Free A Perfect Night by Unknown

her to feel frightened or to do anything more to by to express her outrage as he bent his head and covered her half-open mouth with his own.
    Thanks to the unwanted attentions of her ex-boss Katie knew exactly how it felt to have a man kiss her against her will, but the sensations, the emotions, that coursed through her body as Seb kissed her bore no resemblance whatsoever to those she had experienced then.
    Dizzily she wondered where they were and why in their place she was experiencing this odd feeling of lightheadedness; why she was hearing this deafening, thudding rushing sound that reminded her of breaking surf, pounding on a beach. She recognised it was, in actual fact, the roar of her pulse combined with the frantic surge of her heartbeat and she wondered, too, why her mouth seemed to be actually enjoying the sensation of the hard warmth of Seb's expertly caressing it, but before she could answer any of these questions, her brain went into overload, short circuiting its own ability to reason or analyse any of what was happening.... Her eyelashes fluttered, her body softened, her hand lifted to touch Seb's face as a small sound of sensual pleasure purred in her throat.
    Seb lifted his hand from Katie's waist to the temptingly soft curve of her breast. Through her top and her bra he could feel the delicate pout of her nipple. Desire kicked through him in a shocking breath-stopping surge.
    Against his hand Katie's nipple hardened provocatively.
    As Seb's body read her responsiveness to him it reacted instinctively and Katie's sensually soft purr gave way to a shocked strangled gasp as she felt the betraying hardness of Seb's body.
    Outside, behind the closed door, one of the children called Katie's name. As Seb heard it, it brought him back to reality. Immediately he lifted his body away from Katie's releasing her and just as immediately Katie pushed herself away from him and darted down the passage.
    The hallway was empty—thankfully—and Katie headed instinctively for the stairs and the sanctuary of her bedroom.
    From outside in the garden she could hear the laughter and chatter of her parents' guests but she felt as remote from them as though she were on another planet, their voices nothing more than a backdrop to the appalled anguish of her own thoughts. Her whole body was trembling, shuddering from head to foot, galvanised by what she told herself was her total revulsion for what had happened.
    The way Seb Cooke had treated her, touched her, was unforgivable... unforgettable ... an insult... an assault against both her emotions and her most dearly held moral beliefs. She hadn't encouraged him, she hadn't wanted him.
    Hot-faced she closed her eyes, choking back the devastatingly honest inner voice that told her that she wasn't being truthful with herself.
    Squeezing her eyes tightly closed Katie whispered under her breath, 'All right, so I did...react to him, but that was just physical...any man could have...' Biting her lip she opened her eyes. Any man could have what?
    Exacted the same response from her. If that was true...
    Frenziedly she whirled round and paced the floor. It was because she had been thinking about Gareth... It was Gareth who she really wanted...who she loved, and it had been a combination of that love for him and her anger at Seb's obviously intended, if not actually uttered, jibe that she was sexually untouched and frus-trated... that she was—oh the shame of it—still a virgin.
    How had he guessed,..known...? Katie closed her eyes as a fresh wave of anguish-fuelled despair drenched her.
    At her age she was past the stage where her virginity could be considered a praiseworthy indication of her respect for herself and her determination not to rush into sexual experimentation simply for its own sake.
    Her discovery while at university that she loved Gareth had prevented her from following the path taken by most of her peers and forming an intimate loving relationship with a fellow student. The