Admit One (28 page)

“Just be patient a little longer, darling.”

Allie subsided against the seat. They’d been in the car for fifteen minutes, but since she was blindfolded – blindfolded! – she had no idea where they were actually going. Presumably to Savannah, although with all the secretiveness, Mason could be shanghaiing her and she’d end up working as a cabin boy on a slow boat to China.

Well, at least she had a small overnight bag stowed in the trunk, so she wouldn’t be entirely without provisions as she sailed the high seas, swabbing decks and… whatever it was that cabin boys did.

Unfortunately she’d already told Will – since he was the one most likely to send out a search party – not to expect her back home tonight.

He’d grimaced, but had surprisingly little to say on the matter.

It made Allie suspicious.

The blindfold made Allie suspicious, too. Maybe Will and Mason were in cahoots, kingpins of an underground cabin boy procurement ring.

And okay, she was being ridiculous. Probably because she was nervous.

Allie could hear traffic outside the window of the car Mason had rented, and she slunk a little lower in the seat. The windows were tinted, but still.

“You know, people passing us probably think I’m being kidnapped. Either that or that we’re on our way to a BDSM convention.”

Silence.

“Mason?”

“What? Sorry. I’m afraid I was distracted by a rather fetching image of you in black stilettoes, wielding a riding crop.”

“I’m not sure what the appropriate response to that is. Giddyup?”

Mason chuckled.

Allie fidgeted with the hem of her dress – a short, blue cotton affair with a plunging V back that Sarah insisted brought out the color in her eyes and showed off her legs. What there was of them, anyway. At five-two – with shoes on – she wasn’t exactly going to be trying out for the Rockettes anytime soon.

She shifted in her seat.

“So.” How exactly did one bring this sort of thing up? “Have you ever…” No, that sounded too much like she was prying into his past. “Are you… into… anything. Like that? The, um, bondage stuff, I mean.”

The blindfold, while giving her an odd sense of confidence – perhaps because she couldn’t see his expression – was also frustrating precisely because she
couldn’t
see his expression.

But something, maybe just a disturbance in the air, made her feel sure that he was smiling.

“Forget I asked,” she said, not wanting to sound like a total rube on the topic of sexual matters.

Mason reached out to snag her hand. “I’m glad that you asked.” His lips brushed her knuckles, and okay, it felt completely different due to the blindfold. Allie shivered. Maybe she could understand why people did things like that – the blindfold – as it heightened your other senses. Noises seemed louder, or maybe simply clearer. The heat from Mason’s lips felt searing.  Not to mention that it added an element of… surprise and suspense.

But at the same time she had always thought it was erotic to look into a person’s eyes when you were with them, intimately speaking. It made the connection more… personal, she guessed.

But maybe Mason didn’t like it to be too personal. He’d talked about his walls, after all, and how women didn’t really see him. She wondered if maybe that extended to the sexual arena, though how a woman could
not
see him while they were doing
that
was beyond her comprehension.

Of course, Mason had dated models – one of them had even modeled lingerie, the bitch – so maybe they were too sophisticated and worldly to find something as simple as looking into a man’s eyes during sex impossibly erotic. They probably carried personal sex toys along with the flavored condoms in their purses, and wrote How To articles for Cosmo in their spare time.

Mason probably
had
been with women who wore stilettoes and wielded riding crops and thought nothing of it. Whereas Allie only had Wesley and one other man – well, boy, really. She’d dated him in college. But she only had two other men to use as a point of comparison. She tended to be the long-term, monogamous type.

Mason, on the other hand, had probably been with
legions
of women, experienced women who knew –

“Whatever you’re talking yourself into – or out of – over there, don’t you think it would be better to wait until I actually answer the question?”

Allie jumped. She’d almost forgotten that she’d even asked a question.

“Sorry,” she said. Then, because she didn’t want walls, either his or hers, to get in the way of communication, she decided she’d pull her own down – partly at least – and be honest about her reservations. “I guess I’m just worried that…” Was she really going to tell him this? “That you’ll end up being disappointed, somehow. I mean, I’ve never even
read
the Kama Sutra, let alone tried to emulate any of its suggestions, and you –”

“Allison.” Mason squeezed her hand, hard enough to make Allie shut up. “This isn’t a competition. You’re not auditioning for a part. And tonight, should you have reservations about anything, for any reason, I took the liberty of booking two rooms, just in case. There’s no pressure, darling. I simply want to spend some time with you under… normal circumstances. Of which we’ve had a shortage thus far. And aside from that.” He kissed her hand again. “Did it ever cross your mind that I might be nervous? That I may be equally concerned that you’ll find fault with me?”

“What?” The concept seemed absolutely alien. “But you’re…”

A man, she realized. A very human man, with his own walls, his own insecurities. And he’d had enough faith in their connection to share some of them with her.

“I’m…?”

“A completely amazing person,” she told him as she turned his way.  “Inside and out.”

He was silent for a beat, then Allie sensed him leaning toward her. “Red light,” he whispered as his lips brushed hers. “I thought I’d take advantage, since I have an equally amazing woman temporarily held prisoner in the passenger seat.”

Allie reached up, letting her fingertips roam over his face. His stunning face. Then her hand slid around the back of his neck – he had his hair in a ponytail again – and she pulled him toward her. “You know, this blindfold thing might be interesting under the right circumstances.”

Mason made a noise – half groan, half laugh – and took the kiss deeper.

When a horn blasted behind them, they finally broke apart.

“If you keep that up,” he murmured, putting some distance between them – though he did keep hold of her hand – “we may not even make it to Savannah.”

So, he had been telling the truth. Though why he felt that that required a blindfold – she’d been to the city so many times that she knew the route there like the back of her hand – still made no sense to her.

