Read Online California Caress by Rebecca Sinclair - Free Book Online
Authors: Rebecca Sinclair
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hand not been holding her chin so firmly.
“Why not?” His gaze lingered on her softly parted lips. “Don’t I appeal to you?” Her cheeks grew hot with a blush. This sight made his grin broaden. “Or would you rather have your brother go up against one of the Swedes? Funny, but I could have sworn you came here tonight to avoid that.”
“I did,” she answered miserably, then sighed in frustration. Oh what the hell, she might as well tell him the truth. He had probably already guessed it anyway. “Luke can’t fight them. He isn’t—he isn’t right.” The index finger of her free hand tapped her temple. “He’s big. He has the strength to win, yes. He just doesn’t have the intelligence to back it up. There was an accident when we were kids.... Look, the reason doesn’t matter. What does is that that they’d make mincemeat out of him in less than a minute. I can’t let that happen. He’s my brother, for God’s sake!”
“So you’d rather see them make mincemeat out of me instead, is that it?”
“Yes— no !” She clenched her teeth and glared at him angrily. “Will you please let me go so I can think straight?”
“No.”
“You aren’t making this very easy, Mr. Frazier.”
“That’s your problem,” he breathed as his thumb returned to caress the delicate line of her jaw. “And call me Drake. After all, we are going to be—ahem— friends. ”
“We aren’t going to be anything ,” she insisted, trying to pull herself free. “And I’ll be calling you a lot worse if you don’t let me go.” Her voice was rising in near panic, but she could no more control that than she could the frantic pounding of her heart as his fingertips brushed the corner of her mouth. She stiffened. “If you’re trying to intimidate me, I might as well warn you it won’t work.”
But it is working, her mind screamed. And it’s working too damn well!
Drake ignored her as he slipped the glass from her hand. Where it went, Hope didn’t know. Her senses were spinning out of control. She felt his body shift, leaving her for the barest of seconds. The next thing she knew his chest was pinning her against the door. It was more than the pressure of his body that made her suddenly gasp for air, although she would rather have died than admit it.
In a feeble attempt to free herself, she wedged her hands between their chests, trying to push his away. What a pitiful struggle that turned out to be! Her knees turned to jelly at the feel of his bare flesh beneath her splayed palms, and it was by willpower alone that she was able to keep herself from melting into the warm, solid length of Drake Frazier’s body.
“Two hundred dollars?” she asked breathlessly. Her voice was nothing more than a throaty whisper as his lips captured her earlobe.
“You don’t have that much,” he reminded her softly. His breath was like a hot desert wind in her ear.
“I’ll get it somewhere,” she promised as she pushed at his shoulders.
He shook his head. “Sorry, not enough.”
“Three?” she asked weakly. The flick of his tongue, moist and warm, teased the inner recesses of her ear. It was almost more than she could bear. “I have two pieces of gold that are worth—”
“If I wanted your gold I would have taken it when I stole your bullets. Think of something else.”
Why was she letting him do this to her? Why was she allowing him to awaken a passion inside her that she could never hope to quench? It was cruel, this sensual teasing; spiteful and cruel. His tender ministrations were stoking a desire in her that she had, long ago, learned she could never have. But, of course, Frazier had no way of knowing the truth.
“Damn it, Frazier, stop that!” she cried when his lips trailed a hot path down the sensitive taper of her neck.
Drake pulled his head up and sent her a look that pierced her to the core. “Why?” he asked dryly. “You wanted to buy me, didn’t you? I’m naming my price. I think it’s a
“Why not?” His gaze lingered on her softly parted lips. “Don’t I appeal to you?” Her cheeks grew hot with a blush. This sight made his grin broaden. “Or would you rather have your brother go up against one of the Swedes? Funny, but I could have sworn you came here tonight to avoid that.”
“I did,” she answered miserably, then sighed in frustration. Oh what the hell, she might as well tell him the truth. He had probably already guessed it anyway. “Luke can’t fight them. He isn’t—he isn’t right.” The index finger of her free hand tapped her temple. “He’s big. He has the strength to win, yes. He just doesn’t have the intelligence to back it up. There was an accident when we were kids.... Look, the reason doesn’t matter. What does is that that they’d make mincemeat out of him in less than a minute. I can’t let that happen. He’s my brother, for God’s sake!”
“So you’d rather see them make mincemeat out of me instead, is that it?”
“Yes— no !” She clenched her teeth and glared at him angrily. “Will you please let me go so I can think straight?”
“No.”
“You aren’t making this very easy, Mr. Frazier.”
“That’s your problem,” he breathed as his thumb returned to caress the delicate line of her jaw. “And call me Drake. After all, we are going to be—ahem— friends. ”
“We aren’t going to be anything ,” she insisted, trying to pull herself free. “And I’ll be calling you a lot worse if you don’t let me go.” Her voice was rising in near panic, but she could no more control that than she could the frantic pounding of her heart as his fingertips brushed the corner of her mouth. She stiffened. “If you’re trying to intimidate me, I might as well warn you it won’t work.”
But it is working, her mind screamed. And it’s working too damn well!
Drake ignored her as he slipped the glass from her hand. Where it went, Hope didn’t know. Her senses were spinning out of control. She felt his body shift, leaving her for the barest of seconds. The next thing she knew his chest was pinning her against the door. It was more than the pressure of his body that made her suddenly gasp for air, although she would rather have died than admit it.
In a feeble attempt to free herself, she wedged her hands between their chests, trying to push his away. What a pitiful struggle that turned out to be! Her knees turned to jelly at the feel of his bare flesh beneath her splayed palms, and it was by willpower alone that she was able to keep herself from melting into the warm, solid length of Drake Frazier’s body.
“Two hundred dollars?” she asked breathlessly. Her voice was nothing more than a throaty whisper as his lips captured her earlobe.
“You don’t have that much,” he reminded her softly. His breath was like a hot desert wind in her ear.
“I’ll get it somewhere,” she promised as she pushed at his shoulders.
He shook his head. “Sorry, not enough.”
“Three?” she asked weakly. The flick of his tongue, moist and warm, teased the inner recesses of her ear. It was almost more than she could bear. “I have two pieces of gold that are worth—”
“If I wanted your gold I would have taken it when I stole your bullets. Think of something else.”
Why was she letting him do this to her? Why was she allowing him to awaken a passion inside her that she could never hope to quench? It was cruel, this sensual teasing; spiteful and cruel. His tender ministrations were stoking a desire in her that she had, long ago, learned she could never have. But, of course, Frazier had no way of knowing the truth.
“Damn it, Frazier, stop that!” she cried when his lips trailed a hot path down the sensitive taper of her neck.
Drake pulled his head up and sent her a look that pierced her to the core. “Why?” he asked dryly. “You wanted to buy me, didn’t you? I’m naming my price. I think it’s a
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