Read Online Hoodwinked by Diana Palmer - Free Book Online Page B

in and closed the door, tossed his jacket onto a chair and moved toward her without ever taking his dark eyes from her face. She almost backed away, but his hands came up to her face, framing it.
    â€œThere’s no need to run from me,” he said quietly, searching her wide green eyes. “I’ll never hurt you.”
    â€œI’m not afraid of you.”
    He bent, smiling, and put his hard mouth gently against hers, holding the soft kiss until she relaxed and he felt her hesitant movement toward him. Heady with her shy submission, he let his big hands move to her waist and gently brought her against him. It was fiercely arousing to feel her breasts against his chest through the thinness of his shirt and her pajama top; to know that she was nude under it.
    â€œCome closer,” he whispered into her parted lips. “Put your arms around me.”
    â€œI’m not…dressed,” she moaned, trying to be sane.
    â€œGod, I know!” he bit off. His hands flattened on her shoulder blades, pulling, so that he could feel her breasts crush softly against his stomach because he was so much taller than she was. The feel of them made him groan.
    â€œWhat?” she whispered, pulling back to look up into his dark, glittering eyes. “Did I do something wrong?”
    He set his teeth, holding back the words. She wasn’t like the women he’d known. He couldn’t tell her that he was so aroused he felt like pushing her down on the couch and ravishing her. Her eyes were wide and misty with excitement. Her mouth was just faintly swollen where his had crushed it. She looked and felt like a woman on the verge of her first love affair, and he wanted desperately to be the man. The first man. The only man.
    His hands held her waist, marveling at its smallness as he smoothed her top against her sides, watching with unnerving curiosity the taut thrust of her nipples against the fabric. She didn’t even seem to be aware of that maddening little giveaway.
    â€œI think you’d better put on some clothes,” he said quietly, his eyes going back up to hers with darkening intent. “You can’t imagine how tempting you look right now.”
    Her face changed, brightened. She smiled softly as he released her. “Do I, really?”
    He turned away, his face rigid, and reached for a cigarette. “Have you already made coffee?” he asked stiffly.
    She didn’t quite understand his abrupt mood change. Perhaps he wasn’t awake yet. “Yes. Help yourself. I’ll be right back.” She moved into thebedroom and closed the door, still tingling from his warm, hungry embrace. It was nice being kissed like that, and a little frightening, too. She’d felt giddy and weak and had experienced a new kind of throbbing ache inside her. What an odd reaction to a kiss, she thought, and then fumbled her way into hose, a slip and a white dress, pausing to put on a minimum of makeup and put up her hair. She looked cool and young and neat, but not beautiful. She sighed at her reflection, pushed her slipping glasses back up on her nose, and went back into the living room, carrying her white high heels and her Sunday purse with her. She tossed them onto the coffee table and padded in her stocking feet to the kitchen.
    Jake was drinking black coffee at the table, and he smiled at the picture she made. She looked neat and unruffled, and he wanted to let her hair down and wrinkle that dress. His dark eyes said so.
    She flushed, smiling at him. “Will I do?”
    â€œOh, yes,” he responded. “You’ll do.”
    â€œI’ll just fix the eggs,” she said, moving to get an apron. He watched her quick movements with lazy appreciation, wondering at the domestic picture she made. He’d never actually watched a woman cook before. It was fascinating. So was she.
    â€œThis is like another world to me,” he remarked suddenly. “I’ve never felt this