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      Jess’s head jerked around to find Ben standing behind her chair with a goofy smile on his face.

      ‘They say a fella’s best chance to get lucky at a wedding is with one of the bridesmaids,’ he added, acting like some redneck out of the hills.

      Jess had to smile. He obviously hadn’t been sitting there, all churned up. This was all just fun and games to him!

      ‘Well, I sure wouldn’t want to disappoint a fella as handsome as you,’ she returned saucily. There was no point in being a wet blanket. Though dancing with him was going to be sheer torture.

      ‘Aw, shucks, ma’am,’ Ben returned, twisting his hands together in fake embarrassment. ‘You shouldn’t say things like that to a shy boy from Alabama.’

      Jess laughed as she stood up. ‘Now you sound like a character from one of those Doris Day, Rock Hudson movies.’

      ‘Yeah, I know,’ he said, dropping the fake southern accent as he steered her onto the dance floor. ‘Those old movies have a way of drawing you in. I gather you like them too,’ he added, and pulled her into his arms.

      Jess melted into him and closed her eyes, savouring the feel of his body against hers whilst trying to contain her ever-increasing excitement.

      ‘Mum does,’ she said. ‘I sometimes watch one with her. She likes happy endings.’

      ‘And you? What kind of movies do you like?’

      Oh, Lord, now he wanted to chat! She tried not to sigh. ‘I guess something which is both entertainment and escape. I don’t go to the movies to watch things that are too real. I can’t stand stories about drug dealers or war or people who are mean and cruel.’

      ‘You like reading?’

      ‘I’m not as avid a reader as Mum. I spend a lot of my spare time sewing. But I do like a good thriller.’

      ‘Romances?’

      ‘One or two. I did read a certain erotic romance which swept the world by storm.’

      ‘And did it give you a few delicious ideas?’ he murmured against her ear.

      She shivered as his lips made contact, his tongue tip dipping inside. But only for a split second.

      She groaned softly when his head lifted, suppressing another groan when the other groomsman, Jay, tapped Ben on the shoulder and suggested they change partners.

      Ben no more wanted to dance with Leanne than fly a kite, but what could he do? He’d been brought up to be polite, to have proper manners. So he smiled and handed Jess over to Jay whilst he did his duty and danced with the very silly Leanne.

      ‘So, how long have you known Jess?’ was the first thing Leanne said, her voice as curious as her eyes.

      ‘Not that long,’ he replied, his own eyes drifting over to where Jay was holding Jess too darned close, in his opinion.

      ‘She’s very attractive, isn’t she?’ Leanne went on.

      Ben agreed.

      ‘Girls like that can get any man they want,’ she said with an envious sounding sigh.

      Ben thought of Colin doing a flit but didn’t mention him.

      Leanne fluttered her eyes up at him. ‘It must be difficult for a really rich man like you to know if a girl likes him for himself or his money.’

      Ben was astonished at the sly bitchiness behind Leanne’s remark. ‘I’m not that rich, Leanne.’

      Leanne smiled a knowing smile. ‘Maybe not now but you will be one day. I mean, your daddy’s a billionaire, according to Catherine. Not that I think Jess is a gold-digger. She’s a very sweet girl.’

      ‘You’re certainly right there,’ Ben stated, thinking to himself that Leanne was a nasty piece of work. Of all the girls he’d ever been with, Jess was the least likely to be with him for his money. If anything, his wealth was a mark against him. Hadn’t she said she would never marry a man as rich as he was?

      It was a relief when Andy tapped him on the shoulder and handed him over to Catherine. Let him put up with Leanne’s malicious prattle. He’d had enough of her for one night. Ben had to smile, however, when within less than a minute Andy whirled Leanne over to Jay and gave her back to him, happily dancing with Jess instead.

      Which made Ben happy as well. He didn’t mind Jess dancing with Andy. He certainly hadn’t liked her dancing with Jay. Hadn’t liked another man holding her that close and possibly trying to crack onto her.

      Ben frowned as he realised just how possessive he was beginning to feel about Jess. It wasn’t like him to be jealous. He’d always despised that kind of self-destructive emotion. But with Jess he just didn’t have the control over his emotions that he usually had. He didn’t have as much control over his body either.

      It had been a battle to stop himself from having an erection all evening, finally losing the war when he’d taken her in his arms just now. Not that anything showed. His dinner jacket covered the evidence of his almost obsessive desire. But he could feel it, damn it. Not just in his flesh, but in his mind. Never had he wanted a woman as much as he wanted Jess. He could not wait to strip that infernal dress off her and do all the things he wanted to do to her.

       CHAPTER FIFTEEN

      ‘THANK GOD THEY’RE GONE,’ Ben muttered under his breath as Andy and Catherine drove off in their much-decorated car. The happy couple were spending their wedding night in a nearby, very swanky guest house, which was fortunate, given Andy had imbibed quite a lot of champagne. Ben hadn’t touched a drop; he needed a clear head and an un-intoxicated body for the games he had in mind for Jess tonight. It possibly would be the last opportunity to indulge himself with her in such a fashion. He did have full access to his mother’s apartment at Blue Bay tomorrow night—she didn’t get back till Monday—but Jess might not be willing to stay the night with him there. It was obvious that she still lived at home and still had to answer to her parents. Her mother, anyway.

      Meanwhile…

      Jess spotted Ben standing at the edge of the throng of guests who’d gone outside to watch the bride and groom depart. He’d been in a distracted mood the last hour or so. Not talking much. Not drinking either. She’d kept her consumption to a minimum, but then she had to drive. He didn’t.

      When she came up to him, he was frowning.

      ‘Why are you frowning like that?’ she asked him. ‘Is your shoulder aching?’ She wouldn’t put it past him to have lied to her about his arm. Men hated to admit to any weakness, especially physical ones.

      ‘No,’ he said, giving her an odd look. ‘It’s fine. And more than capable of giving you a good spanking when the time comes.’

      Jess sucked in sharply. ‘Spanking?’ she repeated in shocked tones even as the picture of her being bent naked over his thighs zoomed into her mind.

      She stared up at him, her whole head whirling as she tried to work out if the idea excited or repulsed her.

      ‘I think you might enjoy the experience. But only if you want me to, Jess,’ he continued in that soft, seductive voice he often adopted. ‘I would never force you to do anything you didn’t want to do.’

      But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Once he started on her, she wanted to do whatever he wanted to. Already she was wondering what it would feel like to be spanked.

      Jess struggled to act cool when she was anything but. ‘I…I’ll think about it,’ she said. And of course that was another problem. Thinking about doing sexual things with him invariably turned her on. She was already turned on. Had been all evening. Now, her body temperature and her desire metre were zooming off the charts.

      ‘Come

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