“Would you like some wine?’ he asked softly. There were a number of unopened bottles sitting on the bar.
She turned from the window. “I would.”
“Red or white?” he asked, drinking her in with his eyes.
“White, please.”
After expertly removing the cork, he poured white for the lady and red for himself. After walking over to her he handed her a glass and raised his own to toast. “To the empire.”
She gave him a smile. “And to the Yoruba people.”
He liked her wit.
Their eyes bored into each other as they sipped. She set her glass down on a nearby table and seemed to be waiting for him to make the next move.
“Shall we sit?”
“Only if we can snuff out some of these candles. All this fire makes me nervous.”
He paused. Was she a mind reader? “I agree.”
A few minutes later, all but a few of the candles were extinguished, and the air held faint traces of smoke. To compensate for the darkness, he turned on a few lamps. The dimly lit atmosphere remained intimate but was potentially less dangerous.
“Thank you,” she said after taking a seat on the sofa.
He sat nearby in one of the upholstered armchairs. “My pleasure.”
Silence crept over the room again until he finally said, “I’ve never shared an evening with a goddess before, so my apologies for not knowing what to say or do.”
“This is uncharted territory for me, as well.”
“Then let’s see if we can find our way. What kind of music do you like?”
“World, preferably from the Mother continent.”
“Any particular countries?”
“Mali. South Africa.”
He was impressed. A lot of people didn’t even know Mali was a country, let alone that the people there were known for their music.
“And what kind of music does the centurion prefer?” she asked.
He liked the way she said centurion. It had a soft, almost possessive sound to it. “Jazz. Old school. Lonnie Liston Smith. Miles. Sonny Criss.”
For the next few minutes they talked about music, which led to a conversation about books, which led to movies.
“What’s your favorite?” she asked.
“Gladiator.”
“But of course,” she laughed.
“And yours?”
“Clash of the Titans—the old one”
He chuckled. “Really.”
“Yes. It’s pretty cheesy, and the special effects are terrible, and they turned poor Andromeda into a blonde, but I still enjoy it.”
“Andromeda? The constellation? What do you mean they turned her into a blonde?”
“Before she was made into a constellation after her death, the Andromeda of Greek mythology was an Ethiopian princess, not a blonde like in the movie. She was also the wife of Perseus who rode the winged horse Pegasus.”
“Never knew that.”
“Just a bit of goddess trivia,” she said and raised her glass.
“More comfortable now?” he asked.
She paused for a moment. “I am. Thank you for wanting me to be so.”
“You’re welcome.”
Eve decided she liked him. He was intelligent, well-read and considerate. He was also hot in that costume. Brawn and brains. For someone who’d been kicking and screaming about having to attend the party, she was having a good time.
There was a knock at the door. They stared quizzically at each other, then heard a male voice call, “Room service.”
The centurion stood. “I’ll take care of it.”
She noted his confident stride and wondered if he’d ever served in the military. As he’d said to her earlier, no personal questions were allowed, so she had no way of knowing who he was or what he did in his nine-to-five. Or even if he was married. Not wanting to deal with that possibility, she set it aside and reminded herself that tonight wasn’t supposed to be about worrying.
With that in mind, she watched the waiter roll in the cart holding the food, accompanied by the centurion. The elaborate meal provided by the party’s hosts was as grand as the suite: lobster tails, salad, sides and a variety of breads and desserts. To her delight, there was even Halloween candy corn in a fancy cut-glass bowl. She spied a bite-sized Snickers candy bar she planned on having later.
The table was positioned in front of the large windows overlooking the river, and once the waiter finished placing everything on the table, he quickly withdrew.
“This is very nice,” she said looking at the beautiful setting. A pair of tall white tapers in silver candleholders served as the centerpiece for the table, and the twin flames added an intimate touch.
“Yes, it is.”
“Shall we eat now?’
“A soldier dining with a lady should never sit with his back to the door, so…” He gestured in her direction.
She took the seat he offered, and when he came up behind her to help with her chair, his body brushed up against her. “Thank you.”
He sat framed by the opened drapes and the night. Her eyes met his. There was an underlying current running between them that had begun the moment he first approached her downstairs. Although he hadn’t exhibited any overt sign of desire, it was there. She could feel it as well as she could her own breathing.
Leyton felt it, too. When he’d drawn the short straw this morning, he’d never imagined he’d be spending the evening with a woman so beautiful. He ran his eyes over the graceful sweep of her shoulders and the shadowy allure of her arms accented by the gold rings. The black velvet domino covering her face only added to her mystery.
She said quietly in her royal voice, “We should probably get started before everything gets cold.”
They filled their plates, and as they ate, his focus kept straying towards her. He’d said it a hundred times in his mind, but good lord, she was gorgeous. The candlelight was flickering over her skin making him fantasize about how it might feel to brush his lips against the plane of her soft throat and to feel the lean strength of her arms under his hands. As befitting a goddess of Africa, her mouth was wide and ripe, and just looking at it made him want to taste it. Just thinking about her had him hard and aroused, so he thought it was probably a good idea to drag his mind to safer territory.
