It Takes Two Book 5

It Takes Two
(The Matchmaker Series – Book Five)
(An Alpha Billionaire Romance)

by Ellie Danes

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental

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“Harper, wake up.” Avery bounced into my room, jumping on the foot of my bed.

I rubbed my eyes. The afternoon sunlight streamed through my window, its warmth only making me feel more tired.

I hadn’t realized how tired I had been after staying the night at the mansion with Mason. Although I had slept well, tangled in his arms, my entire body had felt drained when I had gotten home in the morning.

Avery’s face was already made up and she looked ready to go somewhere. “So? How did it go?”

“What?” I grumbled, stretching. “How did what go?”

Avery laughed. “Very funny. The date with Mason! You didn’t come back last night!”

Memories flooded my mind. My dream had quite literally come true. Mason pulling off my clothes, Mason holding me close, Mason touching me with those strong, manly hands...I shivered.

Again Avery laughed, the pitch increasing as a mischievous glimmer filled her eyes. “That good, huh?”

I grinned, sitting up a little. Now that I was finally waking up, I felt more energetic thanks to my nap. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Tell me everything. You have to. Start at the part of how Mason ended up here, at our apartment.”

I giggled, launching into how Mason had saved me from Jake, how he had invited me to dinner. I couldn’t even begin to describe the feelings I had felt that evening, but tried my best to give her a picture of the fancy restaurant.

“Everyone knew him there,” I told her.

“How?”

I shook my head. “No idea. He evades questions about his personal life and just changes the subject when it comes to work.”

Avery pursed her lips. “That’s somewhat suspicious, don’t you think?”

I shrugged. Yes, Mason was secretive, but I thought he might have been downplaying how connected he may be to Asher so he wouldn’t intimidate me. For that, I felt grateful; even though I felt more comfortable around him now, I hadn’t been that way at first at all.

“He works at the mansion, so he’s probably been to an expensive place like that restaurant tons of times. He always jokes that he gets ‘perks’ for his work. I guess membership
does
have its privileges,” I giggled.

Avery’s brow furrowed a little as she thought, but eventually she seemed to accept my answer, suddenly smiling at me. “What about bed?”

I leaned back on my pillows, laughing at the question. “Avery, if I told you everything, you wouldn’t believe me. We stayed at the mansion.”

She raised an eyebrow, looking at me with suspicion. “You’re kidding!”

“No. We went swimming and...” I could feel my face flush a little. “We ended up staying in the pool house all night.”

“Oh my God, Harper, sounds like you had
quite
the night!” Avery giggled, falling onto the bed and sprawling out on her stomach, propping her head up on her hands like a giddy schoolgirl. “That reminds me!
Guess
who got picked to be in the latest bachelor’s top five?”

I blinked a couple times, looking at her, a smile growing on my face. Her face looked radiant in the natural lighting of the room, glowing with happiness.  “You?” I guessed, happy for her.

She nodded. “Yours truly! So weird—I didn’t even think he liked me at all! To be honest, I wasn’t really sure I was in to him, but then when I heard I was picked, I guess I changed my mind.”

“Well, I’ll one up you. I have a job at the mansion now and I’ll be there for the mixer. So I’ll still get to see you in all your glory.”

Avery’s eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. “You’re kidding!”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Mason hired me.”

“Sounds like your new boyfriend is pretty handy. I guess now you have some perks.” Avery smiled and shot me a goofy grin.

I rolled my eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend,” I protested, blushing a little again.
At least, I don’t think he is
. Mason and I hadn’t exactly set clear boundaries on our relationship at all, and I didn’t know what that meant. After talking with him and getting to know him better, I didn’t think he had only wanted a one-night stand, but I had been wrong about men before. Often, actually.

“Well, why not? Wait, don’t tell me,” Avery slapped her hand across her eyes dramatically, “he showed you his bad side.”

I frowned. Avery always just assumed I’d perpetually be with the wrong man, especially after seeing me go through many not-so-perfect relationships.

“Not at all. I just don’t know exactly where we stand.”

Avery opened her mouth to say something, as my phone rang. I reached over and picked it up, giving her a warning look. If this was Mason, I didn’t want her to start trash talking him and every other man I had dated.

“Hello?” I answered.

The voice on the other end of the line sent tingles down my spine. I rubbed my legs together as Avery watched me, listening to my conversation.

A few minutes later, I had plans for the afternoon.

* * * *

Avery answered the door when Mason arrived. From the end of the hall where I stood I could see him leaning up against doorframe, his t-shirt and jeans made me do a double take. I had always seen him dressed up and I absolutely loved how his t-shirt hugged his body, showing off how fit he was.

I tried to catch my breath and darted into the bathroom, hoping he hadn’t seen me yet. As I checked myself in the mirror, adjusting my lipstick, I heard Avery’s shrill voice.

“Hello, Mason,” she said cheerfully.

“Avery, how are you today?”

“Wonderful. Harper will be out in just a moment,” Avery replied, and after a pause I heard her voice again. “I guess you get to know all of the girls that come through the mansion, don’t you? Seems you’re pretty good at remembering names.”

I bit my lip, smudging my lipstick a little. What was Avery trying to do? I resisted going out to save him, finding myself leaning over to hear his answer. Maybe, deep down, I wanted to know how he had known Avery on sight, too.

Mason’s smooth voice cut through the air, reaching my ears and making me shiver again. “Well, it is my job, and some girls are more memorable than others. For instance, it’s difficult to forget your outgoing personality.”

“Well thank you!” Avery quipped. I could almost hear the smile on her face.

I walked out into the hallway, giving Mason a smile. He looked so rugged and handsome, with his hair falling across his forehead perfectly. I suddenly felt glad I had opted to wear jeans instead of a dress like I had considered.

