Gluttony (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2) Read online

  Great, the conversation was already awkward. Luc needed to turn things around fast before she faked a headache and ran for the hills.

  “I like your roommate. He seems like a great guy.”

  “He really is. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

  “How did you two meet?”

  “It’s kind of a pathetic story. He had an ad looking for a roommate and I showed up at his door.”

  “That sounds like a perfectly normal way to meet a roommate.” Luc flipped the salmon and got the perfect amount of crisp on the bottom. At least the meal was turning out well, even if nothing else did.

  “You haven’t heard the rest of the story yet.”

  “Okay, then tell me the rest.” He went about finishing the fish and getting plates ready while she downed the second glass of wine and continued on with her story.

  “So I show up at his door, unannounced, with two suitcases and my pillow, in the pouring rain. He opens the door and stares at me. He doesn’t say a single word. He just stares. Finally, after I can’t take the silence anymore, I say I’m here about the room for rent. He says uh okay. He doesn’t invite me in or anything. Just okay.”

  “Well, you did show up unannounced.”

  “True. I also showed up without any money. Okay, well that’s not totally true. I did have like four dollars and a coupon for a free burrito, but that wouldn’t cover the rent.”

  “No, probably not.” Luc set the fish to rest with a tented piece of aluminum foil while she finished her story.

  “Then I tell him about the lack of funds and the fact that I have nowhere to go. I give him this sad puppy dog face and he finally invites me in.”

  “Most people would have slammed the door in your face at that point.” Luc started plating the dinner and refilled her empty wine glass. He gave her a bit less this time and also poured them both a glass of water. He wouldn’t tell her what to do, but he’d prefer if she didn’t get drunk again.

  “Exactly, but instead of doing that, or even letting me down easy, he tells me I can move in and that he will waive the first month’s rent.”

  “Wow.”

  “Which actually turned into the first five months’ rent until I could get a meaningless job and start making some cash.”

  “And it’s been all puppies and rainbows since?”

  She laughed and took a sip off her water. “I wouldn’t say that, but he is still putting up with me, so I can’t really complain.”

  Luc waited until she jabbed her fork into a brussels sprout and popped it in her mouth before speaking. “So, why were you homeless?”

  It was an awkward question during a first date, but she’d brought it up, and he was curious.

  She popped another brussels sprout into her mouth, made a little noise of pleasure, and swallowed. “I was living with a guy. Not just living with him really, we were engaged.”

  “It didn’t work out?” Luc didn’t want to play dumb, but she couldn’t know he already knew her whole story. How could he explain that one?

  “He died. After that, I didn’t go to work, or shower, or get out of bed, for a really long time. There’s only so long the landlord will wait for a rent check before he throws you out on the street. Which luckily for me, was a little longer than I’d thought he would wait. Eventually though, I was told to pack my shit, while he stood there with a lock and a sheriff. By that point, I had almost no money and all my friends had moved on.”

  “That’s awful. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

  “Me too.” She forked a bite of the salmon in her mouth and looked up at him. “You really are an excellent cook.”

  “Thank you and I’m sorry for bringing up such a sad topic.”

  “Don’t be. I should probably learn to talk about it. Or that’s what Toby tells me.”

  “You two are like an old married couple, you know?”

  She laughed and Luc loved the sound. It wasn’t one of those quiet graceful laughs women learn to fake around men. It was a loud, fully sincere laugh, with a hint of a snort at the end. It was perfect.

  “Yeah, I guess we are.” She finished her last brussels sprout and forked one off Luc’s plate. “How did you learn to cook like this?”

  “I have a lot of skills that I’ve picked up over the years. I don’t have any formal training, if that’s what you mean. I guess I just enjoy food and it made sense to learn to cook it the way I like it.”

  “Well you can cook for me any time.” She went to work on the potatoes, occasionally stealing another brussels sprout from Luc’s plate. He wished he’d made extras, because he was certain she was about to eat all of his too, and could have probably eaten more.

