It had to mean nothing.
“Oh. Yeah, right this way.”
She took the menus, gave Tucker a long, lingering look, and then turned on her heel, expecting us to follow her.
Tucker looked at me, and I gestured after the very curvaceous and sexy Samantha.
“Well, come on. Let’s go eat.”
“What’s that look for?” Tucker asked.
“You seriously don’t know?”
“No. Enlighten me.”
“Come on. We need to go sit down at our table behind Samantha, or she’ll be even more disappointed.” He looked confused for a moment, and I shook my head, pulling him along so we could go find our table.
I did not miss the many glances from both men and women as we made our way. Though I didn’t really think any of them were for me. Sure, people hit on me, but I wasn’t Tucker. There was something about him. He was beyond sexy, but it wasn’t only his looks. He had this way about him that drew people in like moths to a flame. You didn’t even know that you were leaning closer, putting yourself out on a limb to be nearer to him until you were there. I hadn’t noticed that before, not when I thought Tobey was my one and only. I was clearly missing out there, but Tucker had only been my friend. He was still my friend—even though I knew what he looked like almost naked.
And what his mouth felt like on mine.
And I really needed to stop thinking about that. I didn’t want to be all red-faced and breathy and moaning in my seat as I thought about him. That would not be good for anybody. “Thank you,” I said to Samantha as she gestured toward the booth in the corner.
“You’re so welcome,” the woman said, looking directly at Tucker.
She set down both menus in front of him, winked, and sauntered off, her hips swaying just slightly.
“You know, this could get annoying if I didn’t realize that that’s exactly how people always act around you.”
“Really?” he asked, shaking his head as he handed me a menu. “And how do they act?”
“Oh, you know. The normal hitting on you thing, where they clearly can’t stop themselves from wanting to bow down at your feet and ask you out.”
Tucker rolled his eyes.
“It’s not that bad.”
“Um, yes it is.”
“I see men hit on you all the time. You’re beautiful. And you just have this way about you. That smile lures them in like bees to a flower.”
My stomach tumbled at those words, my cheeks going hot. “It’s not the same. People love being near you.”
He shrugged and leaned back in the booth. “Maybe. But I think it’s the same with you. You were just hyper-focused on someone before so you didn’t see it.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but he reached out and ran his knuckle over my hand before resting his palm over my fingers. “Forget I said that. We’re not going to talk about him. Ever.”
There was a growl to his tone this time that kind of worried me, but I didn’t know where it came from. It was even worse than usual. Had something happened? I didn’t really think the two of them ran in the same circles outside of when they were with the Carr group, but I didn’t know. Maybe I was seeing something that wasn’t there.
“There are at least six women in this restaurant right now, and probably a couple of men, eyeing you.”
He snorted. “There’s probably the same amount looking at you. Men and women.”
“Probably because I’m next to you. You’ve always been a ladies’ man.”
He frowned a bit, looking down at his menu. We didn’t have time to finish that line of conversation though, because the waiter was suddenly there, handing over two glasses of water and taking our drink orders. We both ordered Japanese beer since it was a fusion place, not just Korean, and then leaned back, our menus closed. Apparently, we both knew what we wanted to order. That was good. Because I was starving.
“You are a ladies’ man,” I said again, wanting to finish the conversation.
“But I don’t cheat. I don’t poach. I have rules. I’m not an asshole.”
He looked so annoyed at that, that I reached across the booth and ran my fingers down his arm. He smiled, flipping his palm over so I could put my hand on his. Friends did that, right?
“You’re not an asshole. And I know you never lead women on. It’s just that I know you go on a lot of dates.”
Tucker shrugged. “I go on a lot of first and second dates. I don’t want to get married.”
I don’t know why that was a little disappointing to hear, but I’d already known that. “Because of what happened with your parents?”
“Maybe. Yeah. I don’t want the whole commitment thing and making a new family. It made a lot more sense when I was younger, and I put that label on myself. Now, I guess it’s habit for me. I like my life. I like the family I’ve made. I like my friends. I don’t need anything more.”
I didn’t have time to delve into that or think about exactly what he meant because I looked behind him, and my eyes went wide. I swallowed hard, and Tucker frowned, turning around so he could see what I was looking at.
“Ah, well, we knew he liked the place.”
Erin and Devin waved from their table. Erin smiled widely, while my brother only smiled a little. He didn’t look too angry, though. He looked resigned. And maybe a little…hopeful?
My stomach clenched, and I suddenly wasn’t hungry for dinner anymore.
“I guess this is a fake date again,” Tucker said, disappointment in his tone. It seemed we weren’t very good at this thing.
“Yeah. Sorry about that.”
He scooted over in the booth, put his arm around my shoulder, and then kissed my temple. “It’s fine. We’ll just do what we were. Nothing needs to change.”
I looked up at him then and nodded, trying to smile. “Yeah. Nothing needs to change.”
But I had a feeling everything was going to shift. And I really wasn’t good at change.
