2. Gemma
Chapter 2
Gemma
I wasn’t supposed to be here.
I should’ve been home, packing boxes for my move to Los Angeles in two days.
Instead, I was standing on the edge of a dance floor, swirling a glass of champagne, trying and failing not to look completely out of place.
It was impossible.
“Relax, Gemma,” Nico said, leaning down to mutter in my ear. “You look like you’re waiting for someone to throw you in a penalty box.”
I rolled my eyes, glancing up at my older brother, a center for Atlanta Fire. “That’s because I am. This whole thing is ridiculous. Why are we even wearing masks? We’re adults and this isn’t Halloween.”
“Because it’s classy,” he said, smirking as he adjusted his own mask—a sleek navy one with gold detailing that somehow made him look even more like the charming, overconfident flirt he was.
The mask matched the navy tuxes he and the rest of the team wore. The Atlanta Fire’s colors were navy and gold, so the players wore navy tuxedos with navy and gold masks, each one a little different from the other.
He continued, “And because I promised you’d have a good time tonight. It’s like a costume party. That’s fun, right?”
“This isn’t really my scene. You know that.”
“It’s no one’s scene,” he said with a shrug. “It’s for charity. Have a drink, relax. You might even meet someone interesting.”
“Among debutants and guys hunting for a trophy wife?” I snorted. “I doubt it.”
Nico put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. At six years older than me, he’d always taken his role as big brother very seriously, even when I didn’t want him to.
“Breathe.”
“I am breathing.”
He gave me the look, the one that told me I was being petulant. He had perfected that look back when we were kids, and I hated being on the receiving end of it.
“You deserve to have some fun, Gemma. You’ve worked hard. Let yourself enjoy a night out of your comfort zone. You might even figure out that you like high society.”
I sighed, because as much as I hated to admit it, he was right. Not about high society. They could kick rocks for all I cared. I’d seen how they treated him back when he sang at a charity event at the opera. He was a beefy, kind, charismatic man, smarter than anyone gave him credit for. And all the wealthy women of Atlanta saw was a good time and a story to tell over brunch. None of them took him seriously.
“Fine,” I said, nudging him with my elbow. “But if this night sucks, you owe me.”
“Deal,” he said, grinning as he kissed the top of my head, careful of my mask.
Then his gaze shifted across the room, and his grin turned into something more mischievous. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to say hi to someone.”
I followed his gaze to a petite woman with a dazzling smile who was chatting with a group near the bar. Her eyes said it all—Nico had this in the bag. “Let me guess. Staff massage therapist?”
“You know me too well,” he said with a wink. “Be good.”
“Seriously, Nico? Haven’t you had enough of pointless one night stands?”
He smiled. “Right now, all I’m looking for is fun. And you’re even younger, so you should be too.”
“I’ll try,” I said, watching as he sauntered away, his charm already dialed up to eleven. As much as I loved my brother, I worried he was losing himself in the pro lifestyle. But it was his life, not mine.
With Nico gone, I was on my own. I’d never been the kind of person who thrived at parties, especially not ones where everyone else seemed to know someone except me.
I wandered toward the edge of the dancefloor, my champagne glass still clutched in my hand, and tried to look like I belonged.
That was when I spotted him.
Again.
He was leaning casually against the bar, his red satin mask gleaming in the dim light. It was simple but striking and accented with black filigree. It matched the sharp lines of his tuxedo.
He wasn’t like the other men in the room—instead of easily laughing with the people around him, he looked like he was counting the seconds until he could politely excuse himself.
And he was hot. Old-time movie star handsome. He had one of those strong jaws. His casually styled grayish hair made him look older than his posture said he was.
A sexy silver fox in a tux.
Before I could think twice, he turned his head and caught me staring.
I froze, my cheeks heating under my peacock feather mask.
But instead of looking away, he smiled—a slow, easy smile that made my heart skip a beat.
He raised his glass in a silent toast, and I felt my lips curve into a smile of their own.
And just like that, he was walking toward me. It was more like a confident swagger, his muscly build gliding across the room.
“Breathe,” I muttered to myself, remembering Nico’s advice from earlier in the day. Try to have fun. This isn’t an execution—it’s a party. He had hyped me up so much for the party that I had almost believed I wouldn’t be this nervous.
I was wrong.
“Good evening,” he said, his voice low and smooth in a way that curled up my spine and made me fight a shiver. “I couldn’t help noticing you over here, looking like you were trying to disappear.”
I laughed softly, feeling a little more at ease. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only to someone who knows what it feels like.” His crystal blue eyes sparkled.
That made me smile. “Were you dragged out to be here, too?”
“Not entirely. These functions are part of the job,” he said with a shrug. “Someone had to drag you out to be here?”
“Drag might be too strong a word for it. Coerce is more accurate.” I hesitated to say more, because I was sure I’d screw this up. But I wanted to hear him speak. His voice made my knees weak. What was the harm in a little conversation? We were in masks, so I decided to play up the anonymity of it. “It’s nice to meet you, Red.”
