All In (6 page)

“I want to up my bet.” Daisy pushed two pieces of clothing across the bed: Ryan’s shirt and pants. With those, he could get up and go before either of them did something they’d regret.

“And if I lose?” he asked.

Her eyebrow quirked upward. For a moment, it looked like she was going to suggest something. Then her blank expression faltered. She may have learned how to bluff at poker, but the woman still couldn’t lie to save her life.

Good.

“Three kisses,” she finally said.

Three kisses was definitely something Ryan could handle. He took the draw, trading in three cards for a chance at victory. No such luck. He had to hope Daisy’s hand was as bad as his.

She didn’t even take the freaking draw. “Drop ’em.”

“I’ve got a pair.” He put the cards down. “You?”

“Straight.” Daisy flipped over her cards. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. The little paper rectangles covered the comforter. “Ready to pay up?”

The urge to throw his body across the bed was strong. He could take her hard, pushing her back against the fluffy hotel pillows in a shower of clothes and cards.

No sense making a mess. He picked up the cards and placed them carefully on the bedside table. Then he dropped the collection of mini-bar goodies beside the empties on the ground. The clothes got tossed over onto the couch. When the bed was finally clear, it seemed bigger. He slid off, standing carefully on the floor.

If he was going to do this, he wanted it to be right. He wanted it to be special.

Fuck, he wanted to take her right there on the bed, making her moan as he pulled her panties to the side and slid into her depths without so much as a how’s-your-daddy.

He needed to cling to whatever life raft of self-control he had left.

That meant getting as far away from the bed as possible.

Ryan dragged Daisy up onto her feet, pulling her toward the room’s big picture window and its view of the strip. His hand slid up to her neck, cupping the back of her head and drawing her in close. The scent of oranges, mixed with want and need, was overpowering.

Daisy’s brow furrowed. Her breath came faster. She was wound so tight, her entire body felt like it was vibrating.

Fuck.
Ryan wanted to reassure her. He reached up with a free hand to tuck a lock of pitch-black hair safely behind her ear. “Three kisses?”

“Better make them count.”

Angry bunny.
He bit back a laugh, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate it. “I thought counting was your thing.”

Then he bent down and pressed his mouth to hers.

Fireworks sounded in the distance. One of the nightly shows up and down the strip or something closer? More intimate ? His mouth never left hers. His lips molded to hers, his tongue darting forward.

Daisy kissed like she was fighting. Like she was playing poker. All her energy—her vast intellect—focused on his mouth. It was nice, better than nice, but Ryan wanted to shake things up a little.

His free hand lifted to press against her bare back, his fingers rubbing against bare skin as he drew her in tight. Their bodies fit together perfectly. His erection settled against the crease of her hipbone and blood rushed downward.

Her entire body went rigid.

“Fuck.” His mouth separated from hers.

“That’s one,” Daisy said.

It took him a minute to realize that she was counting kisses, just like he’d told her.

“One,” he agreed. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“Maybe.” She frowned. “What’s the favor?”

That was the Daisy he knew. Always in control. Never give an inch. Tit for tat. Only, she wasn’t always like that. Sometimes she was breathless and warm in his arms, her defenses falling with a single word.

Forget asking for favors. He was giving orders.

Ryan’s grip tightened on Daisy’s hip.

“Melt a little,” he growled.

Her mouth opened to object but it was too late. He was already kissing her, swallowing her objections with his tongue, rocking his body against hers. Once, twice, too many times to count, until the tension in her joints evaporated and the only sounds in the room were the little moans coming from Daisy’s throat.

He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his swollen cock, his hips pumping against the heat of her palm. Sore muscles burned and bruises ached. Their lips never separated, but he could feel her happy gasp as her nimble fingers curved around his erection.

The professor was definitely twisted.

Forget sweet kisses and whispered romance. She wanted to be consumed.

And he was just the man for the job.

Chapter Eight

“Two,” Daisy moaned as her mouth pulled away from Ryan. Why the hell had she asked for three kisses? She’d been greedy and the desperate ache growing in her belly was her punishment.

Fuck.
The first kiss had been perfect, exactly what she’d wanted—what she’d expected—but the second kiss? Ryan had kicked things into high gear, daring her to pull away, ordering her to melt, and she’d just about lost her mind. No lover had ever told her what to do before. They’d all known the score. Wham, bam, thank you sir. A nice vanilla encounter and they were on their way.

Ryan’s kiss tore into her soul and touched something dark inside her.

Suddenly Daisy didn’t care about neat or tidy. Forget order. She wanted to lose control.

Her hand gripped Ryan’s erection, giving it one tug, then another, grasping, trying to make him push up against her again. “More,” she demanded.

“One more,” Ryan said.

