Page 44 of The Mechanics of Lust

At least that was something we could agree on.

“Was that your brother on the phone?” Luke dropped his hand and I instantly missed the warmth.

I nodded. “He said he saw you today. Seems to like you for some reason.”

Luke shrugged. “Hey, I’m a likeable guy.”

I summoned an eye roll, and for a few seconds, we simply stood there, staring at each other. One step away from a kiss I was desperate to get, and a million miles from an answer about what was happening between the two of us that made any sense.

And then Luke’s mouth was on mine, and any questions I had flew out the window along with every scrap of my common sense. I wanted him. Plain and simple. And nothing about the night before had slaked any of that driving thirst.

The taste of him back on my tongue made every mark he’d put on my body come alive and sizzle with need. “This is insane,” I managed, although apparently, I was okay with that. I grabbed his hand and dragged him into the walk-in pantry. Then I shut the door and slammed him up against it.

“I know I’m going to regret this, but I wanna see.” I stood back and waved a hand over his body. “Come on. Hurry up before someone comes.”

Luke cocked an eyebrow and then slowly peeled the hem of his shirt up to reveal a tapestry of bruises and bite marks that rivalled mine. But it wasn’t only the bruising that caught my attention. My gaze lingered for a few seconds on the empty leather cord. I reached out to finger it, and when I caught his eye, he simply smiled.

I dropped the cord and ran my fingers over his mottled skin, my dick stiffening in my jeans, my heart banging in my chest. “Jesus Christ,” I marvelled. “You’re a worse mess than I am.” I leaned forward and pressed my lips to one of the colourful blotches and Luke’s fingers threaded through my hair.

“I love them,” he said huskily as I tongued my way up his chest to his throat. “Get up here.” He tugged me up and kissed me thoroughly, tongue fucking my mouth until we were both swallowing moans. Then his hands circled my waist and pulled me tight against him. He was hard.Sofucking hard.

“Jesus, what you do to me,” he said as he shoved a knee between mine to add a little much-needed friction and, fuck, it felt good. Then he kissed down my throat and my head fell back. “Watching you sitting all prim and sour in that chair, telling me it’s none of my damn business, and it was nobody important whenIput those marks on you.Me.”

I chuckled, angling my head to give him better access. “Aw, did it dent your ego?”

He nipped at my clavicle. “Myteeth,mymouth—” He grabbed my butt. “—mydick in your arse.” He licked up the side of my face and I shuddered. “It wasmybusiness all right. I wanted to strip you right then and there and fuck you in front of that fire.”

“Would never have picked you for an exhibitionist,” I said, then gasped as his hand cupped my dick and gave it a firm squeeze.

“I would never have picked you for a toppy son of a bitch.” He squeezed again as he humped against my leg and grunted unsteadily into my ear. “I guess we’ve got a lot... ugh fuck... still to learn about... each other.”

My cock definitely liked the sound of that as it strained painfully against the zip of my jeans. I was done. I took a half step back and started unbuttoning his fly. If I didn’t get my mouth around his cock soon, things were going to get messy. He gave a grunt of approval, and it wasn’t long before I had them halfway down his thighs when—

“Zach?” Gil’s voice pierced the haze of lust fogging up my brain, but it took me a few seconds to shift focus.

Luke was quicker. He grabbed a tablecloth from a nearby shelf and shoved it into my hands, whispering, “Get out there before he comes looking.”

“Me?” I asked, horrified.

His eyebrows shot up and he swept a hand to where his hard cock was jutting from his jeans.

Oh, right.

Luke straightened my shirt and pushed me toward the closed door, whispering, “Get rid of him.”

Rid of him?This wasGil’sbloody kitchen. How was I supposed to get rid of him? I fired him my best are-you-shitting-me look, but his only response was to give me another push and then flatten himself against the shelves behind the door.

“Luke?” Gil called again from what sounded like the hallway. “Anyone here?” Closer that time.

“Go on,” Luke insisted. “Just... act natural.”

My eyes bugged as I whispered back, “Natural? Are you fucking kidding me?”

A mischievous grin played over his lips and then he kissed me, hard. “Now, go.”

I swore softly, opened the door, and almost walked straight into Gil. “Oh, were you looking for me? I was trying to decide on a tablecloth.” I held the green-chequered material in front of my rapidly wilting hard-on. Having your friend almost catch you with your mouth around his ex-husband’s dick will do that to a guy.

“A tablecloth?” Gil frowned at the messy bundle. “It’s a cookout, Zach, not freaking MasterChef.”

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