A Wilder Name Read online

  “I just wanted you to see how a gentleman operates.”

  “Do you really want me to behave like that, Nina?” Luke asked doubtfully.

  “No,” she said after a pause. It was true, she didn’t. Everything about Luke was genuine. And magnetic. He didn’t need polite chatter and schooled manners. He exuded friendly warmth, good humor and, above all, masculine sex appeal. He didn’t need window dressing.

  “Then what do you want, Nina?”

  “I would just like you to be a little ... easier.”

  “I’d like you to be a little easier. But I don’t think either of us can be.”

  Nina had no answer to that.

  After an uncomfortable silence, Luke said, “Look, I’m going to make a pot of coffee, and then we’ll sit comfortably and talk like civilized adults. Can I count on you not to bolt for the door while I’m in the kitchen?”

  That made her angry again. “I’m not a coward, Luke.”

  His look was appraising as he said, “No, I know you’re not. I’ll only be a minute.”

  While he was gone, Nina had a chance to notice her surroundings for the first time. His apartment was located in an old building with vast rooms and big windows overlooking the park. The furniture was all comfortable and solid, made of walnut or mahogany. He had overflowing bookcases everywhere, beautiful Indian handicrafts, and handembroidered pillows—those must have come from his mother. There were many paintings and drawings on the walls, which Nina studied with a well-trained eye. Despite the episode at the exhibition today, his taste in art was rather good if surprisingly traditional.

  Nothing technically matched, but everything worked together. It was a welcoming place. As with her own apartment, his preoccupation with music was evident in stereo equipment, guitars and a piano, stacks of music, albums, tapes, and other paraphernalia.

  The coup de grâce, in Nina’s opinion, was the carpet, thick and soft and springy. She kicked off her shoes to enjoy its texture beneath her stocking feet.

  Luke came back into the room with a well-laden tray which he plunked down on the coffee table. Nina came to sit near him while he poured the coffee.

  “How do you take your coffee?” he asked.

  “Cream and sugar.”

  “And I take mine black,” he said dryly. Their eyes met, and a soft smile of amusement passed between them. Was there anything they did alike?

  Nina stirred her coffee and studied Luke from under her lashes. He was calm and relaxed again. Although his temper was quick to flare, it was also quick to subside. And despite his rather frank way of expressing himself, he really was honest and fair; he also genuinely wanted to hear the truth from others, whether or not it was pleasant. Nina admitted to herself that she respected him for that. The question was, could she deal with this human whirlwind on a regular basis?

  He had dressed rather nicely for the exhibition today. Now, in the privacy of his apartment, he had flung off the sports jacket, unbuttoned the top of his shirt and kicked off his shoes. He ran his hand through his hair, rumpling the long dark waves. He sat back in his easy chair looking more comfortable, looking a bit wilder, looking like the Luke she was coming to know.

  Luke’s eyes met Nina’s again, his expression soft and wistful now. “I haven’t said how beautiful you look today. You always look beautiful. I’m looking forward to seeing you first thing in the morning to find out if you always look this good, or if you’re human like the rest of us.”

  Nina shifted nervously. “I’m human, take my word for it.”

  “I’d rather find out for myself. I’ll enjoy it more,” he said softly.

  Nina’s mouth went dry, and she was at a loss for words. She was smitten with an image of Luke first thing in the morning, warm and relaxed, sleepy and affectionate. It made her ache. She wanted to cross the space between them, slide onto his lap, and let his strong, sheltering arms enfold her. He woke liquid fire in her veins when he touched her. He would be the answer to the hungry nights and restless days that had tormented her since meeting him.

  “I can’t sleep with someone I can’t even ... have a civilized conversation with,” she said uncertainly.

  “Of course you can,” he said in amusement. “Civilized conversation is for casual acquaintances, Nina. I want honesty from you. And I think I’ve made it clear that I want to be much more than a casual acquaintance.”

