Pucking Sweet: An MMF Workplace Hockey Romance (Jacksonville Rays Book 3)

“What did you just say?”

Behind me, I can feel the tension rolling off Lukas in waves. I don’t dare turn around. “You think you can’t have me, and I’m saying that you can. I mean, if you—only if you want to,” I finish, tucking my hair behind my ear.

The elevator stops at floor five and the doors whoosh open.

Lukas shakes his head. I see the reflection of it in the steel wall panel. “Just get out, Poppy. You’re still drunk. Go sleep it off.”

I spin around, eyes wide. “I’m totally not. Look!” I stand on one leg, wobbling a bit as I tap my nose with my left finger, then my right. “That’s just the heels,” I say defensively, lowering my foot to the floor.

He grins, crossing his arms as he leans against the elevator wall.

“Hey, you try to flamingo in heels.”

“Try it in skates, and I’ll try it in heels.”

The doors shut behind me. “Oh, shoot.”

If he’s really going to turn me down right now, I need to be able to make a quick exit. I slam my thumb on the “door open” button and step out. Holding the door with my hand, I give this one last try. “Okay, look, I’m tipsy, but I’m not drunk. I’m tired and lonely and sad and yeah, let’s face it, I’m pretty much a hot mess. But I’m also horny, and for one night only I am saying yes. So, if you want the universe to hand you something without you having to fight for it for once, then here I am. Now, are you in or out?”

He searches my face, those caramel eyes unraveling me. Then the corner of his mouth twitches with a smirk. “Show me the flamingo again.”

“Goodnight, Lukas.” I let the door go, spinning away. “Hope the elevator doesn’t crash,” I call over my shoulder.

He laughs, following me out. “Poppy, wait.” He wraps his hand around my wrist.

I try to tug free. “Let me go.”

He weaves his fingers in with mine, holding on as he follows me down the long, narrow hallway. “Pop—”

“I’ve had enough emotional battering for one day, and I really can’t bear to be teased by you right now. So, please, just go back to the elevator—”

“I never said no.”

I glance over my shoulder. He’s still holding my hand, his grip steady, calm as a rock. I search his face, taking comfort in the familiar gold flecks in his pretty caramel eyes. “Then what are you saying?”

Lukas sighs, glancing around. “I’m saying, if we do this, we both know it will be a terrible mistake.”

“Huge,” I whisper, heart in my throat.

His hand brushes along my shoulder and down my arm, raising gooseflesh as he goes. “I mean, it’s me.” His hand starts trailing back up, and I think I’m going to melt into the floor. “And it’s you…”

I lean into him, my free hand resting on his hip. “I’m well aware that you’re an obnoxious, egotistical ass.”

He cups my cheek, his fingers smoothing my hair back as he wraps his hand around to hold my nape. These points of connection feel magnetic—his hand in mine, my fingers brushing the curve of his hip. Neither of us can pull away.

“And you’re a ball-busting harpy witch,” he assures me. “But you’re also so gorgeous you knock the air out of my chest when you walk in the fucking room.”

I tip my head back. “And you make my tongue feel like it’s too big for my mouth.”

“And that’s—” He blinks, pulling away slighting. “Wait, is that a good thing?”

“Apparently.” I slip my hand under the hem of his shirt, my fingers brushing the bare skin of his side.

He jolts. In a blink, he’s cursing and backing away from me, nearly hitting his hip on the little decorative side table holding a tacky gold lamp. “Fuck, we need ground rules.” He drags both hands through his hair, which just puts his tatted biceps on display, flexing those chest muscles in his too-tight shirt. “Come on, you’re the rule-maker here. Tell me what I can do. Better yet, tell me what I can’t do before I lose my fucking mind.”

“One night only,” I say.

“Obviously.”

“And no one can know.”

“Duh. Do you have any idea what this would do to my reputation if it got out? No good-time bunny would ever look at me twice again.”

“Why?”

