She narrowed her eyes as irritation zipped across her chest. "No, I mean it's mine. I drive it."
"You're shittin' me."
"I'm not explaining myself to you." The metal handle of the bucket felt cold in her hand as the weight almost toppled her over, since she'd misjudged the size and load with it full. "Excuse me while I water my mare." She wasn't about to let the jerk know the bucket was too heavy for her to carry. Every step sloshed water over the side and down her pant leg. The variety of her cuss words got more colorful with each stride.
Tucker rounded the corner racing to her side. "Honey, let me get that." He glanced behind her and she assumed he saw her companion when his eyes narrowed into slits. "You shouldn't be liftin' such heavy stuff in your condition, darlin'. You know the doctor said nothin' heavy the first few months of your pregnancy."
"My wha—"
He brushed his lips over hers, as he slipped an arm around her shoulders.
Nick stammered a quick, "See you around," and disappeared.
"Pregnancy? I am going to kick your ass for you." She shrugged off his arm as they reached her mare’s stall. "How dare you," she hissed.
"Easy, Jacie," he replied, holding up his hands. "I got the feeling you were brushing the guy off, so I figured I'd help. Nothin' will get a man gone faster than her significant other and the mention of a baby."
"Whether I wanted him gone or not is none of your business. Do we understand each other? Who I hit on or give the brush off, doesn't require your attention. If I thought I couldn't handle him, I would have let you know."
Both of his hands stopped on his hips. "Let's get somethin' straight. I don't share. If we are going to be keepin' company over the next two weeks, I will be your only partner. You didn't have to agree to this and you can retreat any time, but if I find out I'm not your lone fuck buddy, we are gonna have issues. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal."
"So what's your decision?"
She didn't hesitate. She couldn't. The decision had been made for her yesterday after she realized her feelings ran deeper than they had with any other man. "We are exclusive for the next two weeks."
"Fantastic. Now, kiss me woman. I need your lips on mine," he growled as he slipped an arm around her waist to pull her up against his chest.
"Jealous, Tucker?"
"I'm not sure if I would call it that, but I didn't like the way he looked at you. You’re mine, Jacie, even if it's only temporary."
His lips covered hers and his tongue speared its way inside her mouth. Desire rushed through her veins, bringing heat and electricity with it. She wound her hands in his hair as a groan rumbled inside her.
When he finally lifted his head, they were both breathing hard. His hand snaked down her back and skimmed over her ass.
"Are you about done?"
"Yeah," she whispered, still lost in the sensations of his touch.
"Why don’t we go find our room?" he asked with a lick up her neck.
Our room. Mmm. "Sounds like a plan."
"Let’s wrap things up here then," he replied with a smack to her butt as she turned away.
Within several minutes, she had her mare settled in and the bull was snug in his pen too.
Before she knew what he was up to, he’d hoisted her over his shoulder and walked toward her truck.
"Tucker! Put me down."
"Nope." His palm came down on her ass cheek. "I want everyone around here to know you are with me."
She felt her anger rising again. His highhanded attitude with her would cause some distention between them if he kept it up. She almost understood his reasoning behind making sure the other men around them knew they were together, but it didn't make it any easier to swallow his behavior. It would save her being hit on, but she wasn’t sure if she liked his possessive attitude.
As they reached the side of her truck, he let her slide down his body, making damn sure she felt every muscle and bulge, especially the one between his hard thighs. He trapped her against the side with one hand braced on each side of her shoulders and one of those muscled thighs between hers.
The devil on her shoulder whispered for her to pay him back tenfold. She slipped one palm up his chest and stopped to play with each button on the way while the other cupped his erection through his jeans. "If you’re real nice, you might get lucky in the next couple of hours."
"Oh, I plan on it, darlin’. More like the next thirty minutes."
She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I don’t know. We do need to go shopping too. Didn’t you say you had a dinner party to attend tomorrow night?"
