Free Courting Jealousy by Kimberly Dean Page B

fundraiser sounded far away.
    “Please tell me you’re not still hung up on him,” her date said. He planted one hand against the thick glass and leaned into her.
    He smelled incredible up this close, and Noelle curled her fingers into her palms to keep from brushing his dark hair away from his forehead. “I’m not,” she whispered. “I’m the one who broke it off.”
    The hard line of his jaw softened. “So Blondie is his way of getting back at you?”
    “He likes to… flaunt that he’s moved on.”
    “She has nothing on you, sweetheart.”
    Noelle felt her cheeks heat and was glad for the dimness around them. “She does in the chest area.”
    “They’re fake.”
    She choked on a laugh. “I thought guys didn’t care.”
    Her laugh morphed into a moan when Dane settled his big, hot hand over her breast. He squeezed gently, lifting her in his palm. “I care, and I prefer the real thing.”
    Noelle’s nipple hardened on the spot, and the ache traveled down directly to her core. “Why… why are you saying these things?” she asked.
    They were hidden away together. Alone, with nobody around. There was no reason to keep up the act.
    His lips curled into a somewhat embarrassed smile. “I guess you could say I’m hot for teacher.”
    Her jaw dropped. Sexy men didn’t come on to her. She was pretty and she kept in shape, but she was low-key. Composed and self-contained. With her father’s high-profile job, she’d learned to live in the shadows. Handsome men like Dane didn’t tend to look outside the limelight for girls like her.
    Yet when he leaned more heavily into her, she felt the evidence of his interest against her belly.
    She propped her hands against his chest, and heat seeped into her fingertips. He was hard and muscled, yet she swore she could feel his heart pounding as hard as hers.
    “But why?” she insisted.
    “Why wouldn’t I be attracted to you?” he asked, flicking her nipple in chastisement. “From what I’ve seen, you’re sweet, giving, and adventurous. And in case you didn’t know it, you’re stunningly beautiful.”
    He dropped his head and whispered into her ear. “I want to kiss you for real.”
    Noelle shivered. She wasn’t convinced, but she wasn’t going to turn down another kiss. Instinctively, she turned her head. Her cheek rubbed against his five o’clock shadow, but then their lips brushed. And their mouths locked.
    And it made the kiss he’d given her out in public look timid.
    Her body gave one big throb. Trapped in the corner with a virtual stranger, she could have been scared, but the kiss felt real. He didn’t push, and he didn’t force. The way he touched her was almost protective, but hot and hungry as hell.
    She gave herself over to the feeling. Arching into him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She rubbed against his hot body, and a growl left his throat. One of his hands dove into her hair, while the one at her breast slid down to wrap around her bottom. Through it all, their mouths sealed tight and their tongues did battle. Noelle felt suffused in heat. Every erogenous zone she had was lit up like a four-alarm fire.
    Footsteps echoed in the empty hallway. Dane’s head lifted sharply, and his gaze met hers. Communication passed between them as silently and easily as if they’d known each other for years.
    It could be Barry. The couple had been watching them before.
    Yet instead of falling back into the clinch and putting on the show they’d agreed to, Dane pulled away. When he held out his hand, Noelle took it. Together, they hurried farther into the darkness.
    That kiss hadn’t been for Barry. It had been for them.
    Their footsteps had to sound like a mad dash as they hurried away from onlookers. The echo through the twisty hallway was unavoidable. The aquarium had been built to immerse viewers in the ocean world, while protecting the saltwater inhabitants from light and noise. The walls of the hallway were dark and textured to give the