But one more wouldn’t satisfy the need growing inside her. A hundred more wouldn’t be enough. She wanted to be touched. For the first time in her life, Daisy considered taking an affair past daybreak. Then she shoved the awkward thought hurriedly out of her mind.

No morning after. No breakfast.

No falling in love.

If tonight was going to be their only night together, she needed to make it count. It could be a nice memory to keep her warm in her dotage. She hooked her free hand into the waist of her panties and shoved them down over her hips. This time, when her pelvis pulsed against Ryan’s, there was only a single layer of fabric between them. Her fingers scrambled for the waist of his briefs.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice little more than a rumble against her skin.

“Positive.”

“Right,” he said. “Then you’re going to need to move your hand, Daisy. We wouldn’t want anything to happen prematurely.”

His teeth nipped against the base of her neck and he surged forward, pushing her up against the large picture window. Cool glass pressed against her back while heat seeped into her from the front. The hand on her neck dropped to her hip, digging in tight, while his other hand brought her wrists up over her head.

Muscles surged and he locked her in place. Daisy moaned happily. Oh yeah, this was what she’d been dreaming about. Hands trailed across her body. A hard erection pushed against her belly. And it was all connected to a man who wasn’t afraid to take control. Forget graduate students, from now on she was holding out for a real man.

Ryan
.

She tried to force the thought away, but it was stuck there between her temples.
Ryan. Ryan. Ryan
. And then, his mouth lowered down to tease her breasts through the only piece of clothing she had left. The pounding beat in her head ratcheted up a notch.
This one. This one. This one. This one.

He shoved her bra down roughly, sucking her breast into his mouth. His teeth teased her areola, making her wince, and then his tongue laved her skin…making it all better.

“It’s okay, baby.” The hand that wasn’t holding her in place dropped between her legs. His thumb rubbed against her clitoris and she whimpered in surprise. A long finger pushed into her and the lights flickered. The entire world was coming apart.

Daisy’s back arched as she tried to draw him in deeper.

“Easy,” he growled. “Easy.”

A second finger joined the first and her body fractured. Her hips began to jerk back and forth as she rode his hand.

“You are so sexy.”

No one had ever called her sexy before. They’d called her cute, smart, and sweet, but never sexy. Daisy moaned. “Just for you.”

“Damn straight,” he said, and this time there was a hard edge to his voice. His teeth nipped at the tender skin near her neck and then he kissed her.

This was what flying felt like. Her entire body convulsed and she came in a flurry of gasps and moans. This was more than just appropriately applied stimuli. It was everything she’d ever wanted…everything she’d ever needed…

And then he lifted her up like she weighed nothing, tossed her down onto the bed, and then he was on top of her. They rolled to the side in a jumble of elbows and knees.

He smelled like hotel soap and masculine energy. He tasted like the beer he’d been drinking. He felt like white lightning in her veins.

“This isn’t going to be slow.” Ryan’s voice was low and husky, like smoke on the water. “I’m not going to kiss you tenderly and make love to you for hours. Not tonight. I’m going to take you hard and you’re going to like it.” His fingers tugged at the tight buds of her nipples. “You’re going to love it. And when you come, you’re going to be screaming my name.”

Fuck
. Daisy was lost.

Every inch of her was on fire. Every nerve ending was open and receptive. Somewhere along the line, he’d slipped under her skin and scraped against her core. She’d never felt so open…so vulnerable…so wanted…

And then this man—this glorious alpha hero—flipped her over onto her back and pinned her with his body. His long arms reached past her to fumble with the clothes on the floor, producing a battered wallet and a foil-wrapped condom. He tore it open quickly and readied himself.

“Open for me, babe,” Ryan said. That was her only warning.

He pushed inside her hard and fast, making her gasp as his cock filled her to the hilt and made her buck against his lean body. The air sizzled. Her fingers clawed against his muscular back, tearing at his flesh, but he didn’t seem to notice.

He certainly didn’t seem to care.

He just held himself inside her, his expression completely calm. It was as if they were still sitting on the bed, playing poker. As if he didn’t want her to see any emotions playing across his face.

But his eyes were dark with desire. He rolled his hips once, twice, just enough to make her groan.

Then he pulled back, sliding most of the way out of her.

“No, please,” Daisy whimpered. “Don’t—”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t stop.”

“Couldn’t, even if I tried,” he said and then he slammed upward, sliding so far inside her it felt like he was touching her soul. Once. Twice. Back and forth. Jerking across her body. Dragging her toward her next orgasm.

All she could do was hang on for the ride.

And what a ride.

Muscles deep inside of her—muscles she’d never used before today—grasped for him. Tension built deep in her core. The orgasm overpowered her and she came, gasping, groaning. “Oh, God!”

