Ultimate Engagement by Lydia Rowan Read Free Book Online Page A

thanked God Dirk and Candy hadn’t needed much prodding to take over.
    Because Sloan’s mind had been elsewhere, focused on how her body was primed, completely overwhelmed with Adam’s persistent closeness. He hadn’t left her side during dinner, or for the length of the cocktail hour after.
    In fact, his focus had been entirely on her, attending to her every little need, and when it wasn’t, he kept his arm casually looped around her shoulders or had his hand stroking her upper arm, lingering at her waist.
    Sloan had never been so bombarded with sensation, desire, and sometimes when she caught a glimpse of Adam’s eyes and he gave her a soft, sly smile, she could almost believe he felt the same.
    He didn’t. This act was all a part of his cover, just a tool to help him complete his mission, but as foolish as it was, she couldn’t stop herself from wishing that he felt even a little of the affection toward her he showed.
    Although his affection wasn’t real, Sloan knew Adam was doing a convincing job. Sloan had known him for so long, she could see that while he pretended his attention was on her, he was keeping tabs on everything that happened in the room, particularly the “security guards” stationed around the perimeter of the outside dining room.
    Everything about those men, Sloan had counted ten so far, screamed “mercenary” to Sloan, and if she had picked up on that, there was no way Adam could have missed it. Mercenaries were a more serious investment than cheap rent-a-cops. You didn’t hire them unless you were running a very dangerous business that needed the best protection money could buy.
    Still, he did an amazing job of pretending Sloan was the center of his attention. He’d also paid a fair amount of attention to Alistair, who hadn’t approached but whom Sloan had found looking over at them more than once.
    “Mademoiselle?” Adam said, whispering in her ear.
    “What are you—”
    Before she could finish speaking, Adam had pulled her from the comfortable padded bench where they sat and up to her feet.
    “Would my beautiful bride-to-be give me the honor of this dance?”
    When Adam spoke, his eyes were completely lasered on hers, but his voice was loud, loud enough for those around to hear him fawn.
    Sloan was doing a fair amount of fawning herself. Because when he looked at her like that, seeming so sincere, it made her entire body tremble with her desire for him. She gave him a small smile and nodded, and in the next instant, he had begun to move her around the makeshift dance floor, the dim light provided by the torches and cool summer beach breeze making the setting ideal.
    With his strong arm around her waist, he guided her around the dance floor with confident, smooth motions.
    She should’ve expected that, because she’d seen him move before, all grace and speed, but being in his arms, being held and guided by him, gave this a different dimension, to make no mention of the fact that his smooth, easy movements were so at odds with his often gruff demeanor.
    The change was something she’d noticed during the entire trip. She’d seen a slight softness on his face, the occasional lingering look, the way she’d caught him smiling at her when they’d locked eyes.
    This isn’t real, Sloan, she said to herself.
    And she needed the reminder. Because here, under this light, it was all too easy to think it was real, to desperately want it to be.
    She couldn’t give hope to that feeling, couldn’t feed it, because it would distract her from the purpose at hand, which, much to her sadness, had nothing to do with her raging libido or the feelings that could be all too real if she let them.
    “You’re not so bad at this,” she said, smiling up at Adam.
    He returned the expression. “Don’t have much opportunity to break out the dancing lessons, but glad I can still surprise you,” he said, giving her a quick wink.
    “Did you just wink at me?” she said.
    He chuckled. “I