Page 47 of Signed, Sealed, Married

Maybe last night’s kiss was curiosity on his part. Would he really be attracted to you?

The poisonous inner voice sounded so like the one that had ridiculed her in her youth, telling her she was overweight, plain and uninteresting.

But Gisèle wasn’t falling for that again. She refused to undermine herself. There were enough people in the world ready to do that for her and she’d learned to ignore them.

If Adam didn’t want her he could tell her to her face.

She sat up. ‘Nothing to say?’

Her voice wobbled a little. She was putting her pride on the line. She wanted desperately to cuddle up against him. She craved the feeling of well-being she’d woken to.

Gisèle had never told any man she wanted him. It made her both energised and vulnerable.

‘What do you want me to say?’ His eyes flashed. ‘That I want you? Of course I do. You felt the proof of how much.’ He paused. ‘But I’m remembering last night. Only a few hours ago you were distressed—’

‘I’m not distressed now.’

‘It would be wrong to take advantage of you.’

Said the man pushing her into a marriage of convenience. The man taking over her beloved family company.

Gisèle gritted her teeth. She told herself she admired his scruples in this at least. Yet it grated that he was concernednowabout doing the decent thing, but not when he’d devised his Machiavellian business plans. That he wouldn’t accept her assurance, but tried to second-guess her feelings, as if he knew them better than her.

Or maybe you’re using anger to stoke your courage. Because you’ve never done this.

That’s the last thing she’d tell Adam. He’d take his scruples and leave for sure then.

In one smooth movement she rose. ‘Okay, then.’

Was that a flash of dismay across his tightly drawn features? Was he worried she was rejecting him? That pleased her. It would be nice to think Adam felt some of the compulsive desire she did.

Gisèle caught the rich material of her skirt and lifted it as she knelt on the sofa beside him. ‘I’llinitiate this. But if I do anything you don’t like, Adam, tell me and I’ll stop.’

She delighted in his surprise as she moved close. Cupping his bristly cheeks with her palms, she brushed her lips across his. Once, twice, revelling in the deliciousness of it, in her power, the thrill of balancing on the precipice.

On the third pass his lips opened, warm breath escaping on a rough sigh that made the fine hairs on her arms and nape rise. Gisèle changed the angle of her mouth, slicked her tongue along his parted lips, flicking inside to sample the addictive taste she remembered from last night. The taste of Adam. It made her light-headed, swaying closer.

Firm hands bracketed her hips, sliding on the satin then gripping low, the tips of his fingers on the curve of her buttocks.

She stiffened, pelvis automatically easing forward in response. It felt so good when he held her. She wanted to feel his hands against bare skin.

Lifting her head, she looked into gleaming, deep-set eyes. Dark colour streaked his cheekbones and the lines of his face seemed sharper. All that symmetry, bisected by his strong, crooked nose, made a mesmerising whole.

‘Not going too far or too fast for you?’ Gisèle’s voice sounded only a little uneven.

A flash of white teeth gleamed against dark stubble. It might have been a grimace or a grin. ‘I think I can keep up.’

Adam’s voice was a growling purr as he caressed her through her dress, long fingers applying just the right amount of pressure. She arched as tingles streaked along her spine and around her pelvis. Heat settled at the apex of her thighs and her breasts swelled against the confining fabric.

Gisèle drank in the sight of him. Taking this further would mean stepping off the precipice into the unknown. She didn’t know whethershecould keep up with him. But she’d spent too long running scared from the idea of intimacy.

Now, here, was a man she wanted. A man who made her feeldesire. She owed it to herself to see this through.

At least she could trust Adam not to sugar-coat lust with the pretence of deeper feelings. Dangerous he might be, but for this he was perfect.

‘Second thoughts?’ he asked.

‘Hardly. I was thinking you’re exactly the man I need.’

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