“Let me tell you something. Mason is one of the best fake or real boyfriends you could ever have. The guy is the sweetest,” Isaac said.
“He’s definitely the sweetest,” Gemma agreed.
“Hey,” Jay interrupted. “You know Damon and I are right here. What about your spouses?”
“Come on, Jay. You already have most handsome. You can at least let me have sweetest,” Mason said.
“Fine. I’ll let you call me Handsome Jay if I get to call you Sweet Mase.”
“Deal.”
“Although,” Isaac said. “How sweet can he be when he cheats at board games?”
Laughter again filled the dining room and Natalie relaxed. The group returned to good-natured conversation and she wove her arm through Mason’s, leaning against him, and, she hoped, all was right with the world again.
*
“Did you havefun?” he asked her after everyone else had departed.
She stood in the entryway, trying to decide if she should put on her shoes and also leave. She didn’t want to. “I did. I really liked the game, and your friends are nice.” She wondered why they weren’t touching yet. He stood opposite her, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and the urge to be touched by him was driving her wild with need. “I… If I come back for another game night, can I invite Mia?”
“Yeah, sure.” His eyes studied her. Did he want her to leave? Was he not making a move because he was still hurt by what she’d said earlier? Natalie thought about apologizing but wasn’t sure how to define what they had. She only knew she wanted more of whatever it was.
“Will you stay?” he asked, breaking through the quiet, his voice low.
Her heart beat heavily in her chest. “I have work tomorrow, and I’m opening, so I need to get up early.”
“Got it.” It’s possible he took this for another one of her excuses. She always seemed to have one.
“But if you don’t mind me waking up super early…” She let the rest of the sentence fall away, much like her resolve. Taking a step toward him, her hand tugged on the front of his shirt. Her wish was answered as he pulled her close, pressing her to his body, wrapping his arms around her. His mouth covered hers and he seemed to sigh into her. Natalie realized this was exactly where she wanted to be. Maybe she didn’t have all the words right now, but she could give him something. She scraped her fingers through the hair along the nape of his neck, meeting his mouth and tongue with her own, giving his lips gentle bites. “I want you,” she whispered.
In a single graceful move, he scooped her up, holding her to him as she clung to his shoulders, spreading kisses along his neck. He carried her to his darkened bedroom, gently depositing her on the bed. Her clothes were peeled away, his calloused hands brushing along her skin everywhere. She couldn’t help shivering in anticipation as her own eager fingers helped rid him of his garments. Beneath her hands was the soft crush of chest hair and she wanted to giggle with giddiness, wanting him to press into her until she could hardly breathe because she loved the feel of it, the feel of him.
After he slid on a condom, he crawled over to her. “We’re not in a barn. I want to take my time with you.” He brushed gentle lips along her temple. “Tell me what you like.”
“I…” Natalie couldn’t remember ever being asked before, and he wasn’t making it easy to think. A ball of emotion caught in her throat. Before any of it could escape and ruin everything, she blurted, “Kiss my boobs.” The command was absolutely ridiculous. She expected him to laugh at her. If she’d thought about his question for any length of time, it probably wouldn’t have been her first demand. She just wanted something to happen before she lost it completely.
But he didn’t laugh. He inched down her body, hot, slow kisses following the same path, until he paid her small breasts ample attention, leaving tender kisses there, and gently tugging on her nipples with his teeth. Whatever he was doing, it was working, because she soon forgot all about being ridiculous, letting her head roll back and savoring his attention.
Her breathing increased heavily when he moved even lower, settling his face between her legs and using his tongue and mouth to tease her. She could barely stand it. The sensations of what he was doing to her were overwhelming as she arched her body, mumbling his name until she couldn’t help but cry out. Natalie collapsed, placing a hand over her chest as she tried to catch her breath.
This man.
He was everything.
Mason crawled back up her body, kissing along her jawline. “Can I have you?” he said in a low voice.
“Yes,” she whispered. Natalie didn’t want to deny him anything.
With a groan, Mason eased into her. “God, you feel so good. I don’t think I could ever get enough of you.”
“Mm-hmm.” She wrapped herself around him, kissing across his eyelids.
He pulled out before pushing back in, moving slowly at first, proving he meant it when he said he actually wanted to take his time with her.
At one point, his breath was hot on her ear. “You’re worth it,” he said. “You’ve always been worth it.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, convinced this would help in preventing the heart attack that was sure to follow because her chest was squeezing itself too tight.
