Wanting her turn at returning the favor, she pivoted around and took her seat, waiting for Tony to do the same. “I’ll ante up my shoes.” She was ready to amp up this game.
“As will I.”
After shuffling, she dealt five cards to each. She needed to win this one. Four hearts. The chances of drawing the fifth one for a flush were slim, but she didn’t have a pair of anything else. She waited for Tony to announce that he needed three cards before she laid down the one she wanted to replace.
She picked up the card she’d dealt herself while Tony perused his hand. He didn’t seem pleased with what he’d drawn, unless he was a good bluffer. Carm glanced down to see she’d gotten a six of hearts. When they revealed their hands, her flush beat his pair of sevens.
“Okay, big boy, give me those sandals.”
“Come and get them.”
She stood and went around the table to where he continued to sit. A slow grin spread across Carmella’s face. “Does this remind you of anything, T.G.?”
Tony’s mind went to Angelina and Marc’s wedding reception and the garter reversal. If not for that sexy moment, he wasn’t sure he’d have acknowledged his interest in Carmella.
But now the tables had been turned.
Carm knelt down at his feet—which was sexy as all hell—and lifted his left foot. She placed a kiss on his ankle before unlatching the buckle and removing it from his foot. Then she did the same with his right one. Her eyes became fixed on his, much as they had last night when she’d gone down on him. His cock throbbed in response.
Fuck yeah!
She traced her fingernail up the sole of his foot and waited for his reaction.
“Sorry, dolcezza, but I’m not ticklish.”
Carmella quirked the corner of her mouth as if disappointed to hear that, then smiled and leaned closer again to place a kiss on the arch of his sole. When her tongue traced the path her fingernail had taken moments ago, electrical currents coursed through him. He’d never had a foot fetish, but having Carmella’s lips on any part of his anatomy was a turn-on.
She then did the same with his other foot before placing a kiss on his big toe.
Tony groaned. He was ready to chuck this game and strip the rest of their clothes off so he could make love to her right on this patio table, but he held himself in check. If she could make removing his shoes this hot, he couldn’t wait to see what she’d do with what came off next.
All too soon, she picked up his sandals, stood, and placed her winnings on her side of the table. Carm took her seat across from him again.
“Your deal, T.G.”
He intended to win this next round, and he couldn’t wait to remove that tank top from her. Did she wear a bra or was it built-in? He couldn’t wait to find out.
“I’ll ante up my beach shirt.”
“And I’ll bet my tank top.”
Tony’s gaze rested on her boobs for a long moment before he met her gaze with a slow smile. He shuffled and dealt the cards. Three of a kind. He had this win in the bag.
Unfortunately, her straight beat his hand. She stood slowly and walked around the table again. Tony remained seated until she took him by the arm and drew him to his feet. Her hands roamed the territory covered by his tropical-print shirt, front and back.
Carm undid the top button and placed a kiss at the widening vee. With each additional button, she placed another kiss until she reached the last one. She took the plackets of the shirt and spread them open, staring at his chest for the longest time.
“So incredibly hot.”
“I’m glad you like what you see, but I’d rather be looking at your naked chest right now.”
She chuckled before taking the shirt by the collar and letting it slide down his arms to the floor. He waited for her next move but didn’t have to wait long.
She lowered her mouth to his pecs for her after-kisses. Her tongue darted out and flicked over his nipple as she made her first pass. He held his breath and waited. Carm took her time as she ministered to his other nip before she trailed her tongue over the center of his six-pack to his belly button. Her tongue laved his innie thoroughly and then blew cool air over where her tongue had been. As if anxious to remove his shorts, she then laid a row of kisses above the waistband of his Bermudas.
Abruptly, she halted her foray and returned to her seat, ignoring the sound of his frustrated groan. She sat down and grinned at him, wide-eyed as if totally innocent. Tony took his seat again.
She shuffled the cards. “Dealer calls deuces wild.”
Tony announced that his ante this time would be those damned shorts. She stuck with her tank top and quickly dealt the cards then took a look at her hand. He didn’t know her poker face well enough to know if she had a good hand, a bad hand, or was bluffing.
Good call. She was one card away from a straight flush with the help of one deuce.
“I’ll take one card,” he said. He didn’t care what hand he got this time, he intended to throw it away for the win. There wasn’t even a single pair in his hand.
Carm glanced up at him as if to scrutinize him then dealt him the replacement card.
“Dealer takes one as well.” She flipped up the corner of the card she’d dealt herself but gave nothing away with her expression.
“Well, principessa…” With dramatic flair, Tony laid down his ace of clubs followed by an ace of hearts. He tossed the other three inconsequential cards on the table. “I’m sure you can beat my pair of aces. I was hoping to draw another ace.” Of course, he had, but if he confessed that, she’d know he’d thrown the hand.
“I won!” Her expression of joy warmed his heart. “Sorry. That wasn’t a very professional response, but nobody ever said I was a poker pro.”
“Not until you show me your cards, lady.”
With equal flair, she delivered the proof, laying down each card in its turn. Two-Jack-Queen-Two-Ace.
“I’d say you chose the perfect time to call deuces wild, principessa.”
