He had to get the hell out of here.
But then something caught his eye that made Liam forget everything except the fact he hadn’t had sex in almost a year.
There, on the other side of the ballroom, stood a gorgeous vixen in a French maid costume and she was staring straight at him, as if he were the man of her most forbidden midnight fantasies.
Coyly, she tossed her auburn wig.
Liam drove his hand through his own wig.
She licked her lips.
Drawing in a ragged breath, he hooked his thumbs through his belt loop.
Her eyes widened, and he saw a telltale red flush spread from her generous cleavage up her long slender throat.
His body hardened and he shifted, widening his stance, pointing his boots in her direction.
She lowered her eyelashes, dropped her hands. His gaze fell to the creamy inside of her wrist, and then tracked up her smooth, delicate skin to her shoulders. She peeked at him again and then slyly winked. Even with the barrier of her black mask cloaking most of her face, he was absolutely certain she was winking at him.
Boldly, Liam winked back.
Why the hell not? Sex was better than jogging for blowing off steam and after what had happened before with Delancy, he could certainly do with the distraction.
And she was one fine distraction with those shapely legs encased in lust-arousing black fishnet stockings. He could easily imagine himself tugging that silky material over the curve of her calf.
She angled him a long, lingering look.
He caught it, held it.
Quickly, she looked away again, but there was no mistaking her invitation.
Come play with me.
His blood revved hot.
She turned and walked away.
The thundering in his veins intensified. Curiosity grabbed him by the short hairs and hung on tight. Who was this mysterious woman? Did he know her? Something about her seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
She made her way through the crowd, hips rolling seductively, as aloof as the blue-blooded princess she undoubtedly was. When she got to the doorway, she paused. Her long fingers stroked the door casing as she tossed him a glance over her shoulder. She looked damned provocative, even in a room chock-full of people dressed in suggestive garb.
Follow me, her eyes whispered.
Normally, Liam wasn’t the type of guy who allowed his libido to overrule his common sense. But he was horny and desperately needing something to salve his battered ego, and she was hot and willing.
Why not go for it?
You shouldn’t let your anger at Delancy drive you to casual sex with a frisky member of the Ladies League simply to prove you can bed the social elite.
Maybe not, but his gaze was ensnared on her full, rich mouth that was clearly made for kissing. She pursed her lips, slowly blew him a kiss and then crooked her index finger.
This way.
Liam felt the impact of the gesture slam low in his groin. Simultaneously, hormones and endorphins lit up both his body and his brain. He gulped against the sheer force of the sensation. This French maid wanted to have some fun. Why shouldn’t he be the one to accommodate her?
He shook his head. What kind of spell had she cast over him? His tongue was cemented to the roof of his mouth. His eyes were transfixed by her lithe form. His nose twitched, suddenly sensitized to the scent of seduction in the air. His ears filled with a blinding white roaring noise.
She strutted off a second time.
Mesmerized, he watched her hips sway.
Liam went all Neanderthal then and lumbered after her. Must have woman.
By the time he reached where she’d been standing, she was already in the archway of another room. The place could have been completely empty. That’s how unaware he was of the crowd jostling around them.
The French maid paused again, but this time she did not look back. Apparently, she’d assumed he would follow.
She was correct.
Sending her auburn curls bouncing over her shoulders with a toss of her head, she turned to the right and started down a long corridor.
Liam made a beeline after her.
People were all around him, talking, laughing, joking, drinking, but he could have been stranded on a deserted island or trapped in a timeless vortex. He was that focused on Miss French Maid’s fanny as she slipped through the costumed throng.
She winnowed around a man the size of a boxcar dressed like Paul Bunyan and Liam couldn’t see her anymore. He quickened his pace, but at the next doorway, Paul Bunyan turned, blocking his path.
“Excuse me.” Liam stepped to his right.
Paul Bunyan moved in the same direction at the exact same moment.
Liam corrected, angling to the left.
So did Bunyan.
Was this on purpose? What was happening here? Liam frowned.
“Shall we dance?” Paul Bunyan chuckled, and Liam realized he’d been unnecessarily suspicious. By the time he got around the guy, he found himself faced with a long hallway filled with doors. His French maid had vanished.
“Dammit,” he muttered.
It’s all for the best. He was feeling much too vulnerable to be indulging in anonymous sex. That kind of solace, while great in the moment, wouldn’t fix anything. It wouldn’t make up for the aching for a real father that had dogged his bones since he was a kid.
He stood there in the corridor, staring at the doors, wondering if she was behind one, not wanting to leave in case she reappeared. A minute ticked past. And then another.
Face it. She’s gone.
He turned to retrace his steps when suddenly the door behind him opened and a hand reached out to grab him by the scruff of his collar.
Long, manicured fingernails tickled the back of his neck and the next thing Liam knew, he was being hauled into a pitch black closet.
The French maid wrapped her arms around him and covered his face in kisses. At least he hoped it was the French maid.
She murmured something in French. He didn’t understand the language, but he did get the gist of her suggestive message. He tried to take a step back to clear his head, but her fingers were frantically working the buttons of his puffy white pirate shirt.
“Slow down,” he said, or rather tried to say. His throat was twisted so tight with need the sounds came out as scarcely more than an excited groan.
Her mind-boggling aroma, which smelled like a cross between apricots and stargazer lilies, filled his nose and shot up his desire. He could see absolutely nothing in the darkness, but the rest of his senses were fully attuned and ready to be indulged.
“What…how…who…” He wrenched out the words, unable to form a coherent thought.
“Shh.” She placed an index finger over his lips. Her skin tasted forbidden.
He thought of truffles and Russian caviar and saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. His nerve endings blazed. In the back of his mind, far off in the distance, sounding as if it had been locked up in a dry, dusty trunk for centuries, his muffled conscience tried to get his attention.
Hey, sport, this seems awfully odd. Sexy babe coming on to you, no strings attached. You know there’s always strings attached. Something’s wrong. Pull your head out of the hormone soup. Think this through. Last thing you want is to be like your old man. Hey, hey…
His scruples got no further because his brain short-circuited, closing off everything except the exquisite glory of her hot little mouth on his.
3
KATIE COULDN’T believe she was really doing this. It felt so naughty, so wicked, so wrong.
And yet, it felt so damn good.
She should have known Richard would be a world-class kisser. He was one of the hottest bachelors in Boston and very popular with the ladies. Why had she waited this long to seduce him?
He seemed so receptive, so responsive. When she curled her fingers around his forearm, he actually shivered.