This Love's Not for Sale (10 page)

Easier for Tucker, of course. Lilliana’s
poignant, terrified eyes spoke volumes, and as she waited for his answer, he contemplated backing out this whole nasty plan of his. 
Early retirement
, he kept repeating over and over in his head. Without answering and despite the nagging feeling of guilt beginning to overwhelm him, Tucker slid off the car and drew near her, telling himself:
move forward, break her spirit, and win at all costs.

He smiled down at her and took her hand, leading her back to the car.

The rest of the drive was silent which is what he had wanted, but now faced with the quietness, he longed for Lilliana’s vicious tongue.

“So you think my c
ar is stupid and overpriced?” he asked trying to prod Lilliana, but she simply shrugged as she continued to look out the passenger-side window.  “And what was that about my arrogance?” he poked, still attempting to elicit a response from her.

Still, Lilliana remained
hushed. It was driving Tucker crazy on a level he had never experienced. He just wanted her to give him that fiery attitude back, despite how infuriating it could be.

“Where was it you were planning on putting you
r foot?” he tried one last time.

Lilliana finally looked at him, confused by his questions. “Are you trying to pick a f
ight with me?”

“No, pet, I just wanted to hear your voice,” he answered honestly for a change.

“What is it that you want to hear from me?” she asked unsettled.

“Tell me about your father,” he responded before he could stop himself, not even sure why he asked. He didn’t really want to know
or did he?

“
I thought you knew everything about me.”

“I was just trying to m
ake pleasant conversation.”

“
A discussion about a man I never knew would be anything but. Next question?”

Crossing her arms, Lilliana sat gl
aring frigidly at Tucker. Christ, Lilliana was one tough little lady to break.  At a loss for words, Tucker sat staring forward, unable to think of anything else to ask. He had obviously hit a sore spot with Lilliana and he decided it best to back off considering how tenuous their situation was. Without thinking, Tucker started babbling on and on about his childhood. He didn’t even know why he was doing it, other than to fill the awkward silence and to cut through the tension.

“I grew up on a farm and used to help my father,” he started out. “We never had a lot of money and their finances were always fragile. I remember thinking
when I grow up, I’m going to make enough money so that I never have to worry about where my next meal is coming from and I can support my family
. That’s part and parcel why I got into real estate. When my parents lost their land to the greedy sons of bitches who whored it out to build an apartment complex on, I knew instantly where my fortune was to be made.”

“So you decided to take poor people’
s land and whore it out yourself?  That seems a little backwards. I’d think you’d want to help people who were in your parent’s situation,” Lilliana came back with.

Tucker swallowed hard. He had said too much in his quest to kill the silence.
And what the hell did she know anyway?

“I just meant that I knew there was a market
for buying up land.”

“I know what you meant, but it still seems backwards.”

“Maybe to someone who knows nothing about realty it does, but I can tell you no one ever made a red cent helping the poor,” Tucker snapped back.

“It’s only money, Tucker. Some things in life are more important
than the size of your wallet.  I find it hard to believe that your parents didn’t instill that value in you, or are you just ignoring your upbringing? And just because I’m not
into
realty doesn’t mean I don’t understand the fundamentals of business and buying and selling for profit. I’m not some dim-witted, red-neck like you’d believe me to be. I have a formal education, too, or have you forgotten? My expertise just happens to be teeth, not land values and foreclosures.”

Tucker felt chastened by Lilliana’s reproof.
Yes, his parents had instilled that value into him and he willingly chose to ignore it. If there was anything Tucker hated, it was his mistakes being blatantly pointed out to him.

***

Lilliana wondered if war of the verbal sparring would always be commonplace with Tucker, and if the threat of all out war would be just over the horizon when dealing with him. She sighed thinking about the Tucker from the week before, all alpha male and sexy as hell. He was so beautiful to look at, but he was without a doubt pure sex appeal and charm deceptively wrapped up in one big, muscular, pompous package.

Arriving at a moderate sized animal hospital
and shelter, Tucker led her in and made introductions. Lilliana was impressed at how well-spoken and well-behaved Tucker could be under the right circumstances. 

T
he woman in charge, Aubrey, began chatting up Lilliana about the shelter and their plight to find land. She was older and looked to be about Margo’s age and had the same grey-hair as her Auntie had.  Lilliana was touched at the joy in Aubrey’s words about the work that she obviously loved. It was infectious, not only for Lilliana but quite noticeably for Tucker as well as evidenced by the grin on his face.

Lilliana noted that Aubrey’s
eyes moved to her neck several times.  Lilliana looked at Tucker questioningly only to see a boyish, crooked grin spread across his face. She could only imagine what other kind of
calling card
he had left behind. 

Heading out back of the large building that housed all sorts of animals from domestic to exotic, Lilliana was pleased to see a small stable with horses. She had grown up around them, but had never owned one herself. She remembered the days when Margo had several of them on her land and riding them endlessly during her summer vacations in Connecticut.
God, how she missed those carefree days.

Without hesitation and showing no fear of the large beasts,
Tucker moved up next to one and pet its long nose as if it was commonplace. As comfortable as Tucker appeared, it made Lilliana wonder if he, too, had grown up around them. He continued to stroke the horse and run his fingers through its mane as he conversed excitedly to Aubrey, and Lilliana became fixated with his casual sensual movements.  Tucker really was a specimen to behold and she wouldn’t mind if were petting her as well and running his fingers through her hair.

