TheBurnList by Julia Devlin Read Free Book Online Page A

was an eye-opening
experience. Lukas was right. Men, both young and old couldn’t seem to help
themselves from looking in her direction. Her heart squeezed in her chest as
she sagged against the bathroom door.
    Was it possible she wasn’t invisible?
    All her life she’d never tried with her appearance because
she’d believed it was a lost cause. Eden was the pretty one. Abby was the smart
one. Everyone, including her parents, said so. It hadn’t made sense to her even
to attempt to compete in a contest she’d never win, so she’d never made an
effort.
    But maybe she was wrong.
    She glanced in the mirror, blinked and came into focus. High
color stained her cheekbones, her lips were full and swollen from Lukas’ kisses
and her brown eyes looked luminous. She ran her gaze down her body, taking in
the dress in a different way than she had in Nordstrom’s dressing room. This
afternoon she’d only been looking at it to fit Lukas’ criteria. Now she studied
how it fit her .
    She liked it but it looked more like Eden. Next time she’d
find something equally stunning but that suited Abby.
    She smiled. Maybe this experience would teach her about more
than just sex. Maybe, by the end of this, she’d learn who she wanted to be.
    * * * * *
    The waiter delivered the entrees and removed their untouched
salads when Abby returned to the table. As she slid into the booth, Lukas’ grin
turned positively smug as he looked her up and down. “And?”
    She swallowed. He’d been making her uncomfortable all
evening, but in the bathroom, she’d also gotten her proof that she’d liked
everything he was doing to her. But she couldn’t exactly admit it out loud. She
shrugged. “Maybe you have a tiny point.”
    He roared with laughter and gestured to her plate. “Eat
something.”
    Picking up her fork, she scooped up a piece of creamy penne
but couldn’t bring herself to lift the food to her mouth. She didn’t think she
could swallow. Nerves and desire, mixed with hope, swirled like a vortex,
throwing her from one emotion to the next. She hadn’t expected this. A part of
her hadn’t thought it would work.
    “Let’s get back to this orgasm.” Lukas’ hot palm slid over
her knee.
    She jumped, her fork falling from her hands and clattering
to the plate. “Do we have to?”
    Calloused fingers played over her sensitive skin. “I was
thinking while you were strutting your way through the restaurant.”
    “I do,” she closed her eyes as his hand moved higher, “not
strut.”
    He chuckled. “What’d you discover in the bathroom, Abby? Because I can assure you, me and every man in the room recognized that sway of
hips you had going on as you made your way back to me.”
    She began to throb, her womb tightening to a clench in
anticipation. This must be what true desire felt like. “Nothing.” The word was
a mere squeak.
    He moved higher, pulling her legs apart as he had before. The heat from her body had to be searing his hand. She barely breathed as his
hand came to rest at the top of her inner thigh. Torn between wanting to pull
away and thrust into his touch, she remained still as a statue.
    His palm slid back down her leg. “You clearly know what you
want in bed, so I’m confused about why touching yourself didn’t make you come.”
    She pressed her lips together, how did he expect her to
think when he was doing that?
    He squeezed her thigh. “What did you think about?”
    “Huh?” He’d moved up to the top of her inner thigh again.
    “When you masturbated, what did you think about?”
    “Umm…” Up and down. Up and down. Over and over until she
felt as if she might melt into a puddle of goo under the table.
    “Abby.” The amusement in voice clear. “Are you distracted?”
    Why wouldn’t he touch her? “What?”
    “Do you want me to touch you?”
    Unable to speak, she nodded.
    “Tell me.”
    She couldn’t. A low hum started deep in her belly as he
stroked over the damp flesh of her thighs. Aching, she