First Rapture (The Rapture Series) Read online

  “There are some more special than others.”

  “Nice line. Did you make it up yourself or do you have someone on your staff that makes up cheesy lines?”

  Luc hesitated, his lips twisting into a rueful smile as he was forced to accept that this female was no longer the giddy schoolgirl who’d worshipped the ground he walked on.

  It was going to take more than casual charm to earn his way back into her bed. The knowledge only intensified his glorious sense of anticipation.

  There was nothing he loved more than a challenge.

  He took a step closer, barely resisting the urge to stroke his fingers through the satin-smooth strands of her hair. “What are you doing in Las Vegas?” he asked.

  A smile touched her lips. “Tying up some loose ends.”

  Hmm. He sensed there was a mystery behind her words. “Alone?”

  She lifted her lashes, her hazel eyes running a blatant survey down the length of his body. “Are you asking me if I have a significant other with me?”

  A raw surge of need coiled his muscles as her eyes traveled back to meet his smoldering gaze. “That’s exactly what I’m asking,” he admitted without hesitation.

  “What about the lovely Sherri?”

  Her words were mocking, but Luc didn’t miss the edge in her voice. Was she jealous? Hell, he hoped so. God knew he’d pummel any man at the party who tried to put his hands on this woman.

  For tonight she belonged to him.

  “I asked her out over a month ago,” he explained. “Five minutes into our date I knew I’d made a serious error in judgment, but with my only options to stick it out or humiliate her by simply walking away, I chose to be a gentleman.”

  “But you’re so good at walking away.”

  The insult was delivered with a saccharin-sweet smile, making Luc grimace. She obviously wanted her pound of flesh.

  “What can I do to convince you I’ve changed?”

  “Why would you want to go to the effort?” She waved a slender hand toward the French doors. Inside, a glittering array of beautiful women were gliding through the ballroom. “There are plenty of fish in the sea.”

  Luc never allowed his gaze to stray from her exquisite face. “Because you’re the catch that I was stupid enough to let get away.”

  He thought he heard her breath catch at his low words, but her aloof expression was impossible to read.

  “Get away?” she demanded. “As I remember it, you were the one running, not me.”

  Okay. He had let her vent her grievances. Now it was time to assure her that he wasn’t a total jerk.

  Well…at least not anymore.

  “Believe it or not, I was trying to protect you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Really?”

  “I was in a bad place,” he said with simple honesty. “You deserved better.”

  “How could the son of a millionaire, the star football player and darling of every female in the state of Nevada possibly be in a bad place?”

  The muscles of his jaw clenched, a familiar anger twisting his gut. He was sick to fucking death of people assuming that his father’s money somehow made his life a fairytale. Okay, he’d had it better than a lot of people, but living with Vigo Angeli was no picnic.

  He narrowed his gaze, studying her pale, perfect face. “Are you really interested?”

  “Of course.”

  She didn’t sound particularly sincere, but he answered her anyway.

  “I’d just come to the conclusion that after years of trying to emulate my father, I’d become a man who I didn’t particularly like, and respected even less.” He reached up to smooth her hair behind her ear, unable to resist the temptation to touch her. “I was determined to change, which meant I wasn’t going to take advantage of an innocent teenager who’d convinced herself she was in love with me.”

  Madison stiffened as his fingers traced the shell of her ear, but she made no move to pull away.

  “Then why did you come to the trailer?”

  “Because I couldn’t get you out of my mind.” His fingers drifted to trace the perfect arch of her dark brows. “Those big hazel eyes pleading for my touch.” He caressed the cool silk of her cheek. “That slender body with its lethal curves. Your shy smile. And those lips…” He used the tip of his index finger to outline the mouth that had given him so many sleepless nights. “Hell, there’s not a man who could have resisted.”

  “Ah. So it was my fault,” she said in dangerous tones, although she couldn’t disguise the flare of response that darkened her hazel eyes.

  She was rapidly becoming as aroused as he was.

  “The temptation was yours. The weakness was mine,” he murmured, his seeking fingers moving to follow the delicate curve of her neck. His cock twitched in appreciation. Her skin felt like molten silk. He needed her spread across his bed so he could explore every inch of that creamy perfection. “A weakness it seems I haven’t outgrown.”

  Cupping the back of her head, Luc leashed his greedy urge to crush her lips in a demanding kiss. Instead he lightly brushed his mouth over hers in a gentle caress.

  Last time he took.

  This time he fully intended to give.

  Her hands slowly lifted to land against his chest, her breath quickening as she pulled back to study him with a guarded gaze.

  “Wait,” she breathed.

  Wait? He might not have realized it until she’d stepped on the balcony, but he’d been waiting for this reunion since he’d discovered she’d fled Vegas.

  “Why?”

  “You were explaining why you were such an ass,” she reminded him.

  He swallowed a rueful sigh. Why was she dwelling on the past when the future promised to be filled with sensual pleasure?

  “You looked at me as if you were picturing your Prince Charming,” he reluctantly conceded. “I panicked.”

  Her body remained pliant, but he sensed a tangle of emotion behind her smooth expression.

