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She raised a brow in surprise at the certainty in his voice. “How are you so sure? I mean, I could have been trying to sweet-talk my way in.”
“I have something to confess.” He pushed back the sides of his tuxedo jacket and slid his hands into the front pockets of his dress slacks. “I overheard those three women just inside of the ballroom talking about you, and they didn’t seem very happy that you came to the ball, despite your name being deliberately left off the RSVP card. And it was hard not to notice the way they gaped and glared at you when I escorted you into the party. I take it you know them?”
She groaned, embarrassed that he’d been privy to their unpleasant discussion and harsh words about her. “Yes, I know them. The older woman is my stepmother, Helena, and the two girls who were with her are my stepsisters, Gwen and Claire.”
“Is your father here, as well?” he asked curiously.
“No.” She shook her head, unable to stop the pang of sadness rising inside her. “Both of my parents are gone. My dad married Helena a few years after my mother died, but he passed away two years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, genuine compassion in his voice. “I’ve lost both of my parents, as well, so I understand how
difficult that is.”
“Thank you.” Already, they were sharing more personal information than was wise. The kind that could draw her in more deeply to this fascinating man.
As if he realized the same thing, he changed the subject. “So, the big question . . . why would your stepmother and sisters exclude you from a charity ball you were invited to?”
She bit her bottom lip, hesitating. God, she didn’t have enough hours left in the evening to answer that loaded question, and she really didn’t want to delve into her unpleasant family dynamics. Just like he seemed reluctant to share certain things, this was a subject she had no inclination to discuss. Especially not with a gorgeous, sexy man she was so incredibly attracted to and one who’d already made his desires and his intentions toward her very clear. And if she was honest with herself, being the center of Hunter Wilder’s attention held immense appeal, and she didn’t want anything to taint what had the potential of being an exhilarating, seductive evening with him.
“It’s a complicated situation,” she said, and didn’t miss the imploring tone to her own voice. “Would it be terribly rude of me to ask that we not talk about it? You just allowed me into this amazing fairy-tale ball, and tonight, I want to enjoy the evening with you . . . and wherever that might take us. And just so you know, I’m not looking for anything more than that.”
There was no mistaking the sensual heat that filled his eyes as he reached out and touched her again, this time gliding his fingers along her jawline, then feathering them down the side of her neck. Her breath quickened, causing the upper swells of her breasts to rise and fall a bit quicker . . . which he blatantly noticed. God, if just a simple caress had the ability to make her body surge with so much need, she could only imagine what other pleasure Hunter’s fingers could bestow.
“Fair enough, Just Elle,” he murmured in a light, teasing tone, keeping up the anonymity she’d established earlier as his hand fell away. “One tempting, irresistible night of whatever makes us feel good. It appears that we’re both on the same page then.”
She immediately missed his warm touch once it was gone, craved it, actually. As crazy as it was, considering they’d just met, she wanted more of him, her body already attuned to his. She’d never had a one-night stand in her life, but then again, she’d never experienced such instantaneous lust and knew this man would be worth ending her two-year dry spell.
“We are most definitely on the same page,” she boldly agreed, looking at him over the rim of her glass as she finished the last of her champagne.
Satisfaction etched his features as he took her empty flute and set it on a passing tray, just as a soft chiming tone sounded through the area and guests started strolling toward an adjoining room.
“That’s the signal that dinner is about to be served,” he said. “And while I wasn’t looking forward to sitting at a table with other businessmen and their wives making boring small talk, the fact that you’ll be beside me just made the next hour much more bearable.”
A slow, sinful smile appeared on his lips as he slid an arm around her and settled his big hand at her waist, guiding her into a beautifully decorated dining room. “Let’s go and eat. I need to make sure you’re well fed and have plenty of energy for what I have in mind for you later.”
The low rumble of his voice and the insinuation in his tone, combined with the hungry look in his golden eyes, were like pure foreplay, and maybe that was his intent. To make sure all her senses were attuned to him, and they were.
“Are you always so direct and bold?” she asked, her tone playful.
“Absolutely. Life is too short not to be up-front about what you want. Are you easily shocked?” he countered, amusement now lightening his tone as he casually nodded a silent greeting to a man they passed on their way to Hunter’s designated table. “Because if you think what I just said was bold, that’s nothing compared to how wicked and downright dirty it’s going to get when I finally have you alone and all to myself.”
She laughed, feeling a little breathless as she cast a sidelong glance at his masculine profile. “Is that a warning?”
“No, just a fact.” He turned his head and his now dark gaze met hers as his voice dropped to a silky, for-her-ears-only murmur as they skirted around a few more tables, the noise and the chatter of other people in the room keeping the conversation between them private. “It’s only polite that I let you know up-front that I’m not a soft, gentle, traditional kind of lover. I like to be in control at all times, and I like to fuck hard, but the one thing I can promise you is that I will always respect what you want. The pleasure will always be mutual.”
He was being up-front about his own desires and clearly testing her boundaries to make certain she was on board, which she appreciated. But the fact that he was establishing what, exactly, would happen behind closed doors told her that he was, at the core, a man who would never take advantage of a woman or do anything she might be uncomfortable with. Considering how aroused she already was, her body was very much on board with what he was proposing.
God, when had she become so shameless, she thought, feeling a warm flush spread across her cheeks.
“Are you ready to turn around and run, Just Elle?”
The unmistakable dare in his tone had her lifting her chin in unwavering certainty. “Not at all, Mr. Wilder.”
His mouth twitched with satisfaction. “Good.”
Reaching their table, he pulled out the chair next to his that was marked as “Guest,” and she sat down, while their other tablemates did the same around them, no one paying them any attention as they settled into their own seats.
She expected Hunter to do the same but instead felt one of his hands slide along her bare back and beneath the fall of her hair, his thumb stroking the nape of her neck as he bent down so that his mouth was right next to her ear.