“Uhh, hello.” He waves a frantic hand at me from head to toe. “Look at you.”

I brush a self-conscious hand down the front of my dress. “What’s wrong with me?”

“You’re a total boyfriend girl. The bunnies will all think I’ve moved on. They’ll think I’m suddenly looking for commitment. The news will spread that Lukas Novikov is finally ready for the house and the kids and the dog. That cannot happen. Do you understand?”

“No one will know,” I say again. “One night only. Please, Lukas. I just want to feel something. Please, can you help me with that . . . as a friend?”

He sighs, looking me up and down one more time. “Fine. On one condition.”

Hope blooms in my chest. Oh god, is this really happening? Are we doing this? “What?” I ask, trying not to sound too eager.

Those caramel eyes flash with hunger as he takes a step away from the wall. “Kiss me again.”

My heart stops. “What?”

“Show me what it feels like when you’re not pretending for the sake of some handsy douche. Kiss me because you actually want to, because you wanna kiss me.” Lukas stands there, holding his vulnerability in his hands, asking me not to break it. Just like me, he wants to be wanted. He wants to feel seen for exactly who he is.

Oh, we are so doing this.

I cross to his side, my clutch dropping to the floor as I wrap both my hands around his neck and pull him down to me. Then I kiss him because I want to. His mouth slants over mine, and his hands are on me, first bracing possessively at my back, then sliding down to my hips.

He groans, his tongue dancing with mine. Then he spins us around, pressing me up against the wall. “Can I touch you?”

“Yes,” I pant. “Please god, yes—”

“Where?”

“Anywhere. Everywhere. Please, just don’t stop.”

With a feral sound, he wraps both hands around me, cupping my ass. I love the strength of his touch. He lifts me off the floor, pressing me against the wall with his hips. My little blue dress bunches at my waist as my legs wrap around him. I graze my nails over his shoulders and kiss his neck.

“Oh, fuck.” He braces me with one hand as the other dives into my hair.

“Do I pass the test?” I say in his ear. “Can you feel how much I want you? If not, there are other places you can check besides my mouth.”

“Such a goddamn fucking tease,” he growls, sucking on my neck. The sensation lights me up inside, turning my core from flickering flames into molten lava. “If you’re about to tell me you keep busting balls even when a guy is balls deep, we’re gonna have to find something to do with this smart mouth.”

I laugh, wiggling my hips until I find what I want. “Oh god.” His hard dick presses against my pussy, and I’m flying. “Please. Please, please, don’t make me wait.”

“Fuck,” he says again, one hand roughly cupping my chin. “Say you want this.” I move my hips against him, and he presses me harder against the wall. “Say it.”

“I want this.”

“Say it again.”

I tip my head back. “I want you, Lukas. Now, stop second-guessing and stick your pretty dick in me.”

His hand slips down between us and he cups me hard, practically pinning me to the wall by my pussy. “Listen to me, you spoiled fucking princess. I am going to fuck you in this tight little cunt until you scream.” He rubs his hand up and down, stimulating my clit until I’m moaning. “You’ve gone three years without sex, right?”

My heart races as I nod.

He kisses me again, hard and fast. “Good. From this moment forward, I can guarantee you won’t go three fucking minutes without thinking about how hard I made you come. This can be for one night only, and no one ever has to know…but you’ll know. Won’t you, Princess?”

I nod again. “Yes.”

“Tomorrow, we’ll go back to trading chirps and annoying the shit out of each other, but you’ll bother me knowing exactly what my dick can do to you.” He shifts his hold on me, his fingers brushing my inner thigh. “You’ll know how it feels when I come inside you, and you’ll know I know how this sweet pussy feels squeezing my cock as you shatter.”

“Lukas, please,” I say on a whimper, my entire body coiled tight, ready to burst.

“Tell me one more time. You want this, Princess?”

