“Aw, hell, sugar, I was going to take my time, but it’s not happening.” He locked his gaze on hers and started to move, his rhythm measured but relentless.

She wanted to meet his eyes, to watch the heat build in the pale irises, but the feel of him driving inside her was too powerful. She closed her eyes so she could ride the wave growing within.

He released one of her hands, and she felt his fingers curl around her ankle, bending her leg to put her foot over his shoulder. The position angled her hips so he had greater access. He thrust faster and the tension tightened inside her.

She opened her eyes to see the muscles in his neck corded with effort, his eyes glazed. His focus was inward as he drove both of them inexorably toward orgasm. The sight of him made the furled bud inside her burst into a blossom of sound and heat and motion. At the first clench of her muscles, he drove in hard and went still for a second. Then he howled her name and plunged in again, his climax throbbing inside her. Her muscles contracted and she arched upward, pressing against his body without moving it. He pushed in one more time, going deep, and she felt as though her insides would burst open with pleasure.

She melted back into the sofa cushions as aftershocks vibrated through her. He gently unhooked her ankle and lowered it back to the sofa before coming down onto his forearms with his head resting on her shoulder. His breath rasped fast and heavy over her skin while his heartbeat thundered against her breasts.

She luxuriated in the weight and heat of his body as they lay still joined, tiny shudders of residual satisfaction twanging at her nerve endings.

Superbly conditioned athlete that he was, Luke caught his breath much too quickly, pushing up and sliding out of her effortlessly as she whimpered her objection. “I’ll be right back,” he said, giving her a swift kiss on the lips.

He stripped off and disposed of the condom as she lay there. Her muscles seemed to have stopped listening to her commands. Or maybe it was her brain that had forgotten how to tell them what to do.

She felt his presence and opened her eyes to see him standing over her, an appreciative grin tilting his mouth. “You look mighty pretty like that.” He leaned down to draw a circle around one nipple with his fingertip, igniting her skin. “There’s a nice, big, comfortable bed in the next room,” he said. “We should use it.”

He went down on one knee, and Miranda realized he was planning to scoop her up in his arms again. She put her hand against his magnificent bare chest to hold him away. “I’ll walk. Otherwise my conscience won’t leave me alone.”

“As long as I can walk behind you, I won’t argue,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her up with him as he rose to his full height.

She started to reach for the throw blanket, but his reflexes were too fast, so he got it first, tossing the soft cashmere halfway across the room. “That would ruin the view.” He gave her backside a pat to start her moving. “Why would you want to deprive me of such a pleasure?”

Since she seemed to have no choice, she decided to put on a show. Heading for the bedroom door he pointed out, she let her hips sway as she put one foot directly in front of the other, strutting like a runway model. A quick glance over her shoulder caught him staring down at her behind, so she put even more sashay in her walk.

“You’re killin’ me, sugar.”

“You asked for it.”

“I think you’re askin’ for it.” His hands were on her bottom, his fingers flexing. “They’re so smooth and round. Makes me want to take a bite.”

“No tooth marks,” she said. “I have to be able to sit at my desk tomorrow.”

She sauntered into the bedroom and stopped. The giant bed faced another plate-glass window with a view of the harbor, the lights on various shores flickering over the dark water while several boats plowed steadily through the waves. “Now that’s an amazing view!”

He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “I prefer the closer one.”

Smiling, she turned in his arms so she was caged against his chest. “Who knew such a tough guy could be such a flatterer?”

He didn’t match her smile. “I don’t have to be a tough guy, and I don’t have to say anything I don’t mean. That’s why this is so good.”

His words made her heart stutter with surprise and delight. “You’re not at all what I expected.”

Did he want to know more about her expectations? He looked at her back reflected in the window, the curves of her creamy skin glowing against the dark blue of the outside evening. “Tell me what surprises you,” he said.

“Now you’re fishing.” She looked up at him with a teasing smile on her intensely kissable mouth.

“I want the truth.”

That knocked the smile away as she lowered her eyes to where her hands lay flat against his chest. “Hmm,” she said.

She felt so small in his arms. He splayed his hand to span her shoulder blades.

After a few seconds, her soft brown eyes came back to his face. “So many celebrities believe other people were put on this earth solely to keep them happy. With who you are and the way you look, there are a lot of people who would jump to smooth your path for you. You never take advantage of that. In fact, you go out of your way to be nice to people who can’t do anything for you.”

He didn’t want praise for his fame or his looks. And the other virtue she ascribed to him was no more than basic human courtesy, something he didn’t always receive himself, so he made a point to extend it to others.