Give Me Something (21 page)

Tucker hadn't been lying when he said he didn't mind a crowd.  Despite the fact that everyone was looking toward the doors and not paying us much attention, I couldn't help but feel a little flustered.  There was a very real possibility that if he kept whispering in my ear I was going to explode.

Ding!
  The doors opened on the third floor.  An elderly couple stepped out.  At least Grandma and Grandpa wouldn't be present for the show.

Tucker released his hand from mine and placed it on the small of my back.  As the elevator doors closed, it started on a southerly path, trailing across my bottom, to the curve of my hip before settling on the outside of my thigh.  Each movement caused the excitement within me to build.  He took a step closer, pressing his leg tightly against mine.  I could feel the heat of his body.  Images of him with nothing on flashed through my mind.

Ding!
Four more people exited.

My breath stilled as I felt Tucker's hand start to move again.  First he moved a little farther down the side of my leg, to the back, before slowly grazing my inner thigh.  The thought of his hand being so close to
that
part of my body caused my heart to start pounding out a rhythm I hadn't heard in a very long time.  I slowly placed my hand on the rail beside me to brace myself from the shakes that were now starting to course through my legs.

I looked at Tucker.  His eyes focused in on mine, as his lips twisted into a smirk.  He could see the reaction I was having, and despite his attempt to hide it, he was enjoying the quiet torture he was inflicting on me. 
Well, two could play this game
.  I shook my head and smiled, warning him that he was treading some very dangerous water.  I had two months of pent-up lust in my arsenal.  He raised his eyebrows and widened his grin as if to say, “Challenge accepted.”

 
I looked at the last two people on the elevator with us.  It was another couple who was obviously not having as much fun as Tucker and me.  The guy was well dressed and good looking, probably mid-twenties.  I'd seen him in the lobby before and noticed that he seemed to have to attention of every passing woman.  As he leaned against the wall of the elevator with his hands in the pockets of his pleated dress pants, it was obvious that his mind was not thinking about the woman standing next him.  He cracked a smile at whatever illicit thought he was having.

“
What are you smiling about?” the woman at his side snipped with a British accent.  She was pretty enough, but from the way she kept smoothing her blunt shoulder-length bob and pursing her lips, she appeared to have a major stick up her ass.  They were oblivious to the fact that Tucker was feeling me up in the back corner of the elevator.

“
Nothing.” He shook his hand and quickly wiped his smile away, before pushing the Penthouse button again, willing the lift to move faster.  I was right there with him.  The ride was taking forever and it was evident that Tucker and I were not going to be alone for any part of it.  Thankfully, the two people standing between us and our privacy had no interest in what was going on behind them.

I released my purse from my shoulder and let the strap slide through my fingers.  As it hit the ground, I turned to Tucker with an innocent shrug and said, “Oops.”  I slowly bent forward to retrieve my
accidentally
dropped bag.  I took my time, giving Tucker ample time to admire my ass.  I looked back at him with a wink and gave my hips a little wiggle.  He drew his bottom lip between his teeth, and I could tell he was mentally chastising me.  As I slowly stood back up, I moved in front of him, letting my backside brush across his lap.  I heard him clear his throat to stifle the soft moan erupting from the back of his throat.  I secured my purse back on my shoulder.  I looked over my shoulder and simpered.  “I'm so clumsy sometimes,” I added with a bat of my lashes.

His hands grabbed my hips and he held me firmly in front of him, “That was a dirty trick, Lila Garrison,” he whispered in my ear and I could feel the effect I'd had on him press into my backside.  “You're going to pay for that one later.”  I giggled in anticipation as the elevator slowly came to a stop on the fourteenth floor.  The doors opened and Tucker stepped forward moving me with him, as if using me to shield the other two riders from the
aftermath of my little routine.

“
You two have fun,” the well-dressed guy laughed as we stepped off the elevator.

“
Oh, we will,” Tucker replied over his shoulder with a grin.  I closed my eyes and exhaled my embarrassment, not looking back.  When I heard the doors close behind us, I turned around in Tucker's arms.  We were alone.  The hotel hallway leading down to my room was empty.

“
Hi,” I whispered up to him.

“
Hi,” he replied, lowering his lips to mine. My fingers twisted into the hair at the back of his neck.  “That was the longest elevator ride in history.”

“
Torturous,” I chuckled, pulling his face back to mine.  He nudged me toward the wall and continued tasting my lips with his.  His indescribably perfect lips moved from my mouth to my neck and stirred a moan from the back of my throat.

“
You have no idea what you do to me,” he said as he trailed his lips across my collar bone.

I reached down between us, moving my hand between his legs.  “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

He stalled momentarily, catching his breath, before lifting me up, and centering me where my hand had just been.  I wrapped my legs around his waist.  “We need to get in your room,” he begged. “Immediately.” He carried me down the hall to the door to my room.

He lowered me to the ground and I turned my attention to the door.  After digging the key card from my purse, I slipped it into the door lock.  While waiting for it to unlock, I glanced up at my room number.  1473. 
73
.  A sudden wave of anxiety swept through me as I thought about that number.  Tucker's number.  Seventy-three women before me had experienced what Tucker and I were about to do.

“
You gonna open that door, or do you want to do this in the hallway?” Tucker drawled, sweeping my hair off my neck and sinking his teeth into my flesh.

“
Um, yeah.” I tried to play off the panic that was now looming and opened the door.  As soon we were in the room and the door was shut behind us, Tucker turned me in his arms.  Crashing his lips back to mine, he hadn't noticed that I was slowly coming undone and not in the way he wanted.

“
Can you give me a minute?” I asked, hesitantly stepping back.  “To freshen up.”

