Tucker (The Family Simon) by Juliana Stone Page A

lie.” He rested his forehead on hers. “I want you. I want you in my bed.”
    He was hot. On fire.
    “But I don’t want to fuck our friendship up because you’re important to me.”
    Her hand was slowly creeping up his body until her nails dug into his shoulders. “Then this is going to get complicated,” she murmured.
    “Yeah,” he managed to say when her lips grazed the skin beneath his earlobe.
    Fear shot through him, and he moved so that he could see her again. “Abby, I don’t…I don’t think…” he took a step back and welcomed the cool air that ran across his skin. Tucker took a moment, eyes never leaving Abby. “I don’t know that I can be…or…” Christ he wasn’t making any kind of sense.
    But Abby placed her fingers on his mouth. “Why don’t we stop analyzing and over-thinking.” She wrinkled her nose. “We always overthink you know? It’s like the fail-safe for human nature. I don’t want to overthink anymore. There’s something here, Tucker. I’m not imagining it and neither are you, and whatever this is could be amazing. Why don’t we just see where it goes?”
    She glanced down at the evidence of his arousal, and the soft smile that lingered around her mouth was enough to drive him over the edge.
    “I thought you weren’t going to sleep with me.”
    Her head whipped up. “Excuse me?”
    “That’s what you told your roommate.”
    Abby smoothed her hair into place and took another step back until her hand was on the doorknob. “Well, that’s the thing about women, Tucker. It’s our prerogative to change our mind.”
    If he could have taken her right there and then, he would have. Instead, Tucker reached down for the some sort of control and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his dress pants.
    He nailed her with a look that was unmistakable.
    “Good to know,” he said dangerously, his hand sliding over hers until he opened the door. “Because we’re leaving this reception early.”
    He pushed her out into the hall. Bent toward her and licked up the side of her neck. “And then I’m going to take you back to our room and we’re going to get naked.”
    He heard her breath catch and grinned.
    “I’m going to kiss and lick every inch of your body, Miss Mathews.”
    She started down the stairs, hand shaking as it clung to the railing. “Really, Mr. Simon?” she murmured.
    “Really,” he answered, heart beating slow and steady. Just before Abby reached the door leading back into the reception, his hand slid over hers, electricity zipping along his forearm. “And then you’re going to have the best sex of your life.”
    She paused at that, and he could visualize the smile on her face. “That’s a pretty arrogant statement.”
    “No, that’s where you’re wrong, darlin’.” He opened the door, his hot gaze on her face as he waited for her to pass by. “That’s not a statement. That’s a promise.”

Chapter Twelve
     
    Abby stayed away from the champagne. She didn’t have one sip of wine. Didn’t touch any of the beer, imported or otherwise. And she sure as hell didn’t touch any of the hard liquor.
    And yet she felt as if every single cell in her body was buzzing. It was as if her equilibrium was off, and like a drunk, she was weaving through the sea of guests, trying to keep her feet planted firmly so that her ass wouldn’t end up on the cool, tiled floor.
    Because she sure as heck was drunk.
    She was drunk and high on something and that something had a name. Tucker Simon.
    That’s not a statement, darling. That’s a promise.
    A groan escaped her and she tried to smile at Aunt Virginia as the older woman threaded her arm through Abby’s and led her into a dark corner.
    “Are you all right, dear? You look a bit peaked.”
    Abby didn’t have to glance up to know that Tucker’s dark gaze was on her. They’d been back at the reception for nearly two hours, though almost as soon as they’d entered the large room, he’d been spirited away by