Chapter Eight
Mason
I wake up disoriented. I blink as the morning light filters in through the partially open curtains, assaulting my tired eyes. I shift, then feel a soft, warm body next to me. I turn to find Maria peacefully sleeping, her body curled against mine. I feel pillows at my feet and can’t help but smile.
I wasn’t leaving the night before, so I made myself comfortable and laid down to wait for her to come out of the bathroom, and I must’ve fallen asleep. I wish I would’ve seen her expression when she came out to find me. Once I’m asleep it takes a marching band with multiple drum sets to wake me back up. I’m sure she tried. It appears she built a wall of pillows between us judging by the pillows scattered around the bed. It also seems that didn’t work out too well for her since she’s currently curled around me.
I don’t mind waking like this one little bit. We’ve got to finish talking. I was in no way flirting with my ex last night. I am, however, aware that people’s eyes are always on me, and I’m not willing to be a jerk to a woman at a public event. That’s why I wanted Maria at my side so Sabrina wouldn’t have a chance to corner me. I’m not sure how it all went so wrong.
Maria shifts, turning away from me, and I frown. I like having her in my arms. I decide to get up and use the bathroom. When I see my image in the mirror I realize I look like crap. I don’t normally drink as much as I did the night before, but once Maria turned to ice, I found myself needing an extra drink or five.
I care about what this woman thinks about me. It’s such a strange feeling since it’s been a very long time since I’ve cared. It’s not that I don’t want the women I’m with to be happy. I just don’t play games, and when they get icy or pouty I turn around and leave. It appears this isn’t the case when it comes to Maria. I come back to the bedroom and carefully climb back into the bed, sitting up against the backboard. I want to see her the moment she wakes up.
I love watching the rise and fall of her chest, the way her face is perfectly relaxed in sleep, and how her hair is fanned out on the pillow. There really is something about this woman that makes it damn hard to look away. I’m not sure how long I watch her before I see the shift, alerting me she’s about to wake. Her eyes flutter, and then open.
“Good morning,” I say, my voice a little rough since I haven’t used it yet today.
She blinks at me, momentarily confused, then quickly remembers where she is. “Morning,” she mumbles. She then sits up as if she’s on fire. “I need a shower.”
I want to tell her that she doesn’t since she took a super long one the night before, but I figure she needs to orient herself. I also want to let her know I’m not leaving. She isn’t going to get to run away from me again and avoid this conversation. There’s too much between us to let this fall apart over a stupid misunderstanding. I’m certainly not letting Sabrina the adult witch be the cause of Maria and I falling apart.
“Go ahead. I’ll order breakfast.” She doesn’t turn as she rushes back to the bathroom. Maybe that’s her safety zone. I quickly jump from the bed, order breakfast, find her hotel room key, then rush out to go to my room.
I take the world’s quickest shower, and change. The hot water does wonders to wake me up and make me look like less of a hot mess. My workout clothes are comfortable, and I practically run down the hall to get back to Maria’s room. I’m glad we aren’t too far apart. Luckily, it’s early in the morning and there aren’t many people out, so no delays.
I get back just in time to see Maria step from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. There goes my sanity in a heartbeat. She seems a little mortified to see me standing here, and quickly rushes back into her room. She thought I was gone. I smile as I wait for the knock on the door which comes in a couple of minutes.
I set up our breakfast and have it all lined out by the time she comes out again. I’ve gotten my body somewhat in control again. I’ve gone without sex before, but not while being this close to a beautiful woman I want this badly. I’ve certainly never spent my first night in bed with a woman . . . platonically. I’m not sure how I feel about this. One thing’s for sure, and that’s me being drawn in even more.
I grin as Maria comes back out, wearing workout clothes that have me drooling over her incredible body, her hair in a ponytail, and her cheeks flushed without an ounce of makeup on. She’s even more beautiful than she was the night before, and that’s saying something. This woman’s a natural beauty that has everything to do with how she takes care of herself, and how alive her eyes are.
