Evangeline glanced nervously around the room, shivering as a feeling of power surrounded her. She could swear she smelled the man, and it was intoxicating.

“Um, Mr. Donovan?”

Once again she glanced anxiously, trying to pinpoint his location.

And then she saw him. He stepped from the shadows of the far corner of the room, and her eyes widened in surprise and in pure female appreciation. Whoa. Now she got it. She understood the rules and who they were inspired by. If Mr. Donovan ran Impulse, it certainly made sense that someone as beautiful as him would surround himself by equally beautiful people.

She stared in fascination as he regarded her intently, his dark eyes raking over her, making her feel suddenly exposed and extremely vulnerable. She swallowed hard because she could swear she saw a flash of interest in his arresting liquid brown eyes. Maybe Eddie had hit her because clearly she was out of her mind. But it was a nice fantasy.

He wore his hair short, and he had a polished, sophisticated look that screamed wealth and power. His features were sharply defined, with a hard set to his jaw. He had a broad, muscled chest and shoulders, and was a lot taller than she was. She’d have to stand on tiptoe just to reach his chin!

Her gaze was drawn to his mouth. Over and over again, she came back. After checking out a different feature, her gaze flitted back to the hard line of his mouth, and she felt all tingly imagining what his mouth would feel like on her skin.

Heat scorched over her body followed swiftly by mortification for even entertaining such ludicrous thoughts. As if a man like him would even give her the time of day.

Then suddenly he strode forward, a determined, pissed-off look on his face, and she braced for the inevitable confrontation.

To her complete shock, he gently grasped the arm that Eddie had bruised, and turned it so he could inspect the extent of her injury. Fury blazed in his eyes, but he didn’t let go of her arm, though his hold was infinitely tender.

Chill bumps erupted and raced across the arm he was touching, and a peculiar sensation welled in the pit of her stomach. Her vagina clenched and her nipples tingled, suddenly hypersensitive, and became rigid points. She had the urge to cross her arms over her breasts because she was sure he could see the imprint of the puckered ridges through the thin material of her dress.

What the hell was happening here? Had she entered an alternate reality? This was so not her. She didn’t spaz and become a walking hormone around a man—any man. She didn’t have time for men, and the one time she’d made the time . . . well, it was obvious what that got her.

And suddenly the beast was unleashed, and she tried to take a hasty step back, but his firm yet gentle grip on her arm prevented her from doing so.

“What the hell were you thinking coming into a place like this?” he demanded, fury lacing his every word.

She immediately dropped her gaze, shame and mortification seizing her in a grip that rivaled Eddie’s earlier assault on her arm.

“I know I don’t belong,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. “I know I’m not good enough to be in a place like this. Where only beautiful and rich people come.”

Her voice grew more resigned and subdued with every word. She could barely speak for the humiliation knotting her throat.

“I’ll just go now. I’m sorry I was a bother. I caused a . . . scene. I won’t be back. I promise. You won’t ever have to worry about me showing up here—or anywhere—again.”

She tensed in his hold, fully expecting him to let go and let her walk out. When his grasp remained intact, panic kicked in and she looked frantically up at him, blanching at the rage in his eyes.

“Please. Let me go. I swear to you I’ll never come back.”

His expression was carved in stone, that hard jaw she’d observed earlier much more noticeable now.

“Then why did you come?” he asked bluntly, making her cringe at his crassness.

Was he really going to make her spell it out to him? Give him a play-by-play of her lack of worthiness to grace the premises of his club? And damn her propensity for always blurting out the truth, no matter how painful. It was a flaw she would be thrilled to be rid of. But no. Before she was even cognizant of what she was saying, the whole ugly story came pouring out.

“The man who assaulted me is my ex . . . boyfriend. Lover. Whatever. Though I’d hardly consider us lovers,” she said bitterly. “I was a challenge to him. Was being the key word. He knew I was a virgin, and so he coaxed me and wined and dined me, pretending interest because he wanted to be m-my f-first,” she stammered out, heat scorching her entire face.

Drake cursed savagely, startling her with his vehemence, but she plunged ahead, only wanting to be done so that maybe he’d finally let her go.

“As soon as I finally gave in, stupidly thinking that he was someone special, he dumped me on the spot. He said I was a terrible lay. I overheard him complaining to his friends, people. I don’t know who they were,” she said painfully. “He said that sticking his dick in my c-cunt—” She broke off, mortified over her use of the offensive word. Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “He said it was like fucking a snowdrift. And it definitely wasn’t worth the three months he had to wait for me to give it up. He repeated the sentiment tonight to my face.”

“So you came tonight to see him?” Drake asked incredulously. “Why the hell would you want to do that? For fuck’s sake, did you want him back?”

Her head snapped up, her anger surging hot through her veins. “No,” she hissed. “Not now. Not ever. My girlfriends talked me into coming. Said I needed to get back some of my own. Steph had a VIP pass, and they spent an hour making me up. Shoes, killer heels, hair, makeup, the works.

