All Wound Up

by Jaci Burton

  Aubry didn’t want to believe in this. She didn’t believe in these kinds of things. Still . . .

  “Thank you.”

  Sheila looked over at Tucker. “You . . . chaos.”

  Tucker laughed. “Yeah, you could say that.”

  “You have many relatives from your past. They look out for you. But they say you’re a difficult one to manage.”

  “I don’t doubt it.”

  “You have to live down a legacy, but you chose to lead your own path. It troubles you at times.”

  She looked over at Tucker, who was frowning. He didn’t say anything to Sheila.

  “Your grandfather wants me to tell you that he’s so proud of your choice of career, that he appreciates you keeping the old baseball glove in . . .” Sheila frowned. “You keep it somewhere safe.” She drummed her fingers on the table. “A trunk . . . a trunk in your room?”

  Tucker’s lips ticked up. “He knows that, does he?”

  Sheila nodded. “He also wants me to tell you, like the father, goes the son. The path may be a different one, but the end result is the same. You’re walking the correct road.”

  Tucker nodded. “Okay, I get that.”

  Sheila looked from Tucker to Aubry, her gaze settling between them.

  “Three times the two of you have circled, and now you come together. The fates bring you in line with one another.”

  Okay, that was downright weird. A little vague, but still, pretty on the mark. First, the wine cellar, then twice in the ER.

  A lucky guess?

  Pretty damn lucky if it was.

  “Love is a very powerful force. It entwines with fate and defines our destiny. Don’t run from what’s meant to be.”

  Love? Who was talking about love? Aubry swallowed. “Um, this is just our first date.”

  Sheila smiled. “The first of many, I hope. The aura surrounding the two of you is very strong, your colors bright. You will forge. Your families are united on the other side, with positive hopes for both of you.”

  Whoa. That was some deep stuff for a first date. And a lot of made up mumbo jumbo that she wasn’t about to buy into.

  Aubry laid her now-sweaty palms on her pants. “Well, that was so interesting.”

  “Thanks,” Tucker said, putting his arm around Aubry. “I have pretty high hopes for our first date. I think we’ll start there, and see how it goes.”

  Sheila smiled. “I hope you gleaned something from this reading that you found useful.”

  Aubry stood. “It was definitely enlightening. Thank you so much.” She shook Sheila’s hand, and as Tucker paid, asked her about her house. Sheila told her it had been her grandmother’s house. She’d had it remodeled several years ago.

  Aubry’s parents were into the now and the new. She loved this old house, and would love to be able to renovate an older home someday.

  After thanking Sheila again, they headed out to the car.

  Once they had taken off, Tucker glanced at her. “So . . . what did you think?”

  “It was weird.”

  “Weird bad or weird good?”

  “A little of both, I think. She knew some stuff that no one else would know.”

  “Yeah, I got that. With the grandparents. I kept my grandpa’s old baseball glove. She even knew where I keep it.”

  “Yes. Same thing with my grandmother’s charm bracelet. How would she know that?”

  He shrugged. “No idea. Unless she’s the real deal and was talking to our dead relatives. Pretty cool, huh?”

  She looked out the window. “I’m not sure if I’d define that as cool or not. It’s a little . . . unsettling.”

  “Really? I found it fascinating. And then the part about you and me and the three times? No one would know that but us.”

  She dragged her gaze from the window and settled it on him. “You didn’t tell them anything.”

  “No. Just gave our first names and my phone number. Besides, who else would know about us?”

  She’d told Katie, but Katie had no idea Tucker was bringing her here tonight.

  Fate and destiny, though? She made her own destiny, and the only part of that she was concerned with was her medical career.

  The rest of it she decided she didn’t want to think about. So she was going to think of this as a fun interlude and nothing more.

  “I had a great time at Madame Sheila’s. Thank you for taking me.”

  “You’re welcome. You’ll like what’s next, too.”

  “There’s more?”

  “Of course there’s more.”

  He pulled into the parking lot of . . .

  Oh, dear God.

  “Bowling? We’re going bowling?”

  He grinned and parked, then turned off the car and faced her. “I didn’t want to do a boring first date where all we do is go out to dinner at some restaurant and make small talk. You deserve a fun first date.”

  “I do?”

  “Yeah. Because I’ll bet you work all the time and when you’re not working you’re probably sleeping. Or doing laundry or paying bills and shit like that.”

  He didn’t have to know that’s exactly what she’d been doing earlier. “I can have fun.”

  “I’m sure you can. That’s why we’re going bowling.”

  He got out and came around to fetch her. She had to admit, this was the most intriguing first date she’d ever been on.

  “I don’t remember the last time I went bowling. Maybe my freshman year of undergrad? And I have to tell you, even then I wasn’t good at it.”

  “You don’t have to be good at it to have fun.”

  “I seem to recall the last time I went bowling with a group, my date at the time made fun of my lousy score.”

  He stopped and laced his fingers with hers. “Then you’re dating the wrong guys.”

  She laughed. “Apparently.”

  She wasn’t about to tell him she hadn’t been dating any guys lately. Let him think what he wanted.

