Page 66 of Stolen Moments

We can’t keep our hands off of each other, not since I jumped into his arms in the theater. I wanted to invite him, but I wasn’t sure where we were with the whole “meeting each other’s family” thing. A small part of me wanted him to just show up, and he didn’t disappoint. I couldn’t contain the joy it brought seeing him standing there with a bouquet.

It’s so unlike me to show affection in public, but everything is different with Mason. I want to be near him, I want him to touch me, and I want him to kiss me. I want to experience the desperate need to be in the arms of a man who adores me, and wants to be near me all the time. To love me, hold me, kiss me. I want it all.

I’ve put myself last for so long that I didn’t know how badly I’ve been missing someone special in my life. Someone who just wants me.

I hope I’m not mistaken, but it seems like that’s the direction Mason and I are heading. Every moment with him is brighter andlivelier. I get tunnel vision when I’m with him. He’s all I see and want.

I snuggle in closer to Mason’s side. Today has been amazing. After two rounds of seriously hot living room sex, we took a shower and went for a drive up the coast. It all felt so normal, just the two of us talking and driving, coasting along, without a care in the world. We ate at a cute little seafood spot, where we shared our meals, testing each other’s food choices. We took a walk on the beach, holding hands, and shared a kiss under the warm California sun. We shared apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert at his favorite diner.

Like our weekend back in February, we easily fell into each other. It’s like we’ve been in a relationship for years. The comfort I find when I am with him is new to me. Being with Mason is as easy as breathing. The simple moments we have shared together mean everything to me. They remind me of the summer days I spent in Texas as a child when I felt loved and cared for. I know it’s too soon, but the way Mason looks at me stirs up those same feelings.

The weight buried in my chest pinches as my mind drifts. Aside from Chris and Papa, there hasn’t been a person in my life who has cared about me … until now.

Mason’s hand caresses my thigh, and I push away the dull ache in my heart and focus on this moment right here, with him. I burrow deeper into his side and inhale his spicy ginger scent, letting it warm my insides, soaking up the time we’ve shared in our happy little bubble.

“Em?” Mason places his palm on my cheek and turns my face to his.

“Mase?” My eyes meet his hazel-greens that are filled with so much heat my lungs forget how to breathe. Mason is devastatingly handsome and a complete hazard to my health.

“Breathe, babe.” He flashes me a sly, knowing smirk. He leans forward, and his breath fans over my mouth as he runs his over mine.

I inhale, lips parted, waiting for him to kiss me.

His phone rings again, breaking the spell.

“I’m sorry. I think I need to get that.”

“It’s okay.”

He gives me a soft peck before lifting my legs off his lap and getting up. He picks up his phone, and I watch as his caramel-brown hair falls over his eyes. The soft strands are all messy from where my hands have been lazily pulling on the ends as we watch TV.

I try focusing on Geralt and Yennifer’s banter, but I can’t help but hear pieces of Mason’s conversation. It’s clearly work calling. I sit patiently and wait for him to finish. When he sits back on the couch, his entire demeanor has changed. It’s clear his mind is elsewhere now.

“Is everything alright?”

Mason’s shoulders sag at my question. Like a record scratching, I know our weekend is over.

“That was work. The deadline for a project I’ve been working on just got moved up.”

“You need to go to work?” I say more to myself than him. Memories of my father cutting weekends and vacations short for work sting my heart.

He looks at me, and it’s almost like he doesn’t want to say it but does anyway. “Yes, I have to head into the office.”

“Okay.”

I get up, but he grabs my wrist, pulling me into his chest.

“Em—”

I cup his scruffy cheeks and stare into his eyes. “It’s fine, Mason. I understand. Your work means a lot to you. You’re the boss, and your team needs you.”

Ineed you, that little voice in my head screams, but I shut her up. I can’t let my inner insecurities dictate how I feel about him. I have to remind myself that he’s not my father. He’s not working for the money or the notoriety. He’s not keeping late hours because he’s having an affair with another one of his assistants.

“I don’t want our weekend to end.”

His words calm the storm of emotions brewing in my chest.

“Me neither, but they need you.”

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