“What happened, Lucas?”

“That’s none of your damn business, sugar.” A few hours ago, he would have gladly shared with her. Now, he didn’t want to talk to her at all. He tried to ignore the impulse that was screaming at him to wrap her in his arms and never let her go. Their relationship had proven to be nothing more than an illusion.

She flinched but held her ground. He ruthlessly squashed the feelings of pride and admiration that welled up within him. “I guess I had that coming.”

His muscles strained with the effort it was taking for him not to grab her in his arms. His cock was throbbing with the need to bury itself in Candy’s welcoming warmth. He wanted to lose himself in the comfort and security of her body.

She placed her hand on his arm. It looked so small and pale against the bulk of his muscles. “It doesn’t really matter.”

“No?” His jaw was clenched so tight, he could barely get the word out. Any tighter and he was sure it would shatter.

“No.” She shook her head, her eyes luminous in the muted light.

“Prove it.”

His harsh words and the cold, unyielding expression on his face almost sent her running from the room. This was not the Lucas that she was used to. This man wasn’t the playful, passionate lover and companion that she’d spent most of the past few weeks with. This was the face of a man who’d had the kind of past that she couldn’t even begin to imagine. A man who’d spent time in prison. A man that she’d hurt deeply with her lack of faith and trust.

But beneath that implacable façade, the man she loved was still there. She had to believe that, to trust in him. Taking a deep breath, she took the biggest gamble of her entire life. “Prove it how?”

His pale blue eyes, usually so warm and inviting, were as cold as ice as he stared down at her. He slowly moved his gaze over her body, lingering on her breasts and at the juncture of her thighs before moving all the way to her feet and then all the way back up again.

Even though she was fully dressed, she felt stripped naked beneath his detached stare. Her body responded immediately to his visual caress. Her nipples hardened into tight nubs, pushing against her bra. Between her thighs cream began to flow as her inner muscles clenched in anticipation.

“Take off your clothes.”

“What?” Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly.

“Strip for me, sugar.” He circled her slowly, assessing her. “If it doesn’t matter, then strip for me. I want to fuck you. Right here. Right now.”

His cold, emotionless words made her stomach clench. Her legs began to shake and she had to lock her knees to keep from crumpling to the floor. She’d wounded him deeply earlier today and this was his way of making her pay. “Is that what it will take for you to believe me?”

Lucas shrugged, his massive shoulders moving negligently. But she wasn’t fooled. She could see the tension in every muscle of his body. “We won’t know unless we try, now will we?” he taunted softly.

Candy was no coward and she’d already made her decision to fight for her relationship with Lucas. She trusted him not to hurt her, at least physically. If that’s what it took to convince him that she still cared for him and trusted him, then so be it.

Decision made, her hands crept to the buttons on her blouse. She could hear Lucas’ deep intake of breath as he came to stand in front of her. Her fingers shook as she slipped each button from the opening, but finally it was wide open. Pulling the tails out from her skirt, she slipped the fabric from her upper body and let it fall to the floor.

Lucas gripped the ends of the towel in his hands, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. Good. He wasn’t as unaffected as he was trying to project. That gave Candy a much-needed boost of courage as she reached behind and unhooked her bra. It was one of the new ones that she’d bought with Lucas in mind, but never had she imagined removing it under such circumstances. Bending forward, she allowed the straps to fall down her arms, and then the bra joined her blouse on the floor.

“Pretty.” Reaching out, he rubbed one of the swollen tips with his thumb before withdrawing it. “Offer me your breasts. Cup them in your hands and give them to me.”

The hair at the nape of her neck stood on end and she suddenly wished that her hair was down instead of up in its usual twist. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel quite so exposed. She’d never done anything like this before in her life. It scared her, but it was also incredibly arousing.

Lucas stood waiting for her to decide what she was going to do. She knew instinctively that if she refused, all would be lost. Her own anger threatened to boil to the surface, but she swallowed it. They’d talk later. For now, her beast was very angry and it was up to her to soothe him. Cupping the weight of her breasts in her hands, she pushed them high.

He nodded, as if pleased by her compliance. “Your nipples aren’t hard enough yet. Play with them.”