"Yes, but that leaves tomorrow to shop and tonight to make you cream for me," he replied, nuzzling her ear. "All night. Several times."
Damn the man. Making her hot came easy for him and he knew it.
Blood rushed to her pussy and the throbbing had her shifting her thighs.
"Are you getting horny, honey?"
"Getting? I’m in permanent horny mode with you around."
The smile lifting the corners of his mouth looked wicked and enticing. "Is that supposed to be a compliment, Jacie?"
"You don’t need a bigger head. Take it as you will." She pushed him away and slipped out from under his arms. "Let’s get out of here. I’m sure someone else probably needs the spot."
His warm chuckle reached her ears as she pulled open the door to climb into the cab, embarrassment flushing her cheeks a bright red she noticed, glancing in the rearview mirror.
Cars, buses and people were everywhere as they drove toward their hotel. The road from Thomas Mack to the Bellagio wouldn’t be the easy trek they had made to the arena. No way around it, they had to go through town on at least one road. She picked the least congested one—Tropicana Avenue to the freeway and up one exit. Traffic wasn’t bad on the interstate, thank goodness. She quickly found the rear lot of the hotel to park the truck and trailer. Tucker grabbed his suitcase from the trailer as she snatched hers from the behind her driver’s seat. Even though they had spent a few nights making love inside the luxury of his trailer, she never had retrieved her suitcase. Only her small overnight bag with her toiletries in it and a change of clothes.
She captured her bottom lip between her teeth. A quick glance around revealed no one paying her any attention, so she lifted her arm and sniffed. Not bad, but I could use a shower.
"Ready?" Tucker asked as he came up behind her.
"I guess so."
Her suitcase rolled behind her on its wheels while Tucker carried his over his shoulder, until they reached the luxurious front desk of the hotel. Jacie had never been so self-conscious of her attire until she noticed the women around her. Gold, diamonds, dresses barely covering important parts, and heels high enough to break an ankle, swirled around her in a sea of color. Her T-shirt and jeans stood out like a sore thumb making her want to hide. Why Tucker wanted her when he could have any one of these women mystified her.
The squeal of a female voice brought Jacie’s attention to a woman rushing across the foyer. "Tucker, honey!" Her boobs had to be double D’s, her waist couldn’t have been more than twenty-four inches around and her hips were definitely baby-makin’ hips. Platinum blonde hair pulled up into some kind of upswept hairdo, and big blue eyes the color of sapphires that Jacie figured for sure weren’t real, landed in Tucker’s arms. When the woman finally let him come up for air, bright red lipstick was smeared over his lips.
The possessive growl coming from her lips sounded almost inhuman.
"Tiffany," he said, pulling her arms from around his neck.
Jacie pulled her bandana from her pocket and stepped to his side. "Tucker, honey," she said, her words so sweet they made her teeth hurt. "You’ve got somethin’ on your mouth, baby." She wiped the lipstick from his lips even though the other woman still had an arm around his waist. "You know we need to eat soon. The doctor said I should eat every few hours to forestall the morning sickness and your son sure makes me hungry all the time."
&nb
sp; "Son?" the woman squeaked.
A grin spread across his face as he winked. "Yes, Tiffany. Let me introduce you to Jacie. Jacie is my wife and we’re expecting a baby in about eight months."
"Your wife? But Tucker. I thought we’d get together while you were here and have some fun," Tiffany whined, plucking at the buttons on his shirt. Her eyes narrowed as she shot Jacie a snarky look. "You never mentioned a wife a few months ago when we hooked up in Phoenix at the rodeo."
"Jacie and I haven’t been married long."
"Mr. Marshall, I have your keys to your suite. I need you to sign here," the man behind the desk said.
"Certainly," Tucker replied, pulling away from Tiffany and signing the paper the man shoved across the desk. "Thank you. Can you please make sure no one disturbs us this evening? We are celebrating our wedding."
"Of course, sir. Enjoy your stay."
