The Royal Wager Read online

  “No kidding,” she said, surprised at how winded she sounded. Even more surprised when Mitch kissed her forehead, her cheek, then rested his oh-so-warm lips against hers.

  Tori pulled back. “If we do this, your mouth is going to hurt.”

  “Not if you kiss it and make it better.”

  Oh, jeez. Oh, gosh. Oh, my, Tori’s final thought when Mitch parted her lips with his tongue, slipping it inside her agreeable mouth.

  He tilted his head to avoid touching the slight cut to her lips, but he had no trouble at all kissing her completely, moving his tongue against hers, softly, painstakingly though he didn’t appear to be in any pain. Tori was. She ached like the devil from wanting him, knowing that only he could make her particular ache all better.

  As the kiss went on and on, deeper and deeper, hotter and hotter, Tori reasoned that the tension that had been building between them in the bar, the sounds of Stella’s and Bobby’s lovemaking, the sex talk, had added kindling to the campfire. The combination was proving hazardous, threatening to drive them to a possible point of no return. Unless she stopped Mitch, and soon.

  But Tori didn’t stop him. She didn’t want to stop him. Not when he kept kissing her until she thought she’d go up in a blaze of glory. Not when he tugged her sweater up and slipped his hand underneath to cup her breast through black lace. Not when he worked the front closure of her bra, opening it with ease.

  She gasped when he contacted her bare flesh.

  “I’m sorry my hands are so cold,” he murmured in her ear, but kept his callused fingertips working her already rigid nipple.

  “Your hands are wonderful,” she said, prompting him to kiss her again, this time more deeply, more ardently, more suggestively as he moved his tongue back and forth, imitating the act foremost on her mind.

  The next thing Tori knew, she was on her back on the blanket-covered hay and Mitch was partially on top of her, still kneading her breasts with finesse, first one, then the other. She didn’t care that they were in a truck bed, not a real bed. She didn’t care that it was cold as a well digger’s shovel. She didn’t care about anything when Mitch lifted her shirt completely, burrowed his way beneath the blanket, and replaced his hand with his lips.

  His mouth was definitely hot and so was his tongue that flicked across her nipple before he suckled her with an unyielding tug that made her want to cry, Oh, Mitch!

  Tori totally abandoned any arguments against this as she slid her fingers through his silky black hair. She’d never felt so carefree in her life, so totally consumed by a man with a mouth that should be registered as a weapon since it was shooting holes in her common sense.

  She was keenly aware of Mitch’s erection pressing against her thigh, the movement of his hips grinding against her, telling her exactly what he needed without saying a word.

  Mitch lifted his mouth from her breasts, came up from beneath the blanket and kissed her again, still off-centered but still as effective.

  He broke the kiss and whispered, “I want you, Tori, so tell me to stop.”

  Stop! her mind called out as he worked the button on her pants. Stop! sounded again as he tracked her zipper down. Stop! filtered into her hazy brain as he pushed the leather pants and her panties down her hips to her thighs.

  Don’t stop! was the voice she chose to heed when he sifted his fingertips through the covering of curls, finding the source of all that need she desperately needed him to satisfy. And he did, with small circular motions, coming nearer and nearer until he hit the mark, causing her hips to rise abruptly from the jolt.

  Mitch muttered, “Easy, babe,” before kissing her again, not once halting his slow, deliberate ministrations.

  “Easy” would describe Tori at the moment and what Mitch probably considered her to be, but again she didn’t have the will or wherewithal to stop this, stop him.

  She moaned against his mouth when he fondled her with the pad of his thumb and slipped a finger inside her, then another. Such a sweet invasion, such a skilled man, her final grasp on reality before the climax completely took over all reasoning with a pulsating rhythm and sharp, succinct spasms.

