Free Seductive Secrecy (Shadows series) by Marni Mann Page A

layered. This is just one of the many.”
    “What if I told you I was missing a layer?”
    It seemed like a good time to tease him about my lack of undergarments. He hadn’t left any for me in the box, and the dress made wearing a bra impossible.
    “Which one would that be?”
    It was early. I still had plenty of time to taunt him.
    “One that belongs on my body.”
    His other hand returned and two of his fingers caressed my cheek, starting at my ear and traveling all the way to chin. “Are you going to show me?”
    “No. It’s a surprise.”
    He laughed at that…but not as much as I wanted him to. That wasn’t something about him I would have changed: I enjoyed his serious side as much as I enjoyed the moments when he was carefree. I just didn’t want his darkness to be the reason he didn’t laugh often. I believed it was.
    “I’m not a fan of surprises, Charlie.”
    I knew this about him already. So I squeezed the fingers that were still in my lap, giving him the reassurance he needed. “You’re going to love this one.”
    His lips spread into a small grin. He turned and faced the window, squinting and leaning to determine our location and how far we were from our destination. The absence of his eyes finally gave me a chance to check out what he was wearing: A long black pea coat covered his upper half; a gray scarf followed, trailing down toward a pair of dark trousers. He’d gotten a haircut; it was neater and shorter than it had been this morning. The sides were buzzed close to his scalp and the top was left just a little longer, with the strands gelled. I was happy he had left his facial hair alone. I always asked him not to shave; the rough masculine feel and look of his scruff made him even sexier. Cameron was my seductive secret, and there wasn’t anything about him that wasn’t arousing, but this in particular I enjoyed…the way it prickled the inside of my thighs and how it felt against my smooth, hairless folds.
    When he glanced back at me, he caught me staring at him, gazing longingly. I blushed, though it was too dark inside the limo for him to notice.
    “We’re almost there,” he whispered.
    I leaned back into my seat, but I was able to relax for only a few blocks before the limo came to a stop. Cameron moved around me when the driver opened the door so he could exit first. Then he reached for my hand, helping me out onto the sidewalk. My eyes did a quick scan, and I knew exactly where we were: outside of Smoke, one of the most popular galleries in the city, and I had been here several times before. My work hadn’t, though.
    “I thought we’d start with an exhibit,” he said. “One I know you’re going to like.”
    “I already like where I am…and who I’m with.”
    “Then it only gets more perfect from here.”
    Cameron’s hand found my waist, gently guiding me to him as we moved to the main entrance. We hadn’t pulled up directly in front of the building, more to the side, as a swarm of people were huddled outside the double doors. A red carpet had been set up and photographers were snapping pictures of the guests in attendance. It wasn’t all that uncommon for major events.  The photos were always printed in the entertainment section of the Boston Globe the next day, as well as in the artsy and indie papers throughout the city.
    “Are you ready to do this?” he asked.
    I didn’t realize I had stopped walking until he’d said that. Then suddenly the implications hit me: if we had our picture taken together it would confirm that we were in a relationship, putting all the rumors that had been floating around town to rest. That was obviously what Cameron wanted. I did, too. It wasn’t that we’d been trying to hide our status; we just hadn’t thought it was anyone else’s business.
    Should it be their business now?
    When I worked at the mansion, I had always been so careful about having my picture snapped. I didn’t want a client to see me outside the house and