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

recognize anything about me— not my voice, or my mouth, or the markings on my body or the tattoos on my hand. I looked at it again. In the middle of my pinky finger, between the folds of my knuckles, was the inked outline of a pink heart. The date of the accident—the one that had taken my Emma from me—was directly above it. I didn’t think I had to worry about anyone recognizing anything anymore; more than seven months had passed since any of those clients had been alone with me, and none of my details were all that memorable. I just didn’t want to be targeted as a victim who had survived and my name to be printed for any reason other than art.
    Cameron stood a few paces in front of me, holding out his hand for me to grab. His beautiful eyes beckoned me.
    Emma’s voice spoke in my head yet again.
    This is okay.
    I exhaled. “I’m ready,” I said.
    Cameron led me down the short sidewalk and around the crowd of observers. There were several security guards standing at the start of the red carpet. Once they noticed Cameron, they unlatched the rope, allowing us to enter. He squeezed my hand during our walk down the carpet and as we neared the top we paused for pictures.
    “How did you make this happen?” I asked. Cameron was a fixture on the art scene, but something about this event said it was more than just a regular opening.
    “An invitation showed up at the studio.” He leaned in and kissed my ear. “Being a celebrity has its advantages.”
    It made me smile, just as flashes of white light flickered before my eyes. My name was being called as much as Cameron’s was—for us to face a certain direction, a specific angle, to stand closer together. There was a change in the air, an intensity, a buzzing that I hadn’t quite felt before. It didn’t just come from standing beside the man who I was now claiming as mine for the world to see, or from the sexuality that oozed from his body, even more so now that he was in the spotlight. It also came from the notion of these photographers knowing who I was…and then telling the rest of Boston about it in the morning.
    Black spots started to fill my vision. I felt Cameron begin to move again, escorting me through the gallery’s main door. Once we were inside, he helped me with my jacket, waiting patiently to lift it off my shoulders as I undid each of the buttons. The air he exhaled swished over my bare skin as he exposed it; goose bumps rose to the very surface of my flesh. The tempo of his breathing changed, and a soft, deep moan came from his lips. It was an intimate moment that only we experienced and I felt it…everywhere. He handed both jackets to the attendant who stood just to the side of the entrance and, with his eyes on me once again, we took a few more steps inside.
    “It’s a good thing you didn’t take off your jacket inside the limo.”
    I smiled, not only with my lips, but with my eyes, too. I had quickly adjusted the top of the dress to ensure my nipples wouldn’t show, but the movement had dragged the silk across them, causing the small buds to stand erect. Both layers of fabric were too thin to hide the hardness. I knew Cameron noticed; his stare was directly on them.
    “And why is that?” I asked.
    I knew the answer; I just wanted his words to wrap around that place and lick it as though they were his tongue.
    He leaned down until his lips were gently pressed against my ear. “Because as soon as I laid my eyes on your body I would have tied your hands to the headrest and buried my face in your pussy for the rest of the night.”
    He gave me exactly what I had expected: a tease, an urge to reach back and rub my fingers over his zipper. He was testing me and it was even more of a turn on. Maybe it was time I did the same to him.
    “Remember that surprise I mentioned?”
    He didn’t answer; his mouth softly kissed my earlobe instead. I glanced around; there were so many people filing inside, moving through the entrance. No one was paying