She shrugged off his comment with a grin. “Rules are rules, and that’s the only one I laid down in this game—so it’s totally fair.”
“Absolutely.”
“On your feet, T.G.”
Tony stood, arms held away from his body. “All yours, ma’am.”
Carm took her time and came around the table slowly as if inspecting him. She stroked his shoulders as if intending to take her time reaching her destination.
He’d been looking forward to these next kisses ever since she’d licked his belly button. “You already had your chance up here. Now plant that sexy mouth of yours on my Bermudas’ zipper.”
“Don’t get bossy. I’m in charge of when and where.”
Carm continued to make a slow circle around him as if trying to choose the best spot to place her kiss. Then she kneeled in front of him, stared into his eyes, and undid the button before slowly starting to slide the zipper down. Would she be surprised by what she’d find? She placed her before-kiss just above the zipper’s opening. Then she turned her focus to his crotch and inched the zipper down until he heard her gasp.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Tony had made the right call to go commando while preparing for this poker game. Thoughts of having her mouth on his cock in a few moments made him hard and ready.
Her sharp intake of breath the moment she discovered that he wore nothing under his shorts made him grin. He’d already received his before-kiss. Tony waited.
But she didn’t seem to be in any particular hurry. She hooked the waistband with her thumbs and skimmed the Bermudas down his legs. His cock sprang out within inches of her mouth, but she ignored it. Instead, her lips went to his outer hip and, with the help of her tongue, laid a trail of hot kisses across the top of his thigh to the inside then down his leg to his knee.
Carm moved over to his other inner thigh and made her way up again. Her hair brushed his balls, making his cock bounce in the air. Was this going to be the extent of her after-kiss? She had cov
ered the territory of his Bermudas, but he’d hoped for something more…intimate. He wasn’t sure how they’d go back to the game once her hot mouth was on his cock, but he didn’t care. He was finished playing games and ready to take this woman to bed.
Or the floor, the table, wherever, if they didn’t make it upstairs first.
Her hands dug into the cheeks of his butt and her nails scraped down his buns to the backs of his thighs. The woman was killing him, not that he had many complaints. He already knew her mouth would be potent on his cock, but this playful side left him uncertain about how this would end.
Carmella pulled away and looked up at him. She gave a coy smile that left him wondering what she intended to do next. “I have a dilemma. Technically, your beach shorts were also your underwear. Do I keep going with my kisses, or do we consider this debt paid in full?”
Tony growled.
She grinned then closed her eyes and placed a kiss on the underside of his cocktip. His cock bobbed, smacking her on the lips, and she kissed him again. He opened and closed his fist in an effort to keep from grabbing her by the hair to control her motions. Tony was ready for her to take him in her mouth, but instead she abruptly stood and without a word returned to her chair.
“Your evil side is not becoming, dolcezza.”
She gave a hearty laugh. “If you want more kisses, shut up and deal. My tank top is still on me, so that’s my ante. You have some catching up to do, T.G. So beat me.”
Tony could see a bra underneath her tank but wasn’t sure if it was built-in or another layer keeping him from kissing her breasts. He might have a couple more layers before he’d hit pay dirt. At the moment, he just wanted both of them stripped bare so they could move this upstairs. What was he thinking to propose a strip poker game as foreplay?
“All I have left is my wristband. I know it only counts as a one, but I hope you’ll cut me some slack here.”
Tony shuffled and dealt the round. After checking his cards, he was relatively certain his three of a kind would win the hand. When he drew a deuce to replace one of the two cards he’d discarded, he knew he had her just where he wanted.
He’d find out soon how many layers remained on her body.
“Full house, jacks high.” Tony splayed his cards on the table noting the glimpse of disappointment on her face.
Without even showing her hand, she stood and waited for him. Maybe she was throwing the hand like he did a few minutes ago, but he didn’t care. Her gaze fell to his erection as he boldly walked toward her. Tony skimmed his hands under the tank and across her taut belly and around to her back, pulling her against him. He wanted to kiss her lips but would play by their established rules—for now. He slipped the strap off her right shoulder and placed a kiss there, then did the same to the left.
“Lift your arms, dolcezza.”
She did so, her gaze locked with his and never wavering. In one fell swoop, he lifted the tank off her torso and over her head. He glanced down to find her breasts naked with her nipples growing hard before his eyes. She placed her hands at the back of her head as if presenting herself for an erotic inspection.
Shit!
He bent to place a kiss on one of those perky peaks, drawing her nipple into his mouth and sucking hard. Her tit grew harder against his tongue and the roof of his mouth. Tony pulled back slowly, not letting go of her nipple until she moaned with what sounded like pleasure.
Tony took her other nipple between his teeth, gently but firmly applying pressure until he heard her gasp. So damned responsive. His cock screamed for release, but she was still in her shorts and probably her panties. They hadn’t even finished the game.
Oh, hell. Enough already.
“I’m forfeiting the game.”
“But we don’t know who will win yet.”
“We’ll both win, principessa.”
Without a word, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the kitchen and through the villa to the stairway. She laughed, holding on to his neck and placing a kiss on his lower jaw. “I told you I was good at poker. I’ve sent you running.”
