by Milly Taiden
Held spellbound by his powerful features, she studied his face up close. Something about his eyes captivated her into staring. But it was the straight line of his lips she was obsessed with. She wanted to see him smile. A full-blown smile. Not one of those little smirks he’d given her.
She became absorbed by the passion and desire she saw in his gaze. When had a man ever been so fixated on her? Never. This was something new, and so arousing, her panties were past the point of drenched. Frickin’ hell, why was he taking so damn long to kiss her already?
Almost like he’d read her mind, he brushed his lips over hers, a quick flutter that burned the need for more into her chest. He stepped back, and she checked herself before she growled in frustration.
“We’re almost there.”
She held her tongue. The urge to scream her horny aggravation at him was swallowed. They went down a long set of stone steps, and that’s when she saw their destination. It was a dock and a yacht.
The yacht, all glossy white and shiny glass, looked to be brand new. All of a sudden, lights on the deck went on. She turned to him. He held a small remote in his grasp.
“Will the owner get mad at you for using this? I mean, I’m all for adventure, but the last thing I want is to swim my ass home.”
He barked a laugh. It was a gruff chuckle, almost as if he wasn’t used to using it, which in turn made her heart flip. She tripped over a rock. Before she had a chance to blink, his hands shot out and around her, gripping her tightly, helping her balance.
“Don’t worry. You won’t have to swim home. What kind of man would I be to put you in a compromising position with private property?”
“Um, a regular man?”
“Sweetheart, any man who ignores the effect his actions have while he’s with you does not deserve to be called a man.”
Disbelief that this alpha male—with a capital A, bold and underlined—would say that filled her. If this was his game, he was damn good at it. They reached the back of the yacht. He marched to the metal steps and helped her forward.
White loungers with moss-green pillows lined the outer deck. She followed him inside, noting he didn’t let go of her hand. The boat was gorgeous and looked like comfort was the main priority. She stopped. She knew enough about carpeting to remove her sandals before stepping into the living area.
She stood straight and he grabbed the sparkly sandals from her hands, walked off to a cubby, took his own shoes and socks off, and placed them on a shelf that read “Shoes Please.”
He removed his jacket, and she forgot all about the shoes. Her breathing hitched as she watched him pull off one cufflink and then the next, before placing them on top of the bar. Once he’d rolled up his sleeves, removed the bow tie, and opened enough buttons to entice her into squirming in her wet panties, he stepped behind the bar.
“Do you want a drink?”
She needed more than a mere drink to tamp down the urge to fling her body at him and tear at his clothes. “Yes, please.”
“So what do you want to do?”
Her body’s reaction to his was making it hard to keep track of what they were talking about. She frowned at his question.
He grinned. Bastard. She wondered if he could tell she was at the point of salivating over him. A sudden chill came over her. Not the sexy wild-thing kind, but the somebody is watching kind.
She nonchalantly looked around to see if anyone from the party perhaps followed them. Seeing as most of the marina area was dark, the person could be standing in the next boat slip and she wouldn’t see him.
“For your prize.” He strode around the bar with two filled champagne flutes and handed one to her. “You won, remember?”
Oh, yeah. That’s right. And she had enjoyed beating him. His steamy gaze made the decision for her. “Why don’t we play a few more hands?”
He laughed. Listening to him chuckle was a new line of foreplay. The sound was pure seduction.
“You want to play as your prize for playing?”
“When you put it like that, it sounds kind of dumb, but I was thinking more along the lines of getting to know each other better.”
His brows lifted. “What rules?”
She sipped her champagne. There had to be some fun going on before she burst into flames from how badly she wanted him. “Well, we play the same as before, only this time we’ll play for more.”
He lifted a brow. “More?”
She sat on one of the cream sofas, pulled up a small coffee table in front of her, and motioned him forward.
“Hang on a sec.” He grabbed a deck of cards from many decks on the shelf.
“So here’s how it works.” She drank more and watched him. “Whoever wins gets to do one thing on the other’s body.”
Interest spiked in his eyes. “What kinds of things?”
She bit her lip. Lust raged in her blood, traveling slowly through her veins and pooling at her core. He strolled toward her. His prowl made her gulp. His steps were those of a predator caging in his prey.
“Touch or…kiss.”
He pushed the table aside and sat on the beige carpet, his legs crossed. She slid down, taking her place across from him.
“And if you lose?”
She set her flute on the table beside them and watched him shuffle the cards with practiced ease. He was definitely a professional.
“If you lose, you have to tell me something about you. Like what your favorite food is or something embarrassing from your youth. Whatever. Just something that’s personal.”
He frowned but nodded. “All right. But just so you know, I’m winning this time.”
Laughter bubbled up her throat and burst forth. Determination lined his features in a resolute mask of inflexibility. It would be fun to see if her luck held up.
She won the first hand.
“I have to figure out how you keep doing that.”
“Stop stalling and start talking. Come on. Don’t tell me you’re a sore loser.” She chuckled.
“Fine. My favorite color is red.”
