Page 40 of Seduced By You

Her mouth turned down at the edges. “According to Piers, I’m ‘merely a pretty girl who used to get paid to appear in pretty pictures.’?”

“There’s nothing ‘merely’ about you, Lee. Not that I’d expect an imbecile like Piers to understand that. The man couldn’t find his own ass with a map, let alone comprehend what a smart, funny, kind, amazing, sharp-witted woman you are. He’s the man who never looks beyond the surface of anything. I pity his wife.”

She touched her throat. “Kadon. Stop. You’re going to make me cry.”

She jumped at a bang overhead, and the marshmallow flew out of her hand, landing in the fire. I handed mine to her.

“I promise I haven’t licked it or anything.”

She laughed. “I wouldn’t care if you had.” Slipping her lips around the gooey marshmallow, she pulled the entire thing into her mouth. Another firework being set off masked my groan. Was it healthy to walk around with a permanent erection? I really should Google that.

Tucking her hand in the crook of my elbow, Lee rested her head on my shoulder as we watched the explosion of lights above us. Sparks flew into the air from the bonfire, and the logs crackled and spit.

I kissed the top of her head. She glanced up at me. Flames flickered in her eyes. I couldn’t stop staring into their luminous depths. My lips parted. Hers did, too.

“Lee—”

She placed a fingertip over my lips. “Don’t say anything. Just kiss me.”

“Kiss you?” God, she was asking me to kiss her.Asking me to kiss her.And here I was, not fucking kissing her.What the hell is wrong with me?

“Benedict is watching us. Kiss me.”

I deflated faster than a weather balloon struck by lightning.Fuck.I’d fallen into the trap of thinking this was real. The entire setup was bursting with romance, and while I wasn’t faking a damn thing, I had to keep reminding myself that Lee was.

“Quick.”

I bent my head and lightly pressed my lips to hers. If heaven was a person rather than a place, then I’d found mine, right here with her. The fireworks weren’t exploding overhead any longer. They were exploding inside me. I deepened the kiss, wrapping my arms around her and tugging her flush to my body. I burrowed inside the blanket. It fell to the solid ground beneath our feet.

Lee made a sound, a mixture of a groan and a sigh. Were we still pretending? I wasn’t sure anymore. She played with the hair at my nape, her fingers feathering over my skin and drawing a carpet of goose bumps to the surface. Despite the chill in the air, I wasn’t cold. I burned. My hand found its way to her ass. I squeezed. She returned the favor, planting both her palms on my butt. She pulled me closer. My painfully hard dick found the friction it craved. I ground my hips, only vaguely aware that we weren’t alone. I didn’t care who was watching or whether our passionate display made them in any way uncomfortable.

Don’t stop.

Never stop.

She broke away first, eyes wide, pupils blown. She touched her fingertips to her lips, swollen from our kiss. My chest heaved, the air visible as I panted. My heart was beating so fast it rattled my rib cage.

“Well.” She blinked. “That was…”

She didn’t have to finish her sentence. Even an idiot could tell she thought I’d pushed it way too far.For fuck’s sake, jackass.I’d basically dry-humped her in front of half of England’s aristocracy. We were supposed to be faking a loving relationship, not putting on a porn show for the unwitting wedding guests.

“I’m sorry. I overstepped the mark. Kinda forgot it was you there for a minute.” I hadn’t forgotten it was her for even a second. How could I when she was the only girl on my mind? “Men. We haven’t evolved all that much, have we?” I laughed through a narrowed throat. It sounded strained to my ears.

She faced the fire. “It’s fine. Please don’t worry.”

“So I haven’t ruined our friendship?”

“Of course not.” She turned back to me and patted my chest, but the look in her eyes was one that gave me the chills, and not in a good way. “It was just a kiss, Kadon.” She bent down and picked up the blanket, wrapping it around herself. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was using it as a shield—or a message of one, anyway. “I think I’m going to turn in for the night.”

I caught her arm as she took a step. “I can check into a hotel.” I couldn’t lose Lee over this. Iwouldn’t.

“No.” She lowered her voice. “Don’t do that. If Benedict finds out we’re pretending, then all this will have been for nothing. We carry on as normal. If you’re all right with that.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“Give me fifteen minutes to get ready for bed, then come up.”

“Sure.” As she walked away, I felt the weight of a stare on the back of my head. I pivoted. Benedict was standing on the opposite side of the bonfire, his eyes aflame with envy.

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