Page 60 of Ace (The Deuces Wild #4)

It didn’t get any better than this. The rented moving van was filled, the dog crates packed and the single bag of kibble stored on board.

The rest of Savannah’s dogs had been adopted out to loving families, or were down at Mr. Howard’s Pet Store.

For a while there, it hadn’t seemed possible that everything would come together.

But it had, and come sunup tomorrow morning, Savannah was headed north with her husband.

“My husband. Did you hear that?” she asked the Red Setter, to be known now and forever more as Prince Harry.

Okay so it wasn’t Irish, but the handsome fellow deserved a royal title, especially since his drooling, slobbering buddy had been tagged Sir Galahad.

“I’m a married woman and I have a handsome husband. Have you seen him lately?”

Prince Harry barked from his post inside the big truck’s cab. Like that told Savannah anything, other than he was making sure he wouldn’t get left behind. Poor baby still had anxiety attacks.

Keller had to be around here somewhere. Sanctuary was large, and Savannah was leaving most of her belongings behind.

Lyle Goldenrod had bought the five acres of swampland, and he’d adopted all Savannah’s birds and cats.

Said they made him feel like he was home again.

Even now, he was fast at work with a team of high school football players, rebuilding the deck and the portion of her home that had been ruined in the explosion and fire.

Coach looked happy. He had his life back.

Glancing to her left, then to her right, Savannah brushed her hands together before resting them on her hips. Where was that man? They had things to discuss. Keller wasn’t manning the table saw for Coach, and there was nothing left in the house worth packing or boxing, so he couldn’t be in there.

To keep things simple, he’d moved in with her at Sanctuary after a justice of the peace married them in New Orleans. His Deuces Wild team was with them that afternoon, and the evening celebration, unexpectedly sponsored by Mr. Chase, was one of a kind.

Unbeknownst to Keller, Tucker rented a private room at a restaurant off Bourbon Street, complete with a blues singer and all the food and alcohol you could want.

Outlandish toasts, all at Keller’s expense, were offered.

Savannah had never eaten or danced so much in her life.

But the truly eye-popping moment happened when Keller swept Savannah onto the dance floor, tap dancing to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.” Holy Mother! Her Secret Agent Man could dance!

Mr. Chase had just declared there wasn’t enough alcohol in the entire world to get him on the floor.

At the sight of Keller dancing with enthusiasm no one knew he had, Mr. Chase spit beer all over his table.

Tate Higgins laughed so hard his eyes watered.

Truly a night Savannah would never forget.

She and Keller hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other since then. So yeah. He had to be close by.

Savannah circled her house, told her birds goodbye, and made sure they had clean water one last time. She walked the perimeter, a knot in her throat at the departure looming in the morning. But she’d be okay. Gran Mere always said when one door closes, a window opens.

With Prince Harry now trotting at her side, Savannah inspected her dog kennels and made sure the gates were closed in case a strong wind came up. The overhead lights in the barn were on. Interesting. She could’ve sworn she’d turned them off.

A noise from the supply room caught her ear. It better not be one of those pesky raccoon twins that had been hanging around, those adorable little bandits. It was hard to be angry with the cute little guys for upending her garbage cans, but they made such a mess.

Striding with full intent, she shoved the supply room door open and— “Oh,” squeaked out of her throat.

“Come on in,” Keller said, motioning to the blanket laid out in the middle of that small room.

He sat there cross-legged, his jeans tight at his knees.

His chest was bare and an OD Army t-shirt had been tossed beside a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket.

A plate of powdered sugared beignets rested in the center of the blanket.

A plate of crispy brown bacon, too. Like a lure. ..

Savannah’s fingers came up to her lips at the sight. There was a hard, hard day not too long past that she’d lured Keller with an offer of bacon. He’d remembered, and he was luring her in now. Which made sense. After all, her dogs couldn’t refuse it. Why should she?

Savannah shooed faithful Prince Harry out of the supply room before he made himself comfortable, then closed the door and locked it.

Smiling, she knelt on the blanket opposite Keller, the offering between them.

He never looked more handsome. His amber eyes were soft and golden.

