Read Online His Bride for the Taking by Sandra Hyatt - Free Book Online

To not have the fact that it did happen hanging between them. Besides, it was a nothing kiss, chaste, and as she’d pointed out, accidental. He couldn’t know of the strange heat it had ignited. The heat that had flared further when he’d wrapped his fingers around her arms, when for an instant she had seen fire in his eyes. Fire that she realized now was anger.
    Rafe had scarcely spoken since they’d left the theater. They were nearly back at the apartments, and she didn’t want the strained silence to go on any longer. He sat leaning back against the seat, as far from her as the confines of the Bentley allowed, head tipped back on the soft leather, eyes closed. But she knew he wasn’t sleeping.
    Lexie pivoted in her seat to face him. “We’re not even.”
    The eyes opened halfway, the head turned slowly toward her. From beneath his hooded lids, he studied her.
    “When you said we were even, were you referring to the time you kissed me at the masquerade ball?”
    His response was the barest nod.
    “Then I have to disagree.”
    The angle of his head changed. His eyes widened ever so slightly. It was enough of a reaction that sheinterpreted it as curiosity, or at least tacit permission to continue.
    “There was no tongue in mine.” His kiss had been shockingly erotic, igniting her strange, forbidden desires. She sat back in her seat.
    There was a moment of surprise, and then the deep rumble of his laughter rolled through the interior of the vehicle, pleasing her inordinately. “Only because I knew who I was kissing this time.”

Five
    D espite telling herself to forget about it, Lexie was still troubled by that kiss as the royal jet cruised over Europe. Twice now she and Rafe had kissed. Both times accidentally. And both times, for no good reason, their kiss had left her tossing through the night, tormented by darkly erotic dreams. Dreams that took the kiss as a starting point.
    Her only consolation was that if a kiss from Rafe, a man she mostly didn’t like, could have that effect on her, kissing Adam was going to be knee-weakeningly devastating.
    Fortunately, once they got off this plane she’d have little more to do with Rafe and the provocation of his presence. But for now, he sat a short way away from her, stretched out on a sumptuous cream leather couchand seemingly engrossed in a book. One he’d opened immediately after seating himself. The book was, she suspected, his way of avoiding her. But it also gave her leave to study him. His sentiments showed clearly as he read, occasionally frowning, sometimes almost smiling. Though she wouldn’t allow herself to look properly at his lips.
    He read fast, turning the pages rapidly, his deft fingers ready in anticipation of the next page moments after turning the last. He had nice hands. Was she allowed to think that about Adam’s brother?
    He glanced up and caught her watching him.
    “Good book?” she asked, trying to cover the fact that she’d been staring.
    “Yes.” He tilted it up so she could see the cover of the political thriller before returning his attention back to it, clearly shutting her out.
    That was a good thing. They didn’t need to be chatting. Still, Lexie had to make herself look away from him. Had to stop wondering what really went on inside his head.
    She’d tried reading, too, first a book and then a glossy magazine, but she couldn’t even concentrate on that. She was too anxious, and it wasn’t, she told herself, just because of the inadvertent kiss, because soon that memory would fade. It had to. It was in the past.
    And it wasn’t because of the irrelevant question prompted by his retort in the limo—that the kiss had gone no further because he’d known who he was kissing. Did that mean he didn’t find her attractive? Or that he did, but knew he shouldn’t?
    Neither answer would be ideal.
    Turning away from Rafe, she looked out her window. What ought to concern her now was the future. Her future. She should be thinking