There would no sleep tonight.
Only anticipation for tomorrow.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Good evening.”
Hailey stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. Her palms dampened with nervous perspiration. Her stomach slid and rolled like she was on a roller-coaster. The worst part was knowing the sensations were caused by excitement—not fear. She forced herself to return his greeting. “Good evening, Phantom.”
He wore the black cloak. His mask tonight was smaller, still blinding white, but of a smoother material that fit snugly over his eyes and nose, but left more of his mouth free. His lips were full and perfectly sculpted, with a savage curl to the lower one that told her he could be cruel when he chose. The diamond in his left ear flashed as he turned his head. “Did you dream about me, Hailey?”
“Yes.”
He walked towards her then, with a slow, masculine grace. Dark blue eyes gleamed with sexual appreciation as he took in her figure. The long tight sheath shimmered with gold sparkles, emphasizing the curve of her hips and the thrust of her breasts. “I’m glad,” he said softly. “Will you walk with me?”
She drew back in surprise, then nodded. “Of course.”
He led her through the party and out to the garden. The sweet scents of citrus and wild flowers saturated the air with a potency that made her feel slightly drunk. Hailey maneuvered her way over the cobblestones and when she stumbled, he reached for her hand. All five fingers interlaced with hers in a union that staked his claim. She expected a rush of intimidation. Instead, she experienced excitement.
He allowed the silence of the night to soothe and relax her. The faint sounds of Frank Sinatra’s Summer Wind stroked her ears as he stopped at a stone bench hidden within the lush tangle of trees and flowers. She sat beside him. He turned her hand over and his thumb began to press and massage the sensitive skin of her palm. An involuntary sigh whispered from her lips.
He smiled. “Where do you live?”
“New York, born and bred.”
“And what do you love about New York?”
She gave a chuckle. “Never ask that to a native. We love a good bagel, good baseball, and a good argument.”
“So, you never wanted to leave?”
The memory teased the fringes of her mind and brought a touch of sadness. Almost as if he felt the change in her, his touch moved to each of her fingers, rubbing, pressing, soothing from the base to the fingertip. She opened her mouth to make a lighthearted remark and move on, but then she remembered her promise. Hailey took a deep breath and started talking.
“I almost left once. After my parents died, I found myself wanting to experience a different life. One of my own making. I had no other relatives so I was alone. The crowds I was so accustomed to made me even more lonely. I almost packed everything up and moved down South, but then I remembered an old friend of my father who worked in Manhattan. I decided to look him up.”
“You didn’t want to run away. You were strong enough to try and find who you are in the same place where you lost yourself.”
His statement made her head swing around to face him. The words touched something deep within her. “Yes. That’s exactly what I wanted.”
“Did you father’s friend help you?”
She nodded. “He was kind. He worked for a small computer firm and got me a job. I took the opportunity to learn everything about the business and made my way to manager. Now I have security. Money. Safety.”
“Do you have everything you were looking for?”
Hailey thought of the long nights alone, staring out at the city chaos and longing to be one of them. She thought of Theodore, her best friend, who she used to protect herself from the unknown. “No,” she said softly. “But I’m still trying.”
His thumb pressed into the pulse at her wrist and felt the slow steady beat of her heart. Then he trailed his fingers up and down her arm, brushing the sensitive area behind her elbow. Comfort blended with sensuality and caused an inner battle within. His voice spun an intimacy of longtime friends. His touch spun a web of raw edged desire and hunger.
“Sometimes it’s easier to blame your past. Parents seem to have this control over children. And when they’re gone, we realize there are no more obstacles to stop us from what we really want.” He paused. “What did your parents keep you from?”
She sighed into the night and let the words spill from her lips. “Everything. Life. My mother got pregnant young and my father was forced to marry her. They never let me forget I was a mistake so I was raised that sex was wrong. Especially after they found religion.” She shook her head at the memories. “My weekends were spent in church and confession. I was never able to date, or go to parties, or be a normal kid. I always dreamed of making my own choices. I wanted freedom so desperately, but when I didn’t have my parents anymore, nothing made sense.”
“You have to find your own sense.”
Something changed in the air. She sucked in her breath as they both felt the comfort twist to desire, and his fingers tightened around her arm. Their brief talk had smashed all the barriers she erected last night, and the trembling began deep in the pit of her belly as she realized tonight her Phantom would stake his claim.
“I want to ask you a question,” he said softly. “Were you excited when you thought of what we had done in that room?” He accepted her nod as an answer. “And did you pleasure yourself in your bed last night?”
