Twelve
When she was preparing to come on this trip, Addi looked up “what to wear to a masquerade ball” on the internet. She’d never attended one, though she remembered Joe’s parents having one at their house about seven or eight years ago. She hadn’t been able to attend, but she’d seen photos online of Joe in his tux and mask, a pretty girl on his arm.
A costumed ball seemed so...impractical. At the time she’d been working her tail feathers off at corporate headquarters for a company that made athletic wear. Rhinestones and ball gowns weren’t exactly part of her wardrobe.
Joe either had fond memories of the party, or he wanted his parents to experience another. Or maybe, like her, he found the idea of a ball preposterous and was having a laugh over forcing his friends to attend.
She’d done research before she chose her outfit, and learned that masquerade balls were formal and classy. Loathe as she was to admit it, shopping for a ball gown was fun—and bonus, she’d found one to rent. Logical, since this occasion was quite literally a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The elegant rhinestone-studded gown was sky blue and sparkled like a sea of diamonds wherever the light hit. It was formfitting and cut into a low V at the back, which was almost chilly in the cooler air of the lobby. The mask she’d purchased online. With its matching blue and silver gemstones, she hadn’t been able to resist.
At the rental shop, she’d been floored not only by the elegance of the gown, but how she felt in it. Beautiful. Captivating. Shivers streaked down her arms as she spotted the Sunflower Room, where the event was being held. When she’d rented the dress, she had no one to captivate. Now she did.
Unfortunately, like the dress, she’d have to return Brannon after only one night. But oh, what a night it was going to be.
He insisted they find each other at the event. “A masquerade is cloaked in mystery, Ad,” he’d told her. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
The ballroom’s interior was strung with fairy lights, but otherwise filled with shadows. A band played quietly in the corner, soft jazz that added to the almost romantic, and definitely mysterious, ambiance. Many women wore dresses similar to Addi’s, but in a rainbow of colors, bedecked in rhinestones and jewels. The men were in black, most donning formal tuxedos, though she spotted a few velour jackets.
She didn’t know what Bran was wearing, so she scanned the crowd. Seeking him out in a group was nothing new—she always looked for him first—but knowing he was looking for her caused her stomach to knot.
She’d agreed to be his date for one night, and here they were, the masquerade ball a preview of what was to come. Her goal for the evening was simple, but not the least bit pure.
She wanted him.
Tonight, she was going to be adventurous when it came to Bran—it might be her only chance.
A woman in a slim black dress, her long, dark curls falling over her shoulders appeared in front of Addi.
“Choose your fate.” Deep brown eyes blinked from behind a black mask as the woman offered up a basket of gold envelopes. “One of these cards is destined for you. Which will it be?”
Addi swallowed a laugh. Fate? In this basket? She highly doubted it. She chose her own fate. But, what the hell? Once-in-a-lifetime experiences should be savored. She held her hand over the basket and closed her eyes, wiggling her fingers over the envelopes before choosing her “fate.”
“It’s a good one. I can tell,” the woman told her before leaving to offer an envelope to another guest.
Addi stepped off to the side of the room and tore open the envelope. Inside was a note in handwritten calligraphy that read:
Find someone wearing a gold mask and ask them to dance. Your future awaits.
Addi giggled as she dropped the envelope into her purse. It was like reading a fortune from one of those machines at the fair. “What is up with this, Joe?”
“You read my mind,” came a female voice from over her shoulder. Addi turned to find a red-haired woman in a stunning red dress, a red mask obscuring her face. “Rebecca. From breakfast. What a beautiful gown.”
“Right, hello. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”
“The point of this event. What did your card say?”
“To ask someone wearing a gold mask to dance. What about yours?”
“Mine says I have to buy a stranger a drink. And you’re about to let me off the hook.” Rebecca looped her arm in Addison’s and walked with her to the bar. “We barely know each other. You count.”
After they each had a glass of sparkling white wine in hand, Rebecca asked, “Did you come with Brannon?”
“I’m his date, but we decided to meet here.”
“Ohh, young love. It’s too sweet.” Rebecca flashed a bright white smile behind painted red lips. “Allen probably won’t last long. A wild night for us ends at eight thirty. Is Bran wearing a gold mask?”
“I don’t know.” Addi scanned the crowd for him again. “I haven’t spotted him yet.”
“To a night of intrigue.” Rebecca clinked their glasses and excused herself, wishing Addi luck.
There were a lot of people here, but no sign of her parents. It was unlike them to skip an event this bougie.
She sidled by couples in clusters chatting. Some of the men hadn’t bothered with masks, and she wondered if Bran had even worn one—let alone a gold one. The card commanded she ask someone to dance, and while she knew she could ignore it, she wanted to believe that fate had something special in store for her. Mystery and adventure seemed more in tune with Bran’s world than hers, but in the spirit of Joe’s final wishes, she would have faith.
Her eyes wandered over the crowd anew before she turned in the other direction and nearly plowed over a man in a black tux. Her eyes flitted from his bow tie to a face she’d seen in her dreams on multiple occasions.
