by Tina Beckett
Unable to trust her voice, she shook her head.
The arm curled around her side, his fingers brushing the indentation of her hip. “How about now?”
“No.”
One finger dipped just below the elastic at her waist and stroked just above the juncture of her thighs. When the sensation made her give a low moan, there was no mistaking where this was headed.
He bit her earlobe. “How far across the line am I allowed to go, Kady?”
“A-as far as you want.” The words came out thick with need.
Message received.
Tucker’s head dipped, his lips seeking and finding hers. All the playful banter of moments earlier disappeared. And something deeper and far more dangerous rose up to take its place. She was ready for it. Had been ready for the last two years.
CHAPTER TEN
THEY CRASHED THROUGH the door of her hotel room, lips still locked, Tucker kicking it shut behind him. It was as if she’d released a latch on some primitive side of him and let loose a beast that was intent on devouring her. And she was more than happy to let him do just that.
The bed was a few feet away, and they fell onto it, Tucker’s weight pressing her deep into the mattress. His clothes were wet and chilly against her superheated skin, but it was okay. She would take whatever she could get of him. His hands went to either side of her face and dark eyes stared into hers. “You’re gorgeous. You know that, don’t you?”
He made her feel that way.
When she went to draw him back to her, though, he stood, pulling his phone and sodden wallet from his pockets. He then tossed them onto the other side of the king-size bed. Impatient, she sat up, her fingers going to the button on his slacks and making short work of that and the zipper. It took a little bit of effort to see-saw the garment down his lean hips until he could step out of them. “You get your shirt while I get...” She hooked her thumbs into the waistband of his briefs and eased them over the bulge in front. As soon as she did, he sprang free.
God.
She’d almost forgotten how much pleasure this part of his body could bring her. And how much pleasure it could bring him when she touched it. When she...
The hands that had been undoing his shirt stopped the second her lips met his skin. He swore, palm reaching to grip her hair. A half-hearted tug that changed nothing made her smile, although that was hard to do when her mouth was...she opened wide...full.
It was. Full and heavy and incredibly sexy. She loved the intimacy of it. Loved sending him to the brink and watching him try to fight against the rising tide. The thing was, she always won. And he always tried to stop her.
“Kady.”
Her gaze went up, brows arching slightly in challenge as her tongue swirled around him. Stroking, tasting, doing everything in her power to make him come unhinged.
Instead, he did the unexpected. He stepped back, breaking the suction. “Not this time.”
She licked her lips again. “Not good enough? Then come here so I can do it even better.”
“Witch.” He came forward, but not to take up where she’d left off. Instead, he reached for her wrists and bore her back to the bed. Arms over her head, he transferred her hands to one of his, then held her in place. “Now it’s my turn.”
He leaned over her, lips trailing down her neck and collarbone in a way that missed being ticklish by a hair’s breadth. Instead it crossed the line into breath-stealing, especially when he cruised the V of her bikini top until he arrived at the other side. And then he found one of her nipples.
Hard, tight, aching.
Breath whooshed from her lungs when he took a long, hard pull on it. Then another.
“I want you so much it hurts.”
There was a sound of wonder in his voice that she didn’t quite understand, but it didn’t matter—she wanted him just as much. Between her legs, inside her, all around her. If she spent her whole life holed up in this room, she wouldn’t care.
“Lift your head, honey.”
She did as he asked, the fingers of his free hand fumbling with the strings to her bikini. Then he peeled the top down, exposing her breasts. This time, his lips touched bare skin. Her eyes fluttered shut as he teased and nibbled, traveling back and forth. The need inside her expanded faster than she wanted it to, her insides melting. “Tucker, let go of my hands.”
His teeth bit down, and she arched up off the bed. “Not yet. Maybe not ever.”
She couldn’t do anything but moan and thrash as he continued the onslaught, leaving out an important part of her body. And there was nothing to push against to help staunch the growing ache. Her hips pumped into empty air, trying to squeeze her thighs together, anything that would help give her the sensation she was looking for.
He lifted his head and stared down at her. “Spread your legs.”
“Not unless you’re ready to put something between them.” She didn’t recognize the thin, raspy voice that spoke those words.
“Trust me.”
She did as he asked, and he moved between them, removing any hope of squeezing herself to orgasm in an instant.
Her groan was met with a smile. “Patience.”
A fingertip went to the base of her throat and slowly traveled the midline of her body, between her breasts, down her abdomen, into her bellybutton until he reached the top of her pubic bone. He didn’t dive off the edge like she’d hoped. Instead, he zigzagged slowly in place, just above where she wanted it to be.
There was a tenseness in her breasts, her nipples drawn into rigid peaks. They knew what was coming. Only Tucker wasn’t giving them the satisfaction that lay just beyond reach. He slid his finger down a smidgen and tracked it back and forth again, a little harder this time.
