Chapter 10
“T HIS ISN’T JUST ONE date, sweetheart. It’s our first date.”
Taylor smiled, sneaking a glance back over at Mason. “I didn’t mean to make the conversation so serious,” she said, watching Mason squint in the sunlight as he looked out at the storms in the distance. “We’re supposed to be just relaxing and enjoying a picnic lunch.”
Mason met her gaze, and she briefly took in his form stretched out on the blanket.
Broad shoulders, bulging biceps. A tee shirt that stretched across his impressive chest. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, as muscular and tan as the rest of him.
The tiny golden hairs on his arms and legs stood out in the sunlight.
He looked masculine and virile. A bundle of energy captured in a brief moment of respite.
What did he see in a woman like her?
Her life was...boring compared to his. She went to the same place every day—same customers, same food, same old Anchors. She came down to the beach every morning. Loved photographing the ocean. Relaxing in her apartment and reading.
Mason was the type of man who thrived on adrenaline. Risked his life to help others. Trained hard and fought harder, and spent his down time playing sports with his friends.
He reached over and took her hand, and she felt electricity shoot straight through her.
He was an attractive man, no doubt, but something about Mason simultaneously sent heat coursing through her and shivers racing down her spine. She was electrified by his touch. And he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off of her.
“I like knowing that you’ll be here worrying about me.
Maybe I shouldn’t, maybe that’s a cave man sort of mentality—the woman waiting back at home.
But I love knowing that you care, sweetheart.
I worry about you, too, when I’m not around.
Why do you think I rushed over to your apartment last night? ”
“This is crazy,” she said, nervously pulling her hand away. “Everything just feels like it’s happening so fast.”
Mason’s eyes were bright, warm—and seemed to see right through her. “Why’s it crazy?” he asked, settling back into his own space. He leaned back on his elbows as he gazed at her, relaxed and casual.
How could he be so calm about something like this?
She’d confessed she worried about him when he was gone, and they’d barely started dating. Goodness, it had taken weeks just for her to agree to go out with him. They’d already been intimate together this morning—he’d made her come in her bed for goodness sakes.
A flush spread over her skin at the memory.
“Because—it just is. I always take things slowly when I meet someone.”
“We’ve known each other for months,” Mason pointed out.
“Maybe we weren’t dating then, but we’ve been texting.
Talking at Anchors. Slowly getting to know one another.
And hell—I want more of all this. I want you to spend time with my friends—and not just when you’re working.
I want to stay at your place again and have you at mine. ”
“You want me to stay over?”
Mason’s eyes heated. “Hell yes. I want you in my space and in my life. I want you in my bed, Taylor. I want to explore your beautiful body and have you cry out my name. I want to claim you as mine.”
“Wow, I just—I feel so overwhelmed.”
“I don’t mean to rush you, sweetheart. I’m just letting you know how I feel. Where I stand.”
“It’ll take some getting used to,” she hedged. “I mean, you know I dated my ex for several years. He was always secretive about things—about his drinking, about his losing job after job. I almost don’t know what to do with someone who has their act together.”
“I’m sorry you dealt with all that—sorry he’s still causing you problems. But I’m not like that.
I’ve got a career in the Navy I’m dedicated to.
I’ve got a circle of friends and teammates who literally would die for me—and vice versa.
I don’t play games—not with my career, not with my friends, and certainly not with the woman I’m dating. ”
“I appreciate that,” she said, shifting on the blanket. “I like that you’re open and honest. It’s just a big adjustment for me.” Her dress billowed slightly in the breeze, and Mason’s gaze briefly swept to her bare legs.
Heat rose within her at his simple glance.
A crack of thunder in the distance sent her jumping, and Mason cursed.
The sky above them darkened even more as the wind blew in the storm clouds that had been off the coast. A couple of light rain drops began to fall, and Taylor hastily wrapped up the rest of her sandwich.
“It looks like the forecast was way off. The storm might blow over, but then we’ll be soaking wet. My place isn’t too far from here. How about we pack up and finish our picnic there? I’ll drive you back to your apartment later on this evening.”
“Okay, that sounds good,” Taylor said, standing up on the blanket.
A big gust of wind blew her dress, and she shrieked as it billowed around her.
“I’ll get the food,” Mason said, quickly gathering everything.
