Page 43 of The First Best Man

“I don’t know,” she whispers, her eyes liquid pools of melted chocolate.

“I think you do,” I say, my tongue darting out to wet my lips as I turn serious. “I can give you my body and all the pleasure you can take, but you need to understand that’s all it is. After this weekend, I’ll be leaving,and I have no idea when I’ll be back. So, this can’t be more than a few days of fun. I want it, Kate.I want you. But if you don’t want to go any further, I understand. We can go back to being friends like this conversation never happened. No harm, no foul.”

She stares at me for a long moment. My heart races, pounding in my chest with anticipation. Her eyes flick back and forth between mine, and just when I’m sure she’s going to say no, she takes a deep breath and nods.

“I want this, too.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Kate

DidI say that out loud?

I must’ve, because Tucker’s face brightens with joy and relief, then his mouth is on mine. The kiss is demanding and overwhelming, a far cry from the gentle, almost playful kisses he was showering me with a moment ago.

He spins us around, and my back bangs into the front door before he grips my wrists and pulls them up over my head, pinning them there with one hand. I barely hear the click of the lock over the sound of blood whooshing through my ears. His free hand cups my jaw as he drives his tongue into my mouth, devouring me.

My thoughts scatter, and he releases his grip on my hands and jaw just before he dips, grabs my thighs, and lifts me up. I yelp and wrap my arms around his neck, but Tucker just keeps kissing me as he turns and carries me all the way to my bedroom.

He sets me back on my feet next to the bed, and my entire body trembles as he pulls my shirt up and over my head. My first instinct is to cover my torso with my arms and hands, but I force them to remain at my sides as Tucker’s eyes drink me in.

Something about his gaze fills me with a confidence I’ve never felt before. Tilting my shoulders back, I straighten my spine and watch as he almost reverently runs his fingertips across my collarbone, down between my breasts, and all the way to the button on my shorts.

My stomach automatically sucks in as he touches it, and I see Tucker shake his head, silently reprimanding me for doing it. Without a word, his fingers flick open the button, pull down the zipper, and then his hands slowly push the material down over my hips and past my thighs. Gravity takes over, and the shorts drop to the floor, followed immediately by Tucker’s knees.

He leans forward and presses a few light kisses to my belly before looking up to meet my eyes. “Ineedto taste you, Kate.”

I nod, and he smiles before sliding his fingers under the waistband of my underwear and pulling them down. Then he climbs back to his feet and kisses me as I step out of the material pooled at my feet. He guides me backward, lowering me gently until I’m stretched across the bed with his body hovering over mine. His hands slip beneath me, and I feel my bra unclasp before he pulls it free. Then he lifts himself a little higher to peruse my bare breasts.

“Perfection,” he mutters, gripping one and lifting it before sucking the nipple between his lips.

I groan and arch my back, feeling the pull all theway down to my core. Tucker sucks and flicks his tongue against the nipple for an eternity, then switches sides before paying the same courtesy to the other one. I’m moaning and writhing beneath him, unsure if I can handle the pleasure of it all.

This is officially the furthest I’ve ever gone, and I know there’s more to come. I feel like I might literally combust, the ashes of my body scattering to the four winds. And Tucker hasn’t even made it past my chest, yet.

Releasing my nipple from his mouth, Tucker hums with pleasure before levering himself up to his knees. He strips off his shirt and tosses it aside, and damn, I want to touch his chest. As I lift an arm to do so, he grips my wrist and pulls it to his mouth, kissing the sensitive skin underneath as he meets my gaze.

“Not yet, Kate. If you touch me, I’m going to lose control. I can’t do that. Not yet.”

I nod in understanding, and he releases my wrist after kissing it one last time. Then his blue eyes darken to indigo as he scoots backward. He runs his lips over my body as he goes down, then slides over the edge of the mattress to land on his feet. Straightening, he grips my calves and tugs, pulling my ass to the edge of the bed. Then he pushes my thighs apart and stares down at me, licking his lips.

“So pretty,” he murmurs, and I once again fight the urge to cover myself.

Tucker’s palms glide up my inner thighs, and his thumbs brush over my sensitive flesh, making me tremble. I close my eyes and stiffen, unsure what to expectnext. Tucker’s movements cease instantly, and I don’t know whether to be upset or relieved.

The sensations he’s invoking are just…a lot.

“Kate, look at me,” he orders, waiting until I obey and meet his eyes before going on. “I don’t want to do anything that makes you uneasy or uncomfortable. If I do something you don’t like, I need you to tell me immediately, okay?”

“Okay,” I breathe with a slight nod.

“I want this to be as perfect for you as it is for me,” he says, and heat unfurls in my belly before I nod again.

He keeps his eyes on me as he dips his head and runs his tongue along my slit. My own eyes roll back as my hips buck upward of their own volition, and a deep guttural moan rolls out of me.

Holy shit.

“More,” I say without thinking, and I hear Tucker chuckle before he licks me again.

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