  After such a serious conversation, they switched to small talk, then moved on to somewhat more personal topics, then back to food, as Luc served her dessert. He’d never met a girl who could eat the way Amanda did. She seemed to have an endless pit of a stomach and a true passion for everything Luc served her.

  “This is the best apple crumb pie I’ve ever tasted. You made this too?”

  “I did.”

  “My God, it’s amazing.”

  “Let’s leave him out of this.” Luc watched as she leaned her head back and moaned with a mouthful of pie.

  “What is that spice? There’s something hiding behind the cinnamon and nutmeg.”

  “It’s a secret.” Luc winked and she smiled.

  “Come on. You have to tell me. No better yet, teach me how to make this. I’d kill for this pie. I think I’m actually in love. It might just be my soul mate.”

  Luc choked down the bite in his mouth. “Soul mate, huh?”

  “It’s quite possible.” She ran her finger over the goo left on her plate and sucked it off. “The whole night was worth it for this pie.”

  “Oh, I see. You like my pie better than my company.” Luc made a fake pout and pulled his plate away when she tried to steal another bite.

  “Obviously, I like this pie more. I mean, you’re cool too, but this pie, it’s everything.” She tried to stab her fork into Luc’s plate but he pulled it back.

  “No more for you, you gluttonous little piglet.” Luc held the plate further back, but she was determined to get more. She popped out of her seat and came around to his, practically climbing into his lap to get at his pie. “Hey, now. Play fair.”

  “I don’t like playing fair. Just give me the pie.”

  Luc’s final attempt to keep her from the coveted apple delight ended in the chair falling backwards, with Amanda landing on top of him in a fit of hysterics, and the pie coating his face.

  “Serves you right for not sharing.” She swiped her finger over his cheek and licked the pie from it.

  “Not sharing? You ate half my dinner and were about to finish off my dessert. A man has to eat too, you know?” Luc made no move to get up, or wipe the goo from his face. He was content just seeing her laugh, and well, feeling her straddle him.

  “Hey, you invited me. It’s only fair that you fill my stomach before I go.”

  “Fill it? I’m pretty sure that thing has no end. It’s like the pits of Hell. Or maybe you have four stomachs, like a cow.”

  “Are you calling me a cow?” She propped her hands on her hips and feigned insult. With the smile that kept trying to break free from the corners of her mouth, she wasn’t pulling it off.

  “Moooo” Luc grabbed a handful of pie from his neck and wiped it across her face.

  “Oh, is that how you wanna play it?”

  “Maybe it is.”

  She leaned down and licked bits of apple and crumb off his face. Her breath was warm and sweet, like cinnamon. Luc was consumed with thoughts of tasting her, sharing her delectable essence until she forgot all about pie and wanted only him.

  “You taste amazing.”

  “I’ve been told that once or twice.”

  She slapped him in the chest and went in for another lick. “Mmm. Seriously, you have to teach me how to make this pie.”


  It was all Luc could take. He sat up, dropping the remnants of his dessert to the floor, and pulled her close. “I have to kiss you.”

  “Then kiss me.” Her words came out close to a whisper and her breathing went into double time.

  Luc didn’t give her a chance to change her mind. Their lips touched with a spark and Luc almost paused. Almost. He forgot all the self-doubt, the anxiety, the wondering if this was the wrong choice for the month. With their mouths together, everything felt right. It was as if the whole world melted away and only the two of them existed. It didn’t matter that apple goo squished between their faces, coating them in a sticky mess. All that mattered was that kiss.

  Caught up in the kiss, Luc didn’t notice at first when she started pulling his shirt from his pants. It wasn’t until her warm hands slid up his stomach, making his skin beneath prickle, that he realized what she was doing. His first instinct was to stop her, to tell her to slow down. She’d been through a lot and this was the first time she’d let a man close. He didn’t want to be something she’d regret. But he ignored his instincts and allowed her hands to roam.

