“Of course.” He holds out a hand, and I take it.
His skin is warm and callused, as if he works with his hands. None of the boys I’ve been with have felt like this, so solid and capable. It sets my body on fire. The buzz in my ears drowns out the deafening music, and my heart pummels my rib cage. I’ve never hooked up with a guy I just met, never had sex at a party. The forbidden nature of it is tantalizing, and liquid heat pools in my core.
God, I’m already so turned on, and he’s done nothing but hold my hand.
As we pass Chiara, I discreetly give her a thumbs-up. She shakes her head and smiles.I’ll be back soon, I mouth, but she’s already focused on Catwoman again.
The blond leads me upstairs. We pass a room where several people are playing a game that’s half Cards Against Humanity and half spin the bottle.
“The crowd is really something else.” He grins. “Probably the masks. The anonymity gives people the courage to step out of their comfort zones, like Spider-Man down there. Harry. He’s only eighteen and usually shy. He’s my friend’s little brother.”
“Oh,” I say as we pass a couple making out in the hallway. “I wondered how he recognized you so easily. I thought maybe you’re just that well-known around here.”
“I am.” He glances over his shoulder with a smirk, pushing open the door to our right.
Cockiness isn’t a quality I like, and being popular doesn’t earn him any points.
“My father and his business are well-respected, so I’m recognizable by default.”
He leads me into a ridiculously small laundry room and locks the door. As he turns to face me, my chest rises and falls rapidly, more from nerves than excitement, and I let go of his hand.
He angles in, and I move back on instinct. I only make it a step before my ass hits a washing machine. He dips his head, searching my face as if trying to read me. Between the dark mask and the dim room, I can’t tell what color his eyes are.
He wets his lips, the movement transfixing me as if I’m under a spell.
“What’s going to happen next?” I ask. The words are hoarse, my throat suddenly dry.
He lets out a deep, husky chuckle and winds an arm around my waist, pulling me against his chest. “Anything you want. If you want to go back downstairs, we can. But if you want me—say it, and you can have me.”
Heat radiates from his body, soaking through my costume and heating my blood. The beating of his heart echoes mine, and this close, his erection presses into my thigh. Every nerve ending is alight now, my apprehension replaced by desire.
I put my hand on the back of his neck and pull him in so our lips are nearly touching. He places his hands on the washing machine, caging me in but still giving me a choice.
“One time,” I whisper. “No names. No phone numbers. Masks stay on.”
“Anything else?” His hot breath ghosts over my skin, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Do you have a condom?”
He nods.
“Then fuck me.”
He smashes his lips to mine, knocking the air from my lungs. The temperature in the room ratchets up as his tongue curls around mine, exploring my mouth, dominating me. It quickly becomes clear I’ve lost all sense of control. A moan escapes my lips, and it only encourages him. He deepens the kiss, making my head spin.
“Oh my God,” I whimper as he sucks at my throat hard enough to leave a mark. I slip my hands under his tee, mapping out his abs and his pecs, each dip of muscle.
With his hands on my ass, he hoists me up and sets me on the washing machine, nestling between my thighs, grinding against my core. His rhythm doesn’t falter, even as he finds the zipper at the top of my spine and tugs it down. We only break apart so I can help him pull down the bodice. He yanks at the cups of my bra and palms my breasts, squeezing them almost to the point of pain. The sensation sends a zap of need straight to my core, and when he brushes his thumbs against my pebbled nipples, my back arches of its own accord, my body wanting more.
With a grunt that’s equal parts pleasure and pain, he takes my nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it.
“You’re so good,” he murmurs. With my nipple between his teeth, he tugs, and I throw my head back, relishing the way he uses his hands and his mouth.
The sound of a zipper brings me back to my senses, and I straighten. He takes half a step back, his eyes never leaving mine, and pulls a condom out of his pocket.
“You sure about this?”
I nod, diving back in for a kiss.
