Page 34 of Mason: His to Convince

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he questioned. “After all, you haven't won three hands out of twenty all night. It could get mighty chilly in here for you in just a short time.”

“I'll take that risk,” she told him picking up the deck and cutting the cards. “Your deal.”

Mason's hands shook slightly as he dealt the first hand, not at all sure he should have agreed to this. Even the thought of seeingher beautiful body, naked and across the table from him and his jeans suddenly felt uncomfortably tight.

The first hand went to Mason and Rebecca removed one sock and dangled it in front of him before dropping it on the floor. When the other sock came off Mason began to sweat, wondering if he had the stamina to go through with this. God, she had only exposed her feet and he was shifting in his chair.

The third hand went to Rebecca and Mason breathed a sigh of relief as he removed his belt and laid it next to her socks.

The silence in the room was deafening as they both concentrated on their cards. Mason lost the next two hands and both his socks joined the pile as he congratulated her on her improving skill. Rebecca just smiled knowingly and dealt the cards with remarkable finesse for someone who had only learned to play a couple of hours ago.

While the two opponents studied their cards on top of the table, bare toes caressed each other unconsciously beneath it.

Mason won the next hand and held his breath as Rebecca considered what to remove next, releasing it when she smiled and pulled the band from her hair. Shimmering blonde waves settled softly around her shoulders and he gasped wondering how he'd ever thought she looked childish before. The secret smile she threw at him was definitely all woman. Her small feet caressed his as he dealt the next hand and he blamed his losing on that as he removed his shirt.

Now it was Rebecca's turn to hold her breath as she watched the ripple of muscles. The sight of his bare chest had her reaching for her pop and for a moment she almost laid the cool container against her flushed cheeks. Gathering her wits she picked up the deck and began to deal, quickly and expertly.

Mason’s eyes narrowed as he began to suspect he'd been had. Rebecca played the game beautifully, pretending to be a novice when in fact she knew exactly what she was doing. It galled himto think how worried he'd been about her sitting there naked when in reality it would probably be him. When he yanked his feet back and glared at her Rebecca laughed in delight.

“What's wrong, Mason? Not going to be a sore loser are you?” she asked, openly admiring him and unconsciously licking her lips.

The sight of her small pink tongue set Mason’s determination back a bit but he recovered quickly and smiled grimly.

“Let's just play, shall we?”

“Anything you say, you're the teacher,” she shot back, trying not to grin.

“Yeah right,” he growled.

Mason lost that hand too and as he stood up to unfasten his jeans Rebecca couldn't keep the anticipation off her face. Her eyes devoured him as he slowly slid down the zipper and eased the tight jeans over his hips. Black bikini briefs were the only thing he had on now and they left little to the imagination.

Rebecca had her doubts. Could she calmly say goodnight to the magnificently naked male before her as she planned to do? She'd been suffering for weeks and fully intended to pay him back, but the sight of him made her wish she’d lost a few hands herself. Maybe she wouldn't be so warm.

Mason was having problems of his own. While he'd been sure he could take the sight of her sitting in all her glory, he'd never anticipated what would happen if the shoe were on the other foot. There was no way she could avoid noticing how aroused he was and no matter where he tried to direct his thoughts it came down to the fact that the woman he loved was all but eating him alive with her eyes.

He was used to being admired by the female sex, but this was something wildly different. Rebecca's eyes actually caressed him, her flushed face glowing. He was alternately embarrassed and inflamed. If he lost one more hand he be stark naked forher enjoyment and if he didn't she'd uncover another part of her delectable body for his. This was a no win situation.

You could both be winnershis mind teased, but Mason pushed the thought aside and concentrated as best he could on his cards.

The hand she dealt him was the best he’d had all night and he didn't know what to do about it. If he beat her, she was either going to take off her jeans or her shirt and he was almost certain she had nothing on underneath them. If she removed another piece of clothing he wasn't sure he wouldn't do something to ease the raging fire racing through him. When she lay down her two pair he folded up his full house face down on the table. Rising slowly from his chair he towered over her and let his briefs fall to the floor.

Rebecca's mouth went dry. If she'd ever had thoughts of teasing him and then sailing off to bed they escaped her now.

He was truly mouth-watering, incredibly gorgeous. The soft lighting accentuated his male beauty, shadows outlining the taunt muscles. Her hungry eyes traveled down from his chiseled jaw and drank in the hair covered chest and flat stomach. Dark hair tapered down from his chest and narrowed into a thin line past his trim waist. His legs were long and muscular and Rebecca actually felt faint from the power of her response. She could sense the tension in him and wasn't sure if it came from anger at her deception or his own desires.

“Seen enough?” he inquired, eyebrows raised in challenge.

“Mason, I…” Rebecca swallowed, using the table for balance as she rose shakily from her chair.

Her trembling body gave Mason a small measure of satisfaction. She was in as much pain as he and it pleased him that her little scheme had backfired. Scooping up his clothes he advanced slowly toward her. When her head was tilted back on her slim neck he bent and touched his lips softly to hers. Thequivering softness was almost too much for him but he managed to withdraw before it was too late.

“You win, Rebecca,” he said softly. A grin split his face as he turned to leave the room. “Sort of.”

Her nails dug into the table as she watched the sight of his taunt buttocks walking away from her and she all but wailed in frustration. This had not worked out at all as she'd expected. She was supposed to be the one to walk away leaving him seething.

“Mason,” she called hoarsely. When he paused she continued. “One more hand, winner takes all.”

He turned to face her questioningly.