“What are you thinking, centurion?”
He looked up from his plate and for a beat tried to decide how to answer. “Truthfully? You don’t want to know.”
“I might.”
He studied her. “No.”
“Is it so terrible?”
“No. It’s so male.”
“I’m a big girl. Tell me.”
“You sure now?”
She nodded.
“Okay.” He put his fork down and let his eyes travel over her slowly before confessing in a rich voice, “I’m wondering how my lips would feel against your soft throat, and if your mouth will be as sweet as it looks when I kiss you.”
Eve had to tighten her grip on her glass or drop it. “Such honesty.”
“You asked, my lady.”
His helmet-shrouded eyes filled her with a heat that made her core pulse with such intensity she had to draw in a deep breath to calm herself. He hadn’t said if he kissed her but when, as if it were a foregone conclusion. She wondered when she’d lost control of this game they’d been playing because it seemed that she had. Having worked with men her entire adult life, she’d always been able to hold her own, but the man seated across the table had rocked her.
“My apologies if my frankness offends.”
“Honesty is rarely offensive, centurion. Even bold honesty.” Maintaining her role as the aloof Oya was becoming difficult. “Are you always so seductive?”
He shrugged. “Depends on the moment and the woman.”
His conversation alone had her body open and pulsing. She couldn’t imagine how she’d react to his lips and touch.
“Your thoughts?” he asked turning the tables on her.<
br />
She answered more smoothly than she felt. “Honestly?” He nodded.
“How I might react to that kiss.”
He gave her a soft smile. “You play the role well.”
“Not as well as you, my centurion.”
A few more long, silent moments passed, and Eve came to a decision. Rising to her feet, she walked the short distance to his chair and held out her hand. “Shall we put the mysteries to rest?”
In response he stood and, holding her eyes, slowly brought her fingers to his lips. The impact of the contact turned her knees to sand. He placed an arm against the small of her back and eased her body in against him. The heat of his torso and thighs burned through the leather to her skin.
“If you don’t want this, please tell me now,” he whispered, but he was already brushing his lips against her jaw and down her throat.
She couldn’t have responded if she had wanted to. Instead, she let him work his magic. The warmth of his lips, the wanderings of his warm, sure hands made her want more. When he placed a series of fleeting kisses against the trembling skin above her neckline, her eyes slid closed from the onrushing sensations.
Only then did he kiss her lips. The intensity deepened immediately. Their arms encircled each other, and they fed lingeringly yet hungrily. He was so good at it she thought she could kiss him until the end of time, and again she wanted more.
So he gave her more, and when he pulled aside the top of her suit to plant kisses on the crowns of the twin beauties it hid, she moaned.
“I’m going to worship you, my lady,” he promised thickly. “Take you to heaven and then worship you again….”
His mouth and hands on her breasts were dazzling. Were it not for his strong arm caressing her back, she’d be a puddle on the floor. All her inhibitions seemed to burn away. She wanted his touch everywhere. Caught in a maelstrom of desire, she shamelessly offered up her breasts and he paid her a sweet, torrid tribute.
He raised his head and looked down into her eyes. Holding his gaze, she reached under her arm and slid the zipper down. He leaned in and kissed the skin she brought into view. By the time she’d guided him to her waist, she could no longer think. His masterful loving left her so mindless she could only stand there and ripple from the top of her tiara to the heels of her boots. He pulled the suit down past her waist, and one of Chicago’s senior-most ATF agents stood in the center of the softly lit hotel suite wearing nothing but her mask, her catsuit halfway off and a black thong decorated with tiny rhinestones.
Leyton almost came there and then. Drawing in a deep breath, he ran passion-laced eyes over the erotic picture her tall, lean body presented. If she wasn’t really an African goddess, she should be. Beauty called to him every place he looked. The ripe breasts, the strong expanse of her thighs highlighted by a provocative thong made him harder than he’d ever been with a woman before. He slid a finger over her parted lips and down the valley between her breasts, pausing a moment to toy with the hot nipples still hard and damp from his loving. The touch continued down the firm torso to tease the small whorl of her navel. Holding her humid eyes, he brushed his hand over the thin strip of silk, then slid his fingers into the warm triangle covering the place a man most wanted to be. Her lids closed, and she widened her stance so he could delve deeper. Pleased by that, he leaned in and kissed her mouth. “You’re very hot, my lady.” Not waiting for or needing an answer, he gave each of her nipples a sultry lick, and when she moaned in response, his finger between her thighs moved aside the miniscule panel and found slick damp flesh. “You’re very wet, too….”
The combination of his actions and words sent Eve over the edge, and she came, shuddering and buckling. It had been so long since she’d had a man, she should have been embarrassed, orgasming so quickly. But the waves of heat emanating from his scandalous touch were too glorious for her to care.
