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He laughs once, loudly, and gently takes my hand, pulling me back to his table. “You’ve got a sharp tongue when it’s not tangled. Seriously, come here. I want to show you what I was sketching.” He stops in front of the table and picks up the pad, flipping backwards through the pages.
I glance side to side and see Beth waving at me from across the room. It’s such a dorky thing to do, but it makes me laugh. I swat at her and turn back to see what this guy is doing. “My friend thought the whole artsy thing was a ploy to pick up girls. We actually made a bet.”
He looks intrigued. “Really? What were the terms?”
“If she wins, and you’re a loser with an empty sketch pad, she gets cake.”
“You bet that I wasn’t a fake?” I smile, and slide my eyes to the side, nodding. “Interesting. So what do you get if you win?”
My face feels hot, but I say it anyway. “You.” Tonight, I’m not me. I’m confident, sexual, and everything I’m totally lacking in real life.
Smiling shyly, he looks down and hands me the pad before sitting in the booth. “I’m afraid your friend lost her cake.”
The smile slips off my lips when I see what he’s drawn. It’s me. My long smooth wavy hair is obscuring my face, but it’s certainly me, my little nose, and this slutty dress. But the way he drew me sitting in the booth opposite Beth—I don’t know—I look ethereal and unapproachable. He drew me as if I were just out of his reach.
I stare at it for a second before looking over at him. “I bet you drew every woman in here.”
“I don’t recall that being part of the bet, but go ahead and turn the page.” He offers a crooked smile.
I flip through the pad and see saltshakers, lamps, the back of a waiter carrying too much food, and other things that are utterly ordinary. He captured the weight of the tray and the way it tips to the side slightly, like it might fall. Even the objects that he drew on the table seem evocative. When I look at him, he offers a weak smile and reaches for the pad. “I don’t usually share this. It’s like a journal.”
I know what he means. I don’t show my sketches to anyone. They reflect the state of my mind, and my heart. He’s braver than I am, showing those things to a total stranger. For a moment, I don’t know myself. I’m not me. Reaching out, I extend my hand and say it again, “I’m not looking for a relationship.”
He takes it and stands. Looking into my eyes, he breathes, “Neither am I.”
A smile spreads across my face as my heart pounds harder. “Then let’s get out of here.”
Nodding, he leads me toward the door. On the way out, I pass Beth’s table and grin. “You lost.”
She gives me a huge grin. “Yeah, but you hit the jackpot.”
I did, didn’t I? He’s hot, funny, shy, and artistic. He’s my dream guy. For only one night, he can’t be anything less.
CHAPTER 4
We drive to a hotel down the street and before I know it, we’re tangled together in a dark little room, his lips on mine. My heart keeps telling me I’m cheating on Matt even though my brain reminds me that we’re over. Since I’m not a cheater, I understand why Beth was telling me to do this. If I wanted something with this guy, he’d have to live up to Matt in every single way.
Gasping for air, he breaks the kiss and sits up a little bit. We’re lying on the bed, side by side. Pushing up on an elbow, he looks down at me. “I never got a chance to ask your name. I’m—”
I press my fingers to his lips¸ “No names. Say anything you like. We can do anything we want without worrying about tomorrow. There is no tomorrow for us.” As I speak, I slip the shoulders of my dress off and the bodice crumples around my waist, revealing my bra. The black lace fabric is sheer, and I know he can see right through it. It took a long time for me to be comfortable being naked in front of Matt, but I don’t have time to feel timid with this guy. My mystery man’s eyes darken as I slip out of the dress and lay back on the bed. The matching panty covers my front but showcases the curves of my ass.
His eyes drink me i
n, but he hesitates. Something flashes across his face, but I can’t tell what it is. Regret? I wonder what ghosts are plaguing him right now, and I wonder if they’re as strong as the memories of Matt that keep wandering through my mind. I have to do this. I can’t let Mystery Man back out, and it feels like that’s what he’s about to do, so I take things a step further. I sit up and unhook my bra. Reaching behind me, I pull it off and hold it between two fingers before dropping it to the floor, my eyes locked on his face as I do it. The lights are on, and this is so weird for me, but I do it anyway. I can’t even fathom the person I would be if I didn’t hate my body, if I didn’t scold myself for every excess ounce of fat. I can’t imagine a world without those checks to guide my decisions. I’d be someone else, and in the moment I am.
Mystery Man is sitting up, so I crawl over to him and swing my leg over his lap, straddling him. He sucks in air as I settle in place. My pulse is pounding in my ears and I try not to consider what he must think of me, what he must think of what I’m doing. I think he’s beautiful. From the look in his eye, I know he wants me. His hands slip up my sides, feeling my ample curves, and then back down again. He cups my butt and pulls me to him, his lips crushing down on mine. The kiss grows hotter as our tongues tangle in my mouth. I spread my hands on his chest, tugging at his shirt, trying to get it off. We break apart long enough to pull the fabric over his head and then he presses his bare chest against me. I feel his warm skin and toned muscles slipping against my breasts.
Matt didn’t have this guy’s muscles. Each one is so perfectly defined that I want to lick him from head to toe. I trace my fingers over his arms, feeling the strength in them, while the pulsing between my thighs increases. He’s hard beneath me, so when I start to rock my hips he moans into my mouth through our kiss. Breaking apart, I rise up and press my breasts to his face. Mystery Man wants me, but he’s holding back. I can tell because when I do it, he stiffens and the hesitation is there again.
“Kiss me, baby.” I moan the words and drag my nipples across his stubbled jaw. Before I get far, he reacts. His lips part and he takes me in his mouth, sucking my breast and flicking my nipple with his tongue. Oh, God, it feels good! Matt didn’t do it like this. He’d either slobber on me or gnaw my nipple off.
But Mystery Man doesn’t do that. He’s slow and teasing, alternating between licking and sucking, teasing my nipple between his lips. His teeth graze my breast, making me speak words I normally couldn’t say. I feel his smile as he pulls away and switches to the other side. Firm hands travel over my body, holding me against his mouth. As if I’d pull away? That’ll never happen. I’m losing myself in him. Thoughts of Matt are scattering and I can’t resist the longing between my thighs much longer.
As he kisses me, I reach down, undo the button on his jeans and lower the zipper. I want to free his hard length from the fabric. This man makes me feel like a goddess. His kisses are worthy of praise and his touch is so sensual. Lust fills my mind as I think about riding him and feeling him inside of me. He nips my nipple before pulling away. I move aside as he tugs at his jeans like he can’t get them off fast enough.
He tosses the jeans to the floor and stands beside the bed, wearing just his boxers. He grins a wicked smile and motions toward me with his hand. “Ladies first.” He tugs at his own waistband and I understand what he means. “I want to see you naked, spread out on the bed, begging me to fuck you.”
The pit of my stomach drops when he talks like that and I’m surprised that I like it. Nervous anticipation floods through my body, but I do as he says. Shimmying out of my panties, I toss them aside and lie back on the bed and let him look.
