I slide my fingers into the hair at the back of his neck.“Hayden.”
His hands settle at my hips, his intense gaze locking onto mine.“I don’t like that Gild matters this much to you.”
“No,” my brow furrows as realization hits hard enough that I feel it low in my chest.“You’re what matters.The Gild is a place to share what I want with you.”
Something shifts in his expression then.Something rough and knowing.“Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
“In controlled doses I am.”I laugh then, realizing the irony of my response.
“I only know how to do control one way when I’m there.”His voice takes on a lower, more dangerous tone; one that I know is a warning.
“And I’m asking for that.”I step further between his legs, my body now almost flush with his.
His grip tightens against my hips before he exhales once through his nose like he already knows he’s losing this argument.“What time?”
Victory.It’s dangerous and thrilling at the same time.I smile against his mouth as I press a kiss to his lips.“Seven.”
“Fine.”The word sounds reluctant.The hand sliding beneath the back of my shirt absolutely does not.And suddenly I’m very aware that my plan to go home is going to be delayed considerably.
Chapter Twenty-One
Hayden
Sexy In Black
Starletste
The second Vanessa opens her apartment door, I forget how to breathe.Not metaphorically; I literally forget how to inhale, my breath caught somewhere between my lungs and my throat as my eyes land on her.
My hand tightens around the bouquet of dark red roses I brought for her, while every coherent thought in my head simply stops.Holy shit.
Black silk clings to her like it was designed specifically to ruin men.The skirt barely brushes mid-thigh.Bare shoulders glowing warm beneath the hallway light, her breasts spilling from the top of the corset she’s fastened into, accentuating her already small waist.
Lace-topped stockings disappear beneath garters I can see every inch of, because apparently Vanessa woke up this morning and chose violence.Her heels make her legs look endless.
And her hair – fuck me.It’s pinned loosely up off her neck in soft waves that somehow makes her look even more dangerous.Then there’s the mask; black silk tied delicately over her eyes, ruby red lips glistening beneath it.
She smiles slowly when she sees my expression.And God help me, she knows exactly what she’s done to me.
“Well.”Her gaze drifts deliberately over the all-black suit I’m wearing.“That reaction seems promising.”
I can’t stop staring at her mouth.“You’re not wearing enough fabric for October.”
Her laugh is soft and wicked.“That’s your opening line?”
“It’s the only thing my brain managed to produce.”
That earns me another smile.The dangerous one.I step inside long enough to hand her the roses before closing the door behind me.
She buries her nose in the petals, inhales and then smiles up at me.“They’re beautiful.”
“Nothing compared to you.”
“Careful, compliments like that will make me fall for you all over again.”
My heartbeat sputters before kicking into over drive, a slow breath finally leaving me.My attention catches on a black silk ribbon dangling from her fingertips.
“Is that a mask?”
