"I don't want other men hitting on you while I'm on stage and unable to protect you. We have to establish that you're with me right now."
"How?"
"I'm going to kiss you," he said, glancing away.
"What?" Her heart skidded to a halt and tingles showered her body.
"Trust me," he said in a neutral tone. "Try to make it convincing and don't slap me."
"Why would a kiss be necessary?" She was far too attracted to Nick to kiss him without him realizing the extent of it. She might simply eat him up. She'd only been roped into one blind date since her divorce and the goodnight peck from that creep was forgettable, like pressing her mouth against parchment.
If she kissed Nick, she'd get turned on and he'd know it.
"I don't think we should," she said in a rush.
"Emily, if we were lovers, like we're pretending to be, we'd be all over each other," he murmured in her ear, his voice deep and seductive. "We wouldn't be able to wait to find a bed or a dark corner, and everyone would know it. They'd see how hot we were for each other."
Yes, everyone here might see how hot she was for him. A wave of arousal flooded Emily. Dear god, she could scarcely breathe. She was supposed to be pretending, but this felt far too real.
Placing a finger beneath her chin, he turned her face toward him, but she lowered her gaze to his neck. "Are you listening to me?" he asked.
She swallowed and tried to act normal. "Yes, but we're not…lovers." But I want to be. No! No, she didn't. He was her former brother-in-law. A Sullivan. The same blood as Jared's ran through his veins. Both cocky, arrogant bastards. Womanizers who couldn't keep it in their pants.
But when she thought of Nick's jeans and what was in them, she ached deep inside.
"But we don't want anyone else to know that. Am I really that repulsive?" A hint of insecurity lurked in his smoky-gray eyes. Maybe her acting skills weren't that terrible if he couldn't detect her attraction for him.
"It's not that and you know it." He was like one of those sinfully delicious, high-calorie desserts that women crave but swear off. "No tongues." If she didn't taste him, maybe she could hide her intense hunger for him.
He shrugged. "Whatever."
"Well then, get it over with." She forced the words out before she had time to think about them.
A slow, wicked smile formed on his lips.
Uh-oh.
Emily should've closed her eyes against his sexy, playful expression. But that smile took away his usual brusqueness and replaced it with the promise of pleasure.
He stroked warm fingertips along her jaw line, all the while leading her in a barely-noticeable slow dance. He moved his face closer and panic closed around her throat. Oh no.
Chapter Four
Oh yes!
As Emily sank against Nick's hard body on the dance floor, his firm, sensual lips captured hers. His kiss was a hot, drugging caress, like drowning in a pool of rich, melting chocolate. Ambrosia to her starved senses. Emily wanted to sink down into his seduction until she was sated.
She held him tighter, digging her nails into his leather vest, pressing her pebbled nipples against his muscled chest. His hard cock ground against her lower belly where she ached for him deep inside, and moisture drenched her panties.
Threading his fingers underneath her hair to cradle her head, he gave lingering kisses to the corners of her mouth. Burning desire flashed through her. Oh how she wanted to devour every inch of him.
Her knees trembled and she reached up for more kisses. When he flicked the tip of his tongue against the center of her lips, her breath stopped and she opened her mouth.
Nick inhaled sharply and squeezed her ass, pulling her tighter against his erection. She couldn't even protest the way he was touching her because she craved more.
His tongue swept against hers. The masculine taste and texture of him assailed her senses. Delicious and intimate. His clean musky scent was new and unfamiliar. Sexy. A silken thread of sensuality wrapped around her heart and for a moment wouldn't let it beat.
She moaned, but the loud music muffled it. She hoped. What if he'd heard it? The sheer force of her unbridled need stunned her, frightened her. She was tempted to climb his lean, muscular frame right here on the dance floor.
Shocked at herself, she broke the kiss and turned aside.
He pressed his face into her hair. "Good god, Emily," he growled.
Nick was ready to throw Emily over his shoulder and make for the nearest dark corner. He hadn't had such a rampant hard-on in eons. That moan she'd let loose told him she was just as aroused. Stroking the soft skin of her bare thigh, he ached to slide his hand up underneath that short skirt and find out how wet she was, then yank her panties aside. She would feel sublime—hot, tight, drenched.