“Better,” he said, eyes traveling up and down the smooth skin of my legs, hands following his gaze. “Much better.”
I giggled, propping myself up on my elbows as I watched his hands explore me, taking their time as they made their way up my thighs, teasing the edge of my panties before slipping beneath my shirt, following up each of my ribs.
His face drew close to mine once more, peppering kisses along my neck and chin.
“You’re right,” I told him, spreading my legs a little more as I felt the warm, growing pressure of his manhood inside of his jeans. “This place is pretty crazy.”
He nodded, sinking his teeth lightly into my shoulder as my fingers worked on the outside of his jeans, teasing him. “I bet we could make it even crazier.”
I grinned, gasping as his fingers pushed aside my panties, playing with me before sliding up inside of me. I grabbed the back of his neck, forcing his mouth to meet mine again, covering my moans with the pressure of his lips. I could feel him grin against me, thrusting his fingers up a little further, stroking that sweet spot deep inside of me.
I convulsed once, twice, and suddenly my body was on fire. “Mason...”
“Patience,” he whispered in my ear, nibbling my ear lobe before sinking down, kissing his way across my body until his lips rested on my clit, tongue swirling around the small area.
I shook my head, tugging at him. “No, please, Mason...”
He raised an eyebrow, smirking at me as he wiggled his fingers inside my tight space, making me groan again. His other hand worked at his belt and pants, pulling them and his tight briefs down, freeing himself.
“Are you sure?”
“
Please
,” I begged him, grabbing hold of his hips and tugging at him again. “Please.”
Then he was inside of me, his girth stretching me even more, his movements so fast and calculated that I could hardly hold onto myself. He pulled my hips to him, forcing himself even deeper inside of me, so his member hit my every sensitive spot.
The world blurred. I screamed as the black and grey overtook my consciousness, as he grinded his hips against mine.
Suddenly, I was back, and Mason had collapsed on top of me, burying his face in my hair.
“You...”
“Yeah, I did,” he interrupted, pulling out of me. I could feel his warmth dripping out of me. His fingers stroked me, wiping some of it up.
I grabbed his wrist, bringing his coated fingers to my lips and taking a taste, sucking on them suggestively.
He laughed, kissing my cheek.
“Well, you were right,” I told him.
“Oh?”
I nodded. “The wine did taste better that way.”
I felt him smile against my skin. “Good.”
I turned a little, the numbness of my ecstasy fading and leaving behind a tingly feeling in my extremities. He grinned at me, sliding off of me and lying beside me, his arm resting over my belly. Warmth grew in my chest at the sight of him, his mussed hair and lithe body, the way he looked at me. Everything this time felt so much deeper, so much more personal.
I wondered if I was falling in love with Mason, despite the fact that we hadn’t known each other long. I had never felt safer with anyone. With Mason, what you saw was what you got. He was a man who had everything together, but he didn’t like to flaunt his wealth or even tell me much about it. Despite that, I trusted him. He had opened up to me in ways that I knew, for sure, he had never done with anyone else.
And, the cherry on the sundae, he liked me. At least, I thought he liked me.
I walked my fingers up his arm, playing with his t-shirt a little. “Mason, I really like you.”
He smiled, capturing my fingers with his hand and kissing each one of their tips before replying. “I like you too, Harper.”
“Everything is moving so fast, but—I don’t know—I feel different, with you.” I laughed, blushing furiously. “It’s stupid, I guess.”
“Not at all,” he said, the smile still on his face as he leaned in close, giving me a few more pecks on the cheek until I giggled.
“I wish we could stay like this forever.”
He laughed. “Me too. It’s getting late, though, and you have a new job to attend to, Miss Browning.” He gave me a wink as I looked over at him, suddenly a little nervous. “Stop worrying, Harper. Everything will be great.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I know you, and I know what you’re capable of. You’re perfect for this job. And if you get stuck I’ll be there to help you.”
I couldn’t help but to kiss him again, trusting his words. We packed up and made our way through the field in silence, enjoying each others company. As we approached the helicopter, I felt him tug on my hand, suddenly wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close.
