Lovers Unmasked

by Katee Robert

  “Enjoying yourself?”

  Danielle spun around and nearly choked. Grayson. He stood so close, her dad would have whooped her ass for not noticing him approach. Taller than her by a good six inches, even in her heels, he looked all sorts of menacing with his close-cropped hair and a black cloak making his broad shoulders appear even larger than they actually were. His brown eyes danced behind the white half mask, lips drawn up in a small smile.

  The man made a damn good Phantom.

  She swallowed hard, reminding herself of why she was here. Yes, he was sexy as all get-out, and yes, she’d started to look forward to their coffee dates more than anything else about her week, but he was still just the mail guy. This was nothing she couldn’t handle. “Hey there.”

  “Hey there, yourself.” With him standing so close, looking even better than the dessert table behind her, she was having a hard time focusing. Small talk. Small talk was safe. Once she had a few rum and Cokes under her belt she’d circle around to the real reason she was here. Danielle gave him her best wicked grin. “What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this?”

  His gaze raked over her, making her glad her catsuit hid the fact that her nipples were perking right up. “I heard a certain thief was going to make an appearance. How could I pass up an opportunity to sweep her off her feet?”

  Oh, he was good. She’d give him that. It was part of the reason she kept coming around for their little coffee dates. Grayson had a way of keeping her on her toes while instantly putting her at ease. How he managed to do that was a mystery, but she wasn’t in the mood to question it. Danielle laughed and poked his shoulder—his seriously well-muscled shoulder. “With lines like that, it’s no wonder you have to slum it around the office.”

  “Danielle, you are anything but slumming it.” He moved closer and ran a finger down her arm. “I think I like you in leather.”

  She tried to cover up her shiver and went for bold. “Look at me. How could you not like me in leather?” She’d busted ass in aerobics class four times a week for the last few weeks to make sure she fit into this damn suit, so his blatant appreciation felt like a payoff.

  “I’d like you much better out of it.”

  Heat flashed through her, centering on a few key areas. Holy shit, he’d just thrown it all out there. She had every intention of seducing Grayson—and, after their last talk, she’d figured he was on the same page—so this shouldn’t be a surprise. Not when she already knew he had a refreshing way of cutting to the chase in any conversation. That said, even if she’d hoped the night would end with her legs behind her ears and screaming his name, she wasn’t going to simply fold at his first pass.

  “Hope springs eternal.” She gave him a flirty smile and turned back to the dessert table. There was nothing on it that interested her as much as the man behind her, but she pretended to inspect the different kinds of cake.

  Gray reached around her to grab a strawberry, the move bringing his chest flush against her back. His breath ghosted over her ear. “You and I both know hope has nothing to do with it.”

  That was the damn truth. “Maybe. Maybe not.” But she wasn’t going to give this to him that easily. Even if they never talked again after tonight, Grayson wouldn’t appreciate his time with her if she didn’t make him work for it. Danielle tried not to think too hard on the ping in her chest at the thought of never talking to him again. “So, what’s a girl got to do to get a drink around here?”

  “I know people who know people.” He offered his elbow, as regal as any bigwig. “I think I can meet that demand.”

  “You know people who know people?” She laughed as she slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and let him lead her through the groups gathered here and there. “Some mail guy you’d be if you didn’t have all the connections.”

  His mouth tightened, making her wonder if she’d made a mistake. But then Grayson turned those blazing eyes on her and she forgot her worry. “I have more connections than you could dream of.”

  Danielle laughed. “Honey, I could say the same thing.”

  “I’ll just bet.” He motioned at the table in front of him. “As the lady commanded—the bar.”

  They’d set up an actual bar with a full rack of alcohol behind it. Things were definitely going to get interesting later on if even half the supply was consumed. She couldn’t wait. There was nothing better than seeing people drop their professional masks and do things they wouldn’t normally. If she didn’t have her own plans for the night, she’d probably grab a bottle and post up in a corner to watch it all go down.

  Danielle leaned against the bar and winked at the bartender. He was way too skinny for her tastes, but she appreciated the balls he had to wear a Green Man suit. Spandex was not everyone’s friend and he pulled it off like a champ. “Hey there, handsome. How about a rum and Coke?”

  “Sure thing, beautiful.”

  Grayson took up a spot next to her, his presence making him feel a whole lot closer than he actually was. It was a neat trick he’d pulled before and it never failed to make her shift closer to him. She’d spent considerable time wondering what it’d be like to have all that focus centered on her in the bedroom, away from the prying eyes of the public. She didn’t peg him for a selfish lover—not when he always held her chair for her, paid the bill despite her protests, and actually listened when she talked—but she didn’t think he’d be a pushover, either. No, everything about Grayson screamed of a man with airtight control. What would it be like when he finally let that control slip its leash?

  The thought was both unnerving and thrilling.

  Generally Danielle was the pursuer. She saw what she wanted, and she took it. If she got to thumb her nose at her father while doing it, so much the better. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d let a man get the better of her. Hell, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d wanted one to.

