She just had to keep that first night front and center when dealing with Mason. He was good at pretense, he had spent time charming her, entertaining her, making her feel liked when all he had been doing was clearing the way for his brother to flirt with her sister.
And tonight again, while Daisy had been genuinely enjoying herself, he had been putting on a show for Shar and everybody else. Which, to be fair, was exactly what Daisy had asked him to do. She just hadn’t expected him to be so convincing.
“Do you want to get some dessert? Or maybe head over to Ralphie’s for a drink?” Daisy was enjoying the evening so much that she hadn’t even noticed she’d finished her meal and that the dinner crowd at MJ’s was thinning. She cast a look around, surprised to note that the restaurant was nearly empty.
“No, I think I should head home. Especially if I have to be up in the early hours of the morning.”
“It’s not that bad,” he chastised. She didn’t respond, merely gave him a look, and he grinned.
“Trust me, you’ll change your tune when you have to deal with predawn Daisy in the morning,” she warned, and he chuckled before signaling Thandiwe and asking for the bill.
After he had settled their bill, waving aside any attempt from Daisy to pay half, he took her arm and led her out into the cold night air. It had stopped raining, so they had no need of the umbrella, but it was freezing cold, with a sharp, blustering wind that cut right to the bone. Still the air had that crisp, fresh after-rain smell, and Daisy inhaled deeply before settling into the car.
The drive home was short, and when they got to her place, he wordlessly got out and assisted her from the car. He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and led her to the front door.
As they stood in the darkened doorway, the peaceful silence shattered by Peaches’s excited yapping, Daisy stared up into his unreadable features and wondered how one ended a fake date properly. Handshake? A polite thank-you and a quick escape through the door? An invitation in to coffee?
Although that last one strayed dangerously close to normal post-date behavior.
“So . . . thanks,” she ventured, fumbling with her keys as she struggled to unlock the door. He took the keys from her and efficiently unlocked it for her. She took them back with another mumbled “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” The words were silky and murmured directly into her ear. She hadn’t known he was leaning in so close, and the feeling of his warm breath on her cold skin completely disconcerted her. Her hand dropped to the door handle as she prepared to remove herself from the uncomfortable situation. But when she tugged at the door nothing happened, and she was confused for a moment, until she looked up and saw that he had a hand flat against the wooden surface, easily preventing her from opening it.
Convinced that he didn’t know that he was blocking her way in, she turned to face him and saw his teeth gleam in the pale light spilling out from her living-room windows.
“I can’t open . . .” Her voice faded when he leaned in even farther, his bulk making her feel small and more than a little trapped. She tensed, her heart speeding up and accelerating her breathing in the process. What was this? If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was going to kiss her, but that was a ridicu—
Her frantic thought processes ground to a screeching halt when his lips dropped to hers. It wasn’t a demanding kiss—in fact, one would be hard-pressed to call it much of a kiss at all. It was just a light press of his lips on hers. Sweet, chaste, and incredibly confusing. Their lips were the only point of contact between them, and Daisy froze in shock. Not entirely sure how to respond to this.
She felt his mouth—those soft, velvety lips—stretch into a smile against hers and she resentfully wondered what he found so amusing about this. Was he making fun of her? Was this just some elaborate joke on his part?
It was her worst fear come to life. That this interesting, intelligent, likable, and very good-looking man might find her a source of amusement and pity like all of the other men around here.
His body shifted, and she went even more rigid, ready to flee if he said even one hurtful word. But all he did was bring his warm, callused hands up to cup her face. He lifted his lips, ending the passionless, innocent little kiss.
“Relax.” The word brushed across her lips delicately, and her brows lowered as she pondered the gentle command. She wasn’t given long to think about it before his lips were pressed to hers again, and this time there was nothing chaste or ambiguous about the kiss. It was hungry.
His lips parted hers, and before she knew it his tongue was there, a living, ravening thing, a restless flame, demanding more than she knew how to give. She moaned and melted against him, opening herself up to him, her own tongue tentatively stroking against his. Answering his insistent demand for more.
He groaned and his body folded around hers, pushing her against the door as her front was pressed up against his chest. She felt none of the cold winter air, and the rain—which had started up again—didn’t stand a chance of touching any part of her because Mason was there, jealously hoarding her senses for himself. He was all she could see while his scent surrounded her and his warmth and hardness enveloped her, making her feel safe and protected. The rich taste of him, coffee mingled with mint, intoxicated her. And she was deaf to anything but the sound of his breathing and his soft moans.
In those long few moments, Mason Carlisle was her entire world. Nothing else existed outside the circle of his arms, and Daisy gave herself up to him entirely.