His lips pressed up against mine, the taste of the sweet wine filling my mouth and overcoming my senses again. “Thank you,” he breathed, “for coming with me.”
I leaned into him, nuzzling his neck with my nose, grinning. “No, thank you.”
“Let’s go.” He kept his arm around me as we prepared to leave.
* * * *
“Okay, so here’s where you’ll be getting ready each mixer,” Mason explained, showing me to a room tucked away in the mansion’s upper floor.
I set my bags and plastic-covered dresses down on the huge, king-sized bed, looking in awe at the incredible view the room afforded.
Mason smiled as he saw me staring out the window. “I knew you’d like the view.”
I giggled, turning back toward him and taking in the rest of the room. A huge vanity sat on one wall of the room, the huge mirror nearly full-length. In another corner of the room a door led to a private bath and bathroom.
“What about Avery? She wanted me to help her with her hair...”
“I’ll have security send Avery up when she gets here. Sound good?”
“Sounds good to me,” I said, taking a few steps closer to him, swaying my hips a little. “And, Mason? Thank you for a wonderful afternoon.”
“The pleasure was all mine.” He watched my hips as I sidled up to him, his hands automatically grasping my waist and pulling me closer. “I’ll see you later. Don’t be nervous.” He let his hands travel down, cupping my ass and giving it a playful squeeze.
“I just hope you’ll be a perfect gentleman tonight,” I breathed in his ear, licking his neck softly. I felt him shiver against me.
“I’ll be a gentleman, but I can’t promise I’ll be perfect. It’ll be hard to keep my hands off.”
I laughed, nuzzling his neck with my nose. “Patience,” I scolded him with a giggle.
He gave my ass one last squeeze, grinning as he kissed me on the cheek. “See you later.”
* * * *
Avery arrived nearly twenty minutes later, flushed and frazzled. “Okay, so I’m meeting Asher in like five minutes.” She instantly dropped her things to the floor and strode over to the vanity, touching up her near-perfect makeup.
“Oh?” I asked. I had made myself comfortable on the bed as I waited for my curlers to cool.
“Yes, apparently there is some meeting for the girls. God, I’m so nervous, this is so weird,” Avery said, laughing at herself. “Do you have any idea what Asher is like? I just keep imagining this shadowy man who only has eyes.”
I laughed. “I’ve never met him, no, but I’m sure he’ll be fine, Avery. You’ll be fine, too. Don’t sweat it.”
She giggled. “You’re beginning to sound like me.”
“Well, I learned from the best.”
She gave me a wink, tossing her hair over her shoulder before taking one last look at herself in the mirror. “That’s true. I’ve taught you well.”
Four of the final five women had arrived, all somewhat dressed up but still in the final stages of dressing, their hair in curlers and their makeup half done. I gave them each a warm smile as I walked in, making sure I made eye contact with each one. Most of them had greeted Natalie cheerfully, but eyed me suspiciously. I had to stop myself from chuckling. No doubt they all wondered who I was.
My eyes scanned the small crowd as I set myself up behind the desk, laying my files on the flat surface. Avery hadn’t arrived yet. I wasn’t exactly surprised—Harper’s roommate seemed to have an agenda of her own most of the time.
The big oak door rapidly swung open as Avery rushed in. She gave Natalie a familiar smile and stood at the back of the room, taking everything in.
Avery’s eyes caught mine and she waved, giving me a similar smile. I nodded to her, watching as she leaned over to Natalie. “When is Asher going to arrive?” I heard her ask in a whisper.
I shot Natalie a warning look as she looked over at me, opening her mouth a little, as if she was about to say something. She closed her mouth instantly as she observed my expression, chewing on her lower lip. I could tell she was torn about what to do, but ultimately she knew that I knew what I was doing. At least, I hoped she did.
She quickly looked back at Avery. “You’re late, Miss Gaines.” Her voice was smooth, completely at ease. “Would you care to take a seat with the other girls?”
Avery’s face fell as her eyes traveled to the ground. She obeyed Natalie instantly, looking around the big room. The other girls sized her up, flicking their eyes over to her as she sat, crossing her legs.
