When I was completely breathless, I broke the kiss and rolled to the side, resting my head on his shoulder. Mason put a heavy arm across my back, holding me close.
He sighed, a happy sound. “Christ, that was amazing.”
I smiled. “It was.”
“Our best yet?”
“I don’t know. Probably, but maybe it was because we have been anticipating it so much.”
“I hear a challenge there.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “You do?”
“Yeah. You’re challenging me to do it better yet.”
I laughed. “Well, I won’t be opposed to that.”
He brushed his lips over mine. “Thank goodness for that.”
***
Mason
I woke up with a naked Charlotte tucked under my arm, her legs entwined with mine. It was the best freaking way to wake up. If I could, I would have her waking up with me like this every single day.
Careful not to make any noise, I slipped off the bed and glanced at her. There wasn’t a more beautiful view. The woman who touched every inch of me, inside and out, with her perfect naked body wrapped around my sheets, and her long brown hair fanned on my pillow, sleeping peacefully.
With a smile, I pulled on my boxers and shorts, and trudged to the kitchen.
Images of the night, of the two times we made love, flashed in my mind as I turned on the coffee machine and grabbed eggs and milk from the fridge. I had never felt this way with anyone else, not even Tamara, and I had spent three years of my life with that girl. She didn’t hold a candle to Charlotte.
Charlotte made me combust with one glance, she made me tremble with one touch, and she made me proud and sure of myself with one smile, with one encouraging word. She had snuck into me, into my heart, in a way I didn’t think was possible.
I made waffles, toast, and eggs sunny-side up, filled two glasses with orange juice and two mugs with fresh coffee, placed everything on a tray, and went back to the bedroom.
Charlotte was lying the same way I had left her. The thought of letting her sleep crossed my mind, but I pushed it away. For once, I was going to be selfish. I wanted to be with her, to enjoy the little time we had before she had to go back to Richmond.
I set the tray on the nightstand and sneaked back in bed by her side.
She stirred, snuggling into me. I smiled. Even sleeping, she moved toward me.
I pressed a kiss to her temple. “Good morning, baby.”
Her beautiful green eyes fluttered open, peeking at me. “Morning, gorgeous,” she mumbled.
I scooted closer to her and pulled the tray over my legs. She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed.
“Slept well?”
She nuzzled my neck, sending a shiver down my body. “More than well. How about you?”
“I’m considering tying you to that bed, so you sleep here every night.”
She chuckled. “You’ll tie me, and we’ll only sleep?”
I tsked. “I can’t believe that inside that beautiful head there’s a mind in the gutter.”
She bit my shoulder then grabbed a steaming cup of coffee.
I watched as she ate, glued beside me. I was content with where my life was now. The only thing I could ask more was to find an entry-level engineering job. Then, everything would be perfect.
Chapter Sixteen
Charlotte
I knew there was something wrong the moment I drove past the gates of the Executive Mansion. There was a buzz in the air and too many windows reflecting lights.
I entered the house and halted.
“How about you, Donnie? When are you going to take your father’s place?” My mother’s voice drifted from the living room, her tone almost satisfied.
The happiness I had felt so far deflated, and I retreated to the door again. If I could sneak out before anyone saw me …
My mother walked out of the living room and smiled at me. “Charlotte! I thought I heard the door. Come. Join us.”
“I’m not dressed for a dinner party.” I gestured to my jean skirt and sandals. “I would prefer to change, if you don’t mind.” And disappear. That would be impossible, though, so just a moment to myself while I changed would suffice. For now.
“Nonsense. This isn’t a dinner party.” She walked to me and put her hand on the middle of my back, stirring me to the living room. “We’re with good friends.”
“Hello, Charlotte,” Donnie said, with a wide smile, once I walked in with my mother. He wore a perfectly pressed suit, just like his father standing beside him. His eyes ran the length of me and I shifted my weight, fighting the urge to pull my skirt down to hide my thighs, as if that would help anything.
“Hello, Donnie. Hello, Senator Williams,” I said.
“It’s good to see you, Charlotte,” Senator Williams said.
A waiter showed up by my side with a tray and a single martini. I glanced at my mother and she smiled knowingly. As if she had spilled poison in it, I took it, but didn’t drink it. First, I had already had one too many martinis the previous night, and second, I wanted to be sober for whatever plan my mother had. Because she had a plan. This unannounced dinner wasn’t a spontaneous thing and, like every one of her moves, it had an objective. I just had to find out what that objective was.
The main topic during dinner and dessert was, of course, politics.
After one bite from my petit-gateau, I excused myself and headed to the kitchen.
One of the cooks was there, along with a waiter. They saw me, and their eyes widened.
“Can I get you something, Miss McClain?” the waiter asked, looking at my feet.
“No, thank you,” I said, opening the fridge and grabbing a can of Coke. “I can get it myself.” I sat on a high chair around the island, opened the can, and drank from it. The waiter and the cook exchanged a nervous look. “Relax, I won’t bite. You can even pretend like I’m not here.”
The waiter bowed and exited to the dining room, probably to check if anyone needed something else, and the cook returned to the range.
