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I closed the door and turned to face Mason, who was standing next to the Jeep with his hands in his pockets. He looked a little tired himself. “I’m glad you stayed,” I said.
He lifted his chin to look up at my face. “Me too.”
It was the quiet moments like this, in which we stood impossibly close and alone—or almost alone—that I wished I’d never asked him to make that promise. Because if he tried to kiss me now, I wouldn’t pull away. I’d let him. I’d let Mason Reed do anything he wanted to me.
But he knew better.
Mason took a deep breath, saying, “I’ll see you tom—”
“Did you keep those pictures I sent you?” I didn’t know what made me blurt those words—it was probably the extra tequila Sarah had added to our second round of drinks combined with my nagging curiosity. The question had been in the back of my mind ever since Owen held my phone in his hands. The photos were right there, but did Mason still have them, too? Did he ever look at them?
A sleepy grin spread across his face. “I deleted them just like you asked me to.”
“You didn’t keep them in a private spank bank?”
His smile grew. “‘Spank bank’? Is that what it’s called?”
“You can call it whatever you want.”
Mason looked up at the night sky and exhaled, and I knew he was about to crack. It was a clear night, and the moon overhead was almost full. We both stood silently and stared at it for a moment as I waited for his admission. Finally, he turned back to me and pulled his hands from his pockets, letting his arms dangle loosely at his sides. “I deleted them. Every last one. And that’s the honest-to-God truth.” His stare was so intense, I believed every word. “But.”
Of course there was a “but.”
Mason watched me closely as he spoke. “What if I told you I… drew one from memory?”
“You… drew one of them?” He nodded in confirmation as I nervously played with the charms on my bracelet. “W-which photo?”
I absentmindedly moved closer to him, awaiting his next words. If we stood any closer, he might even hear the way my heart was ready to pound right out of my chest. “It was based on that one of you in the mirror with those neon lights,” Mason said. “Because it shows off all your—” He swallowed and glanced down at my hips, slowly bringing his eyes back up to my face. “Everything.”
Fuck me. I tried to hold back a smile, but there was no use. I was already giggling like a goddamn schoolgirl. I really shouldn’t have downed that second margarita so quickly. “I want to see it,” I blurted.
He reached for his door handle and turned to get into the Jeep. “Welp. Goodnight.”
My hand flew up to the top of the door to prevent him from leaving. “Nope, you’re not getting out of this now. Too late. I want to see this sketch of yours. It’s only fair.”
Mason scratched his forehead with his thumb, smiling down at the ground between us. The creases in the corners of his eyes became more prominent as he said, “Boy oh boy, am I praying you’re so drunk you’ll forget this tomorrow…”
“Not a chance. This conversation will forever be etched in my memory, Mason Reed.” I leaned closer to him, my hand still on the car. “And you’re going to show me that drawing.”
“Am I?” His eyes were still locked on mine. “I don’t have it with me.”
“That’s okay. You can send it to me later.”
Mason shook his head and licked his lips, trying not to smile. “You don’t think I’m a pervert for drawing you in nothing but a thong?”
I pressed my lips together, fighting a smile myself. “You’re a modern-day Jack Dawson.”
He grinned down at his feet, signaling he’d understood my Titanic reference. In the quiet moment that followed, we both turned to look at Finley, who was still fast asleep with her mouth hanging open.
Mason cleared his throat. “You going to be okay to get home?”
“Yeah—I’ll either wait until I sober up or have Owen take me,” I said with a shrug. I hadn’t really thought about it, but I knew Sarah and Owen would make sure I made it home safe.
Something about my answer made Mason’s face fall and his body tense up. “Go get your stuff.”
The sudden shift in his mood threw me. “Excuse me?”
“Get your stuff,” he repeated, nodding toward the house. “I’ll take you home.”