  With Grayson sitting beside her practically oozing dominance, she definitely wanted.

  Knowing that should send her running in the opposite direction. Hell, it should have made her back off months ago when she first realized that there was nothing safe about him—which was one of the reasons she’d turned down his attempts to get her on an actual date before now. She’d foolishly thought that planning on seducing him at the Halloween party would put the ball firmly in her court. If she was in control, she was less likely to be hurt.

  Obviously it wasn’t going to go down like that. Not when one look from him had her in danger of dropping her panties right there in the middle of the conference room.

  “What are you thinking?”

  If any other guy had asked her that, it would reek of insecurity. She would have laughed and patted his head and strutted off to find someone more entertaining.

  Gray asked the question like he already knew the answer. The sheer magnetism of his confidence drew her like a goddamn lodestone, just like it had from day one. It was everything she could do not to reach out and touch him. She clasped her hands around the glass. “If you have to ask, you’re not ready to know.”

  “Fair enough.” He laughed, the sound rolling through her until it was everything she could do not to shiver. “How was your day?”

  At his question she flashed back to the disappointed look on her father’s face when they’d met for lunch, the memory threatening to pull her into a funk. But Grayson was waiting for her response, and there wasn’t any point in dragging out her emotional bullshit right now. It ran the risk of ruining the mood of the entire night. “Fine.”

  “You know, usually when a woman says that particular word in that particular tone of voice, it means the exact opposite.” He shifted, his shoulder brushing hers. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but if you do…?”

  The man was too smart for his own good. Or hers. She took a healthy swig of her drink. “I had a fight with my dad. Again. He was in town for a day before he hopped off to Japan or something—just long enough to express his disappoin
tment over everything that is me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Why?” She shrugged, wishing she could do something about the tension riding through her shoulders. “It’s not like you’re responsible for him screwing up my good mood this afternoon.”

  “Maybe not, but I still don’t like seeing you unhappy. And I know dealing with him upsets you.”

  That was Grayson, the guy who cared about what she thought or if she was having a good day—and who set her blood on fire and made her body ache. Her smile was a bit wider this time. “You’re in luck then, because I’m pretty damn happy right now.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yep. I have a drink in my hand, a smoking-hot guy sitting next to me, and the night is full of possibilities.” Before he could say something or dig deeper, she changed the subject. “What about you? How was your day?”

  “Tedious.” He turned around in his chair to face the rest of the room. “Honestly, the only thing that got me through today without losing my mind was knowing I’d see you at the end of it.”

  Even though she told herself not to blush, Danielle felt warmth climbing her neck. Enough of this borderline deep talk. They’d done that so often, she felt like she knew Grayson nearly as well as she knew herself. Talking was not tonight’s goal. Her savior came in the unexpected form of a middle-aged woman walking by. “Are those feathers?”

  For a second she didn’t think Grayson would let her change the subject, but then he shifted just enough to follow her gaze. “I do believe she’s an angel.”

  “Are you sure?” She looked as if she’d taken a sheet and torn up a pillow to create the tiny wings that were currently leaving a trail behind her. As Danielle watched, another handful detached itself and drifted to the ground. The urge to sneeze was nearly overwhelming, even though she was pretty sure it was strictly mental. “I thought maybe she was a Serta mattress.”

  With a laugh, he slid closer and lowered his voice. “That one has nothing on Bob from Accounting.”

  Her gaze landed on the shirtless man. He might not have the best body she’d ever seen but he was hardly… Then he turned around and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Oh dear God.” What his guitar had hidden from view was the fact that he was wearing only a pair of tighty-whities that had stopped being white a long time again. Danielle turned back to the bar and tried to control her laughter. “We’re going to hell.”

  “Maybe.”

  Every time his shoulder brushed hers, it felt as if her entire body were contracting. Knowing what they were working toward, how the night would end, made her responses off the charts. It’d been hard to keep from inviting him home for a little afternoon delight before, but now she didn’t think she’d be able to make it as far as her apartment. She wanted him so desperately she could barely think straight. Stifling a shiver, she took a drink. “Seriously, though. We’re being mean.”

  “Are we? Personally, I think Bob pulls off Naked Cowboy rather well.”

  “Yeah, his pot belly really glows when it catches the light.”

  “Now who’s being mean? And, look, Dolores agrees with me.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and shook her head. The angel had taken up a spot next to him and seemed to be hanging on his every word. Danielle was slightly impressed that Grayson seemed to know the names of people she’d never even seen, let alone met. Then again, as mail guy, he’d have to, wouldn’t he? “Can you name every person in this room?”

  Grayson shrugged. “Most of them.”

  Damn. She barely remembered the names of everyone on her floor, let alone her entire company. “That’s impressive.”

  “It’s part of the job.”

  He could have used a list or something to deliver the mail. Knowing everyone’s name from memory really went above and beyond the call of duty. She could appreciate that kind of dedication and attention to detail. “Still impressive.”

