Which was incredibly warm.
And how she smelled.
Like sunshine and vanilla.
And suddenly, it wasn’t funny anymore. He didn’t want to be cheesy or make her laugh. He wanted to kiss her and hear her moan with pleasure right before she cried out his name. It was all he wanted, but he made a promise to her–they wouldn’t do anything she didn’t want to do.
But man, oh man did he wish she wanted to do more than just talk right now.
Although, now they weren’t even talking; they were just staring out at the beach. All he could hear was the sound of the waves crashing and his heartbeat drumming in his own ears. It seemed so loud to him that he had to wonder if Scarlett could hear it too.
This was all new territory for him. Normally, when he chatted up a woman, it was all superficial and mildly entertaining. Mason wouldn’t describe himself as a serial dater, but he never went out with a woman more than a few times and he couldn’t remember feeling the type of connection he felt right now with Scarlett. He wanted to know what was bothering her–what did he say to make her get up and go quiet? But at the same time, he wanted to take her inside and slowly lead her to his bedroom where he could make love to her all night long.
That was definitely a first.
And not just because this was the first time bringing a woman to his home.
Back in college, he brought girls back to his room all the time, so it wasn’t that. This was more like…like…damn. He wanted to take his time with her–find out what she liked, what made her feel good. And then he wanted to wake up in the morning and drink coffee with her right here on the deck.
Right now, however, he wanted to know what she was thinking. Taking a small step back, Mason slowly turned her around until she was facing him. “Hey,” he began softly. “What’s going on?”
But she shook her head. “It’s nothing. Really. I guess I was just thinking about all the changes here in town.” She shrugged but wouldn’t meet his gaze.
Tucking a finger under her chin, he gently guided her gaze back up to his. “Are you sure?”
Her eyes shone bright for a brief moment and then she pulled slightly away. “It’s not a big deal. My mind just wandered for a minute.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Scarlett’s back was against the railing and her breasts were practically touching his chest. If he moved in even a little bit, they would touch him and he knew it would be the sweetest kind of torture.
He was willing to find out.
Swallowing hard, he moved.
So did she.
To get closer.
There was no way he was going to push for more. For right now, this was fine. More than fine. He stayed impossibly still while he waited to see what she was going to do.
Hell, he wasn’t even sure he was breathing.
Slowly, one small, delicate hand rested on his stomach. She looked up at him as if gauging his reaction. When he simply continued to watch her, she let her hand graze up toward his chest where it rested again.
He could feel himself begin to sweat.
Then he tried to make himself recite the alphabet backward so he didn’t pounce.
A slow smile played at her lips when her hand moved again to caress his jaw on its way up to rake through his hair. This time his eyes closed and he couldn’t help but moan as her short nails gently scratched his scalp.
“Hey, Scarlett?” he whispered, fighting the urge to lean in and taste her.
“Yeah?”
“You never answered my question earlier.” He opened his eyes and looked down at her, enjoying how she seemed mesmerized by touching him.
Her hands paused. “What question?”
Dark eyes met his and it took him a minute to remember he was going somewhere with this. He was supposed to be distracting himself from kissing her–letting her set the pace and not pouncing.
Even though all he wanted was to scoop her up in his arms and do just that.
I have self-control. I have self-control. I have self-control.
Wait, do I?
Scarlett’s hands began to roam again and he swallowed hard as his eyes drifted closed again. The moan of pleasure was out before he could stop it.
“What’s your biggest fault?” he forced himself to say, but it came out sounding breathless and a little needy.
If it were possible, Scarlett pressed herself even more firmly against him as the hand in his hair seemed to tighten its grip.
“Not doing this sooner,” she said, pulling his head down to capture his lips with hers.
This girl…
Okay, fine…this wasn’t really what she planned on doing, but a girl could only take so much. Mason was incredibly sweet and funny and he smelled so damn good. How could she possibly stop herself from kissing him again?
And…who was she kidding? She was ready for more than just kissing.
She was curious about how his hands would feel on her, how his mouth would feel on other parts of her body, and how it would feel to wrap her legs around him.
I bet it would all feel fan-freaking-tastic.
It was both exciting and terrifying to think about because as much as she really liked Mason, she knew this–whatever it was–was all it was going to be. Maybe they could stretch it out for the weekend, but come Monday, that was going to be it. She wasn’t delusional and she wasn’t going to get her hopes up that this was anything more than just two people who found themselves wildly attracted to each other. At the end of the day, she was still the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who had no desire to fit in with the country club crew.
God, I really am a snob, only in reverse.
Mason broke the kiss and his mouth moved down and gently bit her throat. Her pulse was beating like mad and she arched into him. Then his hands finally got in on the action and moved down to cup her ass. He squeezed ever-so-slightly and she was ready to climb him like a tree.
She had never been like this–so needy, so turned on–by anyone. Sex was good and something she enjoyed, but it never felt like this. And it certainly never felt like this before they even got naked.