"We will," Tucker said before he pulled Jacie into his embrace. "Nice to see you again, Tiffany, but if you’ll excuse us, we need to get changed and find some dinner."
With one arm around his waist and the other rolling her suitcase, they moved toward the elevator, leaving the blonde behind. As they moved around the corner, she glanced behind her to find Tiffany still standing in the same spot, a frown on her painted lips and a sparkle of challenge in her eyes.
"I'll have to get Macy settled in the trailer while we are staying up here."
"No problem. Will she be okay in there alone?"
"Yeah, but she won't like it. She's pretty demanding with her attention needs."
"I gathered that."
The elevator door opened shortly after they stopped next to the doors. Tucker slid one of the key cards into the slot and pushed the button for the thirty-first floor.
"Damn! Are we at the top? I didn’t think they had anything, but the fancy rooms up there."
"We have a suite."
"Suite? What do you mean a suite?"
"I’m a good customer of this hotel. I stay here during NFR. I get a suite for a reduced price. You’ll like it. It’s got a huge window at the end of the king size bed that looks out over the city. We can make love, sip champagne, watch the lights of Vegas come up as the sun goes down."
"I can’t have champagne. Remember, I’m pregnant."
He threw back his head and laughed. "You do realize there will be retaliation for your interference downstairs."
"Retaliation?"
"Yep. I hope you have those handcuffs we talked about before in your bag. Otherwise, I’ll have to find a specialty store nearby. I think you’ve been a naughty girl."
Low, sexy and dark—his voice sent shivers of anticipation down her spine.
The elevator doors slid open with a whoosh, saving her from commenting. If the elegance of the hall to the room he’d reserved said anything, the room would probably take her breath away.
"Here we are."
The plate on the door read Cypress Suite. She almost feared what she would find inside. Marble graced the foyer floor. Soft brown covered the walls. Modern décor from eclectic framed pictures to oval shaped end tables made up the living room and dining area. A chocolate brown sofa with several pillows in deeper shades of brown faced a huge television hooked to the wall.
Tucker set their bags on the floor and took her hand. "This way is my bathroom."
"Your bathroom?"
"Yes. There are separate baths. His and hers. Mine has a steam shower where as yours, which I’ll show you in a second, has a huge marble soaking tub." He leaned in and kissed her. "Plenty of room for two."
If his area wasn’t magnificent enough, she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to see hers.
"And this is yours," he said, flipping the light on.
"Oh, wow!" she exclaimed. The whole bathroom was done in muted rose, pinks and reds with the biggest bathtub she’d ever seen in her entire life. Fluffy white robes for their use, hung from the hooks on the back of the doors and slippers of the same shade lay waiting for their feet when they stepped out of the bath.
"Now, the bedroom."
He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and escorted her through the partitioned off area into the bedroom.
A huge, king-sized bed draped in white and light brown sheets and blankets with a mountain of pillows, faced windows that covered the entire wall.
"Oh my," she said on a breath as she walked closer to the glass. The windows faced the downtown Las Vegas strip and the lake in the front of the hotel with its dancing fountain of water. Every light from every hotel could be seen for miles. Tucker slipped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. The scratchy whiskers on his cheek were rough against her skin as his warm breath caressed her ear. "Tucker. This is fabulous. I’ve never seen such a sight. I’ve been to Vegas dozens of times before too."
"This is the reason I love this room," he whispered. "I can’t wait to make love to you with the lights of the Strip bathing your body in glorious color." His tongue circled her ear. "What do you say we order room service. Get naked. Fill the tub up with bubbles. Sip champagne. And love the night away."
She couldn’t help but think of the gorgeous women downstairs.
"Why me?"
"Why you what?" he asked, turning her in his arms so she faced him.
"You could have any woman you wanted. The sparkle of diamonds, sequence, gold and silver downstairs on the women hanging around was enough to blind me."
"I don’t want them. I want you."
"I know, but why?"
