Free Basic Attraction by Erin McCarthy

slope of her collarbone. Goose bumps were left in his wake. Her nipples firmed, and a warm ache began again for him. She pressed her hips up to coax more movement from him, his thickness still throbbing inside her.
    “Uh, uh, uh. No you don’t.” He pulled out, leaving her empty and dissatisfied.
    But he replaced the void left by him with his tongue. She sat up in shock. Oral sex was intimate enough, but she must taste like latex.
    “Luke, don’t—” Her words died on her lips as he expertly flicked across her.
    He built a rhythm, and she dropped back, gripping the carpet to hold herself in place as he worked his tongue over her. Hey, if he wasn’t worried about it, who was she to argue? In two minutes flat, she shattered tightly, throbbing under him, embracing the rocking wave of pleasure.
    He was grinning at her, obviously pleased with the results of his labors. So was she. She made an incoherent sound and pulled him down on top of her. His head fell gently against her chest, and she stroked his hair.
    “Stay the night,” he said unexpectedly.
    There were a million reasons why it was a bad idea. Starting first with her vulnerable heart and ending with her not wanting to be dumped at the end of the week when he went back to Chicago.
    Then there was the fact that she could no longer pretend that Luke was a jerk, a bully, or a narrow-minded, beer-drinking bar owner. He was a lot of things, many of which were good. That was the problem. A man who wouldn’t let a cat be put down, enjoyed classical music, and couldn’t stand the idea of upsetting his sister was dangerous.
    Not dangerous in a chains-dangling, tattoo kind of way. No, she was safe from those parts of Luke. She wasn’t safe when he stared at her with those ice-blue eyes and made her heart ache for things she hadn’t known she’d wanted. A husband. A home. A child. Love.
    That wasn’t true. She’d always known she’d wanted those things. It was why she’d always been terrible at dating. Her expectations were immediately too high, with her chasing and men eventually running.
    None of things she wanted, namely a future, were ever going to be available to her with Luke.
    But he thought she was sexy. And he thought she was beautiful. That was enough. He made her feel good, right here, right now, and that was all that mattered.
    Not every man was for envisioning the rest of her life and happily ever after. Maybe it was time she learned that.
    “Okay,” she heard herself say. “I’ll stay.”

Chapter Six
    Luke wanted Sheri back. Now. She had been gone for nine and a half hours, and he was itching for her.
    Why did the woman need a job in the first place? He asked himself this ludicrous question as he paced the living room and tried not to remember the night before. Which was impossible. He would never forget the night before.
    Damn, she had been as hot as he had imagined. Eager, Sheri had met him stroke for stroke all night. And had done a little stroking all on her own.
    Hell. He was hard as a rock, his relief nowhere in sight. It was five thirty. Where was she?
    A horrible thought burst through his mental babblings. What if she wasn’t coming?
    Nah. She had to. He would explode if she didn’t.
    Besides, when she’d left this morning, she had been nothing but smiles and touches and loving little whispers in his ear. She had said she’d be here. She would.
    Then he could hug her and kiss her and strip her clothes off piece by piece until he had a nice unobstructed view of that long, luscious body. It was the best damn package he’d ever seen. Hell, her breasts alone had nearly given him cardiac arrest. In combination with her lean legs and curvy behind, they should be illegal.
    He needed a distraction. He looked around for his cat, but he didn’t see him in the room. With the carpet installers finishing the job in the bedrooms that day, Greedy had hidden out in the kitchen to escape the noise and booted feet. When he searched the small kitchen,