Read Online Out Of Her League, An Erotic Romance by Ava Archer Payne - Free Book Online

myself she was the woman for me. The perfect wife. I likely would have won, and I would have lived with that mistake the rest of my life.” The light, teasing grin he normally wore was gone. In its place was an expression of naked sincerity, an expression that brought a soft ache to the center of her chest.
    Her gaze moved over his face, drinking in the chiseled planes of his cheekbones, the rugged line of his jaw, the deep blue of his eyes, the enticing male fullness of his lips.
    “I knew I couldn’t touch you again once I was engaged to Miss Kittworthy,” he continued. “So it all came down to one single choice: which was less painful to give up? My engagement to Miss Kittworthy, or touching you? Once I phrased it like that, the answer was ridiculously easy.”
    “Was it?” she managed.
    “Of course. How could I demand another kiss from you if I was to wed another?”
    “Demand?”
    “Ask,” he amended. “Very nicely. With very pretty words, if you’d like.” His breath fanned her ear as he stepped closer, drawing his hands over her upper arms. “Aren't you curious? Were you able to stop wondering? I wasn’t. Was that just one single, exceptionally nice kiss? Something to be enjoyed and forgotten? Or was it a prelude to something far richer indeed?”
    His words slowly penetrated her wall of resistance. Unable to stop herself, she reached for him, gently trailing her fingers across the solid wall of his chest.
    His muscles leapt beneath her touch. He sucked in his breath, then slowly let it out. “I need you, Kate.”
    Hadn’t she dreamed of him saying exactly that? But now that he had, she felt frozen, caught completely unawares. A thousand thoughts exploded in her mind, scattering away in tiny fragments too small for her to grasp.
    A dalliance, that was all he was offering, she reminded herself. But what more could she expect? Kate took a realistic look at her position. She ranked—perhaps—just above the girl who’d served their luncheon. While James treated her with the utmost courtesy, obviously he had no intention of making her his wife. If her father were still alive, an alliance might have been possible. But not now. Not with the shambles Bertie and George had made of their financial affairs and social standing.
    No, the best future she could hope for was a position at St. Thomas, where she might gain a little financial security and independence. If she were lucky, she’d be granted a position as hospital matron.
    She would spend the rest of her life in square, sensible shoes, her hair trapped in an ugly bun, her breasts bound together like one massive, unmovable unit, a scowl of permanent displeasure on her face. She would move through the halls of the hospital like a battleship under full steam, always finding fault, chastising nurses, surgeons, physicians, and patients alike.
    The future laid out before her filled her with an unbearable sadness. She couldn’t avoid it, but at least she could have this. A memory to carry with her. She would know what desire felt like. She would see a man’s eyes darken with desire, the way James’s did when he looked at her.
    They were alone in a nearly empty room. The only item of furniture was a white damask settee. No one would know if she dared reach for him. Kate’s pulse raced.
    James watched her in silence. Slowly, as if he feared she were a timid animal who might flee at the slightest provocation, he lowered his head, bringing his mouth a fraction of an inch from her cheek.
    “I’m not a man who takes this sort of thing lightly.”
    “What sort of thing?”
    “Taking you.” He leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own.

Chapter Five
     
    Unlike the first time their lips had met, this was no gentle kiss. No soft coaxing, no sweet exploration. His mouth covered hers in a kiss of hard insistence, crushing eagerness. She offered no resistance. Yielding beneath his fiery onslaught, she parted her lips. His tongue swept into her mouth,