Seducing Steve by Maggie Wells Read Free Book Online Page B

much to his chagrin, her heroes’ leading characteristics.
    Apparently, Sara liked the bossy, commanding type. I can do that. Steve closed his eyes as he raised his fist to knock. Be in charge. Be strong. Don’t act like a lovesick puppy dog. Got it.
    The pep talk continued as his knuckles rapped the door. He just hoped he didn’t go blank the minute the test began. Sara opened the door, and a tiny frisson of fear skittered down his spine.
    Okay, hang on, hang on. Breathe. Do not jump her. I can do this. I can do this.
    She stared up at him, and he struggled to keep his face neutral as he scanned the snug, stretchy pants she wore with a pink zippered hoodie. He tried for a cool, sardonic smirk. Those seemed to go over well in her books. “I’m overdressed.”
    “Hi,” she said softly.
    “Hey.”
    His brain tried to issue the command to give her his customary hug, but his synapses seemed to be on strike. Her smile faltered a bit, and he wanted to kick his own ass.
    “Are you coming in?” she asked, a note of apprehension creeping into her voice.
    “Yeah.”
    Sara stepped back, and the opportunity for the hug was lost. Instead, he held up the bottle of wine for her inspection and said, “Is this okay?”
    Sara nodded. “Perfect. Thank you.”
    She took the bottle he offered and turned toward the kitchen. “Dinner is in the oven, but it’ll be a little while.”
    She checked over her shoulder as if she was uncertain he would follow. Steve felt an almost irrepressible urge to laugh. How could she not know I’d follow her over a cliff?
    He stopped in the doorway, figuring the eight feet separating them might be enough to keep from launching himself at her. Sara placed the bottle on the counter and bent to rifle through a drawer. The smooth knit of her black pants stretched enticingly over her ass, and Steve lost the thread tethering him to self-control.
    Oh hell.
    “How long is a little while?” he asked abruptly.
    Sara pulled a corkscrew from the drawer, wincing as she glanced from his face to the clock on the stove and back. “Thirty minutes or so, I guess. Why? Are you in a hurry?”
    The slight tremor of nervousness in her voice did him in. Steve crossed the room in three long strides and grasped her waist, pulling her roughly to him.
    “Yep,” he said, his voice gruff and deep.
    “Oh, well, hello!” Tipping her head back, she grinned at him.
    “Hey.”
    The kiss was hot and demanding on both sides. His lips parted, and his teeth scraped hers. Sara turned toward him, straightening her torso until she was pressed flush against his body.
    Steve pulled back, ignoring her grunt of disappointment as he raised both hands to her face. He pushed her hair back, his thumbs caressing her jaw, and he held her there, staring into her eyes.
    “I was afraid you weren’t happy to see me.”
    “I thought about you, Sara. I thought about you all day,” he said in a harsh whisper. “Happy now?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good.”
    He dipped his head and kissed her tenderly. Her lips clung to his so sweetly, and warning bells clamored in his head. He pulled back, using a fraction of a second to capture the emotion welling inside of him in a choke hold. His arms banded around her like steel, lifting her from the floor. Sara yelped in surprise.
    “Wrap your legs around me,” he ordered.
    She complied, her thighs gripping his hips like a vise. His hands slid down to her ass, cradling her against him as he turned on his heel.
    Her lips teased the skin of his throat. “Where are we going?”
    He didn’t answer. Instead he strode straight to her bedroom, kicking the door wider and carrying her directly to her bed. Sara laughed when he dropped her unceremoniously on the mattress. She beamed up at him as he reached for his tie and began to yank on the knot.
    Sara scrambled to her knees, brushing his hands away. “You’re gonna tear it.”
    “I don’t care,” he said, letting his hands fall to her hips.
    His fingers pressed