Brannon Knox’s staggeringly handsome face was obscured by a mask. A black one. She drank in the sight of him, from those whiskey-brown eyes behind the mask to his foppish hairstyle to his furrowed brow.
“Excuse me,” he said, his smile measured and polite. Recognition lit his eyes a half second later. “Addison.” His smooth voice sailed along her body like a caress. “You’re—that’s a dress. Sorry, I’m completely floored by how beautiful you are.”
“A first,” she joked.
“No, not even close. But tonight will be full of firsts.”
Yes, she supposed it would. She pulled out her card and handed it to him. “You chose poorly.” She gestured to her own mask. “Gold was the winning color.”
He read the card before tearing it into pieces and tossing it over his shoulder. “Wrong again, Cinderella.” From his pocket, he pulled his own card. It read:
A lady in blue is the one for you. Enjoy your evening together.
“I don’t believe it,” she said through a laugh.
“Well, I slipped the lady in black twenty bucks.”
“No!”
He laughed, his throat bobbing above his bow tie. “I’m kidding. I drew it fair and square. Honest. Dance with me?”
“It’s tempting fate, but how can I resist?”
He took her champagne glass and set it on a nearby table. “You can’t. Which is my secret weapon.”
The wink was a little cheesy, but not on Brannon. It only made her want him more.
On the dance floor, he pulled her close, his hand brushing her bare back. “This is some dress. I look forward to seeing you wear it into the office sometime.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s a rental.”
“Bummer. You could’ve livened up the next staff meeting.” He looked down at her, sincere. “I mean it, though. You are incredibly beautiful. In that dress or out of it.”
She felt her mouth drop open.
“I didn’t mean it that way.” He hoisted an eyebrow so high it wing
ed over his mask. “Or did I?”
“With you, who knows? Where has this funny, open guy been all year?” She’d meant it as a teasing statement but his chest lifted and dropped in a heavy sigh.
“I was different when you started working at ThomKnox. More laid-back. More fun. Lighter, in general. Dad handing off CEO...” He shook his head. “I didn’t want anything I was running after at the time. Isn’t that something? I didn’t realize it until later.”
A great metaphor for tonight. He was running after Addi now, but in the future would he realize she was wrong for him? Would he look back and see how he’d behaved out of character this weekend, too? The possibility of losing her heart was a bigger risk than losing her job, and that was saying something. No matter how much fun she was having in fantasyland tonight, she had to keep her head on straight—for her heart’s sake.
They swayed to the music—a mix of jazzy undertones and pop beats that was steady and smooth—like Bran’s steps.
“You can’t sing, but you can move,” she said.
“Oh, honey, I can move.”
She squeezed his biceps. “Not what I meant.”
“And yet, our minds keep going there. Are you excited for tonight?”
“Very,” she breathed.
“Good.” He leaned close and spoke into her ear. “I have plans for you.”
“I have plans for you, too.” Emboldened by the mask, she’d said that aloud.
“Really.”
She hummed, enjoying talking about what was to come.
“Care to share?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’m more of a show than tell kind of girl.”
Where did this brazen vixen come from? She smiled, liking the power she wielded. Especially when Bran tucked her so close the hard ridge along his zipper pressed into the front of her dress.
“How much longer do we have to stay?” he growled in her ear.
“A good, long while.” She purred up at him. “I know it’ll be hard, but I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” She erased the space between their bodies and he grunted when she brushed his erection. If what she felt against her was any indication of what it’d feel like without their clothes in the way, she was in for a great time tonight.
As if it could be bad.
Good point.
“Haven’t we waited long enough?” Again, his voice was a husky growl. She’d never heard him talk like that, like he was balanced on the very edge of desire. She’d never seen—or felt—him turned on before. It was wonderful.
“I want you to want me a little longer before we go upstairs.” She wanted him to long for her, to imagine her naked, to watch her, wondering how he could survive another second without her lips on his. After all, she’d felt that way about him for over a year.
“I didn’t peg you for a masochist, Addison Abrams.” He swept her in a smooth circle and she followed his lead. “I like it.”
“Maybe, Brannon Knox,” she said, swaying with him to the music, “you should have been paying closer attention.”
Thirteen
Who is this masked woman?
Addi had danced with him for a few more songs. He liked holding her, being near her. The delicious anticipation of what would come later. Her. He’d guarantee it.
This weekend would forever be marked in her memory, and his. He was going to make it that good.
They found a seat in a dark corner. She sipped a glass of wine slowly while dropping double entendres. He flirted back, glad for the table blocking his lap—she turned him on more than anyone he could remember, and with just the hint of a smile. She was driving him crazy and he was more than ready to get the hell out of here.
By the time Rebecca and her husband, Allen, joined them at their table, Bran had been ready to howl.
If Addi wanted him to want her, goal achieved.
When she and Bran finally left the party, it had taken every ounce of restraint he possessed not to press her against the elevator wall and kiss her until they were both out of their minds.
He waved the keycard over the sensor on his door, looking forward to the feel of her hands on his body beneath this tux. To discovering what she was hiding beneath her dress. He wanted those full breasts in his face, in his mouth. He wanted to grip her ass and graze her neck with the edge of his teeth.