My hands tighten on his shoulders, my nails pinching in. “Call me ‘Princess’ again, and I’ll knee you in the balls.”

He grins, dropping me to the floor. “Where’s your room?”

“507.”

He ducks down and picks up my discarded clutch. I weave my fingers in with his and lead him down the hall. We stop in front of the door, and I drop his hand to rifle in my clutch for the room key. He presses in at my back, hands on my hips, kissing my neck. “Was that asshole hard while he was dancing with you?” he asks in my ear.

“I hardly noticed,” I reply, distractedly flicking through my thin stack of cards again.

He flips my hair off my other shoulder and kisses his way up to the spot behind my ear, his tongue teasing. When he starts to suck, I sink against him with a little moan. All the while, his hands stroke up and down my sides, his fingers brushing the underside of my breasts then dancing away.

“You’re gonna make me drop this clutch, and then we’ll have to start this all over.”

He hums a laugh, pressing in with his hips as he finally cups my breasts.

“Oh, god.” I tip my head back as he massages me. I feel the rumble of pleasure in his chest as my nipples peak under his palms.

“Did you let him touch you here?”

“No,” I whisper.

He drops a hand down, cupping my pussy again. “Did he touch you here?”

“No—ah—” I stumble forward, catching myself with one hand on the door, palm pressed flat. He slips his hand up under my dress, and now he’s grazing a finger over my pussy lips. There’s another hum of approval when he feels how damp my panties are.

“Were you wet for him too, Poppy? Or is this all for me?”

I flash him a smile over my shoulder, pressing back against him with my hips. “Wouldn’t you like to know—” I gasp as he digs his fingers into my hair. He speaks right in my ear, his voice hoarse as he holds me possessively by my pussy.

“One thing to know about me is I don’t fucking share, Poppy. Did I not just tell you I’m a jealous person? I don’t care if there’s been other men. Fuck a thousand other men. But when I ask you if there are others, you will tell me no. Understand?”

I nod, wholly turned on by this possessive side of him. It feels good to feel this wanted, this desired. And Lukas would never hurt me. I know if I said “stop” right now, he would back away and bid me a goodnight. I move my hips against him, ready to soothe his worry. “Put your fingers in me,” I whisper, still braced against the door. “Do it, Lukas. Feel how wet I am for you. Only you.”

He shifts my panties aside, letting his finger glide between my wet pussy lips. I whimper, moving my hips with the motion of his hand. “So wet,” he praises me. Then he sinks his finger in deep, dropping his other hand to brace at my hip. Head tipped back, I ride his hand. “Such a good fucking girl. You’re so ready for my dick, aren’t you?”

“Please,” I say again. “Please, I want it so bad.”

“Yeah, you fucking do. But first, I’m gonna lay you out on that bed and bury my face in this needy little cunt. You don’t come on my dick until you’ve come in my mouth. Understood?”

Okay, I need this door open. Now.

I push off the door, digging in my clutch again, looking in earnest for the key. All the while, Lukas teases me, his hip grinding as he pumps his finger inside me. I bite my bottom lip to keep from moaning again.

“Open the door,” he says in my ear.

“I’m trying to find the dang key,” I say on a frustrated huff.

“That purse is the size of a deck of cards. How hard can it be?”

My shoulders stiffen. He’s right. “It’s not in here.”

Behind me, he goes still, slipping his finger out of me. “What?”

My panic sets in as I check for a fourth time. “It’s not in here, Lukas. The key is—oh god, did I lose it? Did I forget to even put it in before I left?” He steps back and I drag a frustrated hand through my hair, checking everywhere on the floor. “I’m gonna have to go down to the front desk and get a new one. They’ll see we’re still together. Oh god, this is so embarrassing. Why do I always do stuff like this?”

Snatching my hand, he leads me down the hall. “Come on.”

“What are you doing?” I pull on his hand. “Wait, the elevator is the other way—Lukas.”

