Who knew trousers could be so revealing?
He cocked his head to the side when she remained silent, his dark brown eyes sucking her into their depths, and there was something about the way he gazed at her that pulled her under his spell, as if he owned her, and everyone else in this club. “Let me guess. You’re from New York?”
She watched his mouth as it formed words, transfixed and not bothering to hide it. “Is my accent that obvious?”
“Yes. New Yorkers have a very distinctive way of speaking.” He signaled the bartender. “May I buy you a drink, my lady?”
My lady. The fact that they still said such things in an otherwise modern country baffled her. While women carried important jobs here, just like in America, the men still treated them like items to be coddled. Worshipped. Cherished. It was weird.
“Sure. Thanks.” She held her hand out to him, ignoring the free drink vouchers in her purse. “I’m Alicia, by the way.”
He stiffened, but when he turned back to her, his face was impassive. “Nice to meet you…” Grasping her hand lightly, he brought it to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss on her knuckles. That kiss went right to her belly, making it twist with desire, and again, that undeniable attraction pulled her closer. There was just something about him. “Alicia.”
The way he said her name…
It brought back memories.
He leaned in to shout over the music, “I’ll have another lager, and she’ll have a…”
She slipped her hair over her shoulder and gave him what she hoped was a seductive smile, despite the memories flitting through her mind, and leaned closer, too. “Manhattan, please.”
“How fitting,” he said drily, watching her from beneath hooded eyes.
She smiled. “I’m a fan of well-timed irony.”
“Me, too.” After a few moments of silence, he whistled through his teeth, his eyes fixated on something behind her. “That couple behind you is quite…well, you simply have to see for yourself.”
Unable to resist, she glanced over her shoulder, a gasp escaping, and just as quickly turned back to her Phantom. While it was out of character for her, she so wished she and the Phantom were that couple.
What is wrong with you?
Him. It was definitely him.
Never in her life—well, except for that one time—had she been so attracted to another human being. “They’re really out of—” She broke off, not wanting to sound like a prude. “I mean, they’re really…uninhibited, aren’t they?”
“Masks have a funny way of bringing out the adventurous side in everyone,” he said, that sexy grin sliding into place. “And only the adventurous come to a place like this.”
He watched her with a dark light in his brown eyes, and that unspoken pull between them made her shift closer to him until her knee touched his thigh. He glanced down at the small contact, and when they locked eyes again…
Without a doubt, she knew that she’d found her one-night stand.
He made her crave so much more than a mundane, awkward night in a stranger’s arms—and she had no doubt he could deliver. Through all these years, she’d thought maybe she just wasn’t that type to thrive at the idea of a crazy night in a stranger’s arms.
Turned out, she was wrong.
This guy was totally her type.
Tall, dark, with a dash of Randovian.
“Yeah,” she said, pressing her knee more firmly against his thigh. “I suppose you have a point there.”
“Do you lose all inhibitions when you put on a mask?” He tugged on hers, leaning in until his mouth was a breath away from her ear. “Are you the type to have sex in a crowded club and not give a damn who sees you?”
Hell no.
But with him…
“Are you?” she asked breathlessly.