Substitute Seduction (Sweet Tea And Scandal 2)

This time it would be different.

She made a soft impatient noise in the seconds before their lips met and his world stopped being ordinary. Then another sound erupted from her throat as fire flashed through him. Wildness sped across his nerve endings, setting his heart to pounding. Endless fantasies of her and him naked and rolling over his mattress in hungry, frenzied passion flashed through his mind.

Harrison didn’t give a damn that the manager might return and interrupt them. The only thing on his mind was the woman making his heart pound and his body heat. Longing had gotten hold of him and wouldn’t let go.

With one hand coaxing her forward, bringing her torso into contact with chest and abs, he cupped her cheek with the other and deepened the kiss. It nearly killed him to go slow when he wanted so much more. Her lips. Tongue. Teeth. All of her. And when her lips parted and a soft, helpless groan escaped her, he nearly lost his mind.

In the instant her body melted into his, they were both swept up in a way that Harrison found himself powerless to stop. Despite his best intentions, the kiss went nova too fast for him to rein it in. Instead he surrendered the fight, realizing while he desired this woman more with each encounter, she wanted him just as much.

This was how a kiss was supposed to be. A give-and-take of sweetness and lust. Pure longing and dirty intentions. He slid his tongue across hers, claiming her mouth and driving her passion harder. Her fingers clutched his hair and dented his leather jacket. It was all crazy, frantic fun with a poignant dash of inevitability, and he never wanted it to end.

The sound of footsteps on the wooden stairs behind him jolted Harrison back to reality. Cursing inwardly, he broke off the kiss and gulped in air. Without releasing his hold on London, he blinked several times in rapid succession, trying to reorient himself to their surroundings. When had he ever lost control like that? Who was this woman who could make him go crazy by relating details about square footage, color schemes and table layouts?

“How are we doing?” came a bright voice from the far end of the room.

London jerked in response to the interruption and pulled Harrison’s hand from her face. She took a half step back, her eyes stunned and wide as they met his. Her chest rose and fell as she put her hand to her mouth, hiding a dismayed oh. Harrison surveyed the hot color of her skin and her passion-bruised lips, unable to resist a smile.

Damn, she looked gorgeous with her vulnerability on display. All softness and submission. But even as this thought registered in his mind, he could tell she was rapidly regaining her poise. Her features shifted into the cool reserve with which she confronted the world. Only her eyes betrayed her in the second before her lashes dipped, concealing her confusion.

“It all looks great,” he called to the manager. “I think we’ll take it.”

“Great,” the man replied. “I’ll get the paperwork started.”

“You go do that,” Harrison said. “We have a few more things to talk about up here and then we’ll be down.”

“I have three more properties to show you,” London reminded him in a harsh whisper, regaining her voice even as the manager’s footsteps retreated down the stairs. “You can’t make a decision without seeing all of them.”

He skimmed his fingertips over her cheekbone, admiring her delicate bone structure. “Do you really want to spend the rest of the afternoon pretending to look at properties while what we really want to do is get to know each other better?”

“I...” Her eyes narrowed. “If you think one kiss means I’m going to sleep with you, you’re wrong.”

No doubt she’d intended to make this declaration in tart tones, but her voice had lacked conviction.

“You have a dirty mind,” he scolded, giving her an affectionate tap on her perfect nose. “I like that in a woman.”

“I don’t have anything of the sort.”

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “I say I want to get to know you better and you assume that means sex.”

“Well, sure.” She gnawed on her lip and frowned. “I mean...”

“Table that thought,” he growled, dropping his head and giving her a firm, brief kiss on the lips. “What I meant by getting to know each other better was more about how you came to Richmond this weekend to watch me race. I thought it might be nice for you to show me a little of your world.”

It had occurred to him after being dropped off the night before that London McCaffrey had learned way more about him than he’d discovered about her.

Her gaze remained glued to him as she gestured toward the room. “This is it.”

“What? Do you mean work? There has to be more to your life than just this.” When she shook her head, Harrison nodded. Obviously they were two of a kind when it came to their careers. “So we’ll continue to plan the party. We’ve chosen a venue. What’s next?”

“The menu. Flowers. Invitations. A theme.”

A theme? Harrison kept his thoughts hidden with some difficulty as he imagined the challenge in finding something that would appeal to his brother. Maybe his mother would have some ideas.

“So, let’s go downstairs, sign the contract, plan the meal and then go buy some flowers.”

She regarded him skeptically. “Really? You want to do that?”

“I want to spend time with you and see what you enjoy doing. If that involves flowers and invitations, so be it.”