Thankfully, one happy Shay makes for a very happy Lily cosied next to a flame that has sparked out of thin air. I'd never seen Shay make fire appear but the sight of it fascinated me, until Shay disappeared into thin air, and reappeared in mere seconds at my feet. And all my amazement leeches away just as fast as it appeared.
What do you do when you are faced with your worst nightmare, your sweetest dream and the source of all your longing, and desire that makes your heart pound so loudly in your chest that you feel faint? It is quite a question, isn't it?
Many people experience fight or flight. Well, that is not at all what I experienced when I came nose-to-nose with Mason.
Slightly embarrassing, but I still couldn't believe that even after all this time, I find that I'm so deeply marked by his sole presence, so much so that I'd lost any control of my body. In layman's terms, I froze.
Stupid, utterly stupid.
Luckily, I was still able to drag a few shallow breaths in my lungs, otherwise I would be very ungraciously sprawled at his feet the moment he appeared in the room.
Instantly I became mute, even though I had plenty to say to him, even though my mind didn't stop from doing laps in my head, making me dizzy. Up until that moment, I didn't realise how much I had missed him. Up until that moment, I didn't realise that all I wanted was to wrap my arms around him, and never let go.
The way his velvet soft lips felt against mine, something I have fantasised about so many nights under the cover of darkness where nobody would know my deepest and darkest desire. Mason was the object of my desire. Sadly for me, my stupid heart lodged itself in my throat, choking bit by bit. I was about to experience a very slow, disgraceful, and painful death.
Such a shameful way to die.
For the first in my life, I want to find Cupid take his stupid little bow and beat him to death with it for what he has done to me. He has turned into a fool, with no trace of rational thought, and no sense of logic when it came to Mason.
It is beyond my understanding, how I manage to become utterly stupid in his presence.
I could feel the sizzling heat scorching my skin but I'm not sure if the source was the flame that flickered in the corner or if it was me or Mason.
I startle when I feel both his hands slide on either side of my face, I can see his lips moving but I can't hear what he is saying. I'm slowly drowning in the heady feeling of his skin on mine, but somehow I don't seem to be able to move. Mason leans in, so close that we share a breath, my eyes flutter to a close because I want him to kiss me. I want him to do more than that, but a girl can dream, right?
" Lily," He whispers, but I refuse to open my eyes, and just revel in the sound of my name coming from his lips. It's the sweetest poison, and I could die right now and be just fine with it. I'm afraid once I open my eyes he will move away. I don't know what possessed him to touch me, but I'm grateful.
" You need to breathe," He says quietly, and I realise that Graham is still asleep. And also that I'm not breathing.
I take a slow steadying breath, and my mind narrows even further to all the points where our bodies are touching.
His hands are on my cheeks, his forehead is pressed against mine, our lips are at a hairsbreadth distance, our knees are bumping against each other, and my body has done a full one-eighty and I find myself heaving for a breath.
Next thing I know, my fingers are tangled into his hair, Mason finally slowly begins to kiss me, with tentative strokes at first which slowly begin to become more demanding, more possessive, as his hands slide towards the back of my head, threading his fingers through my hair, and fisting it. I moan against his lips, at the feel of his hands in my hair, and other memories begin pouring down on me taking me back to a time when he did just that while making me his. I'm nothing short of melting into a pile of goo on the floor, at the feel of his hand grabbing my ass, a pulling me flush to him.
" You two should fuck already, so we can all move on with our lives," Graham's groggy voice drifts to my ears but I don't care, all I want is for this kiss to never end. Mason abruptly pulls away leaving me breathless and weak in the knees. I stumble backwards a little bit but manage to find my footing when I hit with the back of my legs one of the chaise longs in the room.
It turns out, it doesn't matter want.
Mason turns away and strides to the opposite side of the room as if trying to put as much distance between us as possible.
Lowering myself on the chaise, I glance at Graham who's still scrubbing his face vigorously trying to chase away his sleep daze, wearing nothing more than a very revealing satin robe. It's not even properly tied up, and I get an eyeful of the family jewels as he lowers on his haunches to give Shay a scratch behind his ears. And, boy the man is more than adequately equipped down there.
" Put some clothes on," Mason snaps, making me flinch at the bite in his tone. He is scowling at Graham, more precisely at his crotch which is in full display. I feel the heat creeping up in my cheeks, so I turn away from Graham and pick up the unfinished coffee off the floor, just to focus on something else, instead.
" It's my home and you two just decided to show up, at the crack of dawn. If you don't like it come back later," Graham says drolly pointing towards the door, and I try my best not to laugh at the look Mason is giving him, which is nothing short of murderous.
" We have a business to discuss that couldn't wait, and I need a favour from you," Mason tugs on his hair trying his best to avert his gaze from mine.
Graham turns to look at me, expecting me to state my business, but I find that I'm tongue-tied with Mason in the room, so I shrug and place the coffee on the table, in an attempt to come up with a good excuse.
" I just missed Shay, and I wanted to say hello," This is the best my brain could conjure up. Not my best, I'll have to admit, but Graham nods and tilts his head at me, his eyes drifting to the backpack on the floor, and it bounces back to me.
" It looks more like you're moving in," He gives me a toothy smile, " I've never had a roommate before. We are going to have a whale of a time," That makes me laugh because I know that he is only trying to irk Mason, and he is also successful because Mason is glaring at me with the intensity of a thousand suns.
In a few long strides, he closes the distance, staring down at me, while I give him a sheepish grin, and shrug," Maybe. I kind of like the jungle theme Graham has going on," I wave a hand around the large room, and smile sweetly at Graham.