Outrageously in Love by Jen Morris

27

There’s bright light spilling into Luke’s bedroom when I wake later that morning. I stretch and yawn, feeling a hundred times better. Not just from getting some rest, but from being snuggled in Luke’s bed. I roll over to see he’s gone, but I can smell coffee and something cooking through the partially-opened door, and I peel the covers off eagerly.

When I pad out into the kitchen, Luke is facing away from me, doing something at the stove. My eyes meander over his shoulders and down his muscular back. Man, I must have been in a right state when I arrived here this morning, because I didn’t even appreciate how good his ass looks in those gray sweatpants. Or his crotch, I notice, as he turns to catch me staring.

Whoops.

“Hey,” he says, the corners of his eyes crinkling. He’s got his glasses on and it makes me want to kiss him senseless. He switches off the stove and sets the pan aside, then pours me some coffee. “Here.”

“Thanks.” I take the cup with a smile and hold it under my nose, savoring the malty scent.

His gaze drifts down my body. “Damn, you look hot in my shirt.”

I hide my grin behind my coffee cup.

“I made pancakes.”

“Oh.” That’s adorable. Nobody has ever made me pancakes before. Nobody’s ever made me breakfast. I take a big sip of coffee and set it down, trying to pretend that doesn’t make me ridiculously happy. “Sounds good.”

“Mm,” he says, stepping closer. “Are you hungry?”

“I’m starving.” I run my tongue out over my bottom lip.

Luke’s eyes linger on my mouth, the espresso-colored irises turning an inky black. “Good.” He expels a heavy breath. I think he’s fighting the urge to kiss me, and it makes me hot all over.

“Luke,” I say, closing the gap between us, bringing my mouth an inch from his.

“Yeah?” he chokes out.

“I want some pancakes.”

His brow dips and I giggle.

“I’m kidding. Kiss me.”

He narrows his eyes, a mischievous smile nudging his lips as he shakes his head. “Nope. Not after that.”

I ponder him for a second, then decide to call his bluff. “Okay.” I hike up a shoulder and turn for the counter. “I’ll just—”

“Fine.” He takes my arm and hauls me against his chest. “You win.” His mouth covers mine and I sink against him. “As if I could ever say no,” he murmurs, kissing me again. His kiss starts gently, with slow strokes of his tongue, dipping into my mouth, teasing me. Heat sparks in my abdomen, spreading out along my limbs and settling heavily between my thighs.

It only takes a minute for our sweet kisses to escalate. The soft flick of his tongue against mine becomes rough and demanding, his mouth urging mine open further so he can take more. He presses his body into me against the kitchen island. I can feel him hardening for me, and I groan right into his mouth, lowering my hands to stroke the bulge in his pants. I can’t help myself. I want to feel exactly what I’m doing to him, because he’s having the same effect on me. He’s been kissing me less than five minutes and I’m already giddy.

He removes his glasses and sets them aside, then he drops his hands to the kitchen island, caging me between his arms. He contemplates me with dark eyes as I stroke my hand over his straining sweatpants. I love the way it pulls a rough sound from his throat, makes his eyes flutter closed in pleasure. Seeing how good it makes him feel sends waves of wet, molten heat right through my center.

“God, you drive me wild,” he rasps, grinding himself against my palm. His cheeks are flushed, and I lean into the curve of his shoulder, pushing his shirt aside to press my lips to his skin. Then I raise my mouth to his ear, grazing my teeth over the curve of his earlobe, and he forces a groan out through his teeth. “Come with me,” he says gruffly, turning for the bedroom. But I tug him back by the arm and push him up against the kitchen island.

“No.” I fall to my knees in front of him. “We’re doing this right here.”

His eyebrows inch up, but I don’t hesitate. I am hungry, but it’s not pancakes I want. I replay his words—you drive me wild—and they make me feel wild myself. No man has ever said that to me before. Not even close. And the more he shows how much he wants me, the less I stop to think about what I’m doing.

I push his sweatpants down his hips and his erection springs free. While I’ve never found the male anatomy especially nice to look at, I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen. I think I get what he means about going down on someone not for them, but for you. Because right now, I want nothing more than to take him into my mouth.

I close my fist around his thick length, wetting my lips. When I flick my gaze up to his, he’s watching me with hooded eyes. I lick the moist tip of him, deliberately taking my time as I relish his musky, salty taste. A hard breath shudders out of him as I do it again, swirling my tongue.

