But what a difference a year could make, she thought dreamily, turning her face against Ian’s strong, tanned throat and inhaling yet again of his scent. Now, tonight, she was dancing with the man of her dreams, being held safe and warm and protected in his arms. And next year at this time, she would be his wife, would be greeted as Mrs. Gregson, and would never again feel as lonely and unhappy as she had a year ago.

“Penny for your thoughts, love?”

She glanced up into Ian’s inquisitive gaze, and gave his hand a squeeze where it held hers as they danced. “Just remembering this same party last year,” she confessed. “And how different everything is now - my life, our relationship, me.”

He nodded. “I told you once that I wanted more than anything last year to ask you to dance with me. And then when I found out you and Peter had split up, all I could think about was finding some way of taking you home with me. Though I quickly dismissed that idea since my parents were staying with me. I did, however, have a Plan B that I could have put into action if I had thought of it at that time.”

Tessa regarded him curiously. “And exactly what was this Plan B?”

Ian smoothly danced her over to the very edge of the dance floor, somehow maneuvering her through the crowd of bodies. He kept a hand at the small of her back, guiding her out of the ballroom, past the bar and coat check, and finally to the bank of elevators. He had done all of this without a single word, leaving her to puzzle over his intentions until they were inside the elevator car. Once inside, Ian inserted a card key into the slot reserved for the penthouse floor, and pressed the Close Door button.

“Plan B,” he announced very matter-of-factly, “was to whisk you off to the owner’s suite, confess that I’d been in love with you for more than two years, and then doing everything in my power to seduce you. But unfortunately I forgot one small detail.”

She was staring at him, astonished that he had quite literally just waltzed her out of a crowded party - of which they were the host and hostess - and was now spiriting her away to the penthouse suite.

“What detail would that be?” she asked in something of a daze.

Ian grinned as the elevator stopped at the top floor, and he extracted the card key from its slot, holding it up for her inspection. “I somehow forgot that I had the damned key in my pocket. But since it’s been burning a hole in my pocket all evening, I figured we shouldn’t waste the opportunity this time around. After you, love.”

He unlocked the front double doors to the suite and urged her inside. Evidently they had been expected, for lights had been left on, flowers were arranged in vases, and a bottle of champagne was chilling on the bar.

Tessa shook her head in amused exasperation. “You’ve been planning this, haven’t you?” she asked in mock disapproval. “You planned all along to smuggle me out of the party and have your wicked way with me in your private suite, didn’t you, Mr. Gregson?”

Ian took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tipping her head back. “Yes,” he whispered, just before claiming her mouth in a wet, open-mouthed kiss that threatened to make her swoon right there on the spot.

“But - but, the party,” she murmured urgently as he swept her into his arms and began to carry her into the master bedroom. “You’re - we’re the hosts, and it’s going to look very bad, very suspicious, if we just disappear. Don’t you care -”

“Not even a little,” he assured her, depositing her on the lavishly appointed bed with a little bounce. “In fact, the only thing I care about is seeing you in that corset again. It’s all I’ve been able to focus on the entire evening, as a matter of fact.”

Tessa smiled up at him sultrily as he began to remove his tuxedo jacket. “Well, if I had known that, I would have suggested making a discreet exit before the dessert was served.”

“I thought about that actually,” mused Ian as he began to unbutton his shirt. “But I knew that crème Brule was your favorite dessert, so I delayed my pleasure so you could have yours.”

“Tsk, tsk. Silly man,” she scolded playfully, rising to her knees and scooting forward until her face was at eye level with his crotch. Ian’s breath escaped in a long, low hiss as she lowered his zipper and drew out his fully erect cock. She licked the single drop of pre-cum off the tip, and made a little smacking sound. “You’ve got that all wrong. Because I’d much rather have you than a whole buffet of desserts.”

“Jesus.” He cursed vividly as she took him into her mouth. “On second thought,” he panted, “we could have probably ducked out after the first course.”

Chapter Seven

London

“This is all so beautiful, Ian! Even better than the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, I think.”

Ian smiled down at the woman snuggled against his side. “But I haven’t seen any sign of Snoopy just yet. Does that change your opinion?”

Tessa laughed, and leaned her head against his shoulder as they continued to stroll along at a leisurely pace. “Snoopy is an American dog, silly,” she teased. “I didn’t expect to see him over here in England.”

They were walking through the Winter Wonderland event being held at Hyde Park, and Tessa’s face was alive with pleasure as she took it all in - from the Magical Ice Kingdom with its ice forest of frozen sculptures including a castle, to the wonderful Christmas markets filled with arts and crafts, jewelry, and decorations, and a ride on the observation wheel that she’d cajoled him into taking her on. They stopped now to watch skaters navigate the ice rink that circled the famed Victorian Bandstand, but Ian gave her a stern look when she gazed at him hopefully.

“No,” he told her firmly. “The last time I was on ice skates was a good thirty years ago, and I wasn’t very good at it then.”

Tessa grinned, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “Impossible. Because you’re the best at whatever you set out to do.”

Ian rolled his eyes at her flattery. “That’s not going to work this time, darling. So spare yourself the effort, because there is no possible way you’re getting me out on that rink. Besides, it’s nearly time for us to leave for dinner.”

“Okay.” She placed her gloved hand in his. “Besides, you’ve indulged me an awful lot these past two days. I guess convincing you to go ice skating might be asking for too much.”