ave a soft moan that had him moving forward, pulling her tighter against him, and deepening the kiss. He felt the crowd’s eyes, sensed their stillness, and he embraced the spike of adrenaline burning through his veins. But when he heard the crowd shift, growing impatient, he realized how long he’d been kissing her, so he gave them what they wanted to see tonight.
He broke from her to step behind the woman. She shuddered when he unhooked her bra and dragged the lacy straps down her arms. Her breathy sigh slid over him as he cupped her small breasts and teased her rosy nipples. Unable to stop himself, he pressed his cock against her bottom, giving her a taste of what she’d soon have. What she’d soon beg him for. When she wiggled her hips encouragingly, he tucked his fingers into her panties and slid them down. Every moment slow, easy. For her. And for the crowd. He caught all the heated eyes on him, felt the burn of how much he liked that, and then he kissed her shoulder. He took her hand and guided her to the chaise.
Drawn into those gorgeous eyes of hers, he dropped his mouth onto hers before he picked her up and laid her out on the cushions. Right here, right now, he didn’t give two fucks about the show anymore. Innocence and purity, waiting for him to take. But there was something unique about her, something that felt addictive.
He opened his pants, unable to take his eyes off her. While she watched him undress, her cheeks burned deeper, and he wondered, as his cock spilled free, how deep he could make those cheeks burn. She took in the size of him, and her wide eyes made him grin, a most unexpected reaction. Usually, he kept things all business. All pleasure. But with her…what is it about you?
He knew she expected him to cover her body and take her. Instead, he thrust his hands beneath her bottom and lifted her to his mouth. At the first gentle stroke of his tongue against her tight heat, her chin tilted up, a soft moan spilling out. A sound that tightened his groin. She tasted sweet as he slowly stroked over her clit, swirling the bud, until he dipped lower and groaned at her lovely wetness. She shuddered beneath him, and a quick look up at her revealed those cheeks were even darker than he’d hoped. Over and over again, he teased her, taking her right to the edge, then slowing down. Making her wild. When she gave a loud moan and a hard tremble, he lowered her bottom down to the chaise again then knelt in front of her. She reached for his arms then, holding him in such a way that felt far too intimate for the surroundings. It occurred to him that this woman was unlike anyone he’d met before. A virgin, shy, but also full of passion. The contradiction fascinated and intrigued him.
Unable to look away from her, he swiped his thumb over her clit. Her lips parted, and soft moans spilled out. A sound so beautiful, he accepted the invitation. He leaned over and kissed her as he stroked his fingers down her drenched folds. She tightened her lips on his when he slid one finger inside her tight heat and slowly worked her over. By the time he inserted another finger, her fingernails were digging into his arms. Not to stop him, but to bring him closer. Every swipe of her tongue against his was begging for him to take her where she’d never gone.
Tonight, he’d take her far past that.
Her breaths became heavy, her moans louder as she broke away from the kiss, her chin angling up. He was tempted to continue driving her wild with his fingers, but he knew better. She’d accept him easier on the edge of her pleasure. And with only her comfort and safety on his mind, he sheathed himself in the condom. He shifted closer, staying on his knees between her spread thighs. He became lost in the sweetness of her eyes. Something in her soul, keeping him transfixed. He only looked away to drench the tip of his cock in her arousal. Around him, he sensed the crowd go quiet, eager for what came next.
A whimper escaped her as he inserted just the tip, and he met her eyes. The crowd faded once again, and the most unexpected reaction overtook him. With a hand on her hip, he did what he’d never done with anyone to walk through Phoenix’s doors; he cupped her face intimately and held her gaze, keeping her attention on him. Protecting her, shielding her, becoming absorbed in her. Lost in all the unexpected magic that silently passed between them, he thrust forward, her shocked gasp echoing around him. His eyes shut of their own accord at her tight heat squeezing him like a damn vise. A low groan spilled from his lips as he slowly pulled out, staring down at the blood of her innocence. He looked to her face again, but the heated eyes he expected to see weren’t on him. Nor was her mask. Her bare face revealing hurt, hatred, and rage all directed at someone in the crowd. Then a single tear fell down her beautiful face, and a protective burn coursed through his veins while a haunting truth dawned on him.
This woman had an agenda tonight, and Rhys had played right into her plan.
Chapter 2
Zoey pushed past the pinch stealing her breath as the very innocence that had felt like a dark cloud over her life was finally broken. Oh, how much easier it would be to get lost in the masked man deep inside her. The sculpted lines of his face, squared jaw, jet-black hair, and gray eyes looked oddly familiar, but she couldn’t place if, or where, she’d met him. Most of all, his touch felt good, so not what she had expected for tonight. It made no sense, but she’d swear she knew him and had kissed him a hundred times before now. Gorgeous and seductive, he oozed a passion she’d never known in her life. Like, if she allowed herself, she could let go, and his capable hands and strong, muscular body could take her places she’d never gone, and she’d be safe. But that delight was never meant for her. Only one thing had brought Zoey to Phoenix tonight. Justice. And even with their masks on, across the room, she knew the men who’d altered the direction of her life, Jake Grant and Scott Ross, were there, in attendance, watching her lose her virginity. When her lover for the night had withdrawn from her and she caught sight of the proof of her virginity, and knew everyone else did too, she had slid her mask off as accidentally as she could. Sweet revenge filled her when both Jake and Scott rose from their seats.