Her eyes met mine, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“Now that you’re all here, we can get started.” Natalie’s voice rang out in the room, and she instantly had the nervous women’s attention. “We’re going to walk you through the evening so you know exactly what’s going on.” She looked to me, her expression not betraying a single thing.
I nodded to her, feeling the eyes of our small audience on me now. I bent over, putting my hands flat on the desk and staring right back at them.
“Well, tonight, our bachelor Henry, will be narrowing down his selection again. He has chosen each one of you to be here tonight. Tonight is going to be pretty simple and should be very fun. You’ll get to really know Henry, and he’s going to get to know you.” I watched as the five women nervously stared at each other. “It’ll just be you five and Henry. Throughout the night, Henry will have fifteen minutes alone with each of you. By the end of the evening, we’ll have Henry narrow his selection down to two girls. The two finalists will get dates with Henry—real dates, away from the here. We’ll give those two girls more instructions later on, but for now, all you have to do is be your charming selves and get ready to have a really fun time. You all know the drill. Any questions?”
I could see Avery shift a little in her seat, her eyes now taking me in suspiciously. She didn’t raise her hand, though, even as one of the girls raised theirs.
“Yes?”
The young woman, Katherine, a tall, athletic blonde, laughed easily. “Any rules for tonight?” The way she asked her question told me that she wasn’t particularly nervous at all.
Her question earned a few more, half-hearted giggles from the women.
I gave her a smile. “No. Tonight you use your own judgment. You no longer have to impress us, you have to impress your date.” I could sense that a few of the girls would likely take a more cut-throat approach to winning his attention. It was I hadn’t seen in the past. It was a tactic that usually didn’t work out well for them. “Good luck to all of you tonight, ladies. If you have any questions, Natalie, Hunter, and I will be here to help you. Hunter will now escort you back to your rooms so you can fully prepare for the night ahead.”
Katherine stood up first to leave, shooting me a sly, mischievous smile. Henry would certainly have a time with her and her bombshell attitude. She gave Hunter a similar look as he held the door open for her, grinning.
I looked away, thinking of Harper. Our afternoon had been one of the best dates I had ever had. Seeing her dressed down in jeans and a plain shirt, her hair in a tangled mess after we had reached the vineyard—everything about her set my mind and body on fire. A slight smile of my own tugged at my lips as I thought about her giving that little twirl, taking in her surroundings with the curiosity of a young, innocent girl. Her lips on mine had been sweet, so sweet.
“Hi, Mason. Good to see you again.”
Avery stood in front of me and gave me a sly grin. I watched her, trying to figure out her expression. “Good to see you, too, Avery,” I replied, keeping my face unreadable. “Are you ready for tonight?”
She laughed. “I am. I have to say I was a little surprised that he picked me, he didn’t seem to like me all that much during the first time we met.”
“Well, sometimes people remember things differently. Henry labored over his choices.”
She shrugged, crossing her arms. “It’ll be...
interesting
, to say the least. So, when do we get to meet Asher?” Avery looked around the room as if she expected him to bust through door at any moment.
“In time.” I kept my tone neutral. “You had better go get ready. I know Harper is excited about helping you out.”
Avery gave me a cold smile. “Yeah, I know. Talk to you later, Mason.”
The second she left, Natalie strode over to me. “When the
hell
are you going to tell Harper, Asher? You can’t just string her along under this false pretense.”
Her eyes glimmered with frustration as she stared at me, probing me for answers. I looked straight into her gaze.
“Tonight. I’m going to tell Harper the truth tonight.”
“Why do I get the feeling shit’s about to hit the fan?” Hunter entered the room, closing the huge door behind him.
I laughed. Natalie, ever the worried one in our relationship, said nothing. “Because it is,” I finally replied. “I’m going to tell Harper the truth. I’m going to tell her everything.”
“Just remember,” Natalie chided, “we’re on a tight timeline tonight. You better be careful, Asher.”
I thought of Harper. She trusted me, looked up to me in a sense. I had no idea how she would react but I knew that keeping everything from her had begun to take a toll on me. An overwhelming feeling of guilt weighed down. She had been hurt before, countless times, and I didn’t want to ever hurt her like that. I had even told her that I wouldn’t and now I seemed to be in this over my head.