Rock Stars Don't Like Big Knickers Read online

  Martha nodded. “Okay, I’ll get a quick shower if that’s okay.”

  “Oh yeah, the en suite is through that door there.” Luke pointed over by the window. He smiled and moved back to the door.

  Martha turned away, feeling sick to her stomach. Okay, it had only been one kiss, but it had fuelled a need within her. Stupidly she’d let her guard down and here he was ignoring her again. She couldn’t stand the rollercoaster of emotions that he was putting her through. Suddenly she felt a hand on her upper arm and she was turned around.

  Luke gently pushed Martha against the wall and lifting her hair away from her ear, whispered into it.

  “Don’t think I’ve forgotten how amazing that kiss was. I just wanted to give you time to think about it and make sure that you were okay with it, are you okay?” He nipped her earlobe with his teeth and then gently kissed her neck.

  Martha let out a gasp, and nodded. “Yes,” she managed to whisper.

  “Good, because I can’t stop thinking about it.” Luke kissed along her jawline, while all the time his fingers gently held her arms by her side.

  “I thought you were regretting it.” Martha pulled her arm free and pushed her hand up his t-shirt, clutching at his back.

  “Never,” he whispered, finally landing his lips on hers.

  Martha kissed Luke back eagerly as they pushed themselves against each other, their hungry mouths seeking each other.

  After a couple of minutes, Luke reached up to cup Martha’s face and slowly pulled away. Martha let out a whimper of frustration, like a child who’d had its favourite toy taken away.

  Luke grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’d better go, otherwise any idea I had of taking this slowly will fly out of the window and Mamma will know that you have been well and truly ruined when she sees you at dinner.”

  Taking Martha’s hand he kissed her finger tips, and then left the room, leaving a rather frustrated and dishevelled Martha leaning against the wall.

  Over their alfresco dinner Martha barely ate or spoke, she was too distracted by the kisses she’d shared with Luke. Plus, tonight he was looking even sexier than usual, if that was possible. He had replaced his uniform t-shirt with a loose fitting white shirt that showed off his olive skin. The sleeves were rolled to the elbow and just the right number of buttons were undone, revealing a smooth, tanned chest. Martha had thought his black biker boots were sexy, but Luke barefoot set her body on fire and made every hair on her body stand on end. He hadn’t shaved either, and his dark stubble made him look dangerous and sexy. Martha’s fingers traced her jawline where the stubble had lightly scratched her earlier, and whether it was the right thing to do or not, she wanted to feel it against her skin again.

  “Are you not hungry, Martha?” Lucia asked as she pushed her own empty plate away. “You’ve hardly touched your steak.”

  “Is it my cooking?” Luke asked, grinning mischievously at Martha. “Is it not up to your high standards?”

  “No, not at all. I just…” Martha jumped as she felt a bare foot against her leg.

  “Sorry, what was that?” Luke asked grinning widely.

  “I’m just not hungry.” Martha gave him the death stare.

  Luke obviously didn’t recognise it yet, because he continued to push his foot up Martha’s bare thigh toward the hem of her skirt. She cursed herself at not having worn jeans.

  “It’s been a long day dear,” Lucia replied.

  “Yes it has.” Without breaking Lucia’s gaze Martha reached under the table and grabbed hold of Luke’s foot and bent his big toe back.

  “Ooow,” Luke cried, pulling his foot back.

  “Are you okay, Luke?” Martha gave a look of concern.

  “Yep,” he groaned. “Just stubbed my toe.”

  Martha’s concern wasn’t genuine, obviously, she wanted to shout and bawl at him, wanting to know exactly what he thought he was doing trying to turn her on during dinner, with his mother sitting in the next seat, for goodness’ sake. God, he was definitely hot, and she certainly wanted him, but he didn’t seem to be taking it seriously. He must realise that this, whatever this was, was a big thing for her, yet one minute he was gentle and sincere, and the next playing with her. She was always cautious about matters of the heart, which was why she was still alone after all these years, but she couldn’t help it; Luke Mahoney had cast some sort of spell over her, but for all she wanted him, Martha still wasn’t sure it was sensible to go down that road.

