Almond-shaped eyes looked exotic through the slanted cutouts, their bright blue irises like sapphires set in a bed of snow. Intricate, curling patterns of silver glitter branched out from the center and stretched out to the fancy edges that reminded him of asymmetrical butterfly wings.
If he’d thought she was stunning before, she’d just upped that by about a hundred. He suddenly had ideas of her wearing the mask as he made love to her and had to choke back a groan. Perfect. Just what every girl dreams of: being escorted by a guy whose dick enters a room before they do.
Oblivious to his wayward thoughts, Alyssa kept talking. “Luckily, due to the theme of the hotel, every gift shop has an entire arsenal of masks.”
“Aly—”
Grabbing her slim purse she said, “I’m really glad you decided to come with me. I know this isn’t typically your idea of a good time.”
“Aly, wait—”
Finally she stopped and spun to face him…only to start talking again. “Oh, you don’t really want to go, do you?” She stared at the carpet, and he’d bet that behind the cover of her mask, her eyebrows had pinched together to form that adorable wrinkle. Lifting her gaze, she offered him a wan smile. “I’m sorry, Dillon, I should have known you’d feel obligated to take me. But it’s not necess—”
He took two large strides, gripped the sides of her waist, and pulled her in hard, claiming her lips. Her hands fisted in the lapels of his jacket as her pliant body melted against him. He slanted his mouth over hers and their tongues met and clashed in heated abandon. She tasted of spearmint and honey and goddamn perfection.
He’d only meant to stop her from babbling and listen to him, but Dillon was fast forgetting his intentions, his plans, and the rest of the world. Would there ever be a day when she wouldn’t have the power to spellbind him so completely?
His phone vibrated in a series of three pulses from his inside breast pocket. That would be a text message from the limo driver letting him know of his arrival. Time to grab the bull by the horns, Alexander.
Breaking the kiss, Dillon took in the sight of the woman he loved, had always loved for as long as he could remember. Eyes bright with lust, red lips swollen and parted, shallow breaths causing the swells of her breasts to heave in their tight constraints. He’d never seen her more beautiful, and he wanted to remember every detail of this moment.
“Does that mean you do want to go to the ball?” she asked.
A smile split his lips, and he shook his head. “No. I don’t.”
“Oh.”
“And I don’t want you to go either.”
“But—”
“There’s a limo waiting for us downstairs. I have a whole evening of romance planned.”
Well, he’d managed to surprise her, that was for sure. Even with limited access to her expressions, the disappearance of her eyelashes behind the mask told him her eyes had widened a fair amount. That and the way her jaw slackened were pretty good indicators of the surprise factor.
“Come on, Aly-gator…let’s go on a proper date. I might not be able to take you to the real Paris yet, but I thought the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower here would be a good start.”
“Dillon, I…” She took a step back. “I don’t know what to say. I mean, I know that you’re here to try and make my weekend a success and all that, but this isn’t necessary.”
“I didn’t plan all this because I’m trying to make sure you have a good time, Aly.”
“Then why did you plan it?”
“Because I want to take you out. Not as friends, or even as friends with benefits. But as a guy taking his girl out to a nice dinner and a show. If you were looking forward to dancing tonight, I’m sure we can find time to fit it in.” He gave her a lopsided grin and closed the distance between them, placing his hands on her hips. “Just remember that the only dancing I know how to do is the slow kind where you sway back and forth and turn in a circle, so I hope you’re not expecting a night with John Travolta.”
Alyssa frowned and stepped out of his arms again. Not the reaction he’d been hoping for. He’d been replaying different scenarios for how the night could go over and over in his mind. This part was supposed to be easy.
Step One: Make romantic plans to surprise woman you love.
Step Two: Sweep woman you love off her feet by revealing said romantic plans.
Step Three: Enjoy watching woman you love blush and smile at various romantic gestures throughout the night.
Any second-guessing he expected her to have wasn’t supposed to be until much later in the evening, but apparently he’d miscalculated something along the way.