Page 66 of Fun and Games
Mason was quiet. The only thing I could hear was soft puppy snores.
He finally reached up and closed his fingers over mine.
"No," he finally said. "Maybe it's not."
He turned around in my arms, facing me, and rested one palm on my cheek. Neither of us said anything as he placed a single kiss on my lips, then pulled back to stare into my eyes. I cupped the back of his head, tangling my hands in his hair, and gave him a kiss of my own. This time we didn't part. Our kiss continued, slow and steady, nothing like the feverish kisses we sometimes shared. These kisses were warm and sweet.
We made our way to his bedroom and laid down together on his bed. Our hands explored each other's back, front and sides. We peeled off our clothes without hurry, taking our time, making sure to touch, caress and savor every inch of skin as it was exposed.
The both of us were quiet. The only sounds in the room were gasps, moans and whimpers.
When he slid himself inside me, his heat worked its way up my stomach to settle in my chest. It was as if his warmth had a glow to it. Pinpricks of light shone down on the dark corners of my heart. Those broken shards were no longer so pointed. They were becoming dull, the sharp edges smoothing over. The cracks were slowing beginning to seal themselves, the wide chasms turning shallow.
"Mason…" I whispered as I clung to him. "I— I think I l—"
I choked, exhaling a loud gasp as my orgasm hit me without warning. I rode the waves of bliss until I felt the shudder of his own release.
As we fell asleep in each other's arms, the glow in my chest remained, settling deep inside me, keeping me warm all night.
Twenty-Six
"You've already gothim well trained," I noted to Mason.
Lucky was padding along at his feet, not tugging on the leash trying to run ahead or wandering off to sniff at every tree and fire hydrant.
"He's a good boy," Mason said with a smile down at his new best friend.
I'd taken to joining Mason on some of his daily walks with Lucky, and was amazed at how well behaved he was compared to the hyperactive demons I took care of for my dog-walking job.
"Maybe Lucky will be a good influence on the dogs I have to walk," I said.
"Are you still doing that?" he asked.
"I cut back to only twice a week," I said. "I'm thinking of quitting the dog-walking thing altogether, actually."
"I had been wondering about that, since you've been able to spend a lot of mornings with me," Mason said.
It was true that the two of us were spending more time together. He worked late most days, but on the evenings when Grant and Lizzy forced him to go home early, he always invited me over, and I always stayed the night.
"My office offered me different hours," I said. "I'm thinking of taking them up on it. Besides, I can get my puppy-fix with Lucky."
My admin job was supposed to only be a temporary contract, but there had been talk about extending it. I hadn't planned on staying there. This was only supposed to be a pit stop on my travels. But now…
I looked down to where Mason and I were holding hands. I squeezed, making him look down at me. He brought our entwined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss on my knuckles. My knees turned weak.
Lucky yapped and did a little skip as he found a large stick and attempted to pick it up in his small jaw. Mason and I broke eye contact. I looked down at the ground, my heart pounding sweetly in my chest.
"Lucky's getting a little grimy," I said. "It might be time for puppy's first bath."
"Good thing I bought dog shampoo on one of my many trips to the pet store," he said.
Mason wrapped Lucky's leash around his hand and urged the puppy forward, trying to get him to drop the stick that was clearly too large for him to carry in his mouth.
"I was thinking of blogging about Sin and Tonic," I told Mason. "But I wanted to ask your permission first. I know you wanted to keep your personal life separate from your blog."
"Depends," he said with a nudge of his shoulder. "Are you planning on trashing us?"
"Of course," I said, deadpan. "Sin and Tonic is the worst bar I've ever been too. Terrible drinks. Sketchy vibe. And that manager, he's just the worst asshole I've ever met. I'm never going back."
