Hate to Love You by Elise Alden Read Free Book Online Page B

talk. Yes, I kissed Paisley, but I put a stop to it before we went too far.”
    Wow. A part of me admired James for telling Caroline about our kiss but most of me wished he weren’t so upstanding. I opened my mouth to tell him who I was and he shifted closer. Underneath the faint waft of brandy and cologne was the potent, male smell of his skin. The combination hit me like the perfume equivalent of the forbidden fruit, tempting me to lean in and inhale him more deeply.
    His hand landed on my arm with the heaviness of the alcohol challenged, zapping my skin with a hot, sizzling jolt. He hiccupped and apologised, and I grinned. The haughty lawyer must have indulged in a drink or ten after Caroline ran off to sulk. James didn’t seem ready to pass out but he was beyond tipsy. I thought it was funny, but I was sure Caroline would have been upset so I stifled my laugh.
    James’s tone was censorious. “Paisley needs to be put on a lead, flaunting herself like that and trying to turn me on. I would never stoop so low, Caroline, I meant what I said.”
    My amusement disappeared as James’s humiliating jeer outside the bathroom came rushing back, wiping away my smile. I wanted payback and I knew exactly how I was going to get it.
    Never stoop so low , huh?
    I’d make him admit he wanted me and then reveal myself and laugh in his face. I didn’t even think about what would happen after that. What can I say? It made Absolut sense at the time. All I had to do was ignore the effect James had on me and I would have my revenge.
    No problemo.
    I whispered, imitating Caroline’s cultured tone. “Why did you kiss Paisley?”
    “It will never happen again,” he said, hiccupping.
    “Does she turn you on?”
    A frustrated noise came out of his throat. “Paisley is immature and just as vulgar as you said, a common glass of water most men would drink to slake their thirst and then forget.”
    Arrogant prick .
    I let out a huff that was, ironically, exactly like one of Caroline’s. James hiccupped and I turned towards the sound of his voice, ready to return his insult. Then I remembered I was naked and clamped my hand over my mouth. He would accuse me of throwing myself at him, of being so desperate for sex I would trick him into it by lying in wait. This called for a change of plan: get off the bed, get dressed and then get angry.
    As soon as he let go of my arm.
    “Please forgive me, darling. Paisley’s nothing compared to you, the goddess of my dreams,” he said.
    Ugh, where did James come up with such dross? I tried to pull away but in spite of the drink, his hold was impossible to escape. He had switched to lawyer mode, comparing me to Caroline and summarising my character or lack of therein. Making his case for forgiveness, James listed the reasons he’d fallen in love with Caroline. The more I listened, the more I wondered who the fuck he was talking about.
    Compassionate? Tender? The man was a fool.
    James closed his argument by pushing my hair aside to press his lips to the delicate spot behind my ear. It was seductive. Persuasive. I wanted to break away but I couldn’t; his lips were a magnet, pulling me closer.
    “Let me convince you how sorry I am. Let me show you how much you turn me on,” he said, tracing the goose bumps on my neck.
    I couldn’t help the nervous giggle that slipped out of my mouth. A tipsy James was a horny James. I drew back but his lips covered my erratic pulse and I froze, eyes shut as a small sigh escaped me. He increased the pressure and my heart rate hit the ceiling. My mind still wanted him to pay for his insults but my body wanted him to show me anything he liked. He kissed a slow path from my neck to the corner of my mouth, pausing to breathe in my scent. I parted my lips in anticipation.
    “Forgive me,” he said, and slanted his mouth over mine.
    James didn’t disappoint, even in his cups. When his lips touched mine, I was just as drawn to him as I had been earlier. The kiss was