He smiled, and all thought drained out of me. He took my hand in his, warm and firm. “Nice to meet you, Blue. Care to dance?”
“Yes,” gasped out of me before I could stop myself. I looked past him, toward the dance floor where couples were swaying to the soft strains of the band. It wasn’t something I’d normally do, but tonight felt different.
Tonight, this masked stranger made me feel like someone else—someone who could say yes.
He led me onto the dance floor, his hand resting lightly on my lower back as we found a rhythm. I wasn’t a great dancer, but he didn’t seem to mind. He moved with an easy confidence, guiding me through the steps as if we’d done this a hundred times before.
“You’re good at this,” I said, trying not to trip over my own feet.
“So are you,” he replied.
There was something about the way he looked at me—something that made me feel seen, even behind the mask.
It was intoxicating, the way his presence seemed to fill the space around us, blocking out the rest of the room as though we were the only dancers in the ballroom.
Being so close to Red, smelling his woodsy scent, the tension I’d held onto for the past two years had faded to nothing.
We danced for what felt like hours, though it was probably only a few songs. By the time we stepped off the floor, my heart was racing for reasons that had nothing to do with the dancing. And I could feel a warmth between my legs that told me what a turn on my body thought he was.
“Come on, let's get some air,” Red said.
I hesitated, my pulse pounding in my ears, feeling this kind of pull toward someone I didn’t even know.
But tonight wasn’t about being cautious. Tonight was about stepping out of my comfort zone, about letting myself live. Having fun.
With a mask on.
I licked my lips and watched as his eyes flickered to my mouth. My heart kicked up as I anticipated the words coming out. I hoped they came out seductively and not as a desperate blurt. “My room has a balcony. We can get plenty of air there.”
His lips parted in surprise, then spread in a playful smile. “Lead the way.”
He took my hand and led me to the elevators. When the doors closed, he grabbed my chin and lifted my face up for a kiss.
He didn’t disappoint.
Once he knew it was game on, he pressed me against the elevator wall, caging me with his arms as he kissed down my throat.
When the doors opened again, we found our way to my hotel room, the champagne still buzzing in my veins and his hand warm against mine.
I swiped my key card and we fumbled into the room, hands scrambling for clothing, mouths colliding and bruising.
I was naked before I knew it, save for my mask. He reached for that, too, but I drew back, shaking my head. “Leave the masks on.”
His mouth shaped into a wicked smirk. “As you wish.”
Once he was naked, I took a moment to memorize his body in the faint city light that poured in from the balcony, grazing every inch of him with my fingertips.
I had no idea who he was or where he came from, but his body told a story I suddenly wanted to hear in full detail.
He looked like sin wrapped in muscle—broad shoulders built for holding a woman in place, a firm chest that begged to be touched, licked, tasted.
The birthmark on his shoulder that looked like Italy.
Scars marked his skin, whispers of past battles, and I had the sudden, wicked urge to trace them with my tongue.
His body wasn’t sculpted for show; it was built for power, for endurance.
Every inch of him radiated strength, from the carved ridges of his abs to the deep-cut lines that led my gaze lower, making my breath hitch.
His waist was trim, tapering into powerful hips that promised control.
But it was his legs that really caught me—thick, solid muscle, the kind that spoke of brutal strength, of speed, of unrelenting force.
My fingers brushed over his hard glutes, aching to feel, to explore.
And then he moved. Just a shift of his stance, a flex of his fingers at his sides, but it felt deliberate—like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
His gaze caught mine, dark and knowing, a slow smirk playing on his lips. Heat pooled low in my stomach.
I still didn’t know his name. Didn’t know why his body looked like it was made for both destruction and pleasure.
But I knew, without a doubt, that I wanted to find out.
My gaze dragged lower, and my breath stalled.
He was already hard. Thick, heavy, the kind of size that made my pulse stutter and my thighs clench.
He stood proud, the flushed tip glistening, the veins along his length pronounced, like he was barely restraining himself.
My mouth went dry, my body reacting on instinct, heat licking up my spine at the sheer intensity of him.
He gave me a slow, knowing smirk, wrapping a hand around his base like he had all the time in the world, like he enjoyed watching me squirm.
“See something you like?” His voice was a rough rasp, thick with desire.
I swallowed hard, my body screaming in response. Like? No. I was about to be wrecked.
He stroked himself slowly, deliberately, his grip firm as his dark gaze pinned me in place. “You have no idea what this does to me, do you?” His voice was playful, sexy. “Watching you like this, wearing that mask—fuck, it makes me harder than I’ve ever been. It’s like you’re mine, a forbidden temptation just waiting to be claimed.”
He gave himself another slow stroke, eyes locked on me, reveling in the power he had, the way my breath hitched, the way my thighs pressed together.
