Undercover Lovers (14 page)

He leaned back and grinned.
“Okay.”

“
That’s not you giving in,
that’s you patronizing me.”

“
We’re at an
impasse.”

 “
Well, that won’t do
at all.” She looked down at the table, at his strong, sure hands
and made her decision. The words just tumbled out. “Prove
it.”

His gaze snapped to hers,
his hazel eyes growing dark.

She took a long sip of wine
then spoke again before her jangling nerves made her backtrack.
“Put your money where your mouth is. I’m free for the rest of the
night. You?”

His throat worked and she
bit back a smile. Apparently Professor Lamb wasn’t immune after
all. That was good, because somehow, over the course of the day,
she had fallen head over heels in lust with him. If he won their
little bet, then she’d have spent the night with a good looking,
sweet guy and would sleep like a baby afterward. If he lost, she’d
be able to put these feelings to rest and could always rely on her
trusty pocket pal to take care of her needs. They were both adults.
They had nothing to lose.

He stood quickly, moving
faster than she would have thought him capable.

“
I’m in.” His hungry gaze
ran the length of her, lingering on her breasts, her throat, her
mouth. He held out his hand.

A quiver of anticipation ran
through her and she struggled for composure. “Can you take
direction without get—”

“
No direction. If we do
this, I’m going to play by my own rules. I postulated that a man
who is paying attention to the physiological responses of a woman’s
body could and should, make her orgasm. I stand by that. So, no
verbal directives. That would be cheating.”

Her nipples peaked. “And
you?”

“
And me what?”

“
Do you get to
come?”

“
This experiment is about me
proving my point. That’s enough for me.”

Had his mouth always had
such a sensual shape to it? She forced a laugh, but it came out
sounding hollow.

“
So I just have to sit there
while you bend over backwards trying to make me come? And I don’t
have to do anything at all?”

“
Yup.”

Her pulse careened out of
control.

“
Well, that seems like an
offer I can’t refuse.”

“
Good.” His face was carved
out of stone, so intense she wondered how she’d ever thought of him
as puppy-like. He held out a hand. “Come on.”

She slipped her hand into
his and stood. He didn’t back up and she found herself flush
against him. He smelled delicious as she breathed him in, her
breasts brushed against his chest, her nipples pebbling at the
contact.

His eyes narrowed and he
shifted closer. He leaned low and for a breathless instant, she
thought he would kiss her. His mouth stopped just a whisper from
hers.

“
Did I tell you how
beautiful you are?”

She resisted the urge to
close the space between them and wet her lips with the tip of her
tongue. “No, but thank you.”

He stepped back as if
nothing had happened then pushed her gently from the room. “I love
looking at you dressed like that, but I want you to put on a skirt
and heels. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

He wanted her to dress up
for him? Hell, that was okay with her. She donned her favorite
black mini and pumps then re-entered the living room, trying to
quell the nerves jumbling her stomach. He still wasn’t back
yet.

She glanced out the window
just in time to see him coming in from his truck, with his sports
jacket on and a bouquet of tulips in his hand. As he made his way
up the stone path, he smoothed his hair and checked his breath in a
cupped palm. She grinned, her insides getting a little
gooey.

He opened the door, flashing
her a grin. “For you.” He held out an arm. “Ready to
go?”

 “
Uh, where? I
thought…” They’d struck a bargain, hadn’t they? Her cheeks burned.
Had she misunderstood somehow? She frantically replayed their
conversation in her head, eyeing her half-f wineglass on the
table.

“
What’d you think, I was
just going to stretch you out on the bed and go to
town?”

Actually…

He pinned her with his gaze.
“This isn’t amateur hour, Doctor. I’m old and wise enough to know
that seduction begins long before you hit the bedroom. Now let’s
get out of here.”

Half an hour later, they
were seated at Zuppa De Mar, the best seafood eatery in town. It
was only a few blocks from her house and the walk had been lovely.
He’d held her hand the whole way, using his thumb to caress her
wrist.

Their candlelit table was
nestled in a little corner and Tuck had just ordered a bottle of
champagne along with two orders of lobster sautéed in
butter.

They drank the bubbly as
they chatted about school and she told him about her family. He
listened attentively as she talked and seemed genuinely
interested.

One more point for Tucker
Lamb.

She took another sip of the
icy, crisp champagne then noticed he was watching her.

“
Can I pull your chair
closer?”

The husky tone in his voice
triggered the memory of another question he’d asked in that same
tone.

“
Can I put my mouth on
you?”

Even the recording had
almost made her knees buckle. Imagine if he said it face to face in
real life?

“
Can I?”

She nodded dumbly and he
dragged her chair closer to his.

“
Put your foot up.” This
time he sounded more commanding and her heart stuttered before it
resumed pounding.

A thrill coursed through her
as she glanced around the room. Surely no one could see them.
Besides, there was a long cloth covering the table. She slipped off
her heel and laid her foot on the cool leather of the seat across
from her.

A moment later, her foot was
encased in his big, warm grasp. At first he just squeezed lightly
as they chatted, but as conversation wore on, he began to trace his
finger lightly over her instep up to her sensitive ankle then back
down again. She bit back a sigh of pleasure. He shifted to lay her
foot on his thigh before he made his way up her calf, tracing her
muscles, making shapes on her skin.

“
Why don’t you come sit next
to me?”

It wasn’t a question. His
gaze burned into hers. Her nipples drew tight as she imagined what
he would do once more of her was within his reach. She didn’t
respond but stood to move beside him. He stood as well, shifting to
allow her in. 

