Free The Russian's Furious Fiancee by Elizabeth Lennox Page A

thought and even chuckled again at her paltry attempt to irritate him with her dress. Well, it hadn’t been so paltry initially. He’d been furious that she’d gone to so much trouble to make herself look like a hag. He’d known that it was all to make a point; that she wasn’t interested in him enough to try and impress him.
    She could try all she wanted, Damon thought grimly. Even discounting their dinner the other night, he’d seen the anticipation in her eyes even before he told her where they were going. She was interested in him. He just didn’t understand why she was fighting this attraction so forcefully.
    Eva should have known that attending the opera with Damon wouldn’t be as relaxing as normal. Being anywhere with this man set her nerves to tingling but the dratted man had a private box at the theatre. So they were practically alone in a dark space with only two chairs.
    He took full advantage of the situation, which she’d known he would do from the moment they’d walked into the private box. She took her seat and scooted the chair several inches away from his. He waited until she was settled before moving his chair closer to hers and that’s when she made her first mistake. When he sat down, so close that his thigh was touching hers, she tried to move away but he foiled that attempt as well by simply putting his arm around the back of her chair and using his strength to keep her exactly where he wanted her. When she glared up at him, he simply winked down at her before turning his attention towards the stage as the curtain went up.
    Eva had to settle for turning her hips away so their thighs weren’t touching any longer.
    What she hadn’t anticipated was that the arm that was around the back of her chair had his hand hanging down behind her. Fifteen minutes into the opera, his hand settled on her neck, his long, strong fingers massaging her tense neck muscles. At his first touch, she stiffened and sat up straighter in her chair, but at his chuckle, she tried to relax and pretend that his touch wasn’t affecting her in anyway.
    But it was! She could barely breathe as his hands moved across her neck muscles, relaxing her in one way, but making her whole body react in other ways, ways she didn’t like and couldn’t control. She tried to pull away, but his fingers were strong and he wouldn’t let her move. Not that she tried very hard, enjoying the amazing feeling of his fingers as they moved from her neck to her shoulders and then back against her upper back. When she realized she was leaning forward slightly to give him greater access, she gasped and sat back, trying to move away from him again.
    When she heard his soft laughter in response, she tried very hard to ignore him, crossing her arms over her churning stomach and focusing as much of her attention on the magnificent performance. She had no idea how much time passed but she wasn’t listening to the opera at all. She was waiting tensely for his next move. So when the intermission came and the house lights brightened, she wasn’t prepared for the rush of movement.
    Out in the reception area, she was sincerely grateful for the cold glass of champagne Damon pressed into her hand. She took a long sip, trying to clear her head and understand what had just happened. Why did she continue to react to his touch, even when she didn’t like this man?
    “I need to go to the ladies room,” she said and didn’t wait for an answer. Before he could do anything, she stepped away and headed towards the restrooms. She just needed a bit of breathing space, some time alone that would help her get this night into perspective. She didn’t like the way he made her feel and was actually ashamed that her body would respond so willingly to his touch.
    Once in the bathroom and away from his too-knowing gaze, she freshened up a bit, staring at her pale reflection in the mirror.
    “So you’re his latest conquest, huh?” a female voice said beside her.
    Eva