He smiled. ‘Do we know each other?’
He saw her throat work as she swallowed. ‘I don’t think so.’
Then he remembered what she’d just said. ‘Were you leaving too?’
She nodded. ‘Trying to.’
So had he been and he remembered why now. He cast a glance back into the crowd and saw Cecily looking for him. ‘Shite.’
‘What’s wrong?’
He hadn’t realised he’d spoken out loud. He looked back at the stranger. The beautiful stranger. He said, ‘Tedious story. My boss’s wife has the hots for me, and she’s a little drunk and it’s becoming an issue.’
‘Has it been going on since before tonight?’
Brodie winced. ‘Since last year. A work event at their house in the Cotswolds, which inconveniently enough is happening again soon.’
The woman made a little whistling sound. ‘So you’ve been fending her off for a year. That’s a marathon.’
Brodie felt his neck prickle and looked away again – reluctantly – into the crowd, and cursed more colourfully this time. His boss’s wife had spotted him and was heading directly for them.
Knowing that he was taking full advantage of the current unexpected situation, he looked at the woman he’d just met and said, ‘This is really outrageous, but would you mind if I kissed you? She’s seen me and she’s coming over.’
Chapter 3
Jess
Iblinked. But the gorgeous stranger didn’t disappear. I said, ‘I’m sorry, but did you just ask if we could kiss?’ I couldn’t be sure that Tash wasn’t here somewhere taking the piss with a camera.
He glanced away and looked back. He nodded. ‘Please. She’s almost here.’
I looked to my side and saw a woman bearing down on us. Older and very attractive, but with a slightly maniacal gleam in the eyes I could see revealed by her elaborate mask.
Making out with a sexy stranger hadn’t been on my bingo card for this evening, but I was happy to roll with it. I’d forgotten all about doing my sneaky exit. This was a far more tantalising proposition.
I shrugged. ‘Sure.’
It was only then as he came closer that I noticed the line of raised skin – a scar? – peeping out from under the bottom of his mask. It rang a very faint bell of recognition but now his hands were on my upper arms again and he was pulling me into him, and his head was descending and I had no time to think of anything else before his mouth was on mine and everythingexploded into a fireball. I was the fireball. Burning from my mouth right down to my toes.
Before I could fully absorb the reality of what I’d agreed to, my body had already decided to take over the running of my brain and my mouth was opening up to him, allowing him access. His tongue was bold, seeking, questing, tasting, and I was not shy about meeting him halfway. I was just as hungry.
My nipples pulled into tight points against the silk of the dress, reminding me they were bare, and the feel of his rock-hard torso against mine – I was drowning in lust.
He pulled back momentarily and I cracked open my eyes. It took a second to focus and then I realised he was smiling down at me indulgently. I was totally disorientated for a second, still caught up in the moment.
And then a voice broke the bubble. ‘Who isshe?’
I turned my head and saw the woman, holding a glass of champagne, glowering at the guy. He had his arm around my waist, holding me close to him, and it appealed to me far too much. I could really get into this play-acting.
And then the next thing happened so fast that I was drenched in a spray of sparkling wine from neck to waist and gasping in shock before it had even registered. Had she thrown it? But, no, her face – what I could see of it – was as shocked as mine. ‘I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean for that to happen.’
I could see what had happened. Someone behind her had jostled her forwards and dislodged the wine from her glass. The glass that was now being plucked from her hand by the guy and put down on a table. He was saying in a taut voice, ‘I think your hushand is looking for you, Cecily.’
A waiter was rushing forward with a paper towel and the guy was taking off his jacket, saying to me, ‘Fuck, I’m so sorry about that...’
He put his jacket on my shoulders as the waiter said, ‘I can take you to a private room. My manager will come and get you whatever you need.’
‘OK, thanks.’
