I rubbed myself harder—because he was so damn hot.
He squirted the lube into his palm and got started. “Jesus…you’re so fucking sexy.”
I lay in the cabana by the pool, my phone in my hands.
His message lit up my screen. Didn’t really get a chance to talk last night.
Are you complaining?
Nope. That was hotter than any woman I’ve actually been with.
With my sunglasses on the bridge of my nose, I smiled.
Maybe we should do that every night…
I’d rather have you.
You should see the smile on my face. You’d hate it.
No, I loved it. I always loved it. I’ll take your word for it.
That bluff at the end…didn’t see it coming.
I try to stay unpredictable.
I assumed you went for the good cards and won that way.
No. I like to bluff. It’s fun.
Someone took the lounger beside me, and they sat at the edge, looking straight at me. It was probably a guy who’d come by to make a pass, so I looked up to politely decline the offer. But through my sunglasses, I saw someone I recognized.
Mason.
He was in a tee and jeans.
He’d caught me off guard, but I kept a straight face. “An odd choice for a swimsuit.”
A slow grin moved on to his face. “Forgot sunscreen.”
“Well, they offer it for free waaaaaay over there.” I pointed to the counter across the pool. “Have a good one.”
He stayed.
Not that I expected him to leave. He was there for a reason, whatever that reason was. “You want your money back? Sorry, no refunds.”
“Came to congratulate you.”
“Well, that’s just one word, so this conversation should be over by now.”
His smile widened. “Still the same old spitfire, huh?”
“More like an inferno.”
“You’re the best bluffer I’ve ever seen.”
A slow grin crept on to my face as I pulled the sunglasses off my face so he could see my eyes. “Not better than you.”
His smile disappeared. “I’m sorry about all of that—”
“Whoa, slow down.” I raised my hand. “You came to congratulate me, not apologize. So, get up and leave.”
“You still hate me—”
“Hate you? Oh honey, don’t flatter yourself. I couldn’t care less about you.”
He stilled at my words, absorbing the toxic venom I’d just thrown in his face.
My phone vibrated with a message.
I looked down and read it. Wanna get dirty again tonight?
I didn’t look back at Mason. “Well, it was good catching up. See you around.”
He still didn’t move.
You looked really fine in that little black ensemble. Brought something else to show me?
I started to text back. I think you’re going to—
“Can we talk?”
I turned back to Mason. “Why are you still here?”
“Because I’m trying to talk to you.”
“Why?” I asked suspiciously. “What do you want from me, Mason? You want me to forgive you? Okay, I forgive you. Done.”
His eyes remained a little angry, like he wasn’t getting what he wanted. “The reason I came to this tournament is because I knew you were playing. I’ve been doing some thinking—”
“Let me stop you right there.” I couldn’t believe, after over a year of silence, he’d gotten his head on straight and had come here to whisk me off my feet. So romantic. “I’ve got a man. A man who doesn’t play games. A man who doesn’t bluff. I’m trying to talk to him right now, but you keep interrupting me. Now leave so I can talk to him about all the phone sex we’re going to have tonight.”
Mason finally looked away, his jaw tightening like that was a blow he hadn’t anticipated.
I waved him off with my hand. “Bye, bye, bye.”
He lay in bed with his laptop on his chest, his skin flushed red, his forehead a little sweaty.
My eyes were closed, and I lay there, still in my lingerie, as satisfied as if he’d been there in the flesh. “Money…orgasm…I got everything I need.”
His arm was propped behind his head, and he watched me, his eyes intense even though the fun was over. His eyes shifted back and forth slightly as he looked at me, a crumpled mess on the sheets.
“What?”
“You’re beautiful.”
It was the first time he’d said that to me. All I could do was stare back because his sincerity was unmistakable. He could spend his evening with any woman he wanted, but he chose to stare at me through a screen like I was right beside him. “I’m excited to come home.”
“Because you miss your bed? Or because you miss me?”
“I miss you in my bed.”
A slow smile moved over his lips. “Smooth.”
“How are my patients?”
“Good. I haven’t broken any ground for their diagnoses. Been too busy with everything else.”
“Something’s gotta give. You can’t do everything at once.”
He stared back.
“My brothers do a lot of different stuff, but they have personal assistants.”
“You mean they have wives.” He grinned. “You wanna be my assistant, baby?”
“God, I’d be the worst assistant ever.”
“Because you’d distract me all day.”