Tempted (The Lottery Winners Book 2) Read online

  “Don’t stop,” she moaned and arched her back to press her breast into his mouth.

  He took that bud in his mouth again, sucking, licking, teasing it until he heard her whimper and smiled. Moving to the other breast, he gave that one equal pleasure and torture, loving those sounds she made.

  Only when she pulled his hair, tugging his head away would he move further down her body. Her stomach was almost as sensitive as her nipples and he loved the way she laughed when he teased her belly button. But his intent was lower and his fingers pulled at her yoga pants, pulling them down her legs and tossing them away. There…the pretty lace panties taunted him and he let his fingers drift over the beautiful lace. He’d love to have more light so he could see better, but he let his fingers explore.

  “You’re so wet for me,” he groaned, his fingers drifting over the edge of that lace. “You’re beautiful, Daisy.” His fingers slipped under the edge and he smiled when her legs parted for him. Inviting him. “What am I going to find?” he asked, his fingers slipping inside and finding that heat, slick and wet for him, and his fingers teased a bit more.

  “Too…much!” she gasped, but her hips lifted, engaging his fingers as he teased and tormented. He loved the way she rocked against his hand as his fingers slid in and out of her slick heat. “I love this, Daisy,” he groaned as he bent over her, taking her nipple into his mouth. Sucking hard, he brought her right to the edge and stopped, lifting his mouth from her nipple and stopping his fingers. When she screamed, he almost laughed with awareness, but the pain in his erection was too much for him and he couldn’t do that to her. So he moved his mouth to her other breast, his fingers shifting again and again until….he knew the exact moment that her body toppled over to her first climax and watched as his fingers moved in and out of her heat again and again, slowly, easing up slightly until…

  She sighed and he smiled, enjoying the sight of her like this.

  “Thank you!” she whispered, her fingers loosening in his hair. She sat up and he pulled back, but his gut tightened with the look in her eyes.

  “I think I owe you…”

  He shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything,” he warned.

  She laughed, slipping down off of the countertop. “Okay, wrong choice of words. Your turn,” and she leaned forward, kissing the middle of his chest.

  Daisy loved the way his strong hands dove into her hair, holding her head steady as she kissed and tasted her way from that sexy dip in the middle of his chest, to the enticing, flat nipples. When her tongue flicked over one, she heard him hiss and smiled, doing it over and over again, feeling his fingers tighten in her hair. Just as he’d done to her earlier, she let her teeth scrape lightly across his nipple. He jerked backwards, tilting her head away from him.

  In response, she smiled and he groaned when he translated that smile into something that was going to blow his mind. At the same moment that realization hit him, he felt her fingers slide down his abdominal muscles as Daisy fumbled with the snap of his jeans. But since she enjoyed the way his eyes closed and his body tensed, she let her fingers fumble more than was necessary. Not that she was very coordinated anyway, but she wanted to laugh with delight when he opened his eyes and glared down at her. But the look was filled with heat. Burning, intense heat!

  “You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?” he demanded.

  When she nodded, he growled and pulled her hands away. With a swift movement, he put her right back up onto the island, careful not to hurt her.

  “But…it’s my turn!” she argued, ready to slide off the counter again.

  “Nope,” he denied, one hand holding her in place while his other pulled a condom out of his wallet. “Your turn is over,” and he ripped the foil package with his teeth. He didn’t bother to pull down his jeans, but pulled his erection out and rolled the condom down. “Are you sure you want this?” he demanded, his voice harsh but his hands were sliding up and down her bare thighs. “You can stop this right here, Daisy. Just say the word.”

  She shook her head and scooted closer, her legs wrapping around his waist. “I’m so sure!” she answered, breathing heavily now. “I want you, Rocco. Please!” she begged.

  With a groan, he held her hips as he slid into her heat, watching as his erection disappeared into her body. When he looked up at her, she was watching as well. “Keep doing that,” he ordered, his hands heavy on her hips. “Watch me.”