He shoulders open the door marked “Ice Room” and pulls me inside. The auto lights blink on, the fluorescent bulbs flickering as the industrial-sized ice machine crackles and hums.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I cry. “Lukas, I am not having sex with you up against an ice machine!”

He laughs, spinning me around and walking me back until I’m up against the side of the machine. His lips descend once more to kiss my neck as his hands roam.

I’m stiff as a board, pushing uselessly against his shoulders. “Absolutely not. Lukas, anyone could come in here. Hell will freeze over first—ahh—”

He presses two thick fingers back inside me with a satisfied hum, watching as I melt, my body turning to jelly. “There it is,” he teases. “Is this your goddamn ‘off’ switch? When that brain won’t stop whirring, and the mouth won’t stop talking, I’ll know to do this.” He wiggles his fingers and I cling to his arms with both hands. I couldn’t even tell you where I dropped my clutch now.

“Don’t stop,” I beg, my head tipped back against the machine. “Please, don’t stop.”

“Can I take a look at these perky breasts, Pop? I’d like to have one in my mouth when you come all over my hand.”

I nod, eyes shut tight, lost to the sensations coiling deep in my belly.

He peels the strap of my dress down, stretching the fabric until my breast is exposed. My nipple tightens into a little bud at the feel of the exposed air. “So fucking pretty.” He brushes over it with his thumb.

The sensation jolts through me, zapping me right in the clit. Feeling bold, I squeeze my pussy tight around his fingers.

“Fuck,” he groans. “Do that again.”

“Take your shirt off, and I will.”

He kisses my lips, a single hard press, and then he’s pulling back, leaving me reeling. He strips off his shirt, dropping it to the floor, and I get the first real effect of a shirtless Lukas Novikov. This man is a work of art, and I’m not just talking about the tattoos. They paint their way up his arms on both sides, ending in swirls of patterns and colors over his shoulders. He has a few more tattoos dotting his sides and ribs. One sits low on his left hip, a red heart outline with black letters inside spelling FREE.

Aside from the tattoos, the man is in peak physical condition, with hard pecs and washboard abs. A sharp “V” lines either hip, disappearing into his navy dress pants. “Like what you see?” He teases me with a flex of his pecs.

“You’re beautiful,” I admit.

He steps in, cupping my face with both hands. His caramel eyes feast on me, darting to take in all my features. He looks like he’s trying to memorize them, every line, every freckle. “So are you,” he says, voice low.

I brush my hands up his naked sides, smoothing them over his hairless chest. “Do you wax?”

He grins. “Of course. This body is my temple. I take care of it in all ways.” He leans in. “And from what I just felt between your legs, you do too.”

I nod, biting my bottom lip.

“Mind if I see for myself?”

I swallow my gasp. “What? Right here?”

He kisses down my neck to my breast, humming against my skin. “Right here, Poppy. We are not leaving this room until I’ve fucked all this worry right out of you.” Then he closes his mouth around my nipple, sucking it hard.

I swallow my cry, both hands digging into his hair. My dress fights to slip back up over my boob. With a frustrated growl, Lukas forces my hands down. Then he reaches out with both hands and jerks my dress off my shoulders, exposing my whole chest. I free my arms from the straps and wrap them back around his neck as he descends, sucking both breasts and playing with my nipples until I’m rocking against his thigh whispering, “Please, please . . .”

“Do you wanna come, Poppy?” He kisses his way up my chest to speak against my ear. “Does my good girl want to show me how well you can finish on my fingers?”

I nod, clinging to his heated skin. He drops his hands to the bottom of my dress, and I do a little shimmy as he pulls it up, exposing my pink thong. Now I’m wearing my dress like a thick scrunchie belt. Lukas doesn’t seem to care one bit. He slips my thong down my legs until it snakes around my ankles. Then he’s dropping down to one knee with a needy groan, both his hands wrapping around to cup my bare ass.