  They got inside, and for a weeknight, the place was booming. League play, probably. She wasn’t sure she was going to be okay with that, since she was rusty as hell and would probably throw quite a few gutter balls. She didn’t want everyone in there to notice.

  “I hope you’re hungry. They serve the best greasy hamburgers in the restaurant here.”

  She lifted her gaze to his. “Is that right?”

  “I know you being a doctor and all, you’re probably against the whole greasy hamburger thing.”

  “I’m a doctor, not a nutritionist. I have nothing against a nice, greasy burger.”

  He put his arm around her. “See how we’re connecting? It’s like we’re meant to be.”

  Which got her to thinking about what Sheila said.

  She immediately dismissed it. She would not go there with that whole fate and destiny stuff. She was hungry, and a burger sounded like a great idea.

  Burgers and bowling—her primary objectives, and all her mind could handle at the moment.

  See? Fun. Fun she could deal with. Deep stuff? No, thanks.

  She smiled up at Tucker. “Let’s bowl.”

  TUCKER COULDN’T HELP HIMSELF. AS AUBRY STOOD with the bowling ball in her hand, preparing to toss it down the alley, he wasn’t paying attention to her form or the way she swung the ball or how many pins she knocked down. He was watching her ass.

  She had a great ass. Round and curvy in all the right ways, the kind a man wanted to put his hands on.

  She knocked down six pins, swung around with a smug grin on her face. One would think she’d just hit a strike.

  “Did you see that?” she asked as she took her seat and grabbed her beer.

  “I did.”

  “Six pins. No gutter balls that time.”

  “You’re up to a score of fifty-five.”

  “Woo!”

  He couldn’t help but laugh. At least she had a great sense of humor about how bad she was.

  “I might be ready for that greasy cheeseburger afte
r this game. I feel like I’ve really worked up an appetite. You know, now that I’m so much better at this.”

  “Yes, I can tell. You’ve only thrown four balls in the gutter so far this game.”

  “Right?”

  He took his turn, knocking down nine in his first try, then hitting the other for a spare. Aubry cheered for him, then got up and hit eight pins. She turned to face him, her eyes wide.

  He nodded. “You can do this.”

  She walked over toward him. “They’re in the corner. I was never very good at hitting the ones in the corner.”

  “Take a deep breath and aim from right to left. I have a good feeling about it.”

  “I’ll do my best. I’d really like a spare.”

  “Then go get one.”

  She grabbed her ball and studied the lane.

  He could tell this meant something to her, even though she was merely having fun. So he got up and moved behind her, sliding his hands under her elbows.

  “Scoot an inch or two to the right.”

  She did, and he followed.

  “Now make your swing in one swift move, and sight the pins when you let go. Use your wrist to flick it a little toward the pins. Does that make sense to you?”

  “Yes.”

  He liked the feel of her body against his and was reluctant to let her go. She smelled like something sultry and a little decadent. He wanted to bury his face in her neck and kiss her, then turn her around and kiss her some more.

  But now wasn’t the time. He reserved that thought for later.

  “You’ve got this, Aubry.” He gave her arms a slight squeeze before letting her go. He went back to his seat and watched as she walked up, swung, and let the ball go.

  It rolled down the alley with authority, a perfect roll as it blasted the two pins down.

  She raised her arms high and let out a battle cry of celebration. He stood and waited for her while she ran up and threw herself against him. He wrapped his arms around her, really liking the feel of her soft curves pressed against his body.

  She pulled back, her smile wide, her eyes shining with victory. “I did it.”

  “You did. I knew you could.”

  “I got a spare. I don’t suck at this after all.”

  “Of course you don’t.”

  She stared at him, those intense blue eyes of hers studying him. He saw curiosity and question in her eyes. And also that same desire that gut punched him . . . hard.

  He really wanted to kiss her. Right now.

  But she palmed his chest, then took a very obvious step back.

  “So . . . how about we finish this game, then celebrate with cheeseburgers?”

  Message delivered. She wasn’t ready, yet.

  But he’d bet she would be before the night was over.

  “Sure. And who knows? You might hit another spare, or even a strike before the end of this game.”

  She laughed. “Right. Like that’s going to happen. Come on, stud. Game first, cheeseburgers next.”

  And then the really fun stuff after that.

  AFTER A COUPLE OF BEERS AND—TUCKER HAD BEEN right—a rather fantastic greasy cheeseburger with accompanying onion rings, Aubry was more than satisfied, and a lot stuffed. Fortunately, they’d bowled another game after that to work off the meal. She’d even gotten a strike.

  The night couldn’t get much better.

  They turned in their shoes and headed out the door.

  “I had fun.”

  Tucker grasped her hand. “Of course you did. I told you, I’m a fun guy.”

  “You did tell me that. And you did the unexpected—you made me relax and have a good time.”

  “Good. And if that came as a surprise to you, then you’re obviously working too hard.”

  He walked to her side of the car and opened the door. She turned to face him. “I’m supposed to work hard right now. It’s my job.”

  He slid his hand along the side of her neck. “It can’t always be about work, Aubry.”

