Free The Seduction Scheme by Kim Lawrence

leant forward.
    There was a second’s startled silence and then, to her amazement and chagrin, she heard the sound of his laughter; it began somewhere in the depths of his chest and emerged deep and uninhibited.
    â€˜My God,’ he gasped, leaning back in his seat and wiping his eyes. ‘You really know how to break a mood, Rachel.You looked like a sacrificial virgin in one of those cheap B horror movies.’ He started to laugh again.
    Eyes fully open, she glared at him. ‘I’m not a virgin.’
    â€˜I’d guessed that,’ he confirmed gravely, the laughter now confined to his dark eyes. Eyes that had been smouldering seconds earlier.
    To say she felt piqued was an understatement. Ridicule, rejection… He was heartless and insensitive to boot! So her technique had been lacking in a certain amount of finesse. She’d wanted him to…she still did, she acknowledged angrily. Well, if he wouldn’t kiss her she’d just have to…
    Half kneeling as she leaned towards him, she took his face between her two hands. Breath coming fast and hard, she deliberately covered his mouth with her own. Benedict froze, and as his lips remained passive and unresponsive under her own Rachel realised the enormity of the mistake she’d just made. Lips still pressed to his, her eyes opened.
    She met his startled gaze and wanted to die of sheer humiliation. Even as she began to pull back the expression in the dark, hooded eyes changed. Seeing the change was like watching spontaneous combustion.
    â€˜Don’t!’ She felt the harsh command against her lips. Even had she felt the inclination, the strong arms that had moved across her back prevented her from withdrawing.
    Eyes still holding hers, the pressure of his lips slowly parted hers. Suddenly a whole mindless, exciting world was within her grasp. Very slowly his tongue traced the silky outline of her lips. When her tongue darted out to meet his tentatively she could see the flash of sultry approval in his eyes. She was close enough to see the gold tips of his extravagantly long lashes and the fine lines around his eyes which would one day become permanent. Permanent and Ben weren’t compatible terms.
    The silky thrust of his tongue wrenched a deep groan fromher as it penetrated deep within her mouth. His dark features swam out of focus and her eyes closed.
    Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck as if it was the most natural thing in the world. For several mindless, frantic moments they explored hungrily with lips, tongues and hands. She could hear the gasps and weak, bleating moans but didn’t actually associate them with herself.
    Though she’d managed to plaster herself very firmly against his impressive upper torso, it didn’t feel nearly close enough to satisfy the fire in her blood. Her fingers pressed deeply into the sculpted outline of his broad back as she squirmed sinuously in his arms.
    â€˜Rachel…?’
    She lifted her lips from the side of his neck and looked in a dazed fashion into his face.
    â€˜I think Charlie’s waking up,’ he said thickly.
    Remembering who she was and where she was was a painful business. Horrified, she looked into the back seat where her daughter was stretching sleepily.
    â€˜Are we home?’
    â€˜Yes. How are you feeling?’ Well, I’ve really done well on the keep-my-distance campaign, haven’t I? she mocked herself inwardly. She couldn’t even claim the excuse of moonlight and a romantic location. It was broad daylight and she’d been behaving like… She felt the skin of her neck burn as she remembered exactly how she’d been behaving. And she’d started it!
    â€˜I feel sore.’
    â€˜Where?’ Benedict asked.
    Charlie stretched and considered the question. ‘Everywhere.’
    Apprehensively Rachel stole a furtive glance in Benedict’s direction. The smug satisfaction she’d half expected was absent;