Page 153 of No Rules

I discover what Tucker was hiding, which is a pan with what looks like a burned pancake. I bring a piece of the pancake to my mouth and nearly choke on its awful taste.

“I told Tucker to watch the pancake, but he spent the whole time looking at you like a moron,” Agnes mutters.

I turn to Tucker, my eyebrows raised. He squints as he stares at my little sister for a second, as if embarrassed by her admission.

“You were snoring so much,” he mumbles in my direction, “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t choking.”

“That’s not true at all,” my little sister whispers as she resumes her task. “Well, I give up, I don’t think you can eat anything in there. Too many shells.”

I stare at her hair full of batter for a second. “Off to the shower before I really turn into an ogress.”

She doesn’t seem to take my threat into consideration at all, but obeys nonetheless. As for me, I return my attention to Tucker, wedged against the island, arms crossed on his chest.

“Do you often watch people sleep?” I ask with a teasing smile.

His gaze becomes more intense, more predatory.

“And make them breakfast—”

I don’t have time to finish my sentence when he wraps his arm firmly around my waist and pulls me close. “Don’t make fun of me,” he orders me with a grumpy look on his face.

“Making food for a girl means a lot, you know that?”

He raises an eyebrow and plays along with me. It’s rare that we’re both so teasing. Normally, we’d be calling each other names or snapping at each other right before we’d throw ourselves at each other. The mood between us is different, and I’m not sure how to act. And I think he’s just as lost as I am behind his tough-guy look.

“And what could that mean?” he whispers in my ear, his beard rubbing hard against my cheek.

I swallow hard with a lump in my throat.

“It means…that you really like me, I guess?” I whisper back.

His arm tightens around my waist. My breasts press against him. I need to feel his warmth, even if an inferno is already growing in my belly.

“Do you really like me?” Tucker continues, his nose nearly brushing mine.

My breath catches as I am caught off guard. For a moment, I want to push him away, to laugh falsely and ask him if he’s losing his mind, but I would be lying to myself. Of course I like him, otherwise I wouldn’t have admitted anything to him last night. But my pride prevents me from answering in the affirmative.

“I asked you first,” I grumble.

I’m pretty sure he’s going to respond with a mocking remark, because deep down, we’re not that different. We put up such high barriers around ourselves that they are almost impossible to break through.

But Tucker surprises me. His mouth grazes my neck, then his tongue licks my skin. When he starts to nibble on me, I press myself against him a little more, forgetting everything else.

“Yeah,” he admits seriously. “Really do.”

His right hand presses against my ass, gripping me hard. What else can I do but curl my fingers around the back of his head?

“I think I do too.”

There, it’s said. Damn, look at us, we’re like two confused 12-year-olds wondering what to say, what to do, and afraid of the consequences of their every word. My gaze is once again locked onto his. I believe that our supposedly insurmountable barriers are being broken down. It scares me, but I like it.

A rumble echoes in his chest as he lifts me up with a jerk, turns, and sets me on the kitchen island. I think I’ve just sat in batter, but I don’t think about it anymore as his body slides between my thighs. My breathing quickens as my nipples harden. He seems to have noticed this detail because he runs his tongue over his bottom lip for a long time, his attention focused on my breasts. When he presses himself a little more between my thighs, I raise my legs and press him against me to feel his erection more. We still haven’t kissed, like we’re playing with each other to build up the tension between us.

We know perfectly well that we are going to succumb, to devour each other. But we want the other to give up first. A silent fight of domination. Who will jump on the other first…

His thumb caresses my cheekbone, stops on my mouth and presses my lower lip.

“Last night I dreamed I was thrusting into your little mouth,” Tucker whispers against me.

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