Nicole Edwards - Temptation

Again, Cole couldn’t seem to find his voice, the thought of Sierra’s eyes boring into him was a clear distraction, one that he couldn’t seem to shake. Just when he realized that he needed to say something, do something, so he didn’t look like a clumsy idiot, Luke McCoy descended the steps and Cole’s heart damn near plummeted to his toes. His heartbeat increased, and there was a sudden roaring in his ears. It was a visceral reaction, one only Luke managed to instill in Cole.

Well, that was until he’d laid eyes on Sierra Sellers.

“I look forward to seeing you in Vegas.” Cole managed to choke out, seconds before he headed in the opposite direction.

He might look like a stammering fool, but that was nothing compared to what would happen if he was within ten feet of Luke. After what had happened between them months before and the fact that Luke had successfully avoided him since, Cole hadn’t been able to look the man in the eye. And it had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with the fact that he longed for an instant replay of that night.

Which was another first for Cole.

Hell, the day had been full of them already, and as he walked through the doors leading to the parking garage, Cole wondered just what this weekend had in store for him.

* * *

Sierra’s attention was drawn to the omnipotent male descending the stairs. As far as appearances went, and the way that both Luke and Logan carried themselves, Sierra was pretty sure she had never seen two men look so much alike, yet so vastly different. There was something intensely masculine, and yes as Sam mentioned, very reticent about Luke.

Though Logan was the mirror image, and sexy as hell in his own right, there was something more demanding about Luke, something darker, more intriguing. She glanced quickly at Sam, who was smiling back at her knowingly.

“Don’t worry. You aren’t the only woman who has had that reaction.” Then she lowered her voice a little. “Like I said earlier, brace yourself.”

Sierra watched Luke move toward them, briefly glancing toward Cole who was exiting through the main doors at the same time.

Was it her imagination, or was Cole leaving because of Luke? She hadn’t gotten a good read on the incredibly handsome man because he had seemed incredibly nervous, or maybe that had been her.

When their eyes met, Sierra had felt an intrinsic longing reflected in the midnight blue gaze staring back at her. She’d been surprised by the all-consuming heat that rushed over her.

Hadn’t she just been thinking about Luke and the way the man seemed to make her libido awaken from a decade long coma? It seemed ironic that she would have a similar reaction to another man so soon afterward.

Hormones. That’s what it was. Luke must have awakened her to the point that she was now flooded with them.

“Let’s go next door and get a bite to eat while these two have a few minutes to talk.” Logan’s deep voice interrupted her thoughts and had her attention returning to the couple standing beside her.

Not to mention the man fast approaching, whose eyes were riveted to the doors that Cole had just exited. Interesting.

Sierra felt the butterflies take flight once more. Just being near Luke was short-circuiting her insides and now she was going to be left alone with him. She took a fortifying breath and then graced him with a smile. She could do this.

Surely she could do this.

When he smiled back at her, a sexy, crooked, mischievous grin, Sierra knew she’d need more than courage to get through the next few minutes.

“I hear you need a date for Vegas.” Luke stated as he took the seat that Sam had been sitting in, motioning to the chair across from him. The man clearly didn’t have a problem with getting to the point.

“Depends on who you ask.” Sierra stated, returning his playful grin and easing into the chair.

“Not that I have any doubt you could find one on your own.”

Was he flirting with her?

Sierra took in Luke’s rugged features, his midnight black hair and hazel eyes that were more green than brown, thanks to the forest green polo shirt he wore. His thick, well groomed eyebrows were halfcocked while his sexy lips were tilted into a smirk as he waited for her response.

“I won’t dispute that, but being I’m new in town, and definitely not looking to find anything more than someone to accompany me to the conference, I decided to take my chances.”

“Ever been to one of XTX’s vendor conferences?”

Luke’s penetrating gaze was directed at her, and Sierra felt the warmth of those radiant green-brown eyes all the way to her toes. She was grateful she was sitting down because she wasn’t sure she would be able to hold herself up thanks to the way her knees had turned to jelly.

“No, I haven’t. My mother has been to a few, but I didn’t get many details from her.”

Veronica hadn’t been forthcoming with any information; other than that Sierra would want to take someone with her because there were numerous afterhours’ events that would be mostly couples. No matter how much Sierra protested Veronica hadn’t let up.

Sierra was a little shocked at how adamant her mother had been since Veronica was single as well, and wasn’t likely to be taking a date. Though she knew Veronica and Xavier usually attended events together, as far as she knew, they weren’t actually a couple. Being that Xavier was widowed, and Veronica had been divorced from Sierra’s absent father for nearly two decades, Sierra figured they could do whatever they wanted.

“I’m amazed that Logan thought to invite me.” Luke said, but Sierra got the impression he didn’t mean to say the words out loud.

“Why is that?” Unexplainably intrigued by the man, Sierra wanted to know more about him.

“Tell me a little about you, Sierra.” Luke obviously wasn’t interested in talking about himself if his deflection of the subject was anything to go by.

“What do you want to know, Luke?” Sierra addressed him, using his name the way he had used hers.

She was all for getting to know this man, but based on the vibe she felt coming off of him in waves he was used to things going his way. The slight tilt of his lips into a barely there smile told her that he realized she would be a challenge.