  Luke rubbed his foot, and looked at Martha. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. The way she had responded to his kisses told him that, she just didn’t want to play. His playing scared her, and now he felt bad about it. She had a great sense of humour, but she hadn’t found any of his flirting with her funny, unlike Jake’s – was that a good or bad? Did it mean she took Jake more seriously, or did he simply not affect her in the way that Luke did. Feeling like this about a woman was all so new to him, but Martha wasn’t just any woman; she was sweet and gentle and had been alone a long time. What a dick he was, she hadn’t seen a naked man since 2006, so of course she was scared – she needed to know that he was serious about her. At the moment he knew he wanted her, but how far he wanted to go with that he wasn’t sure, so for now it was back to Plan A and become her friend, but it may just have to be close friends, because her kisses were amazing.

  A little while later, Lucia yawned and got up from her chair.

  “Well I’m off to bed. Have we decided what we’re doing tomorrow, Luciano?”

  Luke looked up and smiled. “Whatever you want to do Mamma, it’s your choice. Is that okay with you, Martha?”

  “Me? Oh yes, of course. I just assumed I’d be here cooking tomorrow.”

  “God no,” Luke cried. “We can all muck in together; we only really need you for the difficult bit, the dreaded family meal.”

  Martha laughed as Luke screwed up his face in a comical grimace.

  “Luciano is right dear, we wouldn’t dream of leaving you here while we go off enjoying ourselves.”

  “But you’re paying me a wage just to cook one meal, at least let me cook dinner each night.” Martha felt a heat creep up her neck and to her cheeks. She hated to take advantage of people.

  “If you insist Martha, but you really don’t need to. I will teach you how to make Gnocchi one evening though.” Lucia placed a hand on Martha’s shoulder and squeezed it gently.

  “Really, that would be great. I’ve never made it before.”

  “Okay, that’s a deal then. Well, I’m off up to bed. I’ll see you both for breakfast in the morning.”

  “Night Mamma,” Luke called.

  Once Lucia had disappeared back inside the house, Luke gently nudged Martha’s leg with his foot.

  “What was that for?” she asked, her smile telling him she already knew.

  “You know what, for nearly breaking my big toe.”

  “Well you deserved it, you shouldn’t have done that in front of your mum.”

  Luke nodded. “I know and I apologise. I shouldn’t have done it, it wasn’t fair to you.”

  “No it wasn’t.” Martha leaned forward and rested her arms on the table. “I don’t know what this is between us, Luke, and I certainly don’t know how to deal with it. You obviously know that I’m not exactly experienced and you, you’re a rock star who has probably had hundreds of women. And you’re my boss on top of all that.”

  Luke leaned across the table and took Martha’s hand in his, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. He suddenly wished he hadn’t had so many women.

  “I do understand Martha, and again I’m sorry for upsetting you. I don’t know what this is either, if that helps. All I do know is that I really like you and that I don’t want to scare you away, or just have a one night stand with you. But,” he said, frowning, “I’m not sure what I can promise you at this stage. I’m a bit of a fuck up where women are concerned.”

  Martha banged her forehead on the table and groaned. His ki
sses had certainly got her motor going again, she had started to think sexual desire had been and gone, unwilling to be friends with someone so sexually boring. Plus, the killer was, this was Luke and it was risky even thinking of getting close to him.

  Martha looked up quickly. “What did you mean about Rachel, by the way, when you said there is no more Rachel?”

  “Just that, I finished it with her the night I took her home.”

  “What, like you’ve done a hundred times before over the last year?” Martha couldn’t help the hint of sarcasm in her voice. “What’s so different this time?”

  “I’ve never actually told her we’re over before,” Luke replied. “And this time I know she isn’t who I want anymore.”

  “Oh,” Martha gulped.

  “Look,” Luke said. “How about we get to know each other a little better this week, and then see where it goes? However, there is one condition.”

  “What?”

  “There must be kissing involved, in fact I absolutely insist.” Luke’s smile lit up his eyes.

