Full House (The Gamblers Book 3) Read online

  “I asked you a question.” His hands were gripping either side of the door jamb as he leaned slightly forward, seething.

  She ignored his expression, too angry herself to take heed. “I heard. I’m just trying to figure out where to start.” Her grip on the water bottle was so tight, water spewed out the top and over her hand when she twisted off the lid. She didn’t care, continuing to take a long swig.

  “Start by telling me where the fuck you’ve been.”

  Jeez, that again? He was like a broken record. She turned her back to him, putting the bottle down on the counter and picking up a tea towel to dry her hand. “Should I start with your missing phones calls? Or maybe the party and the pretty blonde that was hanging all over you and whom you left your fancy party with?”

  She knew she sounded flippant and sarcastic, but it was the only way to combat the sudden tears that simmered too close to the surface for her liking. The last thing she wanted was for him to see how upset she was—how much pain she was in. The total destruction this conversation was having on her.

  She felt him approach before she saw his hand land on the counter beside her own. “We both need to calm down and talk this over rationally.”

  She noticed his words weren’t an instant denial, and her head sagged, feeling suddenly too heavy to be supported by her neck. She lost the battle with her tears, drops falling down her cheeks to end with a splash to the back of her hand and the countertop.

  “Hey, why are you crying?” His tone was now gentle and when he took her by the chin to force her head up to look at him, she saw all anger gone from his gaze, replaced with concern.

  “You didn’t deny it.”

  “What?”

  “The pretty blonde,” she stressed. “You didn’t deny leaving with her.”

  “Where is this coming from? Don’t you trust me?”

  “I don’t know, should I? And it hasn’t slipped my notice that you still haven’t answered my question.”

  “Yes, you should. I’m insulted you’re doubting me.”

  He did look disgusted. Not angry but definitely pissed.

  He didn’t give her a chance to respond before he continued, dropping her chin and taking a step back to lean against the counter with his arms folded across his chest. “Which accusation would you like me to address first? The missing phone calls or the pretty blonde?”

  Okay, so maybe he was angry. She swiped her face and sniffed before mimicking his stance, leaning her hip on the counter and crossing her arms over her chest. “Let’s start with the phone calls and work our way up to the good stuff.”

  “Sweetheart, now’s not the best time to be a smartass.”

  Was there another definition for endearment? Because the context he used sweetheart in, it definitely wouldn’t qualify. She pressed her lips together, refusing to give him more ammo.

  “The airport lost my luggage and with it, my phone. I called you from the hotel and did leave a message, but I get the feeling you didn’t receive it.”

  Victoria felt her shoulders sag. That must have been the unknown number with the garbled message.

  “Why didn’t you call April? She would have told you what happened.”

  Oh, shit. Things were starting to click into place. She knew April didn’t like her, but would she really be that devious? Apparently, the answer was, yes. “I did. She didn’t mention anything about your lost phone. In fact, it was she who, so very helpfully, sent me the link to the pictures of you leaving the party with the blonde.”

  “Victoria, I didn’t leave with her. I escorted her out and put her in a taxi.”

  She recalled his grip had been on the woman’s upper arm and not the low of her back as if he’d been hauling and not leading her out. Yeah, she was starting to see the real truth. If April purposefully didn’t mention the lost phone, it wasn’t a stretch to see why she’d point her in the direction of misleading photos. Tipping her head down—she wouldn’t say in shame but feeling something close to it—she mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

  She felt Nate’s strong arms wrap around her, pulling her into his chest, his lips finding the top of her head. “There’s no need to be sorry.”

  “Yes, there is. I overreacted. I, of all people, should know better than to believe a tabloid story. I blame it on the stupid raging hormones. They’ve got my emotions all over the place.” She stiffened in his arms, realizing what she’d said. Hopefully, he wouldn’t pick up on her words or her reaction to them.

  Yeah, no such luck.

