"What if you're not ready to settle down yet?" Tucker asked.
"That's easy," Gavin said, putting his beer down and grabbing his darts. "Then she's not the right woman for you."
Gavin walked away.
"So Aubry's not the one?" Garrett asked.
"I have no idea. I like her, but it's still early. I mean we just got together, you know?"
Garrett smiled. "Sometimes it hits you like a strike of lightning and it doesn't take any time at all to realize she's the one. And sometimes it doesn't matter how much time you spend with a woman, because she's never going to be the one for you, man."
"Yeah. I see what you mean."
Garrett patted him on the back. "Trust me, it's all about instinct. You'll figure it out."
Garrett and Trevor went over to take their spots by the dartboard, leaving Tucker to think as he leaned against the wall and sipped his beer.
Was it really that simple? He hadn't thought much about finding the right woman--or any woman--to settle down with. He liked his lifestyle the way it was, figuring he had plenty of time yet to find the woman of his dreams.
But he'd never really thought about how that might happen. Or when that might happen. Or how he'd know when the right woman came along, that she really was the right one.
Ah, hell. Why was he even thinking about it, anyway? He and Aubry were just going out, having sex and a good time.
He wandered over and played a few games of pool with the guys, drank a few beers, ate some amazing food, then ended up sitting upstairs and talking with the gang. It was a good group. He liked the guys, had meshed well with the team, and felt at home here--more at home than he'd ever felt before. His style of pitching worked well for this organization, and the sense of camaraderie he felt with this group of players was more like a brotherhood than he'd ever gotten with any other team.
Plus it was a winning team, and he liked playing for winners. They all had the same mind-set, too. Play hard, and win.
The party started to wind down, so he made his way over to Aubry. She was in the kitchen, a glass of wine in one hand, the other waving in the air as she talked in an animated fashion to several of the women. He leaned against the doorway to watch her. She'd say something, then stop and listen intently as someone else took over the conversation.
She'd been accepted, too. He was aware a lot of the women already knew her since she was Clyde Ross's daughter, but she seemed comfortable with all of them. And when she tilted her head back and laughed at something Liz said--oh, man, that sound shot straight to his balls.
There was nothing like a woman who knew how to laugh, who could have fun and be so completely unguarded like that.
He stepped into the room. "Okay, what are you all talking about?"
Liz turned around. "Women and multiple orgasms. And the men who can give them to us. We haven't gotten around to questioning Aubry about that yet, Tucker."
He grabbed Aubry's hand. "She'll let you know tomorrow."
Everyone laughed. They said their good-byes and thanked Liz and Gavin for inviting them to the party, then headed out.
Aubry leaned against him as they made their way to the car. He stopped in the street, pulling her toward him for a kiss.
She came into his arms and met his lips. The kiss was hot and passionate, making him wish they were already home so he could undress her and be inside of her, something he'd been thinking about for a few hours now.
He pulled away and she licked her lips, still holding on to him. Her nails dug into his forearms.
"Don't drive too fast, but let's get somewhere where we can get naked, okay?"
"You got it."
They ended up at his place, since it was like a mile closer than hers, and he was out of patience, especially since Aubry kept running her hand up and down his thigh on the drive home.
He pulled into the driveway, got out and came over to her side. She was already out and closed the door, so he took her hand and led her to the front door.
He wasn't the type of guy to get anxious about sex. This wasn't his first time, and she wasn't his first woman. Over the years, he'd learned to be patient and he could wait for it. But Aubry had him pent up all night long, thinking about getting her alone, so by the time he closed the front door, he was ready.
Hell, more than ready.
So was she, apparently, because he hadn't even found the light switch before she pushed him against the wall and shoved her body against his. He wrapped his arms around her and bent to take her mouth in a kiss that fired his passion fast and hot.
He fused his tongue to hers, his cock went instantly hard, and he shoved his hands into her hair, holding her head in place so he could explore her mouth, take the kiss deeper. He rocked his cock against her body. In response, she let out a soft, throaty moan that shot straight to his balls. Her hands roamed over him, her nails dug into him, and if he didn't get her naked right goddamned now he might just explode.
The problem was, it felt really damn good to feel her against him, all her soft parts against his hard parts. He didn't want to move his cock away from her since he was nestled between her legs, rocking against her.
"You keep doing that and you'll make me come."
He lifted his head and looked down at her. "Through all that denim?"
"Okay, it might take me a while, but it sure feels good."
"It'll feel even better without clothes."
She pushed her hips against him. "Then what are we doing in the hall? Let's get naked."
He grinned, then reached around to cup her butt, drawing her closer. "I was getting there, it's just that you feel really good, Aubry."
Her breath escaped, a slight gasp with it. "Naked, Tucker. Now."
"Yes, ma'am."
He took her by the hand and led her to his bedroom. He didn't even bother flipping on the lights, because he knew where all the furniture was in his room. She didn't, though, which was fine with him, because it forced Aubry to stay close to him. He had her tucked against his side, loving the feel of her soft curves as he directed her to his bed and sat her down on the edge. He bent and pulled off her heels, the ones that made her legs look long and made him think about her wrapping those long legs around him while he pumped into her.
