"Yes ... no ... I don't know."

"Touch me, Sunny. Please," he whispered his desperate plea around her breast.

"W-where?"

He took her hand and guided it between his legs. She didn't move for several seconds and he didn't force her any farther, but he couldn't keep himself from making small thrusts into it. When she finally curled her fingers around the bulged denim, he groaned and nearly came right there.

"Ow!" She tensed.

"Sorry, baby." He lapped his tongue over her nipple after biting it when she squeezed him.

"I'm just so d.a.m.n turned on and I want you to touch me, but it's almost too much."

"Mickey, I love you, but I just don't know if ..."

"You don't want to have s.e.x. It's okay-"

"No. I'm just ... or we, well, I don't want to get pregnant."

"What if I buy condoms?"

"What do you mean awhat if you buy condoms?'"

He chewed his lower lip for a few moments. "I mean, can we have s.e.x if I use a condom or I'll wear two even ... h.e.l.l, I'll wear ten if it means we can ..." He kissed the slight swell of her breast.

She grinned. "I think one is sufficient."

He mirrored her grin. "Is that a yes?"

Sunny nodded slowly. He was ready to run out right then and buy condoms, but by the time he'd return their alone time would be about up.

"Take your shirt off."

Her eyes went wide. "I thought we just agreed to wait until-"

He sat up and tugged at her top. "No s.e.x. But there's a lot we can do without actually having s.e.x."

Sunny stared at him, then on a deep sigh she lifted her arms.

Mickey grinned a victorious smile as he pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside.

"G.o.d, I hope my parents don't come home early."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "The fear of getting caught makes it that much more exciting." He reached around and unfastened her bra.

She held it to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

"I just saw them. I had them in my mouth." He smirked.

Sunny continued to stare at him.

"Fine. Here." He shrugged off his shirt.

Her eyes roved over his torso, not that she hadn't seen it before, but it did feel different with her shirt off too-intimate, s.e.xual.

"I can't believe how much of a man you've turned into."

He chuckled. "You have no idea."

She released her hold on her bra, letting it fall from her chest. "Now what?" Her nerves showed through her shaky words.

"I want to take your pants off."

She shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Just your pants, okay. I'll leave your underwear on and I'll leave my jeans on. Deal?"

Biting her lips together, she nodded once.

"Yes?"

She nodded again.

"Lie back."

She scooted her body around and lay back on the couch. He unfastened her jeans, keeping his eyes on hers the whole time. Then he slid them down and off her legs.

"You're beautiful, so very beautiful."

He nearly o.r.g.a.s.med just from the sight of her in nothing but a pair of white cotton panties, auburn hair fanned around her head. Fear took over her face as he unfastened his belt.

"W-what are you doing?"

"I don't want to scratch you with my belt."

"Why? What are we going to do?"

After dropping his belt to the floor, he pushed her legs open. She resisted him for a second then tried to relax.

He kissed his way up the inside of her leg.

She panted as he brushed his nose over her cotton panties, taking a deep inhale before continuing up her body.

"We're going to practice." He whispered over her lips before kissing her. As his tongue slid against hers, he rocked his pelvis into her. It wouldn't take long, he just hoped he'd hold out until she found her own release.

Sunny moaned into his mouth. He slowly rocked into her, vying for every bit of friction he could get. Within seconds she responded to him, meeting him thrust for thrust, rocking her hips and sometimes circling them, searching for that right spot. He didn't have to search, he was there, waiting on the precipice while praying to G.o.d she hurried up.

"There ..." she murmured, breaking their kiss as she arched her back and squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh dear G.o.d ... there ..."

He rocked into her three more times, milking her o.r.g.a.s.m, then grunting on the final thrust as he came.

They both lay still, breathless. After a few minutes he sat up. Kneeling between her legs. She winced.

"Is that ... me?" She stared at the crotch of his jeans.

Looking down, he rubbed his thumb along the dark, wet spot. "Yes, some of it's you ... but I think I'm leaking through as well." He grinned. "How did that feel?"

She covered her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with her hands, her whole body flushed nice and rosy. "Like nothing I've ever felt before."

"Good?"

Sunny nodded, looking anywhere but directly at him or his wet jeans.

"I'm going to give you more of that ... for the rest of our lives. I promise."

Chapter Twenty-Three.

Jones Jackson made no guarantees to Luke, but he said he'd contact Knox and casually fish for information without making it sound like he didn't have a clue as to the whereabouts of his sister. It wasn't much, but Luke took it. He had to jump at any and all possibilities, including looking for clues to places she might be. Ryn suggested they talk to AJ's son, Cage, who was at his dad's place for the weekend to go through everything.

"Follow my lead," Luke said to Lake as they knocked on AJ's front door.

She shook her head. "That's what you said when we stood on Jude's front stoop."

"I did. And then thirty minutes later you were talking about your accident and my wedding day."

"Sorry, but it's hard to keep my leg a secret, and I'm pretty sure Jackson already knew you were going to marry his sister."

"Just ..." He sighed.

"Got it. I'll let you handle it."

The locks clicked and a young man opened the door. Luke gave Lake a tight-browed glance after she made an indecipherable noise.

"Hi."

"Hi. Cage, right?" Luke asked.

He nodded, looking at Lake.

"I hope we're not disturbing you. We're friends of Jillian's. Could we talk to you about her and your dad for a few minutes?"

Cage shook his head. Luke hadn't antic.i.p.ated that.

"Oh. Sorry, are you busy? We could come back later."

Cage shook his head again, jaw clenched. "It's too soon. I ... I can't talk about him or them or ... it's just too soon." He cleared his throat.

Luke nodded. Cage's pain was palpable. It was too soon. He would have to let the son be a dead end for a while.

"I understand. Sorry for your loss."

Cage nodded once.

"Mind if I use your restroom before we hit the road again?" Lake smiled.

"Lake you can-"

"That's fine," Cage replied before Luke could finish his protest.

"Thanks." She rested her hand on Luke's arm. "Why don't you go fill the car up with gas and get me a coffee."

The tank was full and he never knew she was a coffee drinker.

"Please."

"O-kay, but I won't be long." He gave her a warning look that, of course, she ignored.

Lake leaned her shoulder against the wall to balance as she pulled off her boots. Winter weather made it impossible to hide her prosthetic leg when she had to take her boots off in people's homes. Socks would have been a good idea, but she didn't wear socks with her Uggs.

She glanced up after removing them. Cage stared at her feet.

"I lost my leg." It wasn't like her to state the obvious, but the tall, hunky blond with dimples jumbled her thoughts.

He smiled. It was a melting smile, the kind that could melt a girl's heart, the kind that led her to believe he would make it through the loss of his father.

"I didn't mean to stare."

"I didn't mean to state the obvious." She grinned. Some awkward-girl personality hijacked hers. Lake reminded herself that they were in fact discussing her missing limb. It wasn't flirting. No one flirted over prosthetics. Too bad.

"The bathroom is around the corner."

Lake needed the bathroom reminder since she didn't really need to use it. "Thank you."

After shutting the bathroom door, she rested her hands on the edge of the sink, looking in the mirror at the flushed face of a girl who hadn't given a second glance to a guy since her accident. "He's gorgeous, Lake. Stop thinking stupid s.h.i.t about a gorgeous guy that lives a million miles away and oh yeah ... he's naturally going to be attracted to gorgeous women with all their limbs intact."

After flushing the toilet and running the water for a few seconds, she gave her reflection an affirmative nod for the needed pep talk and reality check.

Upon opening the door, the large manly form leaning against the opposite wall brought her out of her skin. "Oh G.o.d! You scared me." She pressed her hand to her chest.