Devin wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her gorgeous body against him, kissing his neck, his ear, his temple, running her hands through his hair and holding tight.
He bracketed her hips with both hands, slowly pushing his way inside her, inch by amazing inch, feeling her hot body clasp him. He bent his head and kissed one nipple, drawing it into the cavern of his mouth.
“Lucas,” she cried, and he thrust all the way home.
Her lithe body molded around him, and instinct took over as he pressed and withdrew.
The hot summer air surrounded them. The scents from the garden swirled in. The glow of the yard lights seemed to dance through the window, while the sensations of Devin hijacked his brain.
She kissed him.
Deeply at first.
Then more gently, more slowly, as if she was savoring the sensations.
Her body matched his thrusts, her breathing deep and steady.
She cradled his face with her hands, drawing back ever so slightly, gazing into his eyes, hers glowing midnight, sparkling with blue diamonds.
He slowed the rhythm, while they stared at each other. Neither said a word, but their communication was finally clear, crystal clear, no pretense or posturing between them.
He tried to hang on.
He desperately wanted to stop time. Right here. Right now. Forever.
But instinct took over. His pace increased, and her eyes fluttered shut. She clung tighter, and he rose higher and higher until her cries pierced the summer dark, and he followed her over the edge.
His heart thundered. His lungs dragged in air, his body desperately trying to recover from their cataclysmic lovemaking.
Devin melted against him, her hot body obviously spent, sweat mixing with pool water on his slick skin, and he laid back on the daybed and hugged her to him. He stroked her wet hair, kissed her temple, smoothed his hands down her bare back.
“Hoo, boy,” she breathed in his ear.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
She was silent for a long moment. “Define ‘okay’?”
“I didn’t hurt you?”
Her body quaked with a brief chuckle. “I’m not hurt. Surprised, maybe.”
“You’re surprised?” He drew back so that he could look into her eyes. “I saw that one coming a mile away.”
She shook her head in denial, but he wasn’t going to let it go that easily.
He caught her gaze once more. “Are you saying I’m the only one of us who’s been fantasizing all week long?” She glanced off to the side without answering. “Admit it,” he cajoled.
This time, she dropped her forehead against his. “There’s something wrong with us.” “We’re healthy adults?”
“We’re making a bad situation even more complicated.” “Devin?”
“Yes?”
“It’s okay to take a break here. We can easily restart the fight again tomorrow.” Cradling the back of her neck, he gently laid her head against his shoulder. For the moment, he just wanted to hold her close. He wasn’t ready to let go.
“Are you declaring a truce?” she asked, voice muffled.
“A truce is better than a stalemate,” he sighed, settling her in the circle of his arms, burrowing his face into the crook of her neck and inhaling her fresh scent.
She relaxed against him, her lips brushing his hairline as she spoke. “Just until breakfast, okay?”
He kissed her neck, then he kissed her ear, then he drew back and kissed her swollen lips, once, then twice, then a third, long time. “Until breakfast,” he agreed, feeling arousal pulse through his body all over again.
In the breakfast alcove off the Demarcos’ big kitchen, Devin kept her attention studiously on Amelia in the high chair, spooning rice pablum into the baby’s mouth, while various staff members worked in the kitchen.
Across the table, Lucas had long since finished an omelet and was sipping his second cup of coffee.
“Is that enough, sweetheart?” Devin asked as Amelia pursed her mouth against a spoonful of pablum.
Amelia kicked her feet in response and reached her hand out for the small bottle of apple juice sitting on the table. Devin swiftly wiped Amelia’s mouth and handed her the colorful juice bottle.
“Is that the plan?” asked Lucas, voice flat. Devin glanced around and realized the kitchen had emptied of staff.
“What plan?” she asked cheerfully, without meeting his eyes. Instead she mopped up the splashes of pablum from the high-chair tray before taking a bite of her toasted blueberry bagel that had long since gone cold.
“We pretend it never happened?”
“I like it.” Devin nodded and wiped the high-chair tray with the damp cloth. “It’s a pretty good plan.”
In the cold light of day, she couldn’t believe she’d had sex with Lucas, in the pool house, with bohemian abandon.
She’d yelled.
She wasn’t a yeller.
What had gotten into her? What must Lucas think? “Look at me,” he told her. She didn’t. “Why?” “Are you embarrassed?”
“No.” Not exactly. Okay, yeah, embarrassed would be a good word. She made sure the corners of the high-chair tray were spotless.
“Because there’s nothing—”
“Lucas.” At the end of her rope, she set down the cloth and glared at him. “Can we not talk about this?”
He paused, looking uncertain. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine. I’m great. I’ve got a lot to do today.”
Amelia was running low on diapers and applesauce, and Devin was determined to get some writing done at nap time.
Lucas cleared his throat. “We still need to talk about Steve. We still need to talk about the nanny.”
“I do have a life, you know.”
He went silent for another moment. “I never said you didn’t.”
“It can’t all be about your agenda.” “My agenda is to take care of Amelia.” “Well, so is mine.” “Good. Then we agree.”
Amelia dropped her bottle on the hardwood floor, and Devin bent to retrieve it.
She sat upright again. “I doubt very much we agree on anything.”
His eyes flared with determination. “We agreed last night.”
Devin brought her hands down on the tabletop. “Are you going to throw last night up in my face forever.”
“I meant we agreed to face the truth last night. And eight hours isn’t forever?”
Amelia had grown tired of sitting in the high chair and started to squirm.
Devin reached over and untied her bib, folding the damp fabric and placing it on the table. She squeezed the latch on the high chair tray and slid it forward, reaching under Amelia’s arms to lift her out.
Lucas stood up. “You are completely rattled.”
“No, I’m not.” But she knew he was right. Last night had seemed like a good idea at the time. Okay, it had seemed like a great idea at the time, but now she realized that by sleeping with Lucas she had given him the advantage.
Because,