Her Unexpected Affair. Shea McMaster

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СКАЧАТЬ hair arranged to support an elaborate headdress of gold, framing her finely boned features. Better yet, the image of Meilin reclined on a bed of silk sheets, one small finger crooked, inviting him to join her, now there was a fantasy he’d like to bring to life.

      “Okay, you two!” A firm hand landed on his shoulder, startling him out of the trance he’d fallen into. Meilin flinched in his arms and pulled away, an enticing flush coloring her cheeks.

      “Jack,” she scolded. “That was rude.”

      Unrepentant, his friend laughed. “You two are looking far too serious out here! We’re here to party, not gaze deeply into the eyes of strangers.” Jack’s hand fell on his cousin’s shoulder, not at all subtle about putting distance between the two of them. “Did I tell you Meilin is getting engaged tomorrow night? She’s taken, man. Let me introduce you to some very nice single ladies. All from good families.”

      Scowling at this time wouldn’t be polite, so Drew forced a genial smile onto his face. One he’d learned at a very early age. The one that diffused tense situations better than anything else he’d ever tried. Part of that stiff upper lip business his mother had drilled into him. Well, his father, too, but not as adamantly as his mother.

      Jack drew forward another woman. “This is Yuahua, another, far more distant, cousin of mine. She’s a career girl like Meilin, but four years younger, much closer to me in age.”

      Yuahua flushed, and gave Drew a shy smile before glaring at Jack. “Our Jack, he’s too rude by far. But I am pleased to meet you, Drew from England. I adore your accent.”

      “Thank you. I’m rather enamored with the California accents around me.” From his peripheral vision, he caught Meilin being pulled into a circle of her friends who danced to the fast beat. “Dance with me?” he asked the woman Jack practically pushed into his arms.

      “Love to!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him deeper into the mass of writhing, hopping bodies.

      He danced the entire set with one woman after another, all from Meilin’s group of six, not a one of them touching his senses as Meilin did. Three were married, judging by the rings weighing down their fingers. Not one of them a shy flower. Not one of them as enticing as Meilin.

      Meilin. Soon to be engaged. The very thought disturbed his peace of mind. He wanted to growl in a way he’d never experienced before. No matter who he danced with, some internal string had attached itself to her and each second he knew precisely where she was. It didn’t take much effort to dance near the group of ladies around Meilin, all of them laughing, showing off their moves, dancing with the random men who gravitated to their group. Despite the ball of lead weighing him down, he laughed enough to find himself having fun.

      Once or twice he looked around to find Birdie.

      And found her dancing, closely, with Jack.

      Now that didn’t sit right with him. Truthfully he just didn’t like any guy being so close to her. A totally irrational, but logical, big brother reaction he tried to shrug off. Hell, Jack didn’t fit in with Birdie’s plan and that fact guaranteed she’d keep the flirtation light. As she told Drew frequently, she was a big girl and could watch out for herself.

      Meilin claimed his attention with her sensual moves. The night became a blur around him as his focus grew tighter on her face. Her joy at dancing and laughing with him and her friends, the way her gaze flirted with him, the expressions on her face, all the little details drew him to her.

      He forgot she was all but engaged. He forgot they were surrounded. Nothing else held his attention longer than a half second. She was beauty and grace personified.

      Eventually the dance floor began to clear, and the DJ played slower tunes. Meilin came into his arms easily enough and the distance between them closed until they swayed, their bodies synchronized, heartbeats aligned. When the last call went out, as natural as breathing he touched his lips to hers and discovered the true origin of lightning. Forget Mr. Franklin and his kite string. Forget Los Alamos and their mega bombs. Her kiss leveled his heart with a jolt of pure fire, igniting his body in ways he’d never experienced before.

      By her gasp of surprise, he deduced she felt it too. The trembling of her slight frame shook him to his core where he trembled as well. Just touching his mouth to hers wasn’t enough for him. Parting his lips, the tip of his tongue found hers. Need burned deep, although he fought to keep the kiss gentle when he wanted to ravage and conquer. Meilin melted against him, both her hands sliding up his chest to circle around his neck. The world dropped away, and blind instinct strained at the leash he’d put on it. Just one night…

      “Enough of that!” Jack startled them from the moment. “Meilin, you’re practically a married woman. Don’t take advantage of the young lad that way. You’re killing him.”

      Heat rushed to Drew’s cheeks and he wanted nothing more than to plant his hand over Jack’s face and push.

      Blushing as well, Meilin stood before him, hands brushing away imaginary wrinkles from her flawless red dress. A light sheen of perspiration coated her pearlescent skin, glowing with smooth perfection under the swirling lights. A shaking hand pushed her hair from her face. “Jack, you’re a pig.”

      “No, I’ll be dead if word of that little scene gets back to your parents.”

      One of her friends stepped up and smacked Jack upside the head. “Leave her alone. It’s her last night as a single woman. Let her have a little fun.”

      Rubbing his head, Jack turned on the woman. “You condone this?”

      She shrugged. “It’s no big deal. It’s some dancing and a kiss.”

      Drew resisted the temptation to clear his throat, although he rubbed a hand over his chest, right in the center where a funny little pinch formed. Was it just a harmless flirtation on her part? It sure felt like more. A hell of a lot more. Had the kiss not been interrupted, he had the feeling he might have seen the future. He tried looking to confirm it, but Meilin kept her eyes lowered and directed anywhere but him.

      “Let it go, Jack. I’m a big girl and it was just some fun. As Suhua said, tonight is just a last chance to party like a single woman instead of a corporate wife. Things will get much duller from here on out. Endless events and such.”

      Drew forced his patented, calming smile to his lips. “Exactly, Jack. Everyone here was just blowing off a little steam tonight. No need to make a case out of it.” He slapped a hand on Jack’s shoulder. Possibly landing a little harder than intended. Easy enough to blame on the alcohol.

      Jack’s gaze sharpened as he searched Drew’s face for any indication of a lie. Jack could spin with the best litigation lawyers, but Drew had confidence in his perfected poker face. The tension drained from Jack’s shoulders. “Yeah, okay, but no more of that stuff. Shan and my uncle would both have my beautiful golden hide up on their walls if they learn about it.” He shot a glare at Meilin’s friends now gathered around them.

      One woman held up her hands and nearly lost her balance. Clearly she’d freely imbibed. “No one here will say a thing. We all know exactly what’s she feeling and facing. Meilin doesn’t play much, and after tonight I doubt she’ll ever get a chance to play like this again. Give her a break. Shan doesn’t own her yet.”

      Drew was beginning to hate the name of this Shan guy.

      But there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He had no time СКАЧАТЬ