She blew a raspberry. “That’s not enough. You need to expand, and give me more. Do you like sports? What’s your favorite dessert? How many brothers and sisters do you have? You get the picture.”
He stood, dumped ice into a silver bucket with the champagne bottle, and returned to refill their glasses.
“You’re a tough one, aren’t you?”
She winked. “Maybe. Now spill.”
“Okay. I like to watch car racing. When I have the time, I’ll go to the races in person. My favorite dessert is ice cream. I have one brother and two sisters, and those are your answers.”
“You like ice cream?” She thought he’d say something sophisticated, like tiramisu…but ice cream? She loved ice cream.
“I do. I love the stuff.”
It was hard to watch his unsmiling face say he liked ice cream—loved it in fact. “What’s your favorite flavor?”
“Mint chocolate chip.”
Oh hell. That was her favorite, too. “Whipped cream?”
“Need you ask?” He lifted a brow with so much exaggerated arrogance, she burst into giggles.
He stopped shuffling cards and lifted his gaze to connect with hers. Oh boy. “You didn’t take your prize.”
She sat forward, her stomach flipping and her heart beating double time. Her body vibrated with arousal. He gripped his knees and stared at her. His look was scorching. Millimeters separated their faces. Her mouth was level with his jaw, and a whiff of his cologne filled her lungs.
Instinct took over. She shut her eyes and rubbed her nose on his jaw. His sharp intake of air made her smile. Following the smooth line of his chin, she slipped down until her lips fluttered over his neck. The harsh pounding of his pulse drove the urgency inside her. She nuzzled his throat and inhaled again. His musky scent turned her desire to liquid need shooting through her veins.
Jared was so turned on, he didn’t want to move for fear he’d be too rough with her.
Fuck! Her lips brushed over his throat in tiny, soft kisses. Those kisses made him almost come in his pants. He let go of his knees and went for her hands. Warm, smooth skin met his touch as he trailed his way up her arms.
He grabbed a lock of her long hair and ran his fingers over the silky texture. He could control himself and take things slow. He could do it. Even if it killed him. And that was the plan…until she licked his neck, her hot tongue drawing circles on his skin. He dug his fingers into her hair and pulled her face back.
Her eyes were dark and so bright from arousal. She was probably as desperate as he was. She licked her lips—a bold, sensuous move that made his vision drop and glue to her mouth.
“Kiss me.”
He swooped down and latched on to her mouth, to the pouty lips begging for a taste. Her flavor was addictive, sweet from the champagne and sexy as sin. Their tongues entangled, dancing in a sensual caress that soon had him tugging her over his body. The need to take her rushed through his blood, dug deep and centered in his heart. How? Why? And why the fuck now? He didn’t need to think about a relationship now. Or making sure he took her and came inside her to find a way to tie her to him.
They fell back on the carpet, her body draped over his and his erection cradled in the juncture of her legs. Fuck, he wanted her. Wanted to be inside her so badly, he was ready to rip the flimsy materials off her body. Hell, he wanted to feel her body gripping his cock while she moaned his name.
She mewled. He let go of her face and they rolled over until he was the one on top, and her thighs parted to cushion him.
Their kiss turned scorching, feeding the flames of his desire with enough fuel to incinerate the yacht.
She wiggled under him. His cock ached with hardness. She raked her nails into his hair, gripping the strands. Passion ran rampant inside him. Her soft moans into their kiss ratcheted up his need, driving his actions with frantic impatience. He felt her body shudder beneath him, and he pictured how she’d shudder when she came.
Tearing away from her was hard, but he needed to know she wanted things to move forward. He looked into her dazed eyes. The lust in the dark brown pools of her eyes told him she appeared to be ready to submit to his desires.
Panting along with her, he glanced at her swollen lips. “Tell me now if you want me to stop.”
She licked her lips. Those lovely brows dipped in a frown. Some of the passionate daze cleared from her eyes. Emotions rushed across her face; the one he caught was anxiety.
“I don’t.” She sounded determined, but her eyes said otherwise. “I don’t want you to stop.”
It was clear she wanted him. If their kisses were anything to go by, they had much more than chemistry going. She bit her lip, and anxiety flashed on her face again—anxiety that didn’t sit right with him. He propelled himself away from her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
He tried to soothe the tremble he heard in her voice. Holding out a hand to help her stand, he watched clear confusion enter her eyes. “I think we’d be much more comfortable somewhere else.”
“Oh.”
“Did you want another drink?”
She gave a jerky nod. Yes, she was definitely nervous. He wondered what he’d done to make her that way. Maybe he’d moved too far, too fast. But it had been so hard to control his need to touch. So damn hard to control his raging desire.
All he wanted was to feel her naked skin from head to toe. Lust pushed him to slide his hands over every dip, every curve. His heart beat so loud in his ears, it was almost impossible to think past the drumming sounds.
Her hand shook when she grabbed the glass. He sat on the carpet and picked up the strewn cards, fixing them before he could shuffle them.
“What are you doing?”
“We’ve only played one game. Let’s do another.”
Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth but said nothing. Tipping the glass, she drank the rest of her champagne. He wondered if she was feeling the effects of the liquor yet. She’d had four glasses.
