Page 21 of Reckless King

“Um, sure?” I don’t get any flutters in my stomach when he trains his dark eyes on me, but I let him wrap a muscular arm around my waist and pull me back against his chest.

I do my best not to compare the feel of his body to my memory of another one. That man invited me here tonight and, just like I feared, has left me hanging. Why should I pine after him? He’s practically a stranger, after all.

A stranger who had his fingers inside me. A stranger who, just with those fingers, made me come harder than any man before him.

That doesn’t mean he owes me anything though. Or that I owe him. Even if he did buy a very expensive membership for me, that was his choice. And he didn’t give me the caveat that I could only use it to see him again.

I will myself to relax into the body behind me, despite that it doesn’t feel quite right. Anna catches my eye, cocking herhead in a subtle gesture to check that I’m okay. When I nod, she smiles and focuses her attention on another masked man loitering to the side of us. Needing no more encouragement, he’s soon grinding away at her back.

The man behind me grips my hips in his big hands and pulls me back tighter against him. I try not to tense when his hard length presses against my ass. He’s not being shy about pushing that thing into me either. Which makes sense, I suppose, considering where we are.

The ambience of this part of the club makes it easy to forget about its deeper purpose. Obviously, that’s deliberate. After all, the place is meant to cater to almost any and all activities the rich and famous are interested in—be that enjoying a casual drink, a sexy dance or full-on kink indulgence—all while ensuring anonymity.

I can’t help but peek over at the doorway Anna said leads to the private—and not so private—rooms. My stomach flips. When I pictured coming back here tonight, I wondered whether I’d be daring enough to pass through that door. I may have even gotten a little worked up thinking about it. In no way did I imagine doing it with another random stranger though. From the way this guy is breathing hot and heavy in my ear, I can sense the question coming. Would I even consider it?

My answer comes an instant later when the man presses a wet, open-mouthed kiss against my neck. My heart jumps into my throat, and I instinctively shudder. Nope. I’m not feeling it at all. I try to pull away, but he’s holding on to me too tightly.

I throw a glance at Anna in the hopes that she’ll know what to do. Only she’s not looking at me. She’s focused on something over my shoulder, her eyes wide and her lips parted slightly.

A second later, I find out why. The hands gripping my hips release me so quickly I almost stumble forward. With a gasp,I spin around, only to find a tall form wearing a familiar devil mask looming over the man I’ve been dancing with.

He bends down so they’re almost nose to nose, and from here, his growledshe’s mineis impossible to miss.

Those two words, said in that low, gravelly tone, send a flare of heat up my spine. My physical response shocks me. After Eric, I didn’t imagine I’d find any level of possessiveness a turn-on. I guess I’ve been proven wrong. At least where this guy is concerned.

The man in the Roman soldier mask puts both hands up in the air. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t think she was collared.”

My eyes almost bug out.Collared?

“She’s not a sub. Doesn’t mean she’s not mine.” His tone is uncompromising.

Anna’s at my side now, grasping my arm. The guy she was dancing with has disappeared, though the grin stretched across her face below her mask makes it clear she doesn’t care.

“Thatis hot as hell,” she whispers in my ear.

I’m too stunned to formulate a coherent reply.

In the next moment, a large bouncer in a black suit appears at our side. “Is there a problem here?”

Roman soldier shakes his head. “No problem. Just a misunderstanding.”

The bouncer looks between the men, then does a double take. He focuses on the man in the devil mask. “My apologies, sir. Is everything okay?”

A wave of confusion washes over me. In this place, which is literally filled with VIPs, why does this guy get special treatment?

He nods. “Everything’s fine. This gentleman was just finding somewhere else to be.”

With a shake of his head, Roman soldier guy disappears into the crowd. I don’t notice whether the bouncer fades away as well,because I’m too busy scrutinizing the visible parts of the man standing in front of me, trying to figure out who he is.

Unease flickers to life in my chest as I examine him. The line of his jaw and the shape of his mouth trigger a thrum of awareness that I don’t remember from last weekend. I step closer, angling my face up toward him. If I can get a better look at his eyes, then maybe it will shake loose the nagging sense of familiarity.

The truth is hovering just under the surface of my conscious mind. Without thinking, I reach up and drift my fingertips along his jaw, the faint rasp of stubble sending a tingle down my arm. A muscle leaps under my touch, and he gently takes my wrist and pulls it away from his face.

“Violet,” he says, his tone low, almost like a warning.

With a gasp, I snatch my hand back and clutch it to my chest. Not because he shouldn’t know my name, but because the moment it fell from his lips, the connection clicked into place. How did I not see it before?

“Tate?” I whisper.

---