She seemed amazed and pleased by his statement, and he realized in that moment that she had no idea just how sexy she was. “Really,” he replied as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “You’re so damned sexy, sugar, that if you keep touching me, I’m just not going to last.” He traced the length of one of her fingers with his tongue. “And that would be a shame, because I haven’t even tasted you yet.”

He closed his lips over her finger, drawing it into his mouth. She shifted restlessly as he tongued the webbing at the base, and she moaned when he lightly scraped her flesh with his teeth as he withdrew. “And you’re so sweet.”

Releasing her hand, he shouldered his way back between her legs, intent now on touching her. Sifting his fingers through the curly hair on her mound, he smiled as the crisp hair wrapped around him. He kept going, skimming them over the slick folds of her pussy. Her juices coated his fingers immediately. Primal satisfaction filled him. There was no doubt that she wanted him.

“Omigod.” Her whimpered oath made him smile. He was just getting started.

Using his thumbs, he spread the folds of her labia wide, once again inwardly cursing the lack of light. It was too dark for him to see her clearly, but he could smell her. Musky, mysterious and female, her scent drew him closer. He licked up one side of her and down the other, sampling her unique flavor.

Her fingers gripped his head, holding him tight to her. He welcomed the slight sting of her nails, as it helped him gain some control. He could feel the moisture seeping from the head of his cock and he knew he was close. Reaching down, he carefully unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. He wasn’t wearing underwear, so his cock sprang free, the bulbous head wet with need.

Ignoring his own body’s cry for completion, he focused all his concentration on Candy. He wouldn’t take her until she’d come at least once. With his fingers, he teased and petted her hot flesh as he continued to stroke it with his tongue. Her cries and whimpers permeated the air around him as she rocked her hips back and forth, using her grip on his hair to pull him closer.

He traced the sensitive nubbin of flesh at the top of her pussy, flicking it lightly. Her cries grew louder and more frantic as she pumped her hips. Circling the entrance of her core with his finger, he pushed in deep. Her inner muscles clamped down hard around it, and he groaned as his balls drew up tight against his body in response.

He almost lost it when she whispered “No” as he withdrew his finger, arching her hips to try to keep him inside her. This time, he pushed two fingers to the hilt as he continued to tongue and suck her swollen clit. He began to finger-fuck her, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed.

“I’m coming.” He could barely make out her words over the pounding of his own heart and the gasping of his breath. But he did hear them and he pushed her harder and quicker.

A loud keening noise came from her lips just as her inner muscles began to contract. Lucas didn’t stop. He kept up the long, firm strokes of his fingers even as he continued to pleasure her with his tongue. She spasmed long and hard, her cream flowing from her body to coat his hand. Damn, he couldn’t wait to bury his cock in her sweet pussy. He only stopped when she tugged his head away from her and began to slide down the door.

“Stop,” she gasped. “I can’t take any more.”

Tugging her down into his lap, he swore when her wet pussy pushed against his steely erection. She jerked slightly, but he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She stilled for a moment, and then as if coming to some internal decision, she subsided against him, leaning into his body.

Cupping the back of her head with one of his hands, he used the other to stroke up and down her back, enjoying the feel of her skin beneath his palm. It was like some kind of exquisite torture to have her so close and to not be buried inside her heat. It would take so little. All he had to do was lift her slightly and slide her onto his cock. He swallowed back a groan of pain as his cock flexed. It was throbbing incessantly now, a never-ending ache.

Sitting back, she slowly raised her head and gave him a slow, sleepy smile before leaning forward and kissing him. “Thank you,” she whispered against his mouth as she traced his lips with her tongue. He followed her lead, letting her control the kiss. She was tentative at first, her movements slow and languid. But it wasn’t long before he could feel the pulsing of her pussy against his cock. His sweet lady was getting aroused again.

He tore his mouth from hers. He was out of time. If he didn’t take her now, he was going to come. “I want you, Candy,” he gritted out between clenched teeth. He had no more control left. “I want to fuck you until we’re both blind with pleasure.”