With his erection tapping against her ass, Tony grinned. “We can hold our own Texas Hold ’Em tournament when we get back to Colorado. If we manage to keep our clothes on, I can’t be beat.”
“You’re on.”
How was he supposed to be at the top of his game with Carm’s naked body distracting him? But he counted himself a winner too. Soon he’d be buried deep inside her. He just hoped he’d have the wherewithal to take it slow enough to make it better than anything she’d ever experienced before.
When Tony put her back on her feet, she did a slow striptease with the remainder of her clothing. She did wear panties, though Tony hadn’t known if she’d gone commando too. His eyes smoldered as she ever so slowly removed both layers.
Tony closed the gap between them. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her passionately.
As much as she loved kissing him, right now, all she wanted was to get him into her bed. She inched backward until she felt the mattress at the backs of her thighs and then let herself fall backward. Tony wasted no time in joining her, lying on his side, tucking one arm under her neck, and playing with her hair. He lavished kisses over her shoulder while his thumb and finger pinched one swollen nipple. He wasn’t sure which action elicited her moans of passion, so he kept doing them all.
Carm slowly trailed her hand down his arm to his side and lower still. When his mouth moved and began sucking her other nipple, she grazed his cock and balls with her fingertips. His hips bucked into her hand, and she grasped his hard length and squeezed lightly. She wanted their first time to last into the afternoon if possible.
Stay in the moment!
While Carm loved everything he was doing to her body, she felt too passive. Time to focus on Tony for a while. She grasped his shoulders and nudged him onto his back without much resistance.
He grinned up at her. “Have your way with me, woman.”
“Oh, I intend to do just that.” She began by giving him a lingering kiss before blazing kisses and nibbles across his torso. She teased his nipples with her teeth, eliciting a groan from him before she traveled farther down. While his erection was impossible to miss, she intentionally focused her attentions on the area between his knees and hips. Just as she came close to his erection, she moved to the inside of his other thigh.
“Remember what I said about withholding your orgasms, dolcezza?”
Carm giggled, feeling powerful but not wanting to tempt fate too much. Still, while she had him at her mercy, she only wanted to please him. Settling onto her knees, she ran the tip of her tongue slowly over his balls. They tightened under her lips, and his cock bounced with enthusiasm. She flicked her tongue against the length of his cock, moving slowly toward the head. When she took him into her mouth, Tony’s groan empowered her. His hand came down on the back of her head to set the pace. She followed his lead—for the most part—but didn’t want him to be totally in control. It was so much more fun to be surprised.
During their preparation for the poker game, knowing where they’d end up, she’d suggested he stash some condoms in the bedside drawer. Tasting his salty precum in her mouth, she knew she didn’t want to wait too much longer. She released his cock and leaned over to retrieve one from the drawer.
She held the foil packet up to him. “Would you like me to do the honors?”
“Be my guest.”
Carm tore the packet and pulled out the condom, placed it over the plum-shaped head of his cock, and began slowly rolling it down his length. She’d barely reached the base when Tony turned the tables on her and she found herself lying on her back, hair fanned out on the pillow. His smoldering eyes stared at her as if drinking her in, and she grew wetter without even a touch. He grinned as if he knew.
Then he kissed her forcefully, leaving her breathless. When he released her mouth, he trailed kisses down her neck to her breasts. He scooted his body down the bed, leaving he
r to think he intended to move farther down, until he took one nipple between his teeth and applied enough pressure to make her scream in a mixture of pain and pleasure. Her clit throbbed in response. She’d never been particularly turned on by having someone play with her nipples—not until Tony began torturing them, that is. He pinched the other one—equally hard—and she lifted her back off the bed as if it would lessen the intensity. It didn’t.
Tony rested his hands on the bed and grinned at her again. “I can see that I’m going to have a lot of fun with your nipples.”
She wasn’t complaining. Not one little bit.
“We can talk about my nipples later, T.G. Right now, I want you inside me.”
“Oh, you do, do you? I’ll consider your request.” Ignoring her, he began trailing kisses over her belly toward her mound. His hand held her hip firmly in place, but, much as she had, he avoided the places in so much need of his touch. Just when she thought he might finally move between her legs and spread open her lips to give her bundle of nerves some attention, he trailed kisses all the way to her feet! She jerked away when he tried to kiss the sole of her left foot.
“Ticklish?” he asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
She was afraid to confess when he was talking about finding ways to torture her, but the evidence was obvious. “A little.” That he hadn’t been equally affected when she’d kissed his feet made her wonder how she’d level the playing field.
His sinister chuckle would have worried her except for his command. “Open your legs for me.”
With him kneeling on one side, she could only spread the left one, but did so as widely as she could. Tony then took his position between her legs and she stretched the right one out too. He reached near her head for two throw pillows. “Lift your hips.” He tucked them under her butt to lift her. The way he took charge of their lovemaking thrilled Carm.
Bending down he moved closer to her core but continued to tease her with little nips on the tender flesh of her upper thighs. How much longer would he make her wait?
TONY: Slow Burn (Raging Fire Book 1) Page 27