He wanted her with an animal need that was unfamiliar to him—had he ever wanted a woman this badly?
To keep from busting out of his tux like the Hulk, he reined in his libido as he popped open the door. She’d probably want a drink or conversation first. He wasn’t going to maul her the second they stepped over the threshold. He was more man than beast...at least he thought so.
“After you.”
She stepped in ahead of him. The room had been cleaned, the bed neatly made. He’d put his clothes away and tucked his suitcase aside earlier. Mentally, he mapped a path to where he stashed the condoms he’d picked up in town that first day. Wishful thinking at the time.
She set her purse on the entertainment stand and turned to him. The mask still covered her face, her bright blue eyes even brighter behind it. He’d taken his off at the table while they were still at the party and hadn’t bothered finding it again when she suggested they leave.
He liked that she’d left hers on, liked the mystery of her, the idea of unwrapping her—every part of her.
Now he reached for the ribbon tied at the back of her head. “May I?”
“You may.” Those pink lips. He hadn’t had a taste of her tonight and was looking forward to a kiss more than anything. Their first kiss had been in public. Neither of them had reacted the way they wanted at the time, but now they were alone. She could go wild if the spirit moved her.
He kept his eyes on hers as he slowly untied the satin and lifted the mask from her face. Revealing her rosy cheeks made him look forward to revealing other parts of her. He kissed the apples of each of those cheeks and murmured into her ear, “I’m kissing every pink part of you tonight, Addison.”
She didn’t laugh. She didn’t speak. But she did touch him. Her hands on his chest, she slid her palms north and tugged his bow tie free. Behind his crisp shirt and jacket, his heart thundered. The anticipation of wanting her had been sheer torture.
She unbuttoned his shirt, her hands shaking over the first three buttons.
He palmed her cheek and thumbed her bottom lip. “Nervous?”
“Excited,” she admitted with a grin.
“You can’t do anything I won’t like. I promise.” He wanted her to enjoy herself. Hell, he wanted her to have the time of her fucking life tonight. No pun intended.
“I, um... I don’t know where to start. It’s like seeing everything I’ve ever liked all in one place.”
Damn. That was flattering. He watched her, wondering how he’d overlooked her for so long. How had he seen her day in and day out and not acted on the attraction so obviously vibrating between them?
“Start where you left off,” he told her, placing her hands on his buttons. Seemingly over her case of nerves, she made swift work opening the rest of his shirt and stripping it from his shoulders. Leaving his arms trapped in the sleeves, she smoothed her hands over his bare chest.
“Mmm. That’s better.” She leaned forward and closed her mouth over his pectoral before dragging her tongue to the other and giving his nipple a light bite.
He sucked air through his teeth but she only smiled up at him. God, what did she have planned for him? Half of him wanted it right now and the other half of him wanted her to take her time and torture him some more.
Greedily, she explored his chest with her mouth and hands and he lost himself in the sensation of being wanted. He was used to doing the pursuing. He normally initiated the touching, the kissing.
He liked this dynamic.
She yanked hi
s shirt from his arms and pushed him toward the bed. He sat, watching as she tugged her skirt up to her thighs and pressed one knee into the bed, the other straddling him. Once she was astride him, he had no option but to look up. To her fancy updo, a few locks of hair that’d come undone curling around her face, to her blue eyes, bright and seeking. Her mouth was a bow, her tongue the arrow as it darted out to wet her lips.
“How are you doing down there?” she asked.
He was as hard as rebar and just as unyielding.
“Keep doing what you’re doing.” He tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I’m here for it.”
He was entranced. Completely under her power. And he didn’t mind one damn bit.
Fingers on his belt, she slowly undid the leather, feeding it through his belt loops and throwing it on the floor. She stroked his erection over his zipper and unbelievably, he grew harder.
When she unzipped his pants, she gasped. If she’d wondered whether he was a boxers or briefs guy, that conundrum had been definitively answered.
“You don’t...wear anything under your pants?”
“Not a thing.” He grinned, loving the hunger in her eyes.
“Ever?”
“Never.”
“Wow. The office will never be the same.” When her smile hitched, it snagged him in the gut, pulling him forward like a fish on a line.
“Kiss me.” If he didn’t taste her soon, who knew what would happen.
She tenderly laid her lips on his, stroking into his mouth with her tongue. He closed his eyes and drank her in, lying back and pulling her with him. His hands found her bare back, where her dress dove into a deep V, and he caressed her agonizingly soft skin. Slowly, ever so slowly, he dragged the zipper down over her backside, pulling away from her mouth to say, “I’ve been waiting for this moment all night.”
She sat up, a feisty twinkle in her eye when she said, “I’ve been waiting longer.”
He sat up with her as she shrugged out of the dress. Beneath, she was naked, her breasts pert. Beautiful, with pale peach-colored nipples and tan lines that made his mouth water. He reached up and cradled those breasts, pleased when they barely filled his large hands. They were so delicate. So Addi. He swept his thumbs over her nipples. His eyes fastened to them as they pebbled in the cooler air of the room.
One Wild Kiss Page 8
