Luke had her flat on the seat, her soft curves beneath him, the thick ridge of his shaft pressed between her thighs in a matter of seconds. And he kissed her. God, he couldn’t stop kissing her. He thought of Blake, of his brother losing the woman he loved, of the danger of losing Julie. Love. He loved this woman. His mouth trailed down her neck, then lower, to the trim of her dress over her breasts. His hand inched up her dress.

“Do you,” she panted, “know how terrified I was for you tonight?”

“Then you know,” he said, pulling down her top to tease her nipples, and kissing his way back to her mouth, “why I’m not letting anything happen to you.” His mouth closed over hers, and the craving for her, the burn, seemed to expand. His hand slid under her and he lifted her hips, settling more fully in the warm heat he wanted to lose himself in. He had to have her. Here. Now. This instant.

A loud knock sounded on the window.

Chapter Eighteen

Luke looked up to find Hendrix staring at them from the window, and every instinct in him screamed with warning. Luke knew right then that he didn’t trust the man. Not even a little bit.

“Give us a minute,” he said, fighting the urge that told him to go for his gun. His brother appeared where Hendrix had just been. “Jezus,” Luke added. “I said give us a damn minute.”

“I’m not alone,” Blake called. “Just thought you would want to know.”

“Like we don’t know that already,” Luke mumbled under his breath and tugged at the top of Julie’s dress. “Our peeping Tom was one of the task force members. I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me. I knew we’d have a parade chasing us tonight.”

“It got into me too, Luke,” Julie said, telling him that despite the hellish situation, she was with him for the good and the bad. It was something he wanted to deserve, to own, and not make her regret.

“This is so embarrassing,” Julie said. She sat up and reached for her coat where she’d slid out of it back at the valet area.

He adjusted her dress where a little too much of her breast remained in view. “Don’t be. You’re beautiful, and they’re just going to be jealous it was me and not them.”

“That doesn’t help,” she said in a hoarse voice. “Not when we were just talking about men passing me around.”

He pulled her close. “That won’t happen. Ever. I won’t let it.” He kissed her temple and motioned to the door. “Let’s get this over with.”

Luke pushed the truck’s door open and walked around to help Julie out. Once he brought her into view, she sat there for a minute not moving. He held out his hand in encouragement. “Come on,” he said softly. “Who cares what these guys think?”

She inhaled and let it out before sliding from the vehicle to stand by his side. He took one look at her swollen lips, now lipstick free, the whisker burn on her delicate skin, and knew no one would doubt what they had been doing.

With a sigh he stepped forward, pulling her coat tightly around her, and brushed his lips over hers. They walked toward the stairwell to find Blake waiting, and he wasn’t kidding about not being alone. Murphy and Hendrix were with him, which was expected, considering they’d known his plan. That made his losing control in the truck all the more out-of-character.

“Both from the task force,” Luke told Julie when she cast him a questioning look.

She gave a barely there nod. “Nothing like making an impression.”

“They need to worry about that far more than you do.”

“You don’t like them?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know them well enough to say.”

They stopped several feet from the group and Luke quickly introduced Julie. “Why don’t I meet you all in the office after I take Julie upstairs?” he suggested. He didn’t want her in on this talk. These guys wanted to catch Arel. He wanted to protect Julie. Those two things didn’t necessarily coincide. Talking through the evening’s events with Julie present wasn’t going to work either. She’d put herself at risk, when he wasn’t going to let that happen.

She shook her head and crossed her arms, clearly digging in her heels, and proving Hendrix and Murphy were the least of Luke’s worries.

“Forget it, Luke. You aren’t going to play bodyguard and send me on my way.” She let her gaze scan the other men. “Luke was given an invitation to a party on Friday night we assume is to meet Arel. The condition is that I go along with him.”

Blake cursed and ran a hand through his hair. “No. That’s not happening.” His gaze collided with Luke’s. “Tell me you didn’t agree to this.”

“I didn’t even consider it,” Luke confirmed. “She’s not doing it.” He cut his attention to Julie. “You aren’t doing it.”

“You had a tail tonight,” Hendrix said. “You’re being followed. You’re being watched. You’re both in this and there isn’t an easy exit. You might as well do what you can to save a few innocent kids’ lives.”

It was a taunt, a way to manipulate Julie, and Luke lost it. He lunged at the son-of-a-bitch, grabbing his coat. Hendrix’s phone flew off of his belt and hit the pavement.

“Luke, no!” Julie screamed.

Blake grabbed Luke and shoved him back, getting between him and Hendrix.

Blake pointed at Murphy. “I suggest you get Hendrix out of here before I help Luke beat his ass.”

Hendrix grabbed his cell phone from the ground and glared at Luke. “My ass is on the line for letting you in on this. Stop thinking with your dick, man. My ass isn’t going down for you.” He headed for his SUV in a slow saunter that only had Luke  ready to go after him again. Murphy saw it too, walking backward and watching Luke, while Blake stood in front of him, his hand on Luke’s chest.

“Don’t, Luke,” Blake said. “He’s a tricky bastard who might just get you thrown in jail.”

“He needs me too damn much for that.”

Julie stepped up beside Blake. “Don’t go after him,” she said softly. “Please. I’m begging you, Luke. Don’t do it.”

That plea wore him down and all the adrenaline pumping through his veins evaporated. His shoulders slowly relaxed. Blake stepped away and let them have space.

“Let’s go upstairs,” Luke said softly.

“Yes,” she said, holding his stare. “I think that would be a very good idea.”

It was an announcement of war, but this one war he intended to win. The minute she was inside his apartment, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, taking her mouth with a hot demand, and when she whimpered, he picked her up and carried her toward the bedroom.

She must have sensed how on edge he was and how out of control he felt He was certain that the only way to feel better was with her, to be inside her, and a part of her, because she didn’t argue. She didn’t try to talk through what had just happened in the garage.

He stripped her naked and barely remembered undressing himself. He just knew he took her down onto the bed, unable to stop kissing her. He spread her legs and pressed his fingers inside her, craving her soft sounds of pleasure. Craving her. And when she came, when she moaned with release, he only wanted more. He needed more.

Luke pulled her beneath him, settling into the slick, wet heat of her body. And then he was inside her, with her. Her skin was soft, her kisses sweet and sultry, her responses to his touch intensely erotic.

She moaned and arched into him, clinging to him, as if she felt what he did, as if she was standing on a ledge with him, the only thing keeping him from falling.

They clung to each other and moved together as if they were trying to become one, until she spasmed around him and took him over the edge with her. They collapsed together. Time ticked by in silence until their breathing evened out.

Until Julie said, “Luke–”

“Don’t say it,” he said, pressing his forehead to hers. “You’re not going. I’ll find another way.”

“What if you can’t.”