Heir to Scandal. Andrea Laurence

whispered, his lips centimeters from her own.

      She could feel the featherlight caress of his breath as he spoke. A chill ran down her spine, making her shiver softly. He brought his palms to her upper arms, gently rubbing up and down to warm her skin. His hands were large and masculine. Not rough, but powerful as they held her. He closed his eyes for a moment. Rose wondered if he was reconsidering kissing her. She couldn’t bear the thought.

      “Xander?” she said, barely louder than a breath.

      His eyes opened and then...contact. Xander’s mouth pressed softly against hers. The moment their lips touched, it was as though they’d never been apart. The suppressed passion reignited and the chaste first-date kiss quickly unraveled into the heated embrace of old lovers.

      His tongue sought hers out, gliding like silk into her mouth. She drank him in, losing herself in the pleasurable buzz of the wine and the hum of desire moving through her nervous system.

      It had been so long since she’d let herself indulge with a man. Any man, much less Xander. He was the one who knew her every hope and dream. The one she’d given her virginity to. Her heart to. And through some weird twist of fate, here she was, back in his arms again.

      Xander broke away from their kiss, but only to move on to new, unexplored parts of her body. His hungry mouth traveled over the curve of her throat, tasting her skin and nipping gently with his teeth. Rose clutched at him, tilting her head back to give him better access. Her neck was always so sensitive and he remembered it. Every caress sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine that urged her to press against the hard wall of his body.

      Xander moved his hands over the soft fabric of her dress. She could feel the heat of his skin penetrating her clothes and warming her body. His touch was electric, bringing to life each neglected part of her body as he caressed it. Her breasts tightened and ached painfully against the confines of her bra. Her stomach tensed and twitched under his fingertips, her center nearly boiling over with the need he quickly built in her.

      Her blood raged through her veins as her heart pounded faster and faster. There was no denying that she wanted Xander. The moment he asked her to dinner, she’d known this was an eventuality. She couldn’t tell him no and right now she didn’t want to. She’d missed him. Missed his touch. And even if he would be disappearing back to D.C. in a short time, she would have these memories to keep her satiated.

      Rose gasped as his hand cupped her breast and squeezed gently. She arched her body into his, pressing her stomach against the hard ridge of his desire. She drew her leg up, hooking it around his thigh. His hand moved to her exposed skin, gliding along the slit of her dress. They were in the middle of a parking lot, but she didn’t care. He groaned against her throat, whispering her name into her ear.

      It was the most erotic thing she’d ever heard. Giving herself to Xander might not be the right choice, but in that moment, she didn’t care. She wanted him.

      And then her cell phone rang.

      It was her brother’s ringtone. The passionate haze she’d lost herself in quickly evaporated. Considering he knew she was on a date, there had to be something wrong. And if there wasn’t, she was going to whip him good with her shoe the minute she got home.

      “I’m sorry,” she said, pushing gently at the lapels of Xander’s suit and reaching for her purse. “It’s my brother, Craig. I’ve got to take this.”

      Xander nodded and took a step back to give her breathing room and some privacy. She pulled out the phone and answered, her voice still shaky with desire. “Yes?” she said, her tone pointed despite its breathy quality.

      “I know,” Craig said. “And I’m sorry. But I had to call. Joey fell off my trampoline in the backyard. I’m pretty sure he’s broken his left arm. I’m on my way to the E.R. right now. I figured you would want to meet me there.”

      Rose could hear Joey’s whimpers in the background. Her poor baby. He’d never broken any bones before, which was surprising considering how active he was. She’d told Craig about fifteen times that she didn’t like those big trampolines. They were just made for breaking children. And now she’d proved her point. Her son was looking at a cast for weeks and it would probably mean that he’d miss out on the Little League championship later this month. They had a five-round bracket to play through, then on to the regional play-offs in early August. They had the best team the area had seen in a long time and really had a shot at going all the way. Joey would be devastated.

      And all so she could go on a stupid date she never should’ve said yes to in the first place. It was a horrible interruption, but now she was thankful for it. The call had given her a moment to gather herself and realize she was about to make a huge mistake with Xander. This was the man who’d left Cornwall and forgotten she’d ever existed. Eleven years and one charming smile later and she was on the verge of sleeping with him. What was wrong with her? Had she no self-respect?

      “Yes, go. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can. Tell him I’m on my way.” Rose turned off her phone. “I’ve got to go.”

      Xander nodded, his fists shoved deep into his pockets. “I gathered that much. Is everything okay?”

      “No. I have to go to the hospital to meet Craig.” Her hands were shaking as she attempted to slip her phone into her purse and ended up dropping it onto the pavement.

      Xander dipped down to pick it up and hand it to her. “Let me drive you. It’s a long trip to the nearest hospital and you’re too shaken up to drive yourself.”

      “I’m fine, really. I just need you to take me back to my car.”

      “No. You’re upset. I don’t want you getting in a wreck.” His eyes were dark in the dim light of the parking lot, but their plea was unmistakable.

      Then she remembered. His parents had died in a head-on collision when a teenage girl had swerved into their lane. She had survived and told the cops she’d been crying at the wheel because her boyfriend had dumped her. Of course he’d be concerned that she was too emotionally compromised to drive. “Okay. Thank you,” she said without thinking through what she would do when they got to the hospital.

      Xander helped her into the SUV and they immediately pulled out onto the highway. They were several miles down the road before either of them spoke again.

      “May I ask what happened? Is there anything I can do?”

      Rose clutched her purse tightly against her and softly shook her head. “Thank you, but there’s not much to be done unless you’re an orthopedist. It seems he broke his arm on the trampoline.”

      “Who? Craig?”

      Rose took a deep breath. She could feel the threads of her deception start to unravel. Perhaps she could take a page from the politician’s handbook and lie by omission. Tell what she had to but not all of it.

      “No,” she said. “My son.”