“Why are you trying to find a way for us to not work at the diner anymore? I thought you liked it …?”
“Well, when we have kids, we’ll want to have more time with them.”
Lila’s jaw was somewhere on the floor. Maybe the wine was getting to Mason’s head too. “I’m sorry. Did you just say,kids?”
He grinned wide at her. “I sure did.”
Lila was stunned silent for a few seconds. “Wh … Ho …”Is he seriously saying he wants to have kids with me?“How do you know I want kids?”
“Because I know you. Of course, you want kids. Every time a child walks into the diner, I can hear you giggling and cooing. You have the best kids’ menu I have ever seen in a diner because you like children. It’s all the proof I need that you want to be a mom. And I know you’ll be a fantastic one.” He winked at her before taking another sip of his drink.
She tried to kill her smile, but what was the point? Mason had totally figured her out. “Well, then there’s no point in trying to deny it. I do want kids. Though I’m going to be honest, I thought that ship had sailed for me.”
“Nope. We can have two. Three. Four. Hell, if you want ten, I’m down for that.”
She snorted on her wine. “Are you insane? I’m not having ten kids.”
“It would be way more than enough staff to run this place,” he pointed out. “But I think two is good. But I’m warning you, I want a little girl.”
Lila laughed. “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”
“Because I think that a mini version of you needs to exist in this world.”
Her face flushed. “We haven’t even slept together yet, and here you are, talking about us having kids. For all you know, I’m terrible in bed, and the second you do get all up in this, there will be a Mason-sized hole in my life.”
He shook his head. “Not a chance. I’ve kissed you, Lila. The way you kiss makes one thing very obvious to me. We are definitely compatible. In all the ways that we are meant to be compatible.”
She arched a brow and tried to take on a serious look, but of course, it was a complete failure. Lila couldn’t quite contain the giddiness making her a giggling mess. No one had ever wanted her to be part of their future quite like this. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
“Wait?” he balked. “Why in the hell would we wait? If you want a ring, a white dress, and a whole big wedding before we get down and dirty, tell me right now. I’ll book the church for tomorrow.”
Lila threw her head back with a laugh. “You’re nuts.”
“Not even a little bit.”
“You’re not serious,” she whispered, bewildered.
“Totally am.” Mason took her wine glass from her hands and set it on the table. He then proceeded to pull her body on the couch until she was lying down. He lay on top of her before pushing her hair out of her face. “Hey, there, love.”
“Hi,” she breathed.
“You’re beautiful.”
“How can that even be true?” Lila melted into the couch because, though she had a bit of doubt about his words, the way he looked at her was so …pure. Raw. Real. “I smell like the diner. I haven’t washed my face since this morning, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got wine stains on the corner of my mouth.”
“What? Here?” He licked the corner of her mouth and then the other.
His tongue was agile and teasing. It made Lila moan. She couldn’t help herself. She thought of other places where she would like to feel his tongue. Mason chuckled low in the back of his throat as if he could read her mind. If Lila knew Mason, he was actually doing just that and reading right into her brain.
“You’re a little bit naughty, aren’t you, darling?” he whispered in her ear. He pressed a kiss behind her ear and continued to kiss a line along her jaw until he could nip her neck. He alternated between nipping and kissing until Lila realized she was writhing under him, grinding against his thickening erection. “That’s it, Lila. Feel me,” he murmured roughly. “God, you’re so hot like this.”
If she had wanted to correct him earlier, she didn’t want to stop him anymore. If he wanted to continue showering her with compliments and kisses, she would let him. Because the truth was that being in Mason’s arms, having him focus on her like this, was stronger than any bottle of wine she had ever sampled.
Mason Pierce was the strongest need Lila had ever felt.
Lila let her hands roam down his muscular back, digging her nails into the material of his shirt. “Off,” she moaned. “Take it off.”
Mason sat back on his heels, grinning down at her. “You want me to strip, darling? Or do you want me to stripyou?”