Page 12 of His Innocent's Passionate Awakening

‘My mother chose it. She loved Greek history.’

His gaze became hooded and he glanced at her mouth again. ‘There will be times when we’ll be expected to show affection towards one another. Are you going to be okay with that?’

‘W-what sort of affection?’

‘Kissing. Holding hands. Touching.’

Her lower body began to throb with a strange kind of ache. She couldn’t stop herself thinking about places he might touch her—places that were already tingling in anticipation. How would she cope with a casual brush of his hand? His strong arm around her waist? His mouth pressed to hers? No one had ever touched her with a lover’s touch. No one had ever kissed her. The desire to be touched by him was overwhelming. Her body craved it like a drug.

‘Okay.’

Okay? Are you out of your mind?

Artie was out of her mind—with lust. She had never felt so out of control of her body. It was acting of its own volition, responding to him in ways she had never expected. She didn’t even like him. He was arrogant and confident in a way she found irritating. It was as if he expected her to throw herself at him just like any other woman he had encountered. How was she going to resist him if he kissed her? How would it feel to have that firm mouth moving against hers?

Luca continued to look at her with a heart-stopping intensity. ‘If you don’t want me to kiss you then you need to tell me, because right now I can think of nothing I want to do more.’ His voice lowered to a deep bass that sent another wave of heat coursing through her body.

‘What makes you think I want you to kiss me now? What would be the point? There’s no one here but us.’ Artie was proud of her calm and collected tone when inside her body was steaming, simmering, smouldering.

His thumb pressed lightly on the middle of her bottom lip, sending tingles down the length of her spine. ‘The way you’re looking at me.’

‘How am I looking at you?’

Eek. Was that her voice? She had to do something about her voice. None of that whispery, husky rubbish. She had to be brusque and matter-of-fact.

‘You must be imagining it.’

He cupped one side of her face with his hand, the slight roughness of his palm making her insides coil and tighten with lust. ‘Maybe.’ He gave a quick on-off smile and dropped his hand from her face. ‘So, the wedding. How does this weekend sound?’

Artie only just managed to suppress a gasp. ‘This weekend? What’s the rush?’

‘I’m not a fan of long engagements.’

‘Funny. But how am I going to find a dress in time? Or are you expecting me to turn up naked?’

Argh. Why did you say that?

A dark glint came into his eyes. ‘Now, there’s an idea.’

Artie pursed her lips, hoping her cheeks were not glowing as hot as they felt. ‘I can safely say I will never, ever be naked in front of you.’

He glided a lazy finger down her burning cheek, a smile in his eyes. ‘Have you been naked in front of anyone?’

Artie stepped back, annoyed with herself for not doing so earlier. She had to keep her distance. It was dangerous to stand so close to him. She had so little immunity to his sensual power. She had to remember he was a powerful magnet and she was a tiny iron filing.

‘I’m not going to discuss my private life with you. It’s none of your damn business.’

‘We have to know a few things about each other otherwise no one will accept our marriage as the real thing.’

Artie frowned. ‘What? Are you going to pretend you’re in love with me or something? Who’s going to believe it? We’re total opposites.’

‘Ah, but don’t they say opposites attract?’ His smile melted her bones—she could feel her legs trembling to keep her upright.

Artie compressed her lips and iced her gaze. ‘This may come as a surprise to a man with an ego the size of yours but I’m not attracted to you.’

He gave a deep chuckle. ‘Then you’re going to have to call on every bit of acting power you possess to convince my grandfather otherwise. Think you can do that, cara mia?’

The Italian endearment almost made her swoon. She hoisted her chin. ‘Do you, Mr Hardened Cynical Playboy, think you can act like a man passionately in love with his bride?’

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