What about you? - 3

Chapter 3

Kate walked rather inelegantly to the middle of the dance floor, then stood there waiting for him, aggression being the name of the game, the man, whose name she still didn’t know, was smiling as he strolled purposefully towards her, his eyes watching her with humour.

When he finally reached her, he slid his arms around her pulling her close. Kate suddenly felt like she was drowning. He smelt divine, a light musky aftershave she couldn’t identify, and being tall her eyes were level with his mouth, those delicious plump lips that were a temptation all of their own.  Trying to swallow the lump in her throat, she dropped her head to look at the dark pinstripe lapel of his expensive looking suit, anything but his beautiful features and those all seeing eyes.

The band had been playing swing and soft jazz all evening, and as they sang ‘It Had to Be You’, she had to tolerate this man’s husky singing close to her ear. It was pure torture.

                “So why does dancing with a man you can barely look in the eye please your mother?” He finally broke the sexually charged intense atmosphere.

Kate didn’t answer, nor did she lift her eyes, until she asked him, “Who are you?”

The man’s mouth broke into a grin, “not sure I should tell you, I quite like being the anonymous stranger!” When she scowled, he offered, “I’m a friend of Brandon, Paula’s brother. He couldn’t make it, his wife is due to have a baby any second, but he asked me to come as I was in the country anyway. Kind of like representing him by proxy.”

                “You live in Dubai too?” she could hear the hope in her own voice and he laughed before replying. “I do, for most of the time.”

Safe. Distant, she’d never see him again were the three thoughts that echoed around her head. Letting him waltz them around the floor, she watched his interactions with the other people present and realised he was mature, educated and extremely charming. She hated that she admired him, found him fascinating, but she did. The wicked voice in her head kept telling her that she’d never see him again, that no one would ever know, that maybe this was an opportunity to throw all responsibility and caution to the wind.

Kate chastised herself silently, hating the fact that she could be this weak, that she was even contemplating reciprocating the attraction, the flirting that she was receiving from this stranger.

                “Why do I get the feeling that you are getting pleasure from that fact?”

Ignoring the question, she met his eyes again, “what’s your name? I don’t dance with complete strangers.”

He leaned back, a knowing smile spread across his lips, “I’ll tell you, if you promise to take a walk with me, I could do with some fresh air after this dance.”

Kate should have slapped his face, shouted at him for this emotional blackmail, but he was having a strange effect on him, suddenly she wanted to know more about him. In eight years she’d not looked at another man, never imagined any other hands touching her, lips kissing her, but this man, his beautiful features, the stunning smell wafting in her nostrils were having some sort of hypnotic influence on her.

Mason had never been so conniving and so dastardly, but since setting eyes on her earlier in the day, he’d not really been conscious of thinking straight. Now he’d ‘persuaded’ her to go outside for what? He knew what he wanted to do, but bloody hell, hadn’t he learned that acting like this could get you into trouble. His enforced exile was testament to that, the last thing his mother wanted or needed was more scandal from him. His mind drifted to the woman he’d left at her home this morning, his tired and very downtrodden mother. He should’ve been here to lighten her load over the years, instead he was living it up in the Dubai. No, doing the wrong thing was definitely not on the agenda here. But then he acknowledged this Kate, beautiful, tall and as curvy as he appreciated a woman, and he knew he couldn’t resist her.

He didn’t expect her to agree to his demands, but as the song finished, she dropped the hand that had rested on his shoulder and looked at him intently. His heart lurched at the thought of being alone with her, so he took her hand and led her through the ballroom. They paused at the bar not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he was dragging her out into the dark night, then meandered more slowly out of the reception and then right into the terraced gardens.

Kate was savouring the sensation of his hand gripping hers, the forceful yet gentle way he was leading her out into the dark night. Her heels began to struggle on the soft grass, embedding themselves up to the hilt with each step.

                “Wait!” She almost stumbled and as he turned Mason reached out an arm to steady her, and it had the added effect of catapulting her into his chest. Two strong arms wrapped around her, and suddenly Kate was struggling to focus on anything other than the heat his body was generating and the swirls of excitement fluttering in her pelvis.

In the darkness Mason could barely make out Kate’s features, but he could feel she was there, close.

                “My name is Mason Fitzgerald,” he breathed against her lips, “and I haven’t wanted anyone as much as I want you in the longest time!”

