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Authors: April Angel

Tags: #Erotic Romance, #contemporary romance

Lucky Break (3 page)

BOOK: Lucky Break
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Gotcha.

He felt like a lion that had landed on the perfect prey. Now to reel her in. “Whatever you want.”

A small frown marred her brow. She was thinking hard about whatever it was she was going to ask for. “Fine. If I win, you must do exactly what I say after the final game is over.”

“Deal.”

He lifted her hand from the table to his lips, nuzzled his lips against the back of her hand and watched her. He was rewarded with her pupils dilating further, until he could hardly see any brown. Temptation pushed him to go for it and kiss her already, but this was one game he wasn’t willing to lose. “Let’s play.”

His mind drew a blank when he tried to remember the last time he’d wanted a woman this much. Luckily his poker face was better than most, so he was able to remain outwardly calm, when inside all he wanted to do was jump over the table and drag her, caveman-style, to his bedroom. “Best out of five?”

She sipped her champagne. Her eyes and body tempted him like no other woman’s ever had. Which was a feat, because he never let himself be guided by his cock. He wished he knew what it was about her that was so potent. Looking at her sent a shot of adrenaline rushing through his system.

“Sounds good.”

That husky voice of hers was wreaking havoc on his discipline. He’d worked years at hiding his feelings from the world, just so he could play the perfect hand. Nobody knew your game sucked if you never showed it. Besides, his experience taught him to keep shit to himself. Emotions, or at least letting them control you, could get a man killed.

He dealt a hand. She grinned, flipped a perfect game and lifted her brow. Her challenging self-assurance only pushed him to play another hand. She choked back a giggle. And won.

“Give up yet?”

Those were some war-inducing words.

“Not a chance, sweetheart.”

She appeared to be fighting the laughter from coming out. It took him a second to realize why. She won again. And again. She full on laughed, apparently unable to hold it off any longer. The sound was music to his ears.

“So…” She sipped her champagne and peered at him with curiosity. “Do you think my luck will hold the rest of the night?”

Lust coursed through him at her bold words, traveling down his body, urging him to get her out of there. Of course he liked sexy, curvy bodies as much as the next man, but he’d never wanted to run his fingers through a woman’s hair and feel how soft the strands were like he wanted to now. The thought of stripping her out of the tiny top and short skirt threatened his tenuous control. A flare of longing filled her eyes. It disappeared so fast he almost wondered if he'd imagined it. Air caught in his lungs at how vulnerable she’d looked for that flash of a moment.

“It depends on what it is you want.”

Mischief and boldness took over her gaze. What could she be thinking about? His mind took all kinds of sick and twisted turns down the path of getting her naked. Really naked. Really fast. One of his guests approached the table—a foreign dignitary he’d done work for, who happened to be in town for the weekend. The man’s predatory gaze was stuck on the woman Jared now considered his for the night. Good manners dictated he be polite to the man. But Jared wasn’t known for letting other men poach his catch.

“This table is closed,” he stated, his voice flat, right before the other man had a chance to sit.

His guest ignored him, took a seat, and focused on Luciana.

“Weren’t you in Paris a few months back for the McKinley-James wedding?” The man asked, his gaze much too interested in her rack.

Jared watched the color drain from her face. Her fingers tightened on the stem of the flute. She lifted it to her lips and drained the glass. Anger burned bright inside him at the discomfort he saw set in her features. He’d heard about the McKinley-James wedding, and had even been invited, since he’d done work for the head of the European Union. But he'd decided not to attend in favor of spending time with his niece and teaching her the ropes as his new assistant.

She placed a hand over her small clutch and nodded to the man. “I was, yes.”

“I knew I recognized you. I don’t think I could ever forget your face.” He laughed.

Even though her skin was naturally tanned, a blush crept its way to her cheeks.

“Yes, well it was an interesting affair.” She shifted and glanced at him. There was disappointment in her eyes.

“I’ll say. I’ve never been to a wedding where—”

She shot up to her feet.

