"I want…" You. She couldn't say the word. It sounded too serious. "How about gin? I'd love a gin and tonic."
He nodded and shouted over his shoulder. "Gin. And make it the good stuff, Jay."
"Right." His voice moved away from the door.
Boone ran his knuckles over her cheek. "Where were we?" He tipped his head and moved closer.
"Hey." Jaden's voice came through the door. "It'll be here in ten minutes." He laughed. "Just enough time for you to get it done in there, huh, big brother?"
Boone's lips tightened. "Get away from that door."
Gieselle smiled. "Ten minutes, huh?"
"He's got to die." Boone pressed his lips to hers.
A pop sounded outside the door. It had to be the cork from the champagne bottle.
"There he goes! Didn't even last ten minutes." Jayden shouted.
Somewhere in the living room, Dallas laughed.
Gieselle smiled against Boone's lips. "This isn't going to happen right now, is it."
"No." He stepped back. "But I'm gonna take a great deal of pleasure in thumping my baby brother into that nice carpet out there." He walked to the door and ripped it open.
"Oh, fuck." Jayden shot across the living room.
"You need to get some manners, boy." Boone's hands fisted.
Gieselle walked up behind him. "It's okay, Boone." She ran her hand over his forearm. Hard, corded muscles bulged under her fingers.
"No, it ain't." He glared at his brother. "He knows better."
"Let him be." Dallas took off his hat, got up from the couch, and walked behind the bar. "It's close to his bedtime anyway."
Jayden popped up from crouching behind the bar and pointed the champagne bottle at Dallas. "I got a fake ID that says I can drink and gamble all night if I want." Without his cowboy hat, he looked so young.
Setting five tumblers on the bar, Dallas chuckled. "Fill up our glasses. We need to have a real toast to our big winners."
Looking around the room, Gieselle didn't spot Kira.
Dallas nodded toward the closed door of the other bedroom. "She got a call." He narrowed his eyes. "Does she have a man back in New York?"
Boone hefted out a breath. "Dallas?"
Jayden poured champagne into the glasses. "Watch out. He's doing that bonding thing again."
Dallas pounded a fist on the bar. "It's not like that. I just want to make sure I'm not moving in on another man's woman."
Gieselle watched the cowboys' body language, weighing their words. Evidently Dallas had some history with women he was trying to live down.
"No." She took Boone's hand and pulled him with her out of the bedroom. "She doesn't have a man. She's free and clear." Gieselle walked to the bar and slid onto a barstool.
Dallas handed her a glass. "Ma'am."
Boone stepped up behind her, his arm draping across the back of the stool. He picked up a tumbler and touched it to hers. "To tonight." His eyes darkened and his mouth curved slightly. "When we can lock these clowns out of our suite."
She laughed. "The best toast I've ever heard." She sipped her champagne.
"Hey." Jayden walked out from behind the bar and jumped onto the barstool next to hers. "Mom said you were supposed to keep an eye on me." He grabbed a glass and chugged it down.
"Just how young are you?" Gieselle took a closer look at his cute face.
"Almost twenty-one." He glanced at his brother. "He's twenty-three." He looked into her eyes. "How old are you?"
Boone shook his head. "You don't ask a lady that."
"Jayden, damn." Dallas refilled their glasses. "You have no class, dust eater."
"Hey, I landed on my feet today." Jayden's jaw tightened.
"You didn't go more than two seconds on that crow hopper." Dallas leaned on the bar. "You do better at practice than you do at events. Why's that?"
Jayden blushed and shrugged.
Kira came out of the bedroom, pasting a smile on her face. "What are we talking about?"
"How old Gigi is." Jayden grinned.
Gieselle met her girlfriend's gaze with an inquisitive look. Was everything all right?
Kira smiled and nodded at her, then looked at Jayden. "How old do you think she is?"
"I'm gonna say twenty-one."
Gieselle laughed. "I'll be graduating with a masters in business this spring." She glanced at Jayden. "What does that make me?"
He whistled. "Impressive."
She shook her head. "No, I mean—"
"Then what?" Jayden leaned closer to her. "What are you going to do after you graduate?"