She let every emotion they’d made her feel for the last year show on her face. She nearly didn’t do it. She threw up before the show and almost walked out twice. But she did it, and tonight, she’d leave all the pain, all the trauma, all of it, right there. Tomorrow was a new day, with new beginnings, where she wouldn’t be stuck in a loop of the past. She could return to the old her. The shy her. The one who would never do something this bold. The woman who trusted blindly, who wanted to find love, who believed people were inherently good.
A soft swipe brushed across her face, and she realized the man hovering above her was touching her. Only then did she notice he was wiping away her tears. Some emotion appeared in his eyes, something protective and fierce. Something that made her feel oddly safe, even when she’d never been more exposed, both physically and emotionally. And that was the most unexpected reaction of all, that being watched, under this man’s care, stole her timidity away. She’d expected to hate his touch, not to want more of him while a crowd watched, and she certainly hadn’t expected to feel safe with him. She had a plan for tonight, but that plan was fading under his penetrating stare. The truth was as clear as it was surprising; she wanted more.
The masked man glanced over his shoulder, and she caught the narrowing of his eyes. She didn’t need to look to know he saw Jake and Scott, maybe even noticed the paleness of their faces under their masks before they both left the room.
When his focus returned to her, there was a hard question in his eyes. It would go unanswered. She never planned on telling him, regardless of how much she wanted to beg him to keep going. She owed this man—any man—nothing. He obviously thought otherwise, since he dropped his mouth to her ear and said, “You will tell me the truth.”
She never got to respond. He dropped a kiss on her mouth that stole every single thought right out of her head. All the heat that had vanished was back with the intensity of his kiss. With each powerful move of sheer seduction, she began to forget. Forget why she’d come there tonight. Why she’d spent the last year tracking Jake’s and Scott’s emails and text messages to find a way to get justice. To prove to them, and herself, that she was not the whore they’d made her out to be. That she was, until a moment ago, a virgin. And that they never broke her. That she could be this bold, this brave, and that no matter what they had done, they didn’t destroy her.
No matter what everyone on campus thought, she knew the truth. And now they did too.
The masked man’s mouth moved with intent, his finger stroking over her clit until her eyes rolled back into her head from the hot pleasure. His kisses and sizzling touches were beyond anything she’d ever experienced before. They weren’t to take; they were to give. Obviously, he enjoyed pleasuring a woman, and she’d never felt so wanted, so beautiful…all the things she’d never felt before in her life. A sudden gasp was pulled from deep in her chest when he took hold of her knee, sliding it up a little as he shifted his hips. His cock felt impossibly huge, stretching her until a whimper escaped her mouth.
The noise only made him deepen his kiss. Then his mouth slid to her neck, her breast, her nipple, sucking and playing until her body was lit up. Every touch rocked through her and to her core. Every stroke tickled in all the right places. His body felt like a beacon of light, and she felt consumed by the warmth of him.
She sensed the crowd watching, but she couldn’t find shame. In fact, she liked that she held their attention. That she was the reason they were likely turned on. That they were enamored by her. The masked man broke the kiss with a low groan that rumbled in her belly, and he cupped her face. Holding her pinned, he moved faster, and the pleasure…oh, the pleasure was endless, making her curl her toes and arch her back.
But she wasn’t meant to enjoy this, to need this, to fully let go. She bit her lip, struggling against where he took her, not wanting to give him everything.
His fingers tightened in her hair. A low growl rumbled beside her ear. “Don’t fight me.”
She snapped her eyes open to his burning gaze beneath his mask. Trapped in the power of that stare and enduring thrusts that sent never-ending pleasure coursing into every molecule of her body, her breath hitched. He drove in harder and grinned when she shuddered.
He brought his mouth close to hers then nipped her lip. “That’s right, sweetheart, give me what I want.”
What happened next was completely unexpected. He thrust once, hard enough to make her scream again, and any pleasure she thought she’d had before this moment, was incomparable to the sheer force that stormed over. Wave after wave of penetrating euphoria blasted across her senses until there was no man, no crowd, no Phoenix, only the intensity erupting deep in her soul.
Sometime later, a round of applause forced her to reopen her eyes. She wiggled her toes, but her legs were heavy. Far too heavy to move. She found herself staring into the masked man’s gorgeous eyes, his softer cock still buried deep inside her. Her first surprise was that the fire in his gaze hadn’t lessened. The second was that the protectiveness she felt emanating from him seemed stronger now.
Tonight, she did what she’d planned to do, and suddenly, the weight of the last year slammed into her. Her throat squeezed and chin quivered. The masked man above her held her stare, almost like he knew she was about to break apart, and yet, he didn’t look bothered. No, he looked…ready.
“Breathe,” he told her gently.
She let out the air stuck in her tight throat. A moment later, the crowd began to leave the room, talking and laughing like they hadn’t just witnessed her having sex for the first time. Maybe this was normal for them, but it certainly wasn’t normal for her. And with Jake and Scott gone, her heart had a moment to ask…what did you just do?