“That doesn’t sound stupid at all. You have the biggest heart beneath all that brawn, and I think we should make it happen.”
His brow furrowed. “Make what happen?”
“I don’t know. Something birthdayish for foster kids. We could put together birthday boxes and fill them with gifts.” She sat up on her knees, splashing water out of the tub as she turned to face him, excitement bubbling up inside her. “I know so many people who would donate gifts. My PR rep, Shea, is always setting me up for events. She’d probably love to help us put something like this together. My friend Parker Collins-Lacroux runs the Collins Children’s Foundation. They work with foster kids and run a program that’s sort of like a summer camp, giving foster kids a chance to come back together every summer with other foster kids they’ve bonded with in different foster families to keep those friendships alive. I bet she could help us, too, and maybe Bodhi and Shira will have some advice.” Shira was the president of the Hearts for Heroes foundation. She was not only a brilliant accountant and businesswoman, but a badass martial artist and one of Bodhi’s closest friends.
“You’re really something, Princess, thinking of all that. I’ve heard of CCF, and I know Shira and Bodhi would probably jump right on board. I love this idea. But you’re busy with filming—”
“Oh, please! There’s always time to help other people. We can do it in the evenings, right here at home. We can arrange for everything to be delivered to the set so you don’t have to worry about delivery guys showing up here at the house. I bet Willow and the girls will want to help. I’ll talk to them when we go to the bakery. Speaking of tomorrow, can I tell my friends about us? Would you mind? Just the girls? Aurelia won’t be there, so Ben won’t find out.”
“Whoa, slow down.”
“I can’t!” She straddled his lap and wound her arms around his neck. “I want to do this for foster kids with you. I can see how happy the idea makes you.”
“It does, Princess. And so do you. You make me happy.”
He pulled her closer, sealing the words that made her feel good all over with a kiss. When their lips parted, she continued holding him close, their lips touching as she whispered, “You make me happy, too.”
She kissed him again, feeling him grow hard beneath her as he drew out the kiss. She lifted up without breaking their connection and sank down on his hard length. He held her so tight, cheek to cheek, unmoving, their bodies as close as two people could get.
“God, Remi,” he said in a long breath. “Every time we’re close, it’s better than the last.”
“I know,” she whispered. “That’s why you can’t expect me to keep how I feel about you bottled up all the time.” She gazed into his eyes and said, “I want to brag to my girlfriends about the incredible man in my life, and I’ll have to tell Parker. I can’t pretend we’re not together. She’s a good friend, and as an actress, she knows the score.”
“Incredible might be stretching it. I told you I might suck at this relationship stuff.”
“Oh, you do suck . . . perfectly.”
He made a guttural noise in his throat, his hips rocking beneath her. “The word suck coming from your sexy mouth is an evil combination.”
“Suck, suck, suck,” she teased, earning a warning glare. She gave him a chaste kiss, giggling as she said, “I’ve never been someone’s woman before, so we’ll figure it out together, and while we’re at it, we’ll give lots of foster kids very special birthdays. After I give you the best belated birthday gift you’ve ever had.”
He touched her chin, lifting her face, and said, “I’m already looking at her.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“YOU LOOK LIKE you’re going to burst,” Mason said as he parked behind Sweetie Pie Bakery early the next morning.
“I’m just excited to tell my friends about us and about our ideas for the birthday boxes.” They’d stayed up late talking about their ideas. Every time they closed their eyes, more ideas would pop into their heads. It felt beyond wonderful to be planning something together, and she’d noticed that Mason had a new brightness in his eyes since deciding to move forward with their idea.
“I’ll call Bodhi later this morning to see if he has some advice on how to get started.” He climbed out of the SUV and came around to open her door.
“I’m going to call Parker, too,” she said as he helped her out, wishing she could reach for his hand. “I hate not being able to touch you. Why can’t we just lure the stalker out of his creepy basement?”
“Because there’s no way in hell I’m using you as bait.”
