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Category: Erotica/BDSM Erotica/Romance
Description: When Air Force captains, Lucy Gardner and Adam Thomas, are trapped by a snowstorm and end up bunking with an attractive colonel, a game of poker quickly develops into something a lot less air force approved, and a lot more naked. They all assume it's a one-off... Until Adam and Lucy run into Chris again at a ski lodge, where Chris' Dom side meets Adam's submissive, and things get a little hotter, and a lot heavier.
eBook Publisher: Cobblestone Press, 2010
eBookwise Release Date: April 2011

5 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [50 KB]
Words: 10537
Reading time: 30-42 min.

"This sucks," Lucy said, throwing herself into the desk chair and shuffling the room service menus. "It's barely snowing."

"There's two feet on the ground, and it's still coming down," Adam corrected. "I wouldn't take off in this."

She looked over and watched him sit on the edge of the bed as he pulled the laces of his boots loose--tied in military knots. She couldn't even laugh at him for it, since she'd done exactly the same, as though it could possibly matter when they were both in jeans and coats against the January cold. "I knew this would happen when we got sent out here."

"You knew we'd get snowed in at a civilian airport, have to share a room because the entire place is full, and not even get anything useful out of the conference?" Adam asked, looking up.

"Okay, not exactly that," she conceded, pushing off her own boots and poking through her weekend bag. Next time, she was bringing a longer book. She'd finished the one she'd brought on the second of four days and was reduced to actually reading the conference pack. Who knew it was possible to make cutting edge advances in aircraft so boring? "You want to order something to eat?"

Adam shook his head, leaning back on his elbows. "Not yet."

Lucy looked out of the window again. It felt like the middle of the night, the snow making everything seem darker and stiller than it really was, but it was only five in the afternoon. "See what's on?"

"We're not watching porn on the air force's dime again," Adam said in a firm voice.

Lucy gave him her most innocent smile, ducking her head so her long red hair covered her face. "I used my credit card." She let her smile turn a little wicked. "And it's not like we didn't have a good time."

"No," Adam said, just as firm as before. His dark skin hid any blush, but Lucy could see it around his eyes. Not that he had much to be embarrassed about, considering he'd reduced her to a whimpering, limp heap by the end of the evening.

"You're no fun," she told him, digging through her bag again until her fingers closed around a small, smooth packet. Jackpot. "How about poker?"

Adam just looked at her dubiously.

"Come on, we're airmen with nothing to do; it's practically written into the UCMJ."

"I'm fairly sure it's actually pretty clearly written out of the code to gamble," Adam said mildly, but he was already drawing his feet up to cross his legs, making space for Lucy to join him on the bed. "Also, there's only two of us."

"So we won't gamble," Lucy said, sitting opposite him and shuffling the cards. "We could play strip poker."

"I don't think that's any better than watching porn with you," Adam said, running one finger over the top button of his shirt, as if he was thinking about it. Lucy certainly was--she hadn't had sex in eight months.

"Trust me, it'll be much better than--" she started, but was cut off by a quick knock to the door. When no one called out an explanation, as the hotel staff usually did, she unfolded her legs, handed the pack of cards to Adam, and went to open the door.

Standing on the other side was a man in black pants and a gray sweatshirt, a black wool coat over one arm and an overnight bag in one hand. He was maybe ten years older than she was, which put him solidly in his mid-thirties. He had neatly cut brown hair, warm green eyes, and a slightly shy, polite smile.

"Hi," she said brightly, leaning a little against the door.

"Hi," he said, a southern accent curling round the word. "I hate to intrude, but the desk said... I'm trapped here because of the snow, and she said you might be willing to put up a fellow air force officer, since the rest of the hotel's full."

"Oh." Lucy was thrown, since she'd expected him to say he'd gotten the wrong room. She looked over her shoulder to find Adam looking back, shrugging one shoulder to her raised eyebrow. "Um. I guess, sure." She stepped back to let him in. "I'm Captain Lucy Gardner, this is Captain Adam Thomas."

"Good to meet you," the man said, folding his coat neatly over the back of Lucy's recently vacated desk chair. "Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Williams. Chris."

"Good to meet you," Adam echoed, and then he added, "Sir."

Chris looked up from removing his boots, half smiling. "You just saved me from spending the night in the restaurant downstairs. I think we can forgo the formalities for one night."

"Great," Lucy said, retaking her seat on the bed and snatching the cards back from Adam, who couldn't shuffle to save his life. "We were about to start a hand of poker. It'll go better with three."