"I've got a couple internship offers at companies in Manhattan." She looked at Boone. "But I think I'm going to use the casino's money and go for it. Start my own company."
He nodded, a pensive look in his eyes.
Kira set down her glass. "Prestigious companies in New York. Gieselle's graduating top of her class." She pointed at her friend. "Companies that would look really good on your resume."
Gieselle nodded then frowned. "I can't make the decision right now. I've got too much rattling around in my mind." Top of the list; Boone, and the bedroom so close to them.
"All right, so you start college at eighteen." Jayden calculated on his fingers. "I'd say you'd have to be twenty-three, but you sure don't look it."
She smiled at Boone. "Twenty-five tomorrow." She batted her eyes. "Is that too old for you?"
He let out a laugh. "Practically a cougar." He leaned down and kissed her. "You're perfect."
Something warm and sweet spread through her chest. Perfect. If only.
A knock at the door had Jayden shouting, "Booze!"
****
Six hours later, Boone walked out of the Beefsteak Grill with his arm around Gigi's shoulders and a belly full of the best beef and whiskey he'd ever tasted. "I've never had a Christmas Eve dinner quite like that."
She groaned. "I ate about ten ounces too much beef."
He stopped and tipped his head, kissing her quickly on her pretty lips. "That's what you get for betting Jay you could eat a sixteen ounce steak."
She held up the ten-dollar bill. "I won, didn't I?"
"Baby, you have no idea how impressed I am."
Kira, Dallas, and Jayden stopped next to them. They looked sluggish and bleary-eyed after four hours of drinking in the suite followed by a two hour orgy of food and liquor in the restaurant.
Jayden pointed to his right. "We've got a country bar with dancing this way." He pointed left. "And a rock band playing this way." He looked at all their faces. "Aw, don't tell me you old folks are going home to bed."
Kira shook her head. "Hell, no! Let's get country!"
Dallas got them walking toward the Hotfoot Lounge. "It's not even midnight yet. We've got to celebrate Gigi's official birthday."
She smiled at Dallas. "You're so thoughtful."
A burst of jealousy surprised Boone. She'd been kind and playful with both his brother and Dallas all evening, and he loved how she fit into his gang. Boone stopped walking and cursed himself. He was getting too close to her. Hell, she had dreams of being a big New York businesswoman, ready to start a business or work for some major company. Her future didn't include a beat-up bull rider.
"Boone? Are you okay?" Gigi looked up at him with those big hazel eyes.
He got moving again. "Yeah. Just looking forward to getting you back upstairs." He grinned.
She gave him a sly look. "We can duck out through the back—"
"Uh uh. I want at least once dance with you." One slow, sexy dance where he'd let his lust take over again, let it edge out the strange craving filling his heart.
They caught up to the group and found a table near the dance floor. The band was excellent, playing old standards and new songs.
Dallas and Jayden argued over which of them did a better two-step, and Kira volunteered to be the judge. When Dallas took Kira out on the floor, Jayden scoped out the rest of the bar, checking out the honeys.
When it was
Jayden's turn on the floor with Kira, Dallas stared at them, a dark scowl on his face. Was his buddy getting too close to Kira? Just like he'd let Gigi mean a little too much to him at a time in his life when he couldn't afford to have any distractions.
The band started a slow song.
"Belly rubbing music." He stood and held out his hand.
Gigi placed her warm little palm in his. "Careful, cowboy. Last time we started rubbing bellies, we almost ended up in bed."
He groaned, picturing her on the golden bedspread, her pale skin glowing, her dark hair fanned out. Her arms reaching for him.
Pulling her close, he nibbled at her ear. "I wanna touch you. Every perfect inch of you."
She shivered and sighed, closing her eyes.
"When I pull off your clothes, I'm going to taste you, slowly, and kiss your breasts until you beg for more."
"More." The word left her mouth on a breath.
In his jeans, his cock pulsed, taking too much blood from his head, making him dizzy with the need to have her. "When I kiss your belly, you'll grab my hair and push my mouth lower, into your sweet, honey lips."