We finished our dinner, Devin and Erin giving us space and not coming over to say hi. They were on a date as well, so I didn’t feel too bad about that. They wanted space for themselves, considering they worked far too hard and rarely had time for each other beyond stolen moments. I had a feeling that Devin didn’t really know what to do about Tucker and me, just like we didn’t know what to do about him, so we gave each other space. But it wasn’t a real date anyway. It was a fake one.
And why did I hate that so much?
“Okay, that was one fake date on the table,” Tucker said as we headed down the path to his house. I was dropping him off, but I wanted to walk him to his door. After all, I had been the one to pick him up. I might as well continue the weird night.
“Yeah. Sorry about that. I really just wanted us to be two friends at dinner.”
He frowned, turning in front of me to cup my face. “We were two friends at dinner. No matter what labels we put on each other or this thing we’re doing, regardless of what happens next, we were two friends then, and we’re two friends now. That’s not going to change, Amelia. I hope you get that.”
There was such intensity in his gaze and in his words that I froze, my mouth going dry.
“I don’t want it to change,” I whispered. “I like what we are.”
But the thing was, we’d already changed things. We were different than the people we’d been before I made this arrangement. And before Tucker started coming over to make sure I was okay. Everything was different. And while I didn’t particularly like change, I kind of liked this. I wanted more of it. And that scared me.
Before I could think about that more, though, before I could run away or try to forget all of it, Tucker was looking into my eyes, and I could hardly breathe.
“I think you owe me a payment,” he said, his voice a low growl.
“Oh, I guess I do,” I whispered, my voice breathy. My thighs clenched, and my stomach turned, but I looked up at him, and I couldn’t help but want more.
And when his lips wer
e on mine, his hands still on my face, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him closer.
He groaned into my mouth, tasting a little like beer, a bit of sweetness from the meal, and a whole lot like Tucker.
He kissed me, and I wanted more.
For someone who made mistake after mistake, that should worry me.
But with Tucker’s heat next to me, his mouth on mine, I really couldn’t care less.
Chapter 12
Tucker
I knew I should move away.
Once again, I knew I wouldn’t.
I finally had to pull back to catch my breath.
And when I did, I rested my forehead against hers. Her grip on my hips tightened, and I held back a smile. This was wrong. This would get us into so much trouble. But I couldn’t help it. Amelia was my weakness. My temptation. And I hadn’t even realized it.
How had she done this to me?
How had I let myself get involved in this?
But then I couldn’t really think anymore. I couldn’t care.
Because I had her in my arms. And I needed more. Wanted more.
“What are we doing?” she whispered, her voice coming out in sharp pants.
My breaths matched hers, and I just sighed, my hands running down her back to cover her ass. We were outside my house, in full view of anyone who wanted to look. But it was late and dark enough that no one could really see us. I hadn’t left the porch light on, and the chill in the air was biting enough that no one would be outside to pay any attention to us.
It was just Amelia and me. And we could be the ones that sent us down the path of our own turmoil. Nobody else.
“I don’t know,” I said, finally answering her. “But I don’t think I want to stop.”
She looked up at me then, her lips swollen from my kisses, kind of begging for more. At least that’s what I thought. What I hoped.
“Maybe we should go inside.”
My dick stood at attention, pressing hard into the zipper of my pants. Figured. “Oh?” There was so much in that single word, that one sound escaping on a growl, that I was afraid both of us were going to rip off the other’s clothes right then and there. Not that we would.
“To talk,” she said again, her voice equally breathy. I couldn’t get my heart to stop racing, not with the way she was looking at me, and I had a feeling she had the same problem.
What the hell was wrong with us?
“To talk,” I repeated, not knowing if that was the truth or not.
I swallowed hard and then let her go, only to grab her hand with my left one and use my right one to get into the house. I closed the door firmly behind us, and then I was on her again, absorbing her taste. Talking would have to wait.
Her back was pressed against the door, my hands on her face as I deepened the kiss, our tongues tangling. She moaned into my mouth, her hands moving down my back, her fingernails pricking my skin even through my jacket.
I wanted to rip off that fur thing she wore, the one that wasn’t really fur but made her look adorable.
I wanted to strip her out of all her clothes and lick her slowly from head to toe. Every inch of her. I wanted to spread her legs and slam into her, feeling that sense of peace I hadn’t known I wanted.
I wanted to feel her wet heat, feel her cunt clamp around me as I came inside her, and she screamed my name.
I wanted my lips on those tantalizing breasts I had seen once already. I wanted to squeeze and mold and bite.
I wanted her on her knees as I gripped her hair, sliding in and out of that luscious mouth of hers. I wanted those lips even more swollen, her tongue coated with my come as she swallowed me whole.
I wanted my head between her thighs, licking up her sweet juices as I gently bit down on her clit, using my fingers to bring her to ecstasy.
I wanted to reach around and play with her ass, see if she liked that, discover if she would let my fingers explore.
I wanted all of that.
And it made me a fucking bastard.
But I really didn’t care.
Because all I wanted was her. Even if it sent us both to hell.
