An Indulgent Moment

  A short novella in The Extravagant Series

  Lauren Blakely

  Lauren Blakely Books

  Contents

  Also by Lauren Blakely

  About

  An Indulgent Moment

  Also by Lauren Blakely

  Contact

  Copyright © 2020 by Lauren Blakely

  Cover Design by Helen Williams.

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This contemporary romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This book is licensed for your personal use only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with, especially if you enjoy sexy romance novels with alpha males. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Also by Lauren Blakely

  Big Rock Series

  Big Rock

  Mister O

  Well Hung

  Full Package

  Joy Ride

  Hard Wood

  * * *

  Rules of Love Series

  The Rules of Friends with Benefits (A Prequel Novella)

  The Virgin Rule Book

  The Virgin Game Plan

  The Virgin Replay

  The Virgin Scorecard

  * * *

  Men of Summer Series

  Scoring With Him

  Winning With Him

  All In With Him

  * * *

  The Guys Who Got Away Series

  Dear Sexy Ex-Boyfriend

  The What If Guy

  Thanks for Last Night

  The Dream Guy Next Door

  * * *

  The Gift Series

  The Engagement Gift

  The Virgin Gift

  The Decadent Gift

  * * *

  The Extravagant Series

  One Night Only

  One Exquisite Touch

  My One-Week Husband

  * * *

  MM Standalone Novels

  A Guy Walks Into My Bar

  One Time Only

  The Bromance Zone

  * * *

  The Heartbreakers Series

  Once Upon a Real Good Time

  Once Upon a Sure Thing

  Once Upon a Wild Fling

  * * *

  Boyfriend Material

  Asking For a Friend

  Sex and Other Shiny Objects

  One Night Stand-In

  * * *

  Lucky In Love Series

  Best Laid Plans

  The Feel Good Factor

  Nobody Does It Better

  Unzipped

  * * *

  Always Satisfied Series

  Satisfaction Guaranteed

  Instant Gratification

  Overnight Service

  Never Have I Ever

  PS It’s Always Been You

  Special Delivery

  * * *

  The Sexy Suit Series

  Lucky Suit

  Birthday Suit

  * * *

  From Paris With Love

  Wanderlust

  Part-Time Lover

  * * *

  One Love Series

  The Sexy One

  The Only One

  The Hot One

  The Knocked Up Plan

  Come As You Are

  * * *

  Sports Romance

  Most Valuable Playboy

  Most Likely to Score

  * * *

  Standalones

  Stud Finder

  The V Card

  The Real Deal

  Unbreak My Heart

  The Break-Up Album

  * * *

  The Caught Up in Love Series

  The Pretending Plot (previously called Pretending He’s Mine)

  The Dating Proposal

  The Second Chance Plan (previously called Caught Up In Us)

  The Private Rehearsal (previously called Playing With Her Heart)

  * * *

  Seductive Nights Series

  Night After Night

  After This Night

  One More Night

  A Wildly Seductive Night

  About

  I’ve been longing for the man for years. Wanting him in my private thoughts. Wishing we could be together.

  But we’re too forbidden.

  So I’ll take what I can get — one delicious night. One indulgent moment.

  Then I’ll let him go.

  But fate has other plans for me.

  * * *

  Want to be the first to learn of sales, new releases, preorders and special freebies? Sign up for my VIP mailing list here!

  An Indulgent Moment

  Eliza

  * * *

  The dazzling thing about Las Vegas is that no matter where you look, somehow the light is always in your eyes.

  In the morning, the sun is either bouncing off buildings or the desert. At night, the whole moon pales behind our glitz. The only stars you’ll see are the endless celebrities at every hot new club on the Strip. I love this shining city of mine, where anything can happen.

  And tonight, I’m hoping the dress I’ve chosen will make me the brightest light at the masquerade.

  I’m hoping something magical will happen.

  I stand in front of the full-length mirror in my walk-in closet and gauge the effect of my gown. It’s a pale gold silk column that skims my curves and makes my skin shine. At the vanity, I dust gold shimmer across my shoulders and décolletage to amplify the effect.

  Tonight’s ball is themed “Cosmos,” and I want to look like a sun goddess.

  I finish glossing my lips and add the final touch—a small crown of golden spikes that perches atop my waves of chestnut hair. Perfect.

  I try not to place any expectations on the evening as I wrap the straps of my Grecian-style sandals up my calves. I’ve never seen him at any previous masquerade. Only his best friend, the one who’s our cover, who gives us the chance to chat and talk, sometimes to all grab a drink together.

