“Never,” he declared. He leaned his shoulder against the door and grinned, voice teasing. “You’re glowing.”

“Is that what this is?” She swiped a hand across her forehead and threatened to wipe it on him. “Glow juice?”

“Hey!” Luke yelped and snatched at her hand, playfully tugging it away from his face.

She giggled.

But as he gazed down at her, the silly mood evaporated.

Julia swallowed. Her heart raced, pulse pounding in her wrist, where his fingers were still locked around her. Luke pressed a kiss to her palm. She shivered, the electricity of his touch igniting a path of nerve-searing need all the way up her arm.

He pulled back and met her eyes again. “Julia.” He whispered her name, a desperate, reverent sound. He bent his head and kissed her hand again, lips brushing first her wrist and then her knuckles and then her fingers.

Julia watched, desire careening through her as he nipped at her fingers with his teeth. One by one, he pulled her fingers into his mouth, sucking gently. Each tug pulled at something deep inside her. Her knees wobbled. “I think…” she began, swallowing hard as he stroked her with his tongue. “I think I need to lie down.”

“Whatever you need.” And then they were on her bed—her big, wonderful, king-size hotel bed—and he was stretched out on top of her, one long lean leg pressed between her thighs. “When I look at you,” he said, caressing the curve of her jaw with his knuckle, “when I’m with you, I feel…” Luke sucked in a breath, his throat working. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” He lifted her face to his. “I’m going to kiss you now.” He dipped his head, then paused, meeting her gaze again. “If that’s okay with you?”

“Okay,” she echoed, licking her lips in anticipation.

His kisses were sweet, tantalizing nibbles, as if her mouth were dessert, a treat he wanted to savor and make last.

“I have to tell you something,” Julia whispered, shivering as his fingers trailed over her hip, his teeth grazing her neck and his hands in her hair. “I might have had a few dreams about you in this bed.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“What were we doing?”

“Well…” She reached for his hand. “You were helping me decide on a new ranking system.”

“I was?” His brow furrowed. “I suppose that makes sense. Ranking systems are one of the first things a developer learns.”

Julia giggled. He was so smart, but also so adorably clueless.

He cocked his head and looked at her, mouth curling in a sheepish grin. “You weren’t talking about programming, were you.”

She shook her head, pulling his hand under her skirt and between her legs.

“Oh,” he rasped, comprehension dawning. “That ranking.”

“You remember, then?” she asked, cheeks burning with a sudden bashfulness even as she grew bolder, splaying his fingers wide and rubbing herself against him.