Jared's Counterfeit Fiancee - Brenda Jackson [41]
He slowly released her lips but kept his attention glued to them as she took her tongue and licked her mouth. She heard his sharp intake of breath, saw his guts clench and knew he was walking the same tightrope that she was.
“I’ll knock on the door when I’m ready,” she whispered, and when he nodded and took a step back, she gently closed the door and leaned against it. Throwing an arm over her eyes she inhaled deeply. What a kiss! Her already hot body had gone up another degree. The man was a master at seduction but she wouldn’t have him any other way.
A smile touched her just-kissed lips. Jared was an excellent teacher. And although she knew there were more lessons to be learned, he had given her enough tutoring for what she needed to do.
At that moment the only thing she could think of was her plans to take on Jared Westmoreland.
Eight
I f Jared didn’t know any better he would swear Dana was trying to drive him mad. Mad with desire.
He doubted very seriously if he could hold on to his sanity, as well as his control, much longer. At any moment he would snap and Dana would drive him to reach across the table, snatch her into his arms and have her for dessert. Dana Delight would definitely be a mouthwatering temptation, a delectable treat.
The seduction started when she had knocked on the connecting door to let him know she was ready to go walking on the beach. He had been literally blown away by her outfit, a pair of denim shorts and a white halter top. He had seen halter tops before but never this enticing. He’d been tempted to untie the damn thing and set her breasts free. And he didn’t want to think about how sensual her flat stomach looked totally bare, showing off the navel he’d grown so fond of a few days ago.
They had held hands while walking along the beach, enjoying the sunset and the ocean. They had talked about a lot of things. The weather, the economy, books they had read and exotic foods they had eaten. The conversation then shifted to the Westmoreland family and how they looked forward to the birth of Storm and Jayla’s twins in a few months. Dana listened, hearing the excitement in Jared’s voice. She felt a tinge of sadness that she wouldn’t be around to share in the excitement since she would be out of the picture by then, out of Jared’s life. At some point, he must have realized it, too. She glanced up, saw him staring at her and the intensity in his gaze gave her pause. The twins were a stark reminder that the two of them didn’t have a future together. During the remainder of their walk, conversation ceased. They were caught up in their own private thoughts—thoughts they preferred not to share with each other.
When they returned to the hotel, they reluctantly went their separate ways to dress for dinner and within an hour’s time, the food had been wheeled into Jared’s suite. Even he would admit it was a night of romance with the candles burning on the table and the soft music playing in the background, compliments of the hotel’s management. Evidently Jeannie had mentioned when she’d made reservations that they were a recently engaged couple and the hotel staff wanted to be remembered, in case they were undecided as to where they would spend their honeymoon.
A honeymoon that would never take place.
For the second time that day, Jared felt numb, his feelings paralyzed. All he could think about was that he and Dana didn’t have a future together. He forced himself to get a grip and refused to dwell on that now. All he wanted to think about was the woman sitting across from him, who was slowly sipping her champagne—another compliment of the hotel—as she watched him through beautiful dark eyes.
His body’s temperature rose a few degrees. All during dinner he had been turned on by everything she did. Even watching as she opened her mouth to eat her food had stirred a flame of arousal within him. She had a pair of sensuous lips and every time she used them he felt his loins burning.
He couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. She