King's Price

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‘I’m a scientist. Asking questions is what I do.’

‘A scientist?’ Diverted, I gave her another once-over. ‘You don’t look like one.’

‘Really?’ Her expression was scornful. ‘And what does a scientist look like?’

‘Blonde.’ I couldn’t resist playing with her. ‘Big tits. Glasses. Short white coat.’

‘No,’ she said flatly, refusing the bait. ‘Some scientists might look like that, but not the ones I know.’

‘Where do you work?’

‘In the university, in the labs. I’m a research assistant.’ The scorn faded from her voice, a note of pride entering it. ‘I have a PhD.’ She stared at me as she said it, like she was throwing down a challenge, though what she expected me to say I had no idea.

‘Smart, huh?’ I refused her bait as she’d refused mine. ‘I like a smart woman. You’ll have to tell me more on our next date.’

‘What do you mean next date? We haven’t even had one yet.’

‘Sure we have. This is our first.’ I reached out towards her. ‘Your hand, honey.’

‘Not honey.’

‘Sweetheart, then.’

‘I don’t want—’

‘Scared?’

Irritation rippled over her sharp little face. ‘I’m not falling for that.’

‘You know what they say, darling. You have to stand for something or else you’ll fall for anything.’

If she could have growled at me she would have, I’m sure.

Instead, she let out an annoyed breath. ‘Don’t make me regret this.’ Then she stuck out her hand.

I didn’t hesitate to take it or expect to feel anything when I did. Sure, I’d been fixated on her mouth and had thought about how her legs would feel wrapped around me, but I often thought those things about women. I was a man, after all, and not a very good one at that.

So I wasn’t prepared for the shock of raw electricity that jolted me the moment her long slender fingers touched mine. Or to see the same shock mirrored in the wide dark of her eyes.

She went still, the muscles in her arm tightening in preparation to jerk her hand away.

And I had one crystal-clear thought.

No. She wasn’t going to do that. Not here, not in full view of everyone. Not when this was the moment I’d chosen to reveal our relationship to the world.

So I closed my fingers around hers and held on.

She took a sharp breath.

Her skin was cool but it warmed against mine, and I didn’t think it was my imagination that the lights in her eyes flared briefly.

Yes, she felt this too.

I held her gaze in silent challenge. Then slowly I rose to my feet.

Her gaze was wary, watching me as if I was a dangerous animal she had to keep an eye on. It nearly made me smile.

Yes, keep watching, little vixen. You never know what I might do to you.

Keeping my fingers wrapped around hers, I moved towards the stairs that led out of the VIP area and down to the dance floor, tugging her with me.

She resisted at first but I didn’t pause, drawing her down the stairs and into the crowd.

‘What are you doing?’ she snapped as I stopped on the dance floor, a small space opening up around us, then turned to face her.

‘What does it look like?’ I gave her another tug, drawing her closer. ‘I’m going to dance with you.’

She blinked. ‘What? But I... I don’t know how to dance.’

Her wariness had been replaced with an adorable mixture of shock and confusion. And that was perhaps why she didn’t resist as I put my hands on her hips and drew her even closer, our bodies almost touching.

She was tall enough that I didn’t have to tilt my head to look down into her eyes.

‘Don’t worry,’ I said softly, staring into her bright, black gaze. ‘Just follow my lead.’

She blinked again and something hot and raw sizzled between us.

We were mere inches apart, the soft curve of her breasts nearly brushing my chest, the heat of her soaking into my palms where they rested on her hips. She wasn’t wearing any kind of perfume but I could smell her, a delicate musky scent with a floral hint.

It was delicious. It sent a bolt of pure lust straight to my cock.

Oh, pretending to be in love with her was going to be no hardship. No hardship at all.

I firmed my grip on her and a spark flared bright and brilliant in her eyes, making everything in me harden in anticipation.

I could kiss her right here, right now, and she wouldn’t protest. That beautiful mouth would open under mine and she’d taste so sweet, I just knew it.

But...perhaps not yet. It would be better to give her some time to get used to the idea of marrying me, not to mention get used to me getting close. It wouldn’t do to come on strong and frighten her away.

We were supposed to be madly in love after all.

So I didn’t kiss her. Instead, I let her go. ‘Perhaps we’ll leave it tonight then,’ I murmured, not bothering to explain. ‘I’ll be in touch.’

I smiled at her. Then I walked away.

CHAPTER SIX (#uacf83e4f-f369-5562-9e57-ac5943add40f)

Vita

LEON KING WAS a Grade A bastard.

The day after I’d met him in the nightclub and he’d forced me to dance he sent me a schedule of the dates he’d be taking me on, with times, not to mention the name of the wedding planner who’d be handling the wedding itself. There were dates attached to that too—he wanted the marriage to happen as soon as possible while at the same time generating the maximum amount of publicity.

Four weeks was enough time apparently.

And he hadn’t only sent the schedule to me; he’d sent it to my father as well. So now Dad knew that not only had I met with Leon King without telling him, I’d tipped Leon off about me being Clara’s stand-in.

Yet that wasn’t the worst part.

The worst part was the link Leon had included with the schedule. A link that went to a page on some awful gossip website where there was a terrible write-up about Leon King’s new ‘love’. A photo accompanied it. A photo of him holding me on the dance floor just before he’d walked away.

I’d tried very hard to forget about the moment he’d held me close, his predator’s eyes watching me all the while. And I still didn’t know what had happened to me in that second. Why I’d let those big, warm hands of his rest on my hips and that tall, muscled body get close to mine.

It had been like I’d gone deaf, the beat of the music fading away, the crowds disappearing, everything lost in the dark gold of his eyes.

I’d just...forgotten I could move.

I’d forgotten I could breathe.

His nearness had been electric, my skin prickling all over, a strange restlessness coiling deep inside me, a heat that seemed to pool right down between my thighs.

It was as if he’d hypnotised me.

I didn’t know what it was in the end that made him walk away, but I was glad of it. Even more glad to get out of that damn club as quickly as I could.

What would you have done if he hadn’t let you go?

Nothing, of course. All that physical reaction was simply oestrogen reacting to testosterone, or pheromones or adrenaline, take your pick. None of that meant anything, and I should know since I still had the scars to prove it.

Anyway, the upshot was Dad not being pleased and I had to endure a speech down the phone about how irresponsible I’d been and how I’d put the whole plan at risk. I decided not to bother telling him I’d been trying to get Leon to drop the marriage thing to save us both, listening to him in silence instead then disconnecting the call without a word.