Page 22 of Anchored Love
Everything that encompassed Mason Jones. I couldn’t escape his presence, but part of me—
a big part of me—didn’t want to.
I rolled to my side and faced him, only leaving a sliver of space between us, and I watched him fluff his pillows and shift around in the covers, trying to find a comfortable position. On his side, hand propped under his pillows, his nose nearly touched mine. Mason’s breath fanned over my lips. I could practically taste his toothpaste and felt my tongue dart out to my bottom lip.
Tension crackled between us. We were so damn close. If I flicked my tongue out any further I could lick his lips, and it was a damn fine idea.
We stared at each other for a few minutes or seconds. Time stood still as his minty fresh breath mingled with mine. Mason broke away first, moving to his back, and I felt the loss immediately.
“Would you mind if I watched a movie just until I’m ready to fall asleep? I know you used to prefer a quiet, dark room when you were younger,” he asked.
“I still do, but I can’t sleep either.” I handed him the remote, and he put on some silly science fiction show about talking zombies. Great. Did he want me to have nightmares all night?
* * *
“No, stop,”I grumbled, swiping at my face. Zombies were chasing me through a tropical jungle paradise, arms extended and weird noises coming from their mouths.
“Brains. Braiinnsss…” the rotted corpse called after me as I tried to get my legs to move faster.
Tossing and turning, I knew any second I’d be zombie kibble. Would I turn into one of those things? Run!
“Ev, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”
“Hmm?” I struggled to get awake. Sweat clung to my body as the dream still had a hold on me. A heavy leg held mine captive as I tried to get away. My chest squeezed tight as the nightmare ripped through me. Zombies chasing me. They were chasing me.
“Hey.” My body shook and jostled.
I blinked, the light shining in as I came to. Mason stroked my jaw and caressed my cheek with his large hand. The first thought that sprang to mind was I wondered if him having big hands and big feet meant he’d have a big package. What a way to wipe the zombies away.
“Morning, sleepyhead. You tossed and turned all night. Only way to keep you still was to spoon you.” Mason grinned at me. He moved, and I scooted up, pushing my back against the headboard. I prayed I didn’t do or say anything too embarrassing in my sleep. I’d been known to mumble in my sleep.
Knock. Knock. A fist pounded on the door of our cabin, jolting the both of us.
“I’ve got it.” Mason rolled off the bed and stumbled toward the door, rubbing the creases of his eyes. It was utterly adorable.
“Good morning.” I heard my sister’s singsong, all too chipper for first thing in the morning. Part of me wanted to hide under the covers.
“Glad to see you’ve found your sea legs,” he greeted her, and she moved past him to enter the room, carrying a stack of clothes. Yes!
“Mom wants everyone to meet up for breakfast in like twenty. I brought you some clothes.” She smirked at the tee I borrowed from Mason, but I didn’t care. He and I were dating. Of course I’d wear his shirt. “You two seem cozy,” she mused, coming to the side of the bed.
“Thank you for these.” I grabbed the clothes from her and scooted off the edge of the bed and then darted into the bathroom. Jess had given me a pair of denim cutoff shorts that would show my butt cheeks, no doubt. Beggars couldn’t be choosers; though, I did appreciate that she gave me a choice of three shirts. Even if all of them showed more than I’d bargained for. Mason would sure be getting his eyes full along with the rest of the passengers aboard our cruise.
I pulled a brush through my hair, shimmied the booty shorts over my ass, and went with the yellow tank top.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Mason’s gaze roamed my curves. My sister had left. My breasts were practically popping out the scoop neck of my tank top, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. I needed to survive bumming clothes from my little sister until we stopped off at St. Kitts. There I could get some clothes.
Mason and I met up with my family at the breakfast buffet. We were the last to arrive, and all eyes fell on us. I knew they had questions. However, I didn’t have any answers to give. Lying to the people I loved felt all wrong. My stomach sunk at the thought, but what choice did I have?
There was no turning back. I started this trip on a lie, and I would continue the charade until we returned to Idaho. I vowed to myself to keep as close to the truth as possible, so I wouldn’t go straight to hell.
The buffet was enormous, and my stomach rumbled. I stacked my plate full of pancakes, fruit toppings, and whipped cream. Mason downed black coffee and had eggs, hash browns, bacon, and sausage.
“What are you guys planning for the day?” Mom questioned as we sat down.
“I think Mason and I are going to check out the zipline,” I answered quickly, knowing Jess hated heights and Mom would never go for it. That left getting rid of Drake and Kelsey, but who knew what they’d choose. Mason squeezed my knee under the table.
“Well, Herbert and I are thinking of doing a couples massage.”