Panting his name, pleading to him for more, she almost cried out “Hallelujah!” when he lifted her up and carried her back into the house. But once they were over the threshold and back in the living room, he placed her back on her feet and took a step back–his hands still firmly clasping her waist. She looked up at him quizzically.
“Mason?”
His breath was ragged and he seemed just as dazed as she was. “I’m sorry.”
“Um…what?”
“I realized what I was doing. I just picked you up and carried you in here like some sort of caveman or something–after I told you we’d do whatever it was you wanted, like just talk.”
Was he being for real right now? She wondered.
“But…you were doing what I wanted. I thought that was obvious when I grabbed you and kissed you.”
He nodded. “Well…yeah. But that didn’t mean you wanted to take this any further. So…I’m sorry.”
If this were some sort of thing of his where he got the girl to beg him to take her to bed, she’d be totally on board. Yeah, she wasn’t opposed to begging right now.
Taking a step forward, she reached her hand up around his nape again and pressed up against him. “If you’re looking for me to state exactly what it is that I want right now, Mason, I’ll tell you. I want you to pick me up like you just did, then to carry me into your bedroom where we’ll collapse down on the bed and hopefully get naked very soon.”
Reaching up, he cupped her face and gave her a grin that was sexy as hell. “Scarlett Jones, you may very well be my every damn fantasy come to life.”
“Good,” she said confidently as she leapt up to wrap her legs around his waist.
And just as she asked, he carried her to his bedroom, his gaze never leaving hers. She caught a glimpse of a fairly masculine room that was dominated by a king size bed. Gently, he lowered her
onto it and followed her down, stretching out beside her. Fighting the urge to growl with frustration that he wasn’t kissing her, she rolled onto her side to face him.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked softly.
“You can ask me anything.” Reaching up, he caressed her cheek and she leaned into it, loving how his hands felt on her.
“Is this your usual M.O.?”
One brow arched at her. “Excuse me?”
“This whole thing–you meet a girl, you joke, you flirt, and…you bring her home.” Before he could answer, she added, “Where you have a couple of hours of wild sex and then send her on her way.”
“Wow…um…I don’t even know what to say to that.”
“The truth would probably be best,” she said, hoping she found the balance between teasing and bitchy.
His hand skimmed across her cheek, over her shoulder, down her arm until he was holding her hand in his. “I’m no angel, Scarlett,” he began, “and I’m not going to pretend that I am or ever was. Have I flirted with a girl I’ve met in a bar or a club and left with her? Yes. Have I ever sat and had a conversation with one and found I was okay if that’s all we did for the entire night? No.” He squeezed her hand lightly. “And you’re the first girl I’ve ever brought home.”
She laughed softly. “That’s only because you just moved in here.”
But he shook his head. “Back in college, I brought girls back to my room occasionally, but…it’s not the same. None of them spent the entire night.” He paused and his expression seemed to grow dark. “And none of them stayed for an entire weekend.”
The soft gasp that escaped her lips couldn’t be helped. She licked at her bottom lip. “Is that what I’m doing?”
“If it were up to me? Yes.”
She moved a little closer to him. “I didn’t pack for a weekend away.” Then she leaned forward and nipped at his jaw. “I don’t even have my jammies with me.”
Releasing her hand, Mason’s hand moved to rest on her hip before reaching around and squeezing her ass. “I don’t think you should worry. You won’t need them.”
Visions of the two of them tangled up in bed flashed through her mind and as much as she appreciated her imagination, she had a feeling the reality was going to be so much better.
“My turn,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “Can I ask you something?”
She nodded.
“Is this your usual M.O.?”
Scarlett shook her head. “Not even a little bit. And there’s a part of me that can’t believe I’m doing this now. I always thought there was a huge ick-factor in going home with a guy you just met…”
“We’ve known each other for years,” he countered smoothly.
“Please,” she said with a small snort. “Not really.”
“We’ll always have middle school science.”
Now she did laugh and gave him a playful shove. “Dork.”
His hand continued to knead and squeeze her ass and she had to admit, it felt really good.
“Hey, Scarlett?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you sit in a pile of sugar? Because you have a pretty sweet ass.”
This time she shoved him with a little more force but he came right back at her and rolled her onto her back, stretching out on top of her, silencing her laughter with a kiss. It was deep and wet and she simply wrapped herself around him. She cursed the fact that they were still dressed, but knew it would be rectified soon.
Lifting his head, Mason smiled down at her. “I was serious before, you know. I already know I want you to stay, Scarlett. Does that freak you out?”
She shook her head. “No. The part that does freak me out is how much I want to.”
“Then we’re on the same page.”
She nodded. “Mason?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we be done talking now?”
His smile grew. “I can’t guarantee I won’t say anything else. I have a feeling I’m going to have a lot to say once I start undressing you.”
Oh, my…
“I think I can handle that,” she said, sliding her hands up and over his shoulders before skimming down his back. Mason’s lips claimed hers as she let herself skim up under his shirt and slowly start lifting it up. He was on the same page because he quickly sat up, pulled the shirt up and over his head before he dove in for another kiss.
