The Bad Boy's Redemption: Too Much of a Good Thing? / Her Last Line of Defence / Her Hard to Resist Husband. Marie Donovan
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whirled her away from the wheel, up against a tall cupboard. He moved into her, needing to get closer, needing to feel her feminine form. Will lifted his hands to hold her face, tipping her head so that he could taste all of her mouth. Lu made a sound of approval that sent all his blood rushing south. She was heat and light, softness and courage, too much and not nearly enough. But he couldn’t stop—didn’t want to stop.
He knew he had to, because if he didn’t he never would.
It took everything in him to lift his mouth from hers, to pull her head to his chest and rest his chin in her hair. ‘God, Lu...’
Lu muttered something unintelligible and he thought he felt her lips flutter against his shirt.
‘I wasn’t going to do this,’ he muttered, but the words were barely out of his mouth before he dropped it back to hers.
Her mouth parted to his insistent tongue and his hand drifted over her shirt, palmed her breast. Will felt another wicked flash of lust scuttle through him as she angled her head to allow him deeper access. Moving her hands, she ran her fingers across his taut stomach, let them drift lower before settling them low on his narrow hips.
‘Lu, you’re not helping!’ Will pulled back, gripped her arms and kept her an arm’s length away. He tried to inject some assertiveness into his voice. ‘We aren’t going to do this!’
Lu cocked her head at him. ‘Do you always walk away?’
He knew what she meant. ‘Yeah. Always.’
‘Why?’
Will dragged his hand through his hair, pushing streaks of clay through it. ‘Have you ever seen a fire when it’s been put out?’ he demanded. ‘It’s a wet, soggy, dirty, disgusting mess.’
‘Ah, so you walk before it even gets the chance to become messy?’
Essentially. Some sparks, especially this one between him and Lu, had the potential to become a raging bush fire. But even bush fires couldn’t rage for ever. And the bigger the fire, the bigger the mess. No, it was smarter just to keep this simple, platonic.
Because they had to work together, because he really did have fun with her...but mostly because he hadn’t been so tempted to walk into the blaze in a long, long time.
‘OK, back up.’ Lu wiggled her way out of his grip and leaned back against the cupboard. He looked at his hands. They were now only smeared with clay. She had clay in her hair. It was streaked over her shirt, her hips, down her neck.
‘You’re filthy,’ she said, echoing his thoughts.
Will’s finger drifted down her cheek. ‘So are you. And, oh, crap...if we hadn’t been going straight home we are now.’
Lu frowned. ‘Why?’
Will motioned to her chest, where his palm print covered her left breast. ‘Kind of a big clue about what we were up to.’
Lu looked down and closed her eyes. ‘Pottery lesson a no-no, then?’
Will nodded, his expression rueful. ‘It should definitely go on the things not to do list.’
‘Along with skydiving,’ Lu added quickly.
‘Oh, I will get you up there.’ Will promised.
* * *
After work on Friday Lu slipped into Old Joe’s, a popular bistro in the middle of Florida Road. Pushing her sunglasses up onto her head, she smiled at Mak before placing her cheek on his and breathing in his scent. His pale pink shirt looked stunning against his skin, his tie was raspberry and his tailored pants were undoubtedly designer.
‘I can’t stay long. I’m meeting Will to go ten-pin bowling with him and some of the squad,’ she told him, hanging her tote bag off a globe chair and sitting on the brightly coloured cushion.
‘I don’t have that much time either. I just wanted to tell you that Deon got into St Clares!’
Lu let out a delighted whoop before throwing her arms around Mak’s neck and kissing his cheek.
‘That’s such fabulous news, Mak!’
‘It is, but now that school is a reality the fear that he’s going to be bullied again is back. In him and in me,’ Mak admitted, sucking on what looked like a double-thick berry milkshake.
Lu fought temptation, lost, and ordered the chocolate equivalent. She was going for a run along the promenade later. She’d work it off then.
‘He’ll be fine, Mak. I promise. St Clare’s doesn’t tolerate any type of bullying.’
‘I hope so,’ Mak said eventually, leaning back in his chair. ‘Anyway, back to you. Does this mean that you and Will are dating?’
Lu shook her head. ‘No. Well...no.’
‘That sounded convincing...not at all.’ Mak pushed his empty glass away. ‘So, what is going on between you?’
‘I don’t know... I think we’re friends, but we have this sexual buzz.’
‘So he’s shoved his tongue down your throat?’
Lu gasped, blushed, and immediately thought back to that inferno-hot kiss they’d shared in the pottery studio. After holding her for a while he’d pulled back slightly, looked at her, and dived in again. His firm lips, the play of muscles under her hands, the feel of his big hand covering her not-so-big breast... His erection hard against her lower stomach, tenting his shorts...
He touched her and melted her brain. If he hadn’t gathered up his car keys and mobile and yanked her to the car she would have let him take her there on that dusty floor.
Since then they’d both pretended it hadn’t happened...and they were very, very careful to avoid touching each other.
‘Can I get you anything else?’
Mak’s eyes didn’t leave Lu’s face to look at the hovering waiter. ‘A fire extinguisher would be helpful. I need to cool her down,’ he said in a bone-dry voice.
‘Makhosi!’ Lu hissed. She blushed as she looked up at the confused waiter. ‘Ignore him. Thanks, but we’re fine.’
‘So, do you want to answer my question now?’
‘We kissed. So what? It’s not a big deal...’ It was such a big deal; she’d never had such an extreme reaction to being touched in her life. From nought to take-me-now in ten seconds flat. She heaved in some much needed air. ‘I still can’t and won’t get involved with him, Mak.’
‘And why not?’
‘Because he is leaving in two months’ time. Because he’s not interested in anything but a casual friendship, having someone to hang out with.’
‘So have a casual hook-up with him,’ Mak suggested. ‘It’s not against the law, Lu.’
Lu closed her eyes. ‘I can’t, Mak.’
‘Why? He’s smart, good-looking and successful. Seems like a decent guy. I’m not seeing the problem.’
Lu shoved her fingers into her hair. ‘He is strictly a one-night stand kind of guy and I’m not a just-have-sex type of girl. And I work with him. And I have so much fun with him.’
Lu sipped and shrugged. ‘After work I work on my photos, or I read, or I exercise. I think, plan. Try not to miss the twins. I need to—am trying to—get used to this new life without them, to being on my own. Then, when I feel the walls closing in on me, I call Will and we go out and have an absolute blast. We laugh, Mak—hard. Often. We talk or don’t talk...there’s no pressure and I like that.’ Lu stared at the huge African mask dominating the opposite wall. ‘Sure, I’d like sex, but not if it means sacrificing the fun we’re having.’
Mak leaned forward and touched her hand. ‘Just be careful, Lu. I don’t want to mop