Page 23 of One Weekend in Sydney

But I’m tongue-tied. Sleeping together means taking off our masks. Yes, we can probably leave them on, but hell, if I’m going to make love to Tara—and I’ll need to remember to call her Juliet—the masks will get in the way of doing it well. I won’t be able to kiss her or lick her properly if I have my upper mask on. It’ll be too much in the way.

Tara places a hand over her mouth. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry. I thought you wouldn’t mind.”

Oh, shit. She misunderstood my silence.

“No, no,” I say hastily. “I’m all for it. I was just thinking of how we can keep our anonymity. You said that’s important to you.”

“Well, I was thinking we could do it in a really dark room where we couldn’t see each other, but…” She shakes her head. “I’m sorry. Please don’t lie just to let me down gently. I’d rather be told the truth to my face. I know that a very strong attraction is needed by some people to sleep with someone else, and I just assumed?—”

“Hey.” I grasp her hand and squeeze it. Her words and expression tell me she’s questioning her desirability, and my heart aches at the possibility that what I did to her a decade ago was a big cause of her insecurity and distrust towards men. Well, I’d rather die than make her think I’m rejecting her right now.

I place her hand against my hard-on. “See? If we’re not in a public place, I’d say let’s do it right here, right now. I was just thinking of the logistics.”

Tara’s chest heaves from a sharp sigh as a smile forms on her face.

“So, you were thinking of a very dark room, huh?” I ask, my voice turning coarse as desire zips through my veins.

“Yes. Or we can keep our masks on,” she says tentatively, keeping her hand on my bulge.

I shake my head. “No. Masks have to come off. Everything off. If I won’t be able to see all of you, then I want to be able tofeelall of you.”

She stares at me, licking her lips and breathing heavily.

That’s it. I can’t help it anymore. I lean down and place a soft, lingering kiss on her mouth.

“Where can we do it?” she whispers against my lips.

My mind whirls, and I make a decision. “My place. It’s only ten minutes from here.”

I hope she’s serious about total darkness, or she’ll find out who I am.

ChapterEight

TARA

Ican’t believe what’s happening, but here I am right outside the door of Romeo’s apartment.

“I’m gonna close all the blinds and make sure all the lights are turned off,” he says as he unlocks the door. “Then I’ll come and get you.”

I nod, my hands clammy. The ten-minute drive to get here didn’t do anything to dampen my horniness. In fact, I’m itching to take all my clothes off and feel Romeo’s hands all over my body. My four-year-old dry spell is about to be broken!

My heart pounds as I wait for Romeo to come back. The anticipation is killing me, but in the most exhilarating way. I can hardly believe I’m doing this—a one-night stand with a man I barely know, yet feel so inexplicably drawn to. The thrill of it all sends a shiver down my spine, and I can feel the heat pooling between my legs.

The door creaks open, and Romeo appears in the doorway. “It’s all set,” he says, his voice low and husky. He reaches out a hand, and I take it, letting him guide me into the darkness of his home.

As we step inside, the door clicks shut behind us, and the world outside fades away. It’s pitch black, just like I wanted, but Romeo’s touch keeps me grounded. He leads me carefully through the apartment, his hands gentle yet firm on mine.

Soon we stop moving, and I assume we’re in his bedroom. The air is charged with anticipation, and I can feel the heat radiating from his body. He releases my hand, and I feel his knuckle softly caress my cheek.

“You sure about this?” he murmurs.

I nod, then realise he can’t see me. “Yes,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “I’m sure.”

“Then I’m going to undress you now.”

“Okay,” I breathe.

I feel his fingers around my face as he gently takes off my mask. I hear him put it down somewhere—a bedside table, I assume. Then, he’s trying to find the zipper of my dress.

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