“They thought I should let him see what he’d shit on,” she said dully. “I told them it was stupid. This place is for beautiful people. Even the people who work here are gorgeous. Everyone is freaking perfect. And then there was me, sticking out like a sore thumb. The people in line outside knew I didn’t belong. The people inside knew I didn’t belong. And you obviously knew I didn’t belong because you sent your goon to get rid of me. So if you’ll just let me be on my way, I’d appreciate it. I’ve already promised I’ll never darken the door of your club again. This has been a humiliating enough night as it is, and I can only take so much.”

He gave her a look that was a combination of bewilderment and super pissed off.

“You don’t think you fucking outshine every bitch out there and that they don’t know that?” he clipped out angrily. “You didn’t see that the skank with your ex was ready to rip your hair out by the roots because she isn’t as gorgeous as you and never will be? There isn’t a bottle made that can duplicate the kind of beauty you have. And those bitches in there don’t hold a candle to your kind of shine, and they hate you for it.”

She looked at him absolutely stunned, her eyes wide with shock.

He swore viciously, causing her to flinch again.

“No, it’s obvious you don’t see it,” he said in a grim voice. “You don’t see your own goddamn appeal, and that makes you even more attractive to men.”

“You don’t have to say that to make me feel better,” she said softly. “It’s kind of you, but the truth is always better. I prefer to keep it real. I know what I am and what I’m not. I accept that.”

Before she could process what the ever-loving hell he was doing, he pulled her roughly into his arms so she landed with a soft thud against his chest. He tilted her chin up, his hand nearly covering half her face it was so large, and then he crushed his mouth to hers, devouring her lips as though he were starving.

It was the equivalent of being struck by lightning. Every nerve ending in her body promptly jolted, and she gasped, opening her mouth to his advancing tongue. He probed delicately, with patience that contradicted his impatient, seemingly angry movements.

She let out a delicious sigh because that mouth. Oh God, but she’d been so right about his mouth and lips, but now that she’d experienced his tongue, suddenly her attention wasn’t quite as focused on his lips.

He tasted—and smelled—divine. Hot, alpha, badass male. Arrogant. Confident. And so yummy looking she couldn’t fathom that she was standing in his office while he was thoroughly kissing her in a way she’d never been kissed before.

And she’d only known him for all of five minutes!

She put her hands up to his chest, her intent to ward him off, but as soon as her palms made contact with the muscled wall, they stopped and simply absorbed his heat as she leaned further into his kiss with a soft sigh of surrender.

•   •   •

Drake had heard all the not-good-enough, not-beautiful, don’t-belong bullshit he was going to put up with for the night. Evangeline, Angel. Yes, her name suited her to perfection. She was the most beautiful woman in the entire goddamn club, and here she stood spouting shit that she truly believed. And in no way was he going to be able to change her mind with just a few words, so he did what he’d been dying to do ever since he’d seen her walk through the door of the front bar.

He hauled her against his body so she landed against his chest, the plush softness of her breasts searing his flesh even through two layers of clothing—his and hers. Then he crashed his mouth down on hers and feasted like a man long deprived of such beauty.

His lips lightened and he licked delicately over the full plump bottom lip, nipping lightly with his teeth, a request for her to open her sweet mouth so he could get inside where it was even sweeter.

With a stuttered gasp, she complied, though he wasn’t sure if she’d actually made the cognizant decision to allow his tongue access or whether she was merely starving for air, since she hadn’t taken a single breath since his mouth had crashed down on hers. But he wasn’t waiting around to find out.

He thrust his tongue inward, nearly groaning aloud as she tentatively met his thrust with just the tip of her tongue. A brush so soft, it was like a butterfly’s wings.

God, if her mouth tasted this sweet, he could only imagine how sweet her pussy would taste. And he had a sudden urgency to find out.

He wrapped his arms around her, hauling her body into his until there was no space between them, until her softness melted into his much harder frame and molded to his. He could feel her breasts, even the turgid points of her nipples through what had to be a sheer, lacy bra for all the protection it offered. For that matter, she likely wasn’t wearing one since the dress didn’t allow much in the way of the inner trappings.

Just the thought of there being nothing between him and those beautiful breasts, those nipples thrusting against his chest, except the sheer dress she wore had his dick roaring to life and surging against his pants like a randy teenager making it with his girlfriend for the first time.

Mindful of his desire to taste her feminine nectar, he reached down and swept her into his arms, ignoring her sudden cry of alarm. She didn’t fight him. If she had, he would have offered her reassurance that he damn sure wasn’t going to hurt her. She merely lay rigid in his arms, her breaths coming in sporadic bursts, her cheeks a delectable shade of pink.

She was flush with arousal and he enjoyed savage satisfaction over the fact that she wanted him. Fucking a snowdrift? Her ex had to be out of his fucking mind. Drake didn’t need to be balls deep inside her to know she’d have him going up in flames. He was about to come in his pants and he hadn’t even gotten her on his desk or her dress up to her waist.