“Fuck,” he growls. “You look so good down there, baby.”

Hearing him call me that again makes my heart thunder in my chest. I’m on my knees in front of him and he’s calling me baby and I never want to leave his apartment again.

No. I can’t think that thought. I know I can’t.

Instead I wrap my lips around him, drawing him into my mouth. He throws his head back on a long moan and his knees buckle. He has to grip the counter behind him.

Good. I want to make him lose his mind.

I focus on my task, paying attention to the way he responds. How he loves it when I use my hands too, when I suck harder, when I drag my tongue up the underside and over the tip.

His hand moves from the counter to grab my hair and pull it to one side, out of the way. Then he holds it like that as his hips thrust forward. I look up, locking my gaze with his as I let him fuck my mouth, and he grits out a string of incoherent words. I can’t believe I’m doing this to him, I’m making this gorgeous man come undone. I feel like a goddess, drunk on the power I have over him. It makes me take him deeper, until he abruptly stills.

“Shit—stop,” he says, and I pull my mouth off him with a pop. He’s breathing heavily, his eyes pressed shut like he’s in pain.

“Everything okay?”

After a beat, he opens his eyes. “Uh, yeah.” He takes my face gently and pulls me to my feet. “I just didn’t want to finish in your mouth. I want to be inside you when I do that.” He kisses me and I smile against his lips.

“You want to be inside me?”

He nods, his glazed eyes making him look drugged with lust.

“Okay.” I take a deep breath, summoning my courage. I know what I want, and I’m going to damn well ask for it. I want him like I fantasized in the shower. I want him to take me right here.

Sliding my underwear down, I kick it off and turn so I’m facing the kitchen island, just like in my fantasy. Then I reach for Luke’s hand, placing it on my hip. “Like this.” I lean forward, lowering my top half across the counter. The granite is cool through Luke’s T-shirt, my breasts pressed against the hard surface, my ass up in the air. I can’t believe I’m here, with the bright light of day streaming in through the sheer curtains, exposing myself in such a vulnerable position. But I don’t feel vulnerable or exposed. I feel bold. I feel exhilarated.

Behind me, Luke lets out a low groan. “Jesus Christ, Harriet. Do you know how many times I’ve imagined doing this to you?”

My breath comes out in a stutter. I’ve wanted this ever since my time in the shower. Ever since he stood behind me here a week ago, on the brink of losing control. Maybe I can make him lose control now.

He drops to his knees behind me, hands on the backs of my thighs, spreading me. Then he slides his tongue over the slick heat between my legs.

Oh—my—

My knees collapse beneath me. No one has done that from this angle before. It feels so much naughtier for some reason, and that makes me love it more.

He works his tongue over me until I’m a panting, heaving mess on his counter, then he rises to his feet and ducks out of the room. A second later, he’s back—sweatpants gone, shirt off—rolling on a condom.

He steps behind me, lifting me up off the counter a little, slipping his hands up under the shirt I’m wearing to grasp my waist. Then he leans forward, speaking softly into my ear. “You okay?”

“I’ll be better once you’re inside me,” I mutter, squeezing my thighs together with impatience. I reach across the counter and grab his glasses, handing them back to him. “Wear these.”

“Seriously?”

I turn to look at him. “Seriously.”

He hesitates, then takes the glasses, sliding them up his nose.

Hellyes—there’s my sexy nerd.

“You look so fucking hot with those on.” I turn back to the counter and lift my ass up for him.

“Good to know,” he says with a chuckle, positioning himself at my entrance. His hands skate around to cup my breasts and he pinches my nipples between his forefinger and thumb. Heat zips down my middle, culminating in a hot pulse between my legs.

Then, without warning, he pushes into me.

“Oh—fuck,” I cry. Pleasure invades me, rolling through me in a wave that pulls me under. I can’t breathe, I can’t think—I can only feel.

Luke lets out a harsh breath behind me, placing his hands on my lower back and nudging so I fall forward again. Then he grasps my hips and draws all the way out before thrusting back in. We both moan as he fills me perfectly.

“Ever since you bent over this counter last week,” he growls, building up his pace, “I’ve wanted you here. Just like this.”

“Me too,” I admit, closing my eyes and giving into the sensation of him taking me just how he wants me. I can’t explain it; even though he’s in control of me right now, I’ve never felt more free.

His hands squeeze my hips. “You really thought about it?”

“I did,” I pant. “I made myself come thinking about it.”