I wobble in my heels, hands on his shoulders as he presses his face to my pussy and breathes in deep. He’s scenting me like a wildcat, and it’s so hot I may combust right here and now. “Lukas, please,” I beg again.

He laughs as he kisses across the tops of my thighs. “Spread these legs a bit for me.”

I do my best in my heels to comply. He parts my lips with two fingers and flicks his tongue against my clit. “Oh god.” My knees are already trembling, and he’s barely even begun. He kisses my smooth pussy lips, parting them wider with his fingers as he probes lower with his tongue.

I practically climb onto his shoulder as I lift a leg off the floor. He helps support me with his free hand before his eager tongue is burying itself deep inside me. He groans, flicking, sucking, and teasing. I sway on one leg, pussy clenching. He replaces his tongue with his fingers, and then his mouth is back on my clit.

“Oh!” I throw my head back so hard it bangs against the ice machine. Behind me, the machine hums and cracks, releasing a fresh collection of ice. He keeps working me over, spinning me tighter with every taste and touch. “Lukas,” I whimper. “I think I’m gonna—”

I’m like a lightbulb left on too long, my essence heating from the inside out until it feels like even my skin is on fire. He adds a third finger. The feeling of fullness in my pussy is the match, and his velvet tongue on my clit is the strike pad. Hands buried in his hair, I tip my head back and ignite.

He lets me ride his face through my orgasm, still teasing me with that devilishly talented tongue until I’m all but squirming to get off his face. “Oh my god,” I cry, limbs shaking as I hold to the side of the ice machine for support.

Lukas stands. The caramel in his eyes are now thin rims swallowed by black. He gazes down at me like he wants to eat all of me. “How was that?” he asks, his lips and chin wet with my release.

I’m shaking like a leaf as I reach for him. “So good,” I say on a broken sigh. “Lukas, that felt so, so good. Thank you.” My sensitive nipples send little aftershocks of pleasure to my core as he presses himself against me.

“We’re not finished,” he warns, brushing his fingers through my hair. “Are we finished?”

I let out a breath, relaxing in his arms. My endorphins are pulsing, and my mind feels like a furry box of rattling marbles. “No,” I whisper, letting my head drop weakly forward to pepper kisses across his chest.

“What do you want, Poppy?” His hand is still buried in my hair, fingers massaging the nape of my neck. God, it feels so good.

“I want more,” I say, flicking his nipple with my tongue.

He grunts, tipping my head back. “You better get more specific real quick, or I’ll paddle this canoe right over Kink Falls. You wanna crawl to me and call me ‘master’?”

I shake my head, still feeling breathless.

“Good, because there’s no room for that in here. And, either way, I’d prefer you to be wearing my collar when that happens. Now, tell me what you do want.”

Blinking up at him, my orgasm fog lifting, I drop my hand between us and smooth it over the hard length in his pants.

“Is that what you want, Poppy?”

I nod, looking up at him with what I hope is an expression of raw, aching need.

But he’s not going to make anything easy. He smiles down at me. “Use your words, beautiful. Say what you want. Be specific.”

“I want you to fuck me,” I whisper. “I want you to press me up against this ice machine and bury your cock in me. Please.”

His gaze hardens as he fists my hair tighter. “Open my pants and take out my dick.”

With trembling fingers, I lower my hands to his brown leather belt and work it open. Then I’m unzipping his pants and reaching my hand inside. I palm him over his boxer briefs, taking in the full outline of his cock. It twitches against my hand, a spot of wetness soaking through his briefs at the tip.

“Does that size work for you?” he says in my ear. “You want all those inches buried deep? Wanna ride this while I press you up against the goddamn ice machine?”

I nod, brushing my thumb over his tip. “Yes.”

“Then take it out.”

I tug down on his pants and briefs, not stopping until his cock pops out, fully erect, the tip glistening. I wrap a hand around it, stroking the silky length from root to tip. He groans, both hands on my shoulders. I swirl my thumb around his tip again, spreading his slick precum around his head.