His dick twitched.
Yeah, slow down, buddy.
He raised up and undid the button on her jeans, then the zipper, his fingers colliding with satiny skin as he drew the jeans over her hips and down her legs.
He wasn't a patient man. Not when sex was involved. And damn if these jeans weren't glued to her legs. He wanted to tear them off but the moonlight streaming in through the windows reflected off her face, and she was watching him undress her. He crooked a half smile at her.
"I think women wear these jeans on purpose."
She cocked a brow. "Really. For what reason."
He sat on his heels. "Multiple purposes, actually. One, they make your ass and legs look amazing."
She smiled at him. "Thanks."
"And two, they take fucking forever to get off of you, so you force us to be patient."
"I don't recall asking you to be patient. Right now I don't care if you cut them off. You remember I was the one who suggested we get naked."
That was the right answer. He hurriedly jerked them down her legs and tossed them onto the nearby chair, then smoothed his hands up her legs, unable to resist touching every inch of exposed skin.
"Now who's the one forcing patience?" Aubry glared down at him.
He grinned. "But there are so many awesome places on you to put my hands. And my mouth."
He kissed her thighs, then spread her legs, laying his lips on that sweet spot right where her inner thigh touched the tantalizing lace of her panties. She took in a sharp breath, and that was the sound he wanted to hear, especially when it was followed by a moan when he put his mouth on her sex. Even through her underwear, he tasted her--that sweet, salty, unique flavor that belonged only to Aubry.
He
wanted more, so he drew her panties aside and licked her. She moaned, louder and longer this time.
"Oh, God yes. Do that again," she said. "Just like that. For a really long time. Until I come."
He could work with that direction. He slipped his tongue inside of her, then licked the length of her, slow and easy. He listened to the sounds she made, using those keys as a road map and enjoying every step of the journey. She tasted like tart honey and he could stay here and lick her up for hours. But eventually she tensed, writhed against him and he could tell she was almost there, so he gave her a little more pressure with his tongue and quickened his pace.
And when she arched against his face and shuddered, crying out his name, he knew she was coming. He tasted her sweet release, lapped it up, his hands on her hips holding her while she shuddered. He kept his mouth on her, giving her that contact she needed until her hips relaxed to the bed.
God, that was good. Feeling Aubry writhe all over his bed, listening to her moans, tasting her--it was all he could do not to interrupt her pleasure by shoving his cock in her until he came. Until they both came. But she tasted so damn sweet, and he wanted her to come first. Now that she had, he wanted to hear those cries again. This time, while he was inside of her.
He crawled up her body, planting kisses along her hip and rib cage, lifting her shirt as he did. He drew it over her head, then unhooked her bra and removed that, too. He made quick work of getting rid of his own clothes, then dropped down on top of her, rubbing his chest against her nipples.
"Mmm," Aubry said.
"Good?"
"Yeah. Let's do more of . . . all of that. But with your cock inside of me this time. I could use another orgasm."
He liked Aubry's open and aggressive approach to sex. He'd been with women who weren't vocal, who didn't tell him what they liked. Not that he minded shy. He could coax a response. But he much preferred a confident woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to ask for it.
And he definitely wanted to give it to her. He grabbed a condom from his nightstand, then reached for her legs, pulling her to the edge of his bed.
"Oh, I like where this is going."
He grasped his dick, stroked it. "This is going in your pussy."
She laughed. "Hurry up."
"You're taking all the romance out of it, Aubry."
"Aww. And does that hurt your tender little feelings?"
Now it was his turn to laugh. "I'll give you some feelings."
He tore open the condom and put it on, then put his hand over her sex. Her breath sharpened--deep, harsh, her expression changing from playful to very serious as he swept his fingers over her clit.
He wanted her ready for him, and when she lifted against his hand, her eyes closing as he moved his thumb back and forth over the hardening nub, he knew she was primed.
That's when he cupped her butt, raised her up and slid inside of her.
Her eyes opened and she met his gaze, grabbing his arms to draw him deeper.
She lifted her hips, giving him access to her.
"Damn, you're pretty here," he said, looking at her--at them, where they were joined. "I can see my cock going in and out of you. Your pussy lips grab me, sucking onto me as I slide out of you. You're so tight and hot and wet, Aubry. All I want to do is stay buried inside of you, to feel you squeeze my cock like this."
The grip she held on him and the way she looked at him when he fucked her was torture of the best kind. Her gaze was direct and passion filled, and he could feel her wrapping herself around him, inside and out. It was a heady feeling, putting him in a fog of pleasure like he'd never felt before.
He could get so lost in her, in the sensations she wove around him. Her scent, the way she looked at him, the way it felt to be inside of her.
He gripped her hip and raised her leg, nestling against her to take her mouth in a kiss that made him lose himself even further. He tangled his fingers in her hair, breathing in her scent as he drove his cock in deeper. And when she sucked on his tongue, it took everything in him to hold off, to wait, when all he wanted to do was spill inside of her.
Just a few seconds longer. He'd go when she went.