“Breakfast is served,” I tell her as I hold out a chair. She’s having a hard time looking me in the eyes. We have to talk. I can’t stand this tension.
“I’m starving,” she says. “I didn’t eat last night.” Maria loves to eat, so that’s saying something. It makes me feel terrible about the night before. I should’ve realized how badly she was feeling and should’ve fixed it.
She sits, and I join her, the aroma of fresh coffee, pastries, and savory dishes surrounding us. My stomach growls. I didn’t eat more than a few appetizers myself. Once I knew she was upset I didn’t have much of an appetite. This is strange for me as well. I’ve had plenty of women upset with me, and I’ve never cared before. Hell, when Chelsea abandoned me I went out and partied with Miles. But now, I do care. I care when it comes to Maria.
She sips on her coffee, then looks up at me. “I might’ve overreacted last night. I apologize.” It looks like the words are ripped out of her.
I shake my head. “I’m the one who needs to apologize. I should’ve noticed you were uncomfortable. I should’ve pulled you aside. I really am sorry about that. I could’ve handled things a whole lot better.”
She grimaces. “This is so strange. I was . . . jealous. I’m not used to feeling that emotion.” Her cheeks flush more at this statement. It makes me grin, though that’s the last thing I should be doing at the moment.
“Maybe because this thing between us isn’t fake,” I tell her. “It’s not for me.” I don’t remember ever having a conversation like this with another woman, not even the one I was going to ask to marry me. We’d been young when we got together, and it was just natural for us to keep going. I haven’t been serious with anyone since her.
“Maybe it’s not,” she admits. “Can we just pretend it didn’t happen and go back to normal. I hate fights and I hate reliving them, and then talking for hours, and then feeling bad. You know, on and on and on?”
I throw my head back and laugh. “We’re meant to be together, because I feel exactly the same way. It’s a new day, and I say we start fresh. Last night didn’t happen. That woman means nothing. In the future, screw my reputation, I’ll throw her over the balcony.”
This makes her laugh. Before she can say something, though, Nikki’s door bursts open. She has a big smile on her lips as she skips into the room.
“What a nice surprise to see you here, Mason,” she says as she drops down into a chair and immediately reaches for a bagel and the strawberry cream cheese. “I hope I’m not interrupting.” She clearly doesn’t mind at all.
“You could never interrupt,” Maria tells her bestie.
“It’s like a ray of sunshine has just entered the room,” I smartly say. Nikki beams at me.
“So, how was your night?” Both Maria and I wince. “That good, huh?
“We’ve had better nights, but it’s a new day,” I say.
“That’s what I like to hear. It wasn’t all that bad if you’ve already moved on to breakfast,” Nikki says with a wink. I love the blush in Maria’s cheeks again. She’s easily rattled at times, and so strong at others. It’s highly entertaining. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
“I need a good workout today to sweat out the tequila I consumed last night,” Maria tells her.
“Me too,” I add. She hasn’t invited me, but she’s stuck with me now.
“It’s not a good day if we don’t start out with a hard sweat,” Nikki says. “I’m going to gorge first so I can puke, then let’s do it.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Maria says.
We finish up our breakfast, then head down to the gym together. I like working out alone, but find I have a great time with the two women who have a great routine and know what each other are going to do before they do it. The view isn’t too bad, either. A few people come in, but with me there, leave the girls alone, which they appreciate.
I push myself hard, and Nikki and Maria are right here with me. I’m damn impressed with both of them, but of course, my eyes are on Maria ninety-nine percent of the time. How can I not watch her when she looks as good as she does no matter what she’s doing?
“I’m taking advantage of the sauna today. I’ve sweated but not enough,” Maria says when we’re finished.
“Sounds amazing,” Nikki says.