  She hadn’t expected this. Not now and not here, anyway. So when he bent and brushed his lips across hers, she wasn’t ready. But oh, it was a nice kiss. Easy and effortless, without the awkwardness or tension she usually felt when a man kissed her for the first time. He slid his arm around her waist and tugged her close, drawing her body against his.

  She reached out to grasp hold of his shirt, making contact with a solid wall of chest muscle. A dizzying array of sensations enveloped her. His scent—crisp, clean, with just a hint of musky, male sweat. A swirl of dizziness as his mouth moved over hers. She’d never swooned before, but Tucker was really good at kissing, and this wasn’t even a deep, passionate kiss. He took slow kissing to a deliberate level, as if they had all the time in the world to explore each other’s mouths. It made her wonder what it would be like when they were alone and he’d kiss her more thoroughly. Her toes curled at the thought.

  He drew back, then rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you for a while now.”

  She didn’t want to admit how much his words thrilled her. “Have you?”

  “Yeah. You have a great mouth, Aubry.” To prove his intent, he leaned in and kissed her again, making her shudder. Making her want things she normally pushed way down on her list of things to think about.

  Those “things” had instantly moved up way higher on her list.

  At this moment, they were number one, especially when his hands moved over her back. When was the last time a man’s hands roamed her body and did delicious things to her? Self-induced orgasms, while efficient, weren’t nearly as fun as a guy taking her to the height of ecstasy.

  Not that she planned on Tucker giving her an orgasm or anything.

  Then again . . . why not? They were both adults. He knew what her life was like. And he traveled a lot. As long as he had no expectations of permanency, some hot awesome sex wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.

  Especially now that she’d gotten a tease of what it might be like.

  He finally pulled away, forcing her thoughts away from sex.

  He smiled down at her. “I should probably stop kissing you in the parking lot.”

  “Does that mean you intend to kiss me somewhere else?”

  His lips curved. “I can definitely do that. Your place or mine?”

  “Mine works.”

  “Okay.”

  He drove them to her house. She wasn’t sure she knew what she was doing, but she knew what she felt, so she didn’t want to second-guess the feelings.

  It wasn’t a big deal—just sex. And she’d make that clear to Tucker.

  She dug out her keys and opened the front door of her condo, stepped inside, then flipped the switch. Tucker followed, shutting the door behind him.

  “Would you like something to drink? I have wine and beer, plus water and soda.”

  “A beer sounds great, thanks.”

  She laid her purse down on the table next to the sofa, then went into the kitchen to grab a beer for Tucker. She opened one of the cabinets to reach for a wineglass.

  “I can get that for you.”

  She startled, not realizing Tucker was right behind her. She melted as his hand snaked up her arm to grab the wineglass. His big body pressed up against hers, trapping her between him and the kitchen counter.

  She didn’t mind that at all, so she turned around.

  He laid the glass down and captured her mouth in that deep, intimate kiss she’d been waiting for ever since the great first-kiss tease at the bowling alley parking lot.

  It was everything she’d anticipated—and oh, so much more. Hot, demanding, his hands sliding under her shirt to roam across her bare skin. She could barely breathe, her synapses firing fast to keep up with the sensory overload of his mouth, his touch, and the feel of his body pressed against hers.

  She was always fully absorbed in work, thinking that was enough to satisfy her. Now she realized she wanted so much more, like Tucker’s mouth on hers, his tongue doing deli
cious things to hers while his hands worked their magic along the skin of her back, sliding down the top of her pants to cup the bare skin of her butt.

  Her nipples tingled, her sex dampened, and she needed about ten orgasms tonight to make up for her foolish bout of celibacy over the past—however long it had been.

  A sense of urgency overcame her and she lifted his shirt, suddenly needing to touch him—everywhere. When her hands slid over his abs, she groaned.

  Solid wall of muscle. She needed to see this man naked. Right now.

  She pulled back. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

  “You sure?” he asked.

  She liked that he asked. “Absolutely.”

  He nodded, took her hand and let her lead him down the hall. She opened the door to her bedroom and walked inside toward the bed, turning to face him.

  She sat on the bed and pulled off her boots, then drew her shirt off, casting it aside before standing to remove her pants, which left her in only her underwear.

  “Your turn,” she said.

  With a smile, he took off his glasses and laid them on her bedside table, then toed off his shoes and pulled off his socks. His shirt came next.

  Oh, yes. His torso was amazing. Broad shoulders, wide chest, and an amazing set of well-toned abs. She stepped over to him, needing to touch what she saw.

  Now that she was close, and his glasses were off, she could really see his eyes. So gorgeous, and so intently watching her. She reached for the buckle of his belt and untethered it, pulling it apart so she could see to the button, then the zipper, drawing it down over one very impressive erection.

  “Mmm. This feels familiar,” she said, rubbing him through his jeans.

  His eyes blazed hot. “It’s fully functional again, too. Thanks to your tender care.”

  “Good to know. Because I intend to use the hell out of your cock tonight.”

  He inhaled sharply, then reached around to unhook her bra, leading the straps down her arms so he could remove it. He took a step back to admire her breasts.

  “Pretty.” He bent, flicked his tongue over one bud, then captured it between his lips.