Rumor Has It (Limelight) (6 page)

“It’s no biggie. All I’ve ever known. What about you? You have any brothers or sisters?”

“No. I’m an only child. I didn’t know my dad growing up, either.” I don’t know why I’d thought it necessary to throw that out there. Maybe to let him know he didn’t need to feel ashamed he didn’t know his father? Sometimes the fact that your father hadn’t stuck around seemed like a reflection of you, even though logically you knew it wasn’t.

He didn’t say anything, angling himself to look me in the eyes. His look said he understood what it meant to have a piece of yourself floating around out there, without any means to find it, or understanding why it wouldn’t want to find you.

It didn’t bother me anymore. Growing up, whenever I’d ask my mom about my father she’d shut down and wouldn’t tell me a damn thing. I could tell it upset her when I asked and eventually I figured out she was never going to tell me anything and stopped asking. I’m sure that sounds weird to most people, but when that’s always how it’s been, you don’t even stop to think it might be strange—not when you’re the one living it.

“So what do you do at the real estate office?” he asked.

“Nothing much. Watch the minutes tick by until I can go home.”

Mason laughed. “Passion for your work, I see.”

“It’s a means to an end. I’m trying to find a job in the field I graduated in.”

“What did you study?”

“I got my degree in comparative media studies at U Miami.”

“Impressive.”

“I thought so, too, until I graduated and couldn’t find a job,” I said wryly.

“I have to be honest. I have no idea what a degree in comparative media studies will get you.”

I laughed. “Most people don’t. Basically it means I can work anywhere from radio, game design, online, film or television. It’s pretty broad, which I thought would help me because I’d be able to apply my skills to a lot of different industries.”

“Not the case so far?”

“Unfortunately, no. The economy still isn’t great and employers are hiring candidates with proven experience.”

“That’s frustrating because how do you get the experience if no one will hire you?”

“Exactly. I know I’ll get a decent job, it’s gonna happen, but patience has never been my strong suit.”

“So why are you in Virginia Beach if you went to school in Miami?”

“Because my landlord in Miami wouldn’t accept my charm as payment for rent. I had to move in with my mother and her latest husband.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. That’s putting it mildly.”

He reached behind me and placed his hand at my nape and squeezed in what I think was supposed to be a reassuring gesture. “I’m sure something will come up.” I found his touch more provocative than reassuring but he could have been giving me a root canal and that’d still be the case.

“I hope so. Moving back in with my mom after being on my own for four years hasn’t been the highlight of my year. Where do you live?”

“Pretty much wherever my work takes me.”

“I didn’t realize songwriters had to travel around so much.”

He appeared momentarily uncomfortable and I wondered what I’d said wrong.

“Sometimes.” He took another swig of his beer and I could tell it was the end of that line of conversation. Mental note to self. Mason does not like to talk about his work.

“Would you like to go out again, Ellie?”

He’d caught me off guard with his quick change of topic. “Oh, um…yeah. I’d like that.”

He moved closer to me and the heat radiating off his body mirrored my own. He leaned in, one hand moved to my lower back, the other bunched my hair at the side of my neck.

He was going to kiss me. I was equal parts ecstatic and scared as hell. What if he didn’t like how I kissed? What if
he
wasn’t a good kisser? That would totally ruin the hot as hell image I had of him.

His lips touched mine and in an instant my insecurities vanished. He pressed my lips lightly at first and ran his tongue along the seam. I parted my lips to give him access. The moment our tongues met my hormones went into overdrive.

I wasn’t the only one. He pressed me closer. His tongue slipped over mine and the pace increased until the kiss became almost frantic. We couldn’t get enough of each other and it was like we were trying to devour one another whole.

He pulled away and I immediately missed the feeling of his body close to mine. Our heavy breathing and the pounding of the surf were the only sounds. He fixed his gaze on me with half-closed lids, grabbed me by the waist and lifted me so I straddled his lap.

I should have been offended or afraid. In truth, I liked how he manhandled me. I’d probably put the feminist movement back twenty years with my enjoyment of his display of physical strength and the blatant male satisfaction on his face when he saw I was impressed by it.

Not wanting to be outdone I pushed him until he leaned back on the staircase. The stairs probably dug into his back but he wasn’t complaining. From the feel of his rigid shaft underneath me, complaints probably weren’t on his mind.

We picked up where we left off. He fisted my hair and groped my ass, pushing me against him so I could feel how much he was enjoying it. Tension built in my lower half and I ground my hips down on him to get some relief.

He started to ease the white vest off my shoulders when I came back to my senses. I knew those period panties would come in handy.

I pulled away. “Wait, wait.”

“What’s wrong?” He looked confused. His eyes darted from side to side like he was trying to assess the problem.

“I can’t do this. I’m sorry. I have a rule.” I was panting.

“Can we talk about your rules later?” He moved to pull me into him again.

“No. Stop,” I mumbled against his lips. I’m sure he was used to girls dropping their drawers the instant he said go but I wasn’t going to be one of them. No matter how badly my body was insisting I should be. “Ten dates. That’s my rule.”

“Come again?”

His choice of phrasing had my mind swimming in images of the two of us and I fought to keep my line of thinking straight. “I won’t sleep with a guy for at least ten dates.”

He flopped back against the stairs with a defeated look on his face and scrubbed his hands over top of his shaved head.

“I’m sorry,” I said and moved to get off him.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back down, lifted me by the waist and twisted me around so I was sitting in between his legs. His arms came around me and squeezed me close.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for. I won’t lie and say I’m not disappointed though.”

