Chapter 14

"Luke …"

His name fell off Monica's lips as a half growl, half moan and all it did was spur him to continue what he was doing. He rotated between flattening his tongue and sliding up her slit, and sucking on her clit until she was right on the edge. Then he would pull back just enough to bring her off the ledge before starting all over again.

He knew he was driving her to the brink. His scalp was proof of that. Every time he pulled back, she tugged hard at his roots to express her displeasure and tried to push his head back where she wanted it. Tried was the keyword, because no amount of frustration was getting her what she wanted.

This was payback for ignoring him. He was punishing her for almost tossing something amazing away. He was going to toy with her until he was good and ready to feel her come on his tongue.

"Luke, dammit …"

She thrust her hips up as he moved farther from the spot that would allow her to finish and instead, kissed his way along her inner thighs.

"Uh, uh, uh," he tsked. Slapping his hand down on her stomach to keep her from moving. "I control your pleasure."

"We'll see about that," she huffed.

It was clear what her plan was before her hand moved. Being the jerk that he was, he allowed her to think she would win, but seconds before her fingers could connect with her already overstimulated bud, he batted her hand away.

"You'll come on my tongue, but not until I allow you."

"I hate you."

He chuckled. There was no heat in her words, just endless amounts of sexual frustration.

"No, you don't because I'm about to set your world on fire."

He rarely overpromised in the bedroom, but this time was different. She was so close. It wouldn't take much to push her over. He"d been edging her now for almost thirty minutes, but now, instead of pulling back when her pussy quivered beneath his tongue, he increased his pace.

Licking and sucking, Luke attacked her clit like a starving man and only her juices could sustain him. With his palm splayed across her belly, he held her down and coaxed her orgasm out of her.

"Ah, fuck!"

Her words were punctuated with both hands gripping the roots of his hair, but he didn't let up. Instead, he lapped up her juices and tongue-fucked her through her release until she was no longer shaking beneath his lips.

When he was sure every ounce was wrung out of her body and coated his tongue, he switched to closemouthed kisses, along her swollen lips, across the apex of her thighs, and then down along her legs. He didn't stop until he heard her sigh.

Even then he merely changed his trajectory and worked his way up her body, brushing his lips gently along her belly, following the lines of her ribs until he was leaning over her.

"Okay, maybe you were right," she panted.

He didn't bother to hide his smirk.

"Just maybe?"

He liked the way the skin around her eyes crinkled as she attempted to stare him down.

"You don't have to be so cocky about it."

Luke doubted she realized that with each word she spoke, she was only further stroking his ego. Not that he needed the boost, but it always felt good.

"Sure I do. It means I accomplished the task I set out to conquer."

"Is that what I am? A conquest?"

She was trying to twist his words, but he wouldn't let that happen. Pushing up onto his hands, he got himself into a high-plank position and looked down at her.

"No, you are so much more, but did I set out to torture you until I had you so on edge that you were like putty in my hands? Damn right. I want to make sure you know what you would be missing out on."

"Sex?"

"Pleasure," he clarified. "There will be no sex tonight. I want to take things slow."

He gently brought each arm down until he was lying on top of her and boxing her head in on either side with his forearms. A lock of her dark hair twisted between his fingers.

"You consider eating me for dessert slow?"

"I do when the alternative was to drag you to my truck and let you drive me instead." Luke winced. "That sounded so much better in my head. I meant ride me. Have you ride me instead."

Monica laughed and it was the sweetest sound. Especially with their faces this close to each other. He could both hear it and feel the vibrations against his chest, not to mention her breath that fanned across his cheek. His senses were overwhelmed and somehow his stiff cock swelled even more. He needed to take care of that soon or he was going to blow like a teenage boy seeing tits for the first time.

"You know, I could take care of that for you."

She wiggled her hips like he didn't know exactly what she was referring to. He bit the inside of his cheek.

"Slow, remember?"

"So you can pleasure me but I can't return the favor?"

Luke needed to think about anything other than Monica pleasuring him. Her delicate hand wrapped around his shaft or slipping into her wet heat.

"Tonight isn't about me. It was about making you realize what you would be missing if you kept ignoring me, and tormenting you in the process."

Desire flared in her green orbs.

"And if I want to torture you in return?"

Fuck. She knew exactly what to say to make him so hard, he was moments away from bursting.

Taking a few moments, he closed his eyes and breathed through it. Willing his cock to sit back and wait its turn.

"Any other day I will gladly let you torture me. Tonight, I'm sticking to the fact that we will take things slow."

"Fine." Monica rolled her eyes. "If you insist, then can I please get into something more comfortable? My skirt hiked around my waist with nothing on underneath is not exactly conducive to us taking things slow."

She wasn"t wrong. Feeling her heat pressed against his zipper was equivalent to tempting a dehydrated man with only a few drops of water. He wanted more.

Luke rolled off her and waited until she stood up to smack her ass. "Go get comfortable. I"ll wait here for you."

The saucy look she threw over her shoulder did nothing to quench his need for her. He was torturing himself, but he couldn"t seem to stop. When she was near, he wanted to touch her, to bury himself in her. Monica had a way of throwing all his good intentions out the window. He needed to find a way to change that.

He quickly realized just how fucked he was when she walked back out a few minutes later. Unlike when her friends were over, this time Monica came out in a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweater that hung off her one shoulder. Her face was clean and free of makeup and her raven hair hung loosely around her shoulders. She was a vision and his cock took notice.

"I thought we agreed comfortable? Not to tempt a starving man."

Monica looked down at what she was wearing. "This is comfortable. It"s not my fault your cock doesn"t agree with your logic."

She purposely waved to where his cock was trying its best to break through his zipper. Luke adjusted himself and took a seat on the couch a few feet away from Monica. He needed a minute to get his body in check.

It didn"t take as long as he expected once the two of them started talking. He found out quickly that they had a lot in common. They liked the same music, had similar taste in movies, and were both career-driven. Although, he had known that last part even if they hadn"t talked about it.

What he didn"t realize was that, despite the confidence she showed the world, she was scared every day of failing. Becoming CEO wasn"t just her dream, it was a way for her best friend to stay out of the business. If she failed, she was convinced Carmichael would turn his intentions back to Ash and she never wanted that to happen.

It wasn"t until the second time Monica yawned that he realized just how late it had gotten.

"I think I better get going."

Monica looked at the clock and winced.

"Shit, it"s way past my bedtime."

He laughed and Monica slapped his chest lightly.

"Don"t laugh at me. I require a certain number of hours of sleep if I don"t want to be a raging bitch. Right now, we are teetering on that line."

"We don"t want bitchy Monica, now do we?"

Monica walked him to the door and placed a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth. He was tempted to deepen it but decided if there was any hope of her getting any sleep, he needed to leave right now.

"Good night, Monica. Sweet dreams."

"Night, Luke."

He waited until the door locked behind him before he stepped down onto the sidewalk. He'd just taken a step when something out of the corner of his eye caught Luke"s attention. He walked in the opposite direction of his truck, to where he watched Monica park her car just a couple of hours ago. The sight before him quickly ruined the good mood he had been in.

"Son of a bitch."