Chapter
Four
The Winkin
’
Point Bar was crowded and smelled of warm beer.
Jessica followed Bridgette over to the gleaming bar
and ordered a glass of white wine, but her friend cancelled her order and shook her head in disgust
.
“
You
’
re in Texas
, sweetie.
Take a little w
alk on the wild side
.
”
She was already walking on the wild side. Her sleeveless
,
silver halter top showed off lots of cleavage, and her snug jeans hugged
every inch of
her ass.
The outfit
was much sexier than she
’
d normally wear, bu
t she hoped Deke liked it
.
In less than a minute she had a Jack Daniels on the rocks in her hand
and eyed it dubiously
.
“
How many shots are in there?
”
“
What
’
s it matter? You
’
re not driving.
”
What the hell.
She sipped at it and tried not to grimace,
but
after a few swallows
,
the liquor warmed her stomach and spread out through her veins. Where was Deke? She hadn
’
t seen him come in yet.
After three more songs,
Bridgette tossed
the rest of her drink
back and set it down on the bar
with a smile
.
“
I
’
m going dancing. Wanna come?
”
“
No, I—
”
Deacon stepped inside
the bar
,
and
his gaze unerringly
found
hers. A primitive shiver rippled up her spine
as she
held his stare and
answered her friend
.
“
No, you go ahead.
”
Bridgette followed her gaze and turned back to her with a cat-like smile.
“
Atta girl.
”
She thumped Jessie
’
s shoulder.
“
Go get him.
”
She stayed on her stool as the bride-to-be sauntered onto the floo
r and found herself a partner. E
very sense
was
attuned to Deacon as he
prowled
through the room toward her
, his confident gait
and presence
drawing appreciative looks from the women he passed
.
He didn
’
t seem to notice any of them, his eyes
locked
on her.
Her fingers tightened around the cool glass.
The wild side, Bridgette had said. Deke was the furthest thing from tame.
And the way he
was looking
at her with all that latent heat in his gaze
…
He took the stool next to her
and eyed her drink.
Taking it from her, he took a sniff.
“
Whiskey? That
’
s pretty strong stuff for a city girl like you.
”
She gave him a slow smile
, the liquor already
doing its thing
in her veins
, and pulled in a breath of his delicious scent
.
“
I
’
m on vacation.
”
And feeling more daring by the minute
.
Setting her drink on the bar,
Deke grinned and ordered himself a beer b
efore turning back to her.
“
So how come you
’
re sitting
over
here all by yourself?
Y
ou don
’
t like dancing?
”
“
I
’
ve never danced like that,
”
she said, nodding toward the couples moving around the floor
.
“
What, two-step
ping
?
”
She nodded.
“
Do you know how?
”
He looked insulted.
“
Sugar, I was born and raised here.
”
He took a
swig
of
his beer and regarded her with those
sexy blue eyes
.
“
Would you teach me?
”
Something flickered in his eyes
for a moment, but it was gone too quickly for her to decide what it was
.
“
If you want.
”
Oh, she wanted. Far more than was good for her.
And he wanted her
,
too.
But he didn
’
t seem thrilled about the idea of dancing with her.
She took another swallow of her whiskey. Hardly burned at all now.
“
It
’
s all right if you don
’
t want to. I
’
ll just
ask someone else to
—
”
Deke set down his beer and grabbed her hand, pulling her from her stool.
“
Come on, tenderfoot.
”
She felt almost dizzy as he led her out onto the floor. Then he turned to face her and slid an arm around her waist as he raised their joined hands
and gave
her a gorgeous smile. Her
stomach did a flip-flop. S
he set her f
ree hand on his hard shoulder
,
molding
it to the muscled contour
. Every cell in her body feasted
on the sensory input of being held in his confident grip.
Her heart sped up
,
and her nipples tightened
. A
warm glow start
ed
between her legs.
“
Ready?
”
His voice carried over the music.
More than.
She nodded and forced her muscles to relax
as he led her slowly for the first few steps. He guided her with sure, firm
directions from
his hand and arm
, the front of his thighs brushing against hers as he moved
them
to the music.
Staring up into his deep blue eyes, she lost sight of everything but him. The music seemed to
dim
,
and the other couples faded into the background. The sexual power radiating from
Deke
made her mouth go dry. She knew
exactly
what kind of lover he
’
d be.
Experienced.
Dominant. Thorough.
T
he knowledge
was enough to make her moan aloud.
She
’
d never wanted a man
this
much. Did she have the guts to go after him
?
The tantalizing thought took root in her brain while she held his gaze
.
Her whole life she
’
d been independent and practical. Responsible. One night with a near stranger wouldn
’
t undo all of that.
She deserved some enjoyment, and she was positive Deke would give her that and more.