Ryan’s lips tweaked upward. “Close enough?”

“Huh?” She grasped for understanding, but her mind was fuzzy. For the first time in her life, Daisy Adams couldn’t think past the pleasure she was experiencing. She liked it. A lot.

“You were supposed to call out my name.” Ryan’s chin rubbed against her cheek, his five o’clock shadow rasping against her skin. His hips never stopped moving. His words shivered past her ear, “But ‘oh, God’ is close enough.”

The man had a swollen head. Thank God.

His hips picked up speed, his pelvis moving back and forth against hers. The increased rhythm caused Daisy’s body to react without thinking. When she came for the third time in less than an hour, he followed less than a second later.

“Fuck, babe,” he groaned as he pumped deep inside her.

She waited for him to pull away—to go clean up in the bathroom or slink off to find his clothes—but instead he slumped forward on top of her.

All that weight and heat shouldn’t have been sexy, but that didn’t stop her from reaching for his golden curls. Her fingers tugged the strands. This was the part where she was supposed to thank him for a job well done and send him on his way.

It was what she’d always done before.

“I want to do that again,” she said, surprising herself.

“Give me a year or two to recover,” Ryan murmured.

They didn’t have a year or two. They only had this one night. Daisy couldn’t lose her heart. She couldn’t fall in love, but if this night was going to be the thing that kept her warm and smiling when she was the crazy old professor who told stories about her cats, then she wanted to wring every drop of pleasure she could get from it.

“Now.” She reached down between them, shifting her weight backward so they were no longer connected. Her fingers skimmed the condom, removing it quickly and dropping it into the trashcan beside the bed.

Then her fingers gripped his cock and gave a soft tug.

“Greedy,” Ryan said.

“Are you complaining?”

“Hell no,” he huffed. “Just give me a minute.” He wrapped himself tight around her, squeezing her hard to his side. “I like holding you,” he murmured into the top of her head. “You fit just right.”

Yeah, she knew.

That was the problem.

Chapter Nine

The next morning Daisy woke up bright, early, and satisfied. She also wasn’t alone. Sometime after their third—or was it fourth—round, they’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms.

She held her breath as she shifted her weight up off Ryan’s leg.

No reaction.

Good. He was still asleep.

She snuck off the bed and into the hotel bathroom to assess the damage. There were abrasions on her cheeks from Ryan’s five o’clock shadow and bruises on her hips from where he’d gripped her tight. A small bite mark was visible on her right collarbone. Her muscles were so damn sore… She hadn’t even known that last position was physically possible.

The bite mark could be hidden under clothing. The abrasions would disappear under makeup.

But there was nothing she could do about the smile on her face or the aching in her heart. For the first time in her life, Daisy wondered what it might be like to be in a real relationship. Coming home to the same man every day didn’t sound so bad, if the man was Ryan. Falling in love—

Her smile faltered.

It was just good sex. Chemistry. Biology.

No one was falling in love.

No one was getting their heart broken.

She needed to get out of there before Ryan woke up. They’d finish out the tournament, she’d catch her bad guy, and then they’d go their separate ways. It wouldn’t be too hard. They were complete opposites. She was a college professor. He was an FBI agent. She was short. He was tall. She lived in Los Angeles. He lived in…she didn’t even know where he lived.

All she needed to do was get through the next three days.

Doable. Totally doable.

She took a quick shower, threw on some makeup, and snuck back into the hotel room.

Ryan’s body was sprawled across the entire king-size bed. He was enormous, and not just his limbs. Daisy blushed as she remembered exactly how large other parts of him were. She opened a drawer and pulled out clean panties, a bra, and a pair of blue jeans. Her hand stilled as she reached for a T-shirt. Why hadn’t she brought anything nicer to the tournament? Why didn’t she own anything pretty or flirty?

Why did she suddenly care about her clothes?

She grabbed the closest T-shirt and went back to the bathroom.

When she was finally dressed, she went downstairs to the tournament room and waited.

It was just a little after eight in the morning. If she were back in Los Angeles, she’d be sitting at her little kitchen table in the oversize T-shirt she wore to sleep in. Her feet would be curled up underneath her chair. Her first hot cup of coffee would be in her hand. She’d read the newspaper, do the crossword, and go over her schedule for the day.

Then it would be time to go to work. Rain or shine. Semester or break. She always tried to spend at least four hours a day in her office at UCLA. She’d write, do some math, and talk with her colleagues. It was good, honest work and it made her happy.

But what would it be like to have something else? Something more?

