"Not yet."

"Ha! I knew it."

"No! I mean..." Abby leaned against one of the columns that supported an overhang strewn with fresh cut flowers and rubbed her forefinger against her temple.

She sighed. "He wants to...um, sleep with me and we've had a great time here, and his family is amazing even his cousin Cooper, and I kissed him the other night, and I swear to G.o.d I had an o.r.g.a.s.m from just that one kiss."

Her words came out in a breathless rush and for a second she wavered, more than a bit dizzy.

"Lisa?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"I don't know what to do."

Silence greeted her, and she bit her lip, gazing out into the darkness. There against the edge of night a couple clung to each other. Kissing. Touching. Abby was pretty sure it was Tucker's younger sister, Grace, and she may have been a pervert for watching the two of them, but she couldn't drag her eyes away.

Had she ever been that pa.s.sionate?

Her thoughts drifted to the kiss she'd shared with Tucker, and heat immediately flushed her cheeks. G.o.d, she wanted that. So badly.

"Abby?"

"Yeah."

"You're in love with him."

"Yeah."

A pause.

"Do you think that..." Abby could visualize her roommate twirling a small tuft of blond hair and biting her lip as she cuddled in the alcove that looked down onto the busy street below. "Do you think he feels the same way?"

"No." Abby shook her head. "I mean..." She thought of the touch of his fingers. The heat in his eyes and the way they'd followed her relentlessly for the past few hours. She thought of the laughs they had together and of the quiet moments over the past year. The ones that had been filled truth and confession. The ones that had been Tucker sharing his pain.

She thought of Cooper and what he'd said to her.

"Maybe there's something more than the fact that he wants s.e.x," she finally whispered. "But how will I know unless..."

"Unless you see where this goes," Lisa finished.

"Yes."

"Sweetie, the only thing I can tell you for sure is that no broken heart ever happened from lack of trying."

Abby screwed up her nose. "What the h.e.l.l does that mean?"

"It means that he might break your heart...but it also means that you might be the one to fix his."

Abby let that sink in.

"The question is," Lisa continued. "Do you want to take the chance? Is Tucker Simon worth the pain he might bring into your life?"

Abby's eyes drifted toward the young couple still locked in a pa.s.sionate embrace.

"Yes," she breathed into the phone.

"Then go for it," Lisa said softly. "And know that I'm here, whatever happens."

"I love you, Lisa."

"Of course you do."

Abby smiled.

"And Abigail?"

"Huh?"

"I hope he's everything you deserve and..."

"Yes?" Abby's mouth curved into a smile.

"I want details. I haven't had s.e.x in freaking ages with anything other than my vibrator. I need something to look forward to."

"Okay." A figure appeared in the doorway. Tucker. "I have to go."

She slipped her cell back into her bag and took a deep breath before walking toward him. She paused a few inches from Tucker, taking in the unb.u.t.toned dress s.h.i.+rt and tie that was askew. Her gaze lingered on the thick mess of hair, then the wide shoulders and casual stance.

But there was nothing casual about the look in his eyes when they finally connected. A jolt of heat shot through her, settling low in her belly-an ache that throbbed.

"Hey," he said softly. Dangerously.

G.o.d, the man could put more meaning into one word than anyone else she knew.

"Hey, yourself."

An old Maroon 5 song was playing, the sounds drifting clearly from the open patio doors. It was a slow song. A sensual song. A song of heartbreak, need and seduction.

"I want to dance with you," Tucker said.

He reached forward and enfolded her in his arms, moving her back toward the shadows where they could still hear the music.

It was surreal. Moving with him there. Having him hold her so close that she could feel every single breath that he took, and hear every single heartbeat.

He was warm and her fingers traced the hard contours of his chest, before she rested her cheek against him, closed her eyes, and let him move them both. There were no words. There was nothing but the music and their bodies. Nothing but the electricity that held them together, the fragrant desire in the air, and the need to get so close to him that it ached.

She will be loved.

The song encircled her. The lyrics haunted her. And the man who held her had claimed her without even trying.

Abby wasn't sure how long they moved slowly out there in the darkness, but when Tucker finally pulled away and she glanced up at him, she knew he felt exactly the same. His breaths fell in short, rough spurts and he ran his hands through his hair, rolling his shoulders-though his eyes never left hers.

Her mouth went dry at the look on his face, and she had no idea how she even remained standing.

Several long seconds pa.s.sed, and then he reached for her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His warm hand lingered there, sending another lightening bolt straight down her body. She was hot and cold-a bundle of nerves.

"Let's get out of here," Tucker said.

Still afraid to speak because she was pretty d.a.m.n sure her vocal chords weren't working, Abby managed a nod.

Tucker grabbed her hand and there was no turning back.

Chapter Thirteen.

