by Cat Johnson
There was no fighting this attraction. Tuck dipped his head low and claimed Becca’s mouth with his own. When her lips parted for his tongue, he knew their dinner was definitely going to get cold, and he couldn’t have cared less.
He pulled her hips tighter against him, knowing she could feel him outlined in his jeans. She moaned low and sexy in her throat and pressed closer. He wanted her as much as he had that first night, and by all indications, she felt the same . . . And he didn’t have a condom. He pulled his mouth away.
“Crap.” With a loud sigh, he took one giant step back.
“What’s wrong?” Becca’s voice broke on the question.
He let out a short, sad laugh. “Nothing you did, darlin’. No condoms. I came expecting to eat barbecue. Not to . . .” He bowed his head and spread his hands to indicate the space now separating them.
Becca took a step forward and narrowed the distance. “I’m on the pill, if that helps any.”
They didn’t have to worry about a condom for disease prevention. He was pretty sure Becca wasn’t the type to sleep around. That night with him had been the exception, not the rule. He’d used protection every time he’d been with anyone since his divorce, and the army required he be tested every six months. He could slide into her and have nothing between them. Her revelation nearly destroyed his last bit of control.
“Yeah, it helps.” He groaned and took another step toward her until his thigh was cradled between hers.
The birth control issue settled, he thrust his hands into Becca’s thick hair and crashed against her mouth again. It felt so good to kiss this woman. That’s what made it even crazier when a niggling thought broke into his pleasure. A thought that had him pulling away. “Wait. Were you on the pill the last time?”
“Yes.”
He frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me then?”
And why the hell was he talking now?
Because he needed to know, which was insane. But it seemed Becca had kept quite a few things from him. He’d had a woman like that in his life already. In fact, he was still sending her monthly spousal support checks and would be for the next year.
“I didn’t tell you that night because I didn’t really know you then, and we had all those condoms so it wasn’t an issue.”
It made sense. He could understand that, but one question remained. “You think you know me better now?”
“Yes, I think I do.”
This could lead to a whole long conversation, but he didn’t want talk. He wanted Becca. Her excuse was good enough—for now. Tuck ran his hands up and down her arms, his suspicious mind satisfied enough to allow him to listen to his dick for a little while. If things continued as they were he’d have her very soon, and that thought alone broke the last semblance of his control.
He scooped her into his arms. She let out a squeal when her feet left the floor.
“Bedroom?” His growled word came out sounding more like an order than a question.
She bit her lip and looked at him even more enticingly than she had in his many dreams about her. “To the right of the front door.”
He angled both of their bodies past the island and reached the bedroom doorway with a few long strides. The bed wasn’t king-size like the one they’d enjoyed in the hotel, but it was still plenty big enough for his purposes. He dropped her on top of the covers, following her down until his weight pressed her into the mattress. Tuck slanted his lips over hers, sinking his tongue into her mouth.
The clothing between them was more than he could take. Rolling to one side, he reached down and yanked at the button at Becca’s waist. At the same time, she pulled the hem of his T-shirt out of his jeans. Pawing at her like he was a horny teenager about to get lucky, he abandoned the tight denim for the moment and pushed the hem of her tank up over her tits. The lace of her bra was no barrier. He pushed that down and latched on to one nipple with his mouth.
She arched her back and pressed up. He took advantage of that move to reach beneath her to unhook the bra’s back clasp. At the same time, she helped his quest to have her naked when she pulled her tank top the rest of the way off and tossed it to the floor next to the bed. She moved on to his belt buckle. He should probably have helped her with that, but instead he was too busy enjoying a mouthful of Becca. He scraped his teeth across her nipple. She hissed in a breath and ramped up his need to have the rest of her.
“Oh, God.” Tuck hissed in a breath of his own.
He had forgotten how much her tiny sounds got to him. He wanted her naked. He needed to be inside her. She must have shared that desire since she was yanking the zipper of his jeans down. He agreed. They both still wore too many clothes.
Tuck rolled off Becca and stood next to the bed. He shoved his pants down his legs, cursing when he realized he still had his boots on. With a few clumsy steps, he managed to kick off both boots and jeans without falling over. He shoved his underwear down to the floor as well, along with his socks.
Reaching out, he grabbed Becca’s hand. She came to him easily, until she was standing next to the bed and staring up with heavily lidded eyes. He ran his hands over the bare skin of her torso, then down to the jeans she still wore. His mouth followed the path of his hands, kissing down her stomach as he unzipped her pants.
They worked as a team. She kicked off her slip-on sandals and he pushed the denim down her thighs. He did the same with her underwear, the heat of her bare skin warming his palms as he did. She turned toward the bed. Bending at the waist, she reached for the top edge of the comforter. He supposed she was planning to pull it down so they could get under the covers together.
He wasn’t in a bed kind of mood. Not with Becca’s heart-shaped ass poised so invitingly in front of him. Definitely not while he was still nursing the mad he’d been holding on to since the party. A pride-fueled anger he hadn’t quite managed to tamp down just yet.