His skin as tan and rich as ever. Keller was so much her heart’s fondest treasure. Her most sincere desire.

“I thought you might need a break,” he said.

Deftly he tore the foil from the bottle and untwisted the wire cage, his biceps taut, his elbows out, and the veins on the backs of his hands on display.

He had magic fingers. Just watching them work sent a rush of heat to her core.

“You’ve been at this since the sun came up.

You must be hungry. I know I am. Bacon?”

It was hard to speak. This incredible man had only ever offered sustenance and salvation. He was a warrior and her best friend. He already knew her body and her heart.

Fortunately, the cork blasted skyward, breaking the sexual tension.

Savannah laughed at the smile in Keller’s wide eyes.

But enough was enough. She didn’t want beignets or bacon.

With champagne foaming out of the bottle, she forced him onto his back, licking up his neck to settle her real craving while he kept the bottle from spilling.

This man’s body had quickly become her favorite addiction, not that she had many others. But she wanted this particular one now.

Keller eased down onto the blanket with a husky groan that lasted until she covered his mouth with hers.

Breathing his breath. Tasting Keller. Part sugary coffee, part starched black tie and the whiskey he ended most days with.

Now that they were married, she knew he suffered shades of post-traumatic stress.

Nothing serious but enough that he’d never admit it.

The single glass of whiskey just helped him sleep.

She also knew that even when he was hurt, like when he’d smashed his thumb with the hammer while helping Coach build a sawhorse, he was more inclined to tell her he was ‘good’ when he most certainly was not.

She’d married a badass. A tough man’s man who still had a lot of secrets to share. And she loved him more every day.

He still held one hand on the bottle, the other on her backside as she mugged him.

Her tongue made love to his, her hands now on his chest, soaking in all those tantalizing alpha hormones through her fingerprints.

Instant heat spiked when her fingertips grazed his nipples.

Already hard as diamonds, her sensitive nipples turned needy against the inside of her tank top. These clothes had to go.

Reaching behind her back, she jerked her top off and sent it flying. That got his attention. “I love a woman who knows what she wants,” he mumbled around her lips.

“I want you,” she growled. “Lose the bottle and the pants. Food can wait.”

“But baby…”

“But baby, nothing.” She loved it when he called her baby. With other guys, it might have been a sleazy put down, but when Keller said it, all she heard was love. Her hand shifted from his chest to his zipper. “You want me to help you with this?”

She could feel him smiling through her French kisses. Easing his head back, he shoved the dripping bottle between them and into her chest. Between her breasts. It was c-c-cold. It was wet. His eyes turned more black than amber, the pupils wide, taking in the goosebumps on her skin.

“We should’ve had a drink first,” he growled. “Newlyweds, remember?”

The second she moved, he had her on her back, the bottle poised over her bare belly and mischief in his eyes. “Take your pants off. Quickly, Savannah. Chop, chop. Or else—”

“Or else what?” Her core clenched at the teasing threat.

“Shhhhh. No talking. Just action. Get that ass out of your jeans. You’re killing me.”

Lowering her hands to her waistband, she unsnapped and unzipped, then waited until he tugged them down her legs and threw them aside.

“There now, it’s your turn—” she started to say.

“Uh uh. That wasn’t fast enough. Now you pay. ”

“I pay? But… Oooooo…” He’d poured champagne in her navel. Cold champagne. With effervescent bubbles that were now streaming over her belly. Down her sides. Fizzling and tickling and…

“Ooops, that can’t be good. Let me help,” he muttered and then dipped his face into her tummy and suckled, making cute little pig noises as he slurped and licked and…

Sweet Mother, he could do that to her forever. She’d never get enough of the wet, warm suction of his mouth and tongue. The soft whisper of his breath on her skin. The scrape of yesterday’s five o’clock shadow, now grown thicker. Rougher. Turning her on.

“Do that again,” she ordered, her body melting under his noisy, tender care. But she needed more than just play. He needed to get serious before she went up in flames. “Hurry.”

“Is my baby greedy?” he teased, the bottle gone somewhere and his hands on her wrists as his tongue journeyed between her ribs to her breasts.

