Chapter 10

Luke grinned down at her, rinsing the last of the bubbles from his legs. As AJ turned off the water, he opened the shower doors and reached for the two towels hanging there. He pulled the doors partially shut, keeping some of the steam about them. He tossed one towel over his shoulder, then held out the other one.

When AJ reached out to take it, he pulled it out of her reach. At her puzzled look, he smiled.

“Allow me, please.” He wrapped the towel about her shoulders and gently wiped the water from her neck and breasts. He moved the towel down her back, using the half of the towel in front to wipe her belly dry. His hands reached around her and cupped her butt through the towel as he dried the small of her back, her butt and her thighs. He pulled the towel out from behind her and he knelt on one knee at her feet.

He nudged apart her legs, and he delicately dried the curls of hair at the apex of her thighs. Then he slowly slid his towel-covered hand between her legs and dried her there. She moaned with pleasure.

“No, you won’t be getting number two in the shower. We have to step out for that,” he said with a deliciously wicked grin.

Annie pulled the folded towel from his shoulders as Stone stood to his full height before her. She shook the towel open and pressed it to his chest. She let her hands roam over the towel, exploring his body in a new way, moving her hands from his chest down his hips to his thighs. She sat back on her heels and dried the water from the front of his powerful legs, then reached to dry the backs of them. As she stood up, her hands massaged his ass again – she just couldn’t resist. As she partially stepped behind him, she dried his broad back and shoulders. She pressed his hair between her hands in the towel and tousled his damp hair when she was done. The just-out-of-bed look suited him, and she smiled.

Luke took the towel from her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. “Thank you. I don’t think anyone’s run their fingers through my hair like that in a long time. I forgot how good it felt.”

Annie shuddered as he placed another kiss on her palm. Not on her knuckles, as was ‘proper’ to do, so long ago. No – this was a much more intimate kiss. Stone kissed her on her palm, and she felt vulnerable, soft, and ultra-feminine.

She was suddenly very aware of her nakedness as three drops of cool water dripped down her back. She took the towels from Stone’s hands and made quick work of drying her long hair. She stepped out of the shower first, and looked around for her robe, shortly remembering that she’d hung it in the closet. Oh well. If he could stand there, proud of his nakedness, she could too. She took her hairbrush from her travel bag and turned to the mirror. She started to brush her hair out but Stone’s hand on hers stopped her. He pulled up her fingers one by one and took the brush from her hands. He looked over her head in the mirror and smiled.

“May I?” he motioned with the brush. “I wanted to get my fingers in your gorgeous locks since I saw you at the pool. You have no idea how incredibly sexy your hair is, do you?” he asked when she’d looked at him in surprise.

“When you were stripping, before the shower, I was turned on. When you started to undo your braid and your hair started settling around your shoulders like a cloud… Well, I just about lost it, right there.”

“What do you mean, you almost lost it?” she asked him as he pulled the brush through her hair in long strokes.

“I mean, I almost lost it. I just about came right there, in my pants, like a randy teenager. The thought of coming before I got to dip into your warm heat… well, that lit a fire under me. A fire that very near consumed me with desire to be in you. You’re a very witchy woman, do you know that, AJ? You’re a mystery to me, and I’d like to spend a long time trying to figure you out.”

Stone turned out the light in the bathroom and made his way over to the bed, where Annie was turning down the coverlet. He brushed his hand along the side of her face, cupping her chin in his hand.

Annie blushed. She’d never been spoken to like that before. His words made heat pool… and that made her damp. And she’d never been called a ‘witchy woman’ before. It made her feel… exotic. She pulled her hair into her hands and wrapped it up in a loose knot, which she secured with a few ebony ‘chopsticks’ from her travel bag.

“You’re most adorable when you blush like that. Sort of an ‘innocent virgin’ blush, in opposition with your experienced ways. So enchanting…” he murmured as he bent forward to sniff her.

She turned and placed her hands on his chest. “Thank you,” she said as she placed a kiss on his chin. “No man has ever done anything as basic and mundane as brush my hair out for me before.”

“Brushing out your hair isn’t mundane. It was mesmerizing. I could sit for hours with my hands in your hair, but what I’d like to see…” he bent and scooped her into his arms. “I’d like to see what you look like with your hair spread around your face on your pillow.”

Stone half-dropped, half-laid her down on the bed. Annie looked up in his face and was met with a look of complete exhaustion. The left side of her mouth lifted up in a smirk and she let out a small chuckle.

“Well, tell you what. Why don’t we just cuddle for a little bit and try to catch our breath. We can rest up a bit before round two.” She patted the bed in front of her as she scooted over to the other side of the bed.

“Can’t beat an offer like that,” said Luke as he climbed in bed next to her. “Resting up sounds pretty good right about now, AJ. You really wore me out today.”

“Hmmm. If I wore you out, I guess it’s only fair that I make you feel better, then. Roll over and lay on your stomach. Let’s see if I can’t make you feel a little bit better.”

Luke rolled over, wondering what AJ had up her sleeve now, when he felt her soft hands slide up his spine. He let out a groan of pleasure as her fingers splayed over his shoulders and she began kneading his tired muscles. Slowly, she worked her way down his back, massaging any knots of tension she found along the way.
Annie was very tempted to get her hands on his ass again, but she skipped down to his legs instead, knowing he’d appreciate the rubdown on his calves.