“Think about it, Mason. We could quietly let it get out that I’m sunbathing down by the lake, but really you and your guys would be nearby waiting to catch him.”
He scowled. “No.”
“What’s he going to do?”
Mason crossed his arms, glowering at her. “It takes seconds for a knife to slice through skin or a bullet to cross a field.”
“Are you trying to scare me?”
“Yes, out of thinking about doing something stupid. Remi, this guy’s going to slip up, and when that happens, we’ll be there to get him. Okay?” He stepped closer and said, “And if you think I’d stay far enough away from you for anyone to think you’re alone while you’re baring your beautiful body in a skimpy bikini, you’re sorely mistaken.”
She giggled, loving the serious look in his eyes. “I just want to catch the guy so we can be a normal couple.” She put her hand on his stomach, and he immediately scanned their surroundings, silently reminding her that she had to be careful even if it was the crack of dawn. Remi reluctantly dropped her hand.
“I want that, too,” he said as Piper’s truck pulled into the parking lot. “More than you can imagine.”
Piper parked and came around the front of her truck in work boots, faded jeans with a hole in the knee, and a T-shirt that had LET’S GET BANGIN’ written over a picture of a hammer. “You two going in, or waiting for an invitation?”
Mason lifted his chin in greeting. “Good morning to you, too, Piper.”
“Hottieguard,” Piper said.
My hottieguard, thank you very much. “Calm your jets, girlie,” Remi said. “How was your date last night?”
“Harley scared the guy off.” Piper looked at Mason and said, “He loves doing that shit.”
“So why meet them there?” Mason asked as he opened the door.
Piper scoffed. “Because it’s a great way to weed the weak from the strong. The one guy who sticks around will be my keeper.”
They followed her inside.
“Remi, you made it!” Willow was on the other side of the kitchen, pulling a tray of croissants from the oven. Her cutoffs and gray T-shirt were speckled with flour, and her hair was braided in a thick plait down her back.
“Where’s Bridgette?” Remi asked as Piper snagged a pastry off a tray on another counter.
Willow set the croissants on the metal table in the center of the kitchen and closed the oven. “She’ll be here.”
“You don’t mind if I look around, do you?” Mason asked, heading for the door between the kitchen and the bakery.
“Feel free,” Willow said. “Everything is locked up tight until I open the bakery.” She moved to another counter and began frosting yellow cupcakes with blue icing.
Piper hoisted herself up on a counter, and as soon as Mason was out the door, she said, “That is one fine specimen of a man. You two looked like you were ready to rip each other’s clothes off out there. Is his girlfriend out of the picture?”
Bridgette came through the door with one hand on her burgeoning belly. “Please tell me you made Loverboys. I have been craving them all night, thanks to your husband, Willow.”
Willow pointed to a plate of Loverboys on the far side of the counter, and Bridgette practically dove for them.
“Getting back to hottieguard and the girlfriend . . .” Piper made a hurry-up motion with her hand.
“There is no girlfriend. It
was a misunderstanding,” Remi explained as Mason came back into the kitchen.
“All clear, Prin—Remi.” He clenched his jaw.
He was so cute, dead set on being the perfect bodyguard. “You guys, I have something to tell you.” She walked over to Mason, went up on her toes, and kissed him smack on the lips. She felt his surprise in his rigidity. Last night he’d agreed to let her tell the girls and Parker about their relationship. She hadn’t planned on doing it this way. He had Piper to thank for that—and she wasn’t nearly done. She wound her arms around his neck, kissing him longer. He finally must have figured out what she was doing, and his arms circled her waist.
Sometimes a girl needed to stake her claim.
When their lips parted, she felt exhilarated, and Mason looked just as invigorated. Willow was grinning from ear to ear, while Bridgette stood frozen with her mouth agape.
“Damn, woman,” Piper said. “How long have you been holding that in?”
“Too long,” Remi said.
“Far too long,” Mason agreed, reaching for Remi’s hand. He tucked her beneath his arm, leaning down for another kiss.
