This Love's Not for Sale (7 page)

After several attempts to get the wind chime just right, Tucker
stood back, tilted his head and nodded his approval. He hadn’t seen Lilliana watching him and when he turned, he blushed, something that Lilliana found charming. Tucker didn’t seem like the kind of man that would feel embarrassed about anything.

“I thought it would make a nice house-warming gift.”

“You were right; it’s beautiful. Thank you,” Lilliana gushed, walking over and tip-toeing to touch the glass.

“So are you,” Tucker replied lustfully.

Lilliana looked at him with reservation, unsure how to respond. She was still on her guard with Tucker, unsure of his intentions.

“You don’t expect me to believe you’ve never been
told you’re beautiful before,” Tucker snorted.

“Yes, I have
, but not like that.”

“Like
what
? Sincere?”

“Are you being s
incere?” Lilliana countered, raising her eyebrows at him.

Tucker turned away from her and walked towards the front door, seemingly upset by her question.

“Please don’t question my intentions and motivations, Ms. Norris.”

Lilliana moved past him and into the house. “I’ve learned to question everything
and everyone, Mr. McGrath, and if you have a hidden agenda, it would serve you well to find someone else’s emotions to play with.”

***

The steadfastness in Lilliana’s voice reminded him of his mother and so did the stern look she was giving him. Tucker managed a small, tentative smile in return, remembering her kind spirit but unwavering staunchness. He missed his family and had the sudden urge to visit home. He hadn’t been back to his old stomping grounds in almost five years. He glanced over at the chime guiltily. The gift didn’t come from his heart and a wave of shame washed over him for his deceitful plans.  It wasn’t how he was raised and his parents would be appalled at his actions all in the name of the almighty dollar, especially considering that the land he was standing on had been family owned for almost a century.

When he stepped i
nside the house, a sweet fruity scent filled his nose and it, too, reminded him of home. He closed his eyes and was taken back to when he was a child. He loved living on the farm and the solitude and peace it provided him with. He inhaled deeply once more before pushing all sentimental feelings aside. He didn’t get to where he was by being wishy washy and schmaltzy, and he’d be damned if a stubborn woman from the Midwest was going to bring him to his knees. If anyone was going to be on their knees, it was going to be the tenacious little tease named Lilliana. He wanted that fucking land and he vowed it would be his.

“I’ll take that des
sert to go,” Tucker said brusquely.

Lilliana’s eyes darted towards him as she removed the pan from the
oven, and sparkled with confusion and irritation. “To go?”

“Yes, it’s already late enough and as you mentioned, we both need to be up early for work.”

Lilliana glowered. “This isn’t drive-through service, chucklenuts. You don’t get to show up, bark an order, and then leave. You made me make this damned apple crisp and you’re going to sit down and enjoy it properly.” Lilliana’s voice was velvet-edged, yet strong and unyielding.

Tucker cou
ldn’t help but grin stupidly. “Chucklenuts?”

“You heard me. Now get that fine ass over here and sit down.”

“If you think my ass is so fine, then why won’t you let me plant my lips on you? I’ve been denied twice now, Lilly.
Twice.
I want that mouth and I’m not a man who takes no for an answer without a fight.”

Lilliana quieted for a moment as if pondering Tucker’s statement. “Alright, you can have a kiss, but
only
a kiss. Deal?” Lilliana chewed on the corner of her lip nervously.

So be it. I
f it was to be
only a kiss
, Tucker would make it a kiss she’d never forget. He wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity to finally feel her mouth on his and he moved quickly before Lilliana changed her mind.

He grabbed her hand and
jerked her over to him as he sat in a chair at the table. Tucker pulled Lilliana into his lap and gripped her face forcefully with one hand and fisted her hair with the other, yanking her head back so he had complete access to the wet depths of her mouth. He lunged toward her but then slowed his movements at the last moment, his lips only centimeters away from hers.

“I will see you on your knees, Lilliana
Norris. I promise you, that,” he breathed into her parted mouth.

Lilliana’s cheeks flushed and Tucker knew he had hit a sweet spot with her. Yes, she would be on her knees
and begging for his touch, and the land would be his. He just had to play his cards right and be patient with her.

