Marriage by Mistake

couldn't tear her gaze from Troy's. His eyes were like firebrands, searing through her. Who would have guessed dark brown eyes could be so piercing? She felt as if he was seeing right through her. Everything. She felt as if she couldn't continue to exist if she sat there one more minute impaled by those eyes.
    She stood up, clutching the purse she'd laid in her lap. Whirling, she managed to wrench her gaze from his, and then she walked. She walked fast, desperately navigating the tight array of empty tables and chairs, making for the door out of the place.
    One couldn't have asked for a more beautiful spring day. Felicia dimly registered that fact as she walked, straight and swift, out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk.
    "Felicia!" It was Troy's voice, and not very far behind her. Felicia's eyes widened and she stepped up her pace, though she wasn't going to add to her humiliation by running.
    Troy had no such compunction. He ran. She could hear his footsteps rushing up to her. And then her shoulder was roughly caught in his hand. She gritted her teeth as he stopped her and turned her around.
    "Please, Felicia," he groaned. "I'm sorry, okay? I don't know what got into me— Okay, maybe I do, but I'm very, very sorry." And then he uttered a word that Felicia didn't think a man who truly had reparation on his mind would say to a woman. On top of that, his hand, so very strong on her shoulder, was making her tremble. All she could do was stand there and stare at the buttons of his Cashmere cardigan.
    "Felicia." It sounded like a warning. And then as if things weren't bad enough, he grasped her other shoulder. "Look at me," he ground out.
    Quaking, she looked up. Maybe that would make him let her go. But he only looked back at her with eyes that were almost black.
    "You...do something to me," Troy claimed. "You get under my skin. The way you walk, the way you talk...how you look down your nose at me. It all makes me...crazy."
    Every bone Felicia owned was still shaking, but she was staring at Troy now. What was he talking about? Her stomach began to curl in a very strange way.
    Troy went on, his voice sounding like gravel rubbing together. "Your eyes say 'touch-me-not,' and that just makes me want to...touch you."
    Felicia's curling stomach now dropped, abruptly. Had he just said that? That he wanted to... touch her . Like he was...attracted to her? No! Impossible. Troy wasn't attracted to her. He made fun of her. He thought she was comical.
    Yes, yes, all of that was true. But it was also true that his eyes were blazing dark fire. It was true that he was leaning her up against the side of the building. She could feel his hard, taut muscles up and down the length of her abdomen and thighs. She could feel— Good God, was that his—? Her eyes briefly lowered, then flashed back up to his. Her lips parted in shock.
    "I know I treat you rotten," Troy growled. "I have to, because if I didn't treat you rotten I'd be doing...this." And his mouth came down on hers.
    There was an instant of shock at the first touch of his lips to hers, and then it was like nothing Felicia could have predicted. She felt no revulsion, no squirming desire to wiggle away. She didn't have time. As Troy's mouth took firm possession of hers, a sensation of incredible heat swept through her. Her purse dropped to the ground. Felicia grabbed Troy's shoulders. Her knees melted into butter. This was—this was—
    Good .
    She held on and met his every move with one of her own, her heart pounding, her blood rushing. It was incredible, unbelievable, the sensations pouring through her. She felt like a potent narcotic had been injected straight into her veins. She felt like her skin was frizzling into steam and lifting off of her.
    She felt like she would die if she couldn't eat this man up . Her fingers dug into the toughened muscles of his shoulders and a long, deep moan came out of her throat.
    No wonder , a voice mused, as from far off. Now wonder you always avoided this .
    Felicia stiffened.
    "Good God , Felicia!" Troy wrenched his mouth from hers with a gasp. For a moment they stood pressed close together and staring into each other's eyes.
    Good God, indeed! Felicia could feel Troy, every inch of him, including the erection pressed hard against her Christian Dior skirt. Even worse than that, she could feel a deep and powerful thrill inside herself as she recognized what it meant. Troy, Troy was aroused by her.
    And she was excited by his