Madison blinked, caught off guard by his swift retort. The thought of him married with a pack of children was…
Agonizing.
“You?” She tried to laugh off the unexpected pain.
“Why not me?” he murmured, reaching up to brush her hair back over her shoulder, his touch heart-stoppingly gentle. “Of course, first I need to find my Cinderella.”
For a crazed minute, Madison allowed herself to become lost in the dark promise of his eyes. How many years had she spent fantasizing that she could be the woman to earn this man’s love? That she alone could mold him from a ruthless playboy to a man dedicated to one woman.
Even after he’d walked out of the trailer, leaving her completely humiliated, she’d harbored a secret hope he would change his mind and return.
She gave a sharp shake of her head.
Christ. She was an idiot.
This was no fairytale. She was here for a purpose and clearly the sooner she got it finished, the better.
Before she did something truly stupid.
She forced her lips into an inviting smile, grimly assuring herself that the streaks of lightning searing through her body as his fingers skimmed down the line of her body were nothing more than lust.
Something she could use to her advantage.
“Cinderella? Really?”
“You don’t believe me?”
She reached up to brush a piece of lint from the lapel of his jacket, allowing her fingers to linger against the strong width of his chest.
“I was actually thinking that it would be a sin against nature to tame the Dark Angel with minivans and dirty diapers.”
His eyes narrowed at her abrupt shift from bitter ex-lover to femme fatale.
“You were just complaining that I—”
Madison pressed a hasty finger to his lips. Crap. It’d all seemed so easy when she was plotting her strategy in the comfort of her New York apartment.
“Like any young girl I dreamed of taming the bad boy, and I was hurt when you walked away,” she said, not having to fake the edge to her voice.
He studied her with a puzzled gaze. “And now?”
Her hand pressed over his heart, feeling the steady beat increase as she stepped close enough to whisper directly in his ear.
“For tonight, I just want you to be bad.”
His breath hissed between his clenched teeth, his hands gripping her slender waist. “You’re sure?”
“You were right.” She nipped the lobe of his ear. “There’s always been an attraction between us, and I’m no longer that girl looking for Prince Charming. Why shouldn’t we have some fun?”
She felt him stiffen at her teasing words. Had she managed to wound him? No, that would be ridiculous.
As if to prove his point, Luc nuzzled his lips along her jaw. “I’ll have my car—”
“No need,” she interrupted. “I have a room.”
Luc pulled back, his surprise deepening. “You’re staying at the hotel?”
“Yes.” She’d checked as soon as she’d been sure that Luc was attending the party. There was no way she was completing the last act of her revenge in Kristen’s house. “Shall we?”