Page 55 of Masquerade

“I’m angry Futureproof hasn’t been called out for dodgy dealings in the years since.” His voice evened out, and his hand moved to her nape, the strokes longer, slower, more a caress than a comfort.

She sank into the caress, anticipation spiking low in her belly.

“An unethical man would have stayed silent.” She trailed kisses along his honourable jaw.

“My pride took the greatest beating,” he admitted. “But it’s over. As I said, I was lucky. The timing worked for me. Knowing what she’s capable of gives us an advantage now.” Threading his hands through her hair, he massaged her scalp. His gentle kneading sent shock waves to her toes.

He was a master at the art of touching. A hug, a brush of fingers, an affectionate nuzzle, and he’d built her desire by deliberate degrees until her resistance melted away. Kate now had a name for one of the shadows hovering over them since she and Liam had met. Selina had been a ghost in the room while they’d danced around temptation.

“She’s not part of us.” Tonight, he’d banished Selina, leaving the next step up to Kate. “I want you, Kate.”

“Your librarian fantasy or mine?” Because it was important to keep their affair lighthearted. She slid her knee against the outside of his leg in a reminder of that night.

“Neither.” He manoeuvred her between him and the back of the sofa, pillowing her head on his arm, creating an aching friction where they touched. “This is just you and me tonight.” His plea took her over an unexpected precipice.

She hadn’t intended to flip the switch to real.

“I haven’t been with anyone in a while,” she whispered. Hadn’t let herself be vulnerable, physically or emotionally. Nerves battled excitement.

“Me neither. You can call a stop or change your mind at any time.” He waited for her answer.

She had the sense he’d wait forever, which made her decision easy. She wriggled against him.

“I can work with—”

He was kissing her before she finished. Speed suited her, silencing the compulsion to second-guess herself. His hands inflicted a slower torture. One skimmed down her flank, causing the expensive fabric to glide across her skin, the soft abrasion raising goose bumps. Her body pulsated with a restless seeking.

He lifted his head on a groan. “Wanna stop?”

“Don’t be daft.” She linked her hands behind his head to draw his mouth back to hers. She could spend an eon savouring the taste of him. Decency, with a core of strength tested through adversity and a seemingly bottomless hunger for her. Her curiosity matched his, her mouth following where her hands explored.

“We need ground rules.” Breathing heavily, he flopped onto his back drawing her over him.

“For the last twenty minutes?” Kate propped herself on her elbows, bereft. The breath she pushed out lifted her fringe. “We’ve been locking lips and touching each other in places you could get arrested for in a public place.” The slow drag of his hand over her backside had her blood pounding with need. “Your right hand’s cupping my butt, and you want to talk about ground rules?”

“I know where my hand is”—his other hand tugged on a tousled curl sitting on her shoulder, coiling tension within her—“I want you naked.”

“That rule works.” She shimmied backwards to push her hand under his shirt, her fingers tiptoeing across the firm skin of his pecs.

“That’s not a rule,” he muttered. His jerky breathing and the heat radiating from his body told her this pause was costing him. But he’d given his word. Knowing he’d honour his word was a heady aphrodisiac.

“We’re having sex”—she moaned when his palm teased her already engorged nipple—“not signing a prenup.”

“That’s the rule.”

“You’ve lost me.” She didn’t want to be found if it meant the sensations swamping her would stop.

With a tortured murmur, he lifted her to straddle him, his erection pressing intimately against her. She ached to ditch the clothes separating them.

“Rule one is that we like each other. We’re sharing pleasure. And if we change our minds, we tell the truth.”

“Stop being such a lawyer.” She stretched her arms high in the air and rolled her hips. His swift inhalation of breath set off a deeper yearning in her.

“I am a lawyer.” He gripped her hips.

“Okaaay,” she drawled. “I’ve changed my mind.”

“You want me to stop?” His growl let her know he was fighting for control. “Woman. You’re killing me.”

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