Page 54 of The Fiancée Farce
“So, what?” Gemma stood. “Are you saying youaren’ta good girl?”
Tansy swallowed hard, watching as Gemma prowled toward her, her dress sweeping the hardwood floor, her smooth steps making it look almost as if she were floating. “In theory or in practice?”
Gemma stopped less than a foot in front of Tansy and lifted a hand, bracing her palm against the bookshelf. She boxed Tansy in, enveloping her in the warm scents of vetiver and vanilla and old books. “Have you been thinking dirty thoughts, Tansy?”
She swallowed hard, breath catching in the back of her throat. “I read a lot. I guess you could say I’ve got an active imagination.”
The corner of Gemma’s mouth kicked up in a smile, her eyes flickering with humor and heat, bright in the soft, golden glow emanating from the wall sconces. “We promised to be honest with each other, right?”
She nodded.
“Then be honest—do I make you nervous?”
Tansy’s mouth went dry, heart beating faster when Gemma’s other hand rose, tucking Tansy’s hair behind her ear. Gemma’s fingers skimmed her jaw, lingering against her skin. “A little.”
A tiny furrow appeared between Gemma’s blond brows. “Why?”
“Are you—are you serious?” Tansy almost laughed.Almost.
Gemma nodded. “Tell me.”
“Because.” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, her heart leaping into her throat when Gemma’s gaze dropped to her mouth. “You’re really beautiful.”
Beautifulwas icing on the cake. But then again, Gemma had asked Tansy for honesty, not a laundry list of reasons.
Gemma’s face broke into a wide smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes and brought out the illusive dimple in her right cheek that Tansy had only seen twice before. “So are you.”
The way Gemma was looking at her right now certainly made her feel beautiful. Desired, at least, as Gemma’s gaze darkened. But still, she couldn’t forget what Gemma had said. “I thought I wasn’t your type.”
“I never said it was a bad thing,” Gemma said, thumb sweeping against the crest of Tansy’s cheek.
Tansy’s teeth sank into her bottom lip, worrying it gently, wanting to believe Gemma, but not quite able.
“You don’t believe me?” Gemma reached out, prying Tansy’s lip from between her teeth, running her thumb along it, making her shiver. “Maybe I should prove it to you. Get down on my knees like I promised. I could show you just how desirable you are.” The hand she had braced against the bookshelf dropped to Tansy’s hip, fisting the fabric, bunching the satin between her fingers and dragging it up Tansy’s thigh. “I’ve lost sleep thinking about you, you know that? Thinking about how you might taste, the sounds you’d make if I was lucky enough to get my mouth on you.” Gemma lowered her forehead to Tansy’s, and her breath—whiskey warm and cinnamon sweet—wafted against Tansy’s mouth, making her ache from the tip of her nose down to her toes. There was a heavy sort of heat pooling beneath her belly button, a pulsing. The hand cradling her jaw drifted lower, wrapping gently around the front of her throat. “The things I want to do to you, the power you could wield over me, Tansy. You havenoidea. I’d worship you, if you’d let me.”
No one had ever made Tansy feel this way, this desperate to be touched, desperate to touch in return. No one had ever made herfeel this . . .alive, all too aware of each breath she took, cognizant of where Gemma’s skin touched hers, as if branded by her touch,belonging.
Fingers grazing the outside of Tansy’s thigh, Gemma brushed her lips against the corner of Tansy’s mouth. “Can I? Tell me I can, Tansy. Please.”
She wanted to, wanted to so badly herteethhurt. “I...”
Gemma drew back, just far enough to look her in the eyes, fingers pausing their northward pursuit. “No?”
“No. Wait, that’snoto the question ofno. Notno. I mean...” She exhaled roughly. It was hard to think with Gemma’s hands on her, let alone string together a coherent sentence.
Gemma’s lips thinned and her chin wobbled, looking like she was trying hard not to laugh. “Sorry, I kind of got lost at the thirdnothat I think you’re trying to saywasn’tmeant to be ano?” She smiled. “But to be honest, I’m not sure.”
The moment verged on absurd, and Tansy huffed a quiet laugh. “What I was trying to say before my mouth decided to disconnect from my brain is that I don’t really docasual.” And since she could count on one hand the number of people she’d gone on more than three dates with in the last five years, sex wasn’t something she had often. Not that she didn’t want to have sex, just... “Casualisn’t really inside my comfort level.” And she’d discovered comfort to be directly proportional to her enjoyment. “You know, I guess it’s a... a trust thing.”
“Right.” Gemma nodded, brows furrowed thoughtfully. “I get it.”
“Which isn’t to say I don’t want to. With you. Or that I don’t trust you.” She wet her lips, feeling a tad parched and honestly wishing she’d taken Gemma up on a swig from the bottle of scotch. “It’s just that I know what this is and what it isn’t. It’s a business merger.”
I’m not promising you the greatest love story of all time here.
Not that Tansy was asking for that. Not that she wanted that. Not that shedidn’t, either. It didn’t matter either way. Gemma had made it clear that romance wasn’t on the table.
“I did say that, didn’t I?” Gemma muttered under her breath, frowning. Her fingers twitched against Tansy’s thigh, her thumb sweeping an arc against Tansy’s skin, so gentle Tansy couldn’t help but wonder if Gemma knew she was doing it.
