Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 108165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Lady in red.” He shakes his head while holding my chair as he did at lunch.
“Sounds cliché.” I laugh while sitting.
“Iris,” he whispers next to my ear, “you’re anything but cliché.”
I shiver because I don’t trust him. I shiver because he’s undeniably sexy, and that’s just a fact I can’t avoid. And maybe it will make this easier, but I doubt it. I hate every single Sanford in this godforsaken town.
But Iris doesn’t. She’s enthralled with Archer, so much so that her panties are in her purse instead of where they belong. Sex is its own form of revenge, even though I’ve never wielded it like a weapon until now. Death changes people. After John died, I feared I would never be the same. After his son and wife died, I knew I’d never be the same.
“I didn’t think I’d hear from you again,” he says, sitting across from me.
“Oh? Why is that? Did you think you made a bad first impression?” I rest my napkin on my lap.
He smirks. “No. You seemed a little skittish the other day.”
“Well,” I reach for the stemmed glass of water and hope he doesn’t see me tremor, “can you blame a girl? After all, you pulled me off the sidewalk and overwhelmed me with compliments, over-priced food, and champagne.” I sip my water while holding up a finger. “All while wearing your wedding band and no explanation of a dead wife or recent separation.” With unblinking scrutiny, I slowly return my glass to the table.
He twists his wrist, inspecting his ring. “Is this a hard limit for you?”
“It used to be, but I’ve unintentionally lowered my standards over the past year.”
He laughs. “I’m not sure how I should take that.”
A waiter slips through a side door and serves us hors d’oeuvres before pouring our champagne and exiting without so much as brief eye contact.
“I can’t get you out of my head,” Archer says.
I grin, lifting one of the hors d’oeuvres onto my plate. “So tell me about your family, Archer.”
Again, he laughs. “My family?” While chewing, he wipes his mouth. “You’re unlike any woman I have ever met.”
“Because other women don’t ask you about your family? I can’t imagine why.”
“And I can’t imagine why you would.”
I set my fork on the plate and rest my hands on my lap. “Attraction to me is more than physical. I need to ‘get’ you first.”
“So you are attracted to me?” He eats up my words.
“I’m interested.” I offer a wry grin.
“I’ll tell you all you need to know about my family after you tell me what you’re wearing beneath that red dress.”
“Nothing. Wasn’t that your request?”
“Are you lying?”
“Why would I lie?”
“Women lie to me all the time.”
“That seems like a you-problem.”
Archer eyes me for several seconds before standing. I focus on slow, even breaths with each step he takes toward me. He hovers behind me, tracing my bare shoulder with the tip of his finger. I’m not sure what his fascination is with this dress. It’s off the rack. I bet Corinne has never worn anything off the rack.
His hand slides along my chest, and I can’t help but make a slow, hard swallow when it dips beneath the bodice and cups my bare breast in a firm hold. My fingers twitch on my lap, wanting to grip something to stay in control.
His lips brush the hair at my ear, breath hot along my skin. “You have fucking perfect tits.”
When he removes his hand, I start to relax, but in the next breath, his hands slide to my hips, and his lips skate down my neck. Greedy fingers gather the skirt of my dress, inching it up my legs. There’s no way to stay calm. A stranger is touching me intimately. This isn’t a game I’ve played before now. I don’t know the rules. I’m not a cheater. That’s on him. I hate his wife and daughter, so neither is on my conscience. Still, feeling physically attracted to someone who also makes my blood boil is emotionally stifling. If sin weren’t pretty, it wouldn’t be so tempting.
His fingers find skin, skimming my inner thigh until he meets my exposed flesh. Both hands grip my legs, and I can’t keep my muscles from going rigid.
“Relax,” he whispers, pushing my legs apart.
My mouth falls open to accommodate my labored breaths.
I can’t do this …
My mind screams while my tongue remains idle.
His middle finger slips between my spread legs while his tongue drags along my neck from my collarbone to my ear.
I gasp because I’m scared out of my fucking mind. I choke because I’m turned on. And I wonder if this is how Molly manipulated Steven. Did she seduce him only to torture him?
“I guess you’re not a liar,” he casually says while standing to his full height and straightening his suit jacket on his way back to his chair.