Publisher · Loose Id Release Date · November 2013 eBook ISBN · 978-1-62300-563-4 Genre · Contemporary (m/f) Length · Novella Rose Winter helped one relationship get together but now she has her work cut out for her. This time, it's personal. Tucker and Ally have been Devyn, Rose's alter ego's, friends since college. And they've had a torch burning for each other all along. Now, the flame's in danger of sputtering out. Their friends with benefits relationship doesn't work for Ally anymore. She wants more, but knows commitment-phobic Tucker can't man up. At least until not until Devyn dares him to make it work. And Tucker dares Devyn to help him. With a plan that includes strip poker, a hot tub, a night never to be forgotten, it looks like Rose, that is Devyn's, sure to book another win. But can Ally and Tucker take the final plunge and make friends-with-bennies into forever?

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Copyright © 2013 Mechele Armstrong

He chuckled. "Clever girl."

"Always." Not always, especially where he was concerned. Tonight had been more like how they were in the beginning. As opposed to the way they’d been lately. She swallowed. It was nice.

"But not clever enough." He laid out his hand with a flourish of the cards. "Royal flush."

"What?" She looked at her meager hand. He hadn’t even taken cards. What was up with that?

"You’re not going to distract me from what I want, Ally. Ever." He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table.

"And what do you want?" She tossed her hand down with the cards she’d started out with. Why bother drawing? She had nothing to even start that hand going.

"You. Naked. Me. Naked."

Her blood pooled in the place that tingled whenever he was around. She’d always railed about men being controlled by their penises. Where Tucker was concerned, she seemed to be controlled by her vagina. What was the term for it some women used? Oh right, pussy. Or cunt. She wasn’t a big fan of either. She’d taken a class where the instructor had used the latter and said it was liberating. Ally hadn’t found it that way. Probably just her. She tingled again in her nether regions at the look in Tucker’s eyes. She huffed at him. "Well, to do that I’d have to win a game."

He shot her that lopsided grin that always seemed to melt away any of her anger directed at him. Once he’d dyed all her bras and panties orange because he’d put his baseball jersey in with them. That expression had lessened her irritation. "Getting testy are we?"

Maybe a little. She clamped her mouth shut. Now what to take off? She could go the safe way with the pants. But if she took her bra off, she’d probably be able to distract him so much, she’d win. Or maybe she was winning even now? That was a toss-up. She paused a minute, trying to decide what to take off.

"You stalling?" He leaned back, his gaze searching her as though appraising her. For what she wasn’t sure. "Or are you done?"

She reached around herself and pulled on the hooks to her bra. "Neither." She shifted her weight, and the bra fell off in her hands.

His entire face changed. He looked as if he was seeing something wonderful. He had a look on his face most people got when they saw a wonder of the world. "God, you’re beautiful."

She almost couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t get out air. Tucker had never told her that. Never. Not in all the years she’d known him had he ever commented on her looks. "I am?"

"Yeah." He sounded as though it was a simple thing, but it wasn’t. He blew out another breath. "Lovely. I’ve never seen anything like you." His voice grew even deeper before he reached up and pulled his shirt off.

She blinked. "I’m the one who lost." She got lost in looking at the muscles as they moved in his chest. Got distracted by his flexing pecs. "You didn’t have to take anything off at all."

He stood up and loosened the snap to his pants. "Oh I think you won after all. I’m done with playing. I want you."