Free The Playboy's Princess by Joy Fulcher

player.”
    She smiled. “That’s nice of you.”
    Drew wouldn’t have been surprised if there was some red rising up his neck. He wasn’t sure what it was about Jade, but all his emotions were heightened around her. Instead of just feeling happy, he felt content. It was strange; no one had ever done that for him before.
    Suddenly Jade jumped out of her chair. “What’s the time?” she asked hurriedly.
    “Um, almost seven,” he said, looking at his watch.
    “Oh, shoot! I’m supposed to be at my friend’s house at seven thirty.” She sighed as she ran off down the hallway. He could hear drawers and closet doors opening and closing.
    “Oh, okay. Well, I guess I should go,” he called out.
    She didn’t respond, but after a few minutes, she reappeared in a pair of casual jeans and an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt that was slightly too big for her. Her hair was out and cascading down her back in loose curls. She’d removed the makeup she’d worn to work, and her skin was glowing. She looked beautiful and sexy all at the same time. Drew suddenly hoped that the friend she was going to visit wasn’t a guy. But he’d told her it was okay for them to see other people. He suddenly felt very confused.
    He wanted to leave her thinking about him just as he knew he’d be thinking about her, so he walked over and put one hand on her waist, the other cupping her neck as he looked into her eyes.
    “Jade, will you go on a date with me tomorrow night?” he asked in a soft, gravelly voice.
    She opened her mouth, but no words came out. He smiled and leaned in, dragging his nose up her jaw. The fingers resting on her waist were rubbing small circles, and he slipped them under the hem of her shirt so he was touching her bare skin. He had a brief flashback to doing something similar in his dream the night before, but he pushed that thought aside.
    “Umm…” She tried to speak, but couldn’t seem to get anything out.
    “I’d really love to continue learning all your secrets,” he whispered in her ear. He could feel her rapid pulse as he caressed her neck, and he breathed out, intentionally blowing air over the soft skin of her throat.
    He took a tiny step closer to her so his chest was pressed flush against her, the heat of her body radiating all around him.
    “That would be nice,” she whispered back.
    He moved the hand from her waist up to the small of her back and pulled her into a tight hug.
    “I’ll call you in the morning to make the arrangements. Have fun tonight.” He chuckled as he pulled away from her.
    She gulped loudly and nodded. He noticed her eyes were slightly glazed over, and he felt a smug feeling come over him; if she was going to meet a guy, he knew that he would still be on her mind…not that it mattered to him.
    He released her and walked quickly to the door. His hand rested on the doorknob, but before he let himself out, he turned back to her.
    “Oh, and Jade? You might want to work on the stunned deer look before tomorrow night. Our first official date will be a test to see if we can pull this off, and we wouldn’t want people to think that you’re afraid of me or something.” He winked and gave her a broad smile.
    “I…I will,” she said with a nod.
    “See you tomorrow,” he reminded her as he walked out the door.
    Quickly, he walked down the stairs and found himself back on the street. All the way home he thought about Jade’s obvious reactions to him. She always seemed so nervous around him, and anytime he tested the physical boundaries, she clammed up. That could be a problem.
    He knew being touched by someone you didn’t know was slightly uncomfortable, but she’d agreed to be a part of this situation, so she’d just have to man up and get over her nerves. Drew decided that on their date the following night he would dial up the physical touching to try to desensitize her as quickly as possible.
    Bring on the first official date , he thought to himself as he walked back to the