After that, playtime and bantering were over. They were both on a mission to touch and tease and kiss every inch of each other. It was a little wild, a little frantic, and incredibly sexy.
She scratched her nails down his back and made him hiss.
He sucked on her nipples and then gently bit down, making her back arch off of the bed.
They rolled around, limbs tangling together, as articles of clothing went flying.
By the time they were both naked, Scarlett knew their first time wasn’t going to be slow. And she was more than okay with it. With Mason’s mouth doing incredibly wicked things to every spot he touched, she was slowly going insane.
“Mason?” she panted.
“Hmm?”
“Now. Please. It has to be now.” Yeah, begging was totally something new to her and when Mason lifted his head and looked at her, she knew she’d willingly do it again and again just to see that heated look on his face.
And as he crawled up over her, she knew she would remember this night–this moment–for the rest of her life.
“We should have stopped for a burger.”
“You mean…between when we…? Or after the show?”
Scarlett laughed softly as she settled in beside him and pulled the sheet up to cover herself a bit. Not that she was being modest–over the course of the last two hours, Mason had seen, tasted, and touched just about every inch of her body.
“After the show,” she clarified. “I’m a little hungry.”
He was quiet for a moment and she was afraid her comment made him uncomfortable–or sounded completely dumb.
She was going with dumb because…it was.
Just as she was about to comment on it, Mason stood and stretched. And just as he had seen, tasted, and touched just about every inch of her body, she had willingly returned the favor. But it still didn’t prepare her for the sight of him moving around the room naked while he went in search of his boxer briefs. Once he slipped them on, he turned to her and smiled. “I’ll be right back.”
“Mason!” she cried, sitting up and clutching the sheet to her chest. “You’re not seriously going to get us burgers, are you?”
He looked at her like she was crazy. “Um…no. I was just going to grab us something to drink and maybe a snack.”
“Oh.” Damn. Surely she was hitting her quota of dumb comments to make, right? And rather than risk it, Scarlett simply nodded and relaxed back against the pillows. Once he was out of the room, she let out a long breath and wondered–not for the first time tonight–just what she was doing. This wasn’t who she normally was, but there was something about Mason that put her at ease and made her feel like it was okay to take the risk, the leap…the chance. Hopefully he wasn’t in the other room having second thoughts.
Oh, God…what if he is?
She was on the verge of sitting up and searching for her clothes when Mason walked back in carrying a tray loaded with drinks and what looked like half the contents of his pantry.
“Um…”
“I wasn’t sure what you liked,” he said, carefully placing the tray down on the bedside table closest to her. He straightened. “I grabbed a couple of cans of soda, some bottled water, Oreos, crackers, chips and salsa, and…peanut butter.”
With a smirk, she looked up at him. “Peanut butter?”
“For the crackers,” he quickly explained. “You know…protein.”
Okay, so clearly not having second thoughts if he was looking for them to regain some energy.
He looked adorably uncertain and Scarlett reached out, took one of his hands in hers and tugged him bac
k onto the bed with her. “I’m going to start with water because I am thirsty, but I was wondering if you had any milk to go with the cookies.”
One strong hand anchored into her hair as he gave her a fierce but quick kiss. “A girl after my own heart. I’ll be right back.” As he jumped back up and walked out of the room, she had to put a hand over her chest to try to calm herself. It was just a flippant phrase and yet, for some reason, the way he said it affected her way more than it should.
Stupid heart.
Grabbing a bottle of water, she drank half of it before Mason walked back in with two glasses of milk. He placed them on the tray and then grabbed the package of cookies and climbed onto the bed. For a few minutes, they ate in companionable silence and it was obvious they were both hungry.
And messy.
There were crumbs everywhere and when she tried to clean them up, Mason simply gave the bedding a hard shake. Laughing, she shook her head. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
With a careless shrug, he reached past her and grabbed a glass of milk. “Seemed like the easiest solution. I can vacuum later.”
“Later?”
Another shrug. “You know, any time other than now,” he said with a small laugh. After a few minutes, they both put their glasses aside and rested against the headboard. Turning his head toward her, he asked, “So, um…you okay?”
“Much better now. Thanks.” And when he didn’t respond, Scarlett realized he might not have been referring to her stomach. “I mean…yeah. I’m good.” Ducking her head, she could feel herself blush.
Clearing his throat, Mason ran his hand gently up and down her arm. It was both comforting and arousing. “Do you need to go or…you know…would you like to stay?” His eyes didn’t meet hers as he spoke and that–more than anything else–put her at ease. It meant he was just as off-balance with this as she was.
“Would you like me to stay?” she asked, her own voice quiet and a little uncertain.
Now he did look up at her. “I told you earlier, Scarlett. I want you to stay. But if you want to leave, if you want me to take you home, I’d do it.”
There was a lot weighing on her answer. She didn’t want to appear too needy–even though that’s exactly how she felt–and she didn’t want to appear overly anxious.
In Case You Didn’t Know Page 6