“I’ll join,” I say, not willing to walk away from sharing a sauna with Maria. I wish we were alone for this part, but it might be awkward if I ask Nikki to go away so I can ravage her best friend. It will happen, sooner, rather than later. For now, I have to admit I’m liking that I’m getting to know her.
As soon as we’re in the sauna, the steam envelopes us, the heat seeping into our sore muscles. The sexual tension, which is always present while I’m at Maria’s side, is nearly as stifling as the steam that keeps rising. Every single glance between us, every brush of our skin, and every burning look rushes through me.
“What are you two up to after this?” Nikki asks as she leans back with her eyes closed.
“I have no plans today. That means I can be Maria’s assistant,” I say.
Maria looks at me and smiles. “You wouldn’t want to be my assistant. I’m quite demanding,” she warns.
“I like a bossy woman who takes charge,” I tell her, my voice lowering. “You can even use ropes to keep me in line.” I like the thought of this a hell of a lot.
“It’s way too small in here for that kind of talk,” Nikki says with a laugh, not bothering to look at us. I’m desperately trying to keep myself from getting hard. That doesn’t need to happen in this tiny space. I don’t want Maria to think it has anything to do with her best friend. My eyes are for her alone, and her glistening skin is doing dangerous things to my hormones.
“Well, be careful what you wish for,” Maria says with a laugh.
“I like it. Boss him around,” Nikki says. “I’d think with how busy you are in life, Mason, that you’d be a plan down to the minute sort of man.”
“Sometimes I plan things out, but I’ve learned that life’s short. If you plan too much, you might miss out on a great opportunity.” I pause for a moment. I look Maria straight in the eyes. “I’m not willing to miss out on a single moment with you.” The heat rises in the sauna to near burning levels. I want her in my arms.
“Did you plan on staying the night with Maria?” Nikki slyly asks.
I nearly choke. I wasn’t sure if she knew I stayed the night since we were both perfectly dressed during breakfast. She has her eyes on us a lot more than I realized. It’s a good thing I’m not embarrassed about this. Quite the opposite actually. I spent the night with a beautiful woman. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Well, if she knew that woman slept behind a row of pillows that might be a bit mortifying, but I’m not saying a word. I’m sure Maria will though. Those pillows won’t stay between us for very long, not long at all.
“That was accidental. We came back. I showered. He passed out,” Maria says. I laugh. She’s protesting just a bit too much.
“I didn’t pass out. I simply fell asleep waiting for you,” I correct.
“Or passed out,” Maria insists, making Nikki laugh.
“Mmm, hmm, excuses, excuses. You’re both smiling an awful lot this morning so I don’t think either of you hated it. As a matter of fact, I think you both liked it.”
“Definitely didn’t hate it,” I quickly say. Maria doesn’t add anything. I think she liked it too. I hope to do it again tonight . . . naked.
“So are you two done pretending this is fake?” Nikki boldly asks.
“It’s not fake,” I tell her.
Maria shifts in her seat, making her shorts hike up and my mouth water. I wish we were in here naked. That might not work out so well in a public place. I have a personal sauna at home though where we can certainly be naked together. I have to calm these thoughts before I show exactly how appealing an idea this is to me to both women.
“You two do make a pretty adorable couple,” Nikki says. “I’m happy for you.”
“I’m glad. I’d never get anywhere without the besties approval,” I say.
“That’s true,” Maria agrees.
“Okay, I’ve sweated enough. It’s time to shower and get ready for the day,” Nikki says.
I’m hoping Maria decides to stay. My hopes are dashed as she rises. “Me too.”
I have no choice but to follow. I certainly don’t want to hang out in this room with other people. The three of us make our way out of the gym, wipe the sweat off of us, then head back to our rooms. I’m sure the women will have a lot to talk about. I won’t let Maria get too far away from me, though.
I whistle while I jump back into the shower for a much longer one now. I think I’m going to be smiling for a long while. For the first time in many years, I’m excited to see what’s coming next, and I have no fear of how I’m feeling about a woman. I hope this continues.