He tucked everything into his backpack and grabbed the blanket as he stood, balling it up.
He reached over for Taylor’s hand, and then they were hurrying across the sand as the rain began to fall.
They were soaking wet by the time they got back to Mason’s SUV, and Taylor began to laugh. “So much for beating the rain.”
Her dress clung to her like a second skin, and Mason’s gaze heated as it ran over her body. He impulsively ducked down and kissed her, sending a thrill shooting straight through her. He grabbed a towel from the back of his SUV, handing it to her as she climbed inside.
“Your seats will be soaked!” she protested.
“It’s fine,” he assured her.
A moment later he was rounding the car and climbing into the driver’s seat, chuckling as the rain pounded down on the windshield. “So much for being suave and pulling off a nice picnic for our first date.”
“Hey, you got a workout in,” she joked. “Running back to your car was the most I’ve run in years.”
“Well whatever you do, it works,” he said. “You always look amazing.”
“Walk,” she said, towel-drying her hair. She dabbed at her chest with the now sopping wet towel. “I walk down the boardwalk. Running isn’t really my thing.”
“No problem there,” he said with a chuckle. “I run because I have to for training. It’s not exactly fun unless you’re running through the rain with a beautiful woman.”
She flushed as Mason started the engine.
“I have some dry clothes you can change into at my place,” he said, glancing over at her. “They’ll be way too big, but at least they’ll be warm. Or I can take you home to get something if you’d prefer.”
“I guess I can change into something of yours if you don’t mind,” she said shyly. Mason had to be a foot taller than her, but something about wearing clothing that was his, that had been flush against his skin, sounded appealing.
“All right. I kind of like the idea of you wearing my clothes,” he said, his voice gruff.
He pulled onto the road, his windshield wipers swishing back and forth. Another loud crash of thunder sent her jumping in her seat. The heavens completely opened then, with rain pounding down on his SUV.
“I’m glad you have a large vehicle,” she said as Mason carefully navigated the wet roads. “With some of these storms we get, I’m worried to drive alone through them in my small car.”
“You’ve probably met some of the guys on the other SEAL team in Anchors,” he said.
“Probably. It’s tough to keep track of everyone, but there’s definitely familiar faces in there every week.”
“One of the guys, Mike, has a girlfriend named Kenley. Actually, I think they’re engaged now. It’s hard to keep track of everyone on their team. But anyway, Kenley’s car ran off the road in a bad storm a year or so ago. Mike ended up finding her when no one else could.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. And horrible,” Taylor added.
“Yeah, amazingly she wasn’t hurt too badly, and her car was in one piece. She was stuck inside though and couldn’t get out.”
“You seem like you’re all really close,” she observed. She had her best friend Bailey of course but never a large circle of friends like Mason did.
“We are. But you’ll get to know all of them more, too. We all look out for one another.”
A few minutes later, Mason was pulling into the driveway of a townhouse not far from Little Creek. “Are you renting?” she asked, feeling slightly envious of all the space he must have. Her tiny apartment worked for her, but she’d love to have a bigger home someday to decorate with her photos.
“I bought it a few years ago,” he said proudly.
“Consider me impressed.”
He shrugged. “I get hazard duty a lot of the time, and there’s not much I need.
I saved up and was ready for my own place.
” He looked out the window at the pouring rain.
“I guess we can make a run for it. I can go in and grab an umbrella if you want, but seeing as though we’re already both soaking wet. ...”
“Let’s run,” she agreed.
“All right. I’ll grab the food from the trunk and then come around to get you out.”
Before she could protest, he was already opening the driver side door and circling the car.
The hatch to the trunk closed as soon as he grabbed his backpack, and then Mason was opening her door.
He helped her step down, the rain pouring down around them, and before she could say a word, he was scooping her up into his arms. He pushed the car door shut with his side as she clung to him, and then Mason was jogging up the front steps.
He typed in a few numbers on the keypad he had instead of a keyed lock, and then they were inside his foyer, Mason gently setting her down. His hands ran down her sides as she got her balance, as if he didn’t want to let her go.
Her nipples pebbled beneath her dress, her chest rising and falling at Mason’s closeness.
“I’m getting your hardwood floors all wet,” she belatedly noticed as water dripped off her.