I propped my elbows on the island and dropped my head on my hands. Goddammit, my mother needed to give it a rest. When would she leave this alone? I told her I didn’t want anything with Donnie. I knew she hadn’t really understood that, but I thought she would give me some time at least. Or try to push me on some other guy.
“Are you okay?” Donnie asked.
I straightened my back and glanced to the side, where he stood just past the door.
I frowned. What the hell was he doing back here? “I’m fine.”
As if she had been waiting for this, the cook left the kitchen through the back door. Great.
Donnie sat in the high chair beside me. “Charlotte, you’ve been avoiding me.”
I opened my mouth to negate it, but why? I tried breaking this smoothly and it didn’t work. Perhaps I should be blunter. “I like you, Donnie, but not the way you want me to.” Not the way my mother wanted me to.
“Is it something I did?”
I smiled. “No.”
“Oh,” he said, his eyes wide. “There’s someone else.”
“What? No.” I sipped from my Coke, gaining time to think of some excuse. Nothing came though. “There’s no one else. I just … we didn’t click.”
“You didn’t give us a chance to click.” He scooted closer and grabbed one of my hands in his. “I’m a nice guy. Give me a chance. We’ll click.”
I pulled my hand free of his. “Donnie—”
“I like you, Charlotte. Very much.” He stood, smoothing the jacket of his suit. “I’m not giving up on you yet.”
He leaned forward and placed a kiss on my cheek, then left the kitchen.
I stood, grabbed a glass from the inside one of the cabinets, dumped the rest of the Coke there, then reached for a bottle of whiskey that was on a tray, probably one that the waiter was serving the guests, and poured a good dose in my glass.
I drank a big swallow, welcoming the wa
y the liquid burned my throat. Pity it didn’t burn away the problems in my life.
***
Mason
I was surprised when Charlotte called me to meet her the next afternoon. I thought I would only see her again in the middle of the week, when she was able to escape her mother and meet me at that Starbucks in Springfield.
Without hesitating, I canceled my plans of playing video games all afternoon with David, and took the train to the park she usually went to with Liana, MaryAnn, and Rebecca.
“Hey, you.” She skated to me and threw her arms around my neck. “I missed you.”
I laughed, snaking my arms around her waist. “We were together yesterday.”
She pouted. “I know.”
I glanced at her pink lips and desire coursed through me. Damn, this girl would be the death of me. I dipped down and brushed those plump lips with mine. “The truth is, I also missed you.”
She let out a purr and I lost it. I clasped the back of her neck and pulled her to me, crushing her mouth with mine, plunging my tongue in, and demanding all of her. She gladly complied, letting out another one of her sexy sounds.
“Christ, woman,” I whispered. “You can call me to meet you like this twice a day from now on.” She smiled, but it wasn’t all happy. I ran my fingertips over her jaw and down her neck, brushing her hair aside and exposing that perfect skin to me. “What happened?”
She groaned. “Donnie and his father had dinner at my house last night.”
I stilled. “What?”
“I had the same reaction. I got home and they were there.”
A low, agitated rumble built from my gut. “I wish the guy would back off.”
“Me too. But I don’t think he will. Not too soon at least. My mother gives him hope, I guess, and he told me he wasn’t giving up on me yet.”
I gritted my teeth, wishing the guy were here so I could punch that mama’s boy’s face. “I’ll kidnap you. You’ll come live with me and you’ll never have to see that guy again. Deal?”
She stretched her neck and grazed her lips on my chin, sending a shiver down my spine. “Deal,” she said.
I tilted my head toward her and captured her lips with mine.
“We seriously need to start meeting in places I can get you naked. This is torture.”
She chuckled. “I thought this”—she pointed a finger at her and me—“was more than sex.”
“It is.” The way I was falling for her, it definitely was. I just didn’t want to tell her how much yet. I was afraid she would be scared and break things off before it was time. “It is, but come on. Remember yesterday? That was too great, too damn good not to happen every day.”
“I agree.”
I nibbled on her ear. “Want to come back to my place?”
“I don’t have that much time. I have to be back home for dinner. Hopefully, there won’t be any surprises this time.”
“I hope so.” I took a step back. “Okay, hmm, if we keep touching and kissing, I’ll lose it, and I don’t think the other people will appreciate that.”
“But I love it when you lose it,” she repeated my words from the other day.
“Baby, you’re not making it any easier.”
She laughed. “Come on. I brought something.”
She skated to a bench a few yards behind us and I followed her. She grabbed a basketball from the ground and threw it at me.
I held it. “You brought this?”
“Yup.” She nodded to a court to the side. “We could play a little.”
“Do you know how to play?”
She sat down and took her skates off. “Not really, but how hard can it be? Besides, if I suck, you can always teach me.”
This girl brought a basketball to play with me, because I told her it was one of my hobbies. A weird feeling, like a mixture of care and admiration, swelled in my chest.
I smiled. “I like that plan.”
***
Charlotte
The next three weeks fell into a routine. I lied to my mother about having a project to work on, and went to the coffee place to meet Mason. I lied to my mother about going out with Tracy, and I went to Mason’s apartment. I lied to my mother about meeting some other friend she approved of, and met with Mason at the park, where I roller-skated and he played basketball.
