Bachelor Unleashed by Brenda Jackson Read Free Book Online Page A

idea. Their relationship had ended months ago, the decision mutually accepted by both, and they’d moved on. Or had they? She seemed to have handled the split well, and on his good days, he thought so had he. But now he wasn’t so sure.
    He was definitely due for a cold shower when he got home. But as he continued to watch her eat, getting turned on every time she took a bite of her food, he knew that a cold shower wouldn’t put an end to what he was feeling or the raw, primitive need growing inside of him.
    And he would be the first to admit that that wasn’t good.

    Xavier Kane will not break down my defenses tonight!
    Those words echoed in Farrah’s head while she buttoned her coat after dinner. The meal had been more than delicious, and the conversation between them enjoyable. Her misgivings regarding the breaking down of her defenses could have been put to rest if sometime during the course of dinner, she could have stopped remembering certain things.
    Every time Xavier had picked up his wine glass to take a sip and planted his mouth on the rim of the glass, she could recall him planting his mouth on certain parts of her body just that way. Xavier had a way with his mouth that surpassed that of any man she’d ever known. And now that they were about to leave the toasty warm haven of the restaurant, she needed the strength not to succumb to those memories and give him the idea that she wanted more than the dinner they’d just shared.
    “Ready?” he asked after she worked her hand into the remaining glove.
    She glanced up at him and met his gaze, saw the look that flashed in the dark depths of his eyes and had to compose herself quickly. He wanted her. She had seen that look many times before, and although it had flared to life in his gaze just for an instant, it had been there. The impact of that sudden and unexpected look had her pulling in a deep breath.
    She was well aware that Xavier would follow her lead. He was a man who only took what was offered. There was no doubt in her mind if she gave him even the slightest indication that she reciprocated that desire, he would pounce on it. Pounce on her. Umm, the thought of him pouncing, especially on her, wasn’t a bad one.
    She smiled, fighting back the urge to ask if he was interested in going back to her hotel and making love to her all night long. “Yes, I’m ready to leave, although I’m not ready for what I know is awaiting me outside that door,” she finally said. “I feel a chill in my bones already, just thinking about how cold it is. And I’m sure the temperature has dropped some more since we got here.”
    He chuckled. “It probably has. Would it make you feel better if I promise to keep you warm?”
    Depends on how you go about accomplishing it, she quickly thought. It wasn’t an impossible feat where he was concerned, especially since he had the ability to set her on fire whenever and however he chose to do so. “Yes, that will certainly make me feel better,” she said.
    “Then I’ll make you that promise,” he said engulfing her gloved hand in his. The glove was no buffer from the power of his touch, and automatically, sensations began swirling around in the pit of her stomach and sliding down to the lower part of her body. They were invading her feminine core and making her crave things she was better off not having—especially from the man standing in front of her looking like he could eat her alive if given the chance.
    And it was a chance she refused to give him, no matter how much she was tempted. She knew now the same thing she’d known six months ago, the same thing she’d discovered the night of Natalie and Donovan’s wedding reception when he’d given her the best sex of her life. Four orgasms later—or had it been five?—she’d finally reached the conclusion that after sharing his bed for nearly a year, he was the one man who could make her think of losing her heart again. And it was a heart she’d guarded, protected