I didn’t know, and I didn't care. I was just so stupidly touched that he'd worn the thing.
I reached between us and gave the tie a playful tug. As I did, I noticed a little rip along the edge. "Oh, no," I laughed. "What happened here?"
With a sheepish grin, he said, "Don't ask."
Now, I seriously wanted to know. "Did something happen?"
"Yeah," he said. "I had to fight Chase for it."
I stared up at him. "You're joking."
"No joke," he said. "You should've seen us Christmas Eve."
"Really? What happened?"
"Ask me later."
"Why later?"
"Because," he said, sweeping me up into his arms, "I'm gonna carry you to the nearest bedroom and have my way with you."
Oh, man. I was loving the way that sounded.Still, I couldn’t help but tease, "Are you sure there's a bedroom? I mean, this place is pretty big."
"Trust me," he said, cradling me tight against his muscular torso, "I'll find one."
It didn't take him long either.
Just as I'd suspected, at least one of the two mystery doors led to a spacious bedroom. Leaving the door open behind us, Mason carried me straight to the king-size bed as I kicked off my shoes and let them fall wherever.
I felt giddy and light, and so very happy, I couldn’t seem to stop smiling. And I wasn't the only one.
Mason looked happier than I'd ever seen him, even as he laid me gently across the bed and gazed down at me with an expression that took my breath away.
In a quiet voice, he said, "You're my dream-girl, you know that?"
I smiled. "And you're my dreamguy." With an embarrassed laugh, I said, "Actually, I think you've been my dream guy for a while now."
He smiled back. "You know what that makes me?"
"What?"
His gaze softened. "The luckiest guy in the world."
As I stared up at him, there were so many questions I wanted to ask.What had prompted this change? When had he decided that he loved me? And where would we go from here?
But the wayIsaw it, we had plenty of time to talk later. What I wantednowwas something I'd been thinking about all night.
From the bed, I beckoned him closer. "You're so far away."
"Not for long." And true to his word, he pushed off his shoes, shrugged out of his suit-jacket, and removed the tie.
And although he let his jacket fall to the floor, he laid the tie across the nearby armchair, making me smile with sentimental sappiness.
When Mason joined me on the bed, I turned toward him and gave a happy sigh as he pulled me into his arms and kissed me just the way I liked.
His lips were warm and welcoming, and I felt his hands caressing my back, and then move lower, skimming the thin fabric of my little black dress.
When he reached underneath the skirt and caressed my backside over my silky panties, my breath hitched, and my pulse jumped.
