“Um…sounds good.” He grabs my scarf and fixes it, then lowers his head, taking my lips with his, kissing me slowly, sliding his hands over my arms and pulling me tight to him until I can feel the desire in his pants. My body reacts instantly, rolling my hips forward, and grinding along his hard ridge.
“And baby, I wasn’t kidding about the gift tag either,” he whispers, stepping back to look at me. “I definitely can’t wait to unwrap you.”
“Then we better find a place to eat.”
“That’s more like it.”
Chapter 7
Mason
We walked down the street to a small restaurant, and they seated us quickly. “Winter, tell me a little about you. Tell me it all,” I say while we wait for our order.
“What can I say? I graduated from UIC a few days ago,” she remarks, taking a sip of her water. I can see she’s a little bit nervous, but then again, she steals lust-filled glances at me from beneath her pretty lashes.
“Congratulations. That’s wonderful. In what?”
“I have a degree in accounting.” Damn, Grable could use her to help with the company, but I’m guessing that was never an option.
“Ha, man that explains another reason why she’s so dead set against you.”
“I suppose that’s true,” she giggles.
“So, when you’re not slaving away for the shrew what do you do?” I ask, reaching for her hand to rub it. I can’t take my eyes off her, making her blush and smile all the way up her face.
She straightens her shoulders then looks at me seriously, and states matter of factly, “Lately, I spend my time thinking of you.” She starts giggling when she sees my surprise.
“Be serious,” I growl, clasping our hands together. “Honestly, I spend time at the library. It’s the only place I can afford to visit,” she admits reluctantly, fiddling with the napkin in front of her. “What do you do when you’re not ruling the world?”
“Visit my mom.”
“That’s so sweet.” I shrug and sit back. I can see the questions in her eyes, so I answer it because she’s too polite to ask. “My dad died two years ago. He was killed by a distracted driver.”
“Oh no, that’s awful.” I didn’t say that he was the distracted driver. He was busy getting head from his mistress when he crashed into another car, forcing my mom into a depression I never thought possible. She learns of my father’s affair only after learning of his death. My first thought is if Winter learns the truth, she’ll think I’d do the same to her. I wouldn’t because nothing is as terrible as destroying the person you love for a moment of release. Fuck, my hand has been my friend for years now. I won’t break her like my father did my mother. She’s just coming around to being happy again and has even started dating some guy in the neighborhood who is a widower.
“Thanks. But enough of the somber talk.” The waiter comes with our food which looks good. After we both have a bite, I begin my interrogation again, “What were your plans for Christmas?”
She plays with her food on her plate before muttering, “Um…I really didn’t have any.”
I lean in closer to get her attention that’s focused on the steamed broccoli. “You don’t celebrate?” I ask.
“No, I love the Christmas season, but my family kind of sucks. We haven’t had a decent Christmas in two-plus years.”
“Sorry, where’s your mom now?”
“Off with her latest boyfriend, waiting for the divorce to be final before she marries the next guy.”
“Oh no. I’m sorry Winter.”
“It’s fine. She left me stranded and at the damn mercy of the Grables.”
“Yes, that’s not good at all.”
“Speaking of the car, the one I’m driving is theirs. I’m going to be thoroughly fucked.”
I give her a smirk because the word fucked coming from her pretty lips only makes my dick harder. “You will be later on, but not when it comes to your life. I promise, Winter. I’m going to make everything better.”
“You don’t have to be taking care of me just because you want to bang my brains out.”
“I want to bang your brains out, but baby, that’s not all I want. I want you swollen with my babies, wearing my ring, and growing old with me.”
“Stop. You’re making me blush.”
“I happen to like the look on you. I’m crazy about you, Winter.” I would tell her that I loved her, but I didn’t want to scare her. They say it’s rare to fall in love at first sight, but I fell hard.
As we’re sitting there, finishing our food, her phone rings. She looks at it and frowns. “Grable?”
“Yes,” she remarks, staring down at it biting her lip with her finger hovering over the screen.
“Let it go to voicemail. They can leave a message. I’m going to tell you this. They made it seem that you were just an assistant, which makes them big dickheads. So, don’t worry.”