“What are you doing?” I asked, my body squirming underneath him, the heat already spreading like wildfire.
“Trying to get you to see reason.”
“All I can see right now is your head.”
“What else is in the contract Stella?” he tried again.
Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the realization that I needed help, but I spilled the cheese like I had a lactose deficiency. I should have told him everything when he first asked me about it. But misplaced pride and my inability to trust prevented me from doing so. I fixed my eyes on Mason’s right eyebrow, too scared to look him in his eyes.
“I signed a contract that said I had to marry David and stay married for five years. If I don’t, then I have to leave the state to make sure it’s not going to turn into a media circus. And my mom threatened to get Nora evicted if I didn’t play along. There is no way I can let that happen. I’ll move if it gets me out of the contact, but Nora is drowning. She needs a break. And she is busting her ass for her kids. No way is she going to survive an eviction.”
Mason was quiet for so long it gave me a chance to glance at his face. His jaw was ticking and his eyes were focused on me.
“You should have told me before now.”
“I know. But I thought I could do this on my own.”
“What changed that you told me now?”
It was time to put all my cards on the table. “I fell in love with you.”
“Fucking hell, woman, do you know how long I have been waiting for you to say that to me?”
“Don’t you have something to say to me too?” I asked, my body tense, waiting for his answer.
He raised a brow and leaned closer, bringing our noses a hair width apart. “Fine. You can move back in.”
I struggled underneath him, trying to sit up. “You are a bastard, you know that?”
He put his mouth to my ear and bit my lobe gently. “I love you too.”
He grinned at me, and I melted into him. Our mouths met and I put my legs around his waist and my arm around his neck. It would take some serious work to pry me off him.
Turned out the only thing it took to pry me off was a knock on Mason’s door.
“It’s my wedding, and you guys have been up here for almost an hour. Get your asses back downstairs or I’ll be forced to come inside,” Willa yelled, a slight slur to her voice.
There was a shuffle, and then I heard muffled voices before Willa started yelling again. “It’s my wedding and I do what I want. And I want Stella by my side for my first dance. Get your skinny ass downstairs, or I’ll show everyone the photo of you dancing in a drag show.”
Mason buried his head in my neck and his body shook from laughter. I put my hand in his hair, playing with his soft strands. “We should do what she says. It’s her wedding after all,” I said.
Mason lifted his head. “I want to see that photo. And I guess I can share you for a few hours until she passes out.”
I brushed my lips over his and sat up, the sheet dropping to my lap, exposing my nude body. Mason groaned behind me and tried to pull me back down, but I was quicker and stood up. I followed the trail of clothes and squeezed myself back into the dress.
“Can you zip me up?” I asked when I finally managed to pull my dress into place.
Mason was wearing his pants that were still unbuttoned and his shirt was open. He had never looked better and my eyes drank him in hungrily. He grinned at me knowingly and stepped behind me, slowly dragging the zipper up, making sure to graze his finger along my spine.
I shivered, the light touch enough to make me reconsider joining the party. When I was dressed he kissed my shoulder. “Let’s do this before I decide the dresser isn’t too heavy to push in front of the door.”
“Let me just fix my hair and makeup,” I said and dragged myself away from him and to the bathroom. The mirror confirmed my worst fears: I had just-been-fucked hair and my makeup had moved from where it was supposed to be to everywhere it wasn’t.
I cleaned up as best as I could with only mascara and lip gloss in my bag. At least my hair was easy to pin back and I had great skin, so I didn’t really need foundation anyway.
It took me only five minutes to get myself together again, and when I walked back into the bedroom Mason was fully dressed and sitting on the bed, tying his shoes.
“Ready?” he asked, looking up.
I nodded, no words forming at how much I loved watching him do something as simple as tying his shoes.
I couldn’t stop the big smile from spreading over my face as we walked downstairs hand in hand.
“Finally,” Willa greeted us when we stepped back outside. Jameson appeared next to her and put his arms around her, hugging her to him.
“You guys are lucky she’s easily distracted or she would have done more than just knock on the door. I don’t think you would have liked getting dragged back to the party,” Jameson said, looking at Willa with hearts in his eyes.
“True story,” Willa said and kissed his chin, since that was all she could reach.
I smiled at a tipsy Willa who looked happier than I had ever seen her. Maisie joined us, her cheeks flushed and her
