Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Mason

"You were a trooper, Mase." Nine shuts the door after her parents leave the house—at midnight.

"Thank you for inviting me. I know how important family time is for all of you, Nine." I cover her mouth with mine.

I hoped family time would finish right after dinner, or maybe at eight, not around midnight. We talked about our week while having dinner, and for the first time, they were interested in knowing about my work. At least what I could tell them. They have a system: whoever cooked rests while the others clean. I had to clean the kitchen with Matt, Gabe, and Chris Decker.

Afterward, we found Jacob and Nine playing in the music room. Chris and Matt joined them. I shouldn't complain about that part because the four sounded wicked. They played for hours until Nine broke their trance with a yawn.

"It's time for us to leave," they all said and stared at me.

"Can you stay for a few extra minutes, Mase?" Nine requested as she pushed her family out of the house.

"I remember that, before you sent me to wash the dishes, I was promised retribution for lost time." Nine's eyes dance around, her smirk hits my groin, and my cock comes to life. I want her so bad. To get my mind out of the gutter, I decide to ask a question that's been bugging me since Friday night after I talked to her brothers, and they said Ainsley just got a shipment from Fleur of England.

"Can I ask you a question, Nine?"

Ainsley gives me a stern nod while narrowing her gaze at me.

"What's Fleur of England? Your brothers said you got a box from there. That maybe next time I was in Europe I should bring you that."

Her eyes open wide, her face goes completely crimson. "Oh God, I will kill my brothers," she whispers, avoiding my gaze.

"Nine?"

"You know what Victoria's Secret is, right?" I roll my eyes. Any hot-blooded man knows the name and what they sell there. "Something like that, but prettier, sexier, and more expensive."

Prettier? Sexier?

I want!

My brain completely freezes as the images of Nine wearing nothing but skimpy, sexy lingerie bring my entire lower body to life. If I can just pull up that short denim skirt and reach for whatever is underneath, make that white blouse magically disappear and discover what's covering her tits.

"Do you own stuff from there?"

"Among other places." She squeezes her eyes. Her flustered face makes me want to do more than I think she'll allow. "It's a thing of mine. No matter what I wear on the outside—sweats, casual, formal—I always feel pretty."

Five fucking dates , I repeat in my head. No, it's three. I lost count.

"Are we counting this as a date?" I sound like a perverted teenager about to see a pair of tits for the first time.

"No," she answers indignantly. Her lips press together into a tight line, and her eyes stare at my chest.

"Can I at least see it?"—I bend down and murmur in her ear— "The pretty lingerie covering your beautiful body."

A moan escapes my throat as I kiss the side of her neck, her body melting against mine. I can smell her sweet arousal; it's a promising taste. She shakes her head and pushes herself out of my grasp.

"Oh my, Mason," she whispers with a raspy voice in my ear. "Someone might think you're only rushing to hit date number five just to see my lacy underwear. My fathers told me never to show my special things, especially to you."

A sweet laugh overtakes that vixen voice. I pull her back to me, kiss the back of her neck, and my hands try to cross the barrier of the white blouse she wears while I direct us toward the couch.

"I'm not ready yet, Mase. I seriously want our first time to be special. Remember, I'm a hopeless romantic and all the shit that's involved."

"It'll only be a long goodnight kiss." My guttural voice fills with need. "I promise to stop before it gets out of hand, Nine. That's all I ask. Think of this as an expedition." I kiss her forehead, eyes, nose, and finally, her sweet lips.

"To unknown lands," I add, and my lips are on her neck, finally meeting her sternum. "And pretty, sexy clothing."

Expertly, I pull off her top and find a lacy bra tied with a white silk ribbon. Her nipples harden with the touch of my tongue, only a thin layer covering the succulent, plump tits. My willpower is tested once more.

My entire body hums, and for the first time, I'm close to what I've craved for so long. It's a struggle of mind versus need; my entire being wants nothing else but to savor her body.

I tug one of the ends of the delicate lace, and as anticipated, it opens the most precious present. Nine's peach-colored nipples perk up, wanting me to continue sucking them.