It was paradise, except for the part where I lied to my mother all the time—more than I ever did before.
However, it was worth it. Mason and I—we had something special, I knew this. He knew this. And he was special. And kind. And attentive. And handsome. And hot.
Even though we were in hiding, Mason and I could do almost anything together—except for going out to dinner or going to the movies.
One Saturday, we decided to try the movie thing.
I lied to my mother and said I was going shopping with Tracy, but instead I went to a small shopping center in Woodbridge—wearing huge sunglasses, a hat, and a scarf. I felt silly with them, but it would help. I wasn’t trying to be unrecognizable; I just didn’t want people to see who I was with half a glance.
Alone, I bought my ticket, my popcorn, and soda, and then headed to theater seven, where the movie Mason had chosen was playing. According to him, he had chosen it because it had been playing for several weeks and the theater wouldn’t be too full.
Being thirty minutes early, I was the only one in the big room. Except for Mason. With a baseball cap, and not looking suspicious at all, he was seated at the top, in the left-most corner.
I smiled and headed to the opposite side—to the top row, but on the right-most corner.
My phone chimed as I sat down.
Mason: Hi.
Me: Hi.
Mason: How are you?
I laughed.
Me: I’m good. Just anxious. I want this movie to start NOW.
Mason: Me too. Just a few more minutes.
I glanced at the clock at the top of my screen. Few more minutes? We had another twenty-five minutes to go.
Soon, more people entered the theater, but as we predicted, there were only a few couples and friends. Nothing to worry about.
The lights went off, and for a moment, everything was dark. This was our cue.
I stood and tiptoed to the center of the top row. A movie trailer started, illuminating a little of the room, and the man right in front of me.
“Hi,” Mason said with a naughty grin.
My heart raced. “Hi,” I whispered.
Mason grabbed my hands and pulled me to sit beside him—I almost dropped my popcorn and soda—then he leaned over the armrest and closed his mouth over mine.
I broke the kiss—Mason looked at me as if I had taken the lollipop from a kid—put my popcorn and my soda in the cup holders on the armrests, dropped my purse on the floor, and then returned to him and kissed him.
A low chuckle rumbled from Mason’s throat, until I teased him with my tongue, deepening the kiss. The chuckle was replaced by a growl. I fisted his shirt and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling each other closer.
The lights of the trailers were gone, putting us in total darkness for a few more seconds.
I pulled away from him as the movie started playing.
“Hey,” he protested in a low voice.
“Hey, you. We came to watch the movie, remember?”
“But I missed you.”
I kissed his cheek. “I missed you too. And now we’re together.”
He stared at me for a while as if trying to figure out if I was joking or not. He must have decided I wasn’t, because he sighed and leaned back in his chair. I leaned back too and found his arm there, waiting to wrap over my shoulders. I snuggled against him and rested my head on his shoulder.
He turned his face to me. I thought he was going to kiss me again, and hell, I kind of wanted him too, but instead, he kissed my forehead before resting his head on top of mine.
With a smile, I shifted my attention to the movie.
Chapter Seventeen
“There’s that face again,” Liana said, throwing a pillow at me.
I sat straighter on the couch and flicked the pillow at Becca. “What face?”
“That gooey face you get every time you think about Mason,” MaryAnn said.
“You were with him, what? Two days ago?” Becca asked.
Three actually. I could be with him right now, but I also missed my girls. Well, I could always leave a few minutes early and stop by his apartment for a quick kiss. I was already lying to my mother about being in a study group. If I lied that my group and I lost track of time and I missed dinner because of it, would she find out?
“I don’t get a face!” I protested.
In truth, I knew I probably made a face each time I thought about Mason. I could do nothing about that. Our time together was perfect. Even our movie outing two days ago had been great. We were careful to sit in our corners again when the movie ended, and exit the theater separately. It hurt me, to see him walking away alone, when I wished to be able to link my arm through his and show him to the world.
This situation had to be hard on him. He was my boyfriend, but he wasn’t my boyfriend. I didn’t know how to proceed. He wouldn’t want to go through this for too long, would he? Then what? I would have to let him go. Well, I couldn’t force him to be in the closet forever. In fact, I should let him go soon. Now, actually.
But I was selfish. I didn’t want to let him go and I felt horrible for being selfish.
“There it is again,” Becca said, tossing the pillow at MaryAnn.
MaryAnn deflected the pillow. “So, are you going to tell us what you were thinking about? We want details.”
I scrunched my nose. “Ew.” I was not the sharing type.
“Ah, come on! We want to know. Is it good? Mind-blowing? Oh, and the size. We definitely need to know the size.”
“Hmm, no, we don’t,” Becca said. Thank goodness one of them was a little more conservative.
“You’re no fun,” MaryAnn said.
“Who isn’t fun?” Joan asked, descending the stairs and joining us in the family room. She stopped and glanced at us with a smile. “Are you guys watching a movie?” She pointed to the TV and to us. We were huddled on the couch, practically with our backs to the TV.
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