The G.o.ds must have been smiling on Tucker, because he managed to get Abby out to the parking lot without running into his mother, Aunt Virginia, Beau, Cooper, or Betty Jo, for that matter. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he'd run into any of them, but he had a good idea it wouldn't be pretty.

He was that far gone.

He'd nodded to one of the waiting drivers, and he and Abby had been on their way before anyone even knew they were missing from the reception.

Now they were back in their hotel room.

Now he had her alone and... Jesus, the things he wanted to do to her. It took every ounce of self-control that he had not to push her up against the wall and bury himself inside her. He couldn't remember ever feeling this rabid...like he was an animal losing control.

This overwhelming need to connect with Abby had snuck up on him, but now that it had him basically by the b.a.l.l.s, he needed to keep his s.h.i.+t together. He had to proceed with caution. This was Abby, for Christ sake. He couldn't f.u.c.k this up.

Tucker tore off his tie and tossed it onto the sofa in the seating area. "Drink?" he asked casually, though inside a war raged. If she licked her bottom lip one more time he was going to go all caveman on her and carry her over to the bed. Or-he glanced at the wall to his right-he'd have her naked in less than five seconds.

"No," she replied quickly. There went that bottom lip again.

"Can I get you any-"

"No." Abby shook her head, those brown eyes glistening in the low light. Slowly she walked toward him, moving gracefully like a cat until she stopped a few inches away.

Suddenly on alert, Tucker couldn't take his eyes off of her. Something had just changed, and he wasn't even sure what it was, but this Abby was fierce. s.e.xy as h.e.l.l.

And not to be messed with.

"I don't want a drink. I don't want to eat. I don't want to make small talk or anything else for that matter." She took a moment, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

"I want you." It was a whisper, but man, it hit him hard and he clenched his hands into fists.

G.o.d he wanted her so much that it hurt, but something twisted inside him. Guilt? Fear? h.e.l.l, he didn't know what it was. The only thing that he did know was that this girl meant a lot to him. And it wasn't as if the women he'd been with had meant nothing. He wasn't that guy...that guy who didn't give a s.h.i.+t. But those women were never going to figure into his life permanently, and they'd known that.

Sure they might have hoped, but he'd been upfront. He'd been honest. He'd given and taken and it had been returned in kind.

But this here...this night that was going to happen, it meant a lot more than just s.e.x, and that was new territory for him. Abby wasn't only a beautiful, smart, funny lady-she was his friend. He didn't want to hurt her, because there were boundaries...boundaries he couldn't cross.

Not yet. Maybe never.

"Abby." He threaded his hand into that s.h.i.+ny, gorgeous hair and bent close. He needed to make sure that she knew what the score was. "Are you sure that this is what you want? You and me? Doing..."

"s.e.x?"

Was that a smile?

He was already hot. Already h.o.r.n.y as f.u.c.k. Already so close to the edge and that small hint of a smile was gonna send him over.

"Tucker," she breathed. "I want this."

His control was slipping. Christ, was it slipping. But he wouldn't be the guy he was if he didn't at least try once more to make her see. If he didn't try to make Abby understand.

"But, this...whatever this is between us...I've told you things, Abby. h.e.l.l, you know more about what's going on in my head these days than my brothers do. I'm no good for someone like you and I..."

f.u.c.k. Was he even making sense?

"You're the kind of woman who... you deserve a lot and..."

G.o.dd.a.m.n, but he was s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g this up. He released her and stepped back not even sure what the h.e.l.l he was trying to say.

"Will you stop talking, Tucker?" she said, reaching behind her neck.

"I just," he continued, running his fingers through his already mussed up hair, though now his eyes were riveted to the creamy skin on display as Abby slowly slid her dress down her body, over her hips until it was a mess of fabric at her feet.

"You're not like the other women I've been with." Jesus, she was standing in front of him in black panties and a matching bra. And holy h.e.l.l, was that a tattoo peeking out the top of her skimpy undies?

His mouth was dry. He was pretty much done.

"I know," she whispered taking a step toward him. She was so close now that her subtle, clean, fresh scent wafted up his nose and that set off a whole bunch of s.h.i.+t inside him.

Her hands were between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s...b.r.e.a.s.t.s that looked like they were a little more than a handful. b.r.e.a.s.t.s that were soft-looking, so G.o.dd.a.m.n feminine. They were f.u.c.king perfect.

She toyed with the clasp and he heard her breathing change. "Stop being a choirboy, Tucker. It doesn't suit you."

G.o.d, she was undoing her bra, and he was standing in front of her like an idiot. Christ, he probably had drool running from his f.u.c.king mouth.

Tucker had maybe one second where he could have stepped back and put the brakes on. One second to just make sure that he wasn't getting in too deep with a woman he'd only end up hurting. A woman he cared about.

But then the bra was on the floor, and she whispered, "touch me."