Page 12 of Seducing Cinderella

He removed his finger and turned to leave when he heard, “But—”

With a growl of frustration, he grabbed her by the nape and pulled her against him as he planted his lips on hers. She stiffened and a shocked squeak came from somewhere in the back of her throat. But a moment later the squeak became a tiny moan and her body melted into him. Deep in his mind, his conscience screamed the wordshands-off approach, but his libido was quick to tackle it to the mat, knocking the wind out of the suddenly unwelcome reminder.

Her lips were warm under his and tasted of her strawberry lip gloss. He bet her tongue would taste just as ripe and sweet, but instinct told him if he crossed that line, he might not stop. Before he lost himself to the primal need urging him to push her into the nearest dressing room and show her how good the dress would look on the floor as well, he broke the kiss to see a dazed look on her face. “Damn, woman, do you always have to argue? Just go along with the plan or my next tactic will be public spanking.”

Lucie gasped and stepped away from him as her cheeks flushed to match her ruby, just-been-kissed lips. Apparently, the idea of his hand on her ass was just the image she needed to scare her into compliance. Or was it? Upon closer inspection he swore he saw glazed lust in her eyes. Could it be that his innocent Lucie had a little devil in her?

Fucking hell.Just the thought had him hardening behind his fly. He needed to get out of there. Fast. When he spoke, his voice was gruffer than usual. “I won’t be long.” Then he spun on his heel and strode out to find the closest men’s store…and enough time to lose the hard-on he was currently sporting for his friend’s little sister.

Chapter Six

Lucie couldn’t remembera time when her nerves were more frayed. Her stomach felt so twisted inside out she thought for certain if she looked down she’d see a knotted mess where her normally flat abdomen should be.

Reid led her gently with a large hand at themostly baresmall of her back through the maze of restaurant tables until the hostess indicated which was theirs. After holding her chair while she seated herself, he walked around the linen-draped square table to his place across from her.

She marveled at how graceful he moved and how at ease he was in the expensive clothes he’d bought for their evening out. His white, fitted dress shirt hugged his frame, clinging to his muscles with every movement. And even though they were at a five-star restaurant, she loved how he didn’t completely pander to the dress code, leaving the top few buttons undone and leaving the shirt untucked over dark dress jeans.

With his hair brushed forward and up, creating that hint of a peak down the centerline of his head, and his tattoos faintly visible through the material of his shirt, he was the epitome of a bad boy out on the town. The exact opposite of her taste in men. And yet somehow, she found him utterly delectable.

Just like his kiss.

Lucie quickly picked up her menu to hide the heat flooding her face at the memory of his lips on hers. She knew he’d done it just to shut her up—that there’d been nothing sexual about it for him—but the moment his mouth touched hers the world around her became hyper-focused to exist solely on his lips. Her reaction to such a small, intimate gesture had startled her, to say the very least.

“So, what are you in the mood for?” he asked.

Clearing her throat as delicately as possible, she lowered her menu and picked the first thing she saw. “Chicken Marsala sounds good.”

“That does sound good, but I’m more of a steak man.” The waiter approached and asked for their drink order. “I’ll have a whiskey sour, and my sister would like a bottle of your Moscato wine, please.”

The waiter couldn’t have been any older than twenty-two to her twenty-nine, but he gave Lucie an inviting smile, winked, and said, “My pleasure. I’ll be right back with your wine.”

Stunned, Lucie waited until he was out of earshot before she spoke. “If it’s so embarrassing to be seen with me in a place like this, you shouldn’t have brought me.”

The hand holding his water glass froze halfway to his mouth and his brows drew together. “Why in the hell would I be embarrassed to be seen with a beautiful woman?”

“Yeah, right.” She snorted and busied herself with unfolding the dark napkin from its impossible origami-style design. Why did restaurants want to make a person feel inept before their drinks even arrived? “I see the types of girls you and Jackson date. They’re the MMA’s equivalent of the rodeo buckle bunnies. Big-breasted bombshells who probably hold master’s degrees in Bedroom Acrobatics.” After placing the finally unfolded napkin in her lap, she looked up to see Reid still had the audacity to look perplexed. She sighed and explained, “You made it a point to call me your sister in front of that waiter because you don’t want your dating stable tarnished with a Plain Jane like me.”

Lucie swore she heard him growl and if the look on his face was any indication, it seemed as though she may have indeed poked the bear. “Let’s get one thing perfectly clear,” he said, setting his glass down. “I don’t want to hear the term Plain Jane in reference to you ever again.Anyman, myself included, would be proud to have you on his arm.”

Though she recognized his reaction as a protective thing, much how Jackson would have been, the conviction in his voice touched her…until another thought reared its ugly head.Stephen doesn’t see it that way.

As if reading her mind, he added, “And soon that doctor of yours will get his head out of his ass and realize it, too.” He paused to flick his napkin into his lap without any trouble. “But for now, you need to flirt shamelessly with the waiter.”

“What?” she stage whispered while leaning over the table. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m dead serious. I called you my sister for a reason. Did you see the way his attitude toward you changed the moment he thought you weren’t my date? He damn near drooled on our table.”

“You’re out of your mind. No.” She shook her head. When all he did was give her that annoyingOh, reallylook she barely stopped herself from flinging a fork at his forehead. “What in God’s name will flirting with a stranger accomplish?”

“Multiple things, but first and foremost, it’s going to show your date that you’re desired by others. Here’s lesson two: Men always want what they can’t have, or what other men want. It’s a scientific fact.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Well, it should be,” he said with a grin.

“Even if you’re right, I don’t knowhowto flirt, Reid. So this won’t work.” Wasn’t it typically cold in restaurants? She was close to burning up. Maybe she was coming down with something. She reached for her ice water and took several long gulps, trying to numb herself from the inside out.

“That’s what I’m here for, sweetheart. Now, there are two types of flirting. Body language and banter. Tonight, I just want you to try using body language. You could recite a Mother Goose nursery rhyme, but if you give off the right signals, the guy won’t stand a chance.”

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