She sat in front of him, her legs curled under her. Nerves were no longer visible in her gaze. “Okay, but this time let’s make it more fun.”
“Whatever you want, it’s your game.”
“Cool. Strip poker.”
He choked, cursing himself for taking a drink of his champagne at that moment. “Strip poker?”
She nodded. A sensual smile teased her lips. “You know you want to.”
Hell yeah, he wanted to. He didn’t know what caused the change, but he liked this flirty, self-assured version of her.
Once he’d dealt both of them cards, he watched her brow furrow in concentration. Silence reigned. Both picked and discarded cards, until she glanced up, a provocative grin on her lips.
“Full house,” she said triumphantly and showed her cards. Her lips lifted into a full-blown smile. “Let’s see your cards.”
“If you insist.” He displayed his cards for her. “Four of a kind.”
“Shit!” Her eyes went wide with surprise. “I should’ve stuck to blackjack. That’s my game, but no, I had to go change it up.”
He laughed. The sound of her self-recrimination was too funny to ignore. Her gaze lifted, attached to his, and ignited hunger in his veins.
“So…you did lose,” he teased.
She laughed and winked at him. “That I did.”
His cock, which was still rock-hard from their previous kisses, throbbed. With slow grace, she got to her feet and glanced at him. His throat went dry when she brought her hands up to the back of her neck.
He watched and waited. But the top stayed on. She smirked, as if she knew he’d been holding his breath to see her topless. Yeah, he was a sick bastard and couldn’t wait to get her out of her clothes, but he’d known that from the moment he’d laid eyes on her. She glided her hands over her torso, caressing her full breasts, and down to her waist. He gulped.
Oxygen reeled in his chest. Fire crackled between them, raising the bar in his already painful arousal. She slipped her hands under the slits at the side of her skirt and tugged, until he saw a pair of crimson silk bikini panties sliding down her legs. She bent down, displaying her breasts in a bird’s-eye view. It was the first time in his life he’d hoped for a wardrobe malfunction. Her breasts strained the material of her top until he swore they were going to fall out and he’d finally get to see parts of her luscious body he’d been dying to. But they didn’t.
The panties dropped to the carpet and she kicked them his way. He grabbed the damp silk and glanced up at her.
“There’s your first win. Care to go again?”
He’d kill whoever got in his way. But he couldn’t outwardly show his desperate need for her. A man had his pride. Instead, he kept his face neutral and grinned. “It’s your game, sweetheart. I’m more than willing to go on.”
She kneeled in front of him and sat back on her heels. Knowing she had nothing under the slinky skirt was making it damn hard for him to concentrate on his game. He lost the second round because all he wanted was to slide his hands into the slits at the sides of her skirt and caress her thighs, dip into her pussy and find out how wet she was.
Enticing a woman who wasn’t throwing herself at him was an unfamiliar experience. He went for the shirt and undid each button slowly, all the while keeping his gaze fixated on her.
It was hard to keep the pleasure from showing on his face when she peered at him from under her lashes and licked her lips. Temptation propelled him to kiss her again, to touch her and suck her pliant lips.
“Again?” He was used to being sure of himself, but her heated look stroking his body made him want to roar. Now to control his need to make sure he didn’t fill her with his seed all night long and keep her barefoot and pregnant in a kitchen when he wasn’t even sure she’d be interested in a date with him.
Right now, her eyes told him she’d let him do anything he wanted. He would do it all, because in the back of his mind he k
new she would one day be his. The mother of his children. Why wait to get that started?
4
Lucky gaped openly at the expanse of toned flesh revealed before her. Jared’s body was tight. Not like he spent his entire life at the gym, but there were enough flexing muscles on him to urge her to beg for more. Staring at him made her pussy flutter.
A large, intricate design covered the left side of his torso, along with his shoulder and arm. It was so damn sexy. Dark lines and loops, along with jagged knots twined in tribal ink.
She stared at it, fascinated by the detail. There was something about it that made her scrutinize each line. It took her a moment before she realized what she was looking at. A tiger outline had been created with the lines. If she hadn’t been studying it so intently, she would’ve missed it. It was a beautiful design—dark and mysterious, just like him.
“Do you want to go again?”
His voice broke through her absorbed fascination. “Yes!”
He grinned, probably at how eager she sounded. Hot damn, she wanted to get him out of his pants already. Those kisses he’d given her before had muddled her mind and opened a flood of feelings and fears she hadn’t been prepared for, but she’d tucked them all away and was ready for more.
They played in silence, tension escalating to potent need around them. Her gaze strayed to her cards. She had nothing. Peeking up at him, she couldn’t tell what kind of game he had. He kept his features clear and emotion-free. Shit, he was good!
“I have a new proposition,” she said.
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that your hand is worthless, would it?” His eyes sparkled, bemused.
“Maybe.” She cleared her throat. “How’s this: whoever gets the first pair wins. What they win is for the other person to strip down to nothing.”
Arousal flared bright in his gaze. “Deal.”
She took a breath and let it out in a rush when he dropped his cards.