He set her ass on the edge of his desk and with an impatient gesture, he swept the surface of his work area clean, knocking the contents to the floor. Shit scattered in all directions and her eyes widened, her pupils dilated so that only a thin ring of blue circled the black orbs as she stared warily at him.

Not giving her any time to think, much less gather her scattered emotions, he eased her down until she lay flat on her back on the desk and her legs dangled over the side of his desk. It made him a complete bastard because he was absolutely taking advantage of a woman who was still reeling from the events of the night. But at the moment, he didn’t give a fuck because he was consumed by the need to taste her. To give her a taste of what her shithead ex hadn’t bothered, or was unable, to give her.

She would leave here satisfied completely and then she’d return to him. Oh yes, she would be his. She just didn’t know that. Yet.

He gently slipped her shoes off, hesitating just a second because the idea of him being between her legs with only those shoes had his dick already leaking pre-cum. That was for later. He’d fuck her in those shoes and nothing else.

He dropped the heels onto the floor and then shoved her dress up her legs and over her hips to gather around her belly. She was clad in lacy, sheer panties that covered golden curls at the V of her thighs. He tugged the thin band, sliding the sheer material down her thighs to her heels and let them drop to the floor.

Impatiently, he nudged her thighs apart and groaned when he got an unimpeded view of her glistening arousal. The pink lips of her pussy beckoned him and he lowered his head, running his tongue between her lips from her slick entrance to her quivering clit.

She cried out and arched violently upward, her legs shaking spasmodically. Clamping his hands on her hips, he held her firmly in place as he began sucking and licking in long strokes. Moisture surged onto his tongue and to his satisfaction he’d been right. She tasted every bit as delicious as he’d imagined.

He could die a happy man between her legs, his tongue lightly fucking her, tasting her from the inside out. With light laps, he worked his way up to her clit and circled the taut bud until she let out a keening wail. Then he rimmed her entrance with the blunt tip of one fingertip, slipping only the slightest way in.

As she got wetter around his finger, he grew bolder with both his hand and his tongue. He stroked her velvety walls, reaching deeper to the slightly rougher area of her G-spot. As soon as he exerted light pressure and suckled gently at her pulsing clitoris, she went wild, bucking, her breaths loud and forceful.

“Oh my God,” she said in awe, wonder in her voice. “I had no idea it could be this way, that it could feel so good. So . . . perfect.”

Her words slid over his ears like the finest silk and he experienced an ego boost like no other he’d ever felt. This woman deserved a man who could satisfy and please her in bed, and he had every intention of being that man. He was claiming her, putting his stamp on her, even if he didn’t fully possess her tonight.

Knowing he would have her fully, completely, gave him a surge of sheer male satisfaction.

He gently sucked her pulsing clit between his lips as he added a second finger, stroking in and out.

“Oh. Oh!” she gasped. “I don’t want it to end. It’s too perfect. Oh my God. What do I do? I feel like I’m coming apart!”

“Let it happen, Angel,” he murmured. “Let yourself feel the pleasure and forget all about the past. This is how it should feel when a man takes care of his woman and isn’t a selfish bastard out to please only himself.”

He stretched her more with his fingers and then began to stroke in and out, enjoying the silky walls of her pussy. He licked and sucked at her clit until her entire body was rigid, her bottom lifted entirely off the desk as if desperate for his mouth.

He felt the ripple of her pussy around his fingers and cursed the fact that it wasn’t his cock. He was so hard that it hurt and his straining erection felt as though it were about to split apart. He’d never wanted a woman so badly in his life and he’d damn sure never been this aroused—and unselfish.

“Give it to me,” he demanded. “Come in my mouth, Angel. Let me taste you.”

He withdrew his fingers and then moved his mouth down to her opening and slid his fingers up to her clit to caress as he licked and sucked her sweet juices.

Her cry splintered the quiet and she went wild, bucking and writhing as she exploded into his mouth, on his tongue, bathing his chin with her creamy nectar. He gentled his ministrations, knowing how hypersensitive she would be as she came down from her orgasm, but he continued to tongue her, lapping up every drop of her essence.

And then she went utterly limp and when he raised his head, he saw her dazed expression and the hazy, dreamy look in her eyes. She was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

Her gaze found his and uncertainty, shame and embarrassment replaced the look of euphoria that had been present. She looked away, her cheeks flushing.

Drake gently lifted her to a sitting position and then slipped her underwear back on, then eased her from his desk and straightened her dress before bending to slide her heels back on her feet.

He cupped her cheek, softly caressing her jaw with his thumb.

“Maddox will take you home now, but he’ll be back to pick you up at seven sharp tomorrow night to bring you back to me.”

She nodded numbly, obviously dazed and confused, bewilderment bright in her eyes. She didn’t even register Drake summoning Maddox back to his office and didn’t react when Drake cupped her face with both hands and kissed her lingeringly.

“Tomorrow, Angel. Until then, dream of me.”