The Woman Sent to Tame Him by Victoria Parker Page B

what she did to him, how sexy and desirable she was—
    Whoosh! The door swung open with a bellow of male voices and they were flung apart as if electrocuted. It was comical in a way. Serena was visibly rattled and he doubted he looked much better. And since when had that ever happened?
    She whipped the black fabric around her waist, veiling her body, and fumbled with the sash—her jerky movements made his heart thunder in a fiercely savage urge to protect.
    ‘We leave now ,’ he commanded, livid that he’d placed her in this position.
    They were halfway to the door when one of the men broke into laughter as he settled at a gaming table.
    Serena crashed to a halt. Stared at the man’s back. Paled to a ghostly white. And Finn’s guts twisted, tying him into knots. ‘Hey, baby?’ he murmured. ‘What’s wrong?’
    In response she bolted past one of the other guests like a mare from the starting gate, almost knocking that man off his feet as she virtually ran out the door.
    What the...?
    By the time he caught up she was galloping down the hallway.
    ‘Serena, stop. Stop! ’
    Edging his way to stand in front of her, before she trampled over half the Casino members, he slipped his finger under her chin and lifted it gently.
    ‘Look at me. Speak to me. Do you know that guy?’
    ‘No.’ Hands trembling, she gripped the lapels of his jacket and leaned into him.
    Finn could feel her warm breath through his shirt as she burrowed as if starved of affection, and he instinctively pulled her into the tight circle of his arms.
    Holding her was like a chorus of pleasure and pain that struck at his guilt but sang a sweet note of solace, and he luxuriated in the feel of her.
    ‘No!’ She twisted and rolled her shoulders to wrench free. ‘Get off me, Finn. Right now.’
    Feet leaden, he took a step back, fists plunging to his sides.
    Remorse and mortification darkened the grey hue of her eyes and he swallowed hard, knowing. It was Finn who was the issue here. She was ashamed of wanting him, crestfallen at her reaction to him, horrified she’d kissed him back at all.
    Well, then... Considering the destruction he’d caused in his life, it was highly indicative and somewhat poignant that he’d never hated himself more.

CHAPTER SIX
    S HE WAS HEARING voices, seeing things. She must be. That laugh was dead and buried but still it crawled through her veins like venom.
    Gorging on air, she calmed the violent crash of her heart before she completely lost her mind and tried to snuggle into Finn again. Come on, Serena. Snuggle? Being weak and needy was not a condition she’d ever aspired to.
    Honestly, this night couldn’t get any worse. Charging up here to confront him hadn’t been the brightest idea, but she’d had an entirely different kind of tongue-lashing in mind.
    Forget lethal weapon—the man was a nuclear bomb. And his kiss... Holy moly. There she’d been, quite content to pretend their last lip-lock had been an apparition. Why bother to remember when it couldn’t possibly have been that shockingly good?
    Except it was that shockingly good. And bad all at the same time.
    Her reactions to him were ridiculously extreme. It was as if he flipped a two-way switch inside her—hate or lust. Which just made no sense. She’d kissed men she’d actually liked before and been slammed in a freezer, yet one touch from Lothario here and she burst into flames!
    Sheer panic had her scrambling for perspective. Truthfully, she shouldn’t feel so disgusted with herself, so humiliated for succumbing to him. Not when the entire female race swooned at those extraordinary cerulean eyes. Expired at that sinful, sensual mouth. And that was before he backed it up with a truckload of charismatic charm.
    Serena was just one of many.
    Ugh. The idea that she was turning into a woman like one of her dad’s playthings made her feel physically sick.
    And of course the dirty deed had to transpire with her wearing slippers, of all things—just her