fooled.”
“I’m prepared for that.” She’d spent most of her childhood in Vegas and there was still so much she didn’t know about her hometown. Of course, she’d frequented places that Hayden would never have gone to. Places that were saved for the poor and addicted.
“How?” he asked.
She shook off the feelings evoked by her childhood memories and focused instead on Hayden. Focused on the fact that after all this time she was determined to make a relationship work with the man she’d promised herself she’d marry.
She signaled and pulled off the interstate onto the shoulder. The interstate was busy with traffic and she was pleased that Hayden looked a little unsure. She rarely got the upper hand with him.
“This is it?” he asked, glancing at the guardrail and the expanse of desert stretching out toward the mountains. “What could we be doing here?”
To keep from smiling she bit the inside of her mouth as she took the black silk mask from her purse and held it up.
He fingered the silk and when his eyes met hers she saw the heat in them. And shivered. She had the impression that Hayden thought this was the prelude to some exciting sexual adventure.
“Kinky sex on the side of the road. How’d you guess?”
Before she could caution him, he ran the tip of one finger down the side of her neck, his thumb rubbing on the mark he’d left earlier.
“Got anything else in your bag, like a pair of satin lined handcuffs?”
“Maybe. How do you feel about being tied up?” she asked, leaning forward to slip the mask on him.
His pupils dilated, he cupped the back of her head and held her close to him. His minty breath brushed against her. “I’d rather tie you up.”
She knew that. He was the kind of man who’d have to be in charge. Her lips were suddenly dry and she licked them.
He leaned forward and traced the line she’d just left with his tongue. Arousal whipped through her body. Her breasts felt full, her nipples tight, and she was so aware that all she had to do was lean forward the tiniest bit and her breasts would brush his chest.
She was shocked at how quickly he’d turned the tables on her. She was the one blindfolding him but she sensed he held all the power. He held her in his thrall and she was helpless.
She bit his lower lip, sucking it into her mouth for a brief second before pushing back into her seat.
“I’m just teasing you. This mask is all I want you to put on for now.”
“Ah, baby, if I do this, you’re going to owe me.”
“Really? What will I owe you?” she asked.
“A dance.”
“A dance?”
“Yeah, a nice sexy dance with you in that red leather outfit. Deal?”
She tipped her head to the side to study him, but his words and that sexy tone of voice made her want to do it. “Deal.”
He took the black silk mask that she’d brought from Bêcheur d’Or. He slipped it on and leaned back in the leather seat.
The Lincoln Navigator was the same model that Shelby drove at home in Atlanta, so she was very comfortable behind the wheel. Her cell phone rang before she could pull back onto the highway. She glanced at the caller display. It was Paige, and for the first time since she and Paige had opened Bêcheur d’Or, she hesitated, not wanting to think about business tonight.
“I have to get this. Sit tight.”
“My pleasure.”
She answered it. “Hey, Paige. What’s up?”
“Nothing, just touching base to get your take on how the D.C. conference call went this morning.”
“I thought it went well. Can I phone you tomorrow to discuss it?”
“Why?”
“I’m kind of on a date.”
“A date? With Hayden?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, call me in the morning. I want details, and I don’t mean about D.C.”
She smiled to herself. “Will do.”
She hung up the phone and shifted the car into gear.
“Who was that?”
“My partner, Paige. You met her, right?”
“Yes. I like her. You chose well, Shelby.”
“Thanks,” she said.
He reached over and settled his hand high on her thigh. His fingers traced a random pattern that made her center tighten. She wanted him more than she’d wanted any other man.
“Give me a hint,” Hayden said once they were moving again.
“About what?” she asked.
His fingers moved, slipping between her legs and coming teasingly close to her core. She tightened her legs to prevent him from moving any higher.
“Stop, Hayden.”
“No. Every time you tease me, I’ll reciprocate.”
“It’s something you like to do.”
She shifted her thighs apart, and his touch retreated but not far enough. She was so aware of his hand on her inner thigh she could hardly concentrate on driving.
“Is gambling involved?”
“No,” she said, reaching down with one hand to capture his wrist and move his hand back to the top of her thigh.
“Pretty confident of your answer,” he said, turning his hand under hers and lacing their fingers together.
“Yes, plus your sense of fair play.”
He leaned his head back. “Don’t count on that, Shelby. I’m not always a nice guy. There’s a reason I’m a gambler.”
“You are so much more than a gambler, Hayden. Don’t doubt that.”
“Don’t let me hurt you, Shel. I’m trying here, but to be honest I don’t know how to hold on to something I want.”
“Do you want me?” she asked, aware that he wasn’t acting at all vulnerable with the mask on.
“Yes, I do.”
Her hands shook and she was incredibly grateful that he wore the mask so he couldn’t see how deeply his words affected her.
“Then