  I can’t help but wonder—if Xavier saw me now, would he like what he saw?

  I’m made up as a fantasy—a reverse image of my usual self. During the workweek, Nadia and I both favor simple, elegant blouses and slacks. Except on Fridays, of course, when we proudly wear our custom team jerseys. Go, Hawks.

  The one I sleep in at night is different. That one has his name on the back. His number. Forty-four.

  I allow myself the briefest moment to imagine that if he saw me tonight, we could pretend. Pretend I’m not one of the women who holds the stakes in his team. Pretend it wouldn’t be the scandal of the year if we indulged, just once, in the promises our eyes have been making for the past two years while our lips have stuck to pleasantries and observations. Promises our voices have been making in secret phone calls, furtive stolen moments with his friend having our backs.

  We’ve never touched.

  Touch is too risky.

  I dream of his touch though. I long for it. My body craves it madly.

  But could it ever happen?

  I hope, then I tuck that hope away.

  My phone alerts me to Sage’s message.

  Your carriage awaits.

  I smile, feeling a little like Cinderella.

  Slipping my mask into my clutch, I allow myself one final glance in the mirror, and then head outside to find Carlos holding open the limo door for me. Inside, Sage waits for me with a glass of champagne.

  “You look absolutely incredible,” I tell her, my jaw dropping at the dress she’s chosen. It covers her completely. Floor-length, long sleeves, high neck—but it’s made from a frothy midnight-blue tulle, so only the silver embroidered stars scattered across her torso prevent it from being entirely transparent.

  “Speak for yourself,” she says, handing me the flute of bubbles that nearly matches my own gown. We touch the rims together as Carlos pulls off, whisking us toward The Invitation. “Cheers to an unforgettable evening.”

  I can feel my smile mirroring hers, secretive and knowing all at once.

  Neither of us are shy about our desires, or our cravings to be desired. The difference is that she knows exactly who she’ll be leaving with this evening, and I haven’t met my Prince Wicked quite yet.

  Seeing as the one I want is off-limits.

  But I’m an optimist. To work in sports, it’s a good attitude to cultivate. My inner bright side tells me that tonight could be a special night. Maybe the kind where I go home with a man I can be deliciously unguarded with. One who wouldn’t mind exploring the naughtier sides of my fantasies.

  One who I don’t have to hide my feel
ings for.

  The champagne slides down my throat, crisp and dry.

  “Cheers,” I say, and she repeats it.

  We gossip for a bit, trading tidbits about who might be there tonight, and whether we’d even be certain if they were. The masks are the allure of these parties. They’re our freedom from our daily lives. From our reputations.

  Ironic, isn’t it? Only by hiding our faces can we reveal our true selves.

  Soon enough, Carlos pulls up in front of The Invitation, and we barely have time to slip our false faces on before he opens the door and we’re ushered in toward the ballroom. Attendants in livery are waiting to check our phones, and then finally we’re here.

  The lighting prisms around the ceiling and walls like stars. A string quartet plays on a small stage flanked by heavy velvet curtains.

  Possibility awaits.

  Sage squeezes my hand, and I follow her gaze toward Cole. I’m not jealous of her, but I would love to have someone gaze at me with the same hungry look he has.

  I would love to have someone in particular gaze at me that way.

  “Go!” I tell her.

  “We just got here. I won’t abandon you so soon.” She’s the best friend.

  “But no one’s going to ask me to dance with you here, cramping my style. Go let your man get an eyeful.” I shoo her away.

  With an air kiss, she obeys.

  A waiter circulates with more champagne, and I catch his eye. He makes his way over to me as I sway to the music, enjoying the sensual feel of the silk on my bare skin. Rather than ruin the silhouette with a panty line, I’ve gone without. It feels a little dangerous, and a lot good.

  I accept the glass the waiter hands me and close my eyes to enjoy the sensation, adding a little more spice to the motion of my hips.

  I open my eyes again at the feel of a body moving against mine from behind. A large hand settles on my waist, and the man behind me matches my rhythm perfectly. I smile, pressing my ass back against him just a little.

  And I hope he’s the one I want.

  He’s tall, I can tell that much, and from the feeling of him, he’s also muscular.

  I allow myself a moment to simply dance with this mystery man. After a few more slow measures, I slide my free hand down over his. It’s massive, resting possessively on my hip. I like it.