I look up at him through my lashes, daring to let my walls drop with the rest of my inhibitions. “Please, take control. I don’t want to think, and I don’t want to make any more choices. Please, Lukas. I only want to feel.”

He nods and brushes his lips against mine. “Get the condom out of your bag.”

I duck down, searching the floor for my discarded clutch. I find it open in the corner, phone and lipstick scattered on the floor. I pull out one of the condoms and stand, holding it out to him. Lukas wraps his hand around my wrist and reels me in, giving me another open-mouthed kiss. He lets me go, and I place my hands on his naked shoulders as he opens the foil wrapper and slips the condom on down his hard length.

“Turn around.”

I blink up at him, eyes wide. “What?”

Oh god, does he think he’s going to put that monster in my other hole? Anderson was always asking me to do anal, but I was just too anxious to ever want to give it a try. If Lukas thinks that’s what we’re about to do…

I lean away, shaking my head. “No, I don’t—can we just do it the other way?”

Lukas stares down at me, one hand slowly pumping his dick. “What, face to face?” He shrugs. “Sure, we can do that. I just thought you’d have a bit more control of how much of me you take if you’re on your feet too but—”

“No, I mean about the other—” God, why do I feel so embarrassed right now? “I mean I only want that going in my vagina,” I say, pointing down at his condom-wrapped dick.

He blinks twice. Then the asshole starts laughing. Okay, now I’m not embarrassed, I’m angry. This jerk is not going to laugh at me when I’m standing here, naked and vulnerable, wearing my dress like a belt scrunchie. “Lukas, if you don’t stop laughing at me right now—”

He’s still fisting his dick as he cuts me off with a stern look. “Did you really think I was about to shove this in your ass with absolutely zero prep and no prior fucking consent?”

Now it’s my turn to blink up at him. “Well, I…”

He shakes his head, reaching for me with his free hand. “God, you drive me fucking crazy,” he says against my lips, kissing me senseless. Too soon, he’s pulling away. “Yes, Poppy, my penis will only be going in your vagina tonight. Would you like me to stimulate your clitoris with my phalanges again?”

“Don’t be a jerk.”

“Hey, you’re the one who started getting all medical with talk of your vagina.”

“I’m about to stimulate your scrotum with my fist,” I mutter, digging my hands into his tawny hair and giving it a tug.

He grunts. “God, I love it when you talk dirty.” He nips at my breast, flicking my peaked nipple with his tongue.

“Lukas, you have five seconds to put your dick in me, or I’m gonna walk naked down this hallway and knock on the first door I see and—ahh—”

I squeal as he lifts me clear off the ground, slamming my back against the ice machine. All my air leaves my chest with an unfeminine “ooof” as he wraps his hands around my thighs and spreads me open. He’s all power as he holds me up like I weigh nothing, the tip of his dick prodding at my entrance. “Look at me,” he commands.

My heart is racing, and my core is already spiraling tight as I look up, searching his face.

“You’re gonna know this is me. I’m not just any dick for you, Poppy. That’s all you wanted, right? Any dick will do, so long as you get to feel something?”

He notches his tip at my entrance, pressing in, and I hold tighter to his shoulders. “Lukas—ah—”

“That’s right,” he coaxes, his breath stuttering as he slides me down his length, filling me. “Keep saying my name.”

I tense as I feel overfull, my fingers digging into his shoulders. The fullness is verging on pain.

“Relax, baby,” he soothes. “Look at me—hey—Poppy, look at me, pretty girl.”

I blink my eyes open, panting through parted lips as I look in his eyes again. There’s a softness there, even as I feel him against me, his every muscle coiled tight.

“I’ve got you,” he says. “I won’t hurt you. Breathe out with me. Deep exhale and relax.”

I do as he says, letting out a yoga breath as I sink against him. My body slides a few more inches down as I settle against his hips, his whole dick buried inside me.

