Free A Convenient Husband by Kim Lawrence Page A

body language, read my lips.’ She pointed to her mouth and very slowly mouthed, ‘Last night was the last time you’ll be sharing my bed!’

CHAPTER FOUR
    â€˜T HAT’S the sort of statement that is destined to come back and haunt you,’ Rafe remonstrated, testing the springy resilience of the pouting curve of her lower lip with the tip of his thumb.
    It was stupid to just stand there and let him take liberties, but for some reason Tess found she couldn’t move. She was intensely conscious of the heavy aching feeling low in her belly.
    â€˜Just think how silly you’re going to feel, angel, when I remind you of that the next time we’re in bed together.’
    Joke or no joke, his arrogance took her breath away. It did other things too, things like making her breasts tingle and swell against the thin top she wore. Graphic images crowded into her head, several involving sweaty bodies entwined. Her body temperature soared.
    Tess caught her breath sharply and willed her weak limbs not to tremble. Angrily she wrenched her eyes away from the hypnotic warmth of his. She’d never expected to see the famed Farrar charisma this close up and she didn’t imagine for one moment that it was accidental.
    Even if he wasn’t accustomed to rejection, it wasn’t fair of him to use Tess to massage his damaged ego! Resentment mingled with a nerve-stretching excitement that made her head spin.
    Serve him right if I bit him, she decided with uncharacteristic venom as her eyes continued to be mesmerised by the hand which probed the soft moisture of her inner lip.
    She’d never before appreciated just how beautiful his elegant hands were, strong with the most lovely long, tapering fingers. Disturbingly, as her violent feeling evaporated, she was left with a compulsion to extend her tongue and run it…A tiny fearful moan escaped her parted lips…Cut this out, Tess! Right now.
    She jerked her head away to dislodge his hand. His fingers trailed along the skin of her neck before they fell away completely. Tess gave a sigh of relief.
    â€˜One rejection and you’ve got to prove you’ve still got what it takes…?’ she taunted hoarsely.
    â€˜And have I?’
    She couldn’t think of an honest reply that wouldn’t seriously incriminate her.
    The sound of distant voices became clearer. ‘Here, have your keys! I’m sure I don’t want to drive your beloved car again. It’s not my fault the lane is so narrow. Aunty Tess!’
    Tess fought her way through the fog of sexual arousal. It was like swimming against a particularly strong tide and several unfriendly currents.
    Chloe! How the hell did I forget about her…? The answer was standing, all six feet four of him, beside her looking quite unfazed by the entrance of her two visitors.
    â€˜Trouble in Paradise?’ Rafe wasn’t looking at her guests when he spoke. Tess tore her eyes away from his mocking face and turned to face the music and her niece. Incredulity and shock warred for supremacy on her lovely young face as Chloe looked from her aunt to Rafe and back again. She didn’t seem to like what she was seeing or thinking. Her full lips trembled.
    Surely fuller than the last time Tess had seen them; the fleeting thought was replaced by far more urgent matters. Had Chloe seen and understood what was going on? Perhaps I should get her to explain it to me. Tess pushed aside this whimsical thought.
    â€˜Is that your car out there?’ The surprisingly boyish face of Chloe’s companion bore an apologetic grimace.
    Rafe looked from the keys the older man was pocketing to Chloe. ‘How bad is it?’ he enquired stoically.
    â€˜Pooh! It’s only a scratch!’ Chloe protested dismissively.
    Whatever Chloe had seen or understood about the scene she’d walked in on, it had made her look as sick as the proverbial parrot. Chloe might be in love with the handsome man