Kate heard the words, she digested them, but the sensation of his lips, so close to hers, his breath on her cheek, his hands splayed across her spine, all distracted her beyond conscious thought.

                “Mason?” she breathed trying to respond to his words.

As he nodded, his lips brushed hers and it was like the spark touching the fuse of a whole display of fireworks. If a doctor had told her that her heart had stopped, she’d had believed it. After the biggest skip, her heart started to race, she was sure Mason...she liked that name...she was sure Mason could hear if not feel it.

Their lips touched again, this time with intention and for a moment she felt over powered by the firm pressure of those delectable lips, she was no wall flower and she wasn’t used to being dominated like this, but she wasn’t intimidated, she loved it. His lips were firm yet soft, controlling hers, encouraging her to relax, kiss him back, one of his large hands lifted to cup her jaw, long fingers reaching around to the back of her head, pulling her into him.

Initially she resisted, just absorbed the sensation of his teasing, cajoling mouth. When she finally relaxed, let her lips part, she heard a moan, and honestly didn’t know from which one of them it had emerged. Instead of allowing the one sided onslaught to continue, she pressed her lips up to his, and her tongue was the first to investigate, to seek his.

Devil woman! His mind raced as her tongue darted out, slipping between his lips. Groaning he secured his grip on her head and her spine, pulling him into her further. He was possessed by some ravenous desire to consume her, he almost stopped to shake his head in amazement at that distant thought, but he couldn’t have done it, he didn’t have cast iron willpower.

Kate struggled to stay upright, her knees were weak, he shoes impaled in the soft soil, she was trapped, yet hardly able to stand. Draping her arms around his neck, she lifted herself up to him and the hand secured at her back dropped to cup her bottom through the huge skirts. She loved that he knew what she wanted by that slight change in her position. Supported by him left her hands free to bury themselves into the dark hair that hung down to his collar, using her teeth, she tugged at his bottom lip, securing it with a gentle suck...and it was the final straw.

                “Shit!”  He lifted his head and looked down at her, now he was accustomed to the light he could make out her eyes, and they were glittering in what little light was cast. “As first kisses go, that was in the spectacular category!”

Kate was struggling to control her breathing, and the harsh void left by his retreating lips was like being doused with cold water. Shaking her head she stepped back.

                “I’m sorry, I don’t usually...that shouldn’t have happened.”

Spotting her turn to walk away, Mason was quick, reaching out to grab her arm, he stopped her moving, forced her to look up at him.

                “You’re alone at a wedding, you’re not wearing a ring of any kind, tell me what’s wrong with this?”

With that he lowered his head to plunder her lips with his own again. And it was more erotic than the first time. Kate found herself clinging to him with a desperation she’d thought long since dead and buried. She’d spent the last six years harnessing any passion or desire, ignoring lust, but somehow this man had turned a key and unlocked all those feelings in one tumbling mess.

Fighting without any real aggression, she managed to separate them, to push back from him a little, she felt as though she was drowning, but as she panted for breath, her thoughts started to clear and she surfaced from the overwhelming lust. That was all it was, she told herself, lust.

                “Mason...”

                “I love how my name sounds on your lips!” he breathed causing Kate to lose her track, the protests dying on her lips. Then with a groan he reached for her again, kissing her as though his life depended on it.

Kate could feel every inch of him pressed up against her, and despite the puff ball meringue of a dress that she was wearing, she could also tell that he was as excited and aroused as she was. It was the wakeup call she needed. She tried to back pedal, pushing him away, but her shoes were stuck in the ground so she gave a rather undignified wobble then fell to the floor.

Mason looked down at her sprawled on her backside and chuckled, “I’ve heard of people falling at your feet, but never thought it would happen to me!”

She lashed out with her hand and made rewarding contact with his shin, “don’t you dare laugh.”

He aided her to her feet, trying not to let the smile of humour break his deadpan face.

                “I can’t do this Mason, I may not have a ring, but that does not mean I’m free to do this! Please don’t follow me!”

Kicking off both her shoes, she ran across the lawn back to the hotel leaving him bewildered at her change of heart, though in all honesty she had consistently offered a very weak form of resistance. Instead he was intrigued, if she wasn’t single why would her own mother be pleased to see her dancing with an eligible man? And why would a happily involved woman cling so desperately to him in the darkness of these gardens?

Nope, instead of being angry or disappointed, he was intrigued...and even more keen on getting to know Kate more!