stretches his hands behind his tousled head.
His voice is gruff; his grin is lopsided. And I have to bite my lower lip to keep it from quivering.
I finally speak, laughing.
“Morning? You call this morning?” I say, motioning to the dark around us.
He moans softly. “Oh, yeah. I keep my windows blacked out on the weekends. It lets me get the rest I need.”
My eyes wander to the “V” below his torso.
“Knowing you,” I quip, “it’s safe to say that this bed doesn’t see much rest at all.”
“As a matter of fact, that’s all this bed has seen since you’ve come around.”
The statement gives me pause. I think about the busty redhead at the restaurant.
“And what about your date?”
He stares piercingly at me. “What about yours?”
“She doesn’t seem to swing that way, if you know what I mean…”
Now, he sits upright. “ She ?”
I bow my head to cover my blush. As if he could see it anyway.
“Yeah, she. My, uh, date last night… was my realtor.”
“Well, this just got a hell of a lot more interesting.”
I laugh, pulling Lukas’s shirt tighter on my shoulders.
“It wasn’t really a date. More like an appointment. I embellished.” I shrug. “I didn’t know you’d be in the restaurant.”
“I wish I had paid more attention.” He smiles, but his white teeth are all that show amidst the black air.
He inches closer to me.
“The realtor’s for a house?” he asks.
I turn to him, finally getting excited after seven days of being in a slump.
“Not this time, actually. You see, I’m using her for…”
But the words cut off abruptly, and I bite down on my tongue so hard that it actually hurts. What do I think I’m doing?
Sharing my life with Lukas? Sleeping in his bed?
We’re not friends … and we never will be. With what I know about Lukas, he doesn’t do friendships… not with anyone but Chris and Foxx.
And the best relationship he can maintain with a woman is keeping her on his ever-revolving wheel of lovers.
Until he finally tires of her and throws her off.
I need to be careful. I won’t let that be me.
I roll towards the edge of the bed, planting my feet on the lush carpet beneath. I round the humongous mattress, crossing my arms and standing firmly before Lukas.
He leans back into his pillow, regarding me closely.
“I know you’re dead set against this… but I think I we need to set some ground rules, Luke.”
I fasten the shirt buttons around my breasts, growing more austere.
“It looks like we’re really going to do this. See each other. Fuck each other until we’re… what did you call it? Out of one another’s systems...?”
He nods.
“Then I’m on board,” I declare. “But we need to have an agreement— a spoken one —from here on out.”
“So, if you want to play nice…”
“I’ve never said,” he interrupts, “that I’m a nice guy, Elena…”
His statement steals my breath, and I stand there, dumbfounded. He continues speaking, sitting up slowly in the bed.
He raises an eyebrow. “I’ve never pretended to be.
“ Fucking you senseless works for me… and I plan to keep doing it until it doesn’t.
“I’ve been clear with the women I’ve been with. Some got it; some didn’t .
“But what you need to understand is that this is fucking , and that’s all it will ever be.
“And if you’re not ok with that, then get out of this now .”
He motions toward the opening in the wall.
“You can walk right out that door… and pretend this never happened. Because I have to warn you, Elena—that’s exactly what I plan to do when this is over.”
I stare at Lukas openly, fixing my eyes on his face. The light that was in his eyes last night has gone dim, and I see the version of him that I knew was there… but decided to ignore.
He climbs his way off of the bed, making his way over to me. His movements are languid, his stride confident. His stature is long and built; he leans over me when he reaches
His voice is gruff; his grin is lopsided. And I have to bite my lower lip to keep it from quivering.
I finally speak, laughing.
“Morning? You call this morning?” I say, motioning to the dark around us.
He moans softly. “Oh, yeah. I keep my windows blacked out on the weekends. It lets me get the rest I need.”
My eyes wander to the “V” below his torso.
“Knowing you,” I quip, “it’s safe to say that this bed doesn’t see much rest at all.”
“As a matter of fact, that’s all this bed has seen since you’ve come around.”
The statement gives me pause. I think about the busty redhead at the restaurant.
“And what about your date?”
He stares piercingly at me. “What about yours?”
“She doesn’t seem to swing that way, if you know what I mean…”
Now, he sits upright. “ She ?”
I bow my head to cover my blush. As if he could see it anyway.
“Yeah, she. My, uh, date last night… was my realtor.”
“Well, this just got a hell of a lot more interesting.”
I laugh, pulling Lukas’s shirt tighter on my shoulders.
“It wasn’t really a date. More like an appointment. I embellished.” I shrug. “I didn’t know you’d be in the restaurant.”
“I wish I had paid more attention.” He smiles, but his white teeth are all that show amidst the black air.
He inches closer to me.
“The realtor’s for a house?” he asks.
I turn to him, finally getting excited after seven days of being in a slump.
“Not this time, actually. You see, I’m using her for…”
But the words cut off abruptly, and I bite down on my tongue so hard that it actually hurts. What do I think I’m doing?
Sharing my life with Lukas? Sleeping in his bed?
We’re not friends … and we never will be. With what I know about Lukas, he doesn’t do friendships… not with anyone but Chris and Foxx.
And the best relationship he can maintain with a woman is keeping her on his ever-revolving wheel of lovers.
Until he finally tires of her and throws her off.
I need to be careful. I won’t let that be me.
I roll towards the edge of the bed, planting my feet on the lush carpet beneath. I round the humongous mattress, crossing my arms and standing firmly before Lukas.
He leans back into his pillow, regarding me closely.
“I know you’re dead set against this… but I think I we need to set some ground rules, Luke.”
I fasten the shirt buttons around my breasts, growing more austere.
“It looks like we’re really going to do this. See each other. Fuck each other until we’re… what did you call it? Out of one another’s systems...?”
He nods.
“Then I’m on board,” I declare. “But we need to have an agreement— a spoken one —from here on out.”
“So, if you want to play nice…”
“I’ve never said,” he interrupts, “that I’m a nice guy, Elena…”
His statement steals my breath, and I stand there, dumbfounded. He continues speaking, sitting up slowly in the bed.
He raises an eyebrow. “I’ve never pretended to be.
“ Fucking you senseless works for me… and I plan to keep doing it until it doesn’t.
“I’ve been clear with the women I’ve been with. Some got it; some didn’t .
“But what you need to understand is that this is fucking , and that’s all it will ever be.
“And if you’re not ok with that, then get out of this now .”
He motions toward the opening in the wall.
“You can walk right out that door… and pretend this never happened. Because I have to warn you, Elena—that’s exactly what I plan to do when this is over.”
I stare at Lukas openly, fixing my eyes on his face. The light that was in his eyes last night has gone dim, and I see the version of him that I knew was there… but decided to ignore.
He climbs his way off of the bed, making his way over to me. His movements are languid, his stride confident. His stature is long and built; he leans over me when he reaches
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