  But it simply wasn’t enough, and wouldn’t be until she had all of Mitch. She pulled his denim shirt and T-shirt from his waistband as he had hers, reached up beneath both and glided her palm down the flat plane of his abdomen, over the slight spattering of hair at his navel that thinned when it reached his waistband. It took two hands to loosen the buckle, and two seconds for Mitch to halt the kiss and suck in a deep breath when she released the snap and lowered his fly. He pulled her against his chest and tucked her head beneath his chin. But that didn’t prevent her from going forward, going all the way.

  He exhaled slowly when she opened his jeans and tugged at his briefs, freeing him. She worked her palms beneath his shirts once more, over the taut terrain of his broad chest, pausing to touch his nipples, then back down, back up again, heating her palms from the friction, sufficiently warming them up so she could do some exploring of her own.

  But she didn’t have that opportunity since Mitch rose up on his knees, threw back the blanket, pulled her pants and underwear down to her ankles, pushed his jeans and briefs down to his thighs and then pushed inside her before she could draw her next breath.

  “Oh, man,” Mitch said.

  “Oh, wow,” she murmured, now totally, completely addicted to the feel of his weight, his tempered thrusts stoking the fire, burning away the last of the cold with his body. Big body…every bit of it.

  She ran her palms over his muscled back then down to his buttocks to feel the power as he moved, a little faster and harder each time.

  Amazing, Tori thought as he slid his hands beneath her bottom and pulled her fast against him. Incredible was another thought when he whispered sexy words in her ear—words that would send a proper Southern mother for the soap. His breath came in sharp gasps at her ear, hers came in soft puffs as he stroked her with his body and his hand again, and again. Thrust again and again and again…

  The second orgasm hit Tori like a tidal wave, knocking her back into oblivion. Mitch’s body went rigid in her arms and he stopped moving altogether.

  Everything seemed to stop then as Tori shuddered from the impact and Mitch released a long hiss between his teeth, then collapsed against her.

  After a time, the stars came back into view, the world started turning again, the cold nipped at her nose and rode out on a fog from her parted lips. But Tori knew that although everything seemed to be back to normal, except for her heartbeat, she would never, ever be the same again. Never.

  * * *

  This wasn’t the first time Mitch Warner had made love to a woman in the bed of a truck, but that had been years ago when no other options had been available. It was the first time he’d totally lost control to the point he’d felt like he’d had an out-of-body experience. And the first time that he’d been so tuned into a lover that he’d failed to use a condom.

  He thought he should probably move off of Tori, offer some lame excuse for his carelessness, but he didn’t have the strength. The cold night air bit at the back of his bare thighs and if he didn’t at least cover himself, the tails of his shirt might freeze to his butt. If he didn’t roll away from Tori, they might freeze this way only to be discovered by the sheriff tomorrow morning, still tangled together, not such an unappealing prospect. But if he didn’t get Tori back in the house, he would be tempted to go at it again, not a great idea considering he’d already screwed up once in the protection department, and he hated to think what the consequences might be. Stella and Bob would be the first ones to tell them that unprotected sex leads to unplanned pregnancy.

  “I guess this is probably a good time to tell you I’ve never done this before,” Tori said against his shoulder.

  Stunned, Mitch raised his head and stared down at her beautiful face. No way would he have not known she was a virgin. Mary Alice had been one all those years ago, but then so had he. He sure as hell wasn’t
a novice now. He would have known. “I thought you said that you and your boyfriend—”

  “I meant I’ve never had sex with someone I’ve just met. Ever.”

  Mitch couldn’t lay claim to that, but for the past decade, he’d settled for convenience and comfort with Mary Alice instead of hot, unrestrained sex with a virtual stranger—hot unprotected sex—until tonight. Until Tori.

  Finally, he rolled away from her onto his back, reached down and pulled the blanket back into place, not only to keep her warm but also to keep the temptation to make love to her again corralled.

  After they pulled their clothes back into place, redid and re-snapped, they resumed their original positions staring at the sky, not touching, not speaking, until Mitch couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to know exactly how dire their situation might be.

  “Tori, are you on the Pill?”

  “Kind of late to be asking me that, Mitch.”

  No kidding. “I know.”

