Page 9 of My XOXO Holidate

My hands ache to touch her and I need to erase all the distance between us.

My fingers work their way through the low cut of her gown until they meet the edge of her lacy bra. I reluctantly release our kiss and move my mouth to her ear as I inhale her sweet scent.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Don’t stop,” she whispers.

My fingers move inside her lacy bra and skim across her breast. I push my erection into her hip. “This is what you’re doing to me,” I whisper.

She sighs. “You feel so good.”

I slip inside the cup of her bra and her breast fills my hand. Our passionate kisses continue as she rubs her hip into my erection. Voices are nearby and I quickly remove my hand and right her dress.Our breaths are heavy.

“Although I’d rather sneak out and do unnoble unmentionables.” Our lips meet in a kiss. “Once the reveal’s over, I could rent a suite for the night.”

“Oh my.” She fans herself. “What are you suggesting, Sir Alexander?”

“A night with you in my arms. In my bed.” I run my tongue across her bottom lip. “We could continue right where we left off. With my mouth all over your skin.”

She smiles. “I’d like that.”

Amelia

It’s been over a year since I’ve been intimate with anyone. My body is on fire— craving the touch of a man.

Did I just agree to a hotel room? With a stranger?

I’m not sure about Alex, but this is totally out of the normal for me. I’ve never slept with someone on a first date, never had a one-night stand, and certainly never agreed to a hotel suite with a masked man wearing a suit.

What am I doing?

I enjoyed our dinner so much— the conversation, the dancing, the flirting. Although we joked a lot, which I loved, we have a lot of things in common. He hates mornings and can’t function until he’s had at least one cup of coffee. I can relate. He loves the jazz bar on Syracuse. I’ve only been there once, but I want to go back. I can’t wait to find out more about him at the reveal.

Alex slips his arm around me as we enter the ballroom.

“Once the reveal’s over, meet me in the lobby.” He grins. “Just so you know, this isn’t my normal M.O. I don’t usually invite women to my hotel.”

Although I know there’s a chance that Alex isn’t telling the truth and maybe he does this sort of thing all the time, I don’t care. I feel good. This feeling of being cherished and treasured by a man feels so wonderful that I’m not going to deny myself the long-overdue attention.

“This isn’t how things usually go for me either.” I smile. “There’s something different about this. Something about the way I feel.”

He nods. “Something about you.”

The dancefloor is empty, and the music has stopped. Smoke lingers by the bright house lights.

“What’s going on?” I ask Alex as we return to our table.

“Not sure.”

An announcement comes over the speakers. “Please stay calm, but there’s been a slight mishap in the kitchen. We ask—” The sound goes dead.

The room’s overhead sprinklers turn on in full force. Chaos ensues as guests’ voices rise and they scurry around, soaked as they try to grab their belongings and head to the exits. I grab my purse and move toward the door. Panicked guests, shoulder to shoulder, bump into me and I turn to find Alex behind me. He rests his hand on my shoulder. As I’m swallowed up by the crowd, Alex’s hand slides off and I start to move away from the exit instead of toward it. The crowd continues to flood the exit and I crane my neck and search for my mystery man.

I get outside and scan the group. No Alex.

Mia finds me. “Oh my gosh, are you ok?”

“I need to go to the lobby,” I insist.

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