Page 3 of One Midnight Kiss

I could tell by her outfit and those earrings she had money. She carried herself like she was wealthy. Whether that was from her work, inherited from a rich daddy, or through marriage remained to be seen. If only she hadn’t been wearing those long black gloves, I might have been able to see if she wore a ring on her left hand.

“I think you’re at the wrong party,” she said. “Tonight is about masks and mystery.”

“I like to know what I’m getting into,” I said. “I like being in control.”

“I bet you do,” she said, eyeing me up and down. “But sometimes, letting go of control can be a lot of fun. You should give it a try.”

I nodded. “You might have to show me how.”

Her smile widened a fraction. “Start by finishing that drink. Then we’ll see where the night takes us.”

I took a sip of the fiery liquor and she drank her wine. It was oddly comfortable, standing there with this mysterious woman in black, sexy tension ratcheting up between us even though we weren’t saying a word. I drank her in too, taking in the delicate line of her jaw and the way the moonlight highlighted her features. She could be anyone under that mask, and the idea turned me on something fierce.

“You don’t seem like the type to be out here alone,” I said finally.

She turned her head to look at me. “And yet, here I am.”

I stepped closer, feeling a magnetic pull I couldn’t explain. “No entourage.”

“I don’t need that. Besides, I’m not alone. You’re here.”

“What’s your name?” I asked again. I couldn’t explain why it mattered. Never before had I been so desperate for a tiny drop of information.

“Call me whatever you like,” she said. “Names don’t matter here.”

“Maybe not to anyone else,” I said. “But yours matters to me.”

She turned fully to face me, and it took everything I had not to look down and check her out for the hundredth time in the span of five minutes. She must have sensed the desire building in me because she smiled softly.

“Stop trying to control everything,” she said from behind her mask. “The rules are different tonight.”