  ≈≈≈

  Nate felt Victoria stiffen and he replayed her last words through his head. Raging hormones. He was no expert, but from what he remembered, women only said that when either A) they had their period or B) they were pregnant.

  He pulled her gently away from his chest and looked down at her tear streaked face. Her eyes were red, a little puffy, and as wide as saucers. “Are you on your period?”

  But he already knew what the answer would be. Quickly calculating back, it had been months since she’d last had it. The slow shake of her head confirmed what he’d already deduced. “So…” he paused, trying to wrap his brain around the news.

  He felt her hands fist the open front of his shirt. “I was going to tell you, promise. I was waiting until you got back from your trip.”

  His mind still a whirl, he muttered, “How long have you known?”

  He watched as her tongue came out, moistening her lips. “Only about a week. I wanted to go to the doctor and confirm it before I said anything.”

  “And you went?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, a few days ago. I’m thirteen weeks along.”

  The fog started to clear as the news fully sank in. He was going to be a father. His heart started beating at a quick tempo, excitement mixed with fear, causing his adrenaline to spike.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know how it happened. I’ve been taking my pills regularly, and I don’t think I missed any—”

  “Shut up.” He backed her into the corner of the counter, pressing himself into her.

  “What?”

  “I said,” he grasped her jaw, tilting her head back, “Shut up, so I can kiss you.”

  His lips found hers, and he wasn’t gentle. His tongue slid past her lips, deepening the kiss so he could taste her. It had been too long. Three days without a Victoria fix. He hadn’t realized he’d been in withdrawal.

  His dick, already hard, turned to steel the moment their tongues touched, and he knew she felt it too—their electrical connection—from the purr that thrummed from her throat and the fingers she dug into his hips. He leisurely ended the kiss, sucking on her bottom lip before letting it slowly slide through his lips with a pop.

  Her eyes were dazed, her lips swollen and looking entirely too enticing when she said, “You’re not mad? I know we’ve never talked about this possibility. Hell, we’ve never even talked about what we are or if we’re even anything.”

  “Victoria, shut up.”

  “Would you stop telling me to shut up.”

  “Then stop talking nonsense.”

  “Defining our relationship, or lack thereof, is not nonsense and something we should have discussed long before now.”

  He placed his forehead against hers, rolling it back and forth while his shoulders shook as he tried to contain his mirth over the ridiculousness of the situation. “You drive me batty, woman. Do you know that?”

  “Me?” She pushed at his shoulders, and he let her have some space—not a lot, but some.

  “Yes, you. Now, I’m going to say this slowly and simply so there’s no misunderstanding. I love you.”

  She blinked. Her mouth opened then closed. Then she blinked again. She swallowed.

  His shoulders started shaking again, trying to control his laughter.

  “Are you laughing?”

  He lost it. His barely contained laughter spilling from his lips.

  Her lips pressed together, and she frowned. “Was that a joke?”

 
That sobered him up. “Fuck no. Trust me, sweetheart, that’s not something I would joke about.”

  “Then why are you laughing?”

  He captured her face in his hands. “You’re too fucking adorable.”

  Her eyes slanted, giving him a dirty look. “I was going to say it back, but now, not only don’t I love you, I don’t think I even like you.”

  And with that, he lost it again. He buried his face in her neck, chuckling. Each breath in was filled with her scent. He’d missed it. Missed her. He pressed his face deeper into her neck, opening his mouth to taste her, sucking her flesh into his mouth. She tasted even better than she smelled. His cock grew impossibly hard, throbbing in his pants, and he knew he couldn’t wait another second to have her.

  Backing from the counter, pulling Victoria with him, he swooped her up and made his way toward the stairs.

  “What are you doing?” Her arms had automatically found his neck and latched on.

  “I’ve missed you.” His mouth found her neck again, and he navigated the steps by feel rather than sight.

  “I’ve missed you too, but don’t you think we need to talk?”