Oh well. It was odd, and she
did
feel silly, but nothing ventured, she guessed.

The only real downside was that she couldn’t appreciate the sight of a very hot man driving a sporty little car.

They chatted about neutral subjects for the next few minutes, until Mason said “Ah. Here we are.”

He turned off the engine.

“Can I take the blindfold off now?”

“No, you may not.”

She heard his door open, and figured it was in her best interest not to attempt to climb out on her own. She’d probably do a face plant.

There was another slamming sound, which Allie took to be Mason retrieving their bags from the trunk. The door opened beside her, and Mason leaned in to unbuckle her seat belt, then took a firm grip on her hand. “Watch your step now.”

“You do realize that in expecting me to walk – blindfolded, in high heeled wedges – through unknown terrain, you’re asking for me to twist an ankle.”

“You’re right.”

Allie could have been offended that he’d agreed so readily, but the fact was that years of ribbing at the hands of her brothers had pretty much desensitized her to aspersions cast on her coordination . But anyway, before she knew what was happening, Mason had swept her off her feet. Literally.

“You can’t carry the bags and me, too.”

“Are you impugning my masculinity?”

“No, but I might be questioning your sanity. Are there people around?” she murmured. “Because I’m going to feel like an idiot if anyone sees me like this.”

“We’ll tell them that you had your eyes examined today. Silver nitrate and all.”

“Call me crazy, but I think that sunglasses would be a less dramatic solution.”

“Well, unfortunately you broke your sunglasses when you tripped – on account of not being able to see due to the silver nitrate solution – and tumbled down the hill. Which is also when you injured your ankle. Hence, the reason for your inability to walk.”

“So I’m basically like Jill – of Jack and Jill fame – on crack.”

“Jill on silver nitrate. Let’s keep our story straight.”

Allie laughed, suddenly not caring how big of an idiot she appeared to other people. And it wasn’t like the female half of the population would even notice her anyway. Not with Mason looking the way he looked.

Still smiling, she laid her head against his warm, firm shoulder. “I hope you don’t have to carry me much further. Not that I object.”

“Nor do I. Object that is. But I’m going to sit you down now. I think it might be best if you navigated this next part on your own two feet.”

He put her down, but kept her turned toward him. “Ready?” he asked.

“Ready.”

Mason kissed her, a soft peck, and then carefully untied her blindfold. One benefit to being with an actor, she guessed, was that they understood about messing up the hair – especially since she’d had to style it carefully to cover up the shaved spot.

“Okay,” he said, and hands on her shoulders, he turned her around.

Allie blinked. “A sailboat?”

“Gorgeous, isn’t she?”

It –
she –
really was. One of the all teak varieties, the exterior gleamed like highly polished amber. The sun, which had just begun its downward western arc, painted the gathering clouds with faint watercolor strokes of orange and pink, reflecting off the glass windows of the cabin. It was one of those photo-worthy moments, the kind that made you simply stand and marvel at the beauty you so often took for granted.

She glanced over at Mason, who was grinning toward the boat with such open delight that she decided the blindfold had totally been worth it. The sun had nothing on him.

“It’s lovely.”

“My grandfather had one. A teak sailboat, I mean. A thirty foot John Hanna Tahiti Ketch. Nineteen-fifty-seven, I believe. I loved that boat.”

“You’re an experienced sailor, then?”

“More of an experienced first mate. It’s been years, though.” His voice was wistful, but then he looked down at her with a smile. “But don’t worry. I won’t be at the helm tonight. Aside from the issue of licensing, I want to be able to focus on you, not on navigating through no wake zones. Ah, Sarah’s brother – Noah – he put me in touch with a friend of his who does private charters. I believe that’s him now.”

Allie glanced over to where an older black man with very short salt and pepper hair and a military bearing was walking up the dock toward them.

“Armitage,” he smiled, pumping Mason’s hand. “Good to see you again. And you must be Allison.”

He turned dark chocolate eyes, surrounded by lines and filled with good humor, her way.

“I am. It’s a pleasure to meet you…”

“Well, in another life, I went by Senior Chief Boone. But since I retired from the Navy and restored this old tub, most people around here just call me Captain Joe.”

“Captain Joe.” She took his hand. She could already tell that she was going to like him immensely. “Given that illustrious record, I feel safe in your hands.”

“I’ll do my best not to run us up on a sandbar. Here, let me take those bags from you.” When he’d shouldered their luggage, he extended his arm toward the dock. “Shall we embark?”

“By all means.” Mason looked as giddy as a little boy. Charmed, she squeezed his hand as they boarded. 

He grinned down at her, and her stomach did a little flip which had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that they were leaving solid land behind them.

“This is David,” he said, introducing his sole crew member. “He’s going to stow your bags, and then he’ll be available to carry out any requests you may have. While he does that, I wanted to go over a few safety precautions. There are life vests here,” he showed them where they were stored. “Should you not be able to get to one for any reason, the cushions here also double as a flotation device. And now that I’ve either laid your fears to rest, or perhaps alarmed you, I’m going to leave you two while I get this tub started. I think you’ll find the cabin set up to your specifications,” he told Mason, “but if you have any questions or you need anything, just let David know.”

“Thank you.” 

Mason gestured for Allie to precede him down the steps into the cabin. More teak gleamed, in the form of built-in, cushioned banquettes that served as seating in both the living and the dining areas. A short passageway led to what Allie gathered was the bedroom and the head. Glancing around, she saw an ice bucket from which protruded the neck of a bottle – champagne, if the glasses on the table were any indication. The table was also set with white linen and fine china, and lorded over by a vase practically bursting with roses.