He makes a rough, guttural sound. His thrusts become more shallow and when I glance back at him, he’s looking down, watching himself fuck me.

Holy… I can’t even…

“Oh my God.” My eyes roll back and I let my head drop again. “This is…”

“I know,” he grits out behind me. “You make me crazy, Harriet. You make me want to lose control.”

“Do it.” My voice is a throaty whisper. “Lose control with me.”

“I shouldn’t—”

“Please.” I don’t care that I’m begging now. I’ll beg all day for him. “Please, Luke. Please—”

Smack.

I hear the sound first, chased by the stinging sensation a split second later, burning on my ass cheek. I jolt with surprise, but that feeling is quickly replaced with another: arousal. Luke just smacked me on the ass, and I liked it.

I look at him over my shoulder and he grimaces. “Shit, sorry. That was probably—”

“That was so hot.”

His eyes flash behind his glasses and he does it again, harder.

Smack.

I groan, pressing my forehead to the cool granite of his counter as heat devours me. Why do I like that so much?

“Fuck.” He presses himself deep, leaning over me so his chest is flush with my back. Sweeping my hair to one side, he kisses the back of my neck. “You turn me on so much. I love how you have no inhibitions with sex.”

I’m too aroused to really process his words. I know I have inhibitions—or rather I did once, before him. But I can’t recall them now. I can’t recall why, or who I was, then. All I can do is try to remember to breathe while he rolls my nipples between his fingers and grinds into me.

“Tell me what you want,” he says against my ear. His voice is so low and commanding it makes me clench around him.

“This. You.”

“No.” He tweaks my nipples harder. “I know you want more. Tell me, baby.”

“I want…” What do I want? “Pull my hair.” The words spill from my mouth without my permission and I cringe, waiting for him to object, to tell me I’ve gone too far. But instead, he grunts in approval.

“Fuck yes.” He straightens up, sliding his hand into my hair at the scalp, tightening it into a fist. “Like that?”

“Yes,” I gasp out. The pain that prickles across my scalp somehow makes the pleasure he’s giving me that much more intense. When he slams into me again, tugging with his hand, heat pours through me from head to toe. “Yes, Luke, yes.”

He keeps one hand on my hip, the other one twisting in my hair as he drills into me, fucking me with abandon. I’m losing track of time and space, feeling myself climb higher, burn brighter, and then—

“Oh, baby—” Luke buries himself deep inside me, releasing a hoarse, broken moan as he reaches his limit. That pushes me over the edge, and I free-fall into oblivion with him. Ecstasy explodes through my body, my legs shake uncontrollably, and I cry out in surrender.

I’m not sure how long it is until I become aware of my surroundings again, but when I do, the kitchen island is digging hard into my stomach and I half laugh, half groan.

Luke untangles his hand from my hair and withdraws from me, disposing of the condom. When I finally straighten up and turn around, he pulls me into his arms, smoothing a hand over my head, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear. “Did you… I mean, I’m sorry if I got there before you…”

“I did,” I say, squeezing him.

He sighs, pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead. “You’re amazing, Harriet.”

“So are you.” My legs are weak and I sway against him. “I can’t even stand now.”

He chuckles and scoops me up into his arms. “Have a shower. I’ll warm up breakfast, then I’m taking you out.”

“Out?”

He carries me through to his bathroom, then sets me down on the tiled floor. “Yeah. We need to get the ring, and there’s something I want to show you.” He passes me a clean towel, pausing to examine my face. “Are you… all good?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

He lifts a shoulder. “I hope you feel okay about everything we just did.”

“Oh.” A smile pushes at my mouth. “Uh, yeah, I’m okay.”

His brow wrinkles uncertainly and I slide a hand up the back of his neck, tilting his head down so I can kiss him.

“Luke, that was…” I try to find the words to describe how I’m feeling. Satisfied, yes, but it’s more than that. I feel empowered. I feel strong. I feel like I’ve tapped into a new inner power I didn’t even know was there. “That was unlike anything I’ve ever done. That was the hottest sex I’ve ever had.” By fucking light years.

His face relaxes into a grin. “Okay, good. I just wanted to check. And for the record, same here.” He leans in to turn on the shower, then kisses me again before leaving me alone in the bathroom.

As I step into the warm water, it feels like a baptism. I can’t explain it; all I know is that I’m not the same person I was when I woke this morning. I feel like I’ve been reborn.