Skye’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She shifted closer to Trace, playfully nibbling his earlobe as she flipped the script: “Trace Ryan, you know I’m here to seduce you—doesn’t that scare you a bit?”
Trace hadn’t seen that coming. He let out a low chuckle. “Why don’t you tell me?”
His voice was rich, captivating—a magnetic pull she couldn’t deny.
Skye’s lashes fluttered as she teased, “I have a feeling you might actually enjoy my company.”
“With someone as enchanting as you, it’s nearly impossible for any man not to,” Trace raised an eyebrow, his gaze cutting right through her. “Unless...”
“Unless Walker’s not a real man!”
Skye playfully angled her head toward his lips, but in the blink of an eye, Trace cradled the back of her head and leaned down, claiming her soft, ruby lips in a passionate kiss.
Time blurred. Neither of them could say how long it lasted before a gentle voice broke through the haze. “Trace, there you are. Everyone’s waiting for you to grab some coffee.”
The unexpected voice made Trace’s brow furrow.
He turned to face the woman who’d appeared, his dark eyes radiating a chilling intensity. “Is there something you need?”
The woman shivered under his cold gaze but forced a polite smile. “Trace, everyone’s waiting in the lounge, and Damari sent me to check when you’d join us.”
Hearing that familiar voice, Skye turned her head slowly.
A face with perfectly applied makeup came into view.
It was Gabriela Jacobs—her former associate, alongside Alexia, who had often been cruel when Skye was down on her luck.
Judging by Gabriela’s demeanor, she had every intention of winning Trace’s attention too.
But Skye wasn’t about to let Gabriela take Trace from her.
So Skye pressed an alluring kiss to Trace’s throat, then murmured, “Honey, can we go to the hotel now?”
Her voice was soft and tempting, unknowingly stirring a powerful hunger inside Trace.
He wasn’t normally drawn to women. But Skye—she awakened something primal in him.
“Absolutely!”
Trace gazed at her, a fiery intensity blazing in his eyes. Without a glance at Gabriela, he scooped Skye into his arms and walked away as if he owned the world.
...
The next thing Skye knew, Trace was escorting her to the presidential suite.
The moment they stepped inside, he laid her down on the sofa, his fervent kisses swallowing her whole.
Skye felt as though she were drowning in an ocean—her body going weak, her breaths coming in quick, shallow gasps.
A faint, recognizable scent of cologne filled her senses.
Through the haze, Trace’s strong hands were already encircling her slender waist.
A wave of nervousness rose inside her, and she couldn’t help but whisper, “Could we... take a moment?”
Her voice was slightly husky and trembling, yet so incredibly seductive it only ignited Trace’s primal instincts.
He tilted her chin up, trailing tender marks down her neck, his sultry voice murmuring by her ear, “Feeling jittery?”
Skye’s lashes quivered, but summoning her courage, she replied, “I’m... not scared.”
Yet Trace noticed the tension written all over her face.
He paused, gazing deep into her eyes. “You’ve never slept with Walker, have you?”