She moaned, eyes closing. He was so close.
God! She was so close.
His voice sounded in her ear, the low, insistent tone adding another tremor to her system. “I’m going to make you come.”
There was no doubt of that. She wasn’t sure why he was announcing it. She was ready for him to touch her. To really touch her.
But a minute went by, then two, while her body strained toward that point of contact. Except there was nothing to push against.
“You’re going to come.” The voice came again, that finger tracing a circle millimeters away from her pleasure center. “Just with this. Because I need to be inside you. And can’t. Until you come. Hard.”
She believed him. Already a familiar tingling was gathering speed.
If she thrust her hips hard enough, she might be able to jolt him to the right spot, but she wanted to do this. For him. Wanted his mere presence to send her into the clouds.
“Kady.” His tone was now a tense whisper. “I need you to come for me, baby. Please.”
It took two seconds, then her body fluttered, a sharp clench of her inner muscles driving her forward. Then another. The spasms and his stroking finger rendered her powerless to retreat to safety, even if she’d wanted to. The next contraction did it.
“Ah-h-h...” She climaxed with a fury that stole her breath. She didn’t have time to think about any of that, though, because he was suddenly there inside her, pumping hard and fast, that ravenous beast back to finish off his prey.
“Dammit, yes!” His triumphant oath came just as he let go of her hands and clutched her hips, raising them as he continued to thrust inside of her. “Yes.”
He slowed but still pumped, drawing out both their climaxes.
“Yes.”
That final word was full of masculine satisfaction. Of satiation.
Drawing a shaky breath, and feeling pretty satisfied herself, she kissed his neck. “You are a very bad man.”
He chuckled, making no move to pull away and separate them. “I thought women were drawn to bad boys.”
“There is bad and then there i
s bad.”
“And which one am I?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
He rolled over, drawing her with him. “I can be as bad as you want me to be. Or as good.”
Planting her hands on his shoulders, she pushed up so she could look at him. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“Did what?” He feigned innocence, but his smile said he knew exactly what she was talking about.
“You know.”
“It was payback for what you tried to do.” His arm hooked around her back, holding her in place. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve been paid in full yet.”
He drew his nose up her temple. “Were you picturing any of those donor’s faces when I was inside you?”
Was that a hint of jealousy in his voice? “Would that make it more exciting for you?”
“No.” The growled word made her laugh.
“We can play who’s behind curtain number one.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth. “I’m behind all the curtains.”
“Are you? Those were supposed to be for the donors. Unless you want to pretend to be one of them. Maybe you’re vying for the top spot.”
His index finger tickled the lobe of her ear. “And what would you do with me if you chose me?”
“Mmm... I would coax what I needed out of you.” She frowned. “Except that’s impossible now.”
“Let’s say things were magically reversed through the wonders of modern technology.” His lips pressed against her neck. “Now, how would you coax me?”
Her brain was having a little trouble concentrating, since his mouth had skimmed to her collarbone, his voice low and seductive. “I would use anything I could. My hands. My mouth.”
Teeth connected with the sensitive skin at the crook of her neck. When air hissed through her teeth, he licked over the spot, generating a languid warmth that drugged her system. “And after you got it?”
“I’d have to make sure things took, so we might have to make multiple attempts.”
“Multiple attempts. Oh, yes, I think we would. And once it took? Would you throw me away?”
“Never.”
His fingers found one of her nipples, wrenching a moan out of her. “So now you have me. And you’ve coaxed and coaxed and coaxed. What comes next?”
Her breath was coming in shorter spurts. “W-we’d have to get busy, choosing names.”
“Bueller.” He squeezed the tight peak of her breast, making her writhe against him.
“No.”
“No, Kady? Are you sure?” The pad of his thumb brushed over her and her eyes fluttered closed.
“No to Bueller. Not to that.”
“How about Gregorian?” The pressure of his thumb increased slightly.
“Isn’t Gregorian...a type...of chant?” She was doing some chanting of her own and it had nothing to do with baby names. “Why are we only having boys?”
A sense of euphoria was making it increasingly hard for her to think. This was a conversation he never would have participated in three years ago. And now he was smiling. Kissing her. Thinking up outrageous names, even as he was driving her wild with need. Was this their new normal? She hoped so.
“We’re only having boys because...” His hands moved to her hips, shifting her just a little to the left. Something magically began stirring down below. “Right on cue. Saved by the hoisting of the mainsail. And it didn’t need any coaxing after all.”
She gave an over-dramatic sigh that sounded more like a whimpered plea. “You’re taking all the fun out of it.”
Actually, he wasn’t. He was putting all the fun back into her life. Fun that she’d almost thought obliterated forever.
“Want to bet?” He positioned her, thrusting upward in a rush.
She gasped as he filled her completely. “Didn’t you just...?” Her voice squeaked to a stop when his palms glided over her backside and squeezed. “You can’t mean to...”
