Only One Love (Long Line of Love, Book Three)

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, it is necessary to exit this site.

An Excerpt From: ONLY ONE LOVE

Copyright © MARILYN LEE, 2010

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Peyton stood in the entrance of the main room of Club Discreet. The words of an oldie-about a big, bad wolf noticing how good Red Riding Hood looked-filled the air. He glanced around and immediately noticed a tall, generously curved woman standing at the bar. An adoring male stood on either side of her.

Although he had decided against a full costume, his last-minute decision to purchase a wolf mask that concealed most of his face seemed almost prophetic.

She was dressed as a very provocative Red Riding Hood. The v-neck of the bodice provided an intriguing glimpse of her large breasts. The skirt of the dress kissed a very round ass before ending several inches above her knees. Sheer hose and black high heels showcased her long, shapely legs.

A red hood trimmed with black fur hung on her shoulders. A red mask covered half of the smooth, dark skin of her face. But she projected the air of a woman confident of her attraction to the opposite sex.

Peyton stood staring at her, unable to look away.

As if aware of his interest, she turned her head.

He found himself gazing into a pair of beautiful, dark eyes.

Her full lips immediately curved upward into a smile so warm and welcoming, he suddenly felt as if they were alone in a world made for two devoted lovers.

For a moment he expected her to rush across the room to fling herself into his arms so he could hold her and kiss her until they were both breathless with need. Then he would quickly peel off her clothes and make love to her all night long. He wasn´t sure how he knew but he felt certain, once in her arms, he´d come inside a woman for the first time.

Filled with a sense of excitement and unbridled joy he´d never experienced with any other woman, he quickly crossed the room toward the bar. He stopped in front of her. As if in sympathy, the opening strains of Till by the Sirens filled the air.

Ignoring the frowns of the men standing with her-one dressed in an all-black outfit with a dark mask and the other dressed in white with a white mask-Peyton overcame an inexplicable urge to bow to her and extended his hand. "I believe this is our dance, Red," he said.

"What the hell-" the man on her left began.

"Get lost," the male on her right said.

She cast a quick smile at each indignant male before turning a slow, warm smile on Peyton. She silently gave him her hand.

He linked his fingers through hers. A surge sizzled through him.

They stood gazing into each other´s eyes for long moments before he led her to the dance floor.

When he stopped and turned to face her, she moved close, slipping her arms around his waist.

He drew her closer, closing his eyes as he savored the feel of her soft curves pressed against his body. At last. I have you back at last.

They slow danced in silence. Listening to the singer´s sultry voice made it more difficult for Peyton to keep his hands from straying down her back to her round ass. The urge to lift her chin and smother her lips with greedy kisses was even more difficult to suppress.

Even though he had arrived expecting to get laid and he assumed she had arrived with a similar expectation, he was reluctant to treat her like an easy lay.

Instead of groping her like a big, bad wolf determined to spend the night fucking, he thought in terms of romancing her, asking her out and making love only after they´d gotten to know each other.

The sooner they did that, the sooner they´d end up in each other´s arms again.

Again? They´d never met. And yet he´d experienced a powerful feeling of déjà vu the moment he saw her. At last. I have you back at last. "What´s your name, Red?"

She turned her head, brushing her lips against his ear. "I´m wearing a mask for a reason, and so are you." She spoke in a soft, sultry voice that heightened his awareness of her.

He lifted his head so he could look down into her gray eyes. "I´ll remove mine," he offered.

She raised her right hand from his waist to place it on his chest. "That´s a tempting offer, but I think I like you as a sexy silver wolf." She touched his cheek. "Although I have a feeling a hawk mask might have been more appropriate for you."

Peyton inhaled quickly. "A hawk mask?"

She nodded.

"Have we met?"

Her head dipped slightly and she appeared to be on the verge of nodding. She seemed to catch herself and finally responded after a noticeable hesitation. "I´m five-ten." You must be at least...?"

"I´m six-six."

She treated him to a sexy, beguiling smile. "If I´d met a handsome Native American male with beautiful blue-green eyes who was also tall enough for me to wear heels without fear of looking down on him, I would have remembered."

How did she know his ancestry when his mask covered the majority of his face? "Now that we have met, I´d like to get to know you. My name is-"

She pressed her fingers against his lips. "Things are kind of crazy in my life at the moment. I don´t want any... I want to be free to enjoy the night without any complications. Let´s remain nameless and keep our masks on."

He felt as if the air had been sucked out of his lungs. How could she not feel the powerful attraction he felt for her? How could she not want to know everything about him?

The urge to try to persuade her to change her mind proved difficult to suppress. But damn if he´d swallow his pride and make a fool of himself over a woman who not only didn´t want to tell him her name, but didn´t want to know his.

The music ended. Feeling as if he were ripping out his own heart, he allowed his arms to fall away from her and stepped back. "Thanks for the dance, Red." He flashed a cool smile in her direction and turned away.

She stepped in front of him, placing a hand on his chest. "Wait a minute."

"Why?"

"Just because I want to retain a measure of anonymity doesn´t mean I´m prepared to allow you to rush away to spend the night with some other lucky woman."

He swallowed hard, struggling to conceal disappointment that she only wanted a one-night stand, which he suspected would mean nothing to her while being far too important to him. "What do you want?"

She leaned close enough to be able to brush her lips against his ear. "Buy me a drink and we can discuss it in a private room."

Despite his hunger for sexual intimacy, he reluctantly decided against sleeping with her. He wasn´t going to make the mistake of falling for a woman whose sole interest in him was sexual. "That´s a tempting offer, but I´m afraid I´ll have to pass."

She seemed surprised. Clearly, she wasn´t any more used to having men turn down her invitations than he was having women turn down his. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I´m feeling a little needy tonight. Sex alone, no matter how good, isn´t going to be enough for me," he admitted.

"That´s all I have to offer tonight."

"Then good luck with one of these other men. Good night," he said and turned away.

She followed him, catching his hand. "Wait a minute, Hawk."

Unnerved by her use of that name, and filled with a combination of anger and disappointment at how shallow she was, he stopped and removed his hand from hers. He gave her a wary look. "I´m not interested in a one-night stand with you. I don´t know how much plainer I can make myself."

She sucked in a breath and stepped back. "I think that´s plain enough."

They stood staring at each other in silence for several moments before she spoke again. "Although I could probably change your mind if I were so inclined," she told him.

She was probably right but hell would ice over before he admitted it. "I wouldn´t count on that if I were you, Red." He turned and walked quickly away.

"Hawk!"

If she touched him again, he´d swallow his pride and end up in bed with her. That wouldn´t be so bad if he didn´t suspect there was a very thin line between becoming addicted to sex with her and falling for her. He wasn´t about to fall for a woman whose sexual interests included anonymous sex with men she had no desire to get to know. He kept walking.