As AJ shifted her weight on the bed, Luke moved the pillow to a more comfortable position under his head. Man, did she have talented hands! he thought as he smiled to himself. AJ seemed to know just where his legs needed the most attention.
“You know, AJ, I can’t remember the last time it felt this good to be this tired,” Luke said with a smile and a sigh.

Annie looked over at Stone as his eyes drifted shut and smiled in agreement. “Yeah, I know just what you mean.”

She softened her touch from a firm kneading to a gentle rubbing as she let her hands roam over Stone’s legs. She moved them up his body, allowing herself the pleasure of exploring his ass along the way. She smiled to herself as she did, laughing at how his rear end practically glowed in comparison to the rest of his tanned body. But when her hands moved up to his back, Annie noticed Stone’s deep breathing. She leaned forward and brushed a kiss on his cheek. He didn’t move a muscle. Why, he’s sound asleep! Annie reached over to fluff up her pillows. Not a bad idea – I should get some sleep myself.

Annie was about to pull the sheet up around her when she looked over at the alarm clock on the night side table. It’s well after eleven! I completely forgot about looking for Luke London!

She quietly slipped from the bed, groping for something to put on. The first thing she found was her swimsuit, so she quickly slipped into it, thankful it wasn’t wet. Ok, not the greatest but she had her swimsuit cover-up hanging right outside the bathroom. She slipped it on and quietly searched for her room key card. If anyone asks, I can just say I was down at the pool, Annie thought to herself. Happy with her plausible explanation, she slipped out the door and headed to the elevator.

Once Annie reached the lobby, she grabbed a daily newspaper and sat down at a table off to the side of the main lobby area. From there, she had a pretty good view of anyone arriving to check in. She looked around for Luke while she pretended to read the paper for a good ten minutes. Annie looked at her cell phone – the clock there read 11:42pm. She flipped through another few pages in the paper, then walked up to the front desk.

“Good evening, miss, how can I help you?” asked the perky young clerk behind the counter.

Annie self-consciously brushed her hair back behind her ear. “Yes, I wanted to know if another member of the wedding party had checked in yet. His name is Luke London.”
The clerk entered the name into the computer and almost instantly Annie had her answer. “Yes, miss, he’s already checked in.”

Damn, I missed him. He must be a pretty fast driver to have already gotten in from Lihue, and driving in the dark too. Damn! I was so sure that I’d run into him here ---

“Will there be anything else, miss?” the clerk interrupted Annie’s thoughts.
At least the girl behind the counter knew that she was a Miss. “No, thank you for your help tonight.” Annie turned to go back upstairs, when she had a thought. “Could I leave him a message?”

“Certainly, miss. Here’s some paper and an envelope. Just jot it down and it’ll be waiting for him right here.”

Annie picked up the pen and wrote: Luke – glad you made it to Kauai. Mark can’t make it for golf. I would like to meet for lunch to discuss wedding details. She debated telling Luke her room number. After all, she’d never even met the guy. So what if he was her best friend’s soon-to-be-husband’s brother? That didn’t make him any less of a stranger to Annie. Leave a message for me at the front desk. Let me know when you’re available to talk. Thanks – Annie

She folded the paper and tucked it into the envelope. Annie handed it to the clerk behind the counter, who wrote “London, Luke” across the front. There. That should do it, Annie thought as she walked out of the lobby. If I can’t chase Luke down, at least he’d get this message, and then he’ll know that Mark won’t be meeting him for golf tomorrow. Annie shook her head in mild frustration. Sure isn’t easy being a wedding coordinator! she thought with mild amusement as she rang for the elevator.

Luke woke up to an eerie silence being disturbed by someone trying to get in the door. His first thought is that he’s got to get up and protect AJ, when he realized that she’s not in bed next to him. Just then, the door opened a crack and Luke watched a slender figure slip through the crack. He reached over and turned on the lamp, squinting his eyes at the brightness of the light.

“AJ?” he asked, trying to piece the scene together. Sure enough, it was AJ, dressed in her swimsuit and cover-up. “I thought you were in bed with me.”

“Oh… I was, Stone. But, um… I – ahh – I got up to get some ice. And – ahh – I forgot the ice bucket. So I had to come back.”

“You went to get ice?” Luke’s eyes had adjusted to the light and he looked at her, puzzled with her explanation. “Why’d you go get ice?”

“Oh. Ummm, I guess I was thirsty. But I didn’t know what for,” replied Annie.
Luke pulled back the covers and gave the bed a pat. With the devil’s own grin on his face, he smiled up at AJ and wiggled his eyebrows. “Come here, I’ll show you what you’re thirsting for.”

Annie was already stepping out of her swimsuit when Stone reached out his hand in invitation. She slid in between the sheets and he reached for her. Their lips met with a fevered urgency and Annie was breathless with anticipation. Her roaming fingers caressed his arms, then his ribs, but when she encircled his iron hard shaft with her fingers, Stone lifted her up by her hips and then rolled her captive beneath him.

“Not yet, AJ. I want to kiss you all over first…” his words stopped when Luke bent his head and took her nipple in his mouth. She was silky sweet and smelled faintly of coconut.

Stone had a tongue of magic. There was no other way to describe what he was doing to her. There was an incredible energy pulsating through her veins and Annie was sure he could feel her racing heartbeat. He sucked her nipple and she felt that intense pulling sensation all the way down to her clit. Her back arched, and Stone greedily lapped at what she so generously offered. Where the first round in the shower was explosive, fast, hard and furious, not to mention a test of balance, this is slow, exploring, sensuous and it lasted a lot longer.