“Hey there, beautiful.” His face lit up as he returned my smile and his lips twitched a little as his blue eyes took me in, flicking their way up and down my body. “Ready to go?”

“Yes.”

As we made our way to the elevator, he grabbed my hand with a grin. “So, I’ve got a few surprises for you today.”

“Oh, really, like?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.” He laughed as we stopped at the elevator, pressing the downward arrow.

It was empty this afternoon, and I felt slightly disappointed at the fact that we didn’t have to squeeze together like the last time.

Nevertheless, as the doors closed he was on me, pressing my back against the wall as his body leaned up against mine. His lips found mine as he sucked on my lower lip moving his hands around my back, holding me tightly. I could feel him shiver against me as he broke away from the kiss, burying his face in my neck with a long, hot sigh.

“I missed you.”

I laughed, gasping a little as I tried to catch my breath. “It’s only been half a day.”

His head rose, his sea-blue eyes meeting mine. “I missed you,” he insisted.

I nodded, walking my fingers up his chest lightly, grasping the fabric of his t-shirt in my fist and pulling his lips to mine again.

The door opened, and we sprung apart as a group entered, giggling to ourselves that we had just been caught.

* * * *

“Oh, my God,” I breathed, looking out over the expanse of forest and hills and ocean.

“What’s up?” I heard Mason’s voice right in my ear through the headphones.

I looked over at him, trying to smooth some of my hair back down as the wind coming through the helicopter’s open windows tried to tangle it some more. I spoke into the microphone as I gave him a grin.

“This is beautiful. How the heck did you get a private helicopter ride like this?”

“I just called in a favor. Working at the mansion really does have its perks, as you’ll see.” He gave me a wink. “Something crazy?”

“Something crazy.” My gaze left his face to lean out toward the window, looking at the tapestry of colors below.

His hand fell on my leg, rubbing it gently as the pilot took a gentle dive to the right. “I’m glad you aren’t afraid of heights.”

“Me? No way!” I exclaimed, laughing, scooting a little closer to him and pressing both my legs up against his, forcing his hand up a little further so it rested on my thigh. He looked at me and narrowed his eyes, a slight smile forming on his lips.

“So where are we going?”

His smile grew. “Someplace crazy. You’ll see.”

I gave him a puzzled look. He just grinned, looking like a kid in a candy store.

“Seriously! Where are we going?”

“Patience, Miss Browning,” he joked, nudging my shoulder as he gave my leg a squeeze with his strong hand. A deep feeling hit me in the stomach, and I resisted the urge to take his wrist and force his hands up a little further. “Patience,” he repeated, seeming to read my thoughts.

I stuck my tongue out at him, making him laugh. He leaned over, kissing me fully on the lips, our microphones tangling a little.

Minutes later, the helicopter landed in the middle of an open field. As Mason helped me out of the helicopter, stepping back in to grab a black bag, I looked around, dazzled by my surroundings. Just in the distance I could see the huge expanse of a vineyard stretching out into the horizon.

“Holy crap,” I said, not able to think of anything incredibly insightful as I took in the extravagant view. “You sure do know how to make a girl swoon.”

Mason smiled as if he were pleased with my response.

I giggled. “What’s in the bag?”

“So many questions today. I guess you don’t really like surprises, do you?” Mason didn’t wait for my response as he took me by the hand as he led me through the field toward the vineyard. The pale grass of the field brushed up against my fingertips, and I smiled at the beauty of all of it. Rarely did I get a chance to get outside, really get outside—being a part-time student and having worked at the restaurant almost daily. 

Soon we were in the midst of the vineyard, surrounded by growing crops. Mason led me through everything, and I couldn’t help but to reach out and touch the silky leaves. How had he known I’d enjoy this so much? Maybe he’d read my file at the mansion, as he had Avery’s. All I knew was this was turning out to be the craziest, most exciting date I’d ever been on.

We reached a clearing and Mason set down his mysterious bag, opening it and producing a checkered fleece blanket with a flourish.

“A picnic?” I asked, helping him lay it out on the ground.

“A picnic of sorts.” He produced two glasses and a bottle of expensive red wine. “What better place to drink wine with a beautiful woman than in the vineyard where it was made?”

I laughed again, giving a little twirl as I took in the beauty of our surroundings. “Mason, this is absolutely perfect.”

He shrugged. “It works.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me down onto the blanket.

I collapsed, falling over him laughing. I could feel his body vibrate with his own laughter as he wrapped his legs around me, my back leaning up against him. He reached around me to uncork and pour the wine, his bicep muscles hard against my shoulders.

The wine tasted heavenly in the warm sun, with Mason leaning back against a rock and me wrapped in his scent and body.

“This is good,” I said, turning a little and tilting my head back so I could see him.

“The wine? Yes, one of the best vintages around, I think. But there’s something you can do to make it taste even better.”

“Oh?”

He nodded, taking a large sip of his wine before setting his glass down on the ground, one hand coming to rest beneath my chin, the other taking my hair between its fingers. He kissed me, slowly, gently, so gently that I thought my heart might melt. His fingers preened at my scalp, tongue working its way inside my mouth.

Suddenly, I knew what he had meant. The wine did taste better when it was mixed with the taste of him.

I turned around, setting my glass next to his, straddling his hips as I deepened our kiss, my hands playing along his strong cheekbones. His hands wandered down from my head to my hips, rubbing his body against mine through our jeans.

He deftly unbuttoned my pants with one hand as I moaned against his lips. “These need to come off.”

I nodded, laughing against his mouth as he titled me backward, slipping my pants off easily.