Mason stands up and slips his hands into his pockets.
“Wait. Are you saying you’re in love with me? Even though all this time, you’ve been saying the opposite?”
I nod. “Yes. That’s what I’m saying.”
I draw the biggest breath.
“I love you, Mason.”
He falls silent, then he shakes his head. “You’re only saying that because of everything I said before. You’re feeling guilty now that you know how much you’ve taken me for granted. You feel like you owe me something.”
I shake my head. “I already loved you before I left.”
He gives me a puzzled look. “What?”
“I think it started that day when you took me to the Colosseum, but I wasn’t aware of it. When you were hospitalized after the explosion, you asked if I’d fallen for you, and that’s when I started wondering if I had. And I realized I had. You broke through my defenses without me knowing it.”
“Yet you still left,” Mason points out. “You chose to leave, so how can you say that you love me?”
“I left because I thought it was the right thing to do,” I answer. “It had nothing to do with my feelings. But I’ve realized that I was wrong about that, too. You’re right. I can’t take care of my father now that he’s sick. Not alone. I need help. More help.”
Mason says nothing.
“And I need you. You know they say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. I think that’s why there are second chances. Sometimes, we have to stumble to find our way. We have to lose something to hold tighter to it and never let go.”
Mason looks into my eyes. “So you’re asking me to give you a second chance?”
“I’m saying I think we deserve a second chance.” I step forward. “Don’t you think so?”
He doesn’t answer.
“And even if we don’t, I’m asking you for one,” I tell him as I move even closer to him. “A chance to really be a married couple. A chance to not just live next door to each other but live together and be together. A chance to continue our story. A chance to…”
I stop talking because Mason steps forward. He stands in front of me and gazes into my eyes. I can feel his breath washing over me and it makes me feel warm. I can smell his cologne and I can’t breathe.
Then he takes my hand. He puts his other hand into his pocket and pulls out a ring. My wedding ring.
My heart stops. He’s been carrying it all this time?
He then slips it on my finger before giving me his hand. I put his ring on in turn, but I don’t let his hand go.
“So does this mean you’re giving us a second chance?”
Mason cradles my jaw. “You know, for someone smart, you can be quite… oblivious sometimes.”
I frown at first but turn it upside down as I look into his eyes. “Then you just have to be a bit more forceful, don’t you?”
He cups my face. “Don’t tempt me.”
“Why? What are you going to do about it, Mr. Burke?” I tease him.
He strokes my cheeks with his thumbs. “This.”
Mason’s mouth crashes down on mine, and this time, unlike before, he pushes his tongue immediately past my lips. It sets my mouth on fire and the heat travels all the way to my toes. I clutch the front of his shirt as I nearly lose my balance. I kiss him back and rub my tongue against his but he pins it down. His lips crush mine. I can’t breathe.
He pulls away abruptly. “Was that forceful enough for you, Mrs. Burke?”
“Yes,” I answer breathlessly.
This Mason is completely in control. Dominating. And utterly exciting. My pulse races.
He captures my mouth again. This time, his hands go to grip my hair. Then they slide down my nape and to the top of my dress. His fingers find the zipper and pull it down. The back of my dress splits in half all the way past my waist.
As Mason’s hands caress my back, my fingers finally move. I take off his tie and start to unbutton his shirt. I’ve only managed three buttons, though, when Mason cradles my jaw and moves his mouth to my ear. He nips the lobe and my fingers freeze again. He traces it with the tip of his tongue and I tremble.
His lips slide lower, to the side of my neck. He kisses the skin above where my pulse is going crazy and sucks on my shoulder as he peels my dress off. I let the sleeves come off my arms, then I work on the rest of the buttons of his shirt as our mouths reconnect.
As I work on the last button, Mason unhooks my bra. When I’m done, I push his shirt and his jacket off him as he pulls my bra off. He wraps an arm around me and pulls me against him so that my breasts are trapped against his chest. They swell from the heat of his kisses. My nipples harden against his skin.