Chapter 6 #2
“You’re really testing my resolve,” he says, squeezing my hip.
“Right back at you.” I rest my hand on his chest, feeling his heart race. “This is so far out of my comfort zone, but something about you feels… right. I don’t know. It’s been a long time. I forgot what it can be like. What it should be like.”
Pain flashes in his eyes, but it’s gone in an instant. He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “Why does it sound like someone’s hurt you, pixie?”
My chest tightens, but I refuse to think about what I’ve been through and ruin this moment. Ignoring his question, I turn on my side so we’re facing each other. “Tell me something no one knows about you.”
His lips quirk. “Isn’t the point of the masks that we remain anonymous?”
“It doesn’t have to be anything that will tell me who you are. Just something no one else knows.”
“How do you know I’m not an open book with everyone?” he teases.
“I’ll have to trust you.”
My words make him pause. “You can trust me, pixie. For tonight, you can ask me anything and I’ll tell you the truth.”
There’s a heavy weight behind his words, and I wonder what he’s gone through. Maybe I’m not the only tortured soul in this room. But this thing between us is only for one night, and the last thing I want is to bring the mood down by getting into our reasons for agreeing to just tonight.
“Something no one knows about me, huh?”
I nod.
He considers my question for a moment before saying, “I’m terrified of silence and the dark.”
His response catches me off-guard. “Terrified?”
“Beyond terrified. Petrified. I can’t sleep without some form of noise and light source. Usually the television.”
I swat his chest. “I said something no one else knows.”
He shoots me a wry smile. “No one else knows that about me. Promise.”
I scoff. “None of your past girlfriends noticed that about you?”
“No former girlfriends, or anyone, has spent the night in my bed.”
“How is that possible? There’s no way someone who looks like you is a…” My breath hitches as I think about how he was adamant this wouldn’t have to go any further than what I was comfortable with, and my cheeks heat as I whisper, “Virgin.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “I’m definitely not a twenty-five-year-old virgin, pixie. That’s not why I’m not pushing for anything more. I don’t let anyone close enough to spend the night.”
That piques my curiosity. “Why does it sound like someone’s hurt you, striker?”
“Next question,” he says with a wink.
“You’re twenty-five?”
He smirks and brushes his knuckles across my cheek. “I am. Is that a problem?”
My face flushes. “Not for me, but I’m older than you.”
“Mm,” he hums, burying his head in the crook of my neck and nipping at the sensitive flesh. “A cougar. That’s hot. How much older are we talking?”
I close my eyes, my pulse racing at his touch. “I’m thirty-four.”
His finger trails between the valley of my breasts and down my stomach to circle my belly button.
I suck in a sharp breath.
“Oh mon Dieu,” I moan, falling into my native tongue.
He presses a chaste kiss to my lips, and I slowly open my eyes to meet his molten gaze. “An older woman and you speak French. How’d I get so lucky?”
I hesitate, wondering if telling him would give me away, but considering our age difference, I don’t think there’s any chance of us crossing paths after tonight. “I moved here from France when I was three.”
“Wow, so you’re bilingual?”
“Multilingual actually. Every second year we would fly back for the summer, and we’d also visit my cousins in Spain.”
“That’s impressive. I’ve never left the country.”
“I haven’t been back for close to seven years.” I don’t know what makes me tell him that. It slips out before I can stop myself. One day, I’d like to take Tinsley so she can meet her family, but Edward’s refusing to sign her passport papers.
“Hey,” he says, pressing his lips to my shoulder. “Where did you go?”
“Nowhere.” Needing to get out of my head, I push him onto his back and straddle his thighs.
He lets out a soft groan as my core grinds over his hard length, and his hands squeeze my hips, but he makes no other move.
Tonight is reckless, but being with him makes me realise how much I miss physical affection.
If this man can blow my mind with a simple kiss, I’m ready to find out what else he can do.
I’m not looking for a relationship, or to bring anyone into Tinsley’s life, but if I only have tonight to erase all memories of Edward from my body, then I’m going to take advantage of that.
My masked stranger watches me, his chest heaving as he waits to see what I’ll do.
Leaning down, I press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “So, you’re definitely not a virgin?”
His throat bobs as he swallows, his tongue swiping over his lips. “Definitely not.”
I kiss the other side of his mouth. “Did you mean it when you said I’m in charge?”
He mutters a curse under his breath, and his hands tighten on my waist, causing me to bite back my smile. “Yeah, pixie. You’re running the show.”
My lips trail over his jaw until they reach his ear, where I whisper, “And if I want to do more than just kiss you?”
A needy sound rips from him, but he remains still, proving that I’m in charge. “For tonight, my body is yours.”
I nip at his earlobe before sucking it into my mouth. “Good answer, striker.”
Sitting up, I close my eyes and grip the hem of my dress to pull it over my head. My tits bounce, heavy with the need to be touched. His fingers play with the thin material of my panties, and releasing a deep breath, I force myself to open my eyes.
“Goddamn, pixie.” His molten gaze leaves a burning trail over my skin as it travels over my almost naked body. He groans, the sound vibrating through his chest, and my core clenches. “You’re fucking perfect.”