“Such a good fucking girl,” he praises. “Look at you, taking my cock like a fucking champ. Your cunt is so tight. You fit me like a glove, baby.” His words wash over me, soothing me as he begins to move. He rocks against me, keeping his length buried. “That good?”

“Mhmm.” I close my eyes, tipping my head back as I sink into the feeling of him filling me inside and out. The clean, citrus scent of his sporty cologne clouds my senses, while the heat of his skin burns into me at every point where we’re touching.

“Open your eyes,” he urges. “Be here with me.”

I open my eyes, tears filling them. “Go faster.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not rushing this. I get one night to call you mine, Poppy. You are gonna ride this dick until it rewrites your goddamn DNA.” He doesn’t thrust faster, but he ruts deeper, his hips driving up and in.

I hold onto his shoulders, opening myself to every sensation. My pussy tightens, and he finally ups the pace. “Yes,” he pants, driving harder. “There it is, baby. Give me one more like this. Come, Poppy. Squeeze me. Yes—”

I cry out, head tipped back as I come. All the muscles in my core contract, and I ride wave after wave of pulsing orgasm. Lukas keeps his tempo steady, riding it out with me on a long groan. Then he presses a few kisses to my mouth and chin. “Let me finish you. Let’s see fucking stars.”

I nod, unable to form words.

He eases out of me and lowers me to the floor. I ungracefully unpretzel myself, my legs like jelly as I stand in my stupid heels. “Turn around. I promise my penis will only go in your vagina,” he teases, kissing the tip of my nose.

I teeter on my heels, turning around to face the ice machine.

“Hands flat. Widen your stance a bit.” Lukas helps get me into position, putting light pressure on my back to bend me over. “Just like that. Such a good girl. So good at taking direction.”

I glare at him over my shoulder, and he laughs, smacking my butt. I gasp, hands flexing against the machine. Then Lukas is behind me, bending at the knees and sinking himself back inside me. I swallow a moan as he pulls back on my hips while he pushes forward, burying himself to the hilt. “There it is,” he groans. “So fucking good. So deep and tight. You ready?”

I nod, still unable to speak.

Behind me, Lukas unleashes himself. With one hand on my hip and the other buried in my hair, he slams his hips into me. My lips part on a silent scream and I arch my back. My body lights up like a Christmas tree as he owns me from the inside out.

I only realize my cries aren’t so silent when Lukas folds himself over my back, wrapping a hand around my mouth. “Shh. You gotta be quiet, baby. These sounds are only for me. How else will we both lie about this later and say it never happened?”

I moan into his hand, feeling whoever I was before I stumbled into this ice room burn down to ash and embers. That Poppy is gone. Lukas is right. I’m going to be leaving this room as someone different, someone stronger.

I rock into his thrusts, and that drives him wild. He ruts harder, snaking a hand between my legs to massage my clit. “Come again,” he commands. “One more. Give me everything this time. We don’t stop until you fucking shatter.”

He wants everything? He can have it. Lukas Novikov can take literally any piece of me. Closing my eyes tight, I focus on that ball of fire burning in my core, willing it to burn brighter. My body shakes, and his hand holds back my scream as we both climax. He folds over my back, digging his teeth in at my shoulder as he swallows his own shout of ecstasy. That little bite of pain is the only thing keeping me tethered to reality, centering me as I slowly float back down to earth.

“You’re not alone, Pop,” he says in my ear. Then he kisses the mark he left on my shoulder.

It should be a sweet moment. It is sweet. Lukas is here with me. His warmth surrounds me. His cool, comforting scent mixes with mine, with our sweat, our primal essence. There’s something sacred about it. I feel so full of him, so blissfully at peace.

But then he’s pulling out of me.

Then he’s stepping away, searching for his discarded clothes.

And now I’m left with my hands pressed against the side of this ice machine, my body trembling, feeling somehow emptier and lonelier than I ever was before.