Her voice came out in a whisper. “No.”
His fingers reached out to touch her face. Slowly traced around the gold mask she wore. His thumb roughly pressed over her mouth, parted her lips, and dragged his flesh across her lower teeth. She tasted his skin and wanted more. He lowered his head. His warm breath caressed her as he continued speaking. “Before I take you back upstairs, I want truth. What stops you from taking your own pleasure? I can’t believe you’d turn away from your own sexuality for all these years. Your parents are gone, Hailey. What else are you afraid of?”
She didn’t want to answer, but his fingers gently stroked her cheek, her hair, her jawline. She was vulnerable to him when he was kind, and the knowledge gleamed in his eyes, reminding her at the end of the masquerade he would have more of her than any other man.
She had never spoken of that night to anyone. But now, with her face safely hidden, she decided to tell the truth. “My parents didn’t allow me to go away to school, so I went to the local community college and lived at home. I was nineteen when I met him. He was in my Biology class. I thought he was beautiful. Blonde hair, green eyes, and a smile that made me melt. I’d never strayed from my parent’s rules, but that weekend when he asked me out, I couldn’t say no.”
She took a deep breath and continued. “I lied to my mother and snuck out to meet him. We went to one of those college parties I heard so much about. I remember the drinking, and the drugs, and the wild sex going on in the rooms. I was overwhelmed but excited. I felt ready to take a chance and finally be a normal teenager.”
He remained silent, his touch on her cheek supportive.
“After a few drinks, he took me into one of the rooms. We just talked at first, then started kissing. I never felt like that before. All geared up and wanting something I was so afraid of. But then he started moving faster, and too soon his clothes were off, and I was confused. I just wanted to kiss, but he kept going and…”
Hailey trailed off. Raised her chin. Then forced the words out. “We had sex. I didn’t want to, but didn’t really remember fighting him. Things happened so fast and it was over and I felt…. used. He put on his pants and thanked me for the good time. Then left the room.
“I heard laughter from outside and knew he was telling his friends how he got laid. I ran all the way home and never saw him again.”
Ciro’s hand was gentle as he stroked her hair. There was a protective gleam in his eyes she found comforting. “So, your first experience confirmed what your parents had been telling you all along.”
She gave a bitter laugh. “Yes. I was afraid to go back and run into him. I was afraid I would be pregnant and end up exactly like my mother. That’s when I decided they were right. Sex took away control, and I promised myself I would never feel like that again.”
The emotions warred inside of her, until every secret fear she battled spilled helplessly from her lips. “Don’t you see?” she whispered. “I don’t want any man to have that power over me. At least I’ll be safe.”
“You’ll be alone.”
“But safe,” she repeated fiercely.
Warm hands cupped her cheeks. His lips stopped inches from hers. “Turning away from your womanhood is giving you a false sense of control. You let that asshole rapist win. You’ve let your parents win. Use me and fight back, Hailey.” His words dripped over her like hot caramel. His eyes dared her to meet his lips halfway. “You’re a beautiful, sexual woman who had a horrible experience. I can show you how to take your pleasure from a man without feeling shame. When I’m done with you, you’ll beg for more. And you’ll feel empowered—not degraded. Do you want me?”
Her voice broke. “Yes.”
“Come with me.”
He led her back through the garden, up the stairs, into the room they shared the night
before. Shut the door. Then faced her. “Do you want me?” he asked again.
The dam broke open. Hailey stumbled two steps and reached for him, standing on tiptoes to meet his lips. She repeated her answer with a deep sense of hunger, her rush of breath mingling with his. “Yes.”
“Kiss me.”
His lips took hers, his tongue sliding with slow, deep strokes to engage in a sensual game of plunge and retreat. He tasted of smoke and fine brandy and hot male wanting. His tongue tangled around hers, his lips closing in a gentle suction as he took her fully into his mouth. They drank of each other with greed. His teeth sank into the plump lower lip and bit down carefully. The hot wave of sensation seized her between her legs. A sob caught in her throat. She wanted him to take her like an animal, wanted to open herself up to every fantasy he ever had, and as if he knew what she was thinking, he drew back slightly and lowered the zipper of the gold sheath.
The fabric pooled around her feet. She wore nothing underneath.
Theo stared at her, hot eyes devouring every inch of her skin. Plump white breasts were swollen, tipped by tight pink nipples. The smooth skin of her belly trembled slightly, sloping into a mass of fiery red curls that hid her lips from him. Cherry red toenails curled into the burgundy carpeting in anticipation of what was to come.
Theodore swore softly under his breath. All the questions had been suddenly answered. He fought the need to rip off his mask and take her in his arms for comfort. He fought the rage that urged him to find the man who had hurt her and make him pay. But he did none of that. He knew this was a chance to give her something back – something that had been taken from her too
young. And he knew in that moment he had never loved anyone as much as he loved Hailey Ashton.
He wanted to give her an ecstasy she had never experienced before. He wanted to free her of demons and watch her smile. He wanted to possess every part of her body and soul – even if she met his unmasked face at the end and turned away. This woman shared deep truths about herself. He respected her strength, and her honesty, and swore by the time she walked away, she would never deny her sexuality again.
Tonight, he would claim her like no other man had before.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ciro led her over to the window and positioned her in front of him. The sleek folds of his cloak caressed her naked buttocks and thighs. She felt his hard cock press against her, and she gripped the edge of the windowsill as the waves of heat sliced through her body. Her gaze blindly sought out the lights in the distance. The balmy night air washed over her skin, and the sounds of the party rose upward in waves of music and laughter and moans of satisfaction. In every room tonight, another sexual game was being played out, and Hailey felt the sheer excitement of being one of them, reveling in her nakedness and in the man who was about to take her.
