"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 after 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 delicious 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.
She let out a moan, holding his head to her breast while he sucked and licked her nipple, his hand massaging the other breast and teasing the nipple with his thumb and forefinger. Tiny shocks of pleasure shot straight south, igniting the fire he'd started with his kisses. She squeezed his cock through his jeans, but that wasn't enough. She pushed his jeans over his hips, and he pulled away long enough to shed his pants and his briefs.
Wow. She'd examined him in the wine cellar when he was limp and in pain, and she hadn't been paying much attention then because she'd been in doctor mode.
Now? She was in woman mode, very much interested in his penis, and not at all in a clinical way. She wrapped her hand around the shaft and stroked. He thrust against her hand.
"I like you touching me," he said, sliding his hands up her arms.
She felt a skitter of goose bumps as he tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed her, wrapping his arm around her back. She sank into his embrace, letting her body align with his, skin to skin.
He put his hand on her butt, his fingers sliding into the back of her underwear to cup a handful of butt cheek. The warmth of his hand heated her, made her shove against his rock hard erection so she could rub against him.
He groaned against her lips and pushed her back toward the bed, the back of her knees hitting the mattress.
"Sit down," he said, his breathing harsh as he pulled away.
She was ever cognizant of his hard cock and all the delicious things she intended to do with it--with him--tonight.
Her long sexual drought was about to end, and she was more than ready for it, especially when he kneeled on the carpet in front of her and reached for her panties, drawing them over her hips and down her legs.
He spread her legs and smoothed his hands over her thighs.
"You are beautiful, Aubry." He pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. "And you smell amazing." He kissed his way toward her hip, then her stomach, his chest making contact with her sex.
She shivered, leaned back on the bed, resting on her elbows as Tucker teased her by not giving her what she needed the most at that moment. Instead, he used his hands and mouth to map her body. Though that definitely inspired her to wriggle against him, arch her hips, and beg for his mouth on her suddenly tingling nipples.
When he complied, she let out a satisfied moan, sliding her fingers into his hair to hold him there while he flicked his tongue against the bud. The arc of sensation shot right to her sex, making her clit tingle with the anticipation of what other delicious things he could do with his mouth. His beard scratched the tender skin of her breast in the most perfect of ways, and she could already imagine the scruff rubbing her thighs.
"Tucker."
He raised his head. "Yeah?"
"Lick me."
His lips curved. "I thought I was."
"Yes, and it feels really good. But, you know, elsewhere."
He raised himself up by planting his hands on the mattress, his arms distracting her with their corded muscle. "Care to be more specific?"
"Would you like me to draw you a map, or do you think you can figure out where I want your mouth?"
He balanced himself on one hand, using the other to map a trail from between her breasts, down her stomach, to palm her sex.
"Here?"
"Yes." She was distracted by his strength, but also by the way he touched her, using his fingers to caress her in a way that definitely caught her attention. "Yes, right there."
"Does it ache, Aubry?" he asked, slipping his fingers inside her as he moved his way down her body again. "Does it ache so much you want me to lick it and suck it until you come?"
She shuddered at his words, her mind a visual of him doing just that, of what it would feel like when she burst. "Yes. Make me come, Tucker."
He draped her thighs over his shoulders, nestled her body close to his face, his warm breath a balm to her tortured senses. And when his tongue lapped along her folds, she pressed into the mattress, falling into the rapture of heat and sensation. It was a slow, languorous, billowy feeling of utter delight.
Until he put his mouth around her clit and sucked. Then, everything changed. It was like being struck by lightning in the best possible way, a sharp, sinful strike of pleasure. She let out a low moan, her hips arched off the bed, and she gave herself over to Tucker, to his devilish lips and tongue and his relentless assault on her body.
His mouth was hot, and his fingers entered her, probing her with soft, rhythmic strokes until she was certain she'd never make it out of this without a cataclysmic orgasm.
And when it hit, faster than she'd imagined, she fisted her hands in the sheets, rocked her sex against his mouth, and thoroughly fell into the release, her entire body shaking with the force of what had to be the best damn orgasm she'd had in . . .
Her mind and body were too far gone to do the math. All she could do was hold on and enjoy the quivering ride. And when she relaxed, he was there, his face looming over hers to take her mouth in a kiss that tasted of sex and hot desire.
He didn't give her a moment to catch her breath, his erection steely hard and hot against her thigh.
Which was fine with her, because she was throbbing, primed and ready for him.
And they had all night long to enjoy each other.
TUCKER'S FINGERS WERE STILL BURIED INSIDE AUBRY, the hot, pulsing contractions from her orgasm wrapping around him. His mouth was on hers, her hands roaming over his skin. Every part of him was feverishly hot and coiled with fiery need. All he wanted to do was bury his cock deep inside her until she convulsed around him.
He moved his fingers in slow, gentle movements, not wanting her to come down from that high of release. He wanted her hovering, still ready, hot and needy so he could bring her right to the brink again. Only thi
s time, he'd be inside her.
"You ready?" he asked.
She smoothed her hand across his face, her fingertips so soft he wondered if he'd ever felt anything like that sensation before as she ran her finger over his bottom lip. And when he moved his fingers inside her, she gasped.
"I'm ready for whatever you have in mind."
For someone as reluctant as Aubry had been about being with him, he liked that she was all-in right now, that there had been no hesitation on her part.
"Good." He bent and kissed her, then whispered against her mouth. "I have a lot in mind."
He withdrew his fingers, then licked them. "You taste good. I wonder how many times I can make you come tonight?"
Her gaze was direct. And hot. Filled with promise.
"A lot, probably. It's been kind of a sexual drought for me."
"Drought's over, babe. I have a box of condoms in my car."
Her lips lifted. "I have a box in my bathroom. I think we're good to go--for tonight, anyway."
He laughed and swept his hand over her breasts, watching them rise and fall as he brushed her nipples until they lifted into tight peaks. He bent and took a taste of each one. Soft, then hard little nubs that, when he sucked, made her moan.
She responded so damn well to him, and it made his balls quiver. He wanted to take all night long learning her body, but right now he wanted to feel what it was like to be inside of her.
"Give me just a second," she said, rolling over and getting out of bed.
He lay on his side, enjoying the view of her very fine ass as she disappeared into the connected bathroom. She returned not long after with a box of condoms in her hand. She took one out of the box and tossed it in his direction. He caught it in the air with one hand.
"Nice reflexes," she said.
"Part of my job."
"How's the leg, by the way? And the head? And your testicles?"
He laughed, pulled out a condom and rolled over to lay the box on the nightstand. "All in working order."
"Good to know." She stretched out on the bed, pulling her arms over her head. "Especially the testicles."
He tore open the wrapper on the condom, applied it, then crawled between her legs, spreading her thighs. "Yeah, I'm going to be using my balls tonight. They're already filled with come. I'm about ready to burst from touching you and kissing you."
He spread himself over her body, leaning in close to brush his lips over hers. "And tasting you. Everything about you makes me hard."