Leyton wanted to watch her come again and again. Her body seemed made for his hands. Lord he was hard and if he didn’t get some relief soon… “Let’s go to the bedroom.”
Hazy and breathless, Eve dragged the catsuit up her body and forced her shaky legs to follow.
In order to keep their identities hidden, he didn’t turn on any of the lamps. The moonlight coming in through the open drapes gave off just enough illumination to lighten the shadows, but not enough to see clearly. The darkness allowed him to remove his helmet with the certainty that she couldn’t see his face any better than he could see hers. After removing his costume and wrapping himself up, he joined her on the shadowy bed.
No sight was needed. With their hands and mouths they began again. Leyton wondered how he’d ever get enough of the feel of her skin under his lips or the sounds of her gasps of pleasure. At sunrise this fairy tale would end, so he set out to savor her because the memory would have to last a lifetime. With that in mind, he worshipped her slowly, scandalously and completely. He dallied at her breasts until her nipples were hard and damp again. The heat between her thighs drew him like a thirsty man to an oasis, and he touched and plucked and teased her there until her long legs parted and her satiny hips rose in silent need.
“Are you ready, Your Highness?”
“Yes. Please…”
It was an order he was happy to obey, so he slid himself into paradise. The sensations were so powerful he had to fight off the orgasm that threatened to explode there and then. His body wanted to take her like there’d be no tomorrow in order to get the relief it had been craving since the first kiss, but his mind wanted to linger over the feel of her tight flesh around his hardness, and the way she began to move in response to his slow rhythmic strokes. He ran his palm over her breasts and played while she crooned. He grazed a finger over her parted lips and she flicked her tongue against it. When she reached down between their joined bodies and wrapped a hot hand around the base of his shaft, he growled with pleasure and increased his thrusts and rhythm. He heard her whisper, “Come for me, centurion.”
The sultry invitation was too much. The orgasm broke through his defenses, and he began stroking her madly. A moment later, he felt her shatter beneath him, and her shout of release joined his. Their world became a firestorm of lust and sensation. Holding on to her hips, Leyton pumped and thrust and poured out his soul until he had nothing left. As they lay tangled together in the aftermath, their harsh breathing was the only sound in the otherwise silent room.
Eve had indeed been taken to heaven. He definitely knew his way around a woman’s body, and she was truly grateful for it. The two orgasms she’d had continued to echo, and all she wanted to do was lie with him like this for the rest of her life. When he withdrew from her body, her soft wordless protest brought on a soft chuckle and a finger that circled her straining nipple.
He kissed her softly. “You make a soldier not want to return to duty.”
“And you make a goddess want to abdicate her throne.”
His fingers on her nipples were reigniting her fires. Wondering how she’d ever get through the rest of her life knowing he was in the world, but not knowing his name, she pushed the thought away and reminded herself again that this was just a one-night stand. No identities, no commitments. Just good, hot loving.
And for the rest of the night, they gave each other plenty of it.
At four o’clock in the morning, sated and so full of pleasure she couldn’t move, Eve grabbed hold of what little discipline she had left and sat up on the edge of the bed. In a soft voice filled with regret, she told him, “I have to go.”
He traced a slow finger down her spine. “I understand. So do I.”
She glanced back over her shoulder at him. “I wish I didn’t.”
“Me, too.
She searched his shadowed face. “Thank you for a wonderful time.”
“You’re welcome”
Leyton wanted to ask for her name, but knew that was out of line. “Give me one last kiss, then you go and get yourself together. I’ll leave after you’re gone.”
Eve didn�
�t want to leave but life called. Being late for her flight back to Chicago wasn’t an option.
They shared a final parting kiss that was filled with longing, loss and regret. When it was over, she drew her fingers slowly down his strong cheek. “Good bye, my centurion.”
“Be well, my lady.”
Eve gathered up her clothing and padded through the shadows over to the bathroom.
Sitting on the bed in the dark, Leyton saw the bathroom light go on and for just a moment, caught sight of her nude back and hips before she disappeared behind the closed door. He still didn’t know her name, but from that brief glimpse he knew that she had a butterfly tattooed at the base of her spine. It was the only clue he had, and it gave him hope that he’d find her again—somehow, even if it took the rest of his life.
CHAPTER 3
Dead on her feet, Eve got herself back to the hotel just in time to transform back into her real self and run down to meet the six o’clock airport shuttle that was due to arrive in ten minutes. As she waited, memories of the centurion and his lovemaking continued to reverberate inside. Telling herself she was back in the real world and that the fantasy was over didn’t help. All she could think about was him. She floated back to their last kiss, but her reverie was interrupted by the arrival of the airport shuttle. She set it aside and waited to board the shuttle van when her cell phone began to buzz. Exasperated, she pulled it out of the pocket of her brown suede jacket and looked at the number on the caller ID. It was her office. “Yeah, Hank.”
You Sang to Me ; Holiday Heat ; I'll be Home for Christmas ; Hawaii Magic ; Overtime Love Page 11