  “After. Right now, I need to be inside you. Surrounded by you. I need to cover you in my scent. Mark you as mine.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Victoria’s mind whirled. All the crazy thoughts over the past forty-eight hours flew from her head. He’d said he loved her, and she believed him. It had been difficult to doubt him in the first place, but his actions and words only cemented her faith.

  He set her carefully on the center of the bed then his fingers grazed her cheek and down the column of her throat. He stopped at the buttons of her blouse and with dexterous efficiency flicked them open one by one before parting the edges. Lowering his head, he nuzzled her chest.

  “I’ve missed you. I don’t ever want to be away from you again.” His tongue came out, tracing a path along the lacy edge of her bra.

  What he’d said was nearly impossible unless one of them gave up their career. Filming locations took place all over the world. She wasn’t naïve enough to think they could maintain their careers in one central location. Something else they would need to talk about. The list seemed to be growing quite long.

  His hands moved to span her waist, his thumbs rubbing circles on either side of her belly button. Her abdomen muscles fluttered at the light contact, but he didn’t stop, instead, inching his head down, so it hovered directly over her stomach.

  He placed light kisses around her navel before lapping it with his tongue. She surged her hips, pleading with him silently, but it seemed he wasn’t in the mood to be rushed.

  “I still can’t believe my baby’s in there.”

  Ah, she now understood the care he was taking. She would need to nudge him along. Thrusting her hips, again, to stress her demand, she said, “You can’t hurt it.”

  Looking up, he removed his hands from her waist and placed them on the bed on either side of her head, bracing himself over her. He did a little dip, push-up style, his knees bracketing her hips until his face hovered mere inches from hers. “I know.” He kissed the tip of her nose, swiped his tongue along the seam of her lips. “But I won’t be rushed. I’m going to worship every part of your body, and you’re going to let me.”

  Her hands came up, clutching at his biceps. “That will be torture.”

  His lips twisted into a smirk. “Don’t worry, baby, you’ll get your fuck later. But right now, I want to make love to you.” He lapped at her lips again, but even though she parted hers, he didn’t kiss her. Instead, he trailed a line of kisses along her jaw to her ear. “Now I need to start all over.”

  Oh God, she wouldn’t survive that. Thinking fast, she knocked his arm out from under him, hitting the inside of his elbow. Taking him by surprise, she managed to roll him to his back and straddle his hips in one fluid motion.

  With her hands now on either side of his head, she leaned over him to whisper, “You were saying?”

  He gave her a sly grin. They both knew he could easily gain the upper hand again, but instead, he threw his arms out to the side, and said, “Have at it.”

  She decided to start where he did—at his neck—slowly making her way down his chest between the open folds of his shirt. She paused at the start of his six-pack before licking over each ridge, meeting the muscles that formed his sexy V. She concentrated on that spot, tracing it with her tongue until she was hampered by the waistband of his slacks.

  “You seem to have hit a dead end.”

  She looked up. Nate had his hands stacked behind his head, staring down at her with a look of pure male arrogance. She raised her brows. “Not a dead end, only a small speed bump.” Then reaching between his legs, she cupped his balls, giving them a light squeeze.

  His hips jerked, and she smiled to herself. Yeah, that knocked the arrogant smirk from his face.

  His hands flew to the button on his slacks. “I want your mouth, now.”

  She wasn’t going to argue. Helping him slide his pants down his legs, he kicked them off and she settled between his thighs.

  He already had his cock in his fist, and she watched as his stomach muscles flexed when he did a mini ab curl, reaching his other hand to the back of her head and tangling his fingers in her hair.

  He guided her head to his tip, but she was an eager participant. Parting her lips, she sucked him into her mouth, sweeping him with her tongue as his cock glided over it to the back of her throat.

  Hands gripping his thighs, she bobbed her head at a slow, rhythmic pace, pressing along the underside of his shaft and flicking around the crown with her tongue.

