Unmasked

Closer, closer. Her breath is hot on my lips. Her curves arch invitingly, and fuck, there’s no use pretending anymore. I was done for the moment I laid eyes on her outside the party; every second resisting is just a futile game.

As the distance between us closes, I can feel my sense and logic finally shatter into dust. A weight lifts from my shoulders. A freedom surging, hot in my veins.

I kiss her hard, a taste of what’s to come. Glittering heat and chaos. All the things I’ve kept at a safe distance.

Until now.

I grab her hand and take a leap into the unknown.

“Let’s get out of here.”

4.

Noelle

I hurry down the museum steps, breathless and clinging to Ash’s hand. I feel wild and rebellious, like I’m playing hooky from school for the first time.

“My parents are going to kill me,” I realize, following him away from the party. “They think Grant is the perfect match.”

“Bullshit,” Ash snorts. “Anyone who’s spent five minutes with you would know he’s all wrong. You need someone fun and exciting.”

“Like you?”

Ash glances over. A strange expression crosses his face for a moment, a brief shadow in the dark street. Then it’s gone. His lips quirk in a devastatingly sexy grin.

“For tonight, maybe.”

He leads me to the corner. “Where are we going?” I ask, even though I couldn’t care less. This is a crazy adventure, and I’m loving every minute of it.

“That’s up to you.” Ash turns and places his hands on my shoulders. His dark eyes turn mock-serious. “Tell me what you want most in the world, right now. Don’t think,” he adds, “Just say it.”

You.

I still can’t bring myself to be that honest, so I go for second-best. “A hot dog,” I answer.

He laughs. “She doesn’t pick diamonds, or a tropical vacation,” he grandstands, throwing out his arms dramatically. “No, ladies and gentlemen, what this lady needs is a dog.”

“What am I going to do with diamonds?” I giggle. “But a greasy hot dog, with relish, and onions… Yum. I came straight from the office,” I add with a sigh, “I thought there would at least be food here.”

My stomach rumbles loudly in agreement.

“Well then, your wish is my command.” Ash grins, flagging down a cab on the street. “I know just the place.”

We take a cab downtown, to a tiny dive bar almost hidden between a liquor store and an all-night launderette. The place is dark when we walk in down the stairs, and it takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light. Small tables and dark booths are crammed together under old movie posters, and the floor is sticky with peanut shells. In our party clothes, we’re the most overdressed people in the room, but nobody even turns their head as Ash leads me to a corner table, hidden in the shadows.

“I would have figured you for more a classy wine bar kind of guy,” I tease, settling into the cracked leather booth.

“I guess I’m just full of surprises tonight,” Ash winks. “Beer OK?”

“Beer would be great.”

He heads to the bar to order for us. I watch him go, admiring the way his suit hangs perfectly from his tall, muscular frame. I’m still in my cocktail dress and heels; I barely had time to stuff my mask in my purse before we raced out of there. I didn’t even tell my friend I was leaving—all that mattered was getting somewhere alone with him.

I take a breath, my adrenaline still pumping from our escape. It suddenly hits me, just how crazy this night is turning out to be. This guy doesn’t know me, and doesn’t seem to care. Neither do I. God, it feels good just to let go. All that matters is this heat between us and the lightning spark of banter and laughter, the sense of freedom that comes in a stranger’s embrace.

Ash returns with two beers and a tray of hot dogs, wrapped up in twists of greaseproof paper. “Oh my God, I love you,” I groan with pleasure, reaching for the food before he’s even sitting back down. I devour my first dog in three bites. When I surface, Ash is watching me with amusement. He’s lounging opposite me in the booth, looking immaculate in his suit and tie. He even eats neatly, demolishing his food in just a few tidy bites.

“You’ve got a little…” Ash taps his cheek.

I feel a brief rush of embarrassment, but it’s too late to care about what a mess I’m making. Tonight is about leaving all that self-consciousness behind. Besides, whoever ate a hot dog with a knife and fork?

“You mean, here?” I try to lick it off.

Ash laughs. “Not quite.”

I try again, exaggerating to make him laugh. I already love the sound of his laugh—deep and almost surprised, like he’s not used to cracking a smile.

“Still no,” Ash chuckles, “Let me help you with that.”

I’m expecting him to grab a paper napkin, but instead he slides around the booth so he’s sitting beside me. He leans in and licks my cheek in one hot swoop.

I catch a glimpse of his gaze, glittering and dark.

Wow.

Suddenly, I wonder what it would be like to feel that tongue on me… Those lips.

“Delicious.” Ash holds my gaze, like he can tell exactly what I’m thinking.

I look away, flushing hotly. Even cloistered away here in the dim bar, it seems deliciously wicked to be feeling this way in such a crowded space.

To be feeling this way at all.