“And hottieguard goes in for seconds.” Piper took a big bite of her pastry.
Remi smirked at Piper and said, “He’s my hottieguard, thank you very much.”
“Aiden’s going to have a cow,” Bridgette said. “Have you told him yet?”
Mason’s expression turned serious again.
“We’re waiting until he’s back from overseas,” Remi explained. “And you can’t tell Aurelia because she’d have to tell Ben, and I can’t ask either of them to lie.”
“But she can ask us to,” Piper pointed out.
“I’m not asking you to lie. I’m asking you not to spill the beans,” Remi said.
“Relax, Prin—Remi,” Piper teased. “I assume that was for Princess, which is seriously cute coming from a beast like Mason, and I’m only giving you shit. Nobody needs to run off and ruin your fun.” She pointed at Mason with a threatening stare and said, “I’m glad the two of you are together, but if you break her heart, you’ll have me to deal with. And be warned, I carry a big hammer and I know how to use it.”
“I’d yell at her, but she’s not kidding,” Bridgette said with a shake of her head.
“Got it, Piper,” Mason said evenly.
Remi could see he was holding back a smart-ass remark, and she appreciated it. She’d seen Piper give men hell, and she knew Piper would put their friendship above any man any day of the week.
Mason’s gaze moved from one friend to the next as he said, “Don’t worry. We have every intention of telling Aiden about us. We’re just trying to do what’s right for everyone.”
“That’s good, because I hate keeping secrets,” Willow said.
“Wait. Did you know?” Bridgette asked.
Willow made a zip motion across her lips and tossed away the imaginary key.
Bridgette said, “That’s it. I need details. How did this happen? When did you two get together?”
Mason kissed the top of Remi’s head and said, “I’m going to let you girls chat. I’ll be right outside.”
They all watched him leave, and the second the door closed, the girls peppered Remi with questions.
“How? When?” Bridgette said.
“Is he as hot in bed as he looks?” Piper asked.
Willow glared at her. “That’s private, Piper.”
“Says the girl who told us about the incredible view of the ceiling she had on her honeymoon,” Piper reminded her.
“Remi, come on,” Bridgette pleaded. “I want to know everything.”
“Okay, let’s see. Remember the kiss that sparked the stalker texts? Well, we’ve pretty much been together since then, and yes, Piper, he’s incredible in bed—though I hate telling you that, because you’ve been drooling over him since the first time you saw him. But after listening to all of you rave about your men, I am proud to finally have my own.” She wrapped her arms around herself, unable to stop gushing. “You guys, I’ve never been so happy!”
“Good sex releases endorphins,” Piper chimed in.
“It’s so much bigger than that. I don’t even hate my fortress anymore. I think I hated it because I felt so alone and locked away, but having Mason there and the two of us doing everything together has given it a whole new feel. It’s warmer, homier.”
Piper licked the cream from the center of her pastry and said, “There are so many dirty jokes I could make right now. But I won’t, because you’re already way too giddy.”
“I am giddy,” Remi agreed. “You guys remember how frustrated I was the night you came over, wanting Mason and not being able to show it. Now I get to wake up next to him, kiss him, touch him, and be hugged by him. Oh my gosh, nothing compares to his hugs.”
“That’s not saying much about his . . .” Piper arched a brow.
“Okay, let’s set that record straight. The man has magic hands, a talented mouth, and a wondrous pleasure wand. Got it?”
“Pleasure wand?” Piper snort-laughed. “It’s just us, babe, and we’re not eighty years old. You can say ‘cock.’”
“Whatever! I was being funny. Anyway, we have common interests, which I want to tell you about, but the absolute best thing about him is how he treats me. He communicates about everything, and he’s patient. He respects me and doesn’t treat me like I don’t need to know all the facts. I can’t explain it, but I’m just so happy.”
“That’s the best news ever,” Willow said. “You deserve to be treated like gold, Remi.”
