Page 16 of Midnight Masquerade

She squeaks like a little bird and flings her arms around my neck. "This is the best Halloween ever. And you're the best maybe-an-ax-murderer-ever, do you know that?"

"Yeah? You think so?"

"Yeah," she breathes, staring at me like I hung the goddamn moon. "I've never had this much fun escaping a party."

"Me either, unicorn. Me either." I brush my lips against hers, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. "Go pick a spot for your stolen goods."

"I have a better plan." She flings it blindly over her shoulder, a devilish smirk on her face. "It can find its own home…and we can go check out the bodies in your basement."

"Christ," I groan, anchoring her to my body with my hands around her waist. "If you go home with me, you'll be in my bed tonight while I'm fucking you raw, unicorn. If you aren't ready for that, tell me now."

"Drake?" She wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her perfect tits up against me. "Stop being a gentleman and take me home with you already."

She's right. This is the best Halloween ever.

Chapter Five

Madeline

"Jesus, Drake." I gape at his house as we pull through the massive ten-foot gates and start up the driveway. "Are you compensating for something here or what?"

His deep laugh rolls over me, turning my nipples to hard points. "You've had your greedy little hand all over my cock, unicorn. You know damn well that I'm not compensating for anything."

He's right. He isn't. His cock is as impressive as the house. And the house? Jesus. I could fit five of mine inside of it and still get lost.

The creamy white limestone mansion stands like a freaking monolith in the dark, the sconces placed at intervals all along the front, lighting it up like a beacon. Towering Corinthian columns flank the entrance, supporting an ornate triangular gable with freaking gargoyles carved into it.

Massive windows stand at almost militaristic intervals on each of the three levels, the glass dark. Lush ivy clings to the walls, the green tendrils a striking contrast to the pale stone.

It's not at all what I would have expected, and perhaps that's why it suits him so well. A giant Roman mansion in the middle of Texas? It's as unexpectedly, ridiculously perfect as everything else about him.

"Why a mansion?" I ask as he pulls up to the doors and parks. "Why not a normal people house?"

"Out of spite." He kills the engine.

I stop gaping at the house to gape at him. "You're serious."

He shrugs. "I had something smaller in mind. The town council rejected the plans. They weren't sold on the use of so much limestone. It's harder to maintain than sandstone. So I said to hell with them, had the plans redrawn, and built it bigger."

I cover my mouth, fighting laughter. "You did not."

He arches a brow. "You're sitting in front of the house. I definitely did, unicorn. They were mad as hell. Why do you think I have a ten-foot fence? It was the first damn thing I had the construction company install."

"Are they still mad?"

"Nah. Took a few donations to re-election campaigns to get them off my ass, but they gave up eventually."

"You are a wicked, wicked man, Drake Whitlock," I say through laughter.

He grins at me, completely unrepentant, and then unlatches my seatbelt, practically hauling me across the console into his arms.

"You fucking love how wicked I am, unicorn," he growls, palming my ass with one hand as he pushes the door open with the other.

He's right. I do love it. Nothing about this man is expected. He's the most gorgeous, uncouth billionaire I've ever met, somehow both adorably sweet, awkward as hell, and irresistibly charming at the same damn time. It's a deadly combination. Especially paired with those eyes, that smile, and the way he looks at me like I'm the most incredible thing he's ever seen.

Do not fall in love with him. Do not fall in love with him. Do not fall in love with him, I remind myself. Except…I'm pretty sure I've already started falling. I think I started falling hours ago.

Love spells and Halloween magic aren't supposed to be real. But with his arms around me as he carries me toward his ridiculous built-out-of-spite mansion, they feel a little too real.

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