Falling for Lord Masquerade

"Don't you dare go smartass on me!" I snapped.

My angry command had the opposite effect. He broke into steady laughter.

"You jerk! If you're gonna be like that--"

I turned sharply to leave. Before I'd taken two steps, I felt Masquerade catch my wrist.

"No, no, don't be upset, Jenna," he said, laughing.

I stopped but wouldn't face him.

"Oh come now, was it all that bad?" he asked.

I wanted to hold my ground, but his tone had softened; my aching heart caved in. I turned back quickly and buried myself against him. He put his arms around me. I pressed my cheek against his chest and shifted my mask back into place.

"You're so mean," I said, not that I meant a word of it.

"Forgive me," he apologized. I could feel how many chuckles he was suppressing. "But you did enjoy bickering."

"No, I didn't," I denied, painfully aware that he could hear the smile in my voice.

~~~~

After being humiliated by her boyfriend at homecoming, Jenna Phillips wanders into the nearby park. To her astonishment, an old manor stands among the trees. Curious, she enters to find a ballroom filled with dancing couples decked out in gorgeous masquerade masks. Injured by the press of the throng, Jenna finds herself tended by the mysterious host, a handsome young man known only as "Lord Masquerade."

Invited to stay, Jenna remains, little knowing the hidden secret lurking behind those seductive eyes - or the dangerous beckoning of her heart as she begins to fall for Lord Masquerade.