Page 61 of Princess of Thieves

He trails off, his eyes drifting to me.

And the want in them is unmistakable, virgin or no.

“I don’t really want to,” I interrupt gently. “Call it a night yet, that is. If that’s okay.”

Tuck nods.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want,” I go on. “But maybe we can just...try some things.”

With that, I throw my arms around his neck—a simple, grounding hug. And God bless him, but his hearts pounding a thousand beats a minute.

“Yeah,” he murmurs into my hair. “Okay.”

It’s an easy hug, an affectionate one at most. But his hands still tighten around my lower back, with an unmistakable force to them.

He wants me. And I can’t deny that alone turns me on—the sincerity of it, the clear desire to make it worth my while.

But I also kind of want to...prove a point, I realize, my pulse beating hard in my neck.

Is that crazy?I wonder.Petty? Sick?

Whatever.

“You know, Tuck,” I say slowly, pulling back just a few inches. “You were my first, in a big way.”

“Oh yeah?” Tuck says, his voice cracking just a little.

“Mm.” I nod. “First person to make me, ah...” I tip my head to the side. “Finish. Who wasn’t me,” I clarify.

Tuck has to fight back a smile. “Really?”

“Really,” I say. “You know how much I’ve thought about what you can do with that mouth?”

I brush a finger over his lips for good measure, watching as they spread in a smile.

“I’m...glad to hear it,” he says. His grip on my waist gets firmer, more urgent.

“I’m just saying,” I go on. “If you can manage even half of what you did for me that night...” I trail off, looking up towards the ceiling, wondering. “This house isn’tthisbig, is it?”

Confusion flickers over his features. “What?” He looks up, narrowing his eyes, like he doesn’t see what I’m seeing. “No, not terribly.”

“You can hear what’s going on down here upstairs, I’m sure.”

Tuck lowers his gaze down to meet mine again, realization dawning. He smiles, a smaller, hungrier smile this time. “Probably,” he says.

I nod. “Good.” I press myself into him. “Because I think, Tuck, that you’re probably a quick fucking study. And I suspect you can get the hang of this very easily.” I look up at him. “Wanna give it a try?”

He bobs his head up and down. “Yes.”

I grin. “Good.”

I move to pull him towards me, but Tuck beats me too it. With surprising force, he crushes my mouth to his, probing, then taking, his hands sure and strong against my back even as I feel a slight tremor in his fingers. I kiss him back, hungrily, my jeans already too tight and too restricting for what I want from him.

I break us apart, glance over my shoulder. “Table.”

Tuck’s eyes widen. “Really?”

My patience flickers. “Now.”

---