Ainsley

Mason's eyes darken. I should've known this wouldn't stop at a long goodnight kiss. My back arches the instant he lowers his head and traps the tips of my nipples. This isn't going to work. My own body's betraying me. I rub against his leg, searching for some much-needed release. His hardness presses against my thigh, and I can't think of anything else except for wanting him inside me.

Please!

A throaty moan escapes me as I get closer to the point of release.

He stops, those stony eyes look up alarmed.

"This isn't working the way I planned," he confesses with the grin of a kid who's about to eat an entire cake. We both start laughing hysterically, amused and nervous about what to do next. "Your call, Nine."

I take a deep breath, and as I'm about to give in, the doorbell goes off along with an urgent knocking on the door.

Mason springs off the couch, covers my chest, and fixes his messy hair. "I'll open it, go get dressed."

Heading to the powder room, my gut feeling tells me that behind that door there's at least one parental unit. Damn, those two are every girl's nightmare. It doesn't take me long to fix my clothing, it's placating my stupid curls that's taking forever. Instead of fighting them, I fetch a scrunchy and fix it in a messy bun.

"What are you two doing here?" I ask as I step into the living room and find both of my fathers searching around the house for something.

"Your dad can't find his wallet," Chris heads to the kitchen.

"Oh, for the love of Pete," I groan. "At least come up with a better excuse, old men."

"I better be going." Mase comes closer to me and kisses my nose. "Let's have an early dinner tomorrow; I can't push back my trip any longer."

"Kay." I sigh with longing and relief.

Mase gives me a quick peck on the lips, says goodbye to my parents, and disappears.

"Did you have to?" I look from Gabe to Chris and stare at Chris with the best angry face I can come up with, but Papa's dopey grin melts me. "I love you, you know that?"

Yesterday morning, I told them Mason and I decided to date. Their calendar suddenly opened up, and they arrived today for our family dinner. Damn, and it happened right after I had invited Mason. My brothers promised they wouldn't pull the same stunt they did yesterday—keeping Mase and me apart. Those two knew. Jerks.

My parents not only lectured my boyfriend, but they just interrupted our alone time.

"It was his idea," Papa points at Gabe.

Gabe laughs, shaking his head, and instead of arguing, he takes two long steps and is next to Chris. He pulls him close and kisses him. "God, I love you so much, babe. I can't believe that, after all, these years, I still follow your crazy ideas."

I cross my arms and wait for them to finish their dopey-love ritual. "Care to explain, you two?"

"Who do you think decided to jump on a plane?" Gabe kisses Papa's cheek. "From Tokyo. It was fucking expensive. Chris didn't give a shit about the cost because it was for a good cause. To scare the punk ass away from our baby girl."

"He didn't flinch much while we had the talk," Chris informs me. "We'll back off." I arch an eyebrow, and he shows me a pinch with his index and thumb. "A little, not much. Though I wasn't the one peeking out the window to see if the punk had left and decided to barge into your house."

"Thank you for loving me."

My parents kiss me goodnight and leave the house. I adore those two. They drive me crazy, but they're the best parents in the world.

Ainse: Sorry, but I think it was for the best.

"Hi." I answer the FaceTime call after the first ring. "Where are you?"

"Back at the office." My heart shrinks with the thought of him living in his office. "Thank you, Nine. Today was different. A good different."

"I'm sorry about my fathers, but I think they came at the right time." I climb the stairs to my room, turning off the lights as I walk past the switches. Once I close the door of my room and close my blinds, I plop myself on the bed. "Maybe soon, I promise."

"You know, Ainse." Mason's playful eyes stare at me. "I'm a guy, of course I want sex. But you're worth the wait, and I'm in no hurry. My mind will stay busy wondering what's under those clothes and imagining how I'll peel them from your soft, tasty body."

The husky, raspy voice takes me back to the couch, the feel of his hands touching me. His mouth sampling a few places—before my damn parents interrupted us.

"Goodnight, Mason Bradley." My decision to end the conversation is based on the lack of self-control and how much I want to beg him to come back and finish what we started.

"Goodnight, Ainsley Janine."