A tiny cry escaped her. Her cheeks glowed pink and her head lolled on her neck.
He ran his tongue from her earlobe down her neck. "You're delicious. I won't be able to get enough of you."
"Boone." She licked her lips and opened her eyes. Her hazel irises had turned to a dark gray. "You have to stop or I'm going to be a puddle on the floor."
He chuckled. "Hold on to me. I'm here for you." Always. He blinked and pulled back a few inches. Where the hell had that come from?
She blinked a couple times, too. "Something wrong?"
Yes! "No." Just a fool falling for someone he couldn't have. "Let's get out of here."
Gigi smiled. "Let me talk to Kira quick." She looked around the bar. "Something's wrong. That phone call she got had to be bad news, but she won't admit it."
"Probably because it's your birthday." Her concern for her friend struck a soft spot inside him. He led Gigi back to their table where Kira sat next to Dallas, each of them with a straw stuck in one huge glass of ice water.
"Kira, we should talk before I go—"
She held up a hand. "No. Everything's fine." She shooed them away. "You two go. Have fun and we'll talk tomorrow." She hugged Gigi. "Happy birthday!"
Dallas looked at his phone. "Five minutes to twelve. Better run if you're going to be naked by midnight."
Gigi blushed and swatted him. "You're naughty."
Boone took her hand. "Keep an eye on Jayden, would you?"
Kira said, "Sure."
Dallas scowled at her. "I think he meant me."
Glancing between the two, he let their comments pass. He had better things to do. Naked by midnight sounded like an achievable—and interesting—goal.
He led her through the casino to the bank of elevators. In the car riding up, he pressed her against the elevator wall and kissed her.
Her soft lips parted and he took her, deep and wild, his tongue twisting with hers, their breaths shared back and forth.
When the elevator doors slid open, he picked her up and carried her down the hall to their suite.
She slid in the keycard, and he kicked open the door.
A six-foot Christmas tree filled with twinkling lights and shiny decorations stood in front of the wall of windows.
She gasped. "Boone." Cupping his face with her palms, she kissed him. "Did you do this?"
His chest expanded and his voice choked. "Happy birthday, Gigi. And Merry Christmas." He set her down in front of the tree.
She walked around it, touching a few ornaments and smoothing her hand over the long needles. "It's a real tree." Her face showed surprise.
"I have an uncle who's a tree farmer up north." He shrugged. "I like to support the industry, and I'm partial to the pine scent."
She leaned close to the tree, sniffed deeply, and let out a loud sigh. "It's perfect." Shaking her head, she walked to him and wrapped her arms around his middle. "I would be amazed that you could arrange this, but I've been astounded by you since the moment I met you." Her eyes held a depth of emotion he couldn't let himself name.
Instead, he winked. "This is Vegas, baby. Anything's possible."
****
Gieselle couldn't speak over the catch in her throat. How had he known exactly what to do to make her crazy for him? He didn't have to do this. She would have spent the night with him. What a surprising man her cowboy turned out to be.
He slid his arms around her, linking his fingers at the base of her spine. Bending back to look into her yes, he asked, "Would you like a drink?"
She shook her head. "I've had enough to drink." Her gaze dropped to his lips. Firm and full, smiling with a naughty smirk, she could drink them up.
"What do you want to do, then?"
Running her hands slowly up his arms, she sighed. "I want to fool around."
Chapter Four
Boone tipped his head back and laughed like a kid. "You're the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten." Against the backdrop of the suite's windows, he reminded her of a package all wrapped in lights.
His hands slid to her butt and he tugged her up.
Holding on to his shoulders, Gieselle balanced herself and wrapped her legs around him. She loved it when he carried her.
"You don't have to ask this cowboy more than once." He strode to the bedroom, bent over the bed, and laid her back on it. Lit only by the lights of the strip, the room wrapped around them, romantic and cozy.
Propping his elbows at her side, his face hovered inches from hers, his breath warm on her skin. "Baby, I've got plans for you."
A hot shiver skittered through her. "Plans?"
"Mm hm." His eyes darkened and his breath came faster. "
She unbuttoned one button of his shirt. "What kind of plans?"
