I know this because I’m now counting in my head. And each second that ticks by makes me certain that once these five minutes are up, I can’t be held liable for what I do or say.

Thirty-three.

Thirty-two.

Thirty-one.

“How much time do I have left?” Jude asks, his hand gripped tightly around mine as he leads us out of the restaurant and into one of the mostly empty hallways of the lavish hotel.

“Huh?”

“How many seconds, Sophie?” He smirks down at me, and I try to play it cool like I haven’t been counting since the moment he set the deadline at five minutes.

Twenty-nine.

Twenty-eight.

Twenty-seven.

“Uh…I don’t know. How would I possibly know that?”

“Because I’ve been watching your mouth move with each second that passes by.”

Well,shoot.

“How many?” he repeats, and his blue eyes call my bluff so hard that I answer with the cold, hard facts.

“Nineteen.”

“Looks like we’re going to have to take a detour, huh?” He winks in my direction, and before I know it, he’s pulling us into one of the bathrooms of the freaking Plaza Hotel.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Keeping my word,” he says and shuts the door behind us.

“What if someone comes in here?”

“I guess we’re just going to have to take our chances.”

My jaw practically hits the tops of my stilettos. “Jude! You can’t be serious!”

“And there’s also a lock on the door that I might’ve just utilized.” He grins and stalks toward me like a big, sexy lion ready to consume his prey. The instant he reaches me, he kneels down, yanks up my dress, and grips my ass with his strong hands just as he buries his face against my panties.

On a deep inhale, he looks up at me with hooded eyes. “You always smell so fucking sweet when you’re wet like this.”

I whimper.

“Can I make you come?”

“Should that even be a question right now?”

His eyes are amused at my sassiness. “You’ve been waiting for this for a while, huh?” he questions, and his wicked fingers slide my panties down my thighs. “Ever since I told you to wear a dress, I bet you’ve been thinking about my tongue right here.” He pats two fingers on my clit, making my back bow dramatically.

I swallow. Nod. And suck both of my lips into my mouth.

With purpose, he shoves my nude silk panties into his pocket and shoots a little waggle of his brow in my direction. “For thecollection,” he comments, and I’m not sure if it makes me a total pervert to be aroused that Jude Winslow keeps stealing my underwear, butman oh man, it’s one heck of a turn-on.

“You know, Sophie,” he says, staring directly at my pussy. “I’ve been thinking about the same thing.” He floats his lips across my bare skin, dangerously close to the one spot that’s become so needy for his touch, I feel as if I could burst into flames. “Thinking about putting my mouth on you. Righthere. On this very spot. I’ve been dying to taste you again,” he whispers just before he gently licks his tongue across my swollen clit.