“You want to know what turns me on?” He stepped closer, towering over me, his body radiating heat. “Knowing that under that mask, you’re already wet for me. That you want this as badly as I do.” He tipped my chin up, his thumb brushing over my lips, his cock thick and heavy between us. “And when I finally bury myself inside you? You’ll be begging me to ruin you.”
In a blink, he had me against the wall, kissing his way down my body. He licked my nipples and lightly sucked, sending heat all the way down to my clit. “Do you taste this sweet everywhere?”
I panted. “Only one way to find out.”
“Get on the bed.”
My knees went weak from the command in his voice. I crawled onto the bed, but he captured my ankle. I turned to ask what he wanted, but he spoke first. “Just like this. On your knees for me, Blue. Face down.”
Oh.
I stayed like that for him, and his weight shifted the bed between my feet. His strong hands kneaded my ass for a minute. “Damn,” I heard him growl. “Your ass is incredible.”
Then he spread me wide open for him and dove against me, his tongue swiping up over my pussy. I gripped the bedding and groaned. Red grabbed my hips to hold me against his face as he devoured me from behind.
He drove me to the brink over and over, his tongue or fingers on my clit, I couldn't tell, exploring me, too. It was like he knew my body and exactly how to drive me crazy.
That deep throb built inside, and I wanted to beg for more, but I couldn’t speak.
Finally, he pulled back, and I had the chance to breathe again.
But then Red laid onto me, his hard cock digging against my glute.
“If this is all you want tonight, say it now. Otherwise, I’m going to fuck you so hard that you’re not going to walk straight tomorrow,” he murmured in my ear, his voice rough, wrecked with need.
I shuddered beneath him. “Yes, Red. Fuck me.”
“Condom?”
I fished one out from my purse and passed it to him.
“You were prepared for this, eh?”
“You know, just in case.”
He leaned back to put it on and rolled me onto my back. “You’re sure?”
“If you don’t, so help me I will find someone who will.”
He smirked before brushing the head of himself over me. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Stop teasing?—”
He slid in halfway, and I was so on edge, I thought I might come right then.
He watched where our bodies joined and an animal growl came out of his chest. Fuck, there was something so primal about him, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
As he began a rhythm, I thrust up to meet him, and soon, we were as close as two people could be.
Inside, he was filling me up. And he rolled against my clit with every thrust.
But I still couldn’t come.
It had always been that way for me. Orgasms on my own were great. Orgasms with a man were elusive. Not impossible, but difficult all the same, so I usually ended up finishing myself off. If I finished at all. I still enjoyed sex, but it was never a climax guarantee.
But being close with Red like this felt different.
He leaned on his forearms next to my head and stared deep into my eyes. “You’re so damn beautiful. Especially when I—” He cut himself off to dive deep inside and make me arch beneath him. Then he bent to my ear, his hot breaths caressing the shell. “You’re right there, aren’t you? So close you can taste it?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“What’s stopping you?”
“I don’t…I don’t know.” No point in getting into it now. I wanted to enjoy him and the moment. If I didn’t come, it wouldn’t be a surprise. But I didn’t believe in faking it, either, so I hoped he wouldn’t make a big deal about it.
Red reached down, taking my hands in his and pinning them to the bed while he practically danced inside of me.
I felt so full.
His cock brushed against that magic spot inside, and I gasped hard. I hadn’t seen that coming. But he worked himself right there, over and over, until the throb became something more.
“I’ve got you. Just relax.”
And for once, I did. There was no logical reason for it, no sane reason for me to trust him. But the last of my usual tension fell away. No more worrying about if I was going to come or not. I was just enjoying the moment.
And it felt so good.
He felt so good.
The next thing I knew, I was coming so hard I thought I’d black out. Heat flashed through me, and something ecstatic burst inside, unleashing a howl from my throat.
“Oh, fuck yes,” he snarled as he pounded into me.
One became two which became more, and I wondered what the hell was happening. I never came like this, not even with toys. But Red worked my body over again and again until I was weak from it. From him. I patted his shoulder with a shaking hand, and he slowed to a stop, kissing me deeply.
“Need to stop coming?”
“Yeah,” I barely gasped.
He pulled out and let me breathe for a moment before flipping me onto my stomach. “There we go.” He spread my legs and hoisted my hips up. “My turn.” He entered me from behind, filling me up before he laid on my back again. “And you’re not done coming, are you?”
“I’m not?”
“You’re young. You can take it.” He reached beneath my hip and felt around until he found my clit. “Can’t you?”
“Yes?”
“Good girl.” He played with me as he fucked me, and I couldn’t have stopped coming if I’d wanted to. I lost count as I bit the pillow.
His groans became growls and he sped up right as I felt him swell inside of me. “I can feel you coming on me, Blue. Fuck.”
Between weak breaths, I panted, “Are you?—”
“Right now!” He slammed deep and his hips jerked forward as he came, too.
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