Page 51 of Seduced By You

“It’s a woman’s responsibility to keep a man guessing, Kadon.” She batted her eyelashes.

I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, my eyes locked on hers. “And it’s a man’s responsibility to use all available tools in his arsenal to uncover every single secret.”

“Oh yeah?” she whispered, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

I should win a fucking award for keeping my eyes on her face instead of dropping them to a cleavage I’d hack off an arm for a chance to burrow my face in just once. I lowered my head until our mouths were an inch apart. The noise of arriving guests muted, drowned out by the roaring of blood in my ears. Lee parted her lips, her eyes briefly dropping to my mouth.

“I’ll let you torture it out of me later. In bed.” I brushed my lips over hers with the faintest of touches. Electricity zapped through me, static lifting the hair at my nape.

“God, Leesa, you’re a lucky bitch.”

Pippa’s untimely intervention broke the spell. Leesa blinked and took a step back. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

I stepped into the breach. “Sorry, Pippa. It’s easy to forget we’re not alone. That’s what love does for you, I guess.”

“You’re not kidding. Look what you’ve done to her, Kadon. She’s speechless.”

I threaded my fingers through Lee’s. “I guess we’d better sit down. Nice to meet you.”

“We should meet up for a drink later. After dinner.”

Lee’s hand tightened in mine. I hazarded a guess what that meant. It must be exhausting for her to keep up this acting routine. Easier for me. I wasn’t pretending.

“Another time. We’ll be busy later.” I stared intensely into Lee’s gunmetal-gray eyes once more. She shifted her weight, a blush creeping up her neck.

Pippa giggled again. “I’ll bet you will. You two enjoy yourselves.”

I tore my eyes from Lee’s and smiled a little at Pippa. “We plan to.”

Lee landed in the chair I held out for her with a thump. She dropped her purse on the floor and reached for the carafe of water. Pouring a glass, she downed it in one go.

“Thirsty?” I arched a brow.

“A little bit.” She leaned toward me. “You’re laying it on thick.”

Was she scolding me? “Too much?”

“Not at all.” She fleetingly touched my leg, more a brush as she moved than an intentional caress. Unfortunately for me, my body couldn’t tell the difference.

“You could win a Tony Award with the performance you’re giving this weekend.”

“We aim to please.” My voice came out husky. I poured myself a glass of water, too.

Another couple arrived, then a second and a third. I nodded through the introductions, using the time to gather myself. I wasn’t an actor. I was a man in love and, for the first time, able to show it in public.

What worried me was whether I’d find it impossible to shove the toothpaste back into the tube come Sunday morning. I had a horrible feeling that I’d struggle to go back to pretending we were just friends. But what other choice did I have?

It crossed my mind to change my flight and travel to Dubai from London instead of Nice as I’d planned. I instantly dismissed the idea. I’d never let Lee make her way back to Saint Tropez alone. It was tempting, though. It sure would solve a lot of problems. Give me the breathing space I needed to get my head on straight.

“—Benedict. I mean, it takes balls to come here.”

I dragged myself back to the present and tuned into the conversation. Lee was chatting with a guy in his early forties sitting on her left.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Lee said. “He and Fenella invited me, and I was happy to attend and celebrate their special day.”

“But it’s gotta hurt, right? I mean everyone here knows he dumped you for another woman.”

“Sorry, who are you?” I glared at the jerk in the blue tux.

---