He moved his mouth over hers, devouring its softness.
Lilliana’s lips parted and she leaned in to meet Tucker’s kiss. He pushed his tongue gently past her lips, taking his time and enjoying their slow mouth fuck. Gliding his tongue over her teeth and the roof of her mouth, she shivered to his touch.  God damn, she tasted good. He pulled back slightly and kissed the corner of her mouth tenderly, only to grip her face more firmly and ravage her mouth completely. His kiss was urgent and exploratory as their tongues twisted and twirled together, the smacking wet sounds filling the kitchen. Lilliana’s hands moved around his shoulders and neck, and she gripped him aggressively and buried her tongue even deeper inside his mouth as she bit and nibbled his bottom lip. Her mouth moved to his cheek and then down to his neck where she sucked viciously.

“Tucker,” she sighed in his ear as she ground her ass down into his rock hard cock.

When her tongue began to make small circles in the shell of his ear, he lost complete control of himself. He stood, picked her up and dropped her onto the table with a loud thud. Pulling her tank top off in one swift motion over her head, he dove into her bare breasts with immediacy. He sucked and plucked at her puckered pink nipples with his teeth and Lilliana fisted his hair, guiding his head up to her mouth.

“A kiss, Tucker.
Only
a kiss,” she mewled.

“I want more,” he groaned into her mouth.

“Please, only a kiss,” she whispered.

Tucker stood and saw the frightened look in her eyes.
Patience, Tucker
, he reminded himself. If he was to win Lilliana over, he must be more patient than he had ever been in his life. Tucker backed away from Lilliana hesitantly, his hard-on pressing uncomfortably tight into his slacks.

“Okay, Lilly. Only a kiss -
for now.
”

Lilliana laid on the table, topless, as they both watched each other, Tucker’s expression unreadable. She wanted to jump up and cover herself, but the way Tucker was staring at her, she didn’t want the moment to end. His eyes moved endlessly over her body, heating her from the inside out. Finally, he offered his hand in assistance and helped Lilliana up and handed her the tank top he had damn near ripped to shreds.  She tried to put it on gracefully while Tucker seated himself and continued to gawk at her. His intense gaze was maddening. Was he going to blink or just continue to stare bug-eyed at her? Lilliana blinked her eyes rapidly in a sympathetic response to his lack of doing so.

Moving to the des
sert, she began to slice into it, thankful for the distance between them when Tucker was upon her again, guiding her hand while she cut into the apple crisp.  His movements were slow and deliberate, his mouth so close to her neck it was only hairbreadths away from her soft flesh. Lilliana couldn’t take his tortuous teasing anymore.

“I want you, Lilly, and I don’t like waiting. It will serve
you
well not to forget that,” he said sternly.

“I don’t think I could forget
it if I tried.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said w
ith a smile that resonated through his manly voice.

Seated at the table,
Lilliana kept her eyes fixated on Tucker’s mouth while he ate. It had only been on her body moments ago, her under-used nipples to be exact, and she wished she hadn’t told him to stop. She wanted more too, but she feared the kind of intimacy that he sought from her. She didn’t yet fully trust him, but it had been a long nineteen lonely months since she had a man’s hands on her body or throbbing cock between her legs.  She enjoyed watching Tucker devour her desert as if he hadn’t had a home-cooked meal in ages while she thought of all the ways she wanted him to take her.

“This is excellent, Lilliana. Really,
it’s just amazing. I haven’t had home-cooking in a very long time,” he said, answering her unspoken question. “So you can cook. What else can you do with those hands?” he winked suggestively.

“I can shuck corn faster than anyone I know,” she replied, immediately wanting to retract her
lame admission when Tucker burst out laughing.

“Fuck! T
hat’s a riot! You are a red-neck!” he bellowed.

She stood and swiftly flicked the back of his neck
. “Who’s the red-neck now?” she pouted, grabbing his unfinished plate along with hers and taking them to the dishwasher.

“Hey,
I’m not done with that!”

“Yes, you are.”

“Oh, boo-hoo. I’m a red-neck, too. I just hide it better. Now give that delightful sustenance back to me,
now,
” Tucker emphasized with a silly smirk on his face.

As
Lilliana placed it back in front of him, Tucker reached around and smacked her ass harshly, the loud slap echoing in the large kitchen. Lilliana dropped the plate down onto the table and looked aghast. She rubbed her bottom and a stupid grin spread over her face and her panties dampened. Tucker paid no attention to her and inhaled the last few bites and then licked his index finger as he slid it around on the plate to get every last crumb. An image of Tucker licking his fingers post foreplay popped into her mind, and she blushed at her sinful thoughts.