She hesitated only the slightest of moments before catching each tip between her thumbs and forefingers and rolling them gently. A low moan of pleasure escaped her lips and he pursed his lips together, making him look almost cruel in the dim light.

“Harder, Candy. I want your nipples to be as hard as pebbles.”

Her hips began to rock as she pinched them tighter, the pleasure shooting straight down to her pussy. She could feel herself creaming her panties.

“Now your skirt.” His voice was heavy with desire.

She gave her nipples one final tug before sliding her hands over her belly and around to the back of her skirt. The button was quickly undone and the zipper pulled down. Giving her hips a shimmy, she allowed the skirt to slide down her hips and legs to pool around her ankles.

“The panties.”

His low, guttural tone was incredible arousing to her and she could feel the liquid arousal slipping from her core. She hooked her fingers in the waistband of her panties. Her breasts felt incredible heavy as she leaned forward, inching the lace band of her underwear lower over her hips and thighs and down across her legs. Standing straight, she stepped out of the mound of fabric, kicking it to one side.

His eyes practically burned her flesh as they swept over her body. She could see his erection straining against the front of his pants. She reached down to unzip her boots.

“Leave them.”

Slowly, she straightened once again. Clad only in her thigh-high stockings and high-heeled boots, she stood proudly in front of him.

“On your knees, sugar.” His blunt request caught her off guard and she began to realize just how deeply she had wounded him. He might think he was punishing her, but in fact, he was giving her the opportunity to show him her love.

Taking a step toward him, she sank to her knees in front of him. She licked her lips as she tugged on the drawstring and loosened his pants. As she shoved them down his legs, his cock sprang forward, ready and eager. But she wanted him naked. Pushing the pants down around his ankles, she waited as he lifted one foot at a time, tugging the fabric away.

Sitting back on her heels, she stared up at Lucas. He was breathtakingly handsome and she loved him with all her being. Wrapping her hands around each ankle, she slid them over his strong calves and across his rock-hard thighs, reveling in the way the muscles flexed and rippled beneath her fingers.

Coming up on her knees again, she cupped his heavy testicles with her hands, gently rolling them, caressing them. Lucas groaned as she teased him. She loved the feeling of the crisp hair of his groin against her fingers as she traced his sac and rubbed the sensitive skin just behind it.

Sensing his growing restlessness, she wrapped her fingers around the base of his erection and slid them up to the top. The skin was as soft as velvet, but what was beneath was pure steel. His cock throbbed against her palms and she could feel an answering pulse begin deep within her own core.

The head of his cock was broad and dark, and as she leaned forward, she could see a bead of liquid seep from the tip. She lapped at it with her tongue, circling the entire crown before licking a path down his length and back up again. His fingers tangled in her hair. He swore and plucked at the two decorative pins holding her hair up. She heard them drop to the floor as her hair cascaded down around her shoulders.

This time, his fingers sifted though her hair as he guided her mouth back to the top of his erection. Opening her mouth wide, she took him as deep as she was able. But still she wanted more. Moving closer for a better angle, she began to slide her mouth up and down his length.

“That’s it, sugar. Suck it hard.” He thrust his hips back and forth, driving his cock deeper down her throat with every thrust. “I want to fuck your mouth until I come.”

His words made her moan and the vibrations made him shudder as he began to thrust harder now. Wrapping one hand around the base of his erection, she pumped up and down his length. She reached her other hand around him, digging her fingers into his hard butt and pulling him tighter with every thrust of his hips. She wanted to give him this pleasure. Wanted to bring him to orgasm with just her mouth.

She could feel his muscles squeeze tight, and then his entire body jerked as he came. His semen jetted down the back of her throat, but she continued to suck hard as she swallowed. Even when he was finished and his cock began to soften, she was reluctant to release him.

Finally, he tugged gently at her hair and she allowed his cock to slip from her mouth. His hands cupped her head, holding her against his hard thigh. Candy resisted the urge to squirm. She was so aroused, her skin felt as if it were too tight. She raised her head to look up at him and his hands slipped free of her hair. She immediately missed the contact and felt the loss of the connection to him.