Nope, this wasn’t going to be the “snuggle under the covers and spoon afterward” kind of lovin’. He was in the mood for some good hard and fast sex. If that didn’t scare her off, they could get to the snuggling-in-bed part later, when he was more in the mood for the tender stuff.
Stepping up behind her, he grabbed her hips and angled his cock at her entrance. One thrust seated him firmly inside. She was that wet, and he’d be lying if he didn’t admit it was a total turn-on.
His eyes slammed shut at the feel of her. He couldn’t see her or the room around them, but he clearly felt the sensation of being engulfed by her heat. Clearly heard her intake of breath as he sank deeper.
A shiver ran through him. He’d forgotten how good it felt to be inside her, and to be uncovered and inside—it was enough to make him lose control. Tonight was going to be one more thing that would make it impossible to stay away from her—not that he’d done a great job of it so far. He glanced down to where they were joined and watched his cock slide into her.
Nope. There was no way in hell he’d be able to stay away from her after this.
She made one of those little noises that made him want to take a bite out of her, and he realized he was in real danger with this girl. And not only because of how good it felt to slide into her. No, it was everything from how she couldn’t find the silverware in her own kitchen to the adorable way she bit her lip.
Shit. He was not going to get soft over this woman. Time to take back some semblance of control of this situation. Bracing one hand between her shoulder blades, he pushed her torso lower, which raised her ass higher. Perfect. He widened his stance, grabbed her hips, and pounded into her until he hit the point of no return.
Tuck had intended to be selfish this time. To only concentrate on himself and his own needs. He thought it was what he needed to do to get rid of his hurt and anger, and protect his heart. As it turned out, it proved impossible to block Becca out. He couldn’t do it. She invaded his every sense, from the feel of her surrounding him, to the sound of her breaths as they quickened, to the look in her eyes when she glanced over her sho
ulder just before the orgasm hit him.
Coming inside her took him off his feet. Tuck felt his knees buckle. He wrapped his arms around her and had them both crashing head-first onto the bed.
Becca, crushed between his weight and the mattress, gasped for breath beneath him. With his face buried in her hair, he was having a hell of a time catching his own breath. He rolled them both onto their sides and rested his head above hers. They lay there for a while, until he went slack inside her, but he still didn’t move. Neither did she. But just because his body wasn’t moving didn’t mean his mind wasn’t racing.
All this thinking about a woman was surely not a good sign. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Why didn’t you tell me that first night about the position at OSU?”
“I honestly never even thought about it.”
It shouldn’t matter to him, but it did. They’d just had great sex. Well, he had; it probably hadn’t been all that great for her, but still, sex should be enough for him. It wasn’t. He might be less pissed now after the bout they’d just had, but he still wanted answers.
“Why not?” He hated the tension he heard in his own tone.
“Honestly?”
“No, I want you to lie.” He rolled his eyes even though in their current positions she couldn’t see. “Yes. Honestly. Please.”
He wondered if he’d regret saying that.
She turned in his arms and looked at him. “Because I figured it didn’t matter even if I did get the job and move to Oklahoma, because I thought you traveled the country riding bulls for a living. Different city every night. Different girl every night.”
Becca shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but he could tell from how she wouldn’t meet his eyes it did.
“I don’t.” His heart and his voice softened toward her. “I mostly ride right here in Oklahoma. Sometimes in Texas, but that’s it. No traveling the country. I’m right here in Stillwater almost all the time, working or working out with the cadets, or helping to coach the rodeo team.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I know. And as for the rest—no, there isn’t a different girl every night. Not lately anyway. I won’t lie to you, Becca. I went through a bad time and a lot of women right after the divorce, but that’s all in the past. Things haven’t been like that for a long time now.” He brushed a hair off her face. “You okay with that?”
She bit her lip and then nodded. “Yes.”
“So, is that the only reason you kept your moving here from me? Because you thought I was working my way through every buckle bunny on the rodeo circuit? Honestly.”
She glanced at him, then away again. “That’s not everything. I’m fresh out of a two-year relationship. I’m not ready to start anything new.”
Tuck nodded. He was about a year ahead of her in the healing and moving on department. That was fine. He could wait. Hell, he should wait because after his divorce, he wasn’t ready for the deep water yet, either. Dipping a toe into the shallow end was enough for now. “Understood.”
“And . . .” Becca winced. “Emma wanted me to look you up and call, but I was afraid we didn’t have anything in common. I mean, we’re so different. From such different places. We’re good at this, but—”
“But sex isn’t everything.” Sad but true. If having good sex together had been enough to build a relationship upon, his ex wouldn’t have been catting around with other men while he was deployed and he’d still be married.
“Right.” She let out a huff of air.
“Okay, so I guess I can see how you could think a city professor and a country cowboy wouldn’t have anything in common, but I do have one thing to tell you about the nothing in common part. My ex-wife and I had pretty much everything in common. Same hometown. Same interests. Same education right down to the same teachers all through school . . . You’ll notice something, though. In spite of all that common ground, she’s still my ex-wife now.”
She paused a beat, then nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that.” He couldn’t let Miss English Professor think she was right all the time, because in this case, he knew from personal experience she was dead wrong. They’d spent hours that night at the rodeo, talking, laughing, enjoying the time together. The differences weren’t as big a deal as she’d assumed. Not when all the rest was so good.