“Fucking, delicious,” he mumbled.

Oh, she had something delicious and juicy for him right between her legs. Still stunned that Tucker had actually spanked her, she inwardly rolled her eyes at herself.
Get a grip, Lil
, she reprimanded herself.  Her horniness was starting to cloud her judgment and she damned well knew it.

Watching Tucker practically lick the plate, she found
it cliché, but she had learned early on that the way to a man’s heart really was through his stomach; that and his pants. When she looked at the clock on the microwave, she was horrified to see it was almost midnight. She had to be up in five short hours.

“Yes, I know, i
t’s late. I’ll see myself out,” Tucker declared, standing and heading toward the entrance.

As he opened the door, Lilliana moved next to him
and held the door open for him. He eyed her neck and grinned devilishly. “Have fun trying to explain that.”

Lilliana had no idea what he was talking about and she was too tired to try and figure out his man-code. He fingered her chin just before turning away, tilting her head back.

“You really are beautiful,” he stated dreamily as he kissed the end of her nose, then her lips.

The touch of Tucker’s mouth was a delicious sensation and she craved more, but h
is eyebrows pulled together as if struggling with something and he gently pulled away from her.

“And you really do have a fine ass,” she responded.

“I’m well aware of that,” he said cockily, walking away from her. “Ciao, pet,” he waved from behind.

Lilliana’s heart thudded in her chest to his term of e
ndearment and the memory of his lips pressing against her bosom. She was beginning to think being Tucker’s pet might not be such a bad thing.  Tucker sped away, his back wheels spinning out and kicking up a whirlwind of dust and pebbles. A gust of wind blew past her and the wind chime tinkled tunefully, reminding her that Tucker McGrath had been there. She seated herself on the swing bench and other than the sound of the crickets chirping, only her breathing could be heard. It was serene and the smell of freshly cut grass was enlivening. It brought back fond memories of her childhood when she and her mother would visit Margo and how she would play in the fields under her mom’s watchful eyes. Lilliana hated the thought of having to give up the land that her Auntie had fought so hard to keep and that her ancestors had owned for a century.
But the taxes
… She dreaded the thought. There had to be another way. She prayed there would be another way.

M
orning came too quickly, and she barely had enough time to brush her teeth and hair. Lilliana almost rear-ended an expensive sports car in her mad dash to be on time. As soon as she made it into her office and past the front desk, she heard several giggles.

“Nice going, Lilliana. Is that from
Tucker McGrath
?” she heard from Dana.

“What?” Lilliana asked, puzzled by her remark and the sudden interest in her private life.

Dana motioned toward her neck but Lilliana couldn’t see what Dana was referring to. She made a beeline to the restroom and cranked her head to see a fresh, red bite mark on the nape of her neck. Lilliana gasped and tried to rub it as if it were going to magically disappear like chalk on a blackboard. It was tender and Lilliana winced.
Fucking, Tucker!
How the hell was she going to explain that?  Tucker’s statement came back to her and now she knew to what he was referring. She tried not to smile, but the country-boy grin plastered on his face when she mentioned her corn-shucking skills flashed in her mind. She began to giggle when Dana came into the restroom.

“It was Tucker, wasn’
t it?”

“How…” Lilliana started to ask.

“Jordan saw him waiting on your car yesterday. OMG, Lilliana! Did you sleep with him?” she asked excitedly, gripping Lilliana’s shoulders.

“Good Lord, Dana, I just met the man.
No,
I didn’t sleep with him.”

“
So he was just marking his territory? Where else did he
mark
you?” she laughed, poking Lilliana’s butt.

Lilliana rubbed her bottom thinking about Tucker
’s teeth sinking into her cheek and the smack on her bottom. Now that Dana mentioned it, the idea didn’t sound out of line with the way Tucker got all alpha male on her. Lilliana felt lucky he had simply bit and spanked her as opposed to pissing down her leg.

“He just got a little playful,” Lilliana rebutted. “Now, se
riously, I don’t want to talk about this.”

When lunchtime arrived, Dana came barreling into Lilliana’s small office.

Dana wiggled her eyebrows up and down, “Tucker is here! He’s asking for you, and he has something, too.”

