Page 41 of Burn With Me

While my Friday and Saturday nights belong to mystranger, my weekdays are beginning to be possessed by Jackson.

As hard as I try to fight the flips my insides do whenever he shows up at Decadence or Chillard unannounced, my chest and stomach have become home to a whole damn gymnastics team where he’s concerned.

Lowering me to the bed, my stranger lets out what sounds like a chuckle as he asks, “Tell me about your week, then.”

He lets go of my hands and moves to the couch, sitting down and spreading his legs wide as he motions for me to sit between them. My lips pull up in a sly grin as I get on all fours and crawl to him slowly, appreciating the low, gravelly laugh he gives me in return.

Once I reach him, he gently slides the straps of my wings down and discards them on the floor before positioning me so that my back is to his chest. His arms wrap around me after he pushes my hair off one shoulder. “Tell me, Little Ember. What has put that glowing smile on your beautiful face?”

Without hesitation, I tell him, “Notwhat.Who. I did what you suggested—found someone out there to help me. I got a new apartment. Moving in will take a little bit, but it’s a huge relief.”

“I’m glad to see you so happy. It’s a nice change from seeing tears fall from your eyes.” He attempts to nuzzle my neck, but the mask makes it awkward. It’s cold against my skin, causing me to shiver against him.

“You aren’t upset?” My fingers lift to trail down his arms, tracing random patterns over his shirt.

“Not at all. I cannot do for you out there what I can do for you in here.”

“Could you remove your mask? Not fully, but maybe change back to the one you wore the first night?” Looking over my shoulder, it’s not lost on me the way he looks away quickly, as if afraid of me looking into his eyes when we’re this close.

Shaking his head, he pulls me back to lie against him. Butas soon as I do, I jolt up again, jumping from the bed and racing over to the door. “I have an idea!”

Quickly, I pull it open, startling my guard. “Everything okay, Miss Scarlett?”

“Yeah, I just need the sash to my robe. Would you mind?”

Chuckling, he retrieves what I need. As he hands it over, he whispers, “That’s what the drawers are for.”

My cheeks flush as I realize I just ran across the room in a see-through gown when I could have easily grabbed a blindfold from one of the tables. “Thanks.”

Closing the door, I shyly turn around and hold up the sash. “You can blindfold me?”

Walking back to him, I sit at the edge of the bed, where it meets the couch. “If you blindfold me, you can remove your mask. That’s what you’re worried about, isn’t it? Me seeing too much of your face.”

“Precisely, though I can’t say I hate your idea. Turn around.” Taking the sash from me, he scoots closer so that he can tie it around my eyes.

“Lift your mask for a moment so that I can secure this.”

“It seems silly to keep the mask on if I’m going to be blindfolded. It covers just as much as my mask.” My heart starts to race. The idea of us both removing our masks—even if we still won’t be able to see each other’s faces—has me feeling giddy, like Christmas morning when I couldn’t wait to see what Santa put under the tree.

“If that’s what you wish, remove your mask.”

I all but tear it from my face, barely a second passing before he places the sash over my eyes and secures it tightly around my head. “Is that okay?” he murmurs.

Nodding, I whisper, “Yes.”

He takes my mask from my hand, and then I hear the slight clink of his against the table. When his warm lips touch my bare shoulder, it makes me jump. Now that my sight is gone, all my other senses are heightened.

“What is it that you wish to learn tonight?” he asks against my skin as his lips skate across my shoulder blades.

“I don’t want to offend you…” I tell him, my voice trailing off, because there’s one thing that I reallydowant to learn, and I’m hoping he’ll be the one to teach me.

How to be sexually confident.

There’s another gentle caress of his lips on the nape of my neck. “Why do you think I would be offended?”

My nipples pebble as my back arches, head rolling to the side as he finally nuzzles my neck like he tried to earlier. “I don’t want you to think I’m asking forhim.”

His lips freeze against my skin, breath warm as it blows out on my back. “And what is it that you’re asking?”

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