Someone like Ryan…

“Daisy Adams?” The sound of her name jolted her out of her reverie. A man, tall and thin with gray hair cut a little too close to his head stood in front of her, his hand extended. “My name is Blethins, Edgar Blethins. I recognized you from your book cover. I’m a big fan of yours. I’ve read
Ante Up
six times.”

“Really.” Daisy smiled faintly.

Ante Up
had been adapted from her first PhD thesis. Her publisher had thought it would be a hit with general audiences—people were always looking for a magic bullet for playing poker—but it had failed spectacularly.

No one had read it six times.

People were moving around behind Blethins. She glanced at her watch.
Shit.
She’d been daydreaming for over an hour. It was closing on ten o’clock and players were filtering into the room from every direction. “You like statistical analysis?”

“I’m an accountant,” Blethins said. “I like numbers.”

That was something Daisy could understand. Numbers were neat. They were tidy. They didn’t snore or try to hog the covers. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on the man in front of her instead of the FBI agent upstairs in her bed. “How are you doing in the tournament?”

“Not too bad.” Blethins’s face creased with worry. “I play online poker mostly. This is different.”

Online poker was something Daisy understood. “My screen name’s HEISENBURGER1000.”

“ACES99. I think we’ve played together a few times.” Blethins grinned. “Here I’m just hoping to make the final round. You know? Get a chance at the big pot. I’m sure I can win.” He jammed his hands in his wrinkled pockets. “I just want to get to the final round.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s what everyone wants.” Daisy smiled. “It’s a tournament.”

“Of course.” Blethins chuckled. “Are you going to be at the party tonight?”

What party? Daisy frowned. “You mean the reception? I thought it was just a wine and cheese thing.”

“It’s a little more than that.”

“Oh.” Her frown deepened. “Then I probably won’t attend. I’m not much of a party girl.”

“Understandable.” Blethins sighed. “Let me know if you change your mind. I’d love for you to sign my copy of your book.”

He’d brought it with him? Daisy flushed with pleasure. Apparently he wasn’t just yanking her chain. “Maybe you could grab it at lunch?” she said. “Or you could bring it with you tomorrow—if we’re still in the tournament. I’d love to sign it for you.”

“Daisy…” Ryan’s voice sent a chill down her spine. His tone was cold. When he stepped up beside Blethins, his face was unreadable. “What are you doing?”

“This is Mr. Blethins,” Daisy said, making introductions. “Mr. Blethins, this is my friend Mr. Di—”

“Wilson,” Ryan reached out to shake Blethins hand. “Ryan Wilson. We talked the other day.”

Crud.
She’d almost given away his true identity.

Blethins glanced back and forth between them for a long moment then nodded. “I’ll be seeing you around, Miss Adams.”

Then he walked away and Daisy was stuck staring at an angry FBI agent.

“What was that about?” he demanded.

“He read my book.” Daisy shrugged. “He wanted to know if I was going to the reception tonight.”

“What did you say?” Ryan asked.

“No.” Daisy shuddered at the thought. “I don’t go to parties.”

Ryan’s jaw tightened. “You’re going to this one.”

This was why Daisy didn’t date. “You’re not my boss and you’re not my boyfriend.”

He let out a hiss, clearly displeased by her reaction. “I may not be your boyfriend, but I’m…something. I’m definitely something.”

“No, you’re not.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Last night was fun, but it’s not happening again. I told you, I don’t do relationships.”

“I’m not proposing, sweetheart, not tonight. I’m taking you to a party.”

“How is this so hard for you to understand?” She stood up and tapped him hard in the chest. “It was a one-night stand. I only do one-night stands. One night. Last night. Now it’s over.”

Ryan looked like he’d been hit over the head with a hammer. “You mean, you’ve never been with anyone for more than one night?” His brow furrowed. His gaze flickered. “Who hurt you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve got the look, the body of a freaking Disney princess. Why don’t you want a happily-ever-after?”

“Disney princesses are blond.” Daisy tugged at a midnight lock of hair.

“Snow White,” Ryan countered.

Okay, maybe Snow White had black hair. That didn’t change anything. “I’m not a Disney princess and I’m not looking to get my heart broken. I don’t do relationships.”

“You’re missing out,” Ryan said. Then he sighed. “Come to the party with me tonight. Not as a date, just as a friend.” His gaze tracked across the room to where Blethins was standing near another table. “It’s important.”

“I’ll think about it,” Daisy said.

That seemed to be good enough for Ryan. He turned and stormed across the poker room.

But when coffee and a Danish showed up at Daisy’s table a few minutes later, she didn’t bother asking where they’d come from. The man had sent her breakfast. Again. It was becoming a habit. She tore a corner of buttery pastry off and popped it in her mouth.

If the party was important to Ryan then she’d go. But she still didn’t know what she was going to wear.

On the other hand…she knew just who she could call.