  She looked up at him, then back down as he pressed deeper and deeper. “Yes,” she groaned, tilting her head back to look up at him.

  “I’m not hurting you, am I?” he asked, his voice rough and raw.

  “No. Don’t stop!” she sobbed, pulling him in deeper.

  And then he started moving, thrusting. Over and over again, Daisy tried to hold back, but as he watched her, he could see that she was very close. Shifting slightly, he pulled her hips in at a different angle and that was all it took. She gasped as her body throbbed around his, her arms trembling as she held him closer.

  Rocco thrust into her tight heat once more and that was all it took to send him over into that perfect spiral as well. He held onto her, trying not to crush her but she felt so good!

  When it was all over, he continued to hold her, kissing her shoulder, her bare neck…anywhere he could reach. He couldn’t seem to stop. His hands were everywhere as well, caressing her soft skin, her delicate curves.

  “Come back to my place,” he urged.

  She pulled back and looked up at him. “Again?” Since they were still intimately connected, when she nodded her head, he felt the subtle movements echo between them. “Your place,” she agreed.

  Chapter 6

  The following morning, Daisy left Rocco’s place before he woke up, not sure she was ready for the morning after conversation. She didn’t want to hear any regrets or conversations that started off with, “We can still be friends.” She wanted to savor the glorious night, the best night she’d ever had in her life. Rocco was an amazing lover. He’d taken her back to his apartment and made love to her over and over throughout the night.

  As soon as she’d woken, she dressed and slipped out of his place, walking over to Main Street where she knew that everyone would be hanging out either in Jane’s bakery or Tony’s sandwich shop. Sure enough, Tony was in the sandwich shop, working on something new for the day’s menu. As soon as she knocked on the door, he waved her inside and poured her a cup of coffee. Daisy sighed and lifted the steaming mug to her lips.

  “That’s the look of someone who is extraordinarily happy,” Tony teased as he took the chair opposite her. He handed her a bowl of fruit covered in yogurt. “Eat. I suspect that you need the energy.”

  Daisy looked down at the brightly colored berries, grinning even as she lifted her fork. “I’m always cheerful in the morning,” she argued, ignoring Tony’s choking when his sip of coffee went down the wrong way. “Shut up,” she laughed and bit into a strawberry.

  “Eat the yogurt too. You need the protein.” He waited until she’d followed his instructions before continuing. “So what has you so bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning? Or should I not ask?”

  Daisy rolled her eyes and took another sip of her coffee. “I just had a good night’s sleep. That’s all. Nothing special happened.”

  Tony watched her over the rim of his cup. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to. He knew Daisy and knew he’d just have to wait. Daisy loved talking, even mumbling as her mind worked through issues plaguing her. Marilee tried to keep secrets, but she was just too honest. She blurted out whatever he wanted to know. Ivy was the only one of their group that could keep a secret, and sometimes that bothered him. But he knew she’d eventually spill whatever was bothering her to one of them so he tried to let it go when he knew she was upset about something.

  Sure enough, before Daisy dipped the next berry into the yogurt, she dropped the fork and leaned forward. “Okay, so I went over to the house we’re working on last night. I couldn’t slee
p and…well, Rocco showed up and,” she hesitated, looking out the diner’s window at the bright, spring sunshine. “He’s much sweeter than I could have imagined, Tony!” she sighed, slouching as she thought about how sweet the man had been last night, how gentle and caring and generous.

  “And you like him,” Tony filled in, smiling with relief. He really wanted his ladies to be happy. They were like sisters to him, his family more than his own parents ever had been. Ivy, Marilee, and Daisy had adopted him from day one, teaching him how to avoid Janice’s advances, their previous boss at the diner before they’d purchased that winning lottery ticket that had completely changed their lives.