  “The answer is no.”

  Oh, hell. “Then—”

  “But I have taken a birth control shot, so we should be okay. At least where pregnancy is concerned. I know I’m safe in the disease department. I’ve only been with one man.”

  “So am I. I’ve only been with one woman for the past nine years.”

  “Mary Alice.”

  He glanced at her but she continued to study the stars. “How did you know about that?”

  “This is a small town, Mitch. People talk. That’s why you have to promise me you won’t say anything about this.”

  The concern in her voice led to his reassurance. “I’m not going to tell anyone, Tori. You can trust me.”

  “Good. I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I’m….”

  When her voice trailed off, Mitch turned to his side again and pulled her over to face him. “Wouldn’t want anyone to think that you’re what?”

  “You know. Someone who would do this kind of thing.” She released a humorless laugh. “That’s really stupid considering I did do this, and we are consenting adults, and it’s really no one’s business—”

  Mitch stopped her words with a kiss then bracketed her face in his palms. “I don’t think any less of you, Tori. It’s just one of those things that happens when two people are attracted to each other.”

  She laid a dramatic hand on her chest and grinned, though Mitch still saw the worry in her dark eyes. “Does this mean you still like me?”

  Mitch laughed, something he didn’t do that often, especially not in the presence of a woman. “Yeah, Tori, I like you.” And he did, a lot.

  “Okay, that’s great. But if you really like me, then you’ll find a way to get your keys before we both turn into human icicles.”

  Mitch started to protest, to ask her to put her incredible body back against his so they could have a little more time together, something that was damn out of character for him. He normally wasn’t the let’s-hold-each-other-after-sex kind of guy, but then this wasn’t exactly a normal situation. And Tori wasn’t just any woman. But he also realized that they both needed some sleep so they wouldn’t pass out during the wedding tomorrow night.

  Tomorrow night. Maybe they could have a repeat performance, out of the elements and in a real bed. His bed. And he wouldn’t be so careless the next time.

  That alone spurred Mitch from beneath the covers and onto his feet to hold out his hand and help Tori up. Once they were standing, he took the opportunity to pull her against his chest one more time, feel her against him one more time, kiss her one more time before letting her go.

  After they left the truck, they walked the path in silence and stopped at the front door, where they found the pilfered keys taped to the screen.

  Mitch yanked them down and tossed them up, snatching them in midair. “At least I didn’t have to go frisk Stella to find these. That would have really sent Bobby over the edge.”

  Tori’s smile was soft and self-conscious. “I’m sure Bobby’s out like a light. At least I hope so.”

  They stared at each other for a solid few seconds before Mitch leaned over and this time kissed her cheek, fearing if he did more he’d be tempted to ask her if he could join her on the sofa.

  “I had a good time tonight, Tori.” A serious understatement. He’d had a great time. The best time he’d had in a long, long time.

  “So did I.” She rubbed her hands down her arms. “But I think it’s probably wise if we don’t have quite as good a time tomorrow night.”

  So much for his plans. “You’re probably right.” And she probably was, but Mitch couldn’t help hoping that maybe he might have more of what he’d experienced with her tonight, just one last time before she left. But he wouldn’t ask that of her, not now. Not when he could see the guilt calling out from her dark eyes.

  “Tell Bobby I’ll be by to get him in the morning since it’s bad luck to see the bride on the day of the wedding.”

  “Okay, but it’s too late for that. He’s going to see her unless I blindfold him.”

  “Probably not a bad idea at that. He’s going to have one hell of a headache and the sun isn’t going to help.”

  “Serves him right.” Tori sent him another smile as she opened the screen. “Guess I’ll see you at the altar.”

  Mitch experienced a sharp stab of fear. “At the altar?”

  She frowned. “Stella and Bobby’s wedding?”

  Damn. He was acting like a total fool. “Yeah. The wedding. Stella and Bob’s wedding at Stella’s parents’ house. Tomorrow night.”

  When she opened the door, he said, “One more thing.”