“Thanks for understanding.” I was embarrassed that I’d blurted out my rule to him, but his reaction put me at ease.

“I understand but you can be sure we’ll be having all ten of those dates as soon as possible,” he said and laughed. “Clear your calendar.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a very wise man, Mason?”

“Save your praise until I figure out a way to shove ten dates into one day and you hear all the great ideas I have that involve you and I.”

“Mmm…I’m sure most of them involve us being horizontal,” I said wryly.

He nuzzled my neck and spoke low and slow into my ear. “And in the pool, against the wall, in the shower, on the kitchen counter… Stop me when you’ve heard enough.”

Wow, Mason was a dirty talker. I’d heard enough to fuel my fantasies for years. “Enough,” I said. I laughed and swung my elbow back into his gut.

We relaxed for a while, not speaking. Just enjoyed each other’s presence and the view of the moonlight reflecting off the water. It was comfortable. My nerves had evaporated entirely.

I sunk back into Mason, enjoying his warmth and felt my eyelids getting heavy. The next thing I knew Mason was nudging me gently to wake me.

“Ellie, come on. You should get home. It’s late and you’re falling asleep.”

“Okay,” I said in what I could hear was a sleep-laden voice.

“Unless you want to spend the night here. You’re welcome to but I have to be honest, if you do I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep my hands off you.”

It pleased me to know I had that effect on him. I wasn’t sure what that said about me but to be honest, right then, I didn’t care.

“Tempting but I should get home. I didn’t tell my mom I wouldn’t be home and even though I’m twenty-one she’d worry if I wasn’t there in the morning.”

I grabbed my shoes and walked barefoot across the deck, Mason leading me along with his hand on my lower back. He walked me to my car. When I got to the driver’s side door he pinned me to the car with his arms on either side of my shoulders.

“I had an amazing night, Ellie. The best I’ve had in years.”

Holy crap. This guy was making it super difficult for me to stick to my ten-date rule.

“I had a good time, too.”

“Let’s do it again.”

“Okay.” What else was there to say really? I wasn’t into games, which was why I was always upfront about the ten date thing. I wasn’t going to play coy or pretend I didn’t want to see him again.

He cupped his hands on either side of my face and he kissed me. It was different than the frantic kissing we’d shared on the deck. This kiss was a slow burn; the fire between us building and building until it was a raging inferno and difficult to control.

This time he pushed me back. “You’d better get out of here before I force you to stay.” He rubbed one hand over top of his head.

I nodded, got into my car and started it. He knocked on the window. I rolled it down and he passed me his phone.

“Here put your number in.”

I did as he asked and when I scrolled up to save it I noticed that instead of adding me in his phone under Ellie Wagner he’d added me as WORTH THE WAIT.

Damn. This guy was trouble.

CHAPTER SIX

It finally looked like things were turning around for me. I’d gotten two great calls. Technically one was a text but semantics, whatever.

I had a job interview in Richmond for the programming department at a local cable station. It was only a small station—that was okay. It was a foot in the door leading me to better things, unlike my current job. I hadn’t earned my college degree to pour coffee for rich people overspending on beachside homes.

When Mason texted to ask if I wanted to go out with him again that night my day went from great to awesome. Damn straight I wanted to see him again. He intrigued me. There was more to him than his six-pack abs and charming persona and I wanted to find out what.

I was only a few minutes from leaving work for my job interview when Katie came strolling up to my desk. I’d told Jeff I had my annual physical knowing he wouldn’t inquire any further. The only thing that made men more uncomfortable than the topic of vaginal exams was period talk. Katie knew where I was really headed.

“How you feeling? Nervous?” she asked.

“A little. I’m sure it’ll get worse the closer I get to Richmond.”

“Probably.”

Friggin’ Katie.

“You have to promise if you get the job we’ll still be friends,” she said sounding really concerned.

“It’s just one interview. It’ll probably turn into nothing.”

“Bullshit. You’re a smart girl, a good worker, and any company would be lucky to have you.”

Aw, that was kinda sweet because I knew she meant it. For better or worse, Katie said what she meant. “Thanks. And of course we’ll still be friends.” Despite her rough exterior, she was growing on me.

An hour later I was in the Program Director’s office in Richmond waiting for her to come in to conduct the interview. I sat in the plush leather chair, legs crossed with my foot bobbing up and down. I’d chosen to wear my navy suit with a white blouse underneath and had pulled my hair back into a twist in an effort to look more sophisticated and mature. I’d achieved it. When I’d walked into Beachside Realty that morning Katie had asked why I was looking so matronly.

The Program Director walked into the office with an air of authority wearing her own nicer and clearly more expensive, pale yellow power suit. She may have only been running a local Virginia station but she had an air about her like she was running a multi-billion dollar corporation in New York or Los Angeles.

She walked around to her side of the desk, leaned over with her hand outstretched and introduced herself.

“Claire Ambrosa.”

I shook her hand. “Ellie Wagner. Pleasure to meet you.”

She squinted and tilted her head when she looked at me. “Have we met before?”

“I don’t believe so.” I’m not sure why it didn’t dawn on me where our conversation would eventually lead, but it just didn’t.

“Hmm,” was all she said before she sat down and began perusing my résumé.

For the next twenty minutes or so she went through the standard interview questions: where I went to school, what previous jobs I’d had, what made me the right candidate for the job, blah, blah, blah. I’d had enough interviews by this point that I could probably recite the answers in my sleep. She was direct but pleasant and I had a feeling she liked me. I thought I really had a shot this time. Until she finally realized where she recognized me from.