And when she came, it was goddamned perfect. She whimpered against his mouth, squeezed his cock with contractions and raked her nails along his arm. He was pretty sure blinding white lightning hit parts of his brain when he let go. He rocked hard and deep into her as he gave her everything he had.
Spent and sweating, he wrapped his arm around her and just . . . stilled, absorbing the thrumming beats of both their hearts as they settled.
Aubry ran her fingers through his hair with one hand while rubbing his back with the other.
"I might need a shower," she said. "You're sweating on me."
He raised his head to look down at her. "You complaining?"
Her lips curled. "Not a bit."
He finally got up and pulled her to a standing position. "Let's go."
They took a quick shower and he washed her back, kissing all the red spots he'd put on her body with his day's growth of beard.
Her skin was tender, and he'd scratched it. But she didn't seem to mind, which was a good thing, because he sure as hell liked touching her--especially with his mouth.
They got out of the shower and dried off. She went into his closet and came out wearing one of his T-shirts.
He didn't mind that, either. He grabbed a pair of sweats and climbed into those.
"I don't know about you, but I'm hungry," he said.
"You are, huh?"
"Yeah. Sex always revs up my appetite."
She shook her head. "Don't look at me, Tucker. I'm no great cook."
"Surely between the two of us we can come up with something simple."
"Do you have eggs and bacon? I can manage those."
He led her down the hall and into the kitchen. "Surprisingly enough, that's one of my specialties, too. That and tuna. I can open a can of tuna like you've never seen anyone do before."
She reached into his fridge and grabbed the carton of eggs. "I'm pretty good with tuna, too. And bowls of cereal. I also make some incredible toast."
He took out two pans and started laying the bacon in one.
"I hope you don't like fancy eggs," she said. "I can only make scrambled."
He laughed. "Scrambled works for me."
"You should find a girlfriend who's a good cook. That should be tops on your list."
He shifted toward her and put his arm around her, tugging her close. When she looked up at him, he kissed her. "Cooking skills is not high on my list of criteria when picking out women I like."
She gave him a look. "Really. And what kinds of talents are important to you?"
He let go of her and concentrated on the sizzling bacon. "Oh, you know, the typical things--earning potential and blow job skills."
She laughed. "Of course."
He liked that she wasn't easily insulted, and that she didn't take him too seriously.
They finished the eggs and bacon and added toast, then sat down to eat.
While she ate, Aubry kept studying him.
"Do I have food on my face?"
"No, I was just wondering about your glasses. Did you ever think about having surgery to fix your vision?"
"I've thought about it, but I see really well with my glasses and I didn't want corrective surgery to change the way I zero in on the plate when I pitch."
She laid her fork down. "So you think if they corrected your vision it would change your pitching."
"Yeah. The team suggested it. I turned them down. I see just fine with my glasses, and my pitching shows it. No reason to change what works, ya know?"
He scooped a forkful of eggs into his mouth, and she smiled at him.
"Definitely not."
After he took a drink of juice, he said, "Besides, you have to admit these glasses make me look dead sexy."
Aubry laughed. "I can't deny that. I was just curious. I wore glasses from the t
ime I was six years old until midway through college. I couldn't wear contact lenses because they bothered my eyes. Then I had the corrective vision surgery. That's why I was wondering if you'd explored the option."
He pushed his empty plate to the side, then leaned across the table to look at her. "You have beautiful eyes, Aubry. But they'd be just as beautiful if you still wore your glasses. In fact, I'd wager you looked hot in your glasses."
"Thank you. And you are very sexy in your glasses."
"I know."
She rolled her eyes. "And so humble, too."
"Right?"
She shook her head, then took her plate to the sink and rinsed it. She started to grab the pans but Tucker was right there.
"Leave those. The maid will take care of them."
She turned around. "You have a maid?"
"No. But you don't need to do the dishes. Let's go to bed."
"I can't go to bed now. I just ate." She finished washing the pans and handed them off to him to dry.
He laid the dishes in the drying rack, then leaned against the kitchen counter. "So . . . what do you want to do? Watch some TV?"
"That'll do for now."
They curled up on the sofa and Tucker used the remote to scroll.
"That one," she said as a horror movie came up.
"Are you sure this won't give you nightmares?"
She leveled a look at him. "I work in the ER. I don't get nightmares. Besides, this is fake. I deal with some real horrors."
"Duly noted."
After the movie ended, he clicked off the remote and stood, then reached for her hand. "Come on. Bed. You yawned your way through the last half hour."
Stifling another yawn, she let him haul her to her feet. "But it was riveting stuff. Honest."
"Uh-huh."
"I'm still going to want hot, passionate sex when we get to bed."
"I'm happy to oblige."
He had some spare toothbrushes in the bathroom, so she opened one of the packages and brushed her teeth, then fell onto the bed. When Tucker climbed in next to her, she snuggled her butt against his crotch, closed her eyes and was out cold in less than a minute.
So much for hot riveting sex. He smiled and closed his eyes.
AUBRY WOKE TO THE SMELL OF COFFEE. SHE TURNED over onto her back and stretched, then realized as soon as she opened her eyes that she was most definitely not in her own bed.
Right. Tucker's bed. Where she'd demanded hot sex and then promptly passed out.