Page 49 of Fast Currents
He said something to Ollie, then caught my gaze, shaking his head subtly.Thank goodness. Now we only had to wait for Ollie Reyes to catch wind of Gran’s depiction of him and watch the fireworks. Was it wrong to hope he’d get huffy enough to accidentally destroy her artwork? One tipped cup or well-placed match was all it’d take…
I held my breath as class wound down for the night, keeping an eagle eye on Gran. Luckily, she seemed just as intent on hiding her artwork from her elderly nemesis as I was in avoiding drama, waiting until he’d dropped his project on our finished works table before sliding hers beneath one of the drawings from earlier in the night.
After making sure everyone who’d over-imbibed had a designated driver, Clay and I thanked Mark and his wife, LeahRitter, for the use of her barn and animals, and carefully stowed the artwork in Clay’s truck.
“I can’t wait to see Chaz’s face when we deliver these.” Clay’s eyes danced. A broad grin stretched his features, including me in his good humor.
“What’s New, Friday Harboris going to be buzzing after this show,” I warned.
“Thankfully, we’re a long way from my brass in D.C.”
“Yes, but we livehere.”
He chuckled. “Where’s my give-no-fucks Lucifer? Gran’s just cementing her legacy as a local legend.”
“I know, I know. Art is about expression. Some people like tea; others like coffee. But not that many people are into minotaur peen.” I winced. “Especially with a face they’re used to seeing at the grocery store. I do not want to be thinking about Ollie Reyes’s junk.”
“Relax, Luce. It’ll be fine.”
“Remember this when I say ‘I told you so’ later,” I groused.
Maybe he was right. It wasn’t like I had a sterling reputation on the island to begin with. I was a relative newcomer. No one would really expect me to be able to control Gran. She was a force of nature.
Clay squeezed my hand. “Can I talk you into coming back to my place tonight?”
“What did you have in mind to convince me?” Like I hadn’t already packed a bag to stay over and tucked it into my trunk.
“We can play another round of guess the mole message.”
“Is that just an excuse to get me naked?”
“Absolutely.”
I lifted one shoulder, pretending like my heart didn’t beat faster every time I thought about exploring his body again.
“I suppose.”
Clay’s lip twitched, his expression turning sardonic. “Lucifer, you always play hard to get, but I like it. Ma—”
“Shh…” I held a finger over his lips. “I can’t take you seriously when you’re proposing.”
“How do you know that’s what I was going to say?”
I fixed him with an unwavering stare. His shoulders rose to his ears in a casual shrug.
“Maybe my next words were going to be ‘make love to me.’ You don’t know.”
I glared until his grin turned sheepish. He pursed his lips, shaking his head slowly from side to side, holding my gaze steadily.
“When you’re ready, Lucy, all bets are off.”
It was a silly threat. One laced with obvious affection. So why did it leave me feeling like we were on the cusp of something important?
We barely made it over the threshold before we were stripping, leaving a trail of clothing on our way to his bedroom.
Every touch was mixed with a trace of tenderness, only making me more eager for his hands. His mouth. I ground against him, groaning when he boosted me against the hallway wall, my legs wrapping around his hips, the bulge of his erection notching between my thighs. Already slippery and wet, I could feel my underwear growing sticky as heat built between us.
His mouth was firm against mine, exploring each curve, his hands echoing the eagerness of his lips as he gripped my hips. I loved having him hold me so tightly. It’d be worth any marks. I nipped at his bottom lip, wanting to stamp myself on him just as surely as he branded me. He groaned softly, the low, breathy sound at odds with his usual confidence.