  “Yeah,” her smile widened. “I really like him. I had no idea that he was such a sweet guy behind all that gruff, silent exterior! He just…”

  “I’m glad that you found someone to love, Daisy.”

  Daisy stared at her friend, not sure what he was talking about. “Love? Who said anything about love?” she gasped. “I’m not in love with Rocco! I think he’s wonderful but…well, he’s just…well, he’s not really my type, you know. And whatever…well, what happened last night. He probably doesn’t want it to continue.”

  Tony chuckled and Daisy glared at him. “What?” she demanded. “I’m not wiggling out of this relationship,” she asserted firmly. When he continued to watch her silently, she shook her head, unaware of the sunshine sparkling off her strawberry blonde hair. “He’s just a nice guy and…we’re having fun.” She stared down at her berries, then peered up at Tony through her lashes. “Well, we had fun last night. But…who knows what might happen in the future.”

  Tony nodded but Daisy knew that he didn’t believe her. “You can be such a jerk sometimes, Tony,” she snapped and picked up her fork, stabbing at another strawberry. “And why aren’t you eating? You’re always trying to get us to eat healthier foods, what are you going to have for breakfast?”

  “Ivy and I went for a run earlier this morning. She and I came back here and I made both of us a protein shake with fresh ginger, spinach, kale, kiwi and some tabasco sauce. Would you like me to make one for you?” he offered.

  Daisy scrunched up her nose at the description. “No. Thank you very much but I’ll stick with the berries and yogurt. You keep your kale stuff away from me.”

  “Really?” he teased, leaning forward and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear so it didn’t go into her yogurt. “I thought you were on one of your vegetarian kicks again.”

  Daisy shook her head. “I tried. I really would love to go vegetarian. It’s such a healthy lifestyle and so good for the environment.”

  “But you love meat,” he finished for her.

  She slumped in her chair. “Yeah. I really do!” Shaking her head, she stared across the table. “Why can’t I be more disciplined? Why?” she gripped Tony’s arm, wishing she could be a better person.

  Rocco turned the corner, thinking about stopping by Daisy’s house to see if she’d like to have breakfast with him. Last night had been…incredible. He wished she’d stayed with him this morning. It would have been really nice to wake up with her in his arms. But he understood. This was a small town and the neighbors talk. He should have been more considerate of that last night and taken her to her place instead of his apartment. That way he could have gone home in the early hours of the night instead of Daisy.

  Although, maybe he wouldn’t have. Every time she’d shifted against him last night, she’d woken him up and he’d made love to her again. She felt that good.

  At the same moment that thought occurred to him, he stopped short, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the tableau in front of him.

  Normally, watching the sun bounce off of Daisy’s glorious hair would take his breath away. But watching her with that other guy, the fury that hit him obliterated every other thought from his mind. Daisy was sitting with…what was his name? She’d mentioned him as some special guy but right now, as he sat across the table from Daisy, Rocco’s body still humming from the most incredible sex of his entire life, he didn’t give a damn about what the guy did or what made him special. The other man was sitting across the table from Daisy. Exactly where Rocco wanted to be. And he was saying something to make her laugh. Exactly what he wanted to do.

  “It’s not what you’re thinking,” a voice announced behind him.

  Rocco turned his head and started to glare at whoever had dared to interrupt the moment, but then looked down and realized that the person speaking was an older woman, probably well into her eighties. Immediately, he smoothed out his expression, showing respect for the woman.

  “Good morning,” he greeted, trying to be polite. He noticed that the elderly woman was holding…a pig? Either a baby pig or one of those toy pigs. He guessed a toy pig since it was resting happily in the woman’s arms whereas a piglet would be squirming, trying to get away. Either way, what the hell was she doing with a pig?

  “You can call me Ms. Scarlett,” she explained, grinning and her smile was beautiful. “Everyone else does.” The woman laughed slightly. “Tony and Daisy aren’t a couple, you know,” she explained, tilting her head in the direction of the sandwich shop where the two were sitting in the window. “Never have been, never will be. Those two are like brother and sister. All of them are,” she finished.

