Let It Ride by Katherine Garbera Page A

remove the box. She felt his breath on her nipple seconds before his lips closed around it. She almost dropped the box of condoms when he started suckling her. But she ached deep inside and she wanted Deacon now.
    She wanted to reaffirm the bonds they’d forged in his living room. She wanted to reaffirm the bonds that her heart had started to make around his. She wanted to reaffirm that this man was quickly becoming much more than a vacation fling.
    He held her with one hand behind her shoulder blades and the other moving over her body, bringing every inch of her to tingling awareness.
    He lifted his mouth from her. “Find them?”
    “Yes.”
    He took the box from her hands, opened a packet and reached between their bodies to sheathe himself. He did it quickly and efficiently and then glanced up to find her watching him.
    He said nothing, only arched one eyebrow at her in question.
    She only shrugged. No way was she going to say anything about how every action he made fascinated her.
    He grasped her hips and arranged her over him, but didn’t move to penetrate her. She opened her eyes and found him watching her. Waiting.
    “What are you waiting for?” she asked.
    “You. Ride me, angel.”
    She balanced herself with her hands on his shoulders, then slowly lowered herself over him until he was fully inside her. She began to rock her hips. He sat up, wrapped his arms around her body and held her close, content to let her set the pace. And it wasn’t long before they were both shaking with their orgasms and clinging tightly to each other.
    Deacon rolled them to their sides and held her close in the aftermath. Kylie closed her eyes, hoping to hide the truth of her emotions from him, but really wishing she could hide from the truth in her heart.

Eight

    T he next four days went by too quickly for Deacon. He wasn’t a man for wishing, but now he wished with all his heart that time would slow down. He knew that the end of Kylie’s vacation was approaching and that soon she would return to her old life. He also knew that he didn’t want this courtship to end. The courtship was the best of both worlds.
    She’d refused to move into his suite, but denied him nothing of her body. If he wanted to make love to her, she welcomed him, but stubbornly refused to spend the entire night in his bed. And for some reason he wanted her there. It was all he thought about when they were apart. Mac had been by a couple of times to check on the status of their bet, and Deacon had smiled with confidence and said it was a piece of cake. But Kylie wasn’t as easy to read or play as the roulette wheel or a hand of cards.
    He broke out in a sweat every time he thought about asking her to marry him. Every time he imagined her answer. Every time he watched her walk away from him.
    He pushed those thoughts aside as he waited for Kylie on the roof helipad. He’d promised her an aerial tour of the area, including the Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam.
    The door to the hotel opened, and Kylie came out onto the helipad, followed by Mandetti. Mandetti had said he needed a break from studying the casino operation and had volunteered to escort Kylie to the wax museum earlier that day because Deacon had been unable to break away from work.
    Mandetti wasn’t like any gaming-commission officer Deacon had ever met before. He liked the older man. If his mom was in town, instead of on a cruise in Hawaii right now, Deacon would’ve introduced the two of them.
    He crossed the tarmac and placed a lingering kiss on Kylie’s lips. The woman was becoming more important to him by the hour. And the fact that she fit his idea of wife didn’t seem to matter much.
    He had a hard time remembering that he was trying to woo her with slow moves. His gut said to claim her. To lock her in his bedroom and make love to her until she couldn’t move. Until she forgot everything she’d known before him. Until she was his completely and none of this damned doubt remained.
    But