  His dark eyes burned into her, making her feel vulnerable and self-conscious. She stood up quickly and walked to the window. As she looked out at the fiery November colors on the trees in the park, she heard Luke come up softly behind her. He slid his arms around her waist and nuzzled her hair. Nina felt herself sinking into the luxuriance of his embrace, the hot excitement of his touch, the lushness of his passion.

  “You’re pushing me,” she accused shakily.

  “I know,” he admitted softly. He turned her to face him. “You’re confused, we’re on my home turf, and I’m pressing my advantage unfairly.” He kissed her, a soft kiss full of restrained passion and veiled promises.

  “This isn’t fair,” Nina said weakly when he pressed her head against his shoulder.

  “True,” he said ruefully, “but it’s working.” He kissed her hair and rubbed her back with knowing hands. “Listen to me.”

  “I’m listening”

  “I can handle criticism, fights, and conflict. I’m willing to compromise, and I’m going to try hard to be someone you can get along with. But there’s one thing I can’t handle.” He gripped her shoulders and held her away from him. His eyes had that determined look again.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “I can’t handle your threatening to walk out every time things get rough. I can’t walk away from you, Nina; but if you can’t commit yourself to really trying with me, then please, please, walk away from me now for good. Or else, make a decision to stick with me. It’s driving me crazy. Every time I see you, I wonder if it’s going to be the last time.”

  It was true, she realized. She was afraid, so she kept trying to find a way out. It was unfair, considering how honest he’d always been about his attraction to her. And it was cowardly, considering how attracted she was to him.

  “It’s just that I find you so provoking,” she said helplessly.

  “You find me scary.”

  “Maybe.”

  “It’s okay. I’m scared, too. We could both get hurt.”

  “I’ve been hurt before, Luke. I don’t want to go through something like that again,” Nina said with a tight throat.

  “So what’s your solution? To live up on a pedestal where no one can reach you?” he challenged.

  “I’m not like that!”

  “No, you’re not. That’s why I want you down here on the ground with me. We may never find much in common, but we won’t know until we try. And what does that matter, anyhow? I care about you, I respect you, I have fun when I’m with you, and,” he added, pulling her closer and brushing his lips across hers, “there is this. All in all, I’d say we’ve got a lot to work with.”

  Nina closed her eyes and raised her face for another kiss, another sweet moment to soften the truth of his words.

  “Look at me, Nina,” he commanded. She did. His eyes were almost hard. “I’m not going to sweep you off your feet so you can claim later that this is all my fault. This is too important to me, Nina. You’re an adult. You have to make your own decisions. You already know what I want.” He kissed her forehead softly and moved away from her.

  Nina’s bemused gaze followed him as he gathered up the coffee things and took them back into the kitchen.

  She had wanted him to make things easy for her, she thought, to free her of accepting the responsibility of her choices in this case. Of course he wouldn’t. She should have known that. He was an honest and demanding man who would accept no feeble half measures in a relationship.

  So what did she want? She knew in her heart that she needed to decide today, before she left the apartment. Their fe
elings for each other were snowballing too fast for them to keep drifting through occasional dates while she tried to make up her mind.

  She was frightened. He made her vulnerable, he kept her off balance, he could hurt her horribly if she let him get closer.

  She looked at the door. If she walked out now there would be no more shouting matches, no more fury, no more of this confused fear. And all the possibilities she was beginning to glimpse in herself would be gone, too. She’d regret it forever. She had to know what was waiting for her with him.

  Luke came back into the room after a few minutes. She saw his wary expression and realized that, having made his stand, he was worried about the outcome. He’d already said he was scared, too. She was glad she wasn’t the only one.

  He looked at her.

  “Okay,” she said simply.

  “Okay?” he said warily.

  “I mean, okay, I won’t talk about not seeing you anymore. I’ll try to be more flexible. I’m ... in for the whole ride.”

  His whole body relaxed, his expression softened, and his eyes gleamed. For the first time she realized just how tense he’d been all day.