  Nate had a hand behind him, supporting his weight as he lounged back, the hand in her hair directing her into a faster speed. “Fuck. I’m gonna come.”

  He tried to pull her off him, but she squeezed at his thighs, forcing her head back down, silently signaling she didn’t want to stop.

  His movements became jerky, his hips joining the party. Then with a masculine groan, Victoria felt his cum hit the back of her throat and fill her mouth. She swallowed, resuming her slow pace until Nate snagged her under the arms, lifting her to his mouth for a kiss.

  But it wasn’t just a kiss, it was a greedy attack. Their teeth clacked as he shoved his tongue into her mouth. His hands were everywhere, somehow removing her clothing and his shirt without breaking their kiss. His hand came back to her hair, grabbing it, and tilting her head to the side as his other hand found her, shoving his fingers inside on a thrust that left her gasping in his mouth.

  Nate ripped his mouth away, burying his face in her neck as he worked her. “Fuck, what you do to me,” he mumbled into her skin. “You make me lose all control.”

  He wasn’t the only one. Victoria tipped her head back, panting and squirming in his embrace, her pelvis matching the rhythm of his fingers, bringing her close to the edge.

  His head moved down from her neck to her breast, capturing her nipple between his teeth and flicking the tip with his tongue. And that was all it took. She completely shattered around his fingers, a long, low moan escaping her throat as she bucked and twitched through the aftermath.

  ≈≈≈

  The sounds Victoria made as she orgasmed had Nate’s cock twitching back to life. He flipped her so she was straddling his hips and impaled her on his cock. She gasped, tossing her head back, exposing the line of her throat.

  “Ride me, nice and slow.” He licked up the tempting sight before him, stopping just under her chin. “That’s it, baby. Take your time. Up. Down.” He guided her hips with his hands.

  “Nate.” He heard the catch in her voice.

  “Yeah, baby, I feel it. Do you feel it, too?”

  “Yes.” It came out as a sigh.

  “Give me your mouth.”

  She obliged immediately, and he wrapped his arm around her lower back, his other hand gaining purchase in her hair.

  They rocked against each other with a steady rhythm, their tong
ues tangled together, her hands clutching at his back.

  “Nice and slow. I want you to feel it build.” He breathed the words into her mouth.

  She panted against his lips, her breath hitching. “Oh, God.”

  “That’s right, Tori, find it, baby.” His hand found her ass, squeezing.

  “Oh, God, Nate, I’m going to come. I need to go faster.”

  He tightened his arm around her. “Keep it slow.”

  She became more vocal the closer she got. He kneaded her ass, increased the pressure in her hair. Keeping it slow.

  He felt his own balls tighten, and a tingle start in the base of his spine. “Slow, baby.”

  She started chanting his name, and it was his undoing. He came with a roar. “Fuuuck.” Never had it felt so good. Only with her. Only with his Victoria.

  He felt her spasming around him, sucking up the last of his climax.

  “Shit, baby.” He buried his face in her neck, breathing her scent.

  Her arms hugged him tight, and she whispered in his ear, “I love you.”

  “We need to talk,” Victoria said, her voice sounding content but not sleepy though it was past midnight. She was draped over Nate’s chest, her head resting on his pecs, and her leg draped over his abdomen.

  “We do.” He was playing with her hair, running his fingers through the silken strands. “You never told me where you were.”

  “I went to my parents.”

  If she felt him stiffen under her, she showed no reaction. “You drove by yourself all the way to Vegas?”

  “It’s only five hours. I do it all the time.”

  “Not anymore. It’s not safe driving alone late at night. What if your car broke down?”

  He felt a huff of warm breath hit his chest before she replied, “Then I would have stayed in my car with the doors locked and called for help.”

  Abandoning her hair, he draped his arm around her back, giving her a squeeze. “Promise me you won’t drive late at night alone again.”

  “It really bothers you that much?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. If I ever need to be somewhere late at night, I’ll make sure you or someone else is with me.”