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“I’m more than glad to help you with that.” Maybe even more than once or twice.
TEAGAN
“It shouldn’t take very long.” Mason’s breath smells like sex and whiskey, but then I guess it would have to after he downed all those little bottles on the way back from the gala, like he made it his personal mission to empty the bar.
“That’s okay.” Though he did promise me multiple workout sessions. I guess one has to do for now. “Crap, I left my phone downstairs and promised Ainsley I would text her later.” After Mason confessed he put a signal jammer in my suite, I talked him into turning it off so I can message my best friend.
“I can have someone bring it up to you.”
“Nah, I don’t like the idea of someone touching my stuff. Plus, I kind of want my fuzzy pj’s, and they’re downstairs too.”
“Alright, I’ll walk you downstairs then.” Mason is already dressed in his go-to black slacks and black button-up shirt while I’m still naked on his bed.
Jumping up, I find and pull on a pair of leggings I have up here, along with one of Mason’s shirts. There is no way I’m getting back into that dress again, and definitely not the shoes either. I decide on a pair of Mason’s socks for the way downstairs. It’s not like anyone is going to see me, I don’t think there is another person staying on my floor, at least I haven’t seen anyone so far.
Laying the dress carefully over my arm to carry it downstairs, I make my way to the elevator with Mason by my side. As expected, we make it to my apartment without seeing another soul.
“The whole time, I was worried I would ruin it somehow,” I tell him as I hang the dress up in my bedroom. I’ll have to get it cleaned before returning it.
“Even if you did, it wouldn’t be a big deal.” Mason brushes me off from the living room.
“It would to me. It had to cost a fortune, and I could never pay for it.”
Natalie’s joke about not paying for anything comes back to me, and I pause halfway through pulling out my pajamas, then abandon the idea and return to the living room.
His back is to me, and I notice he’s shuffling through papers. My body goes cold when I realize what he’s looking at. “Oh, that’s just a bunch of doodles. Nothing serious.”
He turns away from my notes and drawings. “You did this?”
“Yeah?” I’m still wearing clothes, but I might as well be completely naked. I’m that vulnerable. Having Jase see my ideas is one thing, but Mason… I can’t tell what he thinks about them.
That is until a wide smile spreads over his face. “You are really talented. I had no idea.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
His face scrunches up like he’s in pain before he rolls his eyes. “What is your problem with me telling the truth? First, I tell you that you’re the most beautiful woman I saw tonight, which is still true, and now I’m lying about this? I don’t have to compliment you. But I want to because you deserve it.”
I’m a little overwhelmed by the force of his reaction. It has to be all that whiskey. He can’t feel so strongly about my drawings… or me. “Thanks,” I whisper. “It’s an idea that’s been in my head for a long time. A children’s book. I’m sort of playing around with the idea again.”
“Go for it! You’ve got a lot of talent.” I can’t help but smile like a total nerd at his praise, even when I still don’t feel like I deserve it.
I’m too torn to bask in the moment. There’s still something on my mind, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight until I get it off. “Back to the dress for a second. Nat said something earlier that was a joke, but it kind of got me thinking.”
His brows draw together. “What did she say?”
“I mentioned how I feel bad that I’m not paying for any of this. The dress, everything that came with it, not to mention everything else you’ve already given me. She said it wouldn’t bother me if I knew where the money comes from.”
His nostrils flare, and his jaw ticks, but his voice is low and measured. “She would.”
“What could that possibly mean?”
“And if I told you it’s none of your business?”
“Give it a shot and see how it goes.”
It’s clear he’s fighting with himself, scowling and clenching his jaw. Is he going to tell me the truth? Is he going to come up with a lie? I think we’re beyond that point by now, but who knows?
His shoulders rise and fall before he says, “While I can’t get into specifics, I can tell you she’s right.”
