Page 24 of Hidden Resolution

She moved to stand between his splayed legs.

Using one finger, he trailed the opening of her top.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” he said huskily, dipping under the material to caress her skin and toy with her nipple.

Shonda bit her lip on a soft moan, but Mason felt the slight sound throughout his body.

He lowered his head as he skimmed his long fingers along her jaw. Plunging his hands into her hair, he brought her mouth within kissing distance.

Mason closed the gap, but the resistance of her hand against his chest stopped him.

With her other hand, she stroked him through his shorts.

“We should take this indoors,” she said, staring at his mouth. “I’ll lose all sense of propriety out here, and anyone with a phone?—”

“I get it.” Before he lost his wits, he clasped her hand and led her inside, stopping only long enough to lock the sliding door. “Should we make use of your bed one last time, love?”

Her smile was deliciously naughty. “Well, itisa very comfortable mattress.”

8

“The driver’s downstairs, Shonda. If you don’t hustle your ass, we’re going to miss our flight,” Mason called through the bathroom door.

“Coming! Hold your damn horses,” she hollered back.

The handle jiggled.

“Why is it locked?” he asked.

The confusion in his tone was warranted. They hadn’t bothered with privacy since spending the bulk of their days wrapped around each other. But today, right this minute, she needed to hide.

She splashed her face with cool water, patted it dry, and meticulously touched up her eyeliner and mascara, using waterproof the second go-around. Given her current emotional state, she wasn’t taking chances. Raccoon eyes were never en vogue.

“Shonda?”

After two fortifying breaths, she opened the door.

“What the hell? Are you okay?” Concern laced Mason’s voice, but she knew better than to mistake it for anything beyond basic human decency.

“I’m fine. Just bummed about leaving paradise and heading back to a hellish winter,” she lied smoothly.

“That’s it?” he asked skeptically.

“Mmm.” She forced a bright smile and breezed past him to drop her makeup case into her purse.

“Why do I get the feeling it’s something else?”

Because you’re a perceptive fucker.

“I have no idea. I can assure you it’s not.” She kept her gaze averted, scanning every drawer, peeking under the bed, and double-checking the bathroom one last time to ensure nothing was left behind. “I think that’s it. Javier can take the bags now.”

“Shonda—”

She met his gaze squarely, though her smile was tight and strained. “I’m fine. Swear. Please, let it go.”

“Are you upset we didn’t find the people responsible for breaking into your suite?”

Sure, it would’ve been convenient to grab hold of the excuse he offered, but she wasn’t about to add another lie to the growing pile. The break-ins were unsettling, sure, but she wouldn’t heap guilt on his shoulders because they’d come up empty-handed.