T
ucker glanced over at Lilliana and did a double-take when he caught her longingly gazing at him. He winked playfully and bit his lip, sending Lilliana’s hormones into overdrive. 
What a player,
Lilliana thought.

Aubrey obviously felt the sparks
pass between the two because she suggested they take a few of the horses for a short stroll and then made a hasty retreat inside the building, leaving them alone.

“Did you hear that, Lill
y? They’re looking for land to house these beautiful creatures.”

Lil
liana had been so engrossed in her naughty thoughts she hadn’t heard a word Tucker and Aubrey were saying.

“Mmm-hmm,” she answered
, gliding her hand over the steed’s back.

“Do you like horses? You seem at ease w
ith them.” Tucker asked.

“Yes, I grew up around them. How about you?”

“Yes, me, too. Before my parent’s lost their farm, we had several worker horses. I loved riding them when I was young,” he stated pensively as if thinking back.

“It’s hard to believe
that Tucker McGrath real estate mogul and playboy extraordinaire is one and the same to the Tucker McGrath who grew up helping his father on a farm,” Lilliana declared as she walked around and poked Tucker in the ribs.

“Is it really that hard to believe?”

Batting her eyelashes animatedly, she quipped, “Maybe to the untrained eye, but being as I’m a dim-witted, red-neck, I can sniff out my own kind.”

“I never suggested you were dim-witted. The red-neck part, yes, but never di
m-witted,” he joked, tugging her cropped hair. “And are you suggesting I’m dim-witted?”

“
I never suggest,” Lilliana grinned.

“You don’t know when to stop talking, do you?” he sighed.

“Why don’t you make me?” 

Lilliana was hoping Tucker
would shut her up the way he had twice before, with his tongue firmly planted in her mouth. One of Tucker’s eyebrows went up and the corners of his lips curled upwards, but he remained immobile.

“How about a ride?”

“Excuse me?” Lilliana asked, her mind spinning in all kinds of salacious directions.

“Horseback, Lilly. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You’re not even sure you like me, remember?” Tucker asked sarcastically, obviously reading Lilliana’s thoughts.  “I’m haughty, arrogant, and…”

“Dim-witted,” Lilliana added.

Tucker s
imply nodded back without answering and gave her a smile that sent her pulses racing, but the gleam in Tucker’s eyes made Lilliana wonder if he was somehow keeping a tally of all the times she was being unruly.

“Do you need a lift?”

“No, I’ve got this,” Lilliana confidently responded.

Without
delay, she gripped the reins of the saddle, put her foot in the stirrup and pulled herself onto the back of the mare in one fluid motion.  Lilliana was proud of her own poise considering she hadn’t ridden in over ten years. She looked over to Tucker, hopeful he was impressed with her gracefulness as well. His slack-jaw and wide, lusty eyes gave away his awe of her and Lilliana smiled conceitedly. 

“Do
you
need a lift?” she asked Tucker.

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, I
’ve got this, too.”

Tucker moved with such agility and
velocity, Lilliana had to focus on not drooling a puddle of saliva onto the poor beast’s back. His biceps bulged through his shirt when he pulled himself up and swung his leg over the horse. Lilliana had expected Tucker to saddle another horse, but instead he was now sitting directly behind her, so close their bodies melded into one.  He took the reins from her hands and gently tugged on them, making the stallion whinny and jerk its head back.

“
Whoa, there, girl,” he cooed soothingly.

Tucker’s authoritat
ive voice, the feel of his solid body pressed against her and the control he radiated was so intense, Lilliana feared she would burst into flames from internal combustion.

“Are you ready, pet?” Tucker asked, his lips right next to her ear.

Before she could answer, Tucker yanked on the leather straps and they were moving in a slow trot, their bodies bouncing in unison. Lilliana panted as the horse’s trot broke out into a brisk jog.  Tucker circled the horse around the stable and then out into a small open field.

With ever
y click of Tucker’s tongue as he guided the stallion and tugged on the reins, Lilliana became wetter and more excited. She wondered if Tucker had any idea how damned tempting he was at that moment.

“How does it feel to have so much power between your legs, Lilly, and to be sitting atop a creature that has s
o much strength?”

Every word spoken from Tucker’s mouth was del
iberately suggestive and sexual, and Lilliana found it utterly exasperating.

“
It feels like home.”

***

Lilliana just couldn’t hold back from giving back a bit of sarcasm any chance she got and was proving to be the most frustrating, vexing yet evocative undertaking Tucker had ever attempted.  Tucker had originally wanted to break her spirit, but it was her spirit that was proving to be her most appealing quality. 

In all his sexual years and the many women he had been with, none of them had proven to be such a challenge. Most women had just given themselves over without a second thought and the majority of them far too quickly. He
had taken pleasure in their easiness and lack of reticence at the time, but he was enjoying the chase of Lilliana even more. 

With their bodies in such close proximity, the wind blowing over them as they rode around the field and the beautiful sunset just starting to peak, Tucker forgot his goal.

He slowed the horse to a stop and let go of one of the reins so he could wrap an arm around Lilliana’s waist. He cuddled into her neck and ground himself up against her ass and thrust upwards, making her gasp out.

“Are you really dry humping me on the back of this horse?” Lilliana asked.

Leave it to Lilly and her ever-running mouth to ruin the moment
.

“What? You’ve never heard of horseback humping?”

Lilliana giggled, “No, but I can’t imagine it’s any fun for the horse. The poor thing has already had a rough life, we don’t need to traumatize it anymore. We can save that sort of thing for later.”