Vicious Circles - By Leann Andrews Page 0,17

they weren’t for my ears.

Like a gentleman he opened the car door for me and then closed it behind me. I fussed over the placement of my dress as he made his way to the driver’s side and got in. He tapped the clock, probably because we were running a little late.

“I think we’ll make it,” he said confirming my thoughts.

The whole thing was surreal. The atmosphere screamed date but could I really call it that? He hadn’t asked me out, per se. It was more of an agreement.

“Shit,” Mason swore.

I turned my eyes forward to the cause of his anger. Traffic, of course. “We’ll never make it on time in this traffic.”

“Well, aren’t you full of optimism tonight…” He laughed but I could tell he was still pissed.

“Look, I’m sorry I took so long to get ready.”

“Fallyn, you didn’t cause the traffic. This is Hollywood.” His hand left the gear shift, grazing mine on the way to his phone.

“Are you calling the restaurant?”

He nodded with the phone already to his ear. I listened to his side of the conversation which wasn’t going so well. “I don’t understand, I made a reservation…Why can’t you hold it?…”

“It’s not a big deal,” I said when he dropped the phone back into the cup holder between us.

“We aren’t going to make it, I’m sorry.”

The dinner must have meant more to him than I originally thought. His eyes told me right away. He had definitely tried and in my own eyes he had done more than enough for me to begin with. I gathered my nerve and placed my left hand on his right thigh. It was the first time we’d really touched since the night I tried to seduce him.

“Mason, I appreciate everything you’ve done. I’m wearing a new dress. No man has ever bought me a dress. We could swing through the drive thru at In and Out for all I fucking care. I could eat anything looking like this and still be happy.”

The smile returned which made me warm inside. Something told me he wasn’t appreciated often.

“I like In and Out…” He eyed the street to the right of us. “I can turn here and find us one, if that’s what you want.”

“That’s what I want,” I confirmed with a grin.

***

Mason and I sat across from one another, legs crossed with In and Out paraphernalia scattered all around us. Our candle was a Wal-mart nightlight, plugged into the nearest outlet. We talked about anything that came to mind, including the part I’d just got. He toasted me with his value meal cup full of Sierra Mist and I laughed my ass off.

“You look beautiful in the soft glow of this night light.”

Hopefully, he couldn’t see the blush that consumed my face. “Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say. It wasn’t every day someone told me I looked beautiful.

I stretched my legs out in front of me, the only pair of decent heels I owned were still on my feet. Mason leaned over and swung my feet into his lap. I looked on, stunned as he removed the shoes from my feet. I wiggled my toes as soon as they were free, refusing to meet his gaze. His hands ran up each of my legs, slowly. I uncrossed my ankles, confused but ready for anything he wanted to give me.

“It’s like you understand me,” he said softly. “We don’t really know anything about each other…is that bad?’

My body was screaming as he gripped my knees and pulled me forward until I was straddling his lap. “Knowing someone is more than words.” My voice sounded strangled.

His breath was warm and the slight aroma of In and Out onions were there. I rolled my head to the right, willing him to kiss my neck. We pressed our bodies together tightly, both searching for something. In that moment I felt like myself again. I was a normal girl, enjoying the company of a normal guy. All the shit fell away as soon as his lips met mine. I had no idea what would happen after, or if we would even be able to speak to each other in the morning but honestly, I didn’t care.

Mason grabbed my dress and yanked it up, breaking our kiss only to pull it over my head. We’d been in the same position before, but I could tell by his frantic movements that he intended to have sex with me.

Desperation took over and I scrambled to remove every