“I can.” He smiled up at her. “And I do. Maybe it’s time I did a little coaxing of my own.”
* * *
Coaxing. It had worked. A little too well.
Tucker needed to wake her up, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. But they had missed their conference session, spending the afternoon making love again and again instead. He was exhausted. In a good and familiar way. A way that once upon a time he’d thought he’d never feel again.
Those days were over.
At least, he hoped they were.
Were they falling in love all over again? If so, what did he do about it? He could stop it in its tracks with well-placed flippancy once those gorgeous green eyes opened.
But he didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want to hurt her.
So what did he want to do?
What he wanted to do and what he should do might be two different things. He had to tread carefully. Maybe he could start by reexamining some of his choices. And sharing those with her. He’d tried to do a little of that during the game they’d played this afternoon, hopefully letting her know that he really did want to be behind the curtain.
Kady squirmed in her sleep, a soft sigh and a puckering of her lips making him wonder if she was dreaming about what they’d done together. His gaze trailed over the naked line of her back and the spot just above her ass where the edge of the sheet rested.
The same finger that he’d used last night went behind her ear, brushing back and forth over the tender skin. As much as he wanted to stay here with her all night, his stomach was beginning to protest that, at seven thirty, it was past his dinnertime.
He leaned down and replaced his finger with his lips, dropping tiny kisses behind her ear, her scent drifting up in intoxicating little eddies. She murmured something unintelligible and tilted her head closer, as if seeking out his touch. His body stirred all over again.
God, he loved this woman.
The kisses stopped.
Loved.
Loved.
He did. Had never stopped. He’d just buried those emotions beneath a load of fear when all the talk of babies had started.
But she still wanted children. Was looking to find a sperm donor to get her there.
Maybe she would rethink that. Especially after their afternoon play date.
Was that what he wanted? To make her change her life plans so they could be together?
Maybe. Would she be willing to? Or maybe he was the one who needed to be willing to change. He’d meant what he’d said about being behind all of those curtains.
He wanted her to choose him. Even if it was on her terms? Playing around with baby names hadn’t been as gut-wrenching as it had been at one time. In fact, it had been—
“Tucker.” She groaned his name, and his body hardened further. He loved hearing her say his name in that cute, almost-accented tone. Especially when it came in on one of those breathy little sighs that said she liked whatever he was doing.
He kissed her again. “Time to wake up. We have somewhere to be.”
“Somewhere to be?” Her eyes blinked open and she rolled onto her back, her breasts gloriously exposed to his gaze.
Right now the only place he wanted to be was in this bed with her.
“We are going out to dinner.”
“Mmm...” Her eyes met his. The spot between her brows puckered as she processed that thought. Then she sat up, her frown growing deeper. “What time is it?”
“Seven thirty.”
“Oh, no! We missed the conference. And it’s the last night. Why didn’t you wake me up?”
He smiled. “I believe I was trying to do just that. I’m insulted that my kisses didn’t have more of an effect.”
She muttered something under her breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Tha
t adorable just-woken grumpiness. He even missed that.
His lips pressed against her temple. “Maybe my kisses were having an effect after all. Was that the problem?”
“No.”
He nipped the edge of her jaw, moving just close enough to her mouth to make her wonder. “Are you sure?”
“Do we really have to eat?” She turned slightly until they were lined up lip to lip. “Because if the answer is no, you could just lie back and let me demonstrate some truly effective kissing techniques. Or there’s always pole dancing with a very special pole.”
The groan this time was all his. “Don’t go there, Kady.”
She laughed. “You are so transparent.”
A slight cloud came over him. Hell, she probably could see right through him. Maybe even knew that he loved her. If so, why did she find that amusing? Because nothing about what he’d just realized was funny.
At least, not to him.
A thread of warning coiled around his heart. He should just tell her how he felt and see if she felt the same way.
Their time together was almost over. If he was going to confess, it needed to be now—tonight—or she would disappear back to Atlanta and he would miss his chance.
You already missed your chance.
The whispered words went through his head and the string tightened further.
He ignored it, glancing at the clock next to the bed. “I want to go someplace fancy. But for the place I’m thinking of, we need to be there by eight thirty. Did you bring a dress?”
The big confessions could wait until they’d eaten. Or during dinner. Maybe once he had some food in his stomach the memories of last night wouldn’t clog his thoughts. He needed to be clearheaded about what was best for the both of them. Even if he hadn’t yet figured that out.
Still, it couldn’t hurt to drop little hints, could it? Threading his fingers through her hair, he turned her head again and kissed her, the cling of her lips filling him with wonder. Okay, they were both awake. Their sex drive had been satisfied and she was still willing to kiss him. Scratch that. Satisfied for the moment. Because he was back to wanting her every moment of the day.