All the other girls except Bridgette had hooked up with one of the guys already. What was so wrong about her doing the same?
“
You keep eating me up with those eyes and I
’
ll forget my manners.
”
She stilled for a moment, losing her footing, and would have stumbled if he hadn
’
t caught her full length against his body. The unmistakable
hard
ridge of his erection pressed against her belly. Her sex swelled and dampened in response
.
Holding
her still
as other couples
swirled
past them
,
Deke
watch
ed
her intently.
Then he
bent his head
until
he was an inch away from her mouth and
his warm breath brushed her lips.
“
Careful what you wish for, sugar. You might bite off more than you can chew.
”
She didn
’
t care
. She wanted to feel the explosive heat she sensed beneath that controlled exterior. Her lashes fluttered down as she lifted her face toward him. The brush of his lips
over hers
sent a bolt of heat into her belly, but then he pulled away. Confused, shaken, she stared up at him.
“
Bad idea,
”
he muttered and
spun around to tow
her back toward the bar.
A wave of embarrassment washed over her as she
followed, staring
at his broad back. She tugged against his hand
, but he didn
’
t let go. He pulled her up to the bar and sat her on the stool she
’
d left. His eyes glittered with arousal and frustration
.
She tried to slide off the stool to put some distance between them, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“
Let me go,
”
she snapped.
“
We need to talk.
”
“
No
,
we don
’
t.
”
He
raised her chin up with one finger and
fixed
her with a hard stare.
“
Yeah,
we do.
”
Releasing her, h
e snatched up his beer and tipped his head back on a long swallow. When he looked at her again,
she could see the battle raging in his eyes.
“
I like you
,
Jess
,
but t
his isn
’
t going to work
so y
ou need to stay away from me.
”
More than the warning, t
he intensity of his deep blue gaze made the breath snag in her throat.
She
’
d sensed this sharp edge to him, but couldn
’
t figure out why it was there.
“
Why?
”
He gave a
humorless
laugh.
“
Trust me, I
’
m not your type.
”
Her type?
He sure as hell was.
She
tossed her hair back, unsure
whether to be insulted or not.
“
What
’
s my type?
”
“
V
anilla.
”
He thought she was a prude
, she realized as s
he stared at him.
“
You don
’
t know that
, because you
barely
know me
.
”
“
I know enough
.
”
She folded her arms across her chest, emboldened at the way his eyes fastened on her breasts beneath her halter-top.
“
W
hy should I stay away from you
?
”
In answer
,
he set down his beer and
moved
in close, caging her between
him
and the bar as he set his hands on either side of her. His
gaze
raked over her face, down to the cleavage exposed by her filmy blouse before
coming back to
her eyes
and holding there
.
The naked lust raging in
his eyes made her mouth go dry as h
e bent his head until his lips hovered inches from hers.
“
Because I like control.
”
Her nipples instantly tightened inside the lace cups of her bra
,
and her belly curled in the most delicious way.
He
’
d just
taken
her hottest fantasy
right out of her head and voiced it for her
.
She swallowed
, the
sudden
rush of sexual hunger making her light-headed
.
“
Oh
…”
Oh, God
…
****
Holy hell
.
Deke stared into her wide eyes and couldn
’
t look away. He could barely breathe
.
He
’
d expected
to see
shock. He
’
d even expected annoyance
.
Anything but
the sudden flare of
sexual
need
in her whiskey-colored eyes. The stark
craving
he saw there punched him square in the gut
, so hard it made him dizzy
.
Staring up at him with those amazing eyes, Jessica moistened her lips. He watched the glide of her pink tongue over her lips with predatory interest. She hadn
’
t moved. Hadn
’
t
so much
as
leaned away
to put some space between them
after his
blatant
declaration
. No, s
he was compl
etely still, gazing up at him. As
though
w
aiting
for him to do something
.
Well
,
well.
Wasn
’
t
that
interesting.
He slid his gaze down to the lush curves of her breasts displayed so prettily for his view by her sexy blouse. Her hardened nipples poked through
her
thin
bra, denting
the material. His cock lengthened instantly. Suppressing a growl, he dragged his
gaze
back to her
s and met her
hungry
stare
. But there was
vulnerability there along with the heat. She was
way too inexperienced to realize wh
at that combination did to someone like him
.
Fuck.
Sugar
, don
’
t look at me like that.
She swallowed again, the convulsive movement of her lovely throat
broadcasting
her
anxiety
. Yet
,
she still wasn
’
t backing away.
“
In
…
bed?
”
F
ighting a
predatory
grin
, he nodded
.
Damn she was a
gorgeous
little thing. The curious light in her eyes was killing him.
She searched his eyes
, a hint of
nervousness
creeping in
to her expression
.
