She gasped at the feel of him. It had been so long. So incredibly long. Eleanor rocked against him, a desperate whimper slipping free. “Cael.”

His hands moved beneath her dress, stroking up and down her thighs before finally settling on her hips. He dipped his thumb beneath her panties, tracing the edge down her ass. “A temporary escape.”

She jerked back to search his expression. There was a time when Cael O’Malley was an open book just waiting to be read by her. No longer. All she could see was fury and lust. “What?”

“That’s what you said to me at this very party last year. That I was a temporary escape.” He tightened his grip on her hips. “Well, you’re going to be my temporary escape tonight, Eleanor.”

God, it hurt to hear him say that. The entire time they were having an affair, all she could see were the barriers between them and a future together. Now that so many had come down, she wasn’t sure what she wanted.

No, that was a lie.

She wanted Cael O’Malley.

“What if it wasn’t temporary?”

“No.” He shook his head sharply. “You made all the calls for us before. That’s over now. Agree to my terms or this ends now.”

His terms, which were a bastardized version of hers previously. It was nothing more than she deserved but it felt like he’d reached one of those massive hands into her chest and clutched her still-beating heart. She cleared her throat. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

It was nothing more than she deserved. “Then yes. I agree.” She’d take what little she could get, even if it meant more hurt later on. It was worth it. Cael was worth it.

“So eager,” he muttered against her lips. “You’re always so fucking eager to prove them all wrong.” He slid his hands into her panties, palming her ass and kneading her. “You play the polished saint for the public, but we both know the truth.”

“Yes,” she breathed.

Cael urged her to rock against him, rubbing herself up and down his length. They were nowhere near close enough, but it felt so good. He leaned back to look at her, the deep shadows of the room threatening to make a stranger of a face she knew as well as her own. “Tell me what you are, Eleanor.”

The feeling she’d been missing for twelve long months swept through her, making her dizzy with need. She rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes. When she spoke, the words were barely above a whisper. “I’m a dirty little slut.” His inhale made her pussy clench, but if she only had one shot at this, she would make it count. She licked her lips. “I’m your dirty little slut, Cael. Only yours.”