Far Too Tempted by Emma Wildes Read Free Book Online Page B

long second, staring at each other, before she suddenly started to squirm beneath him. Her knee lifted abruptly, connecting with the part of his anatomy that was becoming so interested. Wrenching her wrists from his slackened grasp, she brought her hand up simultaneously in a jaw-cracking slap to the cheek that made his ears ring.
    Damn her.
    He caught her flailing hands and shoved them again above her head, clamping down with his thigh to still her. “Stop it, Jess.” It was an order between his clenched teeth. “Relax.”
    “Get off.” Her muffled oath was punctuated by the sudden surge of her hips, trying to dislodge him. Her face was bright red even in the dim light.
    The motion of her lower body was reminiscent of another, one he was very familiar with but hadn’t experienced in a long time.
    “Stop it,” he ordered softly. “Hold still right now. Unless, of course, you don’t mind that I’m starting to enjoy this.”
    She went very still, eyes wide, her soft lips parting in shock.
    “Now,” he said harshly. “What the devil are you doing here?”

Chapter Three
    It was too much.
    Jessica’s day had gone from bad to worse, and now she was subjected to the indignity of lying half-stripped under a very real, very large and very intimidating Alexander Ramsey.
    And he had the nerve to ask what she was doing in her own house.
    Yet, as embarrassed as she was by her current circumstances, it could be much worse. At least Alex wouldn’t hurt her.
    He stared down at her with those incredible eyes, blue even in the darkness. But at least, at this moment, he wasn’t looking at the rest of her but inquiringly into her eyes.
    He’d ripped her chemise half off. Her cheeks were red hot. She was naked to the waist and he was on top of her. Her bare breasts were pressed tightly against his hard chest, the linen material of his shirt soft and warm against her skin. Firm fingers still shackled her wrists above her head.
    Where the hell had he come from? She thought he was still marching through Spain, playing the warrior hero.
    Grating it out, she said, “Alex, let me go. Now.”
    He shook his head, a tiny smile touching his well-shaped mouth. “Given your murderous impulses, I think I’d better consider that course of action. I’d like to keep my head attached to my shoulders, thank you. Now, what are you doing here, Jess?”
    “I might ask you the same thing.”
    His brows shot up at the venom in her voice. “I think I’m the one asking the questions at the moment, angel.”
    “I’m not likely to tell you anything and I am not your angel. Save your endearments for your…your harlots.”
    His lips twitched in unabashed amusement. “Please excuse me, Jess. It’s true, I suppose, that when a half-naked woman lies in my arms I often find myself whispering endearments into her ears.”
    Though she doubted that long-ago evening when she’d stumbled on him and his lover in the garden had meant much to him, it had been a pivotal point in her life.
    She itched to slap him again. It had been a satisfying moment to connect her palm with that arrogant handsome face. Taking advantage of the fact that he’d slackened his grip on her wrists again as she stopped struggling, she gave a tremendous jerk to free herself and slammed her fist into his shoulder with all her strength in an effort to dislodge him.
    She didn’t expect his reaction.
    He stiffened, going white, and released her with a low groan, closing his eyes and rolling to the side to land flat on his back. With a muttered oath, he put his hand to the spot where she’d struck him, as if it really had hurt. They still lay at the top of the landing and she took immediate advantage of her freedom and scrambled to her feet, clutching her torn chemise together over her breasts and peering down at him, more than a little surprised one blow from her could have such a drastic effect.
    The first thing that struck her was that he was so much thinner than she remembered.