She stared at me, tears still streaking her face, nodding her head.
“ If you saw me, if I took this mask off, would that change anything between us?”
I watched as she pondered my question, and a brink of realization passed through her eyes.
“No, It wouldn’t because I … I already…” she stopped herself, swatting now at her tears again. “Never mind, none of this matters anymore. You are in love, and I’m just a contractual agreement meant to end.”
My hand raised, wrapping around her throat quicker than I could even have any thought to stop it. My fingers flexed just enough to get her attention. Her hand quickly wrapped around my wrist. I waited for her silent permission to keep going. When a small moan escaped her lips and her eyes closed, that was all the permission I needed.
“Delaney, finish that thought…out loud,” I growled. Guiding her toward the bed that was only a few feet behind her.
When the back of her knees hit the fabric of the duvet, she gasped in surprise, and her eyes widened with anticipation.
“Do it, now.”
She shook her head and stared at me through glossy eyes, still damp from a few moments ago.
With my hand still holding her neck, I used one finger to separate the lapels of the robe that wrapped her gorgeous body—opening it wide to expose her naked porcelain skin.
My breath hitched at the beauty of the red shade that crept over her as she watched me shamefully search her body.
I leaned in, bringing my face level with her ear, and whispered,
“What do you want, Delaney?” I felt my restraint slipping through my fingers.
She leaned into me and softly answered in barely a whisper. “I want you.”
“Lay down, Delaney,” I commanded, but she didn’t move.
“No, I want all of you. Just once. I want the real you. No mask, no hiding. The real, raw, unaltered you.” Her voice cracked at the end, and I could feel the emotion radiating from her.
I stepped even closer, her pulse throbbing beneath my hold
“You don’t know what you’re asking, Sweetheart.” I took a deep breath.
“If I do this, ifwedo this, you aremine. I will make you mine in every way a man can claim a woman.” Her breath hitched, and she swallowed loudly.
“Your mind, every thought, every insecurity will belong to me. And I will use them to show you how fucking perfect you are every day. This body,” I ran my fingers down her arm, feeling the goosebumps as they chased my touch, “I will use this body any way I want to. I will do indescribable things to you, pleasure you in ways that will leave you forgetting your own name, leaving only mine on your tongue. I will use your body whenever and wherever I see fit, leaving you breathless and eager for more.” Her breaths came in pants.
I let out a smoldering chuckle.
“Is that what you want?”
This is all for pleasure…
Delaney
Dallas’s fingers gripped my throat, and it was all I could do to keep from buckling at my knees and giving in to whatever thisAdoniswanted. I was angry and confused and completely lost, but one touch from this man, and I was ready to forget it all just to have him inside of me one last time.
What the hell is wrong with me?
My breath hitched at his words.
I watched closely with anticipation for something I felt I had been waiting for a lifetime when, in reality, it had only been a couple of weeks. I conjured up ideas of what this moment would feel like, what I would find under that mask, and what I would say to him. I slightly feared that seeing him so vulnerable might change something between us, but either way, I was ready.
His hand trembled as he reached for the fabric that hung free from the mask—the last piece of a barrier that kept me from fully having him, the final piece of the mystery—who is Dallas Kingston? As he raised the mask, exposing his chiseled jawline covered in neatly trimmed facial hair, I suddenly forgot how to breathe as more of his face became uncovered and exposed. Just as the last piece swiped acrosshis eyebrows, I was frozen in time.
I stood staring in the eyes of a familiar face. I was suddenly taken back months ago when I first made it to California. Lacy had just nearly tackled me to the ground, knocking my purse from my hands. A man with the most beautiful eyes captivated me with just his gaze. Putting it all together, I remembered having lunch with this man after finding my tire flat in the car park outside of my job weeks ago. I’d known who he was all along.