  Rocco turned back to the window, furious that the woman understood what he was thinking. That, on top of his jealousy, was making him grind his teeth.

  He wanted to believe the elderly woman. Especially after last night. He never would have thought that Daisy was the kind of woman who would cheat. She’d struck him as honest and open about everything. But when he looked back at Daisy, she was reaching across the table, touching the other guy’s arm.

  “She’s beautiful, and even better, just as honest as you assumed,” the woman explained, pulling his attention away from Daisy. That’s also when he noticed that there was a whole group of elderly people behind the woman and all of them were carrying various animals as well. One of them had a cage filled with hamsters…or maybe gerbils…he had no idea how to tell those things apart. Another person, who was a hundred if he was a day, held the leash of a dog with rough fur and a huge pink tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and a tail that was wagging back and forth. The older man reached down and patted the hound who looked up at him with adoration before turning back to stare longingly at Rocco. And still, two other older folk were standing behind the man with the dog, each with a kitten in their hands, the kittens sound asleep.

  “You’re not going to let this go, are you?” the first woman asked. Demanded actually, and when Rocco pulled his eyes away from the kittens and the dog, he found the woman looking back at him with glee.

  Rocco glanced back at the restaurant, then at the older woman, silently giving his answer.

  She cackled with laughter, nodding her head. “Nope. Good. That makes things more interesting.” She turned to look at the group behind her, leading them all on their walk down the sidewalk. “What about a snake? That might fill in the gaps.”

  Rocco stared at the group, not sure if he should intervene. A snake? And what gaps needed filling? He was just about to offer his help to fill in any gaps when the old woman turned back to him. “You’re watching out for Julia, right?”

  He stared at her for a long moment, drawing a blank. “I don’t know anyone by the name of Julia.”

  The woman turned to fully face him, annoyed now. “The new girl in your building,” she explained. “She’s new here in town, but we’re keeping her.”

  The man with the dog nodded in agreement. “You gotta look out for her. At least for a while. Tony doesn’t understand, but he will.”

  The woman with one of the kittens nodded as well. “He’s doing his part, but in secret. So you gotta help out too. We’re all doing our part.”

  He stared at them, still trying to make sense of this conversation. He’d never met a Julia before but…wait, was that the skinny girl he’d seen walking in and out of the
apartment in the Victorian’ house? Yeah, he’d seen her. Shy girl, the only other resident in his building.

  “Why should I look out for her?”

  “Because she needs us,” another person in the group explained. “You’re new too. Kindred spirits and all.” The man tilted his head towards the restaurant. “Don’t worry about Daisy. You worry about Julia.” He turned back to the group and they started walking, but Rocco heard that man say, “We need to find a lizard. Where can we get one?”

  That comment alone was strange, but even more bizarre was how the rest of the group nodded in agreement at the lizard comment.

  Muttering curses, he stomped off towards the houses being renovated. He wasn’t taking care of Julia, Daisy was with another man hours after sneaking out of his bed, and what the hell were they going to do with a lizard?!

  Rocco slammed into the house, startling the other guys that were already working on installing new cabinets in the kitchen. He looked around at the gutted room as he latched on his tool belt, but shook his head when his eyes dropped to the island. Images of last night, on the counter, against the wall, feeling her body move against his just…well, he couldn’t work in here.

  “I’ll take over the bathroom,” he growled out and turned, practically stomping out of the kitchen area. His team was startled by his announcement, but after just one look at their boss, no one asked anything.

  Daisy shifted the breakfast sandwich Tony had made for Rocco and knocked on the apartment door, wanting to talk with Rocco before they saw each other at the work site. She wasn’t exactly sure what to say to him after last night, but after talking with Tony, she knew that her feelings were pretty strong for the guy. There was just something about Rocco that…called to her. She’d never felt this way about any other man she’d dated.