His meaning zipped through me. Maybe I wanted him to fail. Because this thing between us wasn’t just one-and-done. We’d been flirting, connecting, practically dating for weeks now. Hell, the man had fallen asleep while we watched a movie via video chat one night. You didn’t fall asleep on video chats with flings.
Maybe it was time to give in and let this relationship evolve to its next level.
“Come on. Let’s find the perfect little private room in which to take your corset off andnotfuck you senseless against the wall.” He laughed, shaking his head as he kissed the top of my hand. “You know what we’re walking into, right?”
My heart rate picked up again. The evil, sexy glint in his eye promised so much. It promisedeverything. And I wanted all of it.
“We’re just doing a costume change and then coming back to the party,” I told him. But my words were more of a test to see how serious we were about not crossing the lines we’d drawn. I was ready to erase it altogether.
“Where’s the backup dress?” he asked me. “I’ll go get it so you don’t have to exert yourself.”
I grinned so hard my cheeks hurt. “Now that is the most gentlemanly offer I’ve ever heard.”
“I can be a gentleman when I want to be,” he said, squeezing my hand. As we came into full view of the party, he looked down at me, seeming reluctant to let go of me.
“It’s in my bag at the table,” I told him. He brushed a kiss to my forehead before he took off; his absence felt like a gust of cold air as I measured my breaths and waited for him near the doorway. My gaze landed on Francis across the party, whose eyes darted between me and Damian.Shit. Had he seen us? The thought only prompted more stress, which made the corset feel even tighter.
Abort corset. Abort corset.
Damian returned a moment later with my bag, tenderness and fire in his gaze. We searched out closets, a greenroom, whatever made sense to snag some privacy while I completely disrobed. We finally stumbled upon a private bathroom with a padded bench and powder room inside. Excitement prickled through me as Damian shut the door and locked it with a softclick.
“Okay, Jessa.” The low rumble of his voice rippled through me, sending moisture straight to my panties. His gaze washed over me like he’d already completely undressed me, yet he hadn’t even laid a finger on me. “Where should we begin?”
I turned away from him, exposing my back to him. I gently moved my hair over my shoulder, so he could better see what he was working with.
“There’s a clasp there,” I started, my voice wavering a little. The air snapped with electricity as he stepped closer. He palmed the swell of my hips through the dress, and I could feel the possession there. I’d felt it in the ballroom, too, when he’d touched me during our conversation with Mrs. Bancroft. And I couldn’t argue. If he wanted me, he had me.
I’d always been his.
“Mm-hmm.” He pressed soft kisses along the top of my back. “The clasp.”
My eyes drifted shut, relishing the feel of his lips against my skin. I’d missed his kisses in the short amount of time I’d had this lipstick on.
“Just be careful with it because I didn’t sew it in super well,” I told him, my voice sounding faraway as his kissed drifted down my spine.
“I’ll be careful,” he promised.
“Once the top is open,” I went on, “Then I can unlace it from up front. I just don’t want to ruin my clasp, or this dress.”
“Mm-hmm.” He dragged his tongue over the bumps of my spine. Goosebumps erupted everywhere. I’d never had anyonelickmy spine before. But Damian showed me I barely knew anything about what true pleasure entailed. He’d given me more orgasms than I’d even given myself. And we’d barely even begun exploring each other.
The dress tightened around me briefly as he fumbled with the clasp. Then I felt it release and he tugged down the material covering the corset. A moment later, he spun me around, the base of the corset came loose and some of the pressure around my ribcage disappeared. A whoosh of air filled my lungs.
“Oh, mother clucker,” I moaned. “That feels like heaven.”
He loosened the rest of the corset, and the material spilled away from my breasts. They were unrestrained now, completely free. I held the front of the corset against me as Damian’s mossy green gaze glinted with something feral. He pressed his forehead to mine, drawing a deep breath.
“Do you know how fucking mad I am that I can’t fuck your mouth with my tongue right now?”
I laughed, but it didn’t last long. His hands traveled up the front of my dress, pulling at the corset. The stiff material fell away and my breasts tumbled out. His big hands caught them, his thumbs finding the stiff peaks of my breasts. He let out a low groan.
“Fuck, Jessa.” He massaged my breasts, lavishing them with heated touches, until he dove down and replaced his hands with his lips. He kissed every square inch of them, from the tops to the tips, coaxing my nipples into rock hard points. He took bites along the way, getting lost in my cleavage.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he growled, making one of my nipples disappear inside his mouth. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”
I could barely speak. The feel of his mouth around my nipple was almost too much. I arched against him, needing friction, needinghim.He snaked a hand down between my legs, seeking the V between my legs through the fabric of my dress.
“Do you need me down here, babe?” He watched me with a dark curiosity. I could see the ridge of his erection through his dress pants, and all I could do was nod.