Page 10 of Midnight Masquerade

"We're going trick or treating."

He eyes me like I've lost my mind. Maybe I have. I mean, I probably have. We're too old for this, and I know that. But he hates Halloween because of the bad memories associated with the holiday. And if anyone gets that, I do. I have my own bad memories battling around in the back of my head. But this isn't about me. It's about him.

I want to remind him that the memories aren't all bad. At one point, he loved this holiday. He said it was his favorite. He didn't deserve to have that enjoyment taken from him by bullies.

Is going trick or treating utterly ridiculous? Yes. Is it worth it if it erases those little lines from around his eyes? Also yes.

"Why?"

"Because this entire town freaking loves Halloween, Drake," I remind him. "Do you really think they're going to care if we ring the bell and ask for a piece of candy?"

"Why, Madeline?"

I huff out a breath. "Because I know what it feels like to live with trauma," I admit. "My parents divorced when I was a kid, and I was their tug-of-war rope. I had everything, but I never felt like I had their love. Everything they did for me, they did just to spite the other. It ruined a lot of holidays." I shrug, glancing down at the bag in my hands. "Maybe I don't like the thought of this one being permanently ruined for you because you have trauma, too."

"Damn," he says, lacing our fingers together.

I like the way they fit together. I like the weight of his palm against mine. I like the way my stomach flutters and my core clenches. I like way too freaking much about this man. It's dangerous and addictive. I should pull away, put distance between us…but I don't.

It's like I'm physically incapable of doing it.

"That's a rough way to grow up, unicorn."

"Yeah, it is." I risk a glance up at him to find him staring at me. "I get what it's like to feel alone. I felt that way most of my life. I don't like that you feel that way too." I exhale a breath. "So get your hot ass out of the truck, Whitlock. You're going trick or treating."

A lazy smile curves his lips. "You were looking at my ass, huh?"

I roll my eyes and harumph like a crazy person, which only makes him laugh. I like that sound far more than I like the lines of anxiety around his eyes. It's rusty and gravelly and so damn beautiful. Just like him.

He kills the engine and then reluctantly climbs from the truck before circling around to help me out. As soon as my feet touch the ground, I turn, intending to march up to the front door before I lose my nerve.

I don't even make it two steps before I feel his hand on my waist, spinning me around to face him.

"What…?"

That's as far as I get before I'm in his arms, and his lips are against mine.

He kisses me like a man possessed, hungry and demanding. The feel of his body against mine sets me on fire with desire.

One hand cradles the back of my head. The other presses against the small of my back, molding me against his hard, muscular body. I melt into him, gripping his broad shoulders as I kiss him back, just as hungry, just as demanding.

My head spins as he deepens the kiss, claiming every inch of my mouth as if it belongs to him. I whimper into his mouth, unable to think. Unable to breathe. All I can focus on is the way he holds me like he doesn't ever intend to let me go and the way his scent swirls around me, making me dizzy.

He presses me up against the side of the truck, tipping my head back further as he breaks away from my lips, kissing a trail down the side of my throat. The dichotomy of his beard and his lips against my skin is divine.

"Drake," I gasp, my hands all tangled up in his tuxedo jacket. "This isn't trick or treating."

"Who needs candy when I could eat you instead?" he grunts against my skin. "You're already the sweetest little treat I've ever tasted, unicorn. I want more."

My core clenches hard.

And then he groans, placing a soft kiss against my racing pulse. He rests there for just a moment like he's trying to collect himself before he pulls back. Those icy blue eyes meet mine, blazing like the sun.

"Let's go get your candy, baby. Before the whole goddamn neighborhood sees me deflowering a unicorn against the side of my truck."

I bite my lip and then nod. I kind of want to get to the deflowering part now, though. I knew when I left the masquerade with him that this is where the night would likely end. I decided to leave with him anyway. Not because I thought I owed it to him after grabbing his dick. Not because I didn't have a choice. But because something about him feels…right.

I can't even explain it. But there's something about this man that's utterly irresistible.

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