“Excuse me, please.” She lifted her clutch to her chest as if ready to use it for a shield. A second later she’d stepped away from the stool. A small smile flitted on her lips when she turned to him one last time. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Thomas, but I think I need some air.”

Shocked into immobility by the turn of events and her reaction, he watched her make her way toward the open French doors. Those doors led to the outdoor garden, where people had gone to have more privacy. His shock was quickly replaced with defiance. No way in hell was she going to get rid of him that easily. They had a deal, and what he wanted, he got. And he wanted her—to get to know her better, to kiss her mouth, to slide his hands down every delicious curve on her body.

“Hey, Jared, you should’ve seen that wedding—”

With single-minded concentration, he watched her sexy body stroll outside. Irritation seared his tongue. He refrained from the urge to yell at the idiot who had ruined what had been working so well and marched around the table, leaving the man mid-speech. His sole focus was convincing her to spend the rest of the night with him. No matter the price.

 

 

 

Lucky’s heart pounded so hard she started to feel like she was going to hyperventilate. It would never go away. Her breakup with Nick would haunt her for as long as there were witnesses, photos, and videos of the ordeal. And damn, there were a whole mess of them all over the world.

Frustration flourished inside her. Rising to a furious degree that made her want to hit Nick, in the balls with a bat. She sighed, releasing some of the fury within her that the man who’d joined the table and interrupted her time with Jared had revived. He’d probably done her a favor. Jared had been so intense. His words. His looks. Everything about him sent off an alarm inside her head to watch it. Heading down one of the garden paths, she inhaled the scent of fresh flowers and pine. Thick hedges and baby pine trees lined the sides of the paved stone walkway. The moon was full, bright, and working in tandem with antique streetlamps to light the way.

She stopped when she reached a glossy dark green metal bench in front of a fountain. A soft growl escaped her as she sat down, the metal hard and unforgiving under her butt. Her mind kept bringing her back to the past. The past she didn’t want to think about. She studied the figure at the center of the fountain. The angel, whose wings were curled protectively in front of him, held a woman in his arms. What made it hard for her to look away was the way the artist had been able to show the woman’s complete trust in the angel.

But Lucky wasn’t looking for an angel, or even a man, to depend on. All she wanted was to meet someone who wouldn’t lie to her. No more lies. Was that so hard? Her luck in the love department sucked big-time, and it appeared that finding a person to trust was not in the cards for her.

“You left.”

She jolted in her seat at the sound of Jared’s voice. Heart hammering in her chest, she turned to the sound of his voice. He’d caught her off guard, daydreaming about a man who wouldn’t lie. She almost snorted at her own idiocy. Like that was going to happen. The antique lamps all over the garden kept the place well lit and allowed her to see his features clearly. He seemed irritated.

“What are you doing here?”

He made his way toward her, hands buried deep in his pockets, with an unreadable expression on his face.

“We had a deal.”

If she were to compare his voice with something, it would be steel—hard and uncompromising. Her pussy quivered at his no-nonsense tone. She stared at his lips, watching him flatten them into a thin, straight line. Combine that with the way a muscle quivered on his cheek, and she was positive he wasn’t happy. His gaze was filled with shadowy promise and possessive intent. Arousal thickened in her blood.

“The game ended.”

He took another step, closing the distance between them. “You won.”

Butterflies took flight in her stomach; dipping and diving until she swore there were flight lessons going on in her chest. She cleared her throat from the knot that had appeared out of nowhere.

“I won’t hold you to that.”

He held out a hand for her. “But
I
will hold
you
to your end.”

Excitement buzzed over her skin, caressing her body with a thrill of anticipation. The amount of sizzling chemistry dancing between them was enough to burn down a bed…or two. She wanted to take him up on his offer and do some of the bad—OK, more like depraved—things she’d been visualizing while they’d played. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? But…a one-night stand? She should be honest. It wasn’t her type of thing. Then again, relationships that ended so badly she erupted in hives every time she thought of the breakup was not what she wanted either.

So she wasn’t into one-night anything. At this point she just wanted to try something different. To forget. She studied his outstretched hand and felt something push her to grab hold. She met his gaze and held it. Maybe it wasn’t the norm for her, but for tonight, she didn’t want to think. She wanted to feel.

