Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
At first, I’m too stunned to respond. Then my body reacts before my mind can catch up. My heart explodes in my chest as I wrap my arms around his neck and start kissing him back.
Reaper and I may have had sex a couple of times now, even including other people in our games like we did tonight, but this is the first time he’s taken off his mask and kissed me.
This is our first actual kiss.
He pulls me closer, one hand on my hip, the other roaming up my back, until he plunges his fingers in my hair, holding me close.
My moan escapes into his mouth as he bites my lip, then again when our tongues first touch.
Little by little, the fervent kiss turns into something else.
Something deeper. Crushing lips and longing moans, where dreams and reality bleed into one, until I don't know where I end and he begins. Until there’s nothing else but this kiss and the man devouring me.
When he finally lifts his head, we’re both breathing hard.
I still can’t see his face, because he’s towering over me in the dark corner, the only light coming from the room behind him.
But I’m pretty sure the intensity of our kiss surprised him just as much as me.
And yet neither of us seems able to find the words to describe what just happened or what it meant.
If it even meant anything.
But it has to mean something. Right?
“Riven . . .”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I blurt out, “I need to clean up.”
He hesitates for a heartbeat or two, not moving an inch.
“I’ll get you your stuff. Wait here.” His voice seems gruff and deeper than usual. The sound sends a shiver through my body, making my chest pang with a yearning I’ve never felt before.
“Okay,” I say, for once thankful for the darkness, because without it, he’d see the lie in my eyes.
As I watch him retreat, the mask back on his face, a plan quickly forms in my head. Because as much fun as this has been, I’ve come here on a mission. And if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s sneaking in and out unseen.
Right now, I’m standing near the hidden door leading to this place. Next to it lies the cube with the map inside it, on the floor, just waiting for me to pick it up.
Reaper’s still preoccupied with searching for my clothes, his back turned to me.
I ponder for a second, then I push through my conflicting emotions and head for the door. Still butt-naked, but I don’t care, as many of the visitors tonight already are.
Quickly, I pick up the cube and push the door open, sneaking out before Reaper realizes what I’m doing.
As I pass another couple fucking out in the open, I pick up some of their clothes and put them on when I’m out of sight.
Then I run.
With a little help from the cube, it’s almost too easy to find my way out of the maze.
There’s nobody waiting on the other side though. Only a red carpet leading into the main building for the winner of tonight’s party.
I don’t follow the path but find a back door inside, probably a delivery entrance, which serves me perfectly.
When I enter the illustrious Everthorne Hall, I keep my head down and try to be as invisible as possible, hiding the blue bracelet that marks me as a guest for only one night.
Instead I move as if I belong in this place. As if I’m a regular.
My pulse roars. Adrenaline pumps through my veins. The familiar tickle of danger is back. The shit I live for.
Nobody notices me. Everybody’s too preoccupied with the maze and the regulars.
When I almost run into a guard, I make a sharp left and pretend to enter a room, only to retreat once the guard has passed. Thanks to my research, I know exactly what kind of fantasy my victim plays out on a regular basis. Tonight’s no different.
I head down the hallway and take a last quick look around before entering the barely lit room.
Thick air. The moans of women and a man.
Wet pounding, and the sound of a headboard knocking against the wall again and again.
There’s virtually no light, so I have to search for a bit, sifting through all kinds of clothes on the floor, until I find what I came here for.
The one thing I was tasked to steal tonight: a blood-red necklace with lots of rubies and diamonds in it.
I shove it into my pocket and sneak out of the room. The people inside are too busy with themselves to even acknowledge another presence.
A small smile creeps onto my lips as I silently close the door behind me.
I don’t feel bad about stealing, and to be fair, it’s not like I’m the first one to steal this necklace. The previous owner stole it himself and gifted it to a woman who’s clearly not his wife, and who cheats on him too, so I’m only taking back what doesn’t belong here.
Fireworks light up the night sky when I leave the main building. Seems like someone finally found the exit of the maze and won the golden membership card.
I’m not sad it wasn’t me, though tonight was incredible. Sinful. Shocking. It showed me parts of myself I never knew. The memories of it are enough to make me blush, so I try not to think of them. At least not until I’m home alone.
When I reach the parking lot, the footman from before smiles at me.
“Leaving so soon?” He sounds disappointed. But if he remembers me from before and realizes I’m wearing a different outfit now, he doesn’t comment on it.
“Yes. I’ve had quite the adventure tonight.”
And that’s not even a lie.
“Did you enjoy your stay at Everthorne Hall?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a flicker of movement.
Reaper’s standing there, all tall, dark, and dangerously handsome, with his skull mask covering his entire face once again. He watches me intently from the shadows, probably pissed off I sneaked out like that, but I don’t regret it.
In fact, I don’t regret a single thing that happened here tonight.
So I give the footman a huge grin when I answer. “Yes. I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”
And my contractor will be very pleased with my work. Because despite all the distractions, I found what I was looking for and got it for him without being caught.
And I got plenty for myself tonight too, didn’t I?
“Great.” The guard beams at me. “I suppose we’ll see you next Halloween then?”
I look back at Reaper one last time and give him a little wave.
Then I wink at the guard. “You can count on it.”
The end . . . for now.
Check out this exclusive sneak peek from Masked, Little Thief, Book 4 in the Deadly Shorts Series!