When Annie gave him a smug grin, he erased it with his mouth, searing her lips in a desperate kiss.
She was almost unable to breathe for the force of it. After a moment, she pulled away to catch her breath and watched the passionate fire blaze in his dark eyes. He didn’t just want her. He wanted to possess her, consume her. Even after everything that had happened between them.
The weight of his desire was like an anvil pushing against her chest. Turning quickly in his arms, she pressed her bare back against him. In that moment, she needed to escape his intensity. It was almost frightening how much he wanted her. But even more so was how badly she wanted him. How much she craved not only the release, but the comfort and protection of being in his arms.
She’d always felt confined when she was held. It was never a comforting feeling for her but one that made her struggle for air. Nate’s embrace had become like no other before. It was a safe haven from the world. It was...home.
Annie expected the panic to start welling in her chest, but it didn’t. Which was even more disconcerting. She took a deep breath and eased back to let his firm arousal nestle against her rear. A quick sway of her hips brought a low hiss to her ear and was an easy distraction from her thoughts.
Nate’s arms wrapped around her waist, tugging her back to sit in his lap as he plunged down into the spa. The buoyancy of the water made it easy for Annie to rise up and take all of him in with one quick thrust.
He groaned against her shoulder, holding her tight and still against him. After a moment, his hands glided across her skin to encircle her rib cage. They drifted higher until he cupped one breast in each palm. Annie’s nipples ached, tightening against his fingertips as they brushed across the hardened peaks.
Annie leaned back against his chest, straddling his muscled thighs. Nate rested his chin on her shoulder and moved slowly beneath her. It was an easy, rolling motion. Neither too quick nor too slow, but building.
He played her like an instrument. It wasn’t long before every muscle in Annie’s aching body was tensed and primed for release. But even as Annie raced to her climax with Nate quick on her heels, she could feel the last of her barriers coming down. The last thread that held her back snapped when she no longer had the desire to hold it tight.
Annie didn’t just desire Nate. She didn’t just care about him or find comfort in him. She was in love with him. And it scared the living daylights out of her.
Nine
Annie’s game ended late the next afternoon when she broke her table and there wasn’t enough time to bother regrouping. That done, she had some free time to kill. It was too early for dinner, too late to get involved in anything else. Nate was probably prowling around the tables, trying to keep his distance and not distract her. Gabe would want her to talk to some people and try to dig up some more information. For that very reason, she opted to do the opposite and watch a couple of games still in progress.
Annie was surprised to find Tessa playing at a table three down from her own. She honestly hadn’t expected her to still be in the tournament. There were five players at the table, including her sister. A quick glance showed that two didn’t have long left to play. Their chips were quite low, especially in comparison to Tessa and another player, Paul Stein.
The crowd applauded as Tessa won the hand. Annie bit her lip, watching her sister scoop the chips and restack them in front of her. She was doing extremely well, even against a former champion like Paul. That alone should’ve been her clue to turn and walk away. But she didn’t.
A few hands went by without much fanfare. Tessa and Paul went back and forth taking the pot until one of the other players went out. Then Annie noticed something odd. Tessa was fidgeting.
One of the first things Annie had taught her sister was not to fidget at the poker table. But she watched as her sister looked at her cards and started twisting a ring on her finger. One of the other players across the table folded his hand despite having quite a bit of money in the pot. Paul and the other player were both oblivious and focused on their game.
Fidgeting was not uncommon at the poker table because they sat for so long. But even then, something about Tessa’s movements seemed odd and deliberate. In the next hand, Tessa absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair around her finger. Only Annie would know it was something Tessa didn’t usually do. The other man raised, driving up the pot, then lost moments later, giving her sister a big boost in chips.