Page 31

He was staying at the Lowell Hotel. It was one of my favorites in the city. The plush carpets and the soft beds felt like home. And the view overlooking Central Park? Most people wanted tosee the skyline; I preferred the park. It was the only real nature we had in the city.

When we entered the suite, Duncan took my coat, hanging it up on the coatrack in the corner. The room was warm and dimly lit. As I moved closer to the windows, I ran my hand along the backside of the sofa. The cashmere blanket felt luxurious against my fingertips.

I may have been raised by hippies, but I appreciated quality in everything, whether it was a cashmere blanket on a cold night, or a lover who kept me warm.

I made it to the windows and opened the curtains. New York was called the city that never slept for a reason. Looking out, there was enough light to see the few brave souls who chose to walk through the park at night.

I wondered what it must feel like to be that brave. Or that foolish.

Duncan’s hand wrapped around my waist, and a small gasp escaped from my lips. I covered his hand with mine, and leaned back against his chest. His lips found my bare shoulder and his grumbled words penetrated any doubts I had about being here.

“I’ve been waiting all night to kiss you here.”

My eyes closed as he moved up to my neck. Never had I felt anything like this. My skin prickled with anticipation. Without a word, he untied the straps to my dress, letting it fall forward, revealing my bare breasts to the world outside.

His hands covered my breasts, his thumbs rubbing against my nipples that made themselves available to him instantly. He tightened his hold, pressing his erection against my backside. His mouth on my collarbone sucked tightly, and I wondered if it would leave a mark.

Did he want to mark me as his?

Did I want him to mark me as his?

My body said yes, while my mind was trying to convince me not to get attached. He wasn’t mine. I wasn’t his. I belonged to someone else; I just hadn’t met them yet. Maybe I never would.

If I never went to Mardi Gras, I would never meet the man Lucille told me about. I could stay here with Duncan. Stay in this hotel and hide away from the outside world.

Duncan swung me around. “Hey, where did you go?”

“I’m sorry. The world outside is trying to invade. I’m doing my best to ignore it.”

“Let me help with that.”

His lips crashed onto mine and broke through every thought, every doubt, every idea that anything mattered beyond this man, in this hotel room, right now.

He backed me up to the window, and his hands went to my waist before sliding around to grab my ass, pulling me closer to him but also pushing me harder against the window. The cool glass against my skin did little to tamp down the rising temperature in my body.

My hands pushed his jacket off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. The buttons of his shirt were next. My hands were frantic as they tried to push the tiny buttons through the even tinier holes. I wanted his shirt off. I wanted to explore his chest as he had explored mine. With the top two buttons released, I changed tactics, going to his waistband and yanking the shirt from its confines.

He pulled back long enough to wrench it over his head. Then returned his lips to mine in a brutal kiss that seared my body from my head to my toes.

Duncan lifted me in his arms, my legs wrapping around his waist, and once again I found myself against the cold window. His mouth latched on to my breast, causing me to cry out.

“That’s it,mo bandia. Let me hear your pleasure.”

I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging with each bite of my nipple. The pain was short and intense, but the soothing lick of his tongue had me begging him to do it again.

I could feel his hard length pressing into me where he had me nestled against him. My legs tightened, pulling him closer, only to hear him groan and pull back, setting me on the floor.

“If you don’t want that dress ruined, take it off now,” he growled.

His words crashed through my defenses, and my fingers quickly reached for the zipper at my back. Once it released, the dress fell to the floor, pooling at my feet.

Standing before him in nothing but a pair of lavender lace panties and purple heels, I licked my lips as his eyes roamed over my body.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful.”

He left me standing in front of him while he unbuckled his belt. The swooshing sound of leather being ripped from the loops cut through the silence in the room, causing me to shiver.

His eyes stayed locked on mine as he unbuttoned his pants, letting them fall to the floor with the rest of our clothes. Next to go were the boxers that barely contained him.