  “You didn’t want to be Prince Charming?”

  His lips twisted, remembering his fierce pleasure as he’d taken her virginity. Hardly the behavior of a Prince Charming.

  “I was more the big bad wolf type.”

  “And now?”

  He tugged her against his chest, his head dipping down to trace the line of her throat with his lips.

  “Now I can be whatever you need me to be.”

  Her hands clutched at his shoulders as he found the sensitive spot at the base of her neck, but she refused to melt against him as he wanted. Dammit. He needed to feel her pressed tight against his aching erection.

  “Actually I’ve discovered I’m no longer a Cinderella wannabe,” she informed him. “I don’t need a man.”

  He nuzzled downward, discovering the prominent thrust of her collarbone. Too prominent, he abruptly decided. Her slender body was beautiful, but she felt too fragile. Clearly she wasn’t taking adequate care of herself.

  Something he intended to change.

  “That would be a shame,” he murmured.

  She made a choked sound, shivering as he reached the top curve of her breasts. “A typical male response.”

  His hand tangled in her hair, desire blasting through him as he felt her nipples harden through the silk of her gown. A part of him desperately wanted to strip off her dress and take her against the French doors.

  Another part wanted to take her back to his home and spend the next month making slow, delicious love to the woman who’d done what no other woman had done.

  Remained in his thoughts long after he’d left her bed.

  “Doesn’t your glamorous lifestyle ever get lonely?” he asked, his arms sliding around her waist to press her tight against his aching body.

  “Does yours?” she easily deflected his question.

  “Yes,” he readily admitted. “Sometimes it’s unbearable.”

  He felt her tiny jerk, as if she was startled by his answer.

  “So find a Sherri to share your bed.”<
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  “I don’t want Sherri.” He lifted his head to meet her wary gaze. “I want you.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  I want you…

  They were precisely the words that Madison had been waiting to hear. Weren’t they?

  It was why she’d returned to Vegas. Why she was at this ridiculous party.

  Why she was on this balcony with Luc’s arms wrapped around her.

  But now, for the first time since tracking down Luc Angeli, she found herself wavering.

  It didn’t make sense.

  Was it because Luc was forcing her to consider the possibility he might not be the complete asshole she’d always believed? Or because she was reacting to him with the same giddy, heart-racing excitement as when she was an overly-hormonal teenager?

  Whatever the explanation, she found herself debating the very sensible option of turning on her heel and walking away.

  Briefly she hesitated, balanced between flight and fight. Then the memory of how this man had plagued her over the past eight years at last hardened her resolve.

  This ended tonight.

  A teasing smile curved her lips as she slowly untangled herself from his arms.

  He’d claimed he was lonely, but what did he know about it?

  He’d probably had hundreds of lovers since she’d left Vegas, while she…

  Her spine stiffened, her expression deliberately provocative. She couldn’t make it too easy. Even a man with Luc’s massive ego would be suspicious if she didn’t make him work to earn her forgiveness.

  “You think I’m going to fall back into bed with you?”

  His dark eyes smoldered with a growing frustration. Unlike her, he felt no need to disguise his consuming desire.

  “I think the fire that burned between us eight years ago is still there, just waiting for an opportunity to reignite,” he growled, his gaze lowering to where her nipples pressed against the silky fabric of her dress. “Don’t deny that you feel it, too.”

  She did, of course.

  She might have spent the past years fiercely regretting giving her virginity to this man, but the second she’d stepped onto the balcony she’d been blasted with an unwelcomed awareness.

  A knowledge that was rubbing against her already raw nerves.

  She’d expected to find Luc attractive.

  He’d always been indecently handsome, with the charm of the devil. And the years had only emphasized his potent attractions.

  His narrow, bronzed face was leaner and his features even more finely sculpted. The dark eyes were filled with a newfound confidence. And his body more sleekly muscled beneath his Armani tux.

  He was all male temptation. The sort of man who would make any woman melt.

  But the unexpected realization that he had the power to arouse her with a mere glance was annoying as hell.

  Dammit. This time she was the one in charge of the seduction, not Luc Angeli.

  She tilted her head to the side, deliberately allowing her hair to slide over her bare shoulder.

  Madison hadn’t spent years in front of a camera without learning a few tricks. “I see your arrogance hasn’t changed.”

  Luc sucked in a slow, deep breath, the dark eyes predictably lowering to the gentle swell of her breasts before returning to meet her faintly mocking gaze.

  “Perhaps not, but I have,” he said, his voice low with sensual invitation. “I promise this time will be different.”

  “Changed how?” She deliberately glanced down at his bare fingers. “You clearly still avoid commitment like the plague. Unless there’s a little woman at home you haven’t mentioned?”

  He arched a brow, nodding toward fingers that were bare of rings. “Isn’t there a saying about people who live in glass houses?”

  She shrugged. “I intend to marry and start a family once my business has gained a firm footing.”

  “So do I.”

  Madison blinked, caught off guard by his swift retort. The thought of him married with a pack of children was…

  Agonizing.

  “You?” She tried to laugh off the unexpected pain.

