“Are you a professional?” I quipped.
“Trained and certified.” He retorted. “You all tucked in?” His voice dropped an octave as he changed the subject.
“Yeah. My bed feels a bit empty,” I admitted, surprising myself.
“Mine too, and you haven’t even slept in it,” he rumbled.
“If memory serves, your bed is big enough that it would still feel empty even with little old me in it.”
“How about we test that theory tomorrow night?”
“You want me to stay at your place? I have Kodi…” I trailed off.
“Kodi can come too. I want him to,” he was quick to add. “I want you in my bed, babe. Ineedyou in my bed.”
My entire body heated as my core clenched in response to the fierce hunger in his words. “Okay,” I managed, hoping I’d be able to sleep with the raging lust now coursing through me.
“I’ll pick you up from work, then we can pick up Kodi,” he stated assuredly. “Sleep well, baby.”
If he only knew, the one thing that would guarantee good sleep was the kind of release only he could provide.
* * *
“Do you want the last eggroll?” Mason asked the next evening as we sat in his massive kitchen polishing off the takeout we’d picked up on the way back to his place.
“I’m stuffed.” I shook my head, marveling at the sheer quantity of food the man could put away.
He reached out with a wink, snagging the last of our food before I stood up to start clearing our dishes away. “I like seeing you in here,” he commented, his gaze warm as I moved around his kitchen.
“Keep an eye on me, you might lose me.” I grinned, and despite my teasing, continued to wonder how the man I was getting to know had ended up in a house like this. It just didn’t suit him at all.
“My manager basically did the deal for the house,” he explained, as though reading my thoughts. “I was just coming up in the league, focused on my game. I didn’t really care where I laid my head. Obviously, he thought I needed something showy. I guess I’ve just figured it’s pointless to move out of here until I have someone that wants to look for something new together,” he added, his gaze shining with intent as he stared at me.
I froze, the plate I was going to put away, suspended in air. “Oh,” I managed finally when I’d recovered myself.
“You’ll get there. I’ll make sure of it,” he replied assuredly. “And while I’ve completely scared you shitless, I may as well go for broke. There’s a charity event this Friday. I’m not typically one for those things, but this is for a good cause. I was hoping you’d go with me.”
He stood up, moving around the counter and into my space. He gripped my hips, tugging me into his warmth and kissing my head.
“Okay,” I agreed, snuggling into his chest. I wasn’t one for big events either, but the truth was, I had a feeling Mason and I could have fun anywhere. And I just wanted to spend time with him. “I think I have a cocktail dress that could work…” I trailed off, trying to visualize what was in my closet.
I looked up at him catching his grin. “You’d be the most beautiful woman there in anything you wore, but I did take the liberty of having a personal shopper reserved in case you wanted to go that route.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “A personal shopper? Are you sure this isn’t Lily’s fantasy I’m suddenly living in?”
He smiled. “I’m sure. But you two could go together—she should pick out something new on Ryan’s dime for being such an ass.”
“I like it,” I replied readily, making him chuckle. “Now,” I murmured, standing on my tiptoes to get closer to his mouth, “how about we move this upstairs? After your call last night, I couldn’t sleep until I put my hand between my legs, wishing it was you.”
“Holy hell, babe,” he groaned, hoisting me up over his shoulder and moving double time toward the stairs.
As it turned out, his bed was plenty big enough, but we still used every inch of it.
Chapter 9
ELLIE
“He is going to lose his goddamn tongue,” Lily squealed, clapping her hands together as I put the finishing touches on my makeup that Friday night.
