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They
weren't’ old friends. They
weren’t even old lovers, although there was little doubt in
Natalie Trent’s mind they most certainly would be before dawn.
Under no circumstances would she give Joe Sebastian the
opportunity to hurt her again.
She
looked up at him, his gray-silver eyes beneath the mask filled
with hopeful patience as he waited expectantly for her answer.
She let out a breath.
“Considering we’ve only just met,” she said, feeling
about as truthful as a used car salesman.
“I wouldn’t exactly call us old friends.”
The
lips she had a sudden urge to taste tipped upward with the barest
hint of a smile. “One
dance.” His velvety voice did a number on her determination to keep
up the charade. “Because
it’s New Year’s Eve,” he coaxed, his smile deepening a
fraction.
“Just
one,” she agreed, because she couldn’t say no to that cocky
half grin two degrees shy of wicked.
He’d
may have only suggested a few turns around the dance floor rather
than slipping away somewhere private for something a whole lot
more interesting, but since she’d had a brief taste of what
making love to Joe could be like, that’s exactly where her
deprived libido took her. After
practically living like a nun, she was more than ready for a
little cha-cha beneath the sheets.
Besides, she reasoned, if all went as planned, she’d be
scratching two goals off her list tonight; satisfy the sadly
ignored needs of her body and exact a little payback in the
process. A real
two-for-one deal.
She
stifled a smile. Arianne
would be so impressed by her bargaining skills.
The
hint of a dimple, half hidden behind his mask, winked at her when
Joe smiled and laced their fingers together to lead her onto the
dance floor. As the band started a slow, sultry jazz tune, she glanced
around and spied Isabel heading toward the ornate staircase with a
man wearing a gold Venetian lion’s mask.
One
guess where they’re headed.
A brief stab of envy pierced Natalie.
Oh how she wished she possessed her friend’s ability to
do what she wanted, when she wanted and with whomever she chose.
Natalie might’ve talked a big game in front of Isabel
earlier, but deep down, absolute terror gripped her that her plan
would backfire and she’d end up nursing a wounded ego -- again.
No, she thought with renewed determination as Joe eased her into
his arms. He could only wound her pride if she let him, and she did not
intend to allow him anywhere near her emotional boundaries.
For once in her love life, she planned to live for the
moment. Now there was
a motto she could get used to.
Dammit, she would be impulsive without getting
burned.
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