A Taste of Winter: 1 (Red Masks) Read Online Free PDF Page A

forgotten when he
pulled back and thrust in once more, his moan of pleasure enough to make her
more than eager to take him fully.
    Wrapping her legs around his back, she drew him in closer,
hunger blossoming again like an old friend, need and want biting hard at her
core. It was glorious to have him lodged so deep inside her, the slapping of flesh
against flesh an added sensation as he rode her, taking her higher and higher
with every steady thrust.
    Then just when she thought he would come without her, he
pushed his hand between her legs and rubbed it along her clit, faster and
faster with each new thrust, a perfectly timed arrangement that sent her
soaring with him until she fell into her bliss, her body clenching him tighter
and tighter until with a cry he stifled against her neck he joined her in
release.
    For a long moment he sagged into her as if forgetting the
roles they played, his breath slowly settling into its former steady rhythm.
    When he finally pushed himself up to sit on the side of the
bed, Alaina suddenly felt strangely at a loss, uncomfortable in his presence
despite the intimacies they’d shared.
    But her body was exhausted, shutting down the doubts that
tried to wiggle into her mind.
    “Thank you, my beautiful slave,” he said in a tone that
bordered on kind. “I haven’t been this satisfied in a very long time.” With a
wink and a grin, so very unlike his earlier demeanor, he rose and dressed,
giving her a last look before he left and closed the door behind him.
    Alaina let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and
giggled, the girly sound surprising her in the emptiness of the room. She’d
actually done it—had mind-blowing anonymous sex with the most fascinating
stranger she’d ever met!
    And if she played her cards right it might not be the last.
Gathering up the pile of her clothes from the floor, she followed the man’s
actions, hugging herself as she fished out her cell phone and called for a taxi
to take her home.
    * * * * *
    The next day Alaina overslept for the first time in years.
Although her body had been totally sated, she kept replaying the encounter in
her mind—searching for things she refused to put a name to, seeking answers to
questions she refused to ask. As a result she fell into a shifting slumber
where every creak was the stranger making his way to her bed, every whisper of
the sheets his voice calling out her name in pleasure.
    Except he didn’t know her name. And she had no assurance at
all she would ever see or touch him again.
    It was just before dawn when her body finally won the battle
with her mind and she settled into a dreamless sleep…only to be rudely awakened
by the sound of her cell phone ringing over and over and over.
    “This had better be important,” she snarled, bringing it to
her ear.
    “Ms. Winter? Ryan. Have I interrupted your beauty sleep?”
    Oh, hell. The amusement in his voice sent her crappy
mood into overdrive. He’d caught her slacking, the bastard.
    “Mr. Marquis,” she breathed, snapping her wits together.
“How lovely of you to call.” A quick glance at the clock told her it was well
past eight a.m. Despite it being Sunday, she had a list of things she needed to
accomplish. Especially since she’d done nothing yesterday except—
    Smiling despite the man on the other end of the line, Alaina
let her thoughts return to her gorgeous Master and his room of pleasure until
she heard him clear his throat.
    Her good mood turned sour as she answered, “What do you
want?” She made certain her own tone dripped disapproval. Why on earth was the
man calling on a Sunday? He had never called on a Sunday, not once in all the
time she’d worked for him. Damn. Too late she remembered the LaRue House paint
job. He was surely calling to chew her out about the color.
    “And a good day to you too.” Was it her imagination or did
she hear a chuckle, the man sounding pleased as hell with himself. “Tsk, tsk,
sleeping in? Did you have a