His Irresistible Darling - Sarah Randall Page 0,28

thought, I’m already going to hell. May as well enjoy the trip and the view on the way down… He figuratively flicked the angel from his shoulder.

“Ah, that’s better, I’m ready now. You?”

He nodded, still dumfounded. “Oh yeah…” Dumb dumb dumb, and now he sounded like a dirty old man.

So this was to be his punishment, he mused as he raked a hand through his hair. Fair enough.

Pip was astounded, in fact gobsmacked, as Mrs H the housekeeper at Melville and her would-be mother would say, by the way Jumal moved his body. The man could move and didn’t that just shock her to the core—her very wet core.

Her heightened senses and shortness of breath had nothing to do with the energy she was expending keeping up with ol’ snake hips but rather lingered from the earlier whispers into her ear when she was at the bar. She’d been laughing at some joke or other Jake had been telling her when she felt a presence move in close behind her. She’d wrongly assumed it was just another partygoer trying to get to the bar until she felt lips gently touching the shell of her ear and the deep, sexy timbre of Jumal’s voice which, for once, wasn’t yelling her name in anger or disappointment.

Who knew, Pippa, I really think it’s time I took you home, could sound so sexy…especially when he really meant to take her home and it wasn’t code for anything else…not that she’d admit to wanting that from him of course. Urgggh, he was her brother’s friend and yes, she’d had a crush on him since she’d met him all those years ago but Christ, he was practically related to her…and he’d seen her wearing braces.

Her body’s treacherous reaction to him had both scared and shocked her and she’d responded with her usual fail-safe defence of teasing aggression, but it hadn’t worked this time…

The bastard had come in for seconds… When he’d whispered, I changed my mind. I want to dance with you, she’d practically melted—like the chocolate she loved so much—into a puddle at his feet and her core had clenched expectantly, just like in her dream. The man could have suggested anything and she’d have gone along for the ride at that moment in time. And she was right on board with the whole throwing her over his shoulders and spanking her bum plan. Of course, she hadn’t wanted to seem too keen.

The music was blaring so loud Pip could feel the bass reverberate throughout her body, which only added to the thrill ride it was currently experiencing. Jumal’s moves had attracted the attention of most of her female friends and even some guys she knew were gay. Most of them were nudging each other and it was clear that they couldn’t believe that Jumal was a. dancing and b. could actually shake his delicious booty—not that she was staring…

When she’d first cottoned on to the attention he was attracting she felt delighted. Now she was willing to stab at their eyes if they didn’t quit it. He wasn’t some animal in a bloody zoo. Well okay, she was staring but that was allowed. It was her twenty-first birthday after all. It had to come with some perks!

Pip threw her arms up and simply let go, singing along to Miss Spears’ “Till the World Ends”, bouncing around to the beat like a kangaroo on speed, having the time of her life, smiling at her fellow bouncing kangaroos: friends she’d made over the last few months, work colleagues and James and Melina who seemed to be getting along famously judging by the grinding of their bodies.

The music changed to a deeper, slower, dirtier grind.

Her kangaroo crew cheered, arms aloft and pointing to her as they chanted along with Mr 50 Cent’s birthday song. Pip felt strong hands tighten around her hips from behind and pull her body close; she allowed her head to fall back against the rock-hard muscle of a defined chest and closed her eyes, not wanting to acknowledge it was Jumal. She made a last-ditch attempt to convince herself into believing that it could be anyone—Jake even—whose hands were making her feel so alive. Not Jumal, anyone but Jumal. Their bodies moved as one—no space between them. Her body ached for the hands to move from her hips and over her body but they remained tightly gripping her hips and she couldn’t help but undulate her body along with the beat. She was