Temptation (Club Destiny) (9 page)

She didn’t have any doubts that he would show her things she’d only ever dreamed about, that he would make her body burn unlike any man before him and any man after. Sierra had never wanted a man as much as she wanted Luke, never knew the same hunger that ate at her insides when she thought about him.

The fact that Luke didn’t touch her in any other way, besides the hot kisses, wasn’t lost on her either. Not that she was quite ready for something to happen between them, but her body throbbed for something more.

“We have to go down and meet Cole.” Luke broke the kiss and pulled away, lowering her feet back to the floor.

Her body felt cold without the warmth of him, but she situated her clothing and ran a hand over her hair, trying to gain some composure.

Luke held the door open, and she led the way down the hallway toward the bank of elevators that would take them to the casino level. Between trying to keep her feet steady when her adrenaline was coursing at an all-time high and praying she could get her breathing under control, Sierra attempted a glance at Luke. From the looks of it, he didn’t appear to be paying any attention to her.

The man was an enigma. A force to be reckoned with. Tall, dark, handsome – all of the adjectives used to describe the hero in her fantasy novels rang true for him. But there was something stronger, more powerful, that coursed just beneath the surface and that’s the part of him that she wanted to tap into.

Breaking the silence as the elevator descended, Sierra asked the question that had plagued her for the last half hour. “Is there something I should know about Cole?”

As soon as the words were out, Luke looked at her, and she saw the storm brewing in the multi colored hues of his eyes. At first she thought he would shrug her question off, but then he faced forward just as the elevator dinged the arrival at their destination.

“There’s a lot you should know about him. And you will.”

That wasn’t much to go on, but it was more than he had given her earlier on the airplane.

Sierra suspected that she had been right about the two of them. She couldn’t pinpoint what their relationship was, but she had an idea that it was more than friendship. How much more, she didn’t know, and she took the hint not to push it any further just yet.

Moving forward when Luke placed his hand at the small of her back, she allowed him to usher her out of the elevator and into the chaos that was the casino.

The world came into sharp focus the second her feet landed on the lush, velvety carpet of the casino floor. Inundated with the sights and sounds synonymous to Vegas, she tried to take it all in.

Though it was still early morning by Vegas time, the casino floor was littered with people, some standing near the elevators talking, some sitting in the large food court sharing breakfast while many were seated at the wide variety of slot machines that stood proud and tall as far as the eye could see.

The smells of food drifting from the food court made Sierra’s stomach rumble. The breakfast she had consumed a few hours ago had long since burned off, and she realized that, with the time difference, it was lunchtime back at home.

As though he could read her thoughts, Luke turned toward her. “They’re serving lunch at the conference in just about an hour. Let’s find Cole, and head over.”

Sierra nodded, remembering that she was in Vegas for a reason, and not just to find a way into Luke McCoy’s bed.

An incredulous laugh threatened, but Sierra choked it back. Finding her way into any man’s bed was about as foreign as the way her body had lit up like the fourth of July when Luke had touched her that first time in his club. The only companion she’d invited into her bed was of the silicon, vibrating variety.

Confidence was something Sierra prided herself on, yet when it came to men, Luke McCoy in particular, she wondered how much she could pretend. Being led around by her overactive libido for the last few days, Sierra had conjured up some pretty steamy images, with Luke playing the lead role, but when it came down to it, she was going on sheer determination alone.

Instead of hiding out in her hotel room like she had contemplated, she walked alongside Luke, feeling her fortitude return in small measures.

He might be a mystery, but Sierra was pretty sure she understood what drove him. She recognized the hunger in his eyes because it consumed her. She knew the determination he felt when he touched her because she desired it.

She admired his confidence, the respect his mere presence demanded, and the graceful way he moved as though he owned the place. In fact, there wasn’t a single thing about the man that she didn’t want to know more about.

The silence that lingered between them wasn’t as awkward as she anticipated as they ventured through the casino to the main doors that would lead them out on to the strip. She was grateful for the short walk that did wonders in driving down some of the hunger that had been lodged in her belly since the limo ride.

This roller coaster she was riding on was a series of dips and valleys based on sexual highs and lows and it required concentration just to take one step at a time when she wanted nothing more than to grab Luke’s hand and run, not walk, back to the hotel room where she could explore him with more than her hands.

Just when her mind was wandering dangerously close to the gutter again, Sierra was distracted by Cole, who fell into step beside them.

For the second time that day, she damn near ran right into Luke, this time having to put her hands out to keep from plowing into him. Ok, so his abrupt stops were beginning to irritate her.

“Cole Ackerley, this is Sierra Sellers. She’s Xavier Thomas’ admin’s daughter, here on business. Sierra meet Cole. He’s a representative of CISS, Corporate Investigative Security Services. Here to attend the conference as well.”

Sierra hadn’t expected such an in depth introduction, especially coming from the one word responder, so she tried to hide her astonishment. When Cole held out his hand, acting as though they hadn’t already been introduced days before by Samantha, she reached for his in turn and watched the way her fingers disappeared into his large palm.

Just like the first time they touched, Sierra felt the heat spiral low, swirling insistently in her belly. Her eyes were riveted to his long, tan, muscular arm, the light dusting of golden hair covering the ridges of muscle that flexed with each movement.

A spark jolted from her fingertips to her nipples, and she hoped her blush wasn’t evident. Turning her face up to meet his, their gazes collided, and Sierra felt her skin grow warmer.

