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“Yeah, I heard everything last night.” And he hadn’t uttered a single word in reply.
“Iamsorry that I lied. It was stupid. I screwed up.”
“I’m the one who felt stupid. I wasn’t expecting lies or bullshit from you.”
Oh god, the lump was starting in her throat. Dammit, she hated crying in front of anybody. Doing it with Mason looking on would be worse. He’d either pity her, which she didn’t want, or he wouldn’t, which she also didn’t want. She leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, hugged her knees and squeezed her eyes shut until it was safe to open them. Nope, still no good. She closed them again, and stayed that way until he started talking.
“I was engaged to a girl I met during veterinary school. We planned to graduate together, start a clinic, get married and have kids eventually, when the time was right.”
Acid curled in her stomach. Just when she thought she couldn’t feel worse.
“Stacey got pregnant summer before our final year. Accident.” He shrugged. “I thought we’d make the best of it. She hated the idea of postponing her graduation and career. It made for lots of serious talks and crying. Then she lost the baby.”
The bottom fell out of her stomach. “Mason, I’m so sorry, I know—” She stopped in the nick of time. “That’s a hard thing to deal with, for both people.”
“Yeah, it was. Especially when I found out she’d had an abortion, not a miscarriage, like she’d told me.”
What a bitch. A selfish, manipulative, lying bitch. “Where is she now?”
“Don’t know.” He dropped to the floor opposite her, pushing his hands through his hair. “Katie wasn’t using her brain when she gave you relationship advice. Not for one with me, anyway. I fucking hate lying and head games. She feels shitty about it, she really likes you.” No mention ofhisfeelings for her. Of course he wasn’t forking that detail over.
“I’d like to blame your sister, but I’m the one who took her suggestion.” Sometimes being mature sucked. And the big-girl panties she just pulled up—they sucked too.
They sat in heavy silence for what felt like an hour, at least to her ass. Mason didn’t squirm once. The cold ceramic tile probably didn’t bother his firm, muscular behind. Thinking about his butt reminded her of Carrie’s comment about Cupid’s arrow. For a second, she smiled. He smiled back. Warm, genuine. Suddenly she didn’t feel so chilled.
His head cocked to the side. “Did you really think I was only seeing you for sex?”
“No, not really. Mind you, it was nice to know for sure. And when we first hooked up, I thought that’s what we were both doing. After all, it’d been well over two years for me, and gah, you’re like a walking orgasm machine.”
“Two years?Youwent without sex for more than two years?” The eyes went wide first. The huge grin followed immediately. “You gotta be kidding me.”
“Nope. Until you overthrew your way into my life, it’d been nothing but habitual masturbation for me for a very long time. Even before the separation. That’s why I got all the toys—I was developing carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist.”
The hallway came alive with the sound of Mason’s whooping laughter. “No wonder you’re such a horndog. Making up for lost time.”
“There may besometruth in those statements, but—”
“Sometruth?” He laughed until he had to wipe away tears. “You’re insatiable.”
“Funny, you never complained before.”
“I’m not complaining now.” He pushed to a stand, crossed the hallway and pulled her up, sandwiching her between the wall and his hot, uniform-clad body. “Come home with me tonight.”
“I…I don’t think I can do the casual-sex thing. Not…with you.”
His lips skimmed the shell of her ear. “Babe, I’ve never had casual sex with you. I wasn’t planning to start now.”
Oh god, her heart. “So it’d be…?”
“Make-up sex. A mutual, physical apology for acting like idiots.” His mouth progressed to her shoulder as he hooked the t-shirt aside. “You look hot in this outfit. Where are the shoes?”
“In my bedroom.” Immediately, he had her walking backward down the hall. “I’ve never had make-up sex. Is it better than regular sex?”
“Can be. How can you never have had make-up sex in all those years of marriage?”
The marriage had operated under Scott’s rules since the beginning. They hadn’t fought because Scott wouldn’t, simple as that. If she told Mason how it’d been, he’d think she was a spineless wallflower. Or he’d pity her, which would be worse.
“We didn’t argue. No fights—no need to make up.”