He made a meal of her, sucking first one nipple, then the other into the heat of his mouth.

Nibbling. Blowing on her wet skin. Leaving her quivering while his knees settled between her thighs. “I’m taste testing. Don’t distract me.”

Another drizzle of chilling alcohol drenched her chest. His cheeks puffed out before he blew on her breasts. Savannah squirmed. “Now you’ve done it,” she squealed as another chilling blast wafted over her bare body.

“I’ve just begun.” He blew on her again .

“I’m freezing.”

“Then we’ll just have to warm you up.”

She was shivering by then. “Yes, please. I’m turning into a snowman.”

His fingers were already doing a fine job.

Make that an excellent job. He kept looking and watching where his fingers wandered instead of kissing and snuggling to get her warm.

By then she didn’t care. She felt the burn down low in her belly.

The wave of pleasure quickly turned into a tsunami.

It pulled her along with it. Into Keller.

Cresting high. So high. Higher. There was only Keller. His mouth. His tongue. Her heart.

She closed her eyes and rode the wave. She meant to tell him he was a terrible tease, but the orgasm smashed over her, pushing her until she could only hold onto him and cry, “Keller! Yesssss, Keller. Yes! You… You…”

Like every time with him, Savannah couldn’t think, couldn’t form a coherent sentence. Just let the most incredible man in her life hold her tight while sweat poured off her like a sweat hog.

“I knew it,” he growled, nuzzling her ear and nipping her earlobe. “I don’t even have to take my pants off to make you come. I like that. You’re so sweet. So fucking responsive.”

Her heart still pounded like a hammer in her chest. “That’s what this was all about?

My sexual response-o-meter?” she asked weakly, her lips dry but her body drenched and a smile on her face.

That smile felt like it stretched over her entire body.

And oh, she was still the only one naked on this blanket .

Reaching for the champagne, Keller took a big mouthful, then planted his lips on hers and trickled the foaming drink into her open mouth. “Kind of. Sort of,” he said as he licked her lips and the streams of champagne that had gotten away. “I do like to fill you up.”

“I like when you do.”

“See, that’s the thing. You’re so open to anything I want to do.”

“I love you and you love me. Makes it easy to play games, especially these kinds of games.”

“How many kids do you see us having?”

Savannah opened her tired eyeballs at that out of the blue question. “I’m open to suggestions.”

By then he’d balanced his weight on one elbow and shoved out of his pants and boxers. “I figure two’s a good place to start,” he said as he settled back between her legs. “One really is a lonely number, you know. I don’t want to do that to a kid. Maybe we could have a couple sets of twins.”

“Twins?!” She cupped his handsome rugged face between her hands, her thumbs caressing his cheekbones as she tipped forward and kissed his mouth.

The kiss turned feverish and so darned hot she forgot about those twins and found herself on the edge of another orgasm. “You’re doing it to me again. Hurry.”

“Again?” he mumbled, a huge dose of male pride in that single word. “Was it talking about lots of kids?”

“Keller… ”

“Well, let’s get serious about making us some babies then.” With one slippery rush, Keller slipped into her body, branding her with his thick heat. His passion.

“Yes,” she cried into his shoulder, completely undone at the depth of love for him. For this man, she’d do anything. Everything. “Yes, yes. Ah, yessss.”

“I love you, Savannah,” he purred against her cheek. “You are my world. My sun and my moon. My shiny Christmas star.”

There were no words, not as strong as this second orgasm was. She couldn’t have answered if she’d tried. Breathing hard, the sensational sexual storm dissipated too quickly, leaving tidal surges that clenched Keller’s manhood, still tugging him into her heat.

She lost all control, all sense of composure. He did that to her, his eyes lit amber in sunlight. “I stink,” she told him. “I need a shower.”

Ducking his head, he licked between her breasts, her neck and up to her chin. “Uh uh,” he growled before he ended with a sloppy, wet kiss on her mouth. “I love the way you smell. The way you taste. I love everything about you. Ready for more?”

She was still panting. “More?”

His smile couldn’t have been wider. Keller was adorable now that he’d realized he was in love. How could she refuse? “Always,” she told him. “Always and always.”