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Laughter drifted from the parking lot to her secluded nook around the side, and she wondered how much longer it would take to get over the stupidity of trying to make a hopeless marriage work. At least she’d looked at a man with interest tonight. That definitely went in the plus column toward getting over her failure with John. A torrid one-night stand with a stranger might be the antidote she needed, if only...
Heavy-booted footfalls pulled her attention out of the clouds a second before the tall, broad-shouldered Don Juan appeared a foot away. Lily gasped in startled awareness, heat enveloping her from head to toe as he stepped closer, his big body enclosing them in the dark corner.
His breath fanned along her cheek in a warm caress as he whispered, “Are you okay?”
Lily couldn’t fathom why he would think otherwise, but the thoughtfulness behind the inquiry and rough rumble of his deep voice ignited the slow burn of need that had been coiling low in her abdomen all night. Raw, primitive lust grabbed hold of her body and common sense, deeper, stronger than she’d experienced when she’d fallen for John. A reckless abandonment gripped her, an ache for pleasure to replace the resurgence of self-recriminations.
Before she chickened out, she hastened to reply, “What...what if I said no?”
He’d draped the long cape over his arm, and she could detect the tightness of his body with her answer, unsure if that was a good sign until he cursed, dropped the cape, and pressed his rock-hard body against her. His head swooped down and he crushed his mouth over hers, kissing her with rough possession, his lips hard and searching, inflaming her senses. The degree to which she responded stunned her, her pussy spasming, filling with liquid heat as she gripped his thick biceps to anchor herself against the frenzied storm of unleashed emotions and lust.
The fake goatee scratched her chin, the plastic mask pressing against her cheek and nose as he slid his hands behind her, one gripping her nape, the other taking firm hold of her buttock. Lily moaned, opening for his tongue, grateful for the dark and his total control that offered so much freedom to justfeel. She forgot everything that had come before this stolen decadent moment, the first daring, shameless risk she’d ever taken. His fingers dug into her cheek, holding her pelvis against his throbbing erection as he kneaded her buttock. New sensations erupted across her backside, hot licks of pleasure seeping into her pussy, his lips turning even more aggressive moving over hers.
Lily was so swept up in the rising tide of arousal consuming her, she didn’t notice when he released her nape and opened her blouse until cool air brought goose bumps to her upper chest. She whimpered as a calloused finger slipped inside her bra and brushed her nipple, a shiver racking her body, her only cognizant thought –more. Arching into that finger, she drew her hands up to his broad shoulders, the plumes hanging from his hat tickling her fingers.
The virtual stranger eased up, lifted his mouth off hers, and a desperate plea escaped before she could stop it.“Please.”
It was his turn to groan, and she basked in the low vibration, enjoying that he seemed as affected as her. He lowered his mouth again, feathering light kisses across her cheek and down her neck, his teeth sinking into the sensitive spot where shoulder met neck, the sharp nip accompanying the scratch of his nail across her nipple. Lily shuddered from the dual pinpricks, and the surprising up-kick of arousal they elicited. She couldn’t see a thing but leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes anyway. Somehow, that made it easier to let go with the strange response to discomfort instead of wasting precious time questioning it.
His breath grew harsh against her neck, his finger abandoning her breast as he took his hand down to her waist, flipped open the button on her slacks, and lowered the zipper. Sucking in a raw lungful of air, she braced for an even more intimate touch, craving it despite the sane part of her repeatedly asking if she’d lost her mind.
He nipped the soft flesh of her upper breast, his hand sliding into her loosened waistband far enough for his fingers to graze her labia. “Yes?” he questioned above her lips, his hold on her buttock tightening yet again.
Lily nodded, the heightened arousal his touch had unleashed both exciting and scary, the combined tumult between her emotions and body rendering her speechless. Slamming his lips over hers again, he drove inside her spasming pussy, the one deep thrust enough to set off small contractions of damp release. Her body overruled the last of her disbelief and usual common sense, attempting to arch closer, urge him to move faster, bring her to the peak that had become essential before he disappeared from her life. But his control kept her pelvis still, her pussy fluttering then convulsing as he took hold of her clit and pumped the tender bundle of nerves. Wrenching her mouth away from his, she gasped a much-needed breath that caught on a whimper, the all-consuming pleasure ripping through her body rendering her dumbfounded with the swift rise and intensity.
