Page 152 of Stolen Moments

Chapter forty-eight

Emery

January

I pour myself acup of coffee and yawn. I gave up trying to sleep about an hour ago. Instead, I lay in bed, going over yesterday’s every detail.

Ambling over the fridge, I grab the vanilla creamer from inside. It’s definitely a treat-myself kind of day. As I take a sip of my sweet creamy coffee, I hear a soft knock on my door.

Who in the world would be knocking on my door at—I glance at the microwave—ninein the morning?

I groan as another knock hits the door. I know Mason said he was stopping by, but he had even less sleep than I did. It can’t be him.

“Just a second,” I shout, wrapping my robe around my waist and tying the sash into a knot. Leaving my coffee on the counter, I make my way toward the uninvited guest. I pull open the door to find a little blue marshmallow standing on my porch.

“Hi, Miss Emery.” Rhys beams up at me. He’s bundled up in a puffy coat, matching blue pants, a beanie, and gloves.

“Hi, sweetie. What are you doing here so early?” I ask, squatting down.

Mason steps behind him from the side, wearing a black puffy coat and a smile, nearly knocking the breath out of me. He looks just as sexy as he did on our second date, which was a hike on the mountain trails close by.

My hand flies to my hair, and I try to smooth it out to no avail as I stand.

Mason roams his eyes over my body, eating me up as if I were wearing scantily clad lingerie before him and not a red fleece robe and matching pajamas.

“We came to take you on a hike,” Rhys says, breaking up the eye-fucking his uncle and I were just lost in. “Are you ready to go?”

I glance down at my jams again and chuckle. “No. I just woke up, but if you give me a minute, I can go change. Is that okay with you?”

“Okay. Can I play with Henry, please?” He clasps his hands under his chin as he bounces excitedly on his toes. He has been obsessed with my pup since he dog-sat for me on Valentine’s weekend. The same weekend I completely fell for his uncle.

“Of course. Come on in. It’s cold out.” I open the door wider, gesturing for him and the silent Mason to come inside.

Today is your typical winter day in the Pacific Northwest. Gray, cold, cloudy, and—let’s not forget—wet. But I love it. It totally beats the freezing temperatures and snow I lived through growing up back east.

Rhys runs straight for Henry, who is sleeping on the couch, no doubt tired from all my tossing and turning.

I spin around, coming face to face with Mason. His warm spicy scent hits me, making my mouth water, and my knees wobble like a baby lamb’s as I breathe in his intoxicatingly deliciousness.

“Good morning, baby doll.” He leans down and kisses the corner of my mouth, making my brain glitch.

My inner devil is on her knees, begging for him to press those soft lips to mine and give me a proper kiss. When my brain switches back on, I step back and take a breath while fiddling with my sash.

“Bringing your very cute nephew so I can’t say no is pretty low.”

“I have to do whatever I can to sway you,” he says with a sexy smirk.

“Is that right? So I should expect to be ambushed again?” I cross my arms over my chest.

Mason tries not to stare at my boobs as they plump up. He licks his lips. “Ambushed?” He quirks a brow at me. “I told you I’d see you today.”

“I didn’t think you were serious. You didn’t even say when, so…” I let the sentence dangle, biting my lip.

If I’m being real, I didn’t think he’d actually show up today—his brother got married yesterday, and Mason has to have work or something. I did not expect a knock on my door at nine in the morning.

“Hmm.” He grunts, running his hand over his jaw.

Sorrysits at the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it down.

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