Free Rapture's Tempest by Bobbi Smith

she met him in the foyer.
    “Annabelle.” He greeted her warmly, impressed once again by her blond loveliness. “You look ravishing this evening.”
    “Thank you.” She handed his coat to a servant and led him into the parlor where her father awaited them.
    “Good evening, Jim.” Nathan was more than pleased at his presence.
    “Nathan. It’s good to see you again,” Jim responded as they shook hands.
    “Please, sit down.” Nathan waved him to the plush sofa facing the fireplace. “What can I get you to drink?”
    “A scotch will be fine, Nathan. Thank you.”
    “Annabelle, would you like another sherry?”
    “Please, Father.”
    Sitting down beside Jim, Annabelle gave him a provocative look and was pleased to see a flame of desire flicker to life in his eyes. She knew that he found her attractive, and she intended to exploit that weakness whenever she could. She wondered idly what it would be like to have Jim as her lover, but quickly dismissed the idea. Though Jim Westlake was handsome, Annabelle didn’t want to get too involved with him. She only wanted to use him to get the information she needed. That was all.
    “Here’s your drink.” Nathan handed Jim a tumbler filled with scotch and Annabelle a small crystal glass of sherry.
    “To your engagement,” his future father-in-law toasted.
    Jim’s eyes met Annabelle’s, and their gazes locked. They raised their glasses and sipped slowly.
    Nathan was thrilled that things were progressing so well. Anxious to leave them by themselves, he pleaded unfinished business and excused himself.
    Jim was only slightly surprised at being left alone with Annabelle, but he wasn’t about to complain. The quick embrace they had shared the previous afternoon had hardly been satisfying, and he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her.
    “Would you like another drink?” Annabelle offered as soon as her father had gone from the room.
    “Yes, please. It’s been a long day and I do need to unwind a little.”
    Taking his glass, Annabelle moved gracefully to the liquor cabinet, making sure that her skirts were swaying seductively. Jim was open in his admiration as he watched her cross the room, and he felt quite content with the decision he’d made. Rejoining him, Annabelle held out his drink, but Jim grasped her wrist instead, pulling her down close beside him.
    “I’ve been wanting to do this since yesterday.” He spoke his intent softly, setting their glasses aside and sweeping her into his arms.
    Annabelle had no time to protest as his mouth covered hers in a passionate kiss. Startled by his ardor, she offered no encouragement as she lay passively in his embrace. Jim felt her reserve, but knew that such female defenses could easily be broken down. They were to be married soon; so surely, she could not object to his touch. It was only when his lips left hers to caress the sweetness of her throat that Annabelle struggled to be free from him.
    “Darling, what is it?” Jim asked with true concern. No woman had ever denied him before, and he certainly hadn’t expected it from his fiancée.
    “We have to be careful,” she lied. “Father may come back, and I don’t want us to embarrass ourselves.”
    Jim accepted Annabelle’s excuse with dignity and moved a respectable distance away, but he could not hide his irritation. While it would be embarrassing to be caught in a heated embrace by your future father-in-law, surely she could have been more responsive. Her reaction to his kiss had been nothing short of non ex is tent, and that puzzled him. If Annabelle loved him as she said she did, wouldn’t she be eager to be with him?
    If Jim had known Annabelle’s thoughts, he would have been less concerned. She had been stunned by her own reaction to his kiss. Something in his touch had set her blood racing, and when he’d tried to deepen their intimacy, she’dknown she’d better escape his embrace or she would be lost completely in her sensual