“
What
…
what sort of control?
”
The words were barely a whisper, but they slid over him like a
lover
’
s
caress. He
stepped
in closer
until his body brushed hers
,
breathing in her scent and
letting her feel the bulge of his erection against her abdomen
as he pressed her lower back against the bar
.
Trapping her. He dropped his voice to a murmur.
“
Total
control
.
”
In answer, h
er full
lips parted slightly
,
and her
eyes darkened, the pupils dilating until they practically swallowed the golden irises
.
His body tightened with the need to pin her, dominate her right here and now. He wanted to. Christ, he
’
d love nothing more than to
take her into the back room, tie her to the bed
,
and suck at her nipples and pussy until she begged for release.
To m
ake her feel more than she
’
d ever felt before.
Tamping down that primitive side of him, he focused on the
lingering
uncertainty he sensed in her.
“
Jessica.
”
She blinked, as if
he
’
d hypnotized her and she was
coming out of a trance.
“
What?
”
“
Do you understand what I
’
m telling you?
”
“
Y-yes.
”
He stayed absolutely still.
“
But y
ou
’
re not pushing me away.
”
The tantalizing
knowledge
kept his attention riveted on her face
and
made his body burn
.
He
’
d have given anything to know what was going on in her head.
She shook her head
, her expression almost mesmerized
, loose curls tumbling over her creamy shoulders.
Her gaze dipped to his mouth
in blatant invitation
.
The conflicted expression on her face made the beast inside him howl. She knew she
should run, yet she wanted him anyway
.
He
lowered his
head
until only a
breath of air
separated their lips. The primal side of him roared
to life
at her quick inhalation
, the tremor of anticipation that ran through her
.
He reached
up
to
toy with a curl that had fallen over her forehead.
“
You
like the thought of giving
me that kind of control
?
”
She kept staring at him.
“
Answer me.
”
A pretty blush rose up her neck and face, but she held his gaze.
“
Yes.
”
The
brave
whisper unlocked his corded muscles.
Her stark honesty undid him
.
As he watched, a
tiny frown creased her forehead.
“
But
…”
“
But what?
”
He could barely get the words out.
Her eyes searched his
.
“
You wouldn
’
t
…
hurt me.
”
He imagined the thoughts running through that pretty head. No doubt she wondered whether he got off on tying his partners up and whipping them raw. He swa
llowed
a laugh.
“
No. But I
’
ll
push your
boundaries
.
”
It was how he was wired.
Her sigh of relief tightened something inside him.
The interest and
growing
need
in her eyes sparked s
omething
far more
primal and
possessive
.
Without warning, t
he dark hunger he
’
d held at bay swept over him in a powerful wave, making him light-headed with the need to
take
her.
Testing her resolve, he
closed
his hands around her
slender
wrists and held them to the bar top as he
bent
to taste the skin beneath her
right
ear. Her swift intake of breath made his cock surge
.
He kissed the fragile pulse point, savoring the frantic beat of her blood beneath his lips for a moment before nipping gently. She jerked in his hold and made a little sound of arousal when he soothed the
tiny
sting away with his tongue.
A tremor rolled through her body
, goose bumps breaking out across her smooth skin
.
Then slowly she let her head tip back a few inches, offering her throat
.
The
subconscious
surrender
in the movement
made his heart pound.
He hoped the hell she understood what she was signing up for
, because he was more than ready to deliver
.
He could feel the tension gripping her body as he held her there, trailing
feather-
light
kisses across her jaw to the corner of his mouth. Keeping her hands in place to
introduce her to the
sensation of being restrained, he hovered a breath away from her tempting lips.
And waited.
A moment later
,
she closed her eyes and turned her head to kiss him. A
slow
mingling
of lips
and tongue
, as addictive as a drug
.
She softened, yielded.
Her timid, yet sensual response went to his head like a fifth of whiskey. Before he could take things further, he pulled back. When she opened her eyes and gazed up at him in
silent
question, he released her wrists and stepped away.
“
Let
’
s go
,
”
he said in a rough voice.
She straightened slowly, watching him with equal parts arousal and
indecision
. Deke held out his hand and waited. Her gaze
slid
down to his palm, and he could feel her struggling with herself. She studied his hand, and he knew she was taking in its size, how much stronger it was than hers.
What his control over her would mean during sex.
If she put her hand in his, she was his for the night
.
Meeting his eyes, she
finally
lifted her
hand and sett
led it on his palm
. Her skin was cool and soft,
delicate
compared to his.
Something to be treasured.
He closed his fingers around hers and squeezed, her need and
unspoken trus
t in him easing something in his
chest
.
Oh, sugar.
You
’
re mine.
Without a word
,
he turned and guided her out of the bar.