“I was invited to the senior prom when I was eighteen,” she said. “I had never been asked to a dance before, so I was beyond excitement. I spent hours looking through magazines for a dress, talking to my friends about which party we’d attend. When I told my parents I was invited, they refused to let me go.” She paused, wrestling with the memories. “They informed me most teenagers lose their virginity during prom. I was better than that. I would not barter my body for a chance at a solid, successful future. So, I called my date and told him I got sick. I watched out my window as the limos pulled out of the driveways with kids dressed in gowns and tuxedos. And I hated them. I wished I could just be a normal teen-ager and kiss a boy for the first time on the night of prom. I was so tired of trying to be good, of trying to follow my parents’ rules. I actually had a rebellion that night and screamed. Told them how much I hated them and their stupid restrictions. I went to sleep that night and wished they were dead.” She took a deep breath and angled her head so he could see her face. “Years later they died. I was finally free. I turned my back on the past and vowed to never think about them again. I wanted to build a new life for myself.”
“So, you won.”
“Ask me, Phantom. Ask me if I think about them anymore.”
“Do you?”
“Every day.”
Understanding took hold and blossomed. The chill eased, and Hailey lowered her mouth and kissed him. Her tongue slipped inside to give and share and receive. He tasted of brandy and smoke and male hunger. He tasted of her essence. And she knew in that moment she loved him.
Hailey broke off the kiss as the realization shook her in a storm of fear. Their gazes locked, and then the ringing of the bell in the distance cut through the air, and the moment was gone.
Slowly, Hailey eased away from him. God, she didn’t want to leave.
Slowly, Theo eased away from her. God, he didn’t want to leave.
“Phantom?”
“Yes?”
“Besides computers, what did you really love when you were little? What made you happy?”
He studied her face. Damned if she didn’t know how to reach into a man’s chest and rip his heart out. With that simple question, instead of focusing on the rage and pain of his childhood, he remembered something he thought he’d forgotten. A smile played about his lips as the memory took hold.
“Roses.” He shook his head, almost embarrassed. “We had this neighbor who used to garden. She had fruits, vegetables, herbs. And flowers, incredible rose bushes in red and pink and yellow. She was nice to me. When my mother was entertaining her boyfriends, she would invite me to her house and fix me peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and I would stare out at the roses.”
His vision blurred as vivid colors and fragrances danced before him. When his gaze re-focused, he realized she had given him a precious gift.
His one good memory.
She smiled, then leaned over to kiss him good-bye.
“Until tomorrow,” she whispered.
She rose from the tub and shut the door behind her.
Theodore sat in the cooled water for a long time after she had gone and thought about her smile. Thought about tomorrow.
Their final night.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Theodore watched her walk up the twisting pathway. She wore a long, dark cloak with a hood that absorbed the shadows, and hid her fiery red hair as she made her way into the house. The music and laughter were deafening; the sexual orgies and encounters flooded through the rooms as they approached their final encounter.
He paced the room with long, graceful strides. His black robe flowed behind him. He still wore the mask, would wear it until the final hour of the clock, and then she would know his identity. Would she draw back with shock and disgust? Would she throw away the moments they experienced these past nights because he was flesh and blood, and not her billionaire fantasy? Did she want to continue this relationship? Did she have feelings for him – the real him - her best friend Theodore?
He cursed violently. One last night to touch and taste her sweet body. To kiss her lips and claim her for his own. One last time until the truth was revealed and she made her decision.
The door opened. Her scent beckoned him, a twist of vanilla and coconut that swirled around his senses and got him hard immediately. She stepped in and closed the door behind her.
Then loosened her cloak and let it fall to the floor in soft, velvet folds.
He sucked in his breath.
She was naked. Her glorious red hair tumbled down her back and shoulders, playing peek-a-boo with rosy pink nipples. Her breasts were full and creamy white. Her long legs framed an inviting center of curls that hid her sex. Beneath the sweet scent he caught the undertones of female arousal.
She wore no mask.
