Rebound Read Online Free Page B

courtyard, to a flagstone path that heads away from the main house. The path splits, the left trail leading to a shadowed gazebo in a far corner of the yard. It’s a decent option but a little too exposed, still in view of the courtyard. But I’ve been here before for dinner, so I know the property and I have a better idea.
    “Where are we going?” she asks.
    Her hand is cool in mine. Soft skin, firm grip. Out here, I can hear her voice better. It’s feminine and refined. Delicate, like the tap of a knife on crystal.
    “Somewhere private.”
    I reach the Gallianos’ detached garage and try the door, mentally high-fiving myself when it opens. Inside it’s dark, the only lightcoming from a few skylights and the red charging lights of power tools along the back counter.
    When I close the door behind us, the noise level from the party fades, leaving only a distant pound of the base from the music. Garage smells fill my nose. Motor oil and car wax. Smells I love.
    Catwoman lets go of my hand and faces me, her eyes glittering like diamonds. I wait for my vision to adjust a little more. Then I take her in from head to toe.
    She’s beautiful. Long and tight. Curvy in all the right places. She gets better every time I look at her.
    “You want to tell me your name?” I ask, because it feels like I should.
    Catwoman is quiet for a beat. She shakes her head. “No.”
    “Okay. Fine by me.” It’s more than fine, actually. It feels good not to have to explain who I am or what I do. And she’s mysterious this way. Like something I’ve pulled right out of a dream. The masks also make this feel like it’s only about right now, this moment. I get the sense she likes that too.
    I step in and take her into my arms. My fingers want to dig into her hips as I bend to kiss her. She feels so good. I don’t remember the last time a girl tested my control this way.
    “Wait,” she says. Her hands flatten on my chest and she leans away. “I just want to look at you for another second.”
    I nod. “Okay.” I expect her to do what I just did a moment ago—when I studied her body like a present I can’t wait to unwrap—but she looks into my eyes. Deep into them like she’s staring at a stirred pond, waiting for something that’s a little murky to come into focus.
    Not what I expected—at all—but I make myself stay there and not look away. I need this night. I want her. So I don’t move.
    People say eyes are the windows to the soul. I think they’re right, which is why I keep my windows locked and shuttered. Even thoughit’s only a second with her blue eyes on mine, maybe two, panic starts to spread inside my chest, a slow, searing burn.
    I’m about to look away when Catwoman rolls on her toes and brushes her lips against mine, gentle, feather-light.
    My body unlocks. I pull her against me and take what I’ve wanted since the minute I saw her.
    Her lips are soft, her tongue softer, and she tastes like berries and cinnamon. She tastes so sweet. I draw her hips against me. She makes a small sound of surprise and pleasure, feeling how she affects me. Then her fingers dig into my lower back as she pushes even closer. Raw lust sweeps over me. I need more of her—now.
    I pick her up and get her against the car. I taste her jaw, just beneath her ear, her neck, then I move lower, running my tongue over the perfect swell of her breasts. I brush my thumb over the tight bud I feel through warm leather. “You feel incredible.”
    Her hand presses over mine, and she arches her back. “That feels so good, um . . . Zorro .”
    Then she lets out a small giggle, and I can’t resist looking up. Her smile is gorgeous. I want to keep it there.
    “Don Diego de la Vega, if you prefer.” I grin as I pull the car door open and sweep a hand inside. “My lady.”
    She climbs into the Gallianos’ Murano.
    Inside, she scoots to the far end of the bench seat, making room for me, but I grab her around the waist and tug her to the