Page 39 of Arranged

“I’ll be eager and ready to listen to your accounting of my personality, my take on life, and the score on my ability to keep up with your dazzling jabs tossed in my direction. Just not now.”

“Then what, now?” Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew tempting the devil wasn’t in my best interest, but for the life of me, I couldn’t seem to stop my flirtatious nature. He brought the flaw out in me every time he walked into a room.

As soon as he crowded my space, I was painfully aware of just how tall he really was. It was as if I hadn’t allowed myself to notice before. I was wearing heels and was usually considered a tall woman, model height even. However, he was much taller, so much so I envisioned him having difficulty moving through a typical doorway.

Why did my mind slip to a very dark place of imagining climbing him like a tree? The single glass of champagne I’d had on the ride over had obviously gone directly to my head. Especially since I hadn’t managed to eat a bite of food all day.

Who could when they were preparing to marry a monster?

Only this monster ripped my breath away.

He placed his hands on either side of me, keeping just a few inches between our heated bodies. “Tell me. Are you so certain about every aspect of your life?”

“Absolutely.” The heat shared between us was almost instantly overwhelming.

“Very organized. Everything has its place.”

“Yes. That makes life easier when you don’t have much time.” My voice was fading into something I didn’t recognize. Perhaps because I was drifting into someone I didn’t recognize.

“Haven’t you ever done anything without planning, just for fun? I mean something wild.”

“Like what?”

He pressed his abdomen against me and I instantly registered the feel of his hard cock. I wanted so very much to push him away, but the draw to the man had crowded out all sense of rationality. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“You mean like letting go completely? Doing something rash without care or fear of consequences?”

“Um hmm…” There was a distinct, albeit subtle growl in his tone.

“Live for the moment.”

“Exactly. Wouldn’t that be something if you could.” He cupped my face with such a soft touch that I wasn’t entirely certain his fingertips were touching my skin at all. The electricity crackling between us had a distinct spark, hissing embers just released from damp wood.

“Yes, it would.” I was only able to whisper at this point. I was spending so much energy trying to avoid feeling my raw emotions and strong desire that there was little left for refusal or denial.

His grip became tighter as he lowered his head. “Why don’t we pretend if only for a brief few moments we’re two other people.”

“Pretend?” I repeated.

“Throwing all caution and protocol to the wind.” He brushed his nose across mine and the tremors skating down my body were close to being orgasmic. “Do you think you can do that for me, Carmella? Do you think you can be someone else but the stunning, intelligent, yet defiant woman standing in front of me today?”

“What do you have in mind?” I wrapped my fingers around his tuxedo shirt, tugging on and off slightly.

“Something casual. Passionate.” He rubbed his lips back and forth across mine.

I arched my back, shifting a slightly bent knee against the outside of his leg. He was the most charismatic man I’d ever met. “I can do casual.”

“And passionate? Can you truly let yourself go, enjoying exactly what you want for a change?” At this point, his voice was barely audible.

For all the wrong reasons, my legs were trembling with anticipation. I weighed the answer I knew he wanted with the one my mind screamed I should provide. He dug the tips of his fingers into my skin, rubbing his thumb across my jaw. The tickling sensations were enough to push me closer to the edge of sanity.

He pulled his head away, his chest rising and falling from his labored breathing. Every touch of his darkened eyes burned as he slowly slid his gaze down the length of me.

The answer was far too easy, yet the moment the single syllable slipped from my mouth, I feared I’d regret it. “Yes.”

“Then tell me you want this, my futurasposa. Tell me you hunger as much as I do.”

By calling me his bride to be, the fantasy was momentarily ripped from me. But the chemistry between us continued to pick at the obsessive need I’d always had to control everything around me.

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