" I know it has been a long night, but I was hoping that you still have energy for one last dance," He says as he traces my brows with his thumbs, his hands settling on my cheeks, framing my face and I can't help but lean into his touch, savouring every ounce of his warmth.
" I thought, you'd never ask," He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, to stifle a smile, profound emotion rioting within me, battling to surface at the adorable sight before me.
" Perfect," He says, letting go of me and making his way to the corner of the room to set the gramophone. Shortly, the room fills with delicate lyrical violin notes of a song that I'm not familiar with, but I recognise the smooth strokes on the cords, as it grows to a crescendo. It's a slow song.
Swiftly, he pulls me into his embrace, hands settling on my hips, I slide my hands over his chest, feeling the frantic beat of his heart under the palm of my hand for a fraction of a second before I curl them around his neck.
It is such an innocent, and pure moment, I feel my nerves wind up even tighter, at the softness in his expression as he gazes into my eyes.
" Have I told you, you look exquisite tonight," He says softly, hands sliding onto my sides in a feather-light brush of his finger on my shoulder blades before he cradles my face into his hands.
" You have mentioned it in passing," I smile, and he smirks," I wouldn't mind hearing it again," It's my turn to smirk when he chuckles. I slide my hands down his back, enjoying the feel of his muscles moving underneath his skin, and lower them onto his backside.
Believe it or not, Mason could easily crack a few nuts with his ass cheeks. They're tight, firm and so round that sometimes, I feel envious of their generous shape.
We both laugh when I give them a squeeze " I've missed you," I say against his lips, as our lips brush against one another, teasingly.
" Did you miss me or my delicious behind?" He silently chuckles, pressing his lips onto mine, his tongue slides into my mouth, inviting mine to play with his.
" It's a part of you, isn't it?" He cocks a brow at my argument, giving me an easy smile.
" I feel objectified. I hoped my charming personality you'd be enough to win you over. I feel scandalised," He smiles, and I giggle.
" It does, but it doesn't hurt your case that you are quite the looker," His eyes flit over my face for a few seconds and I know he is trying to figure out if I'm lying. I'm not.
" Well, in that case, I'd better make sure to upkeep this body, if I'm hoping for you to stick around," I know he is merely joking, but looking at him as we gently sway on the bedroom floor, I try to imagine for a second if I would love Mason for who he is, if he wouldn't look the way he does.
And I wholeheartedly would. It is his charm that drew me in, first and foremost. The secretive nature. The mystery behind those icy blue eyes. It was a challenge to figure him out. And that spurred me to look closer, and each time I did, I found something that only enticed me even more, rather than deterred me. It doesn't hurt that he is handsome though.
" I would love you regardless of the way you looked. So, yes your personality is definitely something worth nurturing," I say smugly, and he pinches my side.
" That is not a total lie, but it's not the truth either," He counters, and I find myself frowning at him.
" How do you know when I'm lying? You've always been able to tell," Long before he was able to get a sneak peek of my thoughts. And tonight I'm content, there is very little noise inside my head.
" Your nose wrinkles ever so lightly. Almost imperceptibly, unless you pay close attention," He offers and I can't fight the urge to touch my nose when I say the next lie.
" You're awful, you know that right?" He chuckles. I feel the skin on my nose wrinkle just a fraction and I gasp.
" All this time, I thought you're some kind of walking and talking lie detector," He laughs, pulls my hand away from my face and kisses my nose.
" Nope. All I had to do was look at your nose to know that you were not telling the truth," I have to say I'm impressed. I wish I could do that.
The song draws to an end, seamlessly transitioning to the next, as Mason twirls me around, dipping me low and gently pulling me back up.
" And I love that you're are an open book, among many other things that I love about you," He presses a kiss on my temple, and I can't help but swoon for the nth time in one evening. Intrusive thoughts have a way of ruining something lovely and wonderful. For some reason, my mind goes back to the little exchange I had with David, and from there everything unravels.
" Even though I'm a fuck up," It slips out of my mouth so easily, that I don't have a chance to catch myself.
We stop abruptly mid-dance, his brows pinching while he searches my face for a brief second.
" Where is that coming from?" He asks, ever so slightly shifting on his feet, uncomfortable, while I take a moment to recover.
" It's nothing," I try to brush it away because this is the wrong time to reminisce over a moment that was probably nothing. Then again, since I resurfaced there has been more than one occasion where people looked at me unconvinced that I'm worth my salt. All of it has amounted to this moment.
" No, tell me. I need to know Lily. Is it something I said? I know I've been quite harsh on you, but," He licks his lips, " It has nothing to do with you. But if it is so, then you need to tell me," He says firmly, tightly gripping my hands into his.