“
Yeah,” he answered.  I could hear the confusion surface.  For the past twenty minutes, the play between us had been extremely charged, sexually, and now all of the sudden I was yielding.  “Are you okay?”

“
Yeah,” I nodded.  “Fine.  I just need a minute.” With that I quickly slipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.  I turned on the sink and braced myself on the counter top.  Staring back at my reflection in the mirror, I started to feel my own performance anxiety.  What was I thinking?  A guy like Tucker has tons of experience.  How was I going to compare to all of the rest?  I was good at flirting and foreplay, but I didn't have much experience with the actual deed.  It had been over two years since I'd had sex, and I was sure that Tucker had high exceptions.  What if I couldn't deliver?  What if I was a dead lay?  A quiet rap on the door drew my attention.

“
Babe?” Tucker called through the door.  “Everything okay?”

“
Yeah.  I'll be right out.” I splashed some cold water on my face, hoping to snap myself out of this funk.  I grabbed a hand towel and dried my face, trying to wipe away any self-doubt I was having.  I took off my jacket and hung it on the back of the door.  After running my fingers through my hair, I held my shoulders back and opened the door.

“
Is something wrong?” Tucker asked, leaning against the frame of the door, with an obvious look of concern.

“
No. I'm great,” I lied and tried to appear unnerved as I wrapped my arms around his neck.  I reminded myself that Tucker loved me.  He'd forgiven me for all the drama.  I had to trust him and not worry about the seventy-three women who had come before me. 
Literally and figuratively.
  So, I pressed my lips to his and willed my mind to let go of any reservations I was having.  I could sense he was still questioning me, so I slipped my tongue into his mouth, hoping it would be enough for him to ignore my erratic behavior.

He pulled his lips from mine and gently caressed my cheek with the back of his hand.  “You're gonna have to tell me what's going on it that head of yours.”

“It's nothing.” I looked into his eyes and saw genuine concern.  “I'm fine.  I promise.”

He looked down his nose at me and tilted his head. He wasn't buying it.  “I think I know you a little bit better than you're giving me credit for.”  He grabbed my hand and led me over to the bed.  We sat down on the edge.  “Now,” he started, “tell me what's going on.  Everything was getting pretty intense and then all of the sudden you just shut down.”

“It's stupid, really.  I'm just over-thinking things.”

“
If you're worried about everything that's happened tonight, don't be.  I want to be with you.  I don't care about anything else.”  He leaned in a kissed my cheek.

“
It's not that.” I placed my hand in his.  “I'm just...”  God, I did not want to sound like an insecure little girl, but the fact was that's exactly how I felt.  “I'm just worried that I won't be... that it won't be...I...” I stammered out, “You just have a lot of experience.”

He watched me in my flustered panic, letting it all sink in.  “You're worried that sex with you won't be good enough for me?”

“You have been with a lot of women, Tucker, and I've only been with one other person.”

He took my face in his hands, letting his fingers slip into the curls of my hair.  “You have nothing to worry about.” The blue irises of his eyes entranced me.  “You and me,” he started with an assured smiled, “we're going to be amazing together.”

“You think so?”

“
I know so.” He fixed his lips against mine.  “I've never been with anyone I was in love with.  And I am so in love with you that I can't imagine ever being with anyone else.”  He flashed me a grin as he settled his mouth back on mine.  I let him kiss the fear right out of me.  He was right.  We were going to be amazing.  I couldn't let myself worry about the past.  I slowly pulled back, nipping at his bottom lip with a playful smile.

“
Thank you. And I love you, too.”

“
You're welcome.” He kissed the tip of my nose and then gave me a very serious look.  “But if you want to wait, we can.  I totally understand.  I'm sure you're tired.”

“
I'm not tired.” I sat up straight with newly acquired self-confidence.  “Why would I be tired?  It's not that late,” I added, pointing at the alarm clock.

He chuckled, “I just thought you might be tired, because you've been running through my mind. All. Day.”

I doubled over with laughter, resting my head on his chest.  His arms encircled my body and he pulled me back onto the bed.  “That was way over the top,” I giggled and rose up to see his smiling face.  I slowly slipped my hand underneath of his shirt and flattened my hand against the warmth of his rippled stomach.  The playfulness left his face and his eyes closed with my touch.  The skin that was showing above the waist of his jeans was begging for a little attention.  His body shuddered the second my lips hit his skin.  I started to feel the heat in the room increase with the sweet taste of him on my tongue.  I wanted nothing more than to relish every inch of the him.  I left a path of lingering kisses up his carved abdomen to his chest.  I nudged his shirt up with my hands on the journey.  As I crawled up his body, I straddled one of his legs between mine.  He continued to watch me as he slowly drug his tongue across his lips and his hands found my waist. I pressed my body against his and focused my lips on his neck, nipping and teasing my way up to his jaw line.  With a slight bend of his knee and his arms around me, he increased the friction between us, nearly sending me over the edge.  The sounds coming from my mouth vibrated against his skin.  He must have been close to his breaking point, too, because he quickly sat up and yanked his shirt over his head, before turning his attention to mine. 

It was only a matter of minutes before we were tangled together in that bed.  Tucker had been right.  It was amazing.  The first, second, and third time – all amazing.  By the time I was actually tired, the sounds of the street outside were starting to fill with their morning noises.  We were still wrapped in each others arms and my eyelids were giving up the struggle to stay open, I thought about one of the first things Tucker said to me.  “I think you were right,” I said, snuggling down into the crook of his arm, my head resting on his chest.

“About what?”

“
You might just be the best thing that's ever happened to me.”

I didn't even have to look at him to know that he was smiling.  The kiss he placed on the top of my head was the last thing I remember before falling into a blissful sleep.