he said, shaking her hand.
“And that’s Rosa and Amanda,” Lorraine said, pointing to each of her friends in turn. She felt a moment of panic. They could blow her cover. If one of them blurted out her real name...
It was silly, but she’d lied to Hunter about her name and didn’t want him to find out the truth. She placed a hand on the back of his arm and said, “You know what? Why don’t we hit the dance floor?”
“Oh.” Hunter sounded surprised. “Sure.”
Lorraine started to sway her body to the music. Then she took him by the hand and led him to the back of the bar, where the dance floor was. She started to shake her hips to the pulsing R&B beat before they were even on the floor. Finding an available spot near one corner, Lorraine turned to face Hunter. She kicked up the movements of her body, her hips and legs moving in tune with the rhythm.
Hunter watched her for several seconds, then leaned close and slipped his arm around her waist. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?”
“Is this how you flatter all the women you rescue?” Lorraine asked.
“What other women?” Hunter countered. “There’s one woman in the bar I can’t take my eyes off of. And that’s you, Mary.”
She looped her arms around his neck, and although the tempo of the music was fast, they both started moving more slowly. They were moving to their own beat, as if oblivious to the world around them.
“You know what I don’t understand?” Hunter asked.
“What?”
“How some guy would let you go. If you were mine, I’d never let you out of my sight.”
“Is that so?”
Hunter pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he stared into her eyes. “Definitely.”
Good Lord, he was arousing her with his seductive looks and his words. Her feminine core began to throb.
“I really want to kiss you,” he whispered into her ear.
Tingles of delight spread through Lorraine’s body. Her breathing deepened. “Really?”
“Really.” His voice was husky, filled with desire. He was the sexiest man she’d ever been this close to.
“Then why don’t you?” Lorraine whispered on a shuddery breath. She trailed her fingers along his nape, and when he made a soft groaning sound, she felt a surge of feminine power. He reached up and gently stroked her cheek, then caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger and angled her face up to his. Every nerve in Lorraine’s body went taut with expectation as Hunter lowered his head down to hers.
Lorraine parted her lips. And then his mouth pressed against hers, slow, sweet, succulent. It was the kind of kiss that promised something more.
Hot, sweating bodies between the sheets.
A night of carnal bliss.
Beneath her veil, he tangled his fingers in her hair, holding her in place. His lips moved faster over hers, his teeth gently nipping, his tongue flicking out and running along her bottom lip. Lorraine gasped from the onslaught of sensations.
“Oh, yes,” Hunter moaned, and then flicked his tongue over hers.
She couldn’t remember a kiss setting her body on fire like this. And then she giggled. Who was the best person to put out a fire but a fireman? Good grief. What was with these corny thoughts in her head?
“Are you laughing?” Hunter whispered against her cheek. “You don’t like this?”
“I love it,” Lorraine told him. She continued to run her fingers along the base of his neck, reveling in the way his breaths deepened. Then she pressed her body against his, feeling the evidence of his desire for her. Hard, thick. Impressive. “You’re making me forget we’re in a crowded bar.”
Hunter’s lips curved into a grin. He looked down at her, and she up at him. And she knew that whatever was brewing between them right now was something she didn’t want to end. She wanted to reclaim her singlehood in grand style. What better way than spending the night with a gorgeous man?
Hunter kissed her again, and she looped both of her arms around his neck and held on. His hand tightened on her waist, pulling her body against his. And the kiss deepened. Right there on the dance floor, they kissed as if they were the only two people in the room. It was the kind of display of public affection that would have had Lorraine rolling her eyes if she were witnessing it.
And yet, she’d been caught up in something spectacular with this man to the point where she was no longer thinking rationally. All she could think about was the fact that she didn’t want their night to end.
Hunter was the one to break the kiss, but he didn’t let her go.
He pressed his lips against her cheek, softly, and then moved his mouth to her ear. “You’re absolutely beautiful,” he told her. “You want to get out of here?”
“Yes,” she said, and he kissed her again, a soft, lingering kiss that was both sweet and fiery. Lorraine nearly lost it. She could feel her entire body trembling from an overload of sensations. She wanted this man.
“If we’re going to do this,” she said, “then we should do this now.”
He needed no further encouragement. He took her hand in his, linking their fingers, and led her back to her table, where her friends were looking at her with wide eyes and big smiles. It was as if they hadn’t seen her with a man before!
Not one this fine...
Lorraine lifted the margarita she hadn’t finished and downed it. “I’m leaving,” she announced.
Rosa gaped at her. “What?”
“I...” She looked up at Hunter, and that smile... Oh, that smile. He pushed part of her veil over her shoulder, his fingers skimming her skin where her blouse scooped low at the back. She swallowed, then faced her friends again. “I’m going to call it a night. I hope you guys aren’t mad.”
“You’re leaving with him?” Trina asked. Her eyes were dancing with delight.
“Yeah, uh, he’ll take me home.”
“I’ll bet” was Amanda’s mumbled comment.
Hunter tightened his arm around her waist, and Lorraine relaxed against him. “She’s in good hands,” he said.
“I’m sure she is,” Trina said, her double meaning evident in the twinkle in her eyes.
“However,” Rosa said, her expression becoming serious, “you never know what a serial killer looks like. So I’m going to give you my number so that you can call my phone right now. That way, I’ll have your number. And I’ll have a way to track my friend down—or evidence for the police—if she goes missing.” Rosa batted her eyelashes, smiling sweetly. “You cool with that?”
Hunter chuckled. “Of