  Then I slide my fingers into his and use them to push off, cuing him to send me into a spin, one that ends with us face-to-face.

  I gasp quietly.

  I swallow, and hope fills me, like bubbles rising to the surface.

  This risk. This man.

  His body fills every inch of what must be a custom tux—nothing off-the-rack is made to fit a man this big.

  His mask is painted to look like a galaxy.

  Beneath it, his eyes say all the things we’ve whispered to each other in our secret calls.

  My stomach does a slow roll. My impossible dream has come true. Xavier is here tonight, and magic must be real after all. I allow my lips to curve, not too much, not wanting to seem too eager. Though, of course, I am.

  He doesn’t hold back. He treats me to all thousand watts of that famous smile.

  He may be our second-string quarterback, but his looks and gentle-giant personality have made him beloved around town. His face graces one billboard for a jewelry store, another for a family steakhouse.

  Graces all of my fantasies too.

  “Hi, beautiful,” he whispers, his deep baritone sending sparks over my skin.

  “Hi, Forty-Four.”

  His lips curve into a grin. “I was hoping you’d be here.”

  “You were?”

  His hands slide down my sides. “I’ve been wanting to see you. Wanting to talk to you. Wanting to put my hands on you.”

  I shiver. “I want all that too.”

  “You feel incredible, my beautiful goddess.”

  I try to rein in a grin, but it’s futile.

  I simply hope our desire isn’t evident to all.

  But I bet it is.

  The sparks we’re giving off must be able to be seen from space.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you. I had to steal a dance with you,” he says as we move.

  “Steal me,” I whisper, as I roam my eyes over him.

  The way his tux hugs and tucks in all the right places, the way it encases his broad shoulders and makes him look like a towering god carved in onyx—I’m intoxicated just looking at him. This beautiful man does it for me. I’ve never been more attracted to anyone in my life, and I hope he feels the same for me – that we can have this honest, passionate connection the way I want.

  “How about I steal you away at last?” he asks.

  I don’t think. I don’t weigh. I don’t worry.

  I do.

  He tilts his head toward the door. I nod my yes, a wicked thrill racing through my body as I shift from my swaying dance to walking at his side.

  I catch Sage’s eye as I go, her mouth falling open as she realizes what’s happening. She gives a fist pump before I’m out of the ballroom, collecting my phone, darting across the road to The Extravagant, and waiting at the elevator bank.

  Once the doors open, Xavier punches in the five-digit code, then cages my body with his as the doors close and we begin our ascent. He takes off his mask. I remove mine.

  Then, and only then, do I get the prize I’ve wanted ever since the first time I saw him.

  I get to kiss the football player.

  It starts slow, just the pressure and warmth of his lips on mine. Then neither of us can hold back, engulfing each other with lips and tongues and nips. Finally, our mouths are saying all the things we’ve longed for.

  This man is my champagne. My medium-rare steak. I want to devour him.

  If it’s like this before we even get naked, I’m done for. I’ll die from the first orgasm. I just know it.

  “You taste better than I’ve dreamed,” he murmurs.

  “Do you dream of me?”

  “You know I do, my beautiful goddess. I dream of you so much it hurts.”

  “I don’t want you to hurt,” I say with a playful pout. “Let’s ease that hurt.”

  “I’ve got some ideas on how to do that.”

  “Can’t wait.” I grin.

  He toys with the back of my dress inside the world’s slowest elevator, his fingers igniting nerve endings I’d forgotten existed. Everything about him is strong and powerful. Godlike. All I want to do is hike my dress over my head and let him take me in this tiny elevator car, but he knows what he’s doing.

  Toying with me.

  Teasing me.

  Turning me into mush before we even reach the room.

  It’s so hard to stay focused when his fingers along my spine promise euphoria in other, more sensitive, parts of my body.

  Oh, yes. He knows what he’s doing.

  When the doors open, we break for air, both of us breathing heavily as we walk into a gorgeously appointed suite. Then there’s that first moment of uncertainty that rises up, hot and full of promise. It twists into something more primal, more desperate, because he frames me against the wall with those long arms made for swallowing a woman whole.

  His lips are fire on mine, liquid magma in my veins. Nothing could get this dress off faster than another one of his kisses. His tongue gently probes against mine, assertive and exploratory, while one hand cups my ass and the other fumbles with the straps on my shoulders. I try to pull them off, but he stops me with a firm hand.

  “This is for me.” He growls against my lips. “I undress you. I’ve wanted this so much it’s like breathing.”