The man was masculine beauty personified, attractive from a distance, but a true masterpiece up close.

She would’ve described Luke as being ruggedly handsome which was the polar opposite to Cole’s perfection. He was a big man, nearly the same height as Luke, but his body was thicker; the muscles in his shoulders starkly defined beneath the soft, navy blue button down he wore. His chest was broader, all hard angles and planes that she suspected no amount of clothing would disguise.

 “Nice to meet you, Sierra.” The rich timbre of Cole’s voice wrapped her in sexual awareness.

She was in so much trouble here.

“Nice to meet you.” Sierra managed to get out when Luke cleared his throat.

She flipped her gaze over to Luke and was surprised by the devilish grin on his face. Here she was, visually ogling the man she had just been introduced to and he was smiling about it.

When Luke took her hand in his, – did he actually pull her closer? – Sierra tried to ignore the fact that she was now surrounded by two of the most sexually arousing males she’d ever come into contact with.

Damn this was going to be a long day.

~~  **  ~~  **  ~~  **  ~~

Six miserably long hours later, Sierra found herself sitting in a corner of the large banquet room, cursing her shoes and wanting nothing more than to slide into a hot bath. For a man she had somehow been convinced didn’t like to talk, Luke had taken to introducing her to anyone and everyone he came into contact with, and somehow she had managed to keep up with him all day, which is where the miserable came into play. Her feet ached, her calves were on fire, and her back had long since gone on strike.

Her mother had instructed her to network, and that’s exactly what she had done. All day.

Despite the fact that Luke was not employed by XTX, or CISS for that matter, no one would have been the wiser based on the way he spoke of the two companies in such high regard as he easily greeted each and every person they came into contact with.

He introduced Sierra to people from all around, many of whom resided in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. And all of the information he’d garnered about her had been during their walk over that morning, when he had asked for a brief rundown of the types of services her company provided.

She’d given him the high level details, and apparently Luke had memorized every word based on the way he offered her name and a brief description of her services to everyone she met.

Being an entrepreneur himself, Luke was well versed in the ways of public relations. He knew how to market without making people feel overwhelmed or as though they were speaking to a sales person. Sierra was also well versed, and she had easily picked up the conversation from Luke as though the two of them had been doing the same thing for years.

By the end of the first day, she had already scheduled two appointments to meet and show her portfolio to a couple of big wigs in the Dallas area.

Sitting up straight in her chair, Sierra watched as Cole and Luke closed in on her, making their way from across the room where they had been talking to Xavier Thomas, the man she had been introduced to earlier in the day by Veronica.

It dawned on her that she’d often referred to those she generally associated with as being big, but she realized as she watched the two men that she had been speaking in relative terms. At four feet, ten and three quarter inches – yes, she tacked on every fraction – she often felt inadequate.

However, seeing these two predatory males as they approached, both of them standing well over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and wide chests, carried by powerfully thick thighs, Sierra realized she hadn’t known what big actually meant. These men took up some serious real estate with their massive forms.

The smile Cole threw her way sent a warm shiver straight down her spine, and she immediately felt some of the strain of the day wear off. Secretly, she had wished that Luke would smile at her similarly, but he looked distracted and intent.

“Are you two nearly finished?” She asked, rising from her chair.

With both men so close, sitting was not an option. Though she was a full foot and some change shorter than either of them, standing was the only way to bring herself to a more even playing field. Never having been intimidated by those who were larger than she was, there was something about them that made her feel much smaller and vastly more feminine than she ever had before.

“I need to take care of a few things, so why don’t you and Cole have dinner and meet me back at the casino in two hours.” Luke offered, moving in close to her.

Standing beside him, she had to look up to see his face, the warmth of his body and the spicy, sexy scent of his cologne an all too familiar feeling at this point. A surge of disappointment came over her at his inability to join them for dinner, but when Sierra looked up at Cole, the disappointment faded.

“I made reservations for two at the steakhouse in the hotel under Cole’s name. I’ll try and get away as soon as possible.” Luke stated as he leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

Unable to hide her surprise, Sierra was forced to hold herself upright. His kiss was tender and familiar. Like they had shared that same kiss every day for as long as she could remember. Keeping in mind where they were, and who was still hanging around, Sierra pulled back quickly, giving Luke a flashy smile.

Before she had a chance to say anything, Luke was walking away and Sierra was left staring after him. When Cole cleared his throat, she darted her eyes to him, seeing the sexy smile that eased some of the tension she had felt moments earlier.

“Shall we?” He asked, holding out his arm so she could hook her hand inside the crook of his elbow.

“Absolutely.” Without hesitation, Sierra took hold of his arm, feeling the play of his well-toned muscles beneath her fingers as he led her through the banquet hall, back through the casino and out onto the strip.

The wonders of Vegas were upon her when she stepped outside to find it was already dark, and the lights of the strip filled every crook and crevice of the buildings around them. Snaking through the throngs of people, she stayed close to Cole as they made their way across the pedestrian bridge.

“How did you meet Luke?” Sierra asked when they had to stop to let a large group of people go by.

“At the club.” He offered, glancing down at her when he spoke.

His uniquely masculine scent was equally as arousing as Luke’s but in an entirely different way. Sierra found that she liked being close to Cole, and she was strangely attracted to him despite the fact that she found herself overwhelmingly attracted to another man at the same time. Maybe it was the vibe she got from both Luke and Cole.