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He couldn’t get enough of her.

But right there, at five thirty in the evening, she was getting dressed. They would shortly be going out to one of those exclusive functions to which he was always annually invited, even though he had not once been tempted to accept.

He’d never spent a single Christmas at his villa and yet the business tycoon who owned a place in the very same gated grounds always issued the same invitation to his masked Christmas ball.

No press. No paparazzi. Stringent rules about leaving all mobile phones in a safe box. Scrupulously vetted people to fetch and carry.

There was nothing the super-rich loved more than their privacy and their ability to protect it.

Javier could think of nothing he wanted to do less, especially now, but he’d been so tickled pink at the thought of taking Hope to the sort of extravagant Christmas affair she would never have witnessed in her entire life, that he’d cracked and asked her if she wanted to go.

Predictably, she had huffed and given him a lecture on rich people who had more money than sense. He’d teased her, made her blush and then told her who the famous singer performing would be. Her eyes had lit up and she’d finally allowed herself to be talked into going.

They had gone into the nearest town and he had bought her an outfit.

She had chosen a slim-fitting, ivory gown with a faux-fur stole, gloves that went to her elbows, a pair of shoes, a bag and, of course, the obligatory mask.

Nearly every boutique sold masks because John Aspen’s annual masked ball was such a big deal.

In the spirit of things, Javier had agreed to wear a mask but he would wear whatever clothes he had brought with him. He had laughed when she’d asked him if he wouldn’t feel embarrassed being the only one who hadn’t dressed for the occasion.

‘Well? How do I look?’

Hope did a twirl in front of him. Javier sucked in a shaky breath because she looked beyond stunning.

She stepped into the dainty shoes but when she made to slip on the gloves, he had to stop her.

‘This is the first time I’ve ever been turned on by a woman putting on clothes instead of taking them off,’ he said roughly. ‘Any more and we won’t be going anywhere.’

Hope laughed. He wasn’t kidding. If she feasted any more on the sight of Javier, lazily reclining on the bed in some dark trousers with his white shirt unbuttoned down the front and cuffed to the elbows, they definitely wouldn’t be leaving the villa. She would be too turned on to leave the bedroom, never mind his villa.

‘We’ll be late,’ she warned him.

‘There’s no such thing.’

‘Because you don’t see why you should pay attention to other people’s timetables?’

‘How well you know me after so short a time. Wondrous.’

He vacated the bed, still taking his time, and strolled towards her with intent in his eyes.

‘Javier, no…’

‘Say it like you mean it, querida.’

He circled her slender waist with his hands and kissed her, a long, lingering kiss that left her feeling as weak as a kitten. Just when she vaguely thought that she should really make a stand because they were going to end up making an entrance, which she didn’t want to do, he reached down to slowly tug the silky dress up…up…up.

She moaned softly, uncontrollably, as his hand smoothed over her thighs and then, delicately, cupped her lacy underwear.

She knew what he was going to do. Every nerve in her body was straining to feel his fingers explore her, to touch her in places that made her lose her mind.

When he did slip that finger into her panties, cool and questing, she felt as out of control as if it was the first time he’d touched her.

He unerringly found her clitoris and inexorably rubbed against it until she had to clutch his shoulders to stay upright.

She came with a long, shuddering spasm, her head flung back, her auburn hair rippling down to her waist. Eyes shut, nostrils flared and every ounce of energy pouring through her in a tsunami of blissful sensation.

She eventually looked at him drowsily, flushed from being pleasured.