“Tell me to stop,” I said, pulling away from her. We were still touching, our bodies pressed against one another. But I’d put both hands above her head on the door, trying not to let my hand slide down her body. She groaned, arching her hips away from the door and into mine.
I froze, trying to count to ten so my cock wouldn’t explode right then and there.
She was sin and temptation and everything that I knew I shouldn’t have, but I didn’t care. I wanted her then and there. Even if it broke us both.
“I don’t know if I can tell you to stop,” she whispered. “What are we doing?” she asked again.
I swallowed hard, closing my eyes and trying to count again.
“We can call this…friend sex. Beard sex. No ties, no commitments. We just stay who we are. Friends first. Lovers second.”
Her eyes widened at my use of the word lovers, but I hoped it was okay. I didn’t want to lose her. But I had to have her. Selfish, that’s what I was.
But with my cock so hard, and my heart beating so fast, I didn’t give a shit.
“Beard sex. We can do that.” She grinned then, her hands running through the softness of my actual beard. “And you already have the accoutrements.”
“I cannot believe you used the word accoutrements right now. I’m thinking in grunts.” I erotically rotated my hips, and her eyes widened, her pupils getting large.
“Oh, that’s good. No more words.”
I shook my head, gritting my teeth. “A few more.”
“Okay. Anything.”
“Friends first. That’s what we are. It’s just you. Me. For as long as this lasts.”
I didn’t cheat. I didn’t poach. I didn’t do any of that shit, but some thought I did. I might go out with lots of women, but I wasn’t the bastard that some thought I was.
“Deal. Just you and me. No waitresses or ladies you meet at the grocery store.”
I grinned at that, then bent down and bit her lip. I licked away the sting, and her eyes widened.
“I can do that. You and me. But that means no more random guys offering to help you lift shit and then checking you out.”
She shook her head, laughter in her eyes even with the lust. “It’s not like that. I can do my own lifting.”
“Yeah. You can. And I’ll be there to help you, too. But no more other friend sex. No more other beard sex. We’re the only two that get to have that.”
“I’m pretty sure we’re the only two that will ever call it ‘beard sex.’ Ever. In the history of civilization.”
“Well, then I guess it’s special for us.”
“Special.” She paused, her throat working as she swallowed hard. “I like special.”
“Good.” And then my lips were on hers again, and I tried to keep counting so I wouldn’t come.
Her hands slid down my back, cupping my ass, and I grinned against her mouth, rocking my hips into her. She moaned each time I made contact, and I couldn’t wait to slide into her.
She licked her lips as I moved away, but I kissed her again before reaching behind her back so I could slide my hands down and grip her ass. I gave it a hard squeeze, rocking my hips into her, and she groaned.
“I’m going to lick every inch of you, then I’m going to make you come on my mouth, and then on my cock. And if you let me, I’m going to play with this little ass of yours right here and see exactly how hard you can come.” I slid my fingers along the seam of her crack through her pants as I said it, and her eyes widened, her mouth parting.
“You want to play with my ass?” she asked, incredulousness in her voice.
“If you let me. A finger or two.”
She snorted. “How about just one. Maybe we can add a second later.”
I froze, and so did she. I had a feeling she hadn’t thought she’d answer like that.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. I’ve used a plug or two in my time. I think I can deal with your finger.”
I let my head fall back as I closed my eyes and groaned.
“You really shouldn’t say things like that when I’m already so far on edge. I may not even get inside you before I come at this point.”
She laughed, reaching between us to grip my cock. My head shot back so I could look at her, and I groaned. “Don’t do that, baby.”
“You mean…this?” She so innocently asked before stroking me through my jeans, giving the base a squeeze.
I leaned away from her touch, and when she tried to reach for me, I took both hands in one of mine and put them above her head against the door. “Okay, my turn.”
“Show me what you got, Tucker.”
“Gladly.” Then I kissed her again, leaving soft bites and nibbles along her jaw and down her neck. I let her hands go so I could strip her out of her jacket and then tug her shirt over her head. That left her in her bra and pants and boots, and I swallowed hard, trying to look my fill.
I let my jacket fall to the floor, toed off my shoes so I wouldn’t forget later, and then moved down her chest to leave smacking kisses along with tops of her breasts over her bra.
“Like the lace,” I said, cupping her bra-covered breasts and letting my thumb slide against her nipple.
She sucked in little sharp breaths and nodded.
“I’m glad you like it. Although I wore it for me, not you.”
“Well, I like the way you treat yourself.”
Then I leaned down and sucked her nipple through the lace, loving the way she purred.
I gave the same attention to her other peak, grinning as I pulled back before kissing her on her lips again.
Her hand slid up and down my back, tugging at my shirt, so I reached around and pulled it over my head, leaving me shirtless and loving the way her gaze raked over me.
“You know I saw you in that towel earlier, but damn, your body’s a little intimidating.”
I raised a brow and looked down at her curves. “Um, hello, have you seen yourself in a mirror? Fucking sexy as hell. Never feel intimidated by me.”
Reckless With You Page 12