Chapter 5

five

. . .

Adam

My heart pounds erratically as I race out of the elevator, the secretary's words echoing in my mind.

She's here.

The woman who's haunted my every waking thought since that fateful masquerade ball. I storm into the reception area, my eyes scanning the room with fierce intensity.

And then I see her.

Wide green eyes, framed by a tumble of wild curly hair, stare back at me in shock. Recognition flashes across her face and I drink in the sight of her, no longer hidden behind an ornate mask. She's even more breathtaking than I remembered. A curvy angelic beauty with plump, rosy lips and creamy skin that I long to touch. To taste .

A dark-haired woman stands beside her, but I barely register her presence, my gaze locked on the innocent yet alluring creature before me. Desire surges through my veins, hot and demanding. I take a step closer, fighting the overwhelming urge to close the distance between us and pull her into my arms. To claim her mouth with the searing kiss I've been craving since she disappeared into the night.

I take another step forward, my body thrumming with a primal hunger I've never experienced before. She has bewitched me, body and soul. And I won't rest until I make her mine.

"It's you," I growl, my voice rough with barely restrained need. "I've been searching for you everywhere."

She blinks at me, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink, and I panic.

She looks like she might bolt again, and I’m gun shy from the last time she ran from me.

I react on instinct, reaching out and grabbing her hand before she can get away again, my grip firm as I pull her towards the elevator. My heart pounds in my chest, terrified she might try to run from me again. I can't let her slip away, not when I've finally found her.

As the elevator doors close behind us, I turn to face her, my eyes drinking in every detail. Those captivating green eyes, the soft curves of her body, the way her auburn curls frame her face. I ache to pull her flush against me, to feel her softness meld into my hardness. But I restrain myself, barely.

"Your name," I demand, my voice rough with need. "Tell me your name."

She looks up at me, eyes wide and lips parted. "Kaitlyn," she whispers. "Kaitlyn Bennett."

Kaitlyn . The name echoes in my mind like a prayer. I want to taste it on my tongue, to hear her sigh it as I explore every inch of her.

My hand tightens on hers as I fight the urge to haul her into my arms. "Kaitlyn," I repeat, savoring the syllables. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me? How desperate I've been to find the woman behind the mask?"

She trembles slightly and I wonder if she can feel the electricity crackling between us, the magnetic pull drawing us inevitably closer. I need to touch her, to assure myself she's real and not just another haunting dream.

But I hold back, clenching my jaw with the effort. I won't let my famous control snap, not yet. Not until I understand why she kissed me, why she ran...and how I can ensure she never leaves me again.

“Why?” I croak. “Why did you do it?”

Kaitlyn's eyes flicker away and I see a hint of vulnerability beneath her bold exterior. "I...I don't know what came over me that night," she murmurs. "It was like something out of a fairy tale, and I got swept up in the magic of it all. And we were wearing masks, and for once in my life I felt brave…"

A muscle in my jaw ticks. "And then you disappeared without a word, leaving me with nothing but questions and a desperate need to find you again."

Her gaze meets mine, defiant yet tinged with uncertainty. "I didn't think...I mean, it wasn’t supposed to be…"

She trails off, and my control finally shatters. I yank her into my arms, molding her curves against the hard planes of my body. She gasps, hands flattening against my chest. I can feel the hammer of her heartbeat, the hitch in her breathing.

"Wasn’t supposed to turn my entire fucking world upside down?" I growl, burying my face in her hair and inhaling deeply. God, she smells like sunshine and sin. "You're all I've been able to think about, dream about. That kiss...it branded me, Kaitlyn. Marked me as yours."

She shivers, fingers curling into my shirt. "Adam..."

The sound of my name on her lips is my undoing. I capture her mouth with mine, swallowing her soft cry of surprise. She tastes just as I remember, sweet and addictive. I'm lost in the silk of her skin, the lush give of her body.

Mine. The word pounds through my blood like a primal chant. This woman is fucking mine , and I'll be damned if I let her slip away again. I'll unravel the mystery of her, learn every secret, cherish every sigh.

The kiss deepens, turning carnal and consuming as I plunder her mouth. I can't get enough of her honeyed taste, her breathy sighs, the way she melts against me. My tongue tangles with hers in a sensual dance, stroking and teasing until we're both panting.

I let my hands roam her lush curves, mapping the dips and valleys I've fantasized about since that fateful night. She arches into my touch, a soft moan escaping her kiss-swollen lips. The sound shoots straight to my cock, making it throb with a desperate ache.

I want her with a visceral hunger that eclipses anything I've ever felt before. To strip away every barrier between us until we're skin to skin, nothing separating us as I claim her body and soul. I want to worship her with my hands and mouth, to bring her to the brink of ecstasy over and over until she's writhing beneath me, begging for release.

I groan into the kiss, my hips rocking against hers as I grow painfully hard. I can feel the telltale dampness in my boxer briefs, my cock leaking with desire. I'm seconds away from hitting the emergency stop button and taking her right here, consequences be damned.

I need to bury myself inside her welcoming heat, to feel her silken walls flutter around my cock as I make her mine in the most primal way possible. I want to hear her cry out my name as I bring her to shattering climax, to watch her come undone in my arms.

But just as I'm about to give in to the all-consuming need, the elevator dings, signaling our arrival. We break apart, chests heaving and eyes glazed with lust. Reality comes crashing back in, reminding us of where we are.

I stare down at Kaitlyn, drinking in the sight of her kiss-ravaged lips and the rapid rise and fall of her breasts. She looks as wrecked as I feel, clinging to me like I'm her only anchor in a storm-tossed sea.

The doors slide open, but neither of us moves. We're frozen in this charged moment, the air between us crackling with barely restrained hunger. I know I should step back, put some much-needed distance between our bodies.

But I can't seem to make myself let her go. Not when every cell in my body is screaming at me to finish what we started, to claim her right here and now, prying eyes be damned.

I struggle to rein in my raging desires, to find some semblance of control. But with Kaitlyn in my arms, her scent filling my lungs and her taste lingering on my tongue, it's a losing battle.

I want her with a ferocity that defies reason. And one way or another, I intend to make her mine. Completely. Irrevocably.

Forever .