  “Stop it. You’re going to make me blush.”

  She leaned in until her breasts pressed against his arm. “Promise?”

  “Nope.” He grinned, a flash of white teeth against his darker skin.

  “You’re impossible.”

  “You like it.”

  She’d like it a whole lot better if he were being impossible while getting naked, but she wasn’t sure if now was the best time to broach the subject. It would be just her luck that he’d flirt with her for weeks on end, dress up like temptation personified for this party, and mean nothing by it. Then she’d be the asshole who had to put it all out there and have him nicely—because Grayson would do it nicely—tell her that he never had any intention of getting her out of this catsuit.

  Under normal circumstances, she’d say to hell with it and go for it. The worst he could do was say no. If this were any other guy, she’d laugh it off and keep drinking and talking and go home alone. But this wasn’t any other guy—this was Grayson. If she came on to him with serious intent and he turned her down it might damage their friendship. She hadn’t realized how much she counted on those coffee dates until she was suddenly facing the possibility of them going away.

  And if his turning her down would change everything, how much more so would his saying yes do it?

  “Why are you frowning?” He reached over and ran his thumb between her eyebrows, the innocent touch sending zings into parts of her body where they had no business being.

  Relax. No need to rush this. Danielle almost laughed out loud. Yeah, right. She was in over her head and sinking fast. “Just overthinking things a little bit.”

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  Kiss her until she couldn’t remember her name?

  Yank her against him until every one of her fears disappeared against the feel of his body pressing to hers?

  Rip this catsuit off her and bend her over the bar, right here in front of everyone?

  God, what was she thinking? She should just get out of there before she embarrassed herself more than she already had. Because right now she was pretty damn sure this was going to blow up in her face whichever way it played out. She downed the rest of her drink and set the glass on the bar. “I think I left the stove on. So I’m going to go make sure my apartment doesn’t burn down.”

  She actually made it three steps before his voice stopped her. “Danielle.”

  Don’t turn around. Just walk away. You can’t regret something you never actually did. Except she was turning around even as she told herself not to. Looking at him, the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome, she knew she was lost. How was she supposed to keep her head on straight when all of her self-control was going into not crossing the distance between them and climbing him like a tree?

  And then he held out his hand. “Why don’t we find somewhere less crowded where we can talk?”

  There was no mistaking his meaning. Not when he motioned her closer in a way that couldn’t be defined as anything other than a command. It made her want to bristle, but that was a conditioned response. A by-product of her upbringing. He wasn’t asking her to do anything she didn’t want to do. Because, no matter how much the possible negative outcomes scared her, she wanted this. She wanted him. “I think I’ve heard this line before.”

  “I promise, I have only the best of intentions.”

  “Said the spider to the fly.” Why the hell was she fighting this? Maybe she should get out of her own way and jump in headfirst. Because nothing could go wrong with that plan.

  Gray’s hand never wavered, but his eyes darkened. “I won’t do anything to you that you don’t beg me for first.”

  Danielle’s breath whooshed out. Holy shit.

  What could she possibly say to that? Please, please, yes please. She managed a shaky smile. “You know, if I’d known you were going to pull out the big guns, I might have reconsidered coming tonight.”

  “No, you wouldn’t. Because you like knowing exactly how much I want you.” He motioned her forward with his fingers. “Don’t leave me hanging here.” />
  For a long moment she couldn’t find her voice. Because he was right. Knowing he’d talk to her like this only would have made her more eager for tonight. And she did like the verbal confirmation that he was nearly as far-gone as she was. They both wanted the same thing for tonight—to end up naked and sweaty and swinging from the chandelier. Danielle swallowed past her dry throat. There was nothing to be afraid of. She wanted Grayson in bed, making her scream his name. Hell, she could barely breathe past the desire just being close to him made her feel.

  She’d deal with the consequences when they showed up.

  She slipped her hand into his, the contact soothing her worries in a way she might actually be concerned about, if not for the man looking down at her with a small smile curving his lips. This was Grayson. As long as she remembered that, she’d remember there was no reason to worry. No reason at all.

  She let him lead her through the crowd to the edge of the room. They passed people drinking and laughing and dancing, and it felt strangely like she and Grayson were in their own little world that no one could touch. No one tried to talk to them, or even looked at them sideways as they reached the doorway and slipped out. He pulled her into a little alcove tucked off a nearby hall.

  Danielle wasn’t familiar with this part of the building—she kept to her floor, a small little law firm owned by the Mulligans. This was a huge conference room utilized by the bigwig CEO guy who owned the rest of the building. Rumor had it that Mr. Harper was a scary-ass dude, though she’d heard a couple of his underlings giggling over how sexy he was. Whatever. Give her a mail guy any day. This mail guy. A CEO was far too close to a general in her opinion—you didn’t hit the top of the pyramid without some intense drive and a whole lot of “don’t fuck with me.” Not to mention the fact that that kind of person wouldn’t have a problem railroading anyone he thought beneath him.