. Not him, that’s for sure.
“Were you in on it?” she demanded, her blue eyes blazing.
“Huh?”
She either ignored his startled expression or was just completely oblivious to it. With a loud huff, she spun on her heel and stormed back inside, leaving him standing in the open doorway.
Okay. So Ellie was pissed, that much was evident. But what was she pissed about? Fuck if he knew.
Luke stifled a groan, stepped inside the house and headed down the hallway. He found Ellie waiting for him in the middle of the living room, her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. He wondered if she realized how sexy she looked when she was angry. Her cheeks all flushed. Eyes on fire. He grew hard just looking at her.
“Since Josh is conveniently not answering his cell phone, I’d like you to pass along a message,” she said in a clipped tone.
Luke slung his hands in the belt loops of his jeans. “Okay.”
“Tell him that his little games aren’t going to work. I called the bank and changed my account information, so let him know his latest ploy failed.”
Though Luke had no idea what she was talking about, it wasn’t hard to figure it out. Josh had obviously tried to manipulate his sister again, and as usual, Ellie wasn’t having it. It was a game they’d played for years.
“I’ll pass it along,” Luke replied in a mild tone.
“Good.” Her eyes continued to smolder. “Now I want to know if you knew about any of this.”
“If it helps, I still don’t know what you’re talking about. Scout’s honor.” He held up three fingers in a sign he was fairly certain didn’t represent the Boy Scouts whatsoever.
Ellie broke out in a grin. “We both know you’re no Boy Scout.” She paused. “I just made some lemonade. I’ll get you a glass.”
Before he could blink she bounded into the kitchen. What the hell? He had no idea what to make of her swift exit or the way her anger had melted away like an ice cube in the sun. But he’d seen that little glint in her eyes, the one that said she was up to something, and with Ellie that something always proved to be a headache.
In less than a minute, she reentered the room with two cups of lemonade and motioned for him to join her outside. She wore a filmy pink skirt that hugged the curve of her ass and Luke couldn’t help but admire the sway of her hips as she walked. He fought the urge to run after her, spin her around and kiss her again. Then he cursed himself for having that annoying urge and trailed after her.
Luke sat on the chair across from hers and reached for the lemonade. After taking a long sip and hoping the cold liquid might numb his groin, he took a breath and spoke. “I’m sorry about last night.”
The look of surprise on her fair face unnerved him. “Why are you sorry?”
“Because I barged in on your date. Because I, uh, kissed you.” Damn, why did his voice sound so hoarse?
That uncharacteristic knot of insecurity coiling in his gut made him push forward. He wasn’t going to give her the chance to speak, the opportunity to convince him the kiss hadn’t been a mistake or that maybe more could come of it. “I want you to come home with me. Today.” He held up his hand before she could object. “I’m serious, Ellie. No more excuses. You’re leaving.”
“Forget it.” The fire returned to her eyes, the heat of it searing right through his cotton T-shirt.
“Why the hell not?” His words resonated with the frustration he felt.
She lifted her glass to her lips and took a long swig, then slammed it on the table. “My reasons are private, Luke. All I can say is there’s nothing for me back in San Francisco.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. You brother is there, the ballet company is there.” He fought an impatient breath. “I get that you’re still upset that Scott left you, but trust me, there’ll be other men.”
She ignored the last remark. Raked her fingers through her chocolate-brown hair in an act of sheer aggravation. “Why can’t you just accept that I need time away? Why must you and Josh keep pushing me?”
He softened his tone. “Do you think I like pushing you? Do you think I like pressuring you, making you angry? Do you think I like—” He clenched his fists, refusing to vocalize his attraction. “Please, just help me out here. Come home.”
Ellie knew an opportunity when she saw one. This was it, her chance to drop the mother of all ultimatums on Luke Russell. As much as she wanted to continue arguing with him, to tell him exactly where he and her brother could go with their demands, she had to play it cool.
