Read Online Masked Desires by Elizabeth Coldwell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elizabeth Coldwell
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trash and put his own mask on the nightstand.
‘You’ll stay the night, won’t you?’ he said, settling in behind me so our bodies spooned together, his groin pressed against the curve of my ass.
‘Do you think it’s a good idea?’ I asked, even though all I wanted to do was fall asleep in his arms, secure and protected.
‘Would I be asking if I didn’t? Besides, it might look a bit odd if you walked out on me now.’ Eddie dropped a kiss on my shoulder. ‘Thanks for everything, Summer. For putting on such a great show downstairs, and for –’ He paused. ‘I mean, when I asked you to be my partner tonight I’d didn’t think we’d actually end up going as far as we did, but …’
I rolled over to face him. Somehow, it felt strange to be looking right into his face, no longer obscured by the domino mask. ‘You don’t regret it, do you?’ My tone was more anxious than I liked the sound of. ‘I mean, I don’t want things to be awkward between us next time I come into work.’
He shook his head. ‘I have no regrets, I promise you. It was incredible. You were incredible. You know, for a fake girlfriend, Summer, you’re better than the real thing.’
‘Thanks, Eddie – I think.’
When he gave me a drowsy grin, I experienced again the same melting sensation I had when I’d first met him in the bar, the same flood of warmth and excitement. He murmured something that sounded an awful lot like, ‘I really think I’m falling in love with you,’ but when I asked him to repeat what he’d just said, his only response was a soft snore.
Still trying to decipher what I’d just heard, I closed my eyes. Sleep came more quickly than I’d expected, and when it did, my dreams were all of Eddie.
Chapter Five
When I woke, Eddie lay asleep beside me, curled on his right side, his broad back facing me. I couldn’t be entirely sure, but in the half-light it looked as though I’d left scratch marks on his skin, carried away in the heat of passion.
Just thinking about what we’d done last night made my pussy flutter, already eager for more despite the faint soreness between my thighs. The prospect was tempting, but as I watched Eddie slumber so peacefully, I knew I had to leave. The moment I stopped thinking of this as a one time only deal, started believing what I thought I’d heard Eddie say in the moments before he’d drifted off to sleep, I risked opening myself up to all kinds of hurt and heartache. I’d played the part he’d asked of me, and now it was time to quit the stage.
A glance at my watch let me know it was gone 7 a.m. The bakery on West 4th would be open by now; I could stop in on my way home and pick up a Danish for breakfast. Careful not to wake Eddie, I shrugged on my bra, then zipped myself into the prom dress. My panties I couldn’t locate anywhere, and I wasn’t in the mood to go hunting for them. Eddie could keep them as a souvenir, if he found them tangled among his own clothing.
Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, it somehow felt wrong to leave without saying goodbye. A notepad, each page monogrammed with the Mallory’s logo, stood on the nightstand. I reached for the pen by its side, and quickly wrote “Thanks so much for last night. See you at work”, signing the note with my initial and a big, scrawled kiss. Then I quietly let myself out of the room. Eddie didn’t appear to have stirred.
The elevator arrived almost as soon as I pressed the button, and I stepped inside. In the seconds before the door closed, I thought I heard someone call my name, but put it down to guilty thoughts about running out on Eddie. I tried not to catch a glimpse of my reflection in its mirrored walls, or think back to how my gorgeous boss had pressed me against those walls on our way up, his big hands all over my body as we’d kissed.
I was halfway across the lobby, congratulating myself on having made a successful escape, when I heard a voice call my name. Looking round, I
‘You’ll stay the night, won’t you?’ he said, settling in behind me so our bodies spooned together, his groin pressed against the curve of my ass.
‘Do you think it’s a good idea?’ I asked, even though all I wanted to do was fall asleep in his arms, secure and protected.
‘Would I be asking if I didn’t? Besides, it might look a bit odd if you walked out on me now.’ Eddie dropped a kiss on my shoulder. ‘Thanks for everything, Summer. For putting on such a great show downstairs, and for –’ He paused. ‘I mean, when I asked you to be my partner tonight I’d didn’t think we’d actually end up going as far as we did, but …’
I rolled over to face him. Somehow, it felt strange to be looking right into his face, no longer obscured by the domino mask. ‘You don’t regret it, do you?’ My tone was more anxious than I liked the sound of. ‘I mean, I don’t want things to be awkward between us next time I come into work.’
He shook his head. ‘I have no regrets, I promise you. It was incredible. You were incredible. You know, for a fake girlfriend, Summer, you’re better than the real thing.’
‘Thanks, Eddie – I think.’
When he gave me a drowsy grin, I experienced again the same melting sensation I had when I’d first met him in the bar, the same flood of warmth and excitement. He murmured something that sounded an awful lot like, ‘I really think I’m falling in love with you,’ but when I asked him to repeat what he’d just said, his only response was a soft snore.
Still trying to decipher what I’d just heard, I closed my eyes. Sleep came more quickly than I’d expected, and when it did, my dreams were all of Eddie.
Chapter Five
When I woke, Eddie lay asleep beside me, curled on his right side, his broad back facing me. I couldn’t be entirely sure, but in the half-light it looked as though I’d left scratch marks on his skin, carried away in the heat of passion.
Just thinking about what we’d done last night made my pussy flutter, already eager for more despite the faint soreness between my thighs. The prospect was tempting, but as I watched Eddie slumber so peacefully, I knew I had to leave. The moment I stopped thinking of this as a one time only deal, started believing what I thought I’d heard Eddie say in the moments before he’d drifted off to sleep, I risked opening myself up to all kinds of hurt and heartache. I’d played the part he’d asked of me, and now it was time to quit the stage.
A glance at my watch let me know it was gone 7 a.m. The bakery on West 4th would be open by now; I could stop in on my way home and pick up a Danish for breakfast. Careful not to wake Eddie, I shrugged on my bra, then zipped myself into the prom dress. My panties I couldn’t locate anywhere, and I wasn’t in the mood to go hunting for them. Eddie could keep them as a souvenir, if he found them tangled among his own clothing.
Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, it somehow felt wrong to leave without saying goodbye. A notepad, each page monogrammed with the Mallory’s logo, stood on the nightstand. I reached for the pen by its side, and quickly wrote “Thanks so much for last night. See you at work”, signing the note with my initial and a big, scrawled kiss. Then I quietly let myself out of the room. Eddie didn’t appear to have stirred.
The elevator arrived almost as soon as I pressed the button, and I stepped inside. In the seconds before the door closed, I thought I heard someone call my name, but put it down to guilty thoughts about running out on Eddie. I tried not to catch a glimpse of my reflection in its mirrored walls, or think back to how my gorgeous boss had pressed me against those walls on our way up, his big hands all over my body as we’d kissed.
I was halfway across the lobby, congratulating myself on having made a successful escape, when I heard a voice call my name. Looking round, I
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