Lilliana tried to hide her excitement, but it was almost impossible. She had been thinking about him off and on all
day, and about that
kiss.
It had been difficult trying to focus on cleanings and cavities when all that kept popping into her mind was Tucker’s suggestive remarks, his low growly voice and hot breath on her neck and body.

She ran her hand through her sho
rt hair and pinched her cheeks for color. She rushed to the lobby but then thought it better to slow her pace so she didn’t appear too desperate. Pausing in the hallway, she watched as Tucker paced the lobby. He had a tin can in his hand and she wondered what kind of gift he had gotten her.  Dana came around the corner so fast, she bumped right into Lilliana.

“What are you waiting for, go get him,” she shrieked as she pushed Lilliana forward and into the lobby.

Dana made such a ruckus, several pairs of eyes zoomed in on her, including Tucker’s. His infectious grin and the sheer brilliance of his naturally perfect teeth made her want to fling herself onto his solid, semi-muscular body and into his arms. When Tucker pushed his hair from his eyes and bit his bottom lip, it was all Lilliana could do not cream her scrubs.
Maintain your composure
, she reminded herself, unsure if she could do such a simple thing.

She closed her eyes and pulled herself together.

“Hey Lilly, it’s good to see you again. I was hoping we could grab a quick lunch. Are you available?” he asked as his eyes examined her body.

“I think so…”

“Yes, she’s
available
,” Dana said with a giggle.

Lilliana shot her a shut-the-fuck-up look and Dana slunk away like a puppy with its tail between its legs. “I was just trying to help,” she
muttered.

Tucker did the most polite thing and grabbed her hand as he led her out into the parking lot.  The warmth of his
brawny hand was a welcome sweet gesture. Perhaps romance wasn’t dead after all and maybe she had been all wrong about Tucker. Maybe he really was a good guy.

At his car, he opened the
door for her and helped her in. She had never been treated so lady-like. Adam certainly was never this polite or chivalrous. She watched Tucker move around the front of the car, his eyes never leaving hers. After he climbed into the driver’s seat, he leaned over and buckled her in and paused with his mouth right next to her ear.

“I’ve been thinking about you all
day, pet, and those amazing lips and tits. I see I left my calling card on you,” he breathed, reaching his hand around and touching the tender love nibble on the back of her neck. He gripped her tightly and pulled her into his mouth, his tongue slipping past her lips. She moaned from the pain and Tucker inhaled, sucking the breath from her as she sunk her teeth into his long, thick tongue.

He tasted so good
Lilliana didn’t want him to stop and she would’ve been content to spend her whole lunch break sucking face with the gorgeous man known as Tucker McGrath hovering over her, his hands all over her body. 

Ending their slow, deep kiss, Tucker
replied, “I couldn’t sleep so I made something for you.”

He sat back and handed her a
tin container with a Christmas scene on the front. She opened it to find homemade biscuits. She laughed a little not understanding its meaning, but still touched by his gesture.

***

“They’re my mother’s recipe,” Tucker lied.

When he saw the genuine
elation on Lilliana’s bright and eager face, he looked forward and out the window, unable to make eye contact with her. It was too easy to get lost in the way she looked at him and he swallowed hard. That feeling of guilt was burgeoning in his belly again. The fluffy biscuits were no more his mother’s recipe than a frozen Hungry-Man dinner. He had stopped off at a 24-hour food mart the previous night before and bought some instant dough. At the time, he was tickled with himself for thinking so quickly on his feet, but now… now he just felt like shit when he saw Lilliana bite into one of them and how happy she was.

“Oh, Tucker, t
hey’re delicious. Thank you. I… ” she trailed off. Lilliana’s eyes roved over her face and rested on his mouth. “I think I had you pegged all wrong.”

Feeling deeply uncomfortable with the look in her eyes,
Tucker reached for his phone and touched the screen. “I received a text message about something important. I have to leave,” he said clipped. Feeling like a complete asshole, he just wanted to get the fuck away from Lilliana. 

Confusion settled on Lilliana’s face
. “I didn’t even hear it buzz.”

“I have it on vibrate,” Tucker lied again.

“Okay,” she answered sadly, opening the vehicle door, obviously disappointed.

“No, wait. Fuck work. Let’s do lunch.”

Tucker couldn’t make up his mind. He wanted Lilliana’s acreage so badly he pushed his guilt to the very back of his subconscious and pressed forward with his plan.