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“Part of me is wishing I hadn’t,” he admitted, allowing his hand to rest on her Lycra clad thigh, his fingers to curl around it, to flex into her toned muscle.

“Luke.” She swallowed, her eyes searching his. “You were the one who said no sex.”

“I know.” There were still good, solid reasons why he’d said that. He knew there were, he’d counted them down on his fingers.

“So stop looking at me like that,” she whispered. “Because when you do, it makes it really hard—”

“Trust me, I know all about how hard it is,” he cut in.

Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip and she giggled. Fucking giggled. “Umm, we should focus on the lights. Don’t want any of the kids thinking you’ve got a hard on for Santa.”

It was enough to temporarily kill his erection.

Yet as the tour continued, as Anna licked cream off her hot chocolate with erotic swipes of her tongue, as she put her hand over his and pressed it into her thigh, arousal surged through him once again. By the time they burst through the door of the condo, Anna talking non-stop about the candy canes and giant red balls on Sixth Avenue, he had only one thing on his mind.

“Anna,” he said gruffly. “I don’t give a crap about the Christmas lights right now.”

“You don’t?” She swiveled to look at him and her breath slipped out on a quiet moan. “Oh, you don’t.” Her tongue swept across her lower lip. “Neither do I.”

“Good.” Grasping her hand, he marched her to the living room, pushed her onto the sofa and knelt between her thighs. “We’re not having sex.”

Her eyes grew impossibly wide. “Okay?”

“But I’m so desperate right now, I can’t think beyond pulling your leggings off and sinking my tongue between your thighs.” He knew he should be saying this in a softer voice, with more tenderness, but he ached, he wanted. “Have you got any objection?”

Her gaze met his head on. “Yes.” Disappointment curdled in his stomach. Of course she did. What the hell was he doing? “If this is happening, I want to touch you, too.”

Lust lunged through him, so overwhelming, it was painful. “No.” He could almost hear his dick groan in disappointment. “For once in your life, I need you to be selfish.” With a quick tug he slid her leggings down her gorgeous legs, revealing . . . his heart lurched. “Did you wear these for yourself, or because you thought I might see them?”

She glanced down at the white lace underwear he’d revealed, this time decorated with silver Christmas trees and a red bow. When she looked back at him, her smile was a little shy, a little wicked. “Both.”

With a deep inhale he bent and buried his head between her legs.

Heaven. He was in heaven, though the throb in his pants reminded him parts of him were in hell.

He nuzzled her with his nose, reveling in her smell, arousal clawing at his insides. “Need to taste you,” he mumbled, drawing the lace Christmas trees down her legs until she was bare before him.

With a gruff rasp, he swept his tongue through her folds.

“Oh God.” Her head thumped back against the sofa. “I still want to touch you,” she moaned as he circled his tongue across her clit.

“And I want you to take this for you.” It might kill him, but he needed to give her this, give her something, because he didn’t know if he had anything more to give her. She was still Colin’s sister, a big hearted, bubbly, utterly unselfish woman who’d been horribly let down by men. And he was still a selfish man who found it hard to express himself. A man whose clumsy words had already hurt her. A man who couldn’t live with himself if he failed his best friend, like he’d already failed his mum.

But what if you’ve changed, a voice whispered. What if you can be what she needs. Shouldn’t you give yourself that chance to prove it?

He shoved the thoughts away and focused on what was in front of him now. On the whimpers Anna made as he stiffened his tongue. On the way she said his name as he increased the pace of his thrusts, as he added his fingers, plunging them into her moist heat.

“Holy crap, Luke.” Her thighs tightened around his head and he relished the feeling of being used, of her pushing her hips back against him to finally, finally, take what she wanted. “Keep doing that, the thing with your tongue, the way it’s . . .” she trailed off, her breath coming out in heavy pants for one, two, three beats.

She yelled out his name as she came.

He took one look at the flush on her cheeks, the glaze in her eyes, the heave of her chest, nipples hard pebbles against the tight cotton of her top, and knew he was done for.

“I want to see you,” he rasped, unzipping his jeans in tight, jerky movements. “Will you do that for me? Show me what I’ve been aching to see?”

She bit into her lip, eyes hot on his. Then, in one fluid movement, she pulled her T-shirt over her head. The white lace bra, adorned with matching silver trees and a red bow, was dispatched with the same simple movement.

“Jesus Christ, Anna.” He yanked out his throbbing dick and gave it a rough pull. “You realize it’s a crime to hide them, don’t you?” He squeezed his erection as he drank in the perfect globes, the dusky pink nipples standing to attention for him.