Seduced The Unexpected Virgin - By Emily McKay Page 0,74

Rafe.

Possessiveness pumped through his veins. Not smart. He prided himself on being calm, focused.

Sarah put her flowers on the porch swing as carefully as she placed an expensive dinner on the table at work. “I have something for you, too.”

“You didn’t have to do that. I seem to recall someone with the most amazing red hair and a smoking hot body telling me—just this morning—that Valentine’s Day is for girls.”

She flicked her hair over her shoulders with a sass that never failed to turn him inside out.

“And this girl wanted to get you something.” She reached into her purse and withdrew a small gold gift bag. “Hope you like it.”

He plucked through all the tissue paper, decorative white and clear, both flecked with gold to match the bag. He and his dad exchanged gifts on Christmas and birthdays, but they usually passed them over to each other in the plastic store bag. He hadn’t had anything wrapped up like this since before his mom died.

Rafe pushed aside the last of the paper and found…”A money clip?”

Fat lot of use that was going to get. But he smiled anyway, fast, so as not to hurt her feelings.

“It’s for all the millions you’re going to make.” She pulled the gold money clip from his hands and hooked it on his tie playfully. “And there’s something else in there, too. Something little and maybe kinda silly, but I thought you would enjoy it.”

He stuffed his hand inside, found something small and metallic. He pulled out…a Matchbox car, a black Porsche. Now that made him smile for real. She’d remembered how he talked about dreaming of owning one and driving it right down Main Street so fast that Officer G wouldn’t even be able to catch him.

Rafe closed his fingers around the toy car and leaned forward to kiss her, lingering, knowing he should pull back for a bunch of reasons. Number one reason being that Battle-Ax Granny was on the other side of the door. But he’d been thinking about Sarah all day—and it had definitely been a long day that started way too early. So yeah, he wanted to take a few extra seconds to enjoy how soft her lips felt against his, the way she sighed as she kind of melted against his chest.

Her purse thudded to the porch and her sweater slid away. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders in a way he was starting to learn meant she was every bit as into this as he was. He cupped her neck to hold on to not just her, but the kiss a little longer. Fiery red curls brushed against the back of his wrist, softer than anything he could remember feeling. His hands itched to tangle up in her hair, have it all over him. Have her all over him. His blood pounded in his ears, demanding more, more, more.

His hands started shaking from restraint. He needed to cut this short before he lost control right here on her front porch, for crying out loud.

Pulling back, he sketched his fingers down Sarah’s creamy smooth cheek. “Thank you. For both gifts. They’re great. You’re great.”

And he really would have been wiser to leave her alone because he didn’t have a clue where they could take this relationship once they graduated. But for tonight—for Valentine’s Day, for Sarah—he would put the future aside and live in the moment. The way she did.

Sarah raked her fingernail along the toy Porsche’s wheels, spinning the tiny tires. “Okay then, I guess we’d better get going or we’ll be late for our reservation at Jacques’.”

Damn it.

He’d forgotten the crummy news for a few minutes, distracted by her smile. By her mouth. By her.

When he’d come home to shower up after the greenhouse job, he’d found the power cut off in his house. He’d called his dad at work, and Bob had said he was late with the bill but would figure out a way to pay it on Monday. They would just have to take cold showers for the weekend. All would be fine.

But Rafe had known all wasn’t fine. His dad was still trying to pay off the medical bills three years after Hannah died. From what Rafe could tell, his dad was barely paying the interest on the loans. Forget about making a dent in the principal.

Standing in the cold kitchen, Rafe had held the Worth Industries check in his hand, hating Ronald Worth all over again for the numerous ways he’d screwed up the Cameron family’s lives. But at least today Worth’s money could achieve something positive. Rafe had told his dad he had the extra cash and he would pay the power bill after school on his way to work at the construction company. A quick trip to the bank, and he’d had the money in hand to pay the electric company—Worth’s checks were always honored on the spot at the bank, the teller had assured him.

At least he’d still had the flowers to give Sarah. Although it felt like poor consolation as he looked into her pretty glittering green eyes, realizing he couldn’t even give her half of what she deserved…

Not tonight. And not even a few months from now when they both graduated.

But first he had to break the bad news to Sarah about their dinner plans.

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.v./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

® and TM are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

First published in Great Britain 2011

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,

Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

Special thanks and acknowledgment to Emily McKay for her contribution to The Takeover mini-series.

ISBN: 978-1-408-93726-6

Table of Contents

Excerpt

About the Author

Dear Reader

The Takeover

Title Page

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Rafe and Sarah - Part Two