In the Market for Love - By Nina Blake Page 0,37

glossy hair and distinctive womanly walk. It made him smile.

She didn’t see him as he neared her, then he gently reached for her arm. “Where are you off to?”

Her mouth fell open in surprise.

“You can’t keep avoiding me, you know,” he said.

“You think I’m avoiding you? That’s very vain of you. No, I’m…”

Jake smiled at her inability to finish her sentence. “So you think I’m vain?”

She planted her hands on her hips. “Maybe not. Maybe you’re just very nosy.”

He laughed. “I am indeed. So where are you going?”

“To get some fresh air.”

“Follow me.” He nodded in the other direction.

Taking her hand, he led her through the crowd with the quiet confidence of a man who knew he was with the most attractive woman in the room.

Tonight he wouldn’t make the same mistakes he’d made before. He’d told her the truth about himself and orchestrated the cocktail party for her benefit so she could learn more about him. Tonight, he wouldn’t let her go.

He led her through a private dining area onto a small terrace. Inside, several waiters were shifting tables and laying cloths over them. He signalled to a waiter who then brought them two glasses of champagne.

Rachel motioned towards the restaurant interior. “What’s going on in there?”

“They’re setting up for a late supper. A private function. So for now we’ve got our own slice of the terrace. We’ll have to it ourselves for a little while.”

She sipped her champagne, then turned to step closer to the railing, her hips swaying as she moved. She looked amazing from behind.

A woman like that was created to tempt man. There could be no other reason for her looking so damn tasty. Her delicate shoulder jutted out as she turned her head and he could see the outline of her rounded bosom protruding from behind her arm.

A dress like that should be illegal. It swept along the dip of her waist down over the delicious curve of her hips and, damn it, that woman knew how to move her hips.

At the back, her dress swept into a deep V exposing the little bumps of her spine and he realised she couldn’t possibly be wearing a bra under the dress. The thought of her breasts bare against the dress made him instantly hard.

His mouth watered with the tang of desire as Rachel’s fingers slid along the balcony railing.

Jake’s erection shifted uncomfortably in his trousers.

* * *

Rachel could feel Jake’s eyes on her, sweeping the length of her body, lingering as he took a good long look. She felt a strange sense of de ja vous as she recalled how he’d stared at her backside the day they first met. From the beginning, he’d made her feel like a woman.

She sucked in draughts of the thick night air and felt her breasts pressing against her dress. She savoured the thrill of Jake’s obvious appreciation of her body. Circular Quay was in front of her while Jake stood behind. Slowly she turned towards him.

Her mouth suddenly dry, she took a greedy sip of champagne and closed her eyes briefly to enjoy the sensation. The bubbles went to her head immediately and she felt the tightness in her chest lifting and her shoulders relax.

She opened her eyes to meet his gaze. Always so dark and inscrutable, now it seemed there were no mysteries for those deep set eyes to hide. No wife. No secrets. It was all out in the open.

He made her feel warm all over and the champagne only exacerbated the effect. She knew she shouldn’t have any more to drink but just this once, she didn’t care.

She wanted to play the game. For a while at least.

Jake’s gaze dropped to her cleavage. Let him look. His lips curled to a subtle smile, telling her he liked what he saw. Her body was awash with silky warmth.

She wanted to leave Nick and her past behind her. She’d come out here for fresh air but right now the last thing she wanted was a clear head.

“Did you want to talk to me about something?” Her eyes skimmed the length of his masculine physique.

“Who said I wanted to talk?”

“That’s good. Neither do I.”

A bolt of brazen desire burned through her body. She swept the champagne glass from his hand and bent down to place their two glasses at her feet. As she looked up at his massive looming form, her heart pounded.

She stood, sliding her body against his in a deliberately slow, sinful motion until she reached