“Do you think we could start over? Be friends?” An adorable crinkle appeared between her eyebrows as she frowned, looking concerned.
Crap. She’d just told him she wanted to be friends. He wasn’t ready for the kind of serious hold this woman could easily get on him. Yet in spite of all that, he couldn’t stop thinking how cute she looked or how good she felt, either. “We could do that—be friends—or we could be slightly more than friends. Friends with benefits would be nice.”
He shouldn’t have suggested that. Hell, he shouldn’t even be thinking it. Even so, his gaze dropped down her body. He reached out and laid his hand low on her belly.
Becca glanced down at his hand. “I think we already are.”
“Yeah, I guess we do kinda have that part covered.” He leaned closer, about to kiss her, before he held back. Tuck pulled away one more time. “You don’t have anything else to tell me, do you? Anything at all. Kids? More job interviews? A husband? Prison record?”
Might as well cover all bases and start this thing, whatever the hell it was, with a clean slate.
She smiled. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Good.” He didn’t want any more surprises from the new friend he was hoping to get very friendly with again in the next few minutes. He owed her an orgasm. No time like the present.
Becca’s hand on his chest stopped his downward descent toward her mouth. “Hold on a minute. What about you? Any other surprises for me, Sergeant?” She cocked a brow.
“Surprises?” He smiled and moved his hand down her belly, heading for a spot he was anxious to get to. “Yeah, I may have a few more tricks left up my sleeve, but don’t worry, because I’m about to show them all to you right now.”
Chapter Fifteen
The phone rang way too early in the morning considering how late she’d been up having sex with Tucker the night before. Becca slapped at the nightstand until she found her cell. She managed to answer it through the hazy remnants of sleep. “Hello?”
“You’re still in bed?”
“Emma, I’m in a different time zone.” Maybe one day her sister would remember that.
She glanced at the closed bedroom blinds. Okay, so the sun was up, but that didn’t mean she had to be. She threw one arm over her eyes. Good thing she hadn’t moved to the West Coast, or Emma would be calling her at four in the morning and wondering why she wasn’t awake yet.
“It’s still pretty late there, even with the one hour time difference, and you didn’t call me or respond to the text I sent you last night. I was worried.”
She remembered hearing a text come through. It was about the time Tuck had wrapped her legs around his waist, hoisted her off the bed, and carried her to the bathroom. Thank goodness that curtain rod was good and sturdy, because at one point she’d been hanging on to it while they did things she’d never even thought of doing in the shower.
“Sorry, I was, uh, busy.” Becca’s belly let out a rumble. She was awake, and hungry. Might as well get all the way up and see what was in the kitchen. She and Tucker had managed to eat at one point last night, in between . . . other things, but she remembered him shoving take-out containers of leftovers into her fridge. Since Becca’s morning laziness knew no bounds and it would be all she could do to manage to brew a cup of tea in her current state this morning, she figured that tasty side of macaroni and cheese he’d brought over with the barbecue would make a good breakfast reheated.
“Oh, my God. You saw him!” Emma’s accusation woke Becca up more than her morning tea would have.
“What?” How the hell did Emma know that? They’d barely said a handful of words to each other.
&
nbsp; “Tucker. You saw him again. Were you out with him last night? Is that why you didn’t call me back? Or, wow . . . was he there? Is he there right now? Is that why you’re so tired?”
“Okay, hang on. He’s not here. But yes, I saw him.” She was too tired to even bother trying to lie as she stumbled barefooted onto the cool kitchen floor.
“Oh, my God! Tell me everything.”
“Emma, please, you have to dial it down a notch until I get some caffeine in me.” She glanced at the clock on the stove as she set the kettle on the burner. Seven. Poor Tuck had been at some sort of workout with the ROTC people since six. She couldn’t even imagine. The most physical activity she was planning today was maybe some more unpacking followed by a shower and a nice nap. She had to take advantage of the free time she had before the new semester of classes started in just days.
“Excuse me for being excited for you. If you were a normal woman, you’d be excited, too. Jeez, another night with that hot cowboy—do you know how many women wish they could be in your situation?”
That would be a clear case of be careful what you wish for, because her situation was kind of messed up. She wasn’t sure she was ready for a boyfriend right now. Not one who’d been divorced for only a year. Especially not one whom the army could probably send away at any second. She’d have to research this ROTC thing better and see if these guys got shipped off to war. And who knew what Tucker wanted? Sure, it was obvious he was as interested in sex as she was, but they hadn’t talked about having a relationship. Last night could have been simply a booty call with barbecue. Not a bad thing by any means, but she definitely had to make sure to remember that was the extent of it. Falling for a booty call would be bad.
“Well . . .” Nothing clever came to mind, so she gave up and wrapped up with, “those women should think again.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Nothing happened.” Well, nothing but some sex on the bed, and then some sex in the shower, followed by some creative after-play on the bed again—she’d never forget the vision of opening her eyes, glancing down, and seeing Tuck looking up at her from between her thighs. Her belly twisted at the memory. She was in deep trouble.