Page 79 of Stripped

"Aye, but that was something special." He kissed her on the forehead. "I think Richard's going to be jealous."

She laughed. "I'll see you back inside for the party." She shut the door to her room and locked it, leaning back against it. She let the moment sink in and take root. A black rose lay on the vanity. Wraith would be here any minute; he wouldn't leave her alone for long. She pulled the notecard from the flower and put it in her black, beaded purse. Then she threw the rose in her dance bag, covering it with her discarded clothes. Her hand brushed over the gun. She took it out, the feel of it heavy and solid. A knock on the door caused her to jump.

"Pim, it's me," Wraith said, jiggling the handle. "Open up."

She shoved the gun in her purse and closed the latch.

"Just a sec." She turned the lock and opened the door, letting Wraith inside.

"Sorry I couldn't get to you right away. The press was blocking every exit. Gabriel saw Paul get you out." He picked her up and spun her around. "You were absolutely marvelous," he said, setting her down. "Sorry I don't have any flowers. I promise tomorrow, to shower you in them…" He stopped, looking at her. "Are you all right?"

She plastered a smile on her face. "Of course, I am."

"Are you sure? This isn't about Sokolov again? No one has seen him. Even Alex came to watch for him and the colonel rarely leaves The Tower."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "No, there's always a moment when you get off stage and the reality that it is over hits you. You wonder if you could have done better."

"Bloody hell. You were perfect."

"We always seem to be our own worst critics." She sat down and removed her pointe shoes, sliding her leotard off. He helped her stand, running his hand down her back and over the swell of her bottom, the hunger in his eyes evident.

"God help me, but I want you," he said.

The dance had left her aroused too. However, the darkness she sought to quench it, lived somewhere deep in her psyche. That didn't mean she didn't feel the carnal desires of the flesh, though. Her sex began to throb from his touch.

He took his jacket off, throwing it over the arm of the chair, and pushed her over the vanity so her chest lay on top of it. "My little vixen." His hand caressed the back of her thighs, coming between her legs to stroke her cleft. "You'll have left the entire audience aroused and in need." She felt herself grow wet. Undoing his belt and taking the zipper down on his pants, he pulled his cock out. He entered her in a rush, filling her with his presence as he thrust into her, over and over. She clutched at the table, feeling herself come apart at the seams as her climax built. He stopped, pulled out, and turned her over, picking her up as he pressed her against the wall. She wrapped her legs around him, their faces just inches apart, and kissed him, afraid she was going to say something she wasn't ready to say.

He pulled back, looking her in the eyes. Slowly, he placed her hand over her head and covered it with his own, holding it there as they continued to stare at each other, suspended in the moment.

"Wraith," she started to say, then stopped and started over. "Wraith. I love you." She needed him to know. She wasn't sure what tonight would bring or what Sokolov's note said. But she at least needed him to know the simple truth.

"I love you too." He kissed her, entering back into her, their union complete. A tear snaked down her cheek; such happiness couldn't live long. Tragedy was sure to follow; it always did. He wiped it away with his thumb.

"Shh," he whispered. "I've got you." What started as frenzied lust, ended with the gentle waves of bliss. He set her down. Reaching under the vanity, he opened her bag and looked in. Her heart stopped. He would find the rose. He would know she'd kept something from him. A smile erupted on his face as he pulled out an old ragged stuffed bunny, along with a towel. "Never did I think Primrose McNeil still played with stuffed animals."

She grabbed it from his hand as he gently cleaned her up, the intimate act making her feel vulnerable and extremely guilty at her own betrayal of him. "I don't play with it. At least not anymore. It's a good luck charm now."

She took the towel from his hand and put both items back in her bag, closing it up. A consistent thumping could be heard coming from the room next door.

"Look what you've started," Wraith said, kissing her. "You're going to be responsible for most of the debauchery in the city tonight."

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