Page 37 of With This Mask
It wasn’t porn, what we just made. No private parts were seen. Hands stayed in all the appropriate places. But I felt as if I were going to melt into a puddle as we moved together, synchronizing with the music.
"Come here," Alec beckons without looking up, and I pad over, curious and a little breathless. The screen comes alive with footage of me, of us, and holy shit—it's like nothing I've ever seen before. The chemistry is tangible, pulsing off the screen in waves of desire and heat. It’s the hottest relationship reveal to ever exist on planet Earth.
"We look so..." I trail off, cheeks aflame.
"Hot?" he offers, finally dragging his gaze from the screen to look at me, a corner of his mouth quirking up in amusement.
"Understatement of the year," I reply, swallowing hard. We're magnetic, the two of us together, and it's a revelation seeing it played back like this.
"Ready?" he asks, hovering the cursor over the 'post' button.
Nervously, I stare at the screen. This could change so much, yet we have the safety net of the anonymity the masks grant. But still, it’s a huge risk for Alec’s account, and my debut on the internet in any kind of way that makes waves.
"Hit it," I say through a thick throat.
He clicks, and it's done—our heated moment sent out into the world for all to see.
The laptop snaps shut with a definitive click. I startle upright, blinking three times fast. “Wait, what about?—”
“It’ll drive you crazy if you just sit and wait for the reactions,” Alec assures me. He gives me a smile and takes my hand. He brings it up to his mouth and presses a kiss to my palm.
And suddenly it's like there's no one else in the world but Alec and me. The room is silent save for our breathing and the crackle from the fireplace that now seems to be conspiring with him, casting dancing shadows across his face as he turns to me.
“You really have no idea how fucking incredible you are, Salem,” he says, that deep voice rumbling through the space between us.
I feel my cheeks heat up again, not sure if it's from the fire or his words. "It was your idea," I manage to get out, trying to deflect some of that intensity back at him.
"Technically, you suggested a mask for you,” he points out. He reaches across the space between us, placing his hand on my thigh. "But you—you brought it to life. You always do."
I’m not exactly sure what he means by that, considering we’ve only done this once, but I don’t call him out on it. I simply blush under his gaze.
“Come on,” he says as he takes my hand and pulls me to my feet. “You’ve drained the life out of me, woman. I want to sleep naked with you.”
I giggle in anticipation, and don’t fight him one step of the way back to the bed.
The hard vibration of a phone against wood drags me from sleep. Which is too damn bad. There were Alec’s hands and my clothes on the floor. I roll over and grope for my phone, finding it on an unfamiliar nightstand.
It’s an email from my advisor. She has an internship application she wants me to come in and apply for. At one of my top targets too. Landing this would be like being launched from a shotgun after graduation.
A smile curls on my lips as I roll onto my back.
For maybe the first time in my whole damn life, it feels like things are running smoothly. My grades are stellar. My scholarship is covering everything until graduation. My project went amazingly. I have an incredible boyfriend. Boyfriend. And now one of the best internships I could have hoped for is within reach.
The heavenly aroma of bacon and eggs wafts through the air, and I fully process where I am. I sit up, shaking my head at the extravagance. This isn't my dorm room; no, it's Alec's family cabin. Our impromptu getaway had been everything I needed after the stress of the past few weeks.
I climb from the bed, wearing nothing but one of Alec’s t-shirts, which only barely covers my ass.
"Morning," I mumble as I shuffle into the kitchen, rubbing at my eyes, sleep still clinging to my body. Alec is standing over the stove, flipping pancakes. He glances over his shoulder and his eyes go wide when he sees me.
"Good grief, woman, are you trying to kill me first thing in the morning?”
I look down to see what he’s talking about, only to realize that with the brilliant morning light, my nipples are completely visible beneath the white shirt.
“Sounds like a you problem,” I tease as I raise an eyebrow.
“I think this is a we problem,” he growls as he stalks to me, wrapping his arms around my waist before smacking my bare ass, palming both cheeks.
“And a good morning to you too,” I say, my voice low and husky as I lean into his erection pressing into my stomach.