rejection well and had the tenacity of a pit bull. 'That's none of your business,' she said, not bothering to turn around.
His hands curled around the railing on either side of her. The length of him brushed her spine, bottom and thighs. Her heart rate accelerated and a honeyed warmth flowed through her veins. She resisted the impulse to lean back into his heat.
His head lowered to her ear, and the fine hairs at the nape of her neck tingled. Her breath hitched in her throat.
'My guess is that you haven't, but not for a lack of Mr.
Mariah swallowed hard, astonished by Grey's perception. Their clandestine setting and his nearness excited her, and she valiantly searched for the fortitude to stop this craziness.
'I'd bet a hundred bucks he's gonna make his move tonight when he takes you home.'
She turned around, a smart retort on her lips-which instantly died the moment she met his gaze. His gold- brown eyes glittered in the moonlight-seductive, hot and wild.
She shivered. She knew that look. Intimately.
The slow, lazy sweep of his gaze took in her hair, her parted lips and the swells of her breasts rising from the bodice of her dress, then back to her face. A wicked smile stretched his mouth. 'By the way, you look great tonight.'
A melting sensation rippled the length of her. 'Grey, you have to stop this,' she whispered.
She gasped in shock, but couldn't move away. 'Grey, what are you doing?'
But it was shamelessly obvious what he was doing. His fingers touched the elastic band of her stockings and followed a satin strap to the garter belt she'd donned. The one he'd bought for her.
His grin was pure, unadulterated sin as he whispered, 'Remember the fantasy…'
Chapter Four
Mariah groaned as the words Grey had written flooded her mind, making her remember vividly the things he'd wanted to do to her while she wore the ensemble he'd sent. A part of her brain mocked her for wearing the lingerie when she knew he'd expected her to. On a deep, feminine level she found this whole interlude thrilling.
The voices around the corner and the music floating out the French doors dimmed. The world around her receded, until there was only her and Grey in the secluded alcove. She'd only drunk one glass of champagne, but it could have been the whole bottle for how lethargic she suddenly felt.
She struggled to hold on to any shred of cognizance. 'Grey-'
'Shh, baby,' he whispered, his warm, damp mouth nuzzling her neck. His fingers traced the elastic band of her panties before sliding back down and out the hem of her dress.
She whimpered, unable to believe the wanton, needy sound had come from her.
He said nothing, but then they'd never needed verbal communication when it came to pleasing and pleasuring the other. His hands outlined the flare of her hips and the dip of her waist, hiking her dress up a few inches. Cool air brushed across the exposed flesh between her stockings and panties. He continued on, skimming his palms around her breasts to grasp the sleeves of her dress. He tugged gently, and the stretchy lace gave way. Her breasts, full and aching and unrestrained by a bra, sprang free.
Watching her, he licked a finger and touched her sensitive nipple. Her breath caught, and before she could cry out his mouth covered hers in a deep, drugging kiss that made her head spin. His tongue sought and tangled with hers while his hands molded and caressed her breasts. With his foot, he nudged her legs apart until she was straddling his thigh and his erection strained between them.
Lord help her, she wanted him, despite where they were and the risk of being caught. Her body buzzed with desire, and a wet warmth settled between her thighs, where his fingers were again, this time slipping beneath the edge of her panties to touch her intimately.
He stroked her, in just the way he knew made her shatter into a thousand pieces. She moaned desperately, and he buffered the passionate sound with a kiss that weakened her knees. The meltdown began in slow degrees, robbing her of all reason. Her main focus became the intense ache he created within her.
Needing to touch him, she slid her hands inside his tuxedo jacket and rubbed against firm muscle and a heat greater than pure fire. His heavy heartbeat matched her own erratic pulse. She wanted him inside her. It would be just a simple matter of unzipping his pants and her wrapping a leg around his waist. Anyone who happened to walk by would only see two people in a lover's embrace, and not know just how intimately they were joined.
The delicious fantasy, combined with the silken glide of his fingers and the sexiest kisses she'd ever tasted unraveled the last of her inhibitions. Her body convulsed in waves of ecstasy, and she moaned into his mouth and clung to him until the incredible pleasure subsided.
Now she knew how the fantasy ended.
Grey slowly broke their kiss and rested her head on his shoulder until she regained a normal breathing pattern. His own breathing was ragged. He stroked her hair and the length of her spine. Murmuring soothing words, he ignored his own need, which pressed insistently against her belly.
With a tenderness that touched her heart, he adjusted the top of her dress over her breasts and smoothed down the hem. Dazed, she let him tend to her. She had little energy left to do it herself. When he straightened and looked into her eyes, his own were blazing hot and filled with a masculine satisfaction.
He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip, puffy and damp from his ardent kisses. ''Night, sweetheart,' he murmured huskily. Thrusting his hands deep into his trouser pockets, he turned and strolled down the stairs at the side of the veranda and disappeared into the night.
She stared in that direction, long after there was no sign of him. Stunned and bereft by the entire episode, she attempted to calm the tremors still quaking deep inside her. On shaky legs she stepped from the shadowed corner and up to the railing, wrapping her fingers tight around the metal rod.
Tears of anger and frustration burned the back of her throat and filled her eyes. 'Damn you, Grey,' she whispered vehemently.
He'd seduced her deliberately. Like a possession, he'd marked her, branding her as his so no other man would touch her. So she wouldn't want any other man.
If he were still around, she would have slapped him.
Two hands settled heavily on the flare of her hips, and a distinctly male body crowded her from behind. Abruptly she whirled around, her palm midway to the man's cheek before she realized it was Richard. She immediately jerked back and dropped her hand, horrified at what she'd almost done.
He looked just as surprised. 'Hey, it's just me,' he said, his fingers tightening on her waist.
'I'm…I'm sorry.' Shaking her head, she tried to move away, but his hold was unrelenting. Short of prying his fingers from her, she was trapped in his firm grasp. 'You startled me.'
'I didn't mean to.' Slowly he drew her forward, sexual prowess gleaming in his eyes. 'I was wondering where you'd disappeared to.'
Panic settled in and she swallowed the thickness gathering in her throat. Grey's ploy had worked. The thought of another man touching her made her want to bolt, not that she'd ever intended for her and Richard to become that intimate.
'Richard-' She sucked in a deep breath of dismay as his hands cupped her breasts and groped her.
'You like that?' he said near her ear, obviously mistaking her shock for pleasure. 'How about we take a walk around the garden area and find a spot where we can be alone for a while?'
