Page 73 of 2 Books in One Bundle

“The carousel.” He cocked his head, his handsome features dusted with gold light from the lanterns. “It means something to you.”

“Or maybe it just looked pretty.”

Before he could respond to her retort, a single raindrop fell. She held out her hand and smiled up at the dark sky, grateful for the reprieve.

“It wasn’t supposed to rain tonight,” he grumbled with a glower aimed skyward.

“It’s just water.”

He cast a glance at the case clutched in her hand. “Aren’t you worried about your cello?”

“If this were a downpour, yes. But it’s just a light spring rain. I don’t spend money on a lot of things, but I spent a small fortune to make sure this case was waterproof.”

Lightning flickered above, followed by a soft growl of thunder. Evolet looked up to the sky. She had behaved herself for so long, forcing her dreams and longings deep down where they were safe, untouchable by the capricious and too often cruel nature of the world.

But not tonight. Tonight was about fairy tales and fantasies, dances with handsome strangers and elegant ballrooms.

The rain started to fall in earnest, a gentle whisper that kissed her skin. For the third time that night, she followed impulse and tilted her head back to the sky to embrace the storm.

Rain fell onto Evie’s face, a dozen glistening drops that glimmered like diamonds. Her lips curved into a carefree, happy smile as a laugh bubbled up like champagne.

She was beautiful. Captivating. In this moment, he knew he was seeing the real Evie. And by God, she was dazzling.

When he slid an arm around her waist, her laughter faded. Her eyes met his. A lifetime passed in the span of a heartbeat as he waited for an answer to his unspoken question, gave her the opportunity to pull away. Her answer, her body softly pressing against his, ignited a firestorm in his veins that couldn’t be stopped. He lowered his lips and claimed hers.

The first brush of lips was teasing, testing. She moaned softly, and his control quivered. He swept a wet curl off her cheek before his fingers tangled in her hair. Her mouth firmed beneath his, her body pressing closer. If the feeling of wet cloth could inspire such a deep need to touch, to taste, what would feeling her naked skin against his do?

His tongue teased the seam of her mouth. When her lips parted on a sigh, he tasted her, taking them both deeper. The kiss changed, grew more intense as her hands slid up his neck. Who knew the stroke of a woman’s fingertips, the tug as her fingers tightened in his hair, could drive him to the edge?

The spring air grew colder as the rain fell. But here, in the middle of a park in a city of millions, passion blazed hotter than anything he’d ever experienced. The coolness of the rain only made him more aware of the heat between him and this woman he’d just met. This woman who seemed to look past his defenses and straight into his heart.

A dangerous woman.

Her hips rocked against his in a rhythm he dimly recognized as instinct over finesse. The knowledge that she wanted him so much urged him on. He growled against her mouth, savored her cry as his hands moved down to cup her rear and haul her closer. She gasped as his hard length pressed against her most intimate flesh.

Dimly, he realized she was trembling. It nearly killed him to loosen his grip.

“Don’t stop, Damon.”

Her whispered plea stripped him bare. He crushed her lips beneath his again as he bound her against him in an iron hold. His hands and mouth touched her with a possessiveness he’d never experienced with anyone. They spiraled upward, wrapped in the feel of each other’s bodies, the taste of each other’s desire. A dream he never wanted to wake from.

A dream interrupted by shrill laughter from the rain-slicked path behind them.

“Come on, it’s this cute little—oh.”

Damon raised his head and saw two teenage girls standing behind them. The dim light from a nearby lantern did little to hide the embarrassed look of fascination on the face of one or the delighted smirk on the other.

“Sorry,” the smug one said, not looking sorry at all. “Have fun.”

Another burst of laughter and they were gone.

Slowly, Damon turned to look down into gold eyes wide with shock. Her lips were swollen, her breathing ragged as she clung to his arms like she might collapse without his support.

“Evie, I...”

The whisper of her name on his lips seemed to shock her back to life. She wrenched herself from him, gathered up her cello case and lurched down the steps carved into the hillside.

“Wait!”

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