  “Just kissing?” Martha asked, with a tiny hint of disappointment.

  “Just kissing, unless of course you decide you want more, and then you have to ask for it.” Luke arched an eyebrow and licked his lips.

  Martha coughed, almost choking on her gasp.

  “I certainly don’t think I’ll be begging, thank you very much.”

  Luke laughed loudly.

  “Seriously babe, you won’t need to beg. All I’m saying is that you call the shots as far as the next step goes. Is that a deal?” He held his hand across the table, waiting for Martha to shake it.

  Hesitantly she took Luke’s hand in hers. “Okay, that’s a deal.”

  “Excellent.” Luke let go of Martha’s hand, got up and moved around to sit next to her. “So, let’s start with the kissing shall we?”

  Before Martha could protest, Luke’s lips were on hers and she was tingling all over.

  Chapter 16

  The following day was spent wandering around Florence, which was something that Lucia loved to do. The city was beautiful and, with its magnificent architecture and landscape, Martha was bewitched. Noisy tourists mingled with countless mopeds that buzzed through the busy streets, while elegant women floated in and out of designer fashion stores. Children carrying huge ice creams trailed behind their parents who gazed up at the beautiful renaissance buildings, with their clean lines and intricate stone work, or pointed at their maps while they planned the next stop on their itinerary. The city was busy and hot, with a heat much stronger and drier than that of the mountains, and with every slight breeze came the rich aroma from the food stalls and the coffee from the pavement cafes, which made Martha’s mouth water. As they had wandered from shop to shop across the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Martha, had been enthralled listening to Lucia and Luke chatting away in Italian, haggling with stall holders and joking with the locals. Luke was relaxed and happy, his laugh ringing out whenever Martha or Lucia said something that amused him. Even Lucia commented that he seemed at peace with life. People didn’t appear to recognise him as Luke Mahoney lead singer of Dirty Riches, despite him wearing the de rigueur rock star Aviator sunglasses, but that didn’t stop him receiving admiring glances from women of all ages. Luke, to his credit, didn’t even flinch when one bronzed blonde thrust her phone number into his hand. Without looking at it he screwed it up and threw it into a bin. Martha felt a shiver of excitement that women craved for him, yet she was the one who he wanted to share hot kisses with.

  After a couple of hours shopping, they’d had lunch at a small café in the shade of a side street, enjoying bread and olives and a whole host of Italian cheeses and wine, spending almost two hours eating and drinking while everyday life buzzed on around them. At lunch, Luke sat next to Martha, draping his arm along the back of her chair and occasionally touching her shoulder with his thumb. The first time he did it Martha looked at him wide eyed and startled, but his gentle smile immediately calmed her. After that, his touch felt natural and normal to her, and if Lucia noticed she didn’t say anything.

  By three o’clock, they were all exhausted and Luke called for the car to come and pick them up. He sat in the front chatting animatedly to the driver, while Lucia and Martha dozed in the back seat.

  “Martha, wake up we’re here.” Luke gently shook her shoulder.

  Martha stirred and winked open one eye.

  “Oh God,” she groaned. “I didn’t realise how tired I was.” She stretched, and as she did so her t-shirt rose up and showed off her tanned stomach. Luke caught a glimpse of it and imagined his lips kissing her there.

  “It’s all the wine and food,” Luke said, leaning across to unclip her seat belt. “Mamma was exactly the same; she’s gone straight up to her room to continue her nap.”

  “Oh, thank you.” Martha held her breath as Luke’s arm brushed against her breast.

  He moved out of the car and held his hand out for her. Martha picked up her bag, took his hand and stepped out of the car.

  “Thanks for today,” she said as she came face to face with him. “I had a great time.”

  “My pleasure. So what would you like to do now? I’d suggest a swim but I realised I didn’t tell you to bring a costume.”

  “Actually, I did bring one, but won’t it be a little cold?” Martha looked up at the sky. It was blue, but a roof of cloud had started to form, and the breeze was picking up.

  “It’s a heated pool,” Luke said taking Martha’s hand and leading her to the house. “So, do you fancy a dip?”