  The best he could do, was allow her to direct where it would lead. If she wanted to stop, take things no further, he would graciously get her a cloth to wipe the pie from her face, and offer her another slice. If she wanted to go further, end up in his bed, hell, he certainly wasn’t going to turn her down. She’d worn away the last shreds of his self-control when her fingertips tugged at his nipples.

  Right or wrong, he would let her make the decisions. If it turned out to be something she regretted, then he hoped he could change her mind. There was something different about her, something that told him she wasn’t the same as every other girl. Maybe not even the same as Ronnie Falcon. She was special and he had to follow it through.

  “Take this off,” she demanded, breathless. Luc complied. He would much rather take hers off, but unless she asked him to, he wasn’t going to push her. She would have to be the one to decide that would happen.

  “Too many buttons.” She ripped through the remaining buttons and spread his shirt wide. For a short moment, she sat back and admired the view. Then she lifted her dress over her head and tossed it aside. Luc gasped at the sight of her, braless, wearing only tiny black lace panties. She was exquisite and he told her so.

  She sat there, on top of him, mostly naked, in silence for several minutes. Luc was sure she was going to change her mind, pull her dress back on, and get the hell out of there. When he’d nearly given up any hope of things going further, she looked up from behind her thick lashes and spoke.

  “We need a shower.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Standing there in her underwear on the cold tile floor, Amanda almost told him she was leaving. He fidgeted with the shower, trying to get the temperature just right, while she stood there, with her arms wrapped around her body, covering herself.

  “You like it warm, or scorching hot?” He looked at her over his shoulder, with his face sticky from pie, and she knew exactly what she wanted.

  “The hotter the better.” She wasn’t even sure she was talking about the water temperature anymore, but it didn’t matter. He seemed to know without her explaining it.

  After the temp was set, he turned to face her, his eyes smoldering with need. He made her feel exposed in a way that she’d never felt before. Amanda wasn’t the nervous sort when it came to sex. She was an all-in kind of girl, knowing exactly what she wanted, and not afraid to take it. With Luc, everything was different.

  “You’re going to have to take those off.” He glanced down at her underwear and smiled. Not a full mouth smile, one of those sexy half smiles, that only certain people could pull off. He could certainly pull it off.

  “I think that’s your job. Besides, you have an awful lot of clothes left to be worrying about my one little piece of clothing.”

  He was fully dressed, minus the bare chest where she’d ripped his shirt open. Luckily, he didn’t need to be told twice. With expert speed and grace, he had all his clothes off and in a heap on the floor in a matter of seconds. Rather than finish getting her naked just as quick, he stopped and looked her over, really taking her in.

  Goosebumps prickled along her arms as he pulled them from her body and stepped back to admire her.

  “I want to see all of you.”

  Normally, she would have enjoyed showing it to him. It wasn’t just the whole Greg thing either. It was Luc. The way he looked at her, his desire burning into her from three feet away. It was as if she could feel him touching her already and he wasn’t even close enough to reach her.

  She’d agreed with Toby to give herself one night to just enjoy life again. Whether or not she felt she deserved it, she said she’d give it a shot. Standing there, with his eyes on her, and his hands just waiting to touch her, she was having second thoughts.

  The shower beat down against the tile and the room steamed. They both needed to wash the pie off, but more than anything, Amanda knew the shower was the one place she could clear her mind of any unwanted thoughts. If she just got under the water, just let the steam drown out all her nerves, maybe she could let go for the night.

  “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” Luc frowned, picking up on her indecision.

  “I definitely want a shower.” It was honest. Beyond that, she couldn’t say, but the shower, she certainly wanted.

  “Okay then.” Without warning, he scoped her up into his arms and deposited her into the stream of burning hot water. Immediately, she began to relax. He didn’t get into the shower with her right away. Instead, he gave her a few moments to melt into the water and ready herself for the company.

