Page 41 of Substitute Bride

“I know you are.”

“I’m not good at being a fiancée.” She heard the words and, to her own ears, they sounded kind of silly, like she might be a little too inebriated to be articulate and coherent.

James seemed to understand them though. He leaned forward, a deliciously rough texture in his voice. “I beg to differ.”

She was feeling far too soft and melty, so she decided she needed to lighten the mood. “Who says that?”

“Says what?”

“Beg to differ.”

He blinked at her. “I said that.”

“I know you said it, and I said who says that?”

He took deep breath and thought through this enigma. “Oh. Clearly I say that even if no one else does.”

“Well, that’s good. Got to keep the snotty colloquialisms alive.” She was particularly pleased with landing on a word as impressive as “colloquialism” in her condition.

“I’m full of snotty colloquialisms,” he said, leaning back against the seat and smiling at her.

She leaned forward, drawn irresistibly toward his rare warmth. “Good to know.”

She wanted to touch him, but that seemed far too dangerous, so she contented herself with brushing at the wrinkles of his shirt again.

This seemed to progress to rubbing his chest until her hand moved higher and she was stroking his jaw.

She heard his breath hitch as her fingers ran lightly over his lips. She suddenly realized what she was doing, so she quickly pulled her hand back.

Before she had time to think through the significance or be embarrassed, he pulled her hand back toward his face. “Why did you stop?”

Part of her knew that he was affected by the alcohol just like she was. Not enough for them to be out of control, but enough for their inhibitions to be seriously down. But that part of her got drowned by all the rest of this. “I was touching your lips,” she whispered.

His hazel eyes had gone hot—so hot they made her gasp. “So keep touching them.”

She stroked the tips of her fingers over the thin line of his mouth, the light touch strangely provocative. Her skin flushed and a pleasant pressure was developing between her legs. She’d never felt anything like it before—not from just caressing someone.

He seemed to be affected by the touch too. He let out a hoarse sigh that was almost a groan and then reached up to take her hand and guide it to stroke the rest of his face. His skin was rough with slight bristles and warm, and she felt like sighing at the feel of the texture against her hand and fingertips.

Finally he lifted her hand and pressed a little kiss against the palm. It was vaguely gallant, but far more intimate than a kiss on the knuckles.

“Do I get to touch you now too?” he murmured, his mouth still pressed against her palm.

“God, yes,” she gasped, arching her spine slightly as so many erotic sensations ran through her.

He straightened up and moved his hand so he was brushing his fingers over her lips. It felt similarly light, intimate, deliciously tantalizing. Then he was stroking her face, and she was dropping her head backward to expose her neck. He caressed her neck, which felt so good she unconsciously pushed her chest out. Her nipples were tight and tingling with the need to be touched.

Very slowly, his hand moved down until he was stroking her breasts over her thin top. She gasped in pleasure and gasped again as he very lightly flicked at one nipple and then the other.

“More,” she pleaded, losing herself in the sensations and the intensity of her need for him. She’d been aroused before, of course, but it had never felt like this—like the lightest of touches would send her falling over an endless precipice.

He raised his other hand and gave both of her breasts attention simultaneously, twirling the nipples and cupping handfuls until she was moaning helplessly.

“Feels so good,” she murmured, tossing her head against the seat. “I need more.”

Then he was suddenly kissing her, and it was just as deep and hard and intense as the first time next to the pool. He was leaning over her rather awkwardly because of the position of the backseat, but he’d cupped her face in his and was holding it steady as his mouth ravaged her.

She responded eagerly, letting go of any of her normal reservations. This was too good, too real, too right. She couldn’t talk herself out of doing it.