She whimpered with need and he felt the slight nod of her head, but he wasn’t leaving this to chance. He framed her face with his hands, tilting it upward so she was looking right at him. Her eyes were glazed with desire and her lips were swollen from his kisses. He almost said the hell with it and took her then and there, but he knew he’d regret it if he did. She might regret it too, and that was something he definitely didn’t want.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” He couldn’t believe he was giving her an out. Like a man strung on the rack, he waited for two long seconds which seemed to last an eternity.

“Yes.”

That one word was all he needed. Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he fumbled for his wallet. Yanking out a condom, he tore open the package. He could sense her growing nervousness and tried to hurry.

“Everything will be all right, sugar,” he hastened to reassure her as he sheathed his cock in latex. That done, he lifted her easily, his cock poised at her moist entrance.

The pounding on the door startled them both. Candy jerked backward, her eyes large and shocked as she slapped her hand over her mouth.

“Hey, are you in there?”

In that moment, he could cheerfully have throttled Katie. He closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath, desperately trying to center himself and dispel his anger.

The pounding came again and this time the door handle jiggled. Candy’s appalled gaze met his as Katie tried to shove open the door. Lucas lunged forward and leaned against it. “What do you want?”

There was a slight pause on the other side of the door. This time there was amusement in her voice. “Some of the guests are leaving and want to speak with you.”

Candy scrambled to her feet, yanking down her skirt and grabbing her blouse. She kept glancing at the door as she hauled on her blouse and buttoned it. Not bothering with her bra, she stuffed it in her purse. Yanking on her jacket, she securely fastened the two buttons.

“Fuck!” Lucas scraped his hand through his hair. Obviously, the mood was shot to hell. “I’ll be right there,” he growled.

Not bothering to remove the condom, he carefully zipped and buttoned his jeans. He figured the condom would keep the front of his jeans from staining. Candy was standing quietly behind the door with her purse clasped tight to her chest. Frustration filled him as he grabbed his T-shirt off the floor, shook it out and slipped it over his head. He contemplated what to say as he tucked it into his jeans.

Sighing, he walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. At first she was stiff and unyielding, but gradually she softened toward him. “I’m sorry about that, Candy. I’ll go and deal with this and then we can go to my place.”

He knew he wasn’t going to like what she had to say when she stepped out of his embrace. “I think it might be best if I just go.” She licked her lips nervously as she ran her hand through her hair, trying to tame her wild curls.

“I’d like you to stay.” Before she could say no again, he hurried to add, “Just think about it. Let’s go and enjoy some food and just talk for a while.”

She rewarded him with a hesitant smile. “Just talk.”

“Yeah. I’ll take what I can get.” His wry grin made her smile widen just a tad. “Come on and I’ll introduce you.”

Hauling open the door, Lucas stepped out into the kitchen. The light momentarily blinded him and he blinked. It took him a second to realize that Candy wasn’t paying any attention to him. In fact, the two women seemed to be staring at each other.

“Candace?” Katie seemed shocked to see the other woman.

“Katie?”

Lucas had a bad feeling about this. But like an impending car crash, there was nothing to do but hang on and hope for the best. Then what Katie had said finally sunk in. “I thought you said your name was Candy?”

She cleared her throat nervously. “It is, but I’ve been trying to go by Candace. For professional reasons,” she added with a nod, turning back to Katie. “People don’t always take a woman called Candy seriously.”

“I can understand that.” Katie glanced at him questioningly before turning her attention back to Candy. “But I hadn’t realized that you’d finally met Lucas.”

Candy froze, becoming a statue as all the pieces finally clicked into place for him. He groaned and fought the urge to go back into the storage closet and close the door behind him. Fate wouldn’t be so cruel. But Lucas knew that not only could Fate be that cruel, she usually was.

“Lucas?” The ice thawed from her, quickly turning to fire as she glared at him. “You’re Lucas Squires?”

Lucas nodded curtly. “And you must be Candace, or rather, Candy Logan.” He couldn’t believe the woman of his dreams was the same woman he’d been avoiding for weeks now. The woman whose number was continually on his call display, who’d been hounding him with emails begging, bribing, cajoling and all but demanding he do promotional work for that damned cookbook that Katie had talked him into doing. “We need to talk,” he added gruffly.