Nicole Edwards - Temptation

Growing up in a house, just her and her mother, had been a challenge. Two of them, both self-sufficient, exceedingly independent, and more than a little bit princesses in their own right meant that neither of them could be under the same roof for long without trying to see who the bigger diva was. They had barely managed to survive Sierra’s teenage years.

No, she certainly hadn’t moved in with her mother.

“What about you, Luke?” Sierra asked, trying to turn the tables. If she wasn’t careful, she got the impression Luke would know everything there was to know about her while she would walk away knowing nothing.

Likely his intention.

“What about me?”

“Do you live with your mother?” Sierra smiled, then took a sip of her drink. Wow. Apparently Kane thought she needed some courage of the liquid variety by the strength of the drink he’d made for her.

Luke’s raspy laugh tickled Sierra’s insides. A gruff, unpracticed sound. Like his laugh muscles hadn’t been used in quite some time.

“No.”

Well, hell. Talking to this man was like pulling teeth. Instead of asking anything more, Sierra pierced him with a glare, tilting her head slightly to the side as she waited for him to continue. When Luke leaned back in his chair, crossing his massive arms over his chest, Sierra knew they were at a standstill.

So be it. She wasn’t about to give in.

“Can I assume you’ll be attending the conference in Vegas?” Sierra finally broke the silence, figuring she needed to get this conversation over with before she lost the little bit of nerve she still had left.

“You can.”

Sierra laughed again. If nothing else, this trip was sure to be interesting.

Pushing her chair back from the table, Sierra stood, shocked momentarily when Luke rose abruptly, his enormous size making her feel even smaller than she normally did. She couldn’t look him in the eye without tilting her head back. Even with heels she came just barely to the middle of his broad chest, and he was easily twice her weight and width, but she wasn’t about to let him intimidate her.

“I’m glad to hear it. I think I should be going. It was very nice to meet you, Luke. I look forward to seeing you in Vegas. I’m sure you’ll be able to find me if you’re interested.” With that, Sierra gave him her brightest smile, turned on her heel and walked straight out the front doors without looking back.

Her heart was racing, her hands were sweating, but Sierra wasn’t about to let that man know what he did to her. He was dangerous. She could feel it in her bones. He would want things from her that she wasn’t sure she was ready to give.

But, damn was she tempted.

Luke boarded the plane at DFW International airport, and waited patiently for the other passengers to make their way down the narrow center aisle as they looked for an optimal place to spend the next three hours. Considering patience wasn’t his strong suit, Luke mentally patted himself on the back for not running through the crowd to get where he was going.

Glancing through the cabin, he took note of the other passengers, looking for one particular person. The seat wouldn’t matter.

As he approached row eight, he noticed the dark haired beauty seated next to an equally dark haired beauty, only the other one was about twenty years older. The woman seated to Sierra’s right must have been Veronica Sellers, considering she looked like an older, more refined version of Sierra.

When he approached the row, he caught Sierra’s attention and tried to control himself.

“Morning.”

The smile she beamed at him was bright enough to rival the sun and Luke was momentarily blinded, his heart instantly kicking into overdrive.

“Good morning, Luke.” Sierra offered a prim and proper response. “I’d like you to meet my mother, Veronica.”

“Nice to see you again, Veronica. I was hoping I could steal Sierra away from you for the next few hours. If it isn’t too inconvenient.”

The grin Sierra’s mother shot at him mirrored her daughter’s initial one, but the twinkle in her eye was just for him. The million watt smile Sierra had flashed him was no longer visible, but her confusion was.

“I don’t mind at all.” Veronica stated sweetly, giving her daughter a good natured shove. “Join Mr. McCoy, Sierra. I’ll be fine.”

Luke watched the emotions play on Sierra’s face, confusion, disbelief, and then something else… Determination. Her shoulders went back, and she forced a smile, but Luke could tell she wasn’t happy with his request.

For the last twenty four hours, he’d spent his time thinking about this woman, and he vowed the moment he woke up that he wouldn’t be kept away from her any longer than he had to be. The idea of hijacking her from her mother hadn’t come to him until a few minutes before he boarded the plane, but now as he watched her reluctantly move out of the seat and into the aisle, Luke was glad he’d opted to do so.

