Read In the Arms of a Stranger for Free Online

just how desperate she looked, but no one seemed to notice.  Except Jake, that is.
    “I believe it’s over there,” he nodded off to the right then rose to his feet and did a gallant bow.  “I would be happy to escort you, as I have need of the facilities myself.”
    Brianne could have clobbered him , and probably would have if it wouldn’t have caused a scene.  With a little huff, she turned on her heel and hurried off in the direction he’d indicated, hoping to reach the bathrooms before he caught up with her.  Her luck wasn’t that good.  As she rounded the corner and headed down a short corridor, Jake kept pace with her, although he didn’t say anything until she made another turn and realized this wasn’t the way to the bathrooms at all.  She whirled on him, eyes blazing.
    “Just what the hell are you up to, Jake Malone?”
    Grinning like a Cheshire cat, he slowly advanced on her until Brianne’s back stepping brought her up against the wall.  Jake braced his arms on either side of her, quite enamored by the flush in her cheeks and the way her nose flared out ever so slightly as she glared up at him.  He dipped his head and heard the sharp intake of breath a fraction of a second before he captured her lips and gave her a long, hard kiss.
    Bri ached all over.  How was that even possible?  How could he make her want him beyond all reason with just one little kiss?  Except it wasn’t just one little kiss; it was one very lengthy, very thorough, bone-melting, mind-boggling, to the freaking moon and back kiss, and Brianne was finding it extremely difficult at that moment to think of a single reason why she shouldn’t take him upstairs to her room for a command performance. 
    Just thinking about making love to Jake again and losing herself in the heated passion he stirred made her heart thump erratically and her breath come up short.   Her salvation came in the form of a waitress whose heels made a sharp clicking sound as she emerged from a door at the far end of the hallway and hurried past them.  The momentary distraction was all Bri needed to knock some sense into herself.  As soon as Jake lifted his head, she shoved against his chest. 
    “Have you lost your mind?   What if Chad or Brandy, or Heaven forbid, my father saw us?”
    He only chuckled at her futile attempt to look angry.   “You little hypocrite, you want me just as much as I want you and you know it.”
    “That’s not true,” she denied vehemently.   “You…you caught me off guard, that’s all.”
    He lowered his head, arching a brow when she let out a soft little sigh and leaned into him.   “Catching you off guard again, am I?” he teased.
    Bri’s eyelids snapped open.   Oh this was bad, very bad.  She hadn’t even realized she’d closed her eyes or that she was clutching the lapels of his jacket.  What kind of person was she that she could fall so easily into the arms of another man while her fiancé waited in the restaurant for her?  Shame washed over her in waves.  Jake must have seen the abrupt change in her expression because he dropped his arms to his sides, his eyes filled with genuine remorse. 
    “I’m sorry, Bri, I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.”
    She managed a weak smile.  “I don’t suppose I should have kissed you back either.  Maybe we should just forget this ever happened and get back to the table before someone comes looking for us.”
    He nodded in agreement , but wasn’t likely to forget that kiss or the dazed look on her face afterwards.  He’d never met any woman who instilled such unbridled emotions the way Bri did and he determined to get to know her better.  Whether she wanted to admit it to herself or not, there was something between them, something he was sure would last a lifetime if it was nurtured and given time to grow.  The problem was he didn’t have much time, not with an impending wedding on the horizon. 
    Somehow he had to make her see what he had