She brushed past him and
slid into the second large chair on his side of the
table.

He sat beside her, laying
his arm over the back of the seat, making small talk while absently
caressing her shoulder. She tried to focus on what he was saying,
but all she could think of was where he would touch her next. How
far would he go here in public?

The waiter came back with
their salads. As he placed hers on the table, Tuck’s warm hand
closed over her knee and squeezed. She shot him a glance, but he
appeared to be totally engrossed in what the waiter was saying
about seasonal vegetables.

“
It looks great,” Tuck
said.

“
Pepper?” the waiter asked
her. She nodded.

Tuck’s hand trailed from her
knee, slowly up her skirt, inching up her thigh. He delved inward,
running his hand over the soft skin on her inner thigh.

“
That’s good.” Her voice was
husky and she cleared her throat.

The waiter ceased his pepper
cracking and Tuck waved him off.

“
I was talking about you,
not the pepper.” she said to Tuck once the waiter was out of
earshot.

“
Yeah? I’m glad, but that’s
cheating.” His tone was teasing and he didn’t stop the caress. His
hand moved a little higher, a little bolder.

“
I’m not telling you
anything you didn’t know.”

He bent his head to her ear.
“Open.”

Her whole body vibrated and
she swallowed hard.

“
Just a little, Cricket.
Open those sleek thighs for me.”

She sucked in a breath and
scanned the room again. No one was even looking at them.

Slowly she relaxed her
muscles, letting her legs fall open a few inches.

Tuck let out a hiss. He
traced his fingers over her inner thigh, up and down, like he was
painting her. Her body shook from the tension as she waited. 
One finger traced the very edge of her panty line.

“
God, I can feel your heat.
Are you hot there, Cricket? Is your pussy hot for me?”

A rush of wetness flooded
her core at his words and drenched the small patch of cotton on her
undies. Jesus, she’d thought he was shy?

 
She turned her head
and whispered, “Yes.”

 
His throat worked and
his jaw tightened as he closed his eyes for an instant. “That’s so
nice to hear.”

His movements were so slow
and sinuous that she let out an audible gasp when he, quick as
lightning, covered her pussy with his hand and squeezed. The
pressure was too delicious, as a shock wave went from his hand to
her heart and back again. She rode his palm, trying to ease the
pressure building in her belly.

Her only focus was him and
she couldn’t stop her shiver when he picked up his water glass and
took a casual sip. His control was a turn on.  It fueled her
desire as much as the hand massaging her clit through her underwear
did. He stroked and pressed and stroked some more. Ah, what she
wouldn’t give to swing her leg over his thighs and ride him hard
until the ache that was building swallowed her whole.

She closed her eyes and drew
her legs together to savor his touch.  Ready to let
him—

“
Oh, baby.” He pulled
dislodged his hand and spoke low in her ear.  “I want to win
the bet, but not that easily.”

She barely held back a
groan. He was killing her.

He didn’t look at her when
he picked up his water again. He shot back the rest of the liquid
before he shook the glass and dislodged an ice cube that slid
neatly into his mouth. Easing it from between his teeth, he held it
between two fingers. “Let’s put out some of that fire, then we can
take our time building it back up again.”

His eyes never left hers as
his hand disappeared under the table. Her heart banged against her
ribs as she strained, poised for his touch. When it finally came,
she couldn’t hold back the groan as she flexed her hips off the
seat. The ice slid up the fiery skin of her thigh, then slipped
beneath her underwear. He shifted to stroke it, long and slow over
her slit. Up and down, the frosty cube spread, pushing her beyond
reason until he leaned over and gave her earlobe a sexy tug between
his teeth.

With his mouth pressed to
her ear, he murmured, “I can’t wait until I can do this with my
cock.” Then pressed the remainder of the ice cube deep into her
pussy with one long finger.  

The combination of ice and
fire made her buck. Her muscles clenched and spasmed, so close to
completion she could almost taste it.

“
Feels good, doesn’t it,
baby? Feels good to me too.” His nimble finger slid out, then back
deep. Her body twitched, on the precipice.

“
Again. Please,
again.”

He ignored her plea but his
casual façade slipped for a moment as she felt the shudder run
through him. She was desperate for release and a flush of power
overtook her when she realized that he was almost as affected as
she was. Now to really even the playing field.

Without any warning, she
reached out and covered his cock with her hand. He was thick and
hard, his length pressed tight against the fly of his jeans. He
froze and issued a muffled curse, halting the sensual assault
between her legs.

She stared at Tuck’s granite
profile through lowered lashes as he struggled to maintain his
cool. God, he was so fucking sexy.

Who the hell was this
guy?

***

Tuck had been reduced to
doing algebra equations in his head just to keep from embarrassing
himself. Cricket’s hot little hand had closed over him like she was
getting ready to wrestle an alligator. Firm, tight grip, just like
he liked it. He wanted to pump his hips up and down until he
exploded.

Which, at this rate,
wouldn’t take long. Not the impression he was going for.

Regretfully, he pulled her
hand from his aching cock. “We had a deal, Doc. We both know you
can make me come. If that’s what you want to do later, believe me,
I’m not going to stop you. But right now I’m trying to focus on
you. So let me do that, okay?”

She nodded and lifted her
hand back onto the table.

He nearly wept at the loss.
He risked a glance at her then wished he hadn’t. The pink cheeks,
the parted lips, her ripe breasts rising and falling with each
quick, shallow breath. If she was any hotter she’d burn the place
to the ground.