Josh’s little trick with the bank today proved that it was time to take control of her own life. She’d always be grateful to her brother for being there for her during her childhood. With their aunt off gallivanting around town and neglecting her sister’s orphaned children, Josh had stepped in and assumed the role of parent and protector. He’d given her advice when she needed it, encouraged her to work hard at ballet, held her in his arms when she woke up late at night after a bad dream. But Ellie was all grown up now, and she didn’t need Josh’s protection. Or Luke’s.
Especially Luke’s. The longer he stuck around, the greater the risk that she’d fall head over heels for him. She couldn’t let that happen, not when she knew a relationship would never be in the cards for the two of them.
It didn’t help that he looked so damn good today. His dark hair was tousled, as if he’d just rolled out of bed, though only the woman he’d rolled into bed with would know for sure if that’s how his hair looked fresh from sleep. And the way his defined pectorals rippled against his navy-blue T-shirt and gorgeous gray eyes shone under the afternoon sun only deepened his sexiness. No, he was more than sexy. Far more than that.
He was unadulterated temptation.
“I think I know a way we can help each other,” she finally answered.
Suspicion instantly flooded his face. “Oh really?”
She took a slow breath. Okay, she could do this. Just play the part of vixen. She was good at pretending. Every ballet she performed she’d had to play a part, become another person. This would be a snap.
Yeah, right.
“Last night when you kissed me…” She let her voice trail off in what she hoped was a breathy way. “It made me realize something.”
Luke shifted in his chair. “What’s that?”
“How much I want you.”
Desire flashed across his face, followed by discomfort. His obvious reaction to her caused her confidence to soar.
She got up with as much sexy grace as she could muster and eased down on the chair directly next to his. She could swear she saw him squirm. Good.
“Ellie—” He managed a strangled warning that abruptly halted the second she lowered her hand and pressed it directly on his firm thigh.
“I know you want the same thing as I do.” Her confidence grew as fast as the bulge in his pants. Oh my. She swallowed hard, trying to find her voice and control the rush of warmth spiraling through her. Then she slid her hand higher and placed her palm directly over his hard-on. “Don’t bother denying it, Luke. I can feel it.”
His erection jutted against her hand, sending a rush of pure longing to her bloodstream. She lifted her head and locked her gaze with his. He looked as aroused as she felt. Her confidence tripled.
“So here’s what I’m thinking.” She ran her hand up and down his shaft, biting back a moan when she felt it stiffen even more. “We both want something from each other.”
“Yeah?” A visible pulse throbbed in his throat, telling her that Luke Russell was most certainly not as controlled as his steady voice suggested.
>
“Oh yeah. You want me to return to San Francisco. And I—” She grasped his erection and pulled it gently. He exhaled sharply. “I want something a little different. Do you know what I want, Luke?”
“What do you want, Ellie?” he choked out.
Suddenly the stifling heat in the air had nothing do with the rays of the sun. Suddenly everything around her turned into an aphrodisiac. The hot grains of sand beneath her bare feet. The wicker chair beneath her butt. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Luke.
She leaned closer so that her lips brushed his ear, and whispered, “I want you to fuck me.”
She pulled back just in time to see raw lust swimming in his silvery eyes, a look he quickly concealed with a furious scowl. “Christ, Ellie, where’d you learn to talk like that?” She simply smiled. “You can’t be serious,” he growled in response.
“I’m dead serious.” She stroked his erection again but this time he pushed her hand away.
Knocking the chair back, he stumbled to his feet. “Well, forget it,” he shot out.
Ellie leaned back and crossed her legs, casting him an innocent look. “The offer’s on the table, Lucas. I’ll come home. In exchange, you…” She trailed off and raised her eyebrows suggestively.
“I’m not going to sleep with you,” he replied flatly.
“Why not? It’s obvious you want to.” She gave a careless shrug and sent a pointed stare at his impressive hard-on.
Luke clenched his fists. “What I want is irrelevant. It doesn’t change the fact that sleeping together is not a good idea.”
She laughed. “I disagree. I think it’s a phenomenal idea.” She caught his agitated expression and decided it was time to close in for the kill. “Bottom line, Lucas, I won’t come home unless you give me one night of hot, wild sex.”
“I didn’t realize you’d added blackmail to your book of tricks,” he said sourly.