Talk about bad timing. That fucking stalker was going to get it when she found him. Why that day of all days? He could have chosen to trash her house another day. Hell she would have paid him to change his plans so she could spend more time with Mason. He'd surprised her. She hadn't believed he would give in so soon, especially after he'd insisted on going to sleep last night. Her body ached because of him and for him but it still wasn't enough. She wanted more, had already planned how she was going to spend the day. Why were people so hellbent on ruining her life? "Let me come with you" he was worried. For her. How cute. "No, you're going to distract me. It's been months since the stalker acted and I need to know what spooked him or her. It could be a woman, why hadn't I thought that?" "Eva, have you talked to the police about this?" "I have an entire task force on it" He took her by the shoulders and bent down to look into her eyes "You shouldn't joke about something lik
"How's it going with your new beau?" "I'm trying to get my mind off him but it's almost impossible. Any suggestions?" "Has he fallen then?" Pippa sighed dramatically "For some reason, I thought he'd take longer. He struck me as the kind of guy who could resist your type" Eva snapped her head up "My type?" Her secretary nodded, unfazed by her sharp voice. "Rich, beautiful, independent, perfect" "He's a man after all. Isn't he?" She hadn't met anyone who could resist her charms. Mason was human and eventually, he was bound to fall for her. What she didn't understand was why he hadn't called her yet. She had purposely ignored him to see how much he cared but it had been hours since she left his house in a rush. Why hadn't he checked in on her to make sure she was fine? Or if she needed a place to stay? "What's the secret Eva? Seriously, share it with me. I'm desperate here. I need a rich boyfriend too so I can stop working. Looks don't matter" She snorted "You say that as if
"Did I interrupt your sleep?" "No. You didn't. I woke up a while ago. Miss me?" "More like worried. Are you okay? What about the stalker?" "Trashed my house but he didn't steal anything and I'm lucky I slept elsewhere or I'll be yesterday's news" "You should have told me earlier. I was worried" Mason said finally sitting down. He'd kept himself busy all day to avoid calling her every hour to check if she was fine. He wondered if that kind of thing happened often and if so, why hadn't she hired bodyguards? She was famous. Which meant she was likely to attract all sorts of people. When had the person started stalking her? He had a lot of questions but didn't think she would appreciate his probing so he kept his mouth shut. "Sorry. I was just busy trying to find a place to stay" It was too soon. He shouldn't ask but the words were out of his mouth before he knew "You could have just come to me. I have more than enough room" "Are you asking me to move in with you?" Fuck! "
"You stole a car Eva" "Not steal. Borrowed it" "Without the owner's consent. That's equivalent to stealing. What were you thinking?" "That I should get the hell out of there before fans mobbed me. Do you not know how crazy some fans can be?" "Why didn't you bring Corbin and Ledger along?" She shrugged which only made Pippa angrier "If-when this gets out, you'll deal with reporters on your own. I will not help you clean the mess up" "You say that as if it's some kind of challenge. Have you forgotten who I am?" She loved and welcomed the attention. It made her more famous than she was and raised her book sales. Whoever said there was no bad PR was definitely on to something. "Where's the owner of the car?" "He'll be here any minute" the good officer who'd pulled her over while she was returning the car answered. He was kind enough to call the owner and asked him to go to the police station. Telling them both that it would be better if they settled this out of court. She was
"Eva, did..." "I flashed your parents" "What?" "I... Oh my God, what will they think of me? Can you call them back so I can apologize? I swear I didn't know it was them. Is there a chance they were your aunt and uncle?" "I'll be right up" he said not wanting her to freak out further. He'd told his mother not to go to his house because Eva was there but she hadn't listened. He got inside the elevator inwardly groaning. They'd seen her. He would never hear the end of it. By the end of the week, all her friends and neighbors would know he was dating Evangeline Becker. After that, it was only a matter of time before everyone knew. The elevator stopped and the door slid open. His eyes went straight to the bag of groceries they'd forgotten. Dear Lord, why had they chosen that day? And why was Eva walking around naked? The surprise. That had to be the surprise she'd mentioned earlier. Picking up the groceries, he punched in the password and went inside. She was pacing back and forth
"Yes, I ran away" "Why? Is he not good in the sack? I could have sworn you were going to live in his house forever" "His prowess in the bedroom is unmatched. I don't think any man can outdo him" "So why did you run?" "Because I don't think any man can outdo him" "Make sense Eva!" Pippa snapped, frustration visible on her face. Eva felt her anger rising too. On her way in, she'd bumped into Pippa who had gone there to check if the repairs were done. She hadn't known her assistant worked so hard. It was six in the morning. "Can't you see? The fact that I think no other man can outdo him is the problem" Mason had gotten under her skin and to her surprise, she found that she didn't like it. All her other relationships had been temporary. She knew they wouldn't last long so she had no problem being with them. Hell, she'd lived with some of her boyfriends for more than six months but it was nothing compared to living with Mason. He was different. She didn't
"You don't look all that pleased to see me" "Should I?" He'd thought it was Eva. Not Alden. "Come on, I've been gone for a month. The least you can do is throw me a welcome back party" "When did you get back?" "Today. I came here first because you're the most important person in my life. You feel the same way about me too. Don't you?" Mason heard what his friend said and he would have given him a witty reply if he wasn't so distracted. All day long, he'd waited for Eva to call or text, thinking that perhaps she needed space. And when she hadn't, he called her wanting to know if she was fine but she wouldn't answer his calls. That pissed him even more because he disliked being in the dark. All she had to do was tell him why she'd left and he would understand. He wasn't about to keep her prisoner in his house. Communication was the key to a healthy relationship. Truth be told, small part of him had started wondering if she was worth the trouble. How long had they known each oth
Eva cracked her eyes open to find Mason staring down at her. Smiling, she lifted her head to kiss him good morning but halfway through, she froze. Her memory flooding in. Hadn't she left his house? Why was she back there? Holy shit, was she in a time loop? Where no matter what she did, she would still end up in bed with him? He closed the distance, kissed her then asked, "Are you sober now?" "Was I drunk?" "Selective amnesia is a wonderful thing. Don't you think?" So not a time loop. She racked her brain until she found yesterday's events. Leaving his house, Pippa convincing her to go drinking. They'd spent the whole day going to a spa, doing their nails and hair and having champagne in between. Then they'd gone shopping and finally dolled themselves up. By the time they arrived at Style Loft, they were already tipsy. Pippa suggested a drinking game and the rest was a blur. She couldn't remember what happened after that. How much had she drunk? Was she the one who called him?