“What if you’re not ready to settle down yet?” Tucker asked.
“That’s easy,” Gavin said, putting his beer down and grabbing his darts. “Then she’s not the right woman for you.”
Gavin walked away.
“So Aubry’s not the one?” Garrett asked.
“I have no idea. I like her, but it’s still early. I mean we just got together, you know?”
Garrett smiled. “Sometimes it hits you like a strike of lightning and it doesn’t take any time at all to realize she’s the one. And sometimes it doesn’t matter how much time you spend with a woman, because she’s never going to be the one for you, man.”
“Yeah. I see what you mean.”
Garrett patted him on the back. “Trust me, it’s all about instinct. You’ll figure it out.”
Garrett and Trevor went over to take their spots by the dartboard, leaving Tucker to think as he leaned against the wall and sipped his beer.
Was it really that simple? He hadn’t thought much about finding the right woman—or any woman—to settle down with. He liked his lifestyle the way it was, figuring he had plenty of time yet to find the woman of his dreams.
But he’d never really thought about how that might happen. Or when that might happen. Or how he’d know when the right woman came along, that she really was the right one.
Ah, hell. Why was he even thinking about it, anyway? He and Aubry were just going out, having sex and a good time.
He wandered over and played a few games of pool with the guys, drank a few beers, ate some amazing food, then ended up sitting upstairs and talking with the gang. It was a good group. He liked the guys, had meshed well with the team, and felt at home here—more at home than he’d ever felt before. His style of pitching worked well for this organization, and the sense of camaraderie he felt with this group of players was more like a brotherhood than he’d ever gotten with any other team.
Plus it was a winning team, and he liked playing for winners. They all had the same mind-set, too. Play hard, and win.
The party started to wind down, so he made his way over to Aubry. She was in the kitchen, a glass of wine in one hand, the other waving in the air as she talked in an animated fashion to several of the women. He leaned against the doorway to watch her. She’d say something, then stop and listen intently as someone else took over the conversation.
She’d been accepted, too. He was aware a lot of the women already knew her since she was Clyde Ross’s daughter, but she seemed comfortable with all of them. And when she tilted her head back and laughed at something Liz said—oh, man, that sound shot straight to his balls.
There was nothing like a woman who knew how to laugh, who could have fun and be so completely unguarded like that.
He stepped into the room. “Okay, what are you all talking about?”
Liz turned around. “Women and multiple orgasms. And the men who can give them to us. We haven’t gotten around to questioning Aubry about that yet, Tucker.”
He grabbed Aubry’s hand. “She’ll let you know tomorrow.”
Everyone laughed. They said their good-byes and thanked Liz and Gavin for inviting them to the party, then headed out.
Aubry leaned against him as they made their way to the car. He stopped in the street, pulling her toward him for a kiss.
She came into his arms and met his lips. The kiss was hot and passionate, making him wish they were already home so he could undress her and be inside of her, something he’d been thinking about for a few hours now.
He pulled away and she licked her lips, still holding on to him. Her nails dug into his forearms.
“Don’t drive too fast, but let’s get somewhere where we can get naked, okay?”
“You got it.”
They ended up at his place, since it was like a mile closer than hers, and he was out of patience, especially since Aubry kept running her hand up and down his thigh on the drive home.
He pulled into the driveway, got out and came over to her side. She was already out and closed the door, so he took her hand and led her to the front door.
He wasn’t the type of guy to get anxious about sex. This wasn’t his first time, and she wasn’t his first woman. Over the years, he’d learned to be patient and he could wait for it. But Aubry had him pent up all night long, thinking about getting her alone, so by the time he closed the front door, he was ready.
Hell, more than ready.
So was she, apparently, because he hadn’t even found the light switch before she pushed him against the wall and shoved her body against his. He wrapped his arms around her and bent to take her mouth in a kiss that fired his passion fast and hot.