He reached behind his back, tugged off her shoe, and tossed it. "Wicked ones."
Flicking open another button, she asked, "Hot plans?"
"Yeah. And sticky." He took her other shoe and threw it, too.
Opening the rest of his buttons, her mouth watered for a lick of his nice pecs. "God, you're sexy."
"Baby." It came out on a growl and he ripped off his cowboy hat and threw it onto a chair. "You're making me crazy."
She tugged his shirttails from his jeans. "I want to make you naked."
With incredible speed, he removed his shirt and leaned back over her. "Your turn." He slid his hands from her knees down her thighs, his fingers tracing the elastic of her panties around her hips.
The rough calluses on his warm hands rattled lusty heat along her skin and down to her pussy.
Boone gathered her dress under her butt and sat her up, pulling it from under her and up over her head.
He froze, his eyes on her see-through lavender bra. "Oh, jeez."
His stare puckered her nipples and tingled chills across her breasts. Gieselle laced her fingers through his hat hair, releasing the blond mop. The softness on her fingers tugged at her heart. A rugged cowboy with the sweet personality of a gentleman.
Boone's mouth covered hers as he laid her back on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her, holding on tight. His big prize buckle chilled her belly.
She traced his lips with her tongue and he dove in, his tongue on hers, on her cheeks, tickling the roof of her mouth.
His overpowering strength did fuzzy things to her brain and wild, jittery things to her core. Her hips made tiny circles, cradling his hard shaft through his jeans.
"Gigi." He whispered against her lips as his hips took up the rhythm of hers.
She scraped her nails lightly down his back. "Boone?"
"When you do that…" His mouth pressed hard and hot on her neck, his teeth nipping, his tongue tracing patterns. Slowly he eased his body lower, dragging his mouth along her skin, tasting as he went.
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, thrusting her breasts closer to him as desire swir
led and puddled low in her belly.
His mouth traced the line of her bra across one breast, then the other. "You're so hot. Your skin is burning my lips."
"Don't stop." Her blood raced through her like solar flares.
"No, ma'am." Boone took her nipple in his mouth through the sheer fabric.
She jumped. "Oh, yes."
He moved his lips, scraping the fabric on her tender flesh, sending bolts of electricity to her pussy. When his mouth covered her other nipple, achy contractions pulsed in her core.
With one hand, he unfastened her bra at her back and tugged it off her. He sucked in a breath as he looked at her breasts. "You are too beautiful." He gazed into her eyes. "Not just your body, Gigi. You."
Her heart thumped and she had to swallow before she spoke. "You're an exceptional man."
"I'm coming to think…" He shook his head. "Now isn't the time for words, is it." He lashed his tongue over her nipple.
Flashes radiated from the peak and she grabbed his hair and pulled him to her breast. "No talk."
He chuckled as he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked. His tongue swirled and flicked, his teeth grazed and nipped.
Gieselle grabbed his shoulders to keep herself from sailing out of her body.
Boone licked widening circles around her breast and slid across to the other, licking along the base then narrowing until her came to her areola.
His slow loving eased her race toward climax but jittered hot spikes that wet her pussy lips.
When he took her nipple deep into his mouth, the corresponding tug burned at her slit. She held her breath while he teased and pleased her, heating her until she felt a sheen of sweat on her forehead.
Releasing her nipple, he kissed a trail to her ribs then dipped his tongue into each indentation, moving lower, slowly and painfully teasing. His tongue darted into her belly button.
She lifted her head and watched as he swirled it around, the decadence making her hips jerk.
His eyes shifted and caught her gaze. With a wicked smile, he kissed his way down to the edge of her see-through panties. "I can smell you, sweet and musky, honey and spices." His tongue snuck under the elastic.
"Please, Boone. Oh, God. I can't wait." Her thighs shook, needing his lips, his tongue, working magic between them.
"Baby." He kissed her through the fabric, inching lower, slow, open-mouthed kisses that promised everything, hot and lovely all the way down her mound and along her pussy.
Cowboy Jackpot: Christmas Page 3