Chris looked worried for a moment then nodded. "What are we playing for?"

Adam caught Lucy's eye, as if he'd drawn her in, his face clearly saying no. Lucy tipped one eyebrow back at him--Did you look at him? He's hot.

Then Adam widened his eyes a little--He's a superior officer.

Lucy rolled her eyes a little--But hot. Seriously.

Adam widened his eyes again--Superior officer. Man.

Lucy shrugged back--Strip poker. Half-naked man on the bed.

Adam went as far as to shake his head a little--This is a terrible idea, in which I'm having no part.

Lucy widened her eyes back at him, pleading, and got a firm shake of his head in return.

"Um," Chris said, sitting a little nervously on the edge of the bed, as if he was one second from hopping up and leaving. "I can step out."

"It's fine." Lucy shuffled the cards one last time. For a moment, she was tempted to tell him this was strip poker, just to see Adam's response. On the other hand, she had a whole mini-bar to work with. "I gave all my pennies to the Red Cross guy at the airport. How about whoever loses, drinks?"

"That's so much better," Adam said, his voice low, then shook his head when Chris looked over at him. "What are you drinking?"

Chris looked between him and Lucy, then back to Adam, and said, "Tell me there's scotch."

There was. A lot of it, which was probably a good thing since, it turned out, Chris really sucked at poker. Lucy actually folded a couple of winning hands, out of pity for him and a little so she could drink the tiny bottle of Vodka growing warm in her hands.

Though, Chris certainly didn't seem to mind or even to be getting drunk. He just leaned back against the padded headboard, one leg bent at the knee, which pulled his pants tight over his crotch. Adam at least seemed to find that pretty distracting, given the way he lost three hands in a row, including betting when Lucy clearly had the queen of hearts he needed.

"Bad move," Chris said, reaching out to rub his wrist in sympathy.

"Yeah." Adam dropped his gaze. His throat worked hard as he swallowed. "Guess Lady Luck's not smiling on me tonight."

Lucy shuffled the cards. "She could do a lot more than smile."

Chris cleared his throat and stood up, a little unsteadily. "Excuse me."

Adam waited for the bathroom door to close behind him, and then he said, "What are you doing?"

"Currently, thrashing the pair of you," Lucy said, shuffling the cards again, watching Adam watch her hands. "But I'm thinking it's time we make it interesting."

"Getting a superior officer drunk isn't interesting enough for you?"

"Nope." Lucy smiled, putting the cards down so she could pull off her sweatshirt and drop it on the floor beside the bed. "I really don't think he's going to run screaming off to report us."

"Well, of course not," Adam said, grinning a little. "It's still snowing, for starters."

"There we go then. We'll blame it on alcohol and cabin fever." She pulled off her socks as well, since there was absolutely no way to do so that was even a little bit sexy, and she'd gone to all the trouble of painting her toenails bright pink. "Come on, already."

"This is such a bad idea," Adam said, but he gamely removed his own socks and opened the top couple of buttons of his shirt, revealing the first hints of chest hair and the hollows at his collar bones.

"You think he'll notice if I cheat a little?" Lucy asked idly.

"To win or to lose?" Adam asked. "Because if you cheat to lose, I'm pretty sure he'll stop noticing what game we're playing."

"You say the sweetest things." Lucy leaned in to kiss him, since they were pretty clearly going there now, and she'd been wanting to all evening.

She pulled back as she heard the bathroom door opening again, and Chris said, "Ah, maybe I should wash my hands again."

"You're good," Lucy said, patting the bedspread next to her. "We thought we should stop drinking before we get drunk, so we were going to switch to strip poker."

"Ah." Chris looked at her bare feet and Adam's loosened shirt collar then dragged his own sweatshirt off and dropped it over the desk chair. "You dealing?"

"I am."

Chris lost his socks to the first hand then lost the next hand in less than five minutes, obligingly pulling off his T-shirt to reveal the nicely muscled chest and stomach Lucy had suspected was under there--dark pink nipples and a smattering of brown hair. He quirked an eyebrow when he caught her looking then did the same to Adam, a pretty clear invitation.

"Deal," Adam said, his voice thick, and Lucy looked down at the cards before he could see her smug smile.

Adam lost the next hand, shedding his own T-shirt, then the one after, stripping off his jeans. He was wearing black boxer briefs underneath, close enough for Lucy to make out the curve of his cock, already starting to harden.