Page 74 of Reluctant Chemistry

“Promises were never really our thing though, were they?”

“I guess not.”

She hesitated. “Tayla said you’re recently single. Is that true?”

He nodded.

“It’s just—”

“Hey.” Luka brushed a curl away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, surprised at the relief he felt. She was here. Close enough to touch. “I wouldn’t have invited you if there was someone else.”

Her hand went to thechoker around her neck, but she didn’t look away. “When did it happen?”

“A few months ago…just before Mitch’s birthday party, in fact.”

“I’m sorry, I never knew.”

“Yeah, but I needed some time to adjust. Even when it’s been a long time coming, there’s still a process to go through. Things to sort out. Mum, Dad, and Mitch were the only ones who knew.”

Now it was her turn to nod. They stood in silence for a moment, the kind of silence that follows awkward questions and honest answers. Silence they didn’t need to fill.

“So, we’re good?” He leaned one arm on the wall beside her, half caging her in.

“We’re good.” CeCe glanced back at the door. “Still, it’s kind of daunting…being here.”

He cupped her face, soft under his palm. “I know. I feel it too.” Luka watched her form a brief smile. He leaned in without hesitation, his lips finding that hollow between her neck and collarbone. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” She tilted her head to one side as his touch skimmed across her skin. “But you shouldn’t be doing that.”

“Shouldn’t I? Why not?”

“Because,” she whispered, “that’s my place, remember?”

“I do remember.” He kissed her neck again, his tongue joining in before he blew a breath across its path then pulled back. “Do you want me to stop?”

CeCe held his gaze as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She shook her head. “I’d almost forgotten…”

“Forgotten?”

“What it feels like…that want.”

They kissed, urgent and breathless, Luka’s hands cupping her butt and her breasts pressing into his naked chest. “I want to fuck you in this dress,” he whispered. “I’ve been thinking about it all night.”

She made a noise in the back of her throat, a cross between a pfft, and a giggle and whispered, “Dare you to try.”

“What did you say? You dare me?” He watched her chest expand and contract under the straps that restrained her as he dropped his shirt to the floor. “Dare accepted. You really think you’re ready for this?”

“I’ve been ready since I left the town hall.”

“And I’ve been ready since you walked into the ballroom. In fact, I’ve been ready for weeks.” Luka squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a breath as her hands went to work on his fly.

“You didn’t even notice me walk into the ballroom,” CeCe murmured as she reached for his erection, the shock of her cold hands making him harder still.

He dipped his head to make eye contact and grinned. “What? Every guy in that room noticed you. That choker is so damn hot.”

Their foreplay amounted to not much more than that. CeCe turned to face the wall and braced her arms above her head. Luka pushed his body into hers, his lips needy on her nape as he lifted the hem of her dress to waist height. He peeled her panties down her legs, and she stepped out of them, still wearing her silver stilettos.

“Luka?”

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