It was too soon to take that chance. This other Brent, the one she’d briefly glimpsed under the surface, might be a figment of her imagination. Someone she’d conjured up to justify the insistent desire he’d generated in her. With all these doubts swirling in her head, Hayden put a hand on his big chest and held him back. They would satisfy this inconvenient craving tonight, but dammit, there needed to be some ground rules.

“This is a one-time thing, right?” Hayden asked, wetting her lips. “For some odd reason, we seem to want each other, so let’s get it out of our systems. Then we move on. Agreed?”

His hands coasted down over her br**sts, groaning when he encountered her stiff ni**les. “Woman, if it means getting your clothes off, I’d agree to change my name to Florence right now.”

Hayden laughed before she could stop herself, marking the first time she’d ever laughed at one of his jokes. They both paused, acknowledging that fact with their eyes, before his hands resumed their exploration of her body. His mouth claimed hers in a heated kiss as he unzipped her dress, then tugged it over her shoulders and down her hips. His tongue stroked in and out, seeking, teasing.

After a moment, she tore her lips away. “We don’t speak about tonight, either. Ever again. None of our friends find out. And no jokes about it, Brent. Promise.”

“Florence, Hayden. Florence.”

She ducked her head so Brent wouldn’t see her smile, but he was too busy watching her dress fall to the floor, revealing her black lace bra-and-panty set, complete with garter belt and stockings. Her tummy flipped a little when he cursed under his breath and ran a hand over his open mouth. His hot regard felt heavy as it ran the length of her body, pausing at her thighs and between her legs.

He tucked one finger into the top of her stocking, sliding it back and forth slowly. Hayden felt each movement between her legs as though he were touching her there instead. She grew increasingly damp with each drag of his finger. “I hate these stockings. Don’t ever stop wearing them.”

Hayden sucked in a breath as his finger slipped around to the back of her thigh. “I-I don’t understand. That makes no sense.”

His hand traveled higher to cup her behind, fitting her against him. “Every time you cross your legs, I hear that material rub together.” He ran his tongue and teeth down the side of her neck. “Your tight thighs, covered in silk, parting and crossing. Parting and crossing. Only you never leave them open long enough for me to see your pu**y. It makes me crazy.”

She writhed against the door, his provocative words ratcheting her need even higher. “What are you waiting for? An apology?”

“I have a much better idea.” He grasped her around the waist and deposited her on the bench. The same bench they’d used the night before. She watched, dumbfounded, as he knelt down in front of her, gaze fastened on the juncture of her thighs. “Show me right now. Cross and uncross your legs for me, duchess. I want to see how it looks when there’s no skirt to hide behind.”

Hayden’s chest felt tight, her skin enflamed. Every nerve ending in her body hummed with dizzying arousal. She obeyed his order simply to witness his reaction. Could do nothing else. The first time she crossed her legs, then slowly parted them, she felt his loud growl of approval deep in her belly, vibrating and heating. The second time she let her stocking-clad thighs cross and uncross, he unzipped his pants and reached inside to stroke himself as he watched her, eyes dark with lust.

“Very good. Lose the bra and do it again.”

Trying to keep her breathing steady and failing, Hayden unhooked the clasp between her br**sts and let the material fall down her arms. Once again, that low, almost-angry sound emanated from his throat. This time, she moaned in response, letting her head fall back on her shoulders. Of their own volition, her hands rose to palm her br**sts, thumbs caressing her peaked ni**les. Her body felt hot, shaky. His riveted gaze felt like a touch in itself, moving across her skin, memorizing, devouring.

Brent’s arm banded around her waist, startling her, so lost she’d been in her own pleasure. He picked her up off the bench and rose. She wrapped her legs around his waist, mouth immediately seeking his for a hot, desperate kiss. One of his hands sank into her hair, angling her head. The other kneaded the flesh of her bottom.

“Bedroom. Where is it?” he grated against her mouth. “I need to f**k you.”

She nodded toward the back of the town house, and Brent’s long strides ate up the distance between the semi-dark living room and her bedroom. Halfway there, she forgot to direct him and began nipping and licking his neck until Brent was forced to push her up against the hallway wall outside her bedroom and punish her mouth for distracting him. Finally, he stumbled them into her room, letting her slide down his body at the foot of the bed.

He maintained intense eye contact with her as he quickly stripped out of his suit. When Hayden started to roll the tights down her leg, he stopped her with a harsh sound. “Don’t you dare take them off.” His pants and belt hit the floor. “You never want to discuss what happens here tonight? Fine. But I’m going to remember what it’s like to be between all that silk. There’s nothing you can do to make me forget.” He came toward her slowly, stalking her. “I’m going to think about it. Often. While you’re lying here at night in your big, comfortable bed, I’ll be remembering. Over and over.”

Hayden refused to back up even a step as he reached her, his expression fierce. “I can’t control what you choose to think about,” she responded with more bravery than she felt.

Perusing her body, he shook his head. “No. You sure as hell can’t.” His big hands settled on her hips, flexed. “You’ve got control right now, though. Take it. Before I take it from you.”

Inside her, apprehension mixed with excitement, so heady her hands shook. This is what you wanted, Hayden reminded herself. She’d been struggling to find the missing piece for so long. This could be it. He’d put her in charge. Why was she hesitating? Part of her nerves sprang from the unknown. How deep did the need run? Why had it taken an enemy’s touch to make her realize it?

“Hayden…” he rasped, fingers digging into her flesh.

Now or never. Hayden brought her hands to his shoulders and pushed him with all her might onto the bed. He landed on his back, head coming up immediately to watch her next move. She moved over him on hands and knees, reveling in the way his chest rose and fell rapidly, his erection lying thick and ready on his ridged belly. She took a moment to appreciate the sheer maleness of him. His size, the texture of his skin, his muscular build. Once more, her eyes were drawn to the hard length demanding her attention. After the briefest hesitation, she skimmed her fingers down his belly and wrapped him in her fist. His hands dug into the comforter as his hips bucked.

“Put it in your mouth. Now, baby.” He spoke through clenched teeth. “I’ve been waiting for it since last night. Nothing I do makes it better. It needs to be your mouth.”

Very slowly, she licked the tip, power curling in her belly when he hissed through his teeth. She did it again, this time letting her tongue linger until his hips lifted impatiently. Then she took all of him in her mouth, as deep as she could, sucking hard all the way back to the tip as Brent shouted obscenities at the ceiling. “Is that what you wanted?” she purred against the smooth skin.