From Leather to Lace Read Free Page A

party his thoughts had been full of her—just thinking about her now made his cock twitch uncomfortably. Never had a woman affected him so much on first acquaintance.
    Apart from the fact that she was gorgeous and had a body made for grasping during hard and furious sex, she was also charming and intelligent. Since he had met her he had wanted nothing but to see her again. He couldn’t work out why he hadn’t asked her for her number that first night. It wasn’t like him to be so reticent—he was used to going after what he wanted and getting it, particularly where women were concerned. But Sarah Maddox was different from other women he had met.
    She exuded a fierce sexuality but seemed totally unaware of it. He also sensed in her something mysterious and a certain reserve that had made him slightly less sure of himself. Caution when approaching a woman was a feeling that he was totally unfamiliar with and one that had irritated him no end. Since that evening he had determined to meet her again and was looking forward to getting to know her better and this time there would be nothing stopping him from pursuing her further.
    The moment he had been waiting for arrived as he watched Sarah walk in and stop to admire the view. His breath caught at the sight of her—God, she was beautiful. She was wearing a silk, backless dress that hugged her body in all the right places. Her lovely dark hair cascaded down her bare back, giving him the urge to sweep the tresses to one side and nibble on the soft skin of her neck.
    As he watched she followed Roxy over to James and Pat. Maxwell’s eyes narrowed in irritation and a wave of anger swept through him as he watched James embrace her too closely and run his cold bottle of beer down her spine. Time to welcome Sarah personally and disengage her from that arsehole James, he decided as he strode purposefully in their direction.
     
    “Come on,” Roxy said, tugging on Sarah’s arm, “there’s James and Pat.”
    James and Pat were standing, cold beers in hand, admiring the view, when Sarah and Roxy joined them.
    “James, Pat, you both remember Sarah,” Roxy said by way of a greeting.
    “Sure do,” James replied pulling a surprised Sarah into a hug. She felt his cold beer against the bare skin of her back as he embraced her, making her shiver. Noting her shudder, he ran the cold beverage slowly down her spine until her nipples involuntarily hardened. Embarrassed, she pulled away from him quickly but could do nothing about her erect nipples, which were now jutting very visibly against the soft fabric of her dress.
    “Nice to see you again, Sarah,” James said as he swept his eyes appreciatively up and down her body. Feeling uncomfortable under his blatant scrutiny, Sarah took a step backward and collided hard against a muscular chest. Startled, she spun around and found herself looking up into the dark eyes of Maxwell McIver.
    “Hello, Sarah, I’m glad you could make it,” Max said to her as he kissed her on the cheek in greeting. “Everything okay?” he asked as he gave James a tight smile.
    “Maxwell,” Sarah breathed. “Everything is lovely—it’s so nice to see you again.”
    As she gazed up at him she felt butterflies set up a relentless fluttering in the pit of her stomach. God, he was more gorgeous than she remembered. As his dark eyes gazed intently into hers, the fluttering feeling became more intense. What was wrong with her? She was acting like a lovesick teenager with a massive crush! Trying to regain her composure, she stepped back a little and self-consciously ran her hand through her hair.
    “You have a lovely home, Maxwell,” she said to him. “Thank you for inviting me today.”
    “It’s my pleasure,” he responded, handing her a glass of champagne. “I’m very glad that you could make it.”
    Sarah took the glass gratefully, thankful for the diversion and something to do with her hands.
    Max gave Roxy a peck on the cheek and greeted the men