A Very Exclusive Engagement

Francesca’s only response was a sharp intake of breath as she turned to look into his eyes. She watched his face with intensity, reading his body’s reactions through his expression. He saw an acknowledgment in her eyes—something that told him she was feeling the same way. She opened her mouth to say something when the car pulled up beside them.

Liam wanted to know what she was about to say, but instead, she turned away and struggled in his arms. He reluctantly set her down in the grass and went around to his side of the car and got in. The moment had passed and whatever she had to say was left unspoken.

It wasn’t until the car pulled up outside her town house that they spoke again. And when they did, it was all at once in a jumble of words.

“Would you like to come in?”

“I had a great time today.”

“So did I.”

“Yes.”

Francesca smiled at the way they’d talked over each other. “Now that we have that all cleared up, come in and I’ll make us some coffee.”

Liam was thrilled to get an invitation inside tonight. He got out and opened her door, following her up the brick stairs to her entranceway. He laid a gentle hand at the small of her back as she unlocked the dead bolt and he felt her shiver beneath it, despite the warm evening. She couldn’t help responding to his touch, he noted. If he had anything to say about it, they wouldn’t worry too much about coffee until the morning.

They went inside and he followed her to the kitchen, where she dropped her purse on the counter and slipped out of her heels. “So much better,” she said with a smile. “Now, coffee.” Francesca turned to the cabinets and started pulling out what she needed to brew a pot.

While she scooped beans into the machine, Liam slipped off his coat, draped it on one of the bar stools and came up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed the full length of his body against her. He swept her hair over one shoulder and placed a warm kiss on the bare skin of her neck.

The metallic coffee scoop dropped to the counter with a clank as Francesca reached out to brace herself with both hands. “You don’t want coffee?” she asked, her voice breathy as his mouth continued to move across her skin. She pressed into him, molding her body against his.

Liam slipped her sweater down her shoulders. “Coffee would keep me awake. I think I’d like to go to bed.” He pushed the firm heat of his arousal against her back and let his hands roam over the soft fabric of her dress. “What about you?” he asked. He knew Francesca had been in a war between her body and her mind since they met. She’d practically run from him the other night, yet when he kissed her, he could tell she wanted more.

But tonight, this step had to be her decision. Playing the happy couple would be much easier the next few weeks if he wasn’t battling an erection whenever they were together. Sex wasn’t required in their arrangement, but damn, being engaged was a really great excuse to indulge.

“No,” she said.

Her words caused Liam’s hands to freeze in place. Had she just said no? Damn. He must’ve been reading her wrong. Did she really only invite him in for coffee? Maybe she was a better actress than he thought.

Before he could pull away, Francesca turned in his arms to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked up at him with her large dark eyes, a sly smirk curling her pink lips. “I don’t want to go to bed,” she explained. “I want you right here.”

Liam was all too happy to grant her wish. With a slide of his arm, he knocked her bag to the floor and cleared the countertop bar. He encircled her waist with his hands and lifted her up to sit at the rounded edge of the granite slab. His hands slid up the smooth length of her legs, pushing the hem of her turquoise dress high enough to spread her thighs and allow him to settle between them.

“How’s this?” he asked, gripping her rear end and tugging her tight to him.

Francesca smiled and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Perfetto.”

She leaned in to kiss him, and the floodgates opened. The moment their lips met, everything they’d held back for the past week came rushing forward. Their hands moved frantically over each other, pulling at zippers and buttons until they uncovered skin. Their tongues glided along one another, tasting, tempting and drinking it all in.

Liam couldn’t get enough of her. The feel of her skin, the soft groans against his mouth as he touched her. He tried to be gentle as he unzipped her dress and pushed the hem up to her waist, but his patience was coming to its end. Especially when Francesca pulled the dress up over her head and he caught a glimpse of the hot pink lace panties and strapless bra she was wearing.