Page 134 of Grand Love

How does he know?

Reaching up, he runs a cool finger over my heated cheek.

Shit.

“Yes, you did. Don’t lie to me.”

“I didn’t! I’m not! I just needed to freshen up! I was all hot and needed to… freshen up.” My voice comes out high-pitched and annoying.

His lip twitches. “Did you think about me?”

“Mason!” I snap, feeling my face get impossibly hotter.

“You did, didn’t you?” he says, lifting a cocky brow.

I throw my towel at him in annoyance—and embarrassment. He lets it hit his face and then it falls to the floor. “I’m going to go now.”

He grasps my T-shirt as I pass him, wrapping his arm around my neck and drawing me into his chest. His nose goes to my hair, and he inhales deeply. “You smell like me.”

The smile that greets me as I lift my head to look at him is so wholesome, so fulfilling to me, it makes my heart beat out of rhythm and my body heat again.

I push up onto my toes and gently kiss his jaw.

“You’re actually going to go?” he murmurs, and the tone he emits tells me he doesn’t want me to.

“Yeah, Mase.” I smile. “Tonight has been good though.”

He nods, letting me step back.

Pulling my phone from the changing bag on the bed, I notice I have six missed calls, all from Joey.

“Is Vinny driving you?”

“Uh, yeah.” I shake my head, distracted, as I scroll through the missed calls. “I’ll text him now.”

“Is everything okay?” He looks at the phone in my hand.

“Yeah, everything is fine.”

I shoot a quick text to Joey.

Nina: I’m out. Everything okay?

“I’ll call Vinny,” Mason tells me, his tone flat as he leaves the room.

My eyes follow him out the door and then fall back to the phone in my hand. I’m pretty sure he would have been able to see the name on the screen from over my shoulder, and I know it will piss him off. I’d ignore Joey for Mason’s benefit, but he never calls me. He texts or waits until he sees me.

Mason is leant against the back of the sofa when I descend the stairs. His glare follows me as I take the last few steps. It’s that glare, his furrowed brow and ticcing jaw that confirms what I already knew. He saw the name on my phone.

“Mase.”

“Save it.” He waves me off, then stands straight and says. “Do you not think that the reason he told you about the pictures the other day was to drive a wedge between us?” He looks to the ceiling, his hands shoving deep into his pockets. “He’s manipulating you, Nina, all to get what he wants from you.”

Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay fucking calm. “Which is?” I ask.

He cocks his head to the side. “What do you think?”

“Joey is my friend, Mason. He hasn’t so much as looked at me in another way since we first got together. And, it’s all well and good putting the blame for the pictures on Joey, but it was you who offered up the money. Joey only told me what you did.”

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