  “I’m ... glad,” he said with a slight catch in his voice. Then he added with teasing smugness, “I knew you’d see it my way.”

  Nina rolled her eyes. They smiled at each other. They were physically separated by the width of the room, yet emotionally they were the closest they’d ever been. Intimacy and affection flowed between them.

  “What now?” Nina asked breathlessly.

  His dark eyes traveled over her body with that peculiar combination of tenderness and insolence that was so much a part of his personality. “We could ... celebrate,” he suggested softly.

  He moved toward her slowly, like a man in a dream. A smoldering fire was growing within those depthless eyes as they met and held Nina’s. He came so close to her she could feel his body heat, but still he did not touch her.

  “Celebrate?” she whispered, backing away from him. She wasn’t sure she was ready for this.

  He nodded. A slow, lazy smile spread across his face. “I know an age-old ritual, just perfect for the occasion.” He reached out and captured both her hands in his.

  “Maybe ... we could just open a bottle of champagne instead,” she suggested weakly.

  “I hate champagne,” he murmured. He pulled her against him suddenly and lightly flicked his tongue across her soft lips. “And what I’ve got in mind tastes much better.”

  “Oh, my,” Nina said. She had meant to say that she wasn’t ready for this and thought they should stop while they could, but somehow the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth.

  She felt his hands on the zipper of her dress, felt him slide it down slowly and pull the wool away from her soft shoulders. She heard a whimper of desire come from her throat as the dress slid down her body and she stood before him in her lacy full slip.

  His eyes met hers, and he paused. His passionate expression was clouded by concern. His voice was husky when he spoke. “I don’t want to do anything you’re not ready for yet. We can stop now, if you’re not sure.”

  She looked at his strong face, so full of courage and integrity. Everything lived on the surface with him, his passion and his doubt so easy to see. What was there to be afraid of? She wanted to know him as well as she could. This was simply another beginning.

  “Do you want me to take you home?” he asked softly.

  Full of new confidence and certainty, Nina shook her head.

  “Nina...”

  “Put your hands on me,” she invited softly. She longed for his touch.

  For once he agreed without argument. Luke pulled her against him and his hands slid slowly up the soft material of her slip, over her smooth bottom, up her slender back, around her shoulders, over her breasts, moving down her narrow waist to the full contours of her hips.

  “God, you feel good,” he said huskily.

  “It’s pure silk.”

  “I didn’t mean that.”

  His hands moved up to touch the delicate, classical contours of her face in wonder, gently stroking her cheekbones, tracing the full shape of her lips, following the line of her chin and jaw.

  Nina was no less curious about him. Her slender hands slowly traced his eyebrows, the strong bones of his face, the firm column of his neck. He tenderly kissed the palm she pressed against his cheek.

  Nothing in Nina’s life had prepared her for the depth of her desire for him. With an incoherent cry she threw her arms around his neck, pressing her mouth to his mouth, her body to his body. Their passion turned fierce and hungry. The pent-up frustration of waiting and wanting was unleashed between them now, and they clung to each other savagely, neither asking nor giving gentleness.

  Luke’s lips forced Nina’s apart. His mouth was hot, insistent, demanding. Their tongues joined in a wild dance of mating, a delicious prelude of things to come. His hands were everywhere, stroking her hair, touching her face, restlessly moving over her back, pressing her hips closer to his.

  Impatiently, Luke peeled off Nina’s slip and stockings. She stood naked before him, surprised at her own boldness. She drew astonishing pleasure from the admiration she saw in his eyes, and the body she had cultivated for her work took on a new and thrilling meaning as a vessel for her lover’s pleasure.

  “My God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured in wonder, as his gaze traveled over her full pink-tipped breasts, her flat belly, and the patch of silky dark hair at the exciting V where her firm thighs came together. “Absolutely beautiful. Nina, Nina ... take my shirt off.”

  With frantic, trembling fingers she helped him unbutton his shirt and shrug it off. She buried her face against his chest, intoxicated by his male scent, the smooth hard feel of his shoulders, the strong muscular frame pressing against her.

