“You didn’t have faith in team Maci?” I poked my finger into her ribs and she laughed.
“I didn’t say that. I said I didn’t have faith in you. Me being on your team was your saving grace.”
I rolled my eyes, and she patted me on my back.
“I need you to man the table for a minute.” She pointed to the long line of people that still surrounded their booth. “I need to go kiss my husband.”
Staci
I was so damn tired. The convention had lasted hours after hours, and even though I was incredibly humbled by the amount of support and admiration our little shop was shown, I had wanted nothing more than to crawl into my bed.
So that was what I did. I crawled into my bed with Mason wrapped around me, and we slept until the most annoying sound of my alarm going off this morning woke us up.
Livy and Parker were already on their way to the airport by the time we rolled out of bed, and even though Livy had told me that she thought she could actually fit me inside her luggage with most of her clothing, she didn’t even try. She just rode off into the sunrise with her husband and forgot all about me.
Not that I blamed her.
I was just dreading my flight home. I wouldn’t be flying home with Mason and Brandon because I couldn’t go back to Tennessee yet. I promised my father that I would come back to Oklahoma for a few days to help him get a few things squared away with the house, and I also had to meet my lawyer to get all of my final divorce papers.
Papers that I couldn’t wait to hold in my hands.
Mason wasn’t too happy that I wasn’t going back to Tennessee with him. Not that he would outright say that. Instead, he pouted a little, and I could tell he was running scenarios in his head to try to talk me out of it.
“How long are you going to be in Oklahoma?” He ran his thumb over the back of my knuckles.
“Just a few days. My dad is working on repairing the old porch around his house, and I promised him that I would help before I head back to Tennessee.”
“You do construction?” He cocked an eyebrow at me.
“I’m pretty handy with a power tool. Thank you very much.” I shoved his shoulder.
“I could come with you and help. You know handling tools is my specialty.”
“Handling your tool or tools that belong to others?” I smirked at him.
“Smartass.” He rolled his eyes at me and settled back in the hard airport chair.
“You’d really want to come with me?” I asked. It was probably a stupid idea to even consider, but I had to admit that I wasn’t ready to be away from him. I didn’t care how weak that made me.
“If you want me to, I do,” he said it so casually, but it was a big deal. My father hadn’t met anyone from my life in Tennessee. Not because I didn’t want him to, but I had always gone home to visit him. He knew all about Parker and Brandon and me working at the shop with them, and I talked his ear off about Livy on the phone, but this was different.
I had told him about Mason while I had been home for the last couple weeks, but my dad was wary of any man at this point. He didn’t want me to get hurt again, and if he could help prevent it, he would.
“Are you sure that you’re ready to meet my dad?”
“Well,” he scratched his beard. “Not when you say it like that.”
“It’s just that my dad is protective.” I took a sip of my warm coffee.
“As he should be.”
“And he’s big.”
“Duly noted.” Mason smiled.
“And he owns several guns.”
Mason turned toward me. “Are you trying to scare me into not going?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I want you to go. I just want you to be prepared. My dad can be a lot to handle.”
“You want me to go?” He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll go.”
And just like that, Mason Connor had slid out of the friend-zone and was on his way to meet my father.
Mason
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared shitless about meeting Staci’s father.
I wasn’t scared of the man himself per se, but I was scared of what he would think about me. Of what he would think about mine and Staci’s relationship. Because I didn’t even know where we stood exactly.
I guess that was what scared me the most.
I didn’t think twice about switching my ticket and climbing onto the airplane with her. I just climbed into the seat next to her and held her hand through takeoff.
We were both exhausted, her more so than me after all the work she did yesterday, and I wasn’t surprised when she leaned her head against my shoulder and fell asleep as soon as we were in the air.
But if she didn’t move soon, I was going to pee on myself. After about an hour and a half into the flight, Staci shifted enough that I could pull my arm out from beneath her without waking her up. I quickly unlatched my seatbelt and made my way down the plane to the bathroom.
A flight attendant was coming down the aisle at the same time, and we barely managed to squeeze past each other without me bumping into an old lady in her seat.
I quietly apologized since her husband was asleep next to her, and she smiled up at me and patted my arm.
Finally, I made it to the bathroom. I splashed water on my face to wake me up. Staci had slept curled against my body last night, and even though it felt amazing, I kept waking up every few hours to make sure she was still there.
I had to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
I pushed the lock and pulled the tiny door open, and it almost hit me in the face with the force of someone coming through it.
“What the fuck?” I said before I recognized her black hair and heard her soft giggle.
“What are you doing?” I whispered as she closed the door behind her. The bathroom was so small that neither one of us could really move with the other one in there.
“The movie theatre. Really, Mason?” She pulled her t-shirt over her head.
“What?” I chuckled as I watched her.
“You said that the movie theatre was the craziest place you’ve ever had sex.” She popped the button of her jeans. “That’s pathetic really.”
“So, what?” I started undoing my belt. “You’re here to help me up my game?”
“Exactly.” She pulled her jeans down her legs. “What kind of girl do you take me for?”
She laughed as I gripped my hands under her ass and lifted her to the almost nonexistent bathroom sink. “A very, very bad girl.”
She smirked and I pulled my jeans down my hips.
“You mean I haven’t ruined my bad girl persona with you?”
I stepped toward her and she wrapped her fingers around my cock before she slid it up and down her wetness. I could barely form a thought.
“No.” I lined myself up with her and thrust into her as I spoke through gritted teeth. “I still think you’re a bad girl. You’re just a bad girl who has fallen a bit.”
Her head slammed back against the bathroom mirror as I pulled out then thrust into her again. “And where exactly do you think I’ve fallen?”