  She faced him again, her long, slender fingers curled around the handle. “What?”

  “I just want you to know that I’m not normally this careless.”

  “Me neither. Guess we were just feeling a little frisky.”

  When she smiled again, he wanted to kiss her again. Real bad. “’Night Tori.”

  “Good night, Mitch.”

  He watched her slip inside the house and close the door, then watched the door some more, hoping she might come back out. Hoping she might invite him in. Like that was going to happen. He’d totally screwed up everything by doing something he should never have done. Something he hoped wouldn’t affect both his and Tori’s future. But he had to trust that what she’d said was true—she couldn’t get pregnant.

  Shoving his hands into his pockets, Mitch walked back to the truck and slid inside, calling himself ten kinds of a fool for losing control, vowing to forget this ever happened. But when he started the engine and turned on the heat full blast, he could smell Tori’s floral scent flowing through the truck—a scent that was all over his clothes, all over his body.

  The taste of her was still fresh in his mind, on his tongue, jump-starting his desire back to life when he recalled in great detail how it had felt to be inside her. How he had totally, completely lost himself in the moment. And just as important, how it had felt to talk to a woman who’d actually listened to what he’d said, a woman who’d treated him like a man, not like a means to maintain her status among Quail Run’s limited elite—like Mary Alice Marshall, who’d recently turned her affections to Brady Stevens, the banker. More like to his checkbook.

  Mitch really didn’t care. The relationship had been going nowhere for years, and they’d both realized that for a while now. In fact, he’d been relieved when Mary Alice had called it off. He was really glad she had, especially tonight. Otherwise, he might still be settling for convenience, missing out on making love with an angel. An experience he wouldn’t soon forget.

  Regardless, he would try to avoid repeating the reckless behavior tomorrow night, even if he couldn’t avoid Tori. He would be a gentleman and keep his hands to himself, if that was what she wanted.

  But he wasn’t going to like it. Not one damn bit.

  Tori leaned against the closed door with eyes shut tight. Even though it was warm inside the house, she felt chilled to the marrow.

  “Where ha
ve you been, Victoria May?”

  Her eyes snapped open to find Stella seated on the frayed tan chair wearing a tattered robe, her hair in curlers and her eyes blurry with sleep. “Why are you still awake?”

  “Bobby’s snoring like a freight train.”

  Tori pushed away from the door. “What? No, ‘Give it to me Stella?’”

  Stella blushed like a vine-ripe tomato. “You heard that?”

  “I heard plenty. So did Mitch. That’s why we left.” Tori re-hung her coat back on the rack and started toward the small hall that led to the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower.” And try to wash away the remnants of the mistake she’d just made.

  Stella stood and blocked the path. “You didn’t answer my question. Where did you and Mitch go?”

  “We sat in the back of his truck.”

  “What did you do back there?”

  “Uh, we talked.”

  “Only talked?”

  Tori didn’t dare tell Stella anything different and not because she didn’t trust her. She just didn’t want to have to explain her imprudent behavior. “Yeah. We talked. General conversation. You and Bobby ought to try it.”

  Stella grinned and yanked a piece of straw from Tori’s hair, holding it up as if she’d found the prize egg at Easter. “Looks to me like someone had a roll in the hay.”

  Tori strode to the sofa, perched on the edge and covered her face in her hands to hide the guilt. “We did it,” she blurted out, then peeked between her fingers to see Stella’s reaction.

  Stella hovered over her with eyes as wide as world globes. “You mean you ‘did it’ as in made love with Mitch Warner?”

  Tori dropped her hands to her lap and fell back against the sofa. “We had sex, Stella. You can’t make love with someone you barely know.”

  Stella took a seat beside her. “Was it great?”

  Tori could feel the flames rise to her face. “Oh, yeah. Better than great.”

  Stella slapped Tori hard on the thigh. “It’s about time you took a few chances.”

  Unfortunately, Tori had taken a huge chance that she wished she could take back. “We didn’t use anything for protection.”