“Kane, bring Sierra another drink.” Luke instructed the bartender, but he never took his eyes off of her.

She liked the way he looked at her; the dark passion that swirled just beneath the surface was there for the world to see, but Sierra knew he held something back. Probably a lot of somethings if she had to guess.

“You’re from Nashville?”

“Born and raised. My mother moved to Dallas right after I graduated from high school. I stayed to go to the University of Tennessee. Until recently, I’ve been working for a design firm in Nashville. I started there after I graduated, but I’ve always intended to start my own business.”

“Other than your mother, what made you want to come to Texas?” Luke asked as Kane sat her drink on the table, removing the empty glass.

“Nothing, honestly. I love Nashville, and if she hadn’t been so far away, I probably would’ve never left. But, design firms are a dime a dozen here, the clientele desirable, so I figured I could kill two birds, so to speak. Being close to my mother is important to me, more so than where I start my business.”

“Do you live with your mother?”

Sierra laughed, trying to imagine how that would even be possible. “Hardly. I think we’d kill each other if we were under the same roof.”

Growing up in a house, just her and her mother, had been a challenge. Two of them, both self-sufficient, exceedingly independent, and more than a little bit princesses in their own right meant that neither of them could be under the same roof for long without trying to see who the bigger diva was. They had barely managed to survive Sierra’s teenage years.

No, she certainly hadn’t moved in with her mother.

“What about you, Luke?” Sierra asked, trying to turn the tables. If she wasn’t careful, she got the impression Luke would know everything there was to know about her while she would walk away knowing nothing.

Likely his intention.

“What about me?”

“Do you live with your mother?” Sierra smiled, then took a sip of her drink. Wow. Apparently Kane thought she needed some courage of the liquid variety by the strength of the drink he’d made for her.

Luke’s raspy laugh tickled Sierra’s insides. A gruff, unpracticed sound. Like his laugh muscles hadn’t been used in quite some time.

“No.”

Well, hell. Talking to this man was like pulling teeth. Instead of asking anything more, Sierra pierced him with a glare, tilting her head slightly to the side as she waited for him to continue. When Luke leaned back in his chair, crossing his massive arms over his chest, Sierra knew they were at a standstill.

So be it. She wasn’t about to give in.

“Can I assume you’ll be attending the conference in Vegas?” Sierra finally broke the silence, figuring she needed to get this conversation over with before she lost the little bit of nerve she still had left.

“You can.”

Sierra laughed again. If nothing else, this trip was sure to be interesting.

Pushing her chair back from the table, Sierra stood, shocked momentarily when Luke rose abruptly, his enormous size making her feel even smaller than she normally did. She couldn’t look him in the eye without tilting her head back. Even with heels she came just barely to the middle of his broad chest, and he was easily twice her weight and width, but she wasn’t about to let him intimidate her.

“I’m glad to hear it. I think I should be going. It was very nice to meet you, Luke. I look forward to seeing you in Vegas. I’m sure you’ll be able to find me if you’re interested.” With that, Sierra gave him her brightest smile, turned on her heel and walked straight out the front doors without looking back.

Her heart was racing, her hands were sweating, but Sierra wasn’t about to let that man know what he did to her. He was dangerous. She could feel it in her bones. He would want things from her that she wasn’t sure she was ready to give.

But, damn was she tempted.

Luke boarded the plane at DFW International airport, and waited patiently for the other passengers to make their way down the narrow center aisle as they looked for an optimal place to spend the next three hours. Considering patience wasn’t his strong suit, Luke mentally patted himself on the back for not running through the crowd to get where he was going.

Glancing through the cabin, he took note of the other passengers, looking for one particular person. The seat wouldn’t matter.

As he approached row eight, he noticed the dark haired beauty seated next to an equally dark haired beauty, only the other one was about twenty years older. The woman seated to Sierra’s right must have been Veronica Sellers, considering she looked like an older, more refined version of Sierra.

When he approached the row, he caught Sierra’s attention and tried to control himself.

“Morning.”

The smile she beamed at him was bright enough to rival the sun and Luke was momentarily blinded, his heart instantly kicking into overdrive.

“Good morning, Luke.” Sierra offered a prim and proper response. “I’d like you to meet my mother, Veronica.”

“Nice to see you again, Veronica. I was hoping I could steal Sierra away from you for the next few hours. If it isn’t too inconvenient.”

The grin Sierra’s mother shot at him mirrored her daughter’s initial one, but the twinkle in her eye was just for him. The million watt smile Sierra had flashed him was no longer visible, but her confusion was.

“I don’t mind at all.” Veronica stated sweetly, giving her daughter a good natured shove. “Join Mr. McCoy, Sierra. I’ll be fine.”

Luke watched the emotions play on Sierra’s face, confusion, disbelief, and then something else… Determination. Her shoulders went back, and she forced a smile, but Luke could tell she wasn’t happy with his request.

For the last twenty four hours, he’d spent his time thinking about this woman, and he vowed the moment he woke up that he wouldn’t be kept away from her any longer than he had to be. The idea of hijacking her from her mother hadn’t come to him until a few minutes before he boarded the plane, but now as he watched her reluctantly move out of the seat and into the aisle, Luke was glad he’d opted to do so.