“There are empty seats about six rows back.” He told her as he followed, a front row view to her perfect ass encased in tight, faded jeans that hugged her hips. So small, yet so incredibly curvy, the black t-shirt molded to her petite frame showcased every slight peak and valley. He’d been so engrossed in taking her in, he almost missed the way her spine straightened at his remark. He grinned to himself.

To his surprise, Sierra moved two additional rows back and to the other side of the plane, purposely ignoring his original instruction. Instantly he knew this trip was going to be more than interesting, it was going to be downright hot.

Luke allowed her to sit by the window while he took the aisle seat, offering them a degree of privacy without a third person in their row. Being that the plane was small and apparently full, Luke didn’t expect complete privacy, but he did hope to talk to her without any interruptions.

Once they were seated, and Sierra had fastened the seat belt across her tiny waist, Luke followed suit. The scent of her perfume tickled his nose and made his cock throb. No flowery fragrance for this woman. The scent was sharp, yet subtle, a hint of spice and something erotically stimulating. Her perfume suited her nicely.

“Mr. McCoy, I hope you know what you’re doing.” Sierra stated, her voice but a whisper, and for a moment, Luke thought he imagined it.

“Always.” He assured her, turning his head to look at her. Those silver-blue eyes pierced him, and he noticed she was no longer smiling.

His attention was drawn to the last few people easing down the aisle, making their way to the few seats left in the back. His eyes locked with Cole Ackerley's and memories from that one night flooded through him. When Cole’s eyes darted to the woman sitting next to Luke, something akin to fire developed hot and fierce inside of him. The other man’s interest was evident, but Cole turned his gaze away and managed a smirk, not saying a word as he passed by.

“Do you know him?” Sierra asked, catching his attention.

“Why?”

Sierra looked at him in disbelief and then turned to face forward once again. “No reason. And remind me not to ask any more questions.”

“Why’s that?” Luke asked, but Sierra simply laughed – without mirth – and it donned on him that he was answering her questions with questions of his own.

For the next half hour, they both remained quiet as the plane departed from the terminal and then made its ascent into the clear blue skies over Dallas, on their way to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Luke hadn’t seen Logan and Samantha, but he figured they had managed to secure seats at the front of the plane. Since he had been so engrossed in trying to locate Sierra, he likely just overlooked them. Although he wasn’t sure exactly where Cole was located, Luke could feel the man somewhere behind him.

“So, are we going to spend the next four days with me asking questions and you answering with questions?” Sierra’s husky voice broke the silence.

“Why would I do that?” Aiming to get a rise out of her, he hit his mark. “Damn you’re pretty when you get irritated.”

A sweet, rosy blush crept up Sierra’s neck and stained her high cheekbones, and the sight struck something deep inside of him. He didn’t know a damn thing about this woman, other than she was an interior designer who grew up in Tennessee, her mother worked for Xavier Thomas, and she was feisty as hell, but what he did know he liked. A lot.

“Ok, you win. I’ll tell you about myself.” Luke offered, wanting to put a smile on her pretty face. When she turned slightly in her chair to face him more directly, his body tensed, but he forged on.

“I was born and raised in Dallas, my parents died when Logan and I were about eight, leaving us to live with my ornery old grandfather, and truth be told, we couldn’t have selected anyone better to put up with us.”

“I’m so sorry.” Sierra consoled him, and the feel of her silky fingers against the back of his hand had a different feeling flowing through him.

“We gave him a run for his money, but the old man kept up with us like a champ.” Luke continued, not wanting to think about the soft feel of her hand or whether the rest of her was just as soft. “When we graduated from high school, Logan went off to college, and I stayed close to home, choosing to go to UTD for business.

“Up until about five years ago, I hadn’t found what I was looking for, but I managed to get some experience under my belt working at various companies usually in management of some sort. Then the club came up for sale, and Logan and I used our inheritance to purchase it, turning it into what it is today.” Luke said, glancing at Sierra.