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My knees weaken beneath me. His lips touch my neck. His teeth nip at my earlobe.
His muscled chest is warm and solid against my back. With his knuckles on my chin, he guides my face toward his and our lips play together as he walks us blindly across the living room. When our toes bump up against the window seat, his hand presses firmly between my shoulder blades.
“Now, get on your knees like a good girl. Let me show you how nice I can be.” He flashes me a wink as I sink to the floor.
Mason drops down behind me. Spreads my thighs apart. Lifts the hem of my shirt.
Then, he dives in. Tongue-first.
34
MASON
In the wee hours of Sunday morning, I’m downstairs stacking cupcakes high on a plate while a fresh pot of coffee brews. I hear faint footsteps coming down the creaky stairs.
I stick my head out into the hallway. Through all the streamers and balloons still hanging from the walls, I catch sight of Karli in nothing but my T-shirt tied above her belly button and those adorable tiger-striped panties of hers.
“Hey.” I smile at her. “Go back upstairs. It’s breakfast in bed today.”
I know that this isn’t the sort of meal that Karli usually eats first thing in the morning. But emotions have been running sky-high all weekend. Chocolate for breakfast is warranted.
Her responding smile is so faint that I immediately set down the plate and go to her. “What’s wrong?” I ask reaching for her shoulder.
That’s when I notice what she’s holding in her hands. It’s those damn rejection letters again.
I huff out a breath. “Karli—”
She briskly shakes her head. “You’re right, Mason.”
“About what?”
“About everything you said yesterday. I’m a good person—at least that’s what I’m choosing to believe. I’m choosing to believe that I’m enough. Just the way I am. Med school or not.”
I grab her shoulders and pull her to me. Her warm skin feels divine against my bare chest. “Fuck. I’m so happy that you finally see that, Karli.”
Forehead pressed to my collarbone, she nods. “These letters don’t get to determine who I am as a human being.” With vulnerable eyes, she stares up at me. “I’m ready to move on. Will you help me get rid of them?”
“Hell yes,” I say quietly. I grab her face and press a hard kiss to her forehead. “Yes, I’ll help you get rid of them.”
Karli holds my hand and together we walk into the living room. She stands back as I kneel in front of the fireplace with a lit matchstick.
When the blaze gets going, I lay a hand at the small of her back to urge her forward. “You ready?”
Swallowing hard, she bobs her head. Karli fills her chest with the deepest breath. She throws me one final hesitant glimpse over her shoulder. I nod to reassure her.You can do this. I believe in you.
Leaning forward with a shaky hand, she releases one crinkled sheet of paper into the licking flames.
Her jaw ticks. Her nostrils flare. Her eyes begin to fill with tears. Yet still, she feeds a second sheet of paper into the fire. And then another and another and another.
By the time she’s done, the tears are flowing freely down her flushed cheeks. We stand side by side and watch the fire consume the letters, the stack of lies that tried to convince her that she isn’t good enough just the way she is. I’m so relieved that she’s finally free of them.
“You okay?” I ask her.
She looks at me and the smallest smile cracks her face. But it’s real. It’s genuine. “I’m okay.”
My arm slips around her back and I pull her into my side, pressing my lips to her forehead again. She sinks into my hold, hugging me around the middle. A weight has rolled off her shoulders. I can feel it.
Without a word, we amble over to the couch. Taking my time, I wipe her tears away with my fingertips. I pull a blanket over our bodies and we get wrapped in each other, eventually dozing off, limbs intertwined.
