"If you start moving, I'll forgive you." For anything. Ever. For the rest of their lives. He seemed to know instinctively how to please her. And was doing it in spades.
"That can be arranged."
He was thick inside her, full, and when he moved, her tender swollen body ached with pleasure. "Lucas? Would it be rude if I came, like, right away?"
It was almost embarrassing how quick he could bring her to the point. She had never thought she was quite this easy. She was never really difficult, exactly, but usually she required more than three strokes.
Not now.
"No. That's what I want. I want you so turned on you can't help yourself."
"I think I can wait a second." Ashley licked her lips, which were rapidly drying from the fan blowing on her. There was something extra sexy about the cool air rushing over her hot body, teasing her nipples tight, while Lucas pounded into her.
"Don't wait too long. I'm about done."
"Oh!" Well. That changed everything. Ashley rested her head on her forearm and just felt. Just let her body absorb the thrusts, enjoy the brush of his testicles against her backside, and relax into the rhythm.
When he paused, then came in a silent orgasm, straining and digging his fingers into her waist, Ashley went right after him.
Only she didn't try to keep it quiet. She let out a yell to rival an Olympic shot putter. It encompassed all her excitement, pleasure, satisfaction, and a myriad of other emotions that she wasn't ready to deal with just yet.
Lucas's head dropped onto her back, his breath ragged as he stopped moving inside her. "Holy shit."
Her thoughts exactly. Ashley peeled her fingers back from the fan, not surprised to see deep grooves in them from the slats she'd been pressing against. "I'm going to fall down. My legs don't work anymore."
Lucas pulled out of her. "Couch. That's what we need." He took her hand and they stumbled the two feet to the sofa.
Ashley collapsed on him, letting her shoes drop off. Her breasts pressed into his chest and her thigh settled between his. With a sigh, she lay her head down on his shoulder, thinking it was much too heavy to keep upright any longer. "Well, this was unexpected. Incredible, but unexpected."
She meant the whole twist in their relationship, not just the second sex session so fast after the first, though that was pretty amazing too.
Lucas idly stroked her back, his mouth rubbing back and forth over the top of her hair.
"You could sell me anything right now, Ashley. I mean anything. That's how good I feel."
She laughed. Playing with his fawn-colored chest hairs, she let herself think about what Lucas had said. He had said he loved her.
What did that mean? She loved him too. Like a brother… well, okay, not exactly like a brother. But like a friend.
Only that wasn't right either, not when she was intertwined with his naked body. Not when it was very possible that she wanted to repeat this night. But there were so many complications, including her younger brother.
"What about Jason?" she said, thinking out loud, curious if Lucas had given any thought to what his best friend would think about what they were doing.
"What about him?" Lucas cupped her butt, squeezed a little.
"I don't think he'll like us doing this." Ashley had palpitations just thinking about her brother's reaction. He would be horrified. Furious with her. Of course, it was a little late to be worried about that since she was naked and Lucas had had her over an electric fan.
"I'm not sure it's really any of Jason's business. But why do you think he'll be upset?"
Distracted by the sight of his lips moving, so close to her, she ran her finger across the cherry redness of his lower lip.
He added, "You worried he won't think I'm good enough for his sister?"
That got her attention. What a joke. Ashley let her hand drop. "No, I think Jason thinks I'm not good enough for you! His best friend, fellow chemist, being defiled by his shopaholic, blond, brainless sister? I think he knows you can do better."
She hadn't meant to sound so whiny. But it was true. Jason had gotten the brains, and she had gotten the beauty. Her parents had told her that over and over, every time she brought home a "D" in Math on a report card or struggled through reading Moby Dick. She was destined to be in service, they'd said, since she was so good at smiling, being cheerful, making people happy. And what she resented was that they made that sound like it was less worthy than working in a laboratory. It wasn't, and at twenty-eight she knew that.
She hadn't at twenty-two, and getting a job at a computer design firm had been an act of defiance in some ways. Unfortunately the triumph was short-lived since she'd worked there five years and was still an entry-level employee.
Lucas frowned at her, his hand going still. "You're kidding me. Is that how you think Jason sees you? Is that how you think I see you?"
"Well…" Ashley didn't want to discuss this. She didn't know why she had sounded so needy. She didn't know why it mattered in the least what her parents or anyone else thought of her abilities. She knew who she was and she liked herself.
But the harsh truth was she was not the kind of woman Lucas Manning would want long term, no matter what his hormones thought. She would bore him senseless in under three weeks.
"Jason doesn't think you're brainless. And neither do I. In case you hadn't noticed, I think you're amazing. I think you're the most exciting, fun, beautiful, interesting woman I've ever known. I've known you for almost twenty years and I've always respected and admired you for who you are."
She winced. She hadn't meant to force him into extolling her virtues. "Thank you. I've always felt the same about you." But that didn't change the fact that they were intellectually incompatible.
Chances were good he would bore her too.
Only she knew that was a lie the minute the thought popped into her head. She had always liked Lucas, enjoyed his curiosity, his humility, so different from her brother, who bragged incessantly.
"I meant what I said before." Lucas turned on his side so he was facing her, chocolate eyes searching over her. "I love you."
His voice was so tender, so determined, that Ashley felt her resolve wavering. He sounded so damn sincere, and she felt that it would be so, so easy to just relax into her own feelings. It would only be a matter of a second and she could fall straight into love with Lucas.
It couldn't be that easy.
"We're complete opposites," she whispered. "You're responsible, I'm flighty. You have a master's degree and a title with a whole bunch of words I can't even pronounce, and I only graduated from college by a prayer."
Lucas didn't look concerned. He kissed her softly. "You have common sense, I have none. I have trouble remembering left from right and to turn the oven off when I'm done cooking. Don't you see, Ash? We balance each other."
She chewed her lip, wondering, worrying. It wasn't like her to get this worked up-usually she dove into relationships and thought later. Which was probably why they had all ended disastrously. And this was Lucas. Help her, she did love him, and she didn't want to hurt him, to mess this up.
"I know I'm annoying, Ash, I know I ask too many questions and I think too much instead of just doing things. But that's who I am, and I can't change that."
That got her attention. Ashley touched his cheek, horrified that he would think that about himself. "Oh, Lucas, don't say that. You're not annoying at all. I like that about you, I like that you stop and think everything through instead of just throwing yourself into it. I… I…"
Oh, dear God, she was going to say it. She'd never said this to any man, ever, and she was going to just blurt it out right now, naked on her couch, to Lucas, who was giving her one of those earnest looks she just absolutely adored.
"Yes?"
"I… I love you, Lucas. I do."