Bridgette lowered herself into a chair and said, “I couldn’t be happier for you. Bodhi made a comment after the birthday party that Mason had hinted at having someone special in his life. I guess that was you.”
Remi hadn’t expected that, but she was glad to hear it.
“What happens after you’re done filming? Or after he catches the stalker?” Piper asked.
“I don’t know. We haven’t gotten that far. Everything is happening so fast.”
“Well, yeah,” Willow said. “You guys live together. How can it not?”
“You should thank Aiden,” Piper pointed out. “That’ll get his goat.” She chuckled.
“I don’t want to think about Aiden right now. I have a lot of guilt for not telling him when Mason and I first got together. But you know how Aiden is. He’d storm home, thinking Mason took advantage of me. I can’t deal with that right now. And I have more news to share. Mason and I are starting a project together, a really important one.” She didn’t want to share too much of Mason’s private life, so she said, “He grew up in foster homes, and he didn’t have great experiences. One of the things that he missed out on was celebrating birthdays.”
“Aw, poor Mason,” Bridgette said.
“I know. He was moved around a lot. I don’t know if that’s typical or not. He blamed himself because he acted out, but even if he did, it sounded like he was a product of the system. It makes me sick to think of him—or any child—being uprooted all the time.” Her heart hurt anew talking about what Mason had gone through.
“No shit,” Piper said angrily. “I’d like to go find those foster parents who passed him on to other houses or didn’t celebrate his birthday and give them hell.”
“Me too, and I love that about you,” Remi said. “But there’s no sense in going backward, right? Mason and I came up with an idea of how we can help other foster kids. It’s small in the grand scheme of things, but I think it’s a start. We want to make birthday boxes and fill them with gifts. At least that way, any of the foster children who might not get a gift will have something special to look forward to.”
“I love that idea!” Bridgette said. “Maybe Shira can help you figure out how to go about it.”
“Mason’s calling Bodhi later this morning. I’m sure between him and Shira, he’ll get some ideas.” She told them about her friend Parker and CCF. “We’re thinking about starting small, like doing it for local foste
r kids first, until we figure out all the logistics. I’m glad I planned on taking a break after this movie wraps. I’ll have plenty of time to devote to this, and I’m excited that Mason and I are doing it together.”
“Can we help?” Willow asked. “I’d love to be involved.”
“Me too,” Piper and Bridgette said in unison.
“Really? We’d love that. I have today off, so I’m going to contact Parker and then make some calls and see if Shea Steele, my publicist, has any ideas. I’m sure I can use my connections to get donations.”
“You should include Stackables,” Piper suggested. Stackables were like Legos, only they came in a bigger variety of sizes and shapes. “They were my favorite toys as a kid.”
“Good idea,” Bridgette said. “Coloring books, dolls. Can you find a toy company to donate those things?”
“Wait. I need to get Mason in here.” Remi rushed out the door, so excited she could hardly stand it.
Mason was leaning against the hood of the truck. He pushed off as soon as she came out the door. “Everything okay?”
“Yes! I told them about the birthday boxes and they want to help. They have some great ideas. Would you mind coming in?”
“They want to help?” he asked excitedly. “That’s fantastic.”
It took all her willpower not to leap into his arms and celebrate.
As soon as Mason stepped inside, Willow said, “We love your idea! I can talk to the woman I buy my bakery boxes from. I bet she can give you a good deal on something cute to use for the birthday boxes. And we can put together cake mugs for the elementary school–aged kids, so they can make their own cakes.”
“Cake mugs?” Mason had no idea what that was.
“They’re mugs with all the ingredients for a single serving of cake inside,” Willow explained. “You just add water and microwave them.”
He shook his head. “They definitely didn’t have those when I was a kid.”
“That’s a great idea, because if they don’t get a cake, they’ll have that one,” Bridgette said. “Louie has always loved little cars and action figures. And for babies you can put in rattles or maybe one bigger toy like a music box. Will you make boxes for babies?”
This is Love Page 19