  When he did step in, he didn’t touch her. Carefully, he reached around her for the body wash, and began to lather his chest and arms. A musky scent pricked at her nostrils, warming her in a way the steaming water never could. The scent was intoxicating, or the feelings it brought out in her were. Either way, it awakened parts of her that had been asleep for a long time.

  Too long.

  Not Luc, but Amanda, was the first one to make contact. She ran her hands across his chest, sliding them through the soapy lather. He stayed still, allowing her to explore his body the way he did on the floor. There was no way he didn’t want her to touch him. That much she was sure of, but he wasn’t making a move to take things farther. It was probably the best play. If he’d pushed her, or tried to go too fast, she might have finished washing the pie from her hair, and got the hell out of there.

  Luc kept his eyes trained on her hands, watching each fingertip trace over him. He must spend a significant amount of time working out to keep that kind of muscle tone.

  There was no way anyone could be that amazing naturally, could there?

  The water washed away much of the lather, so she squeezed a good sized dollop of body wash into her hand, and rubbed them together, before going to work on Luc. Having explored his chest quite extensively, she began lower down his abdomen. He shivered as she slid closer to his hip bones. She let her hands meet in the middle and sink just low enough to make him gasp.

  He kept his hands at his sides, not making a move still, and she found that she enjoyed having him at her mercy much more than she even wanted to be touched at that point. Her fingers slid lower, curling around the tufts of hair, until there was nothing left to do, but either stop all together, or go all in.

  She took him into her hands, now fully erect, impressively so, and lathered him with body wash. He tensed, balling his fists at his sides. He wanted to touch her. Badly. She didn’t need to hear him say it to know. But he made no move, just allowed her to do as she pleased.

  The hot water beat down on her back, dragging her further into relaxation. With her eyes closed, Amanda slid her hands around Luc’s body, learning every inch of his skin by touch alone. She wasn’t sure how long they were there like that, or how long before the hot water would run cold, but she took her time, and he let her.r />
  After her hands had their head start, she leaned in and tasted his chest. Her teeth grazed one nipple and he gasped above her. She could tell he wanted to say something, but he bit down on his lip to keep from breaking his silence. Part of her almost wanted to hear what he would say, but she was afraid that if he spoke, it would bring her back to reality. Reality wasn’t a place Amanda wanted to be in. She wanted to stay in this state of relaxation, where everything was good, and normal, and fun.

  She knelt down in the shower, still wearing her underwear, trailing licks, kisses, and nibbles down his body. The contact between her mouth and his skin was the only thing on her mind. There was no guilt, no grief, just pleasure, excitement, heat.

  Luc’s patience wore thin and he reached down to tangle his hands in her hair. He pulled a bit too hard and she bit down in response on the sensitive flesh of his inner thigh. They both moaned in unison, before Luc lifted her to her feet, and kissed her with everything he had.

  That kiss was all Amanda needed to lose the last shred of everything that had been holding her back. She hopped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his slick body, and took control of the kiss. Luc held tight, and walked her out of the shower, toward his bed. There was no turning back. She didn’t need the water to convince her what she wanted. They both knew exactly what that was.

  Once at his bed, Luc placed her down, and stood to admire her wet body splayed across his sheets. It wasn’t that she minded his eyes on her naked body, but her impatience got the better of her, and she reached up for him. Indecision flashed in his eyes and she knew she would have to demand he join her immediately.

  “Get down here. Now.”

  The corner of Luc’s mouth came up and he nodded, joining her on the bed without a single word. It was as if he was afraid to speak, for fear of breaking the spell that sucked them both in, and allowed Amanda to finally allow some cracks in her wall for him to sneak in.

  He crawled up from the bottom of the bed, with a predatory look in his eyes, stopping every once in a while to place a kiss, or nibble at her skin, as he went. Amanda’s heart kicked into overdrive. It had been so long since she’d felt those feelings, or even allowed herself to consider the possibility. She wasn’t sure she was ready for this, but her body wasn’t backing down. All she needed, was for her mind to cooperate. Or at least not stand in the way.