All In (3 page)

Tucker decided it didn’t matter. If he was reading her body language correctly, she was as turned on as he was. She leaned against the wall of the elevator, her lips parted and her breath coming a little faster. Six years or no, the sparks that flew that night in Palm Springs had rekindled.

Suddenly his plan to take her out to dinner seemed a waste of their time.

Tucker took a step toward her, fully realizing he was now thinking with his cock but unable to switch gears. He couldn’t, not when her eyes had locked onto his and she arched her back, pushing her breasts toward him almost imperceptibly.

Fuck it, he thought and leaned in and kissed her.

Mariah knew Tucker was going to kiss her, wanted him to kiss her, and when he did, she responded as if she’d been in hibernation. Part of her thought,
you’re being a sleaze
, but most of her didn’t care. Davina had come through and Mariah wasn’t going to squander this once-in-a-lifetime chance to fulfill a fantasy she’d been fostering for six long years. Hell no. She slid her arms around his hard body and kissed him back.

His mouth moved over hers and he made a low sound of enjoyment that seemed to reverberate inside her. As he threaded his fingers through her hair, cradling her head, she moaned too. Sensations swept through her. Tucker was here in the flesh, pushing his tongue into her mouth, crowding her against the wall. She wasn’t imagining the spicy smell of his cologne or his strong arms—

Ping
.

They both stepped hurriedly apart as the elevator doors opened and a family of four entered. Mariah touched her lips as if she could brush away the evidence, but the parents and kids paid no attention to them. The doors closed again. Tucker coughed and looked at her questioningly, his finger pointing first to the lit lobby button and then to the one reading thirty-five. Mariah bit her lip. The moment of truth.

Digging up her nerve, she pushed the button for his floor and earned herself a slow smile that sent shivers of anticipation through her body. He sidled up next to her as the elevator descended, and when it spilled the family out into the noisy lobby, more people got on. He draped an arm around her shoulders and traced his finger back and forth across her collarbone. It was an excruciating exercise in patience to wait as people got on and off the elevator. She had to work hard to keep her breathing even.

At last they arrived at his floor. He took her hand and led her into another private hallway. As he inserted his card key into the slot, Mariah gasped.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, alarmed.

“What time is it?”

He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost nine. Why?” he asked, a slight frown wrinkling his forehead. “Do you have another appointment you forgot about? Do you turn into a pumpkin?”

She laughed. Little did he know.

“Yes. Three hours from now I’ll be fleeing your room with one naked foot.”

He chuckled, but that frown remained as he paused. The light on the door lock turned from green to red again.

“You know,” he said, looking pensive, “if you’ve changed your mind and you want to grab that bite after all, that’s okay. I swear I don’t know what came over me in the elevator. I don’t usually come on so strong.”

It’s the wish in action, Mariah thought. The wish that expires at nine p.m. two days from now.

“Oh no,” she assured him. “I haven’t changed my mind.”

Tucker relaxed and with a smile and half-closed eyes, he cupped a hand around the back of her neck and claimed her mouth again. Heat flared as if they hadn’t been interrupted at all. When his tongue sought entrance, sliding along her lips, she parted them eagerly. Pleasure flowed through her veins like chocolate lava and her body throbbed, aching to be filled with Tucker’s hard cock.

Murmuring softly to her, he kissed her again and again, dipping his tongue each time to taste her more and more deeply. The hand on her waist slid up until his thumb brushed the side of her breast.
Oh God.
Mariah involuntarily tightened her arms around him as lust surged between her legs. They stood locked together a while longer until Tucker finally broke away, breathing rapidly and with a slight smile slanting his lips.

He pushed his key into the lock and opened the door. Then, taking her hand, he led her inside.

“Bedroom’s this way,” he said, guiding her through an elegant sitting room.

Mariah had never been in a suite the likes of this before tonight. Her usual accommodations away from home were of the “just seventy-nine dollars a night” variety. As she had in Tony and Rhonda’s room, she caught the aroma of several fresh flower arrangements. To the left was a sunken living room with two separate seating areas. A floor-to-ceiling fountain gurgled over natural stone, giving the room a Zen feel. To her right was a half-bath, all marble and shine. And the bedroom… Rich, dark blue brocade swooped down from the ceiling, showcasing the elaborately carved headboard of a truly majestic bed. The furnishings alone probably cost a year’s rent.

She would have gone to the window to enjoy the panoramic view of the Strip, but Tucker was waiting for her at the foot of the bed, one knee cocked, his head slightly tilted. Her eyes flitted to the front of his jeans where she detected a sizeable bulge.

The view of the skyline could wait.

She reached for the button on her pants, but Tucker shook his head as she drew near.

“I’d like to do that, if you don’t mind,” he said with a crooked smile. “Undressing a woman is one of my favorite parts of sex.”

“I actually remember that,” she replied.

Going for the top button of her blouse, he circled it with his index finger ever so softly before popping it open. He traced the skin revealed by his action and Mariah’s pulse raced again. With an intense look on his face, he slowly undid the rest of the buttons, teasing her with the lightest of touches, raising her anticipation to almost unbearable levels. Then, finally, he spread the halves of her blouse apart and bared the tops of her breasts. Mariah trembled as he brushed his thumbs against her bare skin. Looking into her eyes, he smiled as he grazed the hardened tips with his knuckles through the material of her bra, and her knees went weak as desire flooded her. She could feel wetness seeping from her body to soak her panties.

“If we go on at this pace,” she said breathlessly, “it’ll be Christmas before I’m naked.”

Tucker chuckled. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with taking our time. You remember how good it was that second time? Nice and slow…”

God, did she remember. The sex had been like floating on a raft down a gently flowing river. They had gone where the current took them, flowing together as if they’d been lovers for years instead of having just met the day before. He had been amazingly adept at reading her reactions and body, and later, after replaying that night over and over in her mind, she’d concluded that there was something to be said for sleeping with an observant poker player.