He pressed his forehead against hers. "You’re funny, sexy, intelligent, and beautiful." She snorted as he cocked an eyebrow. "Even in your jeans and T-shirt, you put every one of those women to shame. You’re natural. They are so fake, their boobs come with a price tag." His fingers found the button at her waist to flick it free. "You say what’s on your mind. You don’t know the meaning of playing games. I have a feeling when you love, it will be forever no matter what anyone says or does to change it." His hands slipped around the waistband of her jeans, down the back and cupped her butt cheeks. He growled low in his throat and closed his eyes. "God, I love your ass, darlin’."
She slipped her fingers over each button on the front of his shirt, releasing one at a time, slowly until it parted and gave her access to the chiseled muscles of his chest. "Warm water and scented bubbles are calling our names. Dinner can wait until after you make love to me in the huge tub in there."
"Sounds like a plan to me." He scooped her up in his arms and walked toward the bathroom. Florescent lights reflected every shiny surface as Tucker released her legs and helped her remove the rest of her clothes. She found his nipple with her lips and tongue while he caressed her spine and hips. "You are a temptress."
She lifted her head and smiled. "We need to start the water," she said, turning toward the tub to flip on the hot water spigot.
"I’ll grab the bubbles."
A tormented growl sounded behind her seconds before she felt his cock sandwiched between her butt cheeks. The package of bubble bath found its way into the water. "You’re trying to kill me. Sticking your gorgeous ass up in the air like that." Rubbing against her, he forced desire to rush through her veins like the rapids of the Colorado River. "I want to bury myself in you so bad, I hurt." Both of his hands cupped her breasts, and rasped the callused fingers over her nipples. She stood upright, her back to his chest. "You are so beautiful. You take my breath away."
The moan trapped in her throat slipped from between her lips as she tipped her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. One of his hands slipped down her abdomen and through the curls guarding her sex.
"Open for me, baby."
She parted her thighs as his finger moved over her clit. A whimper left her mouth as a shiver raced down her body.
"Do you want me to fuck you?" he asked against the skin of her throat. He rocked his hips a couple of times, making sure she felt every inch of his length behind her.
"Oh, God, yes."
His
hands disappeared. "Into the tub."
The pleading on her lips almost broke free, but she held it inside. The water felt like heaven—soft, hot and soothing when she slipped below the surface. The long days in the truck did nothing for her muscles, but this and Tucker did wonders for her. She rested her head against the rear of the tub and watched her lover through her lashes. Thick brown hair, baby blue eyes and muscles in all the right places, the man could stop traffic if he took his shirt off. Everything about Tucker took her breath away.
He slipped between her parted thighs as he brought their lips together. His tongue slid between her lips, stroking along the side of hers, coaxing it to come out and play—and play she did. She loved to hear the groans coming from his mouth. The muscles and hair on his chest rubbed enticingly against her nipples, bringing them to stiff peaks. He wrapped one hand in her hair to tilt her head and deepen the kiss to almost impossible proportions. She loved every second of it. Tongues danced, stroked, licked and speared while they kissed.
The length of his cock rubbed the inside of her thigh and bumped at her opening. She needed him inside her. With her heels planted on the bottom of the tub, she lifted her hips, encouraging him to give her everything.
He tore his mouth from hers and skimmed across her cheek to her ear. "Hold that thought. I need to get the condom out of my pants, darlin’."
The need to keep him right where he was overrode common caution. They had been together several times now and for some unfathomable reason, she trusted him explicitly. "I’m clean. What about you?" she asked, pulling back far enough she could look into his eyes. Trust came at a huge price. The price this time was her heart.
"Me, too. I get tested after the end of every relationship."
"Even after Tiffany?"
"Especially after someone like her." He rubbed his nose against hers. "Are you sure you want to do this without protection?"
"I’m on the pill, if you’re worried."
His smile lit up the room. "I’m not worried. For some unexplainable reason, I trust you."
"Good. I’m glad I’m not alone in the trust department."
He closed his eyes as he slid the head of his cock between her pussy lips. "You feel incredible."
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