  Arms wrapped around each other, bodies straining together as they hungrily kissed and caressed each other, they sank slowly onto the soft, plush carpet.

  They rolled over a few times until they bumped into something and then rolled the other way, never once pausing in the fevered kisses they exchanged.

  Finally, flat on her back, dizzy and drugged with passion, Nina pulled her mouth away and sought Luke’s eyes with her own. The passion and the promise in his look started a slow burning fire in the pit of her stomach. She shifted slightly, and as if he knew her body better than she, his hand moved down to massage the ache.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “No, that just makes it worse.” She sighed.

  “Want me to stop?” he teased.

  “No,” she said firmly.

  He did though, moving his hand up to massage her breasts, shifting himself away from her slightly so he could watch.

  Nina sighed deeply and the ache grew as Luke explored the soft, white mounds of her breasts, learning their shape, stroking and squeezing, teasing the nipples into rosy peaks. She watched him watch her body, taking fierce pleasure in his pleasure in her.

  He lowered his dark head to taste her firm flesh, wreaking havoc with Nina’s senses. His hot lips scorched her skin. His teasing tongue stroked and enticed a taut nipple before he took it into his mouth. His gentle sucking and nibbling drove Nina wild. She arched her back, moaning uncontrollably. She pressed his head closer, closer as her hands stroked his thick, dark hair, feeling it curl sensuously around her fingers. Her hands moved restlessly, searchingly over his shoulders, exploring the strong, rippling muscles of his back, the flexing biceps of his arms, touching his strong hands as they moved with sureness over her writhing body.

  Nina pushed herself away from him a bit and fumbled with his belt buckle. He watched her for a moment, kissing her hair, stroking her back.

  Finally he said, “Want help?”

  She threw up her hands in exasperation. Luke took off his belt, tossed it across the room, and unfastened his jeans.

  “Can you manage the rest?” he asked huskily.

  He lay back on his elbows and watched Nina
tug off his jeans. Her eyes widened slightly at one point, but she didn’t stop until the task was complete.

  He was magnificent, as she had known he would be—long and lean, strong and smoothly muscled.

  “No tan line?” she asked pointedly.

  “Private beach,” he said, grinning.

  “Whose beach?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Nina, this isn’t the time to talk about my past.”

  With a slow, delicious smile Nina slid up the length of his body, enjoying the luxurious feeling of his strong thighs against her belly, his hard stomach against her breasts.

  When they met face-to-face she kissed him with a slow, lingering passion. She could feel the hot evidence of his desire pressing against her thighs as they gazed into each other’s eyes. She moved against him provocatively. Luke caught his breath. His hands moved restlessly on her.

  Nina slid down his body again, exploring him as he had explored her, tasting, touching, teasing until, with a stifled groan, he dragged her up, rolled her over, and lay on top of her.

  Her playfulness was gone in an instant.

  “Please, please, now,” Nina sobbed with passion as he kissed her breasts.

  Nina held her breath as Luke slowly, gently joined their bodies, savoring the warm delight, drawing out the first moment of their union.

  They rocked together, slowly at first, their bodies moving as one, limbs intertwining, lips and tongues caressing.

  Soon a primitive force as old as time swept through Nina, urging her on, and she writhed fiercely against Luke. Nina lost all conscious awareness of herself. She knew only her undeniable urge to mate with this man.

  Nina moaned, clinging to Luke as wave after wave of shattering pleasure tore through her. It was incredible. And she knew by the way he clung to her and groaned her name that he felt it, too. There was nothing else like it on earth. This is why we’re here, she thought.

  Nina lay quietly in Luke’s arms for some time afterward. He seemed to feel as spent and exhausted as she felt. After what seemed an eternity, Luke shifted slightly, then moved down her body, kissing her neck, her full breasts, the smooth skin of her ribs. He lay with his head on her stomach and held her hands.