  “Why not me?” he murmured, reaching up to brush her hair back over her shoulder, his touch heart-stoppingly gentle. “Of course, first I need to find my Cinderella.”

  For a crazed minute, Madison allowed herself to become lost in the dark promise of his eyes. How many years had she spent fantasizing that she could be the woman to earn this man’s love? That she alone could mold him from a ruthless playboy to a man dedicated to one woman.

  Even after he’d walked out of the trailer, leaving her completely humiliated, she’d harbored a secret hope he would change his mind and return.

  She gave a sharp shake of her head.

  Christ. She was an idiot.

  This was no fairytale. She was here for a purpose and clearly the sooner she got it finished, the better.

  Before she did something truly stupid.

  She forced her lips into an inviting smile, grimly assuring herself that the streaks of lightning searing through her body as his fingers skimmed down the line of her body were nothing more than lust.

  Something she could use to her advantage.

  “Cinderella? Really?”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  She reached up to brush a piece of lint from the lapel of his jacket, allowing her fingers to linger against the strong width of his chest.

  “I was actually thinking that it would be a sin against nature to tame the Dark Angel with minivans and dirty diapers.”

  His eyes narrowed at her abrupt shift from bitter ex-lover to femme fatale.

  “You were just complaining that I—”

  Madison pressed a hasty finger to his lips. Crap. It’d all seemed so easy when she was plotting her strategy in the comfort of her New York apartment.

  “Like any young girl I dreamed of taming the bad boy, and I was hurt when you walked away,” she said, not having to fake the edge to her voice.

  He studied her with a puzzled gaze. “And now?”

  Her hand pressed over his heart, feeling the steady beat increase as she stepped close enough to whisper directly in his ear.

  “For tonight, I just want you to be bad.”

  His breath hissed between his clenched teeth, his hands gripping her slender waist. “You’re sure?”

  “You were right.” She nipped the lobe of his ear. “There’s always been an attraction between us, and I’m no longer that girl looking for Prince Charming. Why shouldn’t we have some fun?”

  She felt him stiffen at her teasing words. Had she managed to wound him? No, that would be ridiculous.

  As if to prove his point, Luc nuzzled his lips along her jaw. “I’ll have my car—”

  “No need,” she interrupted. “I have a room.”

  Luc pulled back, his surprise deepening. “You’re staying at the hotel?”

  “Yes.” She’d checked as soon as she’d been sure that Luc was attending the party. There was no way she was completing the last act of her revenge in Kristen’s house. “Shall we?”

  The dark gaze ran a slow, heated path down the length of her body before a smile of anticipation curled his lips.

  “Lead the way.”

  ***

  Luc stepped into the luxurious suite, barely paying attention to the muted ivory and tan furnishings and spectacular view from the wall of windows. He was utterly consumed with the driving need to get this woman into the closest bed.

  Okay, that wasn’t entirely true.

  There was a very small part of his mind that was brooding on Madison’s abrupt capitulation.

  His less than admirable past meant that he was a man who understood every nuance of the fairer sex.

  He knew when a glance was more than a glance. When a female was susceptible to his touch. When to advance and when to retreat.

  It was a familiar dance that he’d recognized the moment Madison had stepped onto the balcony.

  He understood her n
eed to punish him for his past sins. It only added a spice to their flirtation. And he fully intended to earn her forgiveness. Even if it meant following her back to New York.

  He’d walked away from her once.

  It wasn’t going to happen again.

  But just when he was about to suggest they return to the charity event so he could at least hold her in his arms and sweep her around the dance floor, she’d given him a smile that didn’t quite reach her stunning hazel eyes, and practically dragged him to her conveniently located hotel suite.

  He wasn’t complaining, he acknowledged, his gaze glued to the tempting sway of her ass as she led him directly to the bedroom.

  His entire body was vibrating with an anticipation he hadn’t felt for years.

  Not since the last time he’d been headed toward Madison Philips’ bed.

  Still, there was a tiny voice in the back of his mind whispering that there was more going on here than just a chance encounter.

  Entering the bedroom, Madison pressed a switch on the wall, flooding the room with a low, golden glow.

  Luc was abruptly reminded of that night eight years ago.

  Oh, not their surroundings. Hell, it still made him furious to think of the wreck of a trailer where Madison’s worthless mother had dumped her. Now her beauty was suitably emphasized by the elegant ivory and black room that was dominated by a king-sized bed set in the middle of the floor.

  But there was the same fragile tension humming around her that reminded him of their first night together as she turned and tossed her purse onto a small, glass table.

  He reached up to tug off his bowtie, shrugging out of his jacket as he studied her with a searching gaze.

  “You’re sure this is what you want, Madison?”

  With a practiced smile she lifted her hand toward the zipper hidden on the side of her gown.

  “Why wouldn’t I be sure?” she demanded, slowly tugging down the zipper.

  He kicked off his Italian leather shoes, easily dealing with his cuff links so he could remove his silk shirt. Then he forgot how to breathe as the black silk gown slithered down the length of her body to pool at her feet.

  God almighty.