“You’re so beautiful,” Tucker said. “More beautiful than I remember.”

He hooked his fingers under her bra straps, pulling them down until the cups came away from her breasts. Then, bending down, he flicked his tongue against a nipple, causing her to gasp. Jolts of pleasure zipped from her breasts to between her legs. He did it again and again.
Flick, flick, flick.

“God, don’t stop,” she said, holding his head to her.

Tucker moaned. She tasted so, so sweet. The shortened breaths she took and the way she was massaging his head told him he was doing something right. Loving the pebbly texture against his tongue, he pulled a tip into his mouth and sucked rhythmically, his hands on her waist. When one nipple was wet and swollen, he moved to the other. The increasingly ardent moans she made aroused him, and his cock strained against his pants.

At last, breathing hard himself, he leaned back and pushed her blouse and bra off her. The clothes fell to the floor and he let his eyes linger on her breasts, glistening from his attention. He almost hated to leave them alone, but although topless was good, naked was better.

His fingers itching with anticipation, he sat on the bed with her facing him and unfastened her chinos. Carefully, slowly, he eased down her pants and pale pink underwear, enjoying every inch of skin as it was revealed to him, bit by silky bit. Her smooth, curved stomach and the soft bush at the apex of her thighs mesmerized him. She had gorgeous legs too—legs he wanted her to wrap around his hips when he thrust into her.

After she stepped clear, he took some time to appreciate the sight of her nude body. The light from the hallway cast intriguing shadows on her skin that made him want to discover what was hidden from his view. When she came back within reach, he used his fingers as well as his eyes to explore her smooth skin—from the flare of her hips, down along her legs and then back up again to her mound. The peppery, sweet aroma of her pussy made his mouth water, and he couldn’t help but slip a thumb between the moist curls to a deeper wetness. She was so slick it was all he could do not to throw her onto the bed and shove himself into her right then, but if he’d learned anything from poker, it was that haste, literally, never paid. Attention to details, patience and concentration brought the best rewards, and he knew from experience that Mariah was worth the effort.

“Lie down,” he said softly.

“But you’re still wearing clothes,” she said, but she was pulling back the covers and doing as he asked.

“Not for long. I promise.”

When she was on her back, he put his hands on her inner thighs to coax her legs apart and nose his face between. Then, using the flat of his tongue, he slowly opened her. The flavor of her arousal swam in his mouth, ethereal and heady, like smoke from a really fine cigar. He lapped it up with long licks, loving the slickness of it on his lips and chin. Her tiny clit joined the game, poking out from its hood. He gave it some special attention. Soft, questing kisses, some gentle sucking and she was shifting restlessly on the bed, moaning.

“Tucker, God, that’s good,” she gasped, raising herself up on her elbows. “I said don’t stop before, but this time I really mean it.”

“I’m not going to stop until you come,” he said. “You’re pretty good at it, if I recall.”

Flopping back down on the mattress, she laughed. “Hey, it’s one of my favorite pastimes.”

“What a coincidence. Mine too.”

He dipped his head and resumed licking her, but with a little more intention this time. More pressure, more intensity, suction…penetration. Not one inch of her pussy went untouched. He wanted her to fold right now, to give in to the inevitability of coming hard on his face. The way she was twisting the bed sheets in her fists told him she was close. He redoubled his efforts, devouring her like a starving man until at last she stiffened and cried out. Her hips came off the bed, but he stayed with her, hands on her ass cheeks, face buried between her legs. She convulsed against his lips, dripping the thick honey that was going to feel so good on his aching cock—the cock he was going to shove into her in about half a second.

“Oh my God. I can’t move a muscle,” Mariah sighed as the last spasms of her orgasm fluttered away. “Oh wait, yes I can,” she said, and with a satiated smile, she lifted her head and gave him two thumbs up.

Tucker laughed as he stripped and joined her in bed. “Well, all my muscles are in working order. One muscle in particular.”

“I’ll say,” she said, eyeing his erection. Her lips curled upward in a way that made him think of pushing into her mouth instead of her pussy. Luckily, she had the same idea.

“C’mon up. It’s your turn. Straddle me.”

Raising his eyebrows in surprise but eager just the same, Tucker complied. His cock jutted out, pointing at the ceiling and weeping moisture. Mariah licked her lips as she took him in hand and angled him downward. Mouth dry, Tucker held his breath as she brought the head between her lips. Holy fuck. A raw groan rumbled from the back of his throat as the sensation of her tongue swirling around him traveled from his cock all the way to the soles of his feet.

“It’s okay if you want to move a little,” she said, letting his cock slide out of her mouth. “Just be careful not to choke me.”

He nodded dumbly, pushing forward until his engorged cock probed her lips. He wasn’t going to be able to take too much of this. A good blowjob was something he relished, but this position…this was beyond hot. She looked so vulnerable trapped between his thighs, her mouth filled with his cock. With the goddamn Henry VIII-style bed, he felt like he was some medieval lord getting his due. And wasn’t that pretty fucking politically incorrect?

As Tucker straddled her head, Mariah sucked on the tip of his cock. She enjoyed the give-and-take of this position. Although the man loomed so tall over her, giving the impression that he was overpowering her, she set the limits. This only worked with certain guys, and although Tucker’s line of work required him to lie routinely, she trusted him.

Threading her fingers through the thick hair of his groin, she opened her mouth and allowed him deeper inside. He smelled wonderful—earthy, crisp and clean, like the mountains after a rainstorm. As she closed in around the soft head, the fluid leaking from the tip made her tongue tingle, and Tucker groaned as she smoothed it around, slicking up the steely shaft as he invaded even further.