Awareness resumed by slow degrees, the light play of his fingers soothing Lily’s shivering until another curse spilled from his mouth, his large frame going rigid as he removed both hands from her body. “Shit, what the hell am I thinking?” Before she could assimilate the change in him, he did up her slacks and took one step back. “I’m sorry. This...it wasn’t right. You don’t...never mind. I’m sorry.”
The abruptness of his departure was as shocking as his quiet, unexpected arrival. She stood there with her lips and nipple throbbing, her pussy damp, aching for another touch, his hard hands and gentle hold, the press of his big body, his warm breath...
Lily gathered her wits enough to peek around the alcove and watch him walk away. Another wave of familiarity struck her when he strode into the meager glow from the wide patio doors, the view of him from the rear reminding her of someone. Then he turned the corner, reaching up to sweep off his hat, along with the wig and mask. She jerked in recognition, gasping at the brief glimpse of his profile.
Reed.
****
Reed tossed the cape, hat, wig, and mask into the back seat, got into his car, and slammed the door, calling himself every kind of fool. He’d done the right thing all evening by staying away from Lily after realizing she didn’t recognize him. Not since they’d first met and during those early months of her marriage had he seen her so relaxed and happy, her smiles natural instead of forced. Revealing his identity would only remind her of John and the hell his partner put her through, and he refused to risk putting a damper on her fun or distracting her from her work.
Then his good intentions had gone out the window when her short conversation with a woman dressed as Cinderella had deflated her expression, causing her face to appear brittle with hurt and ill will. He didn’t recognize the other woman but caught her glare aimed at Lily’s back when she turned away from her.
One glimpse at the regret clouding Lily’s face and the brief, barely there touch of their fingers as he’d accepted his raffle prize had been his final undoing, and he’d followed her outside just to check on her. Lily’s whisperedpleasestill echoed in his head, her soft, shaky voice crumbling the last of his resolve.
Turning on the ignition, Reed cursed his weakness and idiocy. What amounted to minor foreplay for him, and he drove home with a raging hard-on for a woman who had never viewed him as anything more than a friend. He couldn’t recall another woman who left him yearning for the soft yielding of her body to his control, her breathy moans filling his mouth, or the ripple of her orgasm around his fingers. He pictured Lily naked on his bed, maybe with her hands bound above her, her face reflecting a need for him, and only him. It would do no good to speculate whether she would enjoy a visit to their private play room above Casey’s, regardless of the way she’d surrendered to his possessive hold in that dark corner. His relationship with John and intimate knowledge of her husband’s philandering would be a constant reminder, not to mention she’d never even hinted at an interest in him, or any other man that he was aware of.
Reed was more than ready to get home and turn in for the night, but, when he noticed the barn’s loft light still shining in the one upper window, he stopped there first. His concern switched from Lily to Slade, who was often plagued at night with memories of his past stint as an Army sniper. He’d never shared details of the deaths the government ordered him to execute, or the reason for his abrupt resignation, only telling Reed and Brett the ends didn’t always justify the means. He felt for his brother. During his years in law enforcement, Reed had seen enough of the worst of humanity and the consequences of their actions on innocent people to last him a lifetime.
As he’d thought, he found Slade seated on the edge of the loft’s open double doors with one leg bent, his arm resting atop his knee as he whittled on a piece of wood. Reed walked across the upper floor with hay bales stacked on both sides and leaned sideways, his shoulder braced against the wall, looking down at Slade with crossed arms.
“You’re up late.”
“Right back at you,” Slade returned without taking his eyes off the carving.
“True. I’ll share if you will.”
Slade huffed a laugh. “Don’t need to. You’re so fucking easy to read. Heard John’s widow has returned.”
Reed sighed, making sure he didn’t lean forward far enough to get dizzy from the height. He figured Slade’s ease with sitting in that open, elevated space stemmed from the hours he’d spent perched in a tree or on a hilltop, waiting to get a bead on his target. “And?” he asked, wishing his brothers would limit their keen astuteness to the subs in their play group.
“Come on, Reed.” Slade glanced up at him. “You’ve walked around with a hard-on for that woman for as long as you’ve known her.”
