Marriage by Mistake

arousal.
    Heaven's above. Out. Immediately. She had to get out of there.
    Fortunately, he didn't resist when she pushed him away. No, he parted his body from hers most willingly. Maybe he was as shocked and displeased with the turn of events as she was, though Felicia sincerely doubted it. Troy wasn't dealing with the emotional upheaval of a lifetime.
    "I've— Goodbye," she told him, very firm. Then, not daring to look his way, not knowing what might happen if she looked into his amazing brown eyes, she remembered to scoop up her purse, then whirled and stalked off down the street. She tried to move as if there had been no interruption at all in her progress. Just as if he hadn't kissed her.
    And she hadn't kissed him back.
    Oh, my goodness gracious everything . Felicia ducked down into a subway stairway that opened fortuitously in front of her. Her lips still tingled. Damn, but her whole body still tingled.
    With pleasure, with desire, with yearning. She wanted more!
    Felicia paid the fare for a token and, with trembling fingers, slid it into the slot and pushed through. She struggled to control her erratic breathing as she waited for the next train—to anywhere.
    She'd kissed Troy, kissed Troy , of all people.
    And she'd liked it.
    ~~~
    He'd just kissed the ice princess.
    Troy walked back into the quiet restaurant, every inch of him shaking; with sexual reaction, with self disgust...with unfulfilled lust. God. Dear God, but that had been— He wiped his forehead with the back of one hand and walked over to the table they'd abandoned. He looked down at the two plates of untouched food.
    No way was he going to be able to eat that pasta bolognese with Felicia's dainty Nicoise salad staring across the table at him. Troy pulled out his wallet, removed a generous number of bills, and slapped them onto the table. Then he turned and walked out of the place for the second time.
    Could he have screwed up a simple apology any better, Troy wondered? He stood for a moment outside the restaurant, then deliberately turned in the opposite direction from the one Felicia had headed. As he walked, he tried to avoid groaning out loud.
    Felicia was very wrong if she thought Troy could come anywhere close in a comparison with Dean. He was a screw-up through and through. Look at today. He hadn't managed to last half an hour in Felicia's company without insulting her yet further.
    And then kissing her.
    Troy swallowed and started shaking again. Now, that had to be the stupidest thing he had ever done. Even giving Dean his hypnotic suggestion couldn't compare.
    Because kissing Felicia had been both stupid and—and fantastic . Troy's teeth gritted so they wouldn't start chattering as he continued to shake. Kissing Felicia had been shocking, exciting, excruciatingly pleasurable...and...and...
    Something more.
    It had made him feel...good. Somehow...right.
    Walking fast, Troy frowned, and his shaking managed to get worse. Right? What the hell did that mean, 'right?' Felicia had to be the exact wrong woman for him to be kissing. Totally un right. She compared him to Dean, for crissake.
    Troy didn't scan the road for a cab. He didn't walk down into any of the subway stations he passed. He just kept walking while he tried to stop shaking.
    And telling himself there was absolutely nothing right about Felicia.

    CHAPTER SIXTEEN

    Kelly and Dean made love again that Tuesday night, as promised. Dean came home late, after everyone else had gone to bed, and knocked on Kelly's door.
    After thinking about it all afternoon, Kelly had formed an opinion about what was going on. It was an opinion strengthened by Dean skipping the family dinner that evening. Still, she was taken aback by the expression on his face when she opened her bedroom door. "Uh, hard day?" she asked.
    "You could say that," Dean replied. Then he removed her nightgown. In two minutes they were both naked on Kelly's bed.
    After a fine round of mutual orgasms, at around two in the morning, Kelly asked, "Making up for lost time?"
    "Mm," Dean said. "I'll see you tomorrow at noon."
    "Let me guess. We'll make love."
    "Mm," Dean said. Then he kissed her, put his clothes back on, and left.
    Kelly put up with this for the next three days. She couldn't say she wasn't enjoying herself. Dean was a superior lover, and whatever demons drove him made him more daring every time. They made love in the back seat of his car, in an old gardening shed, and behind a tree in Dean's forest. In one way,