“What’s that?”
I relaxed onto his chest. Answering “you” would be painfully cheesy, so I went with the next true answer I could think of. “Honestly, I’m not used to things being as eventful as they have lately, so I just want a second to myself,” I laughed. “I know I’m not working right now but it’s still been a bit dramatic for me to feel like I’m on vacation. There’s been Whitney and Aaron’s dickhead friends and then Aaron himself yesterday, so… definitely a lot going on. Definitely haven’t recognized my own head lately, so peace and quiet would be easily the best birthday gift.”
Mason nodded. “I see. That has to be the most depressing birthday wish I’ve heard in my life, but to each their own.”
“Shut up.” I gave his chest a tiny smack. “I mean, if I could really have anything, it would be my own island where it was just me for a day – me, a comfy couch and a giant palm tree over it. And a shelf of all the books I’ve started but haven’t had the time to finish. And a bottle of wine. With a pretty glass because cheap wine glasses are just so depressing to drink out of.”
“Now we’re talking. Bit of weird fucking island, but we’re getting somewhere.”
“And hydrangeas. Those are like, all our clients’ favorite flowers to use for events at Vandermark, and you’d think I’d be totally sick of them by now but I love them. They’re my favorite. So those would be on my island, too.”
“I don’t think all these things exist together in nature.”
“Well palm trees don’t grow chocolate but on my island, they do and it’s my imagination so stop being a buzzkill.”
“Shit, if you’re the one telling me to stop being a buzzkill I really need to re-evaluate my life.”
I smacked him again. “Can I open my gift now?”
“Go for it.”
Sitting up, I pinched the end of the soft ribbon and pulled till I could lift off the top of the pretty, blue box. My wary smile spread into a giant grin as I let my eyes settle on the gift that lay inside. “Mason, you’re an asshole – you know that, right?”
“I do but I don’t mind when you tell me. I’m for some reason into it.”
“Yeah, we’ve already established the weird fact that angry women turn you on.”
“I think you know that you turn me on regardless of what you do,” Mason said, forcing me to bite back my smile. He studied me with a grin of his own for a bit but then nodded down at my gift. “Want to try it on for me?”
I lifted the black panties with the word “Wednesday” written on them in sparkling rhinestones. “You know, for some reason, I don’t really feel inclined to do that.”
“I just wanted to complete your collection. From what I recall, you were missing your Wednesday panties.”
“Or are you once again buying me gifts to bribe me into having sex with you?” I teased. “I mean diamond necklace, rhinestone-studded panties… seems like some pretty overtly sexual hints.”
Mason laughed as he removed his arm from around my shoulder. “Fuck these ‘buying sex’ jokes, Taylor. I won’t even touch you for the duration of this trip. How’s that work for you?”
“It doesn’t work for either of us because it goes against the plan.”
“Fine. I’ll put my hands all over you in front of everyone, but once we’re in the privacy of our hotel room, you don’t get any of this.” He was being jokingly crass but the way he grabbed his junk still turned me on. I eyed him, resting one leg back onto his lap and taking his hand.
“Fine. And you don’t get any of this either,” I teased, d
rawing his palm over my breasts and then running it between my legs for half a second before he growled something lusty and climbed on top of me, giving me the full weight of his body that I so desperately craved. But as soon as my leg wrapped around him and he thrust against me, Sofia yelled at us.
“Stop! We can hear you!”
“And we’re not drunk enough for this shit because you wouldn’t refill our drinks,” Noah added.
Laughing as Mason groaned, I pushed him off of me. “We’re just… hugging aggressively,” I called back, my breaths short and heavy as Mason buried his face in my neck, cupping my hand over his hot erection.
“We don’t believe you and we require either more Moët or for you guys to fucking knock it off!”
“Fine!”
I wound up fulfilling both my best friend’s requests, going over to refill her champagne as Mason stayed on our couch to cool down. With Noah passed out next to Sofia, she clucked and shook her head at me. “You’re killing the man,” she whispered. “Mase might be the first person on Earth to die of blue balls.”
“Might I remind you that I’d probably have sex with him on this plane if it weren’t for you and Noah being here.”