  “Yes, okay, why not?”

  “Excellent, I’ll meet you outside in ten minutes then.”

  It took Martha almost half an hour to get ready for a swim. Okay it was only a swim, but a girl had to look her best when taking a dip with a rock star. She didn’t know whether to keep her hair down, or tie it up in a messy bun on top of her head. In the end, after trying both, several times, she decided on the latter, and put in a pair of hooped earrings, and added a touch of waterproof mascara and pink lip gloss as finishing touches. She wore a plain, but classy, red bikini, that she was ashamed to say she had spent a fortune on. She hadn’t planned on spending so much money, but once Lucia told her that they had a pool, Martha had panicked. Her old navy blue swimsuit had seen better days and was getting rather see through in certain places, so she’d rushed out and bought the first decent bikini that she found that covered more than just her nipples or required her to have a Hollywood waxing session. Finally, happy with how she looked, Martha pulled on a long linen shirt and denim shorts and made her way downstairs.

  When she reached the pool, Luke was already in, swimming up and down, cutting through the water with a strong, powerful crawl. When he spotted Martha, he swam towards her, pushed himself out of the water and onto the side of the pool.

  Martha felt her breasts strain in her bikini top as Luke walked towards her. She’d closed her eyes so quickly when he was naked in his bedroom that day that she hadn’t seen how fantastic his body actually was, but now she did. His swim shorts were worn low, showing off the his delectable V, and his narrow hips were emphasised by his broad chest, but what excited Martha the most was his definite six pack, every muscle hard and defined. When she spotted that his left nipple was pierced she was sure he must have heard her gulp. When Luke stood in front of her, the sun shining on him, he looked almost magical as the sun glinted off the droplets of water that ran down his face and chest

  “Are you coming in?” he asked, eager to see Martha in her bikini.

  God, he just hoped he could keep himself under control.

  As Martha dropped her shorts, kicked off her flip flops and took off her shirt, she didn’t disappoint him. She had a tight, body with exactly the right amount of curves and looked stunning with her hair tied up high, showing off her slim neck. Feeling a stirring below, Luke thrust his hands down his shorts, adopting the usual ‘I’m a man and I’m protecting my assets’ pose, hoping to disguise th
e tent that was forming. As she took a look up at the sky, Luke’s eyes ran all over her body. He noticed that she had some tiny stretch marks on her stomach which he thought only added to her beauty. They were the mark of motherhood and served to prove what a great job she had done on her own for the last seventeen years.

  “Do you think it’s going to rain?” she asked. “It’s definitely getting cloudy.”

  Luke shrugged. “So what if it does? Have you never been swimming in the rain? It’s great fun.”

  Martha laughed and moved towards the pool. “Okay, but if it starts lightning and I get struck, you can ring my daughter to tell her what’s happened.”

  Lying in bed, later that night, Martha couldn’t sleep. She ran her finger across her lips, the lips that Luke had kissed the life out of in the pool and while she was preparing dinner and afterwards when they were clearing away the dishes. He hadn’t been kidding when he insisted on kisses being part of their ‘getting to know each other’ deal. She knew he wanted her, she could feel the evidence when he pulled her close to him, but as much as she felt the urge to ask him for more, Martha knew she couldn’t, not yet. She had to be honest though, he was making it very difficult for her.

  Luke was having exactly the same problem, he couldn’t sleep either and his sheets, had become a twisted ball of proof of that. What on earth had he been doing when he told Martha she had to be the one to move things onto the next level? Christ, he wasn’t sure he could wait much longer, she was driving him crazy. He couldn’t keep his hands off her in the pool, she looked so sexy in her red bikini, it wasn’t a ‘barely there’ thing that left nothing to the imagination, it left just the right amount to his imagination, which was why he was still awake, aching for her. He had to stick to the deal though, he didn’t want to risk scaring her and if sex with her ended up being a huge mistake, then hopefully she wouldn’t hate him as it would have been her idea. He really didn’t want her to hate him, because, if nothing else, he valued her as a friend.