Satisfaction filled his gray eyes. His warm hand enveloped hers and pulled her closer to him. Their bodies were mere inches apart. He lifted a hand to her face, stroked a long finger lightly down her jaw. The hairs on her arms stood on end. He held her in place with his penetrating look. Her breath hitched in her chest from his intent gaze. She’d never had this kind of electric pull toward a man. She inhaled the scent of sandalwood, bergamot, and mandarin from the cologne he wore. It was a scent that she would always connect with this very moment. Forever. Her pussy ached, and she had the urge to rub her nose all over his neck—heck, all over his body.

“What would you like to do?”

Growing need gathered in her core. His voice, that sexy churned gravel, turned her nipples into tight pebble points. She was going to go with her gut this time. And it told her to get her hands on his body as soon as possible. Like yesterday. Maybe that was her lust talking, and not common sense, but she didn’t give a rat’s ass anymore.

“Take me somewhere we can be alone.”

 

Chapter Three

 

 

Anticipation to get closer to him grew. He twined his fingers through hers and guided her down a different path through the baby pine maze. The soft sounds of jazz and blues eased some of the nerves racking her mind.

They drifted farther from the house and continued away from the gentle tones until all she heard were crickets and the low hum of the band.

“Where are we going?”

He stopped, turned to her, and cupped her face in his hands. Her eyes widened. Damn he moved fast. He dipped his head, stopping only when they were a hair’s breadth apart. Arousal zoomed down from her nipples to her pussy. It had been way too long since she’d been with a man. Held spellbound by his powerful features, she studied his face up close. Something about his eyes captivated her into staring. But it was the straight line of his lips she was obsessed with. She wanted to see him smile. A full-blown smile. Not one of those little smirks he’d given her.

She became absorbed by the passion and desire she saw in his gaze. When had a man ever been so fixated on her? Never. This was something new, and so arousing her panties were past the point of drenched. Frickin’ hell, why was he taking so damn long to kiss her already?

Almost like he’d read her mind, he brushed his lips over hers, a quick flutter that burned the need for more into her chest. He stepped back, and she checked herself before she growled in frustration.

“We’re almost there.”

She held her tongue. The urge to scream her horny aggravation at him was swallowed down her throat. They went down a long set of stone steps, and that’s when she saw their destination. It was a dock and a yacht.

The yacht, all glossy white and shiny glass, looked to be brand-new. All of a sudden, lights on the deck went on. She turned to him. He held a small remote in his grasp.

“Will the owner get mad at you for using this? I mean, I’m all for adventure, but the last thing I want is to swim my ass home.”

He barked a laugh. It was a gruff chuckle, almost as if he wasn’t used to using it, which in turn made her heart flip. She tripped over a rock. Before she had a chance to blink, his hands shot out and around her, gripping her tight, helping her balance.

“Don’t worry. You won’t have to swim home. What kind of man would I be to put you in a compromising position with private property?”

“Um, a regular man?”

“Sweetheart, any man that ignores the effect his actions have while he’s with you does not deserve to be called a man.”

Disbelief that this alpha male—with a capital
A
, bold and underlined—would say that, filled her. If this was his game, he was damn good at it. They reached the back of the yacht. He marched over to the metal steps and helped her forward.

White loungers with moss-green pillows lined the outer deck. She followed him inside, noting that he didn’t let go of her hand. The boat was gorgeous and looked like comfort was the main priority. She stopped. She knew enough about carpeting to remove her sandals before stepping into the living area.

She stood straight, and he grabbed the sparkly sandals from her hands, walked off to a cubby, took his own shoes and socks off, and placed them on a shelf that read “Shoes Please.”

He removed his jacket, and she forgot all about the shoes. Her breathing hitched as she watched him pull off one cufflink and then the next, before placing them on top of the bar. Once he’d rolled up his sleeves, removed the bow tie, and opened enough buttons to entice her into squirming in her wet panties, he stepped behind the bar.

BOOK: Lucky Break
8.7Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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