I go to shove him away, but he fades before I can, and my consciousness returns to my body as I wake up to the feeling of Ada shifting, her delectable ass rubbing against my rapidly hardening cock.
“Mmm, morning, Princess,” I rumble, sliding the hand that was resting on her belly up to cup one of her breasts.
“Morning,” she replies,voice husky from sleep and arousal. She shifts in my arms, and I lift one to allow her to roll over.
I expect her sleepy smile to greet me, followed by a kiss and her snuggling in closer. Instead, she screams and scrambles back from me, falling off the edge of the bed.
“Ada, what’s wrong?” I sit up with a start, heart racing with alarm. “Are you okay?”
She groans, and her head peeks back up over the edge of the bed, eyes going comically wide as she looks at me.
I flinch, confused at her reaction and hating that I’ve done something to scare her. “Princess, it’s just me. You’re safe.” I keep my tone low and even and hold my hands up to show her there’s nothing in them.
“Sorry,” she grimaces, closing her eyes and scrubbing at them like she’s trying to clear them. But the same shocked expression is there when she looks at me again.
Reaching up to check for something on my face, my fingers connect with the bare skin of my cheek.
My heart skips a beat. Is this still the dream? Or is the mask really not there?
I bring both hands up to my face and rub them across my forehead, cheeks, and nose, and still find nothing.
“My mask is gone,” I whisper in disbelief. A moment later, Ada’s previous shock registers, and deep concern lances through me that what lies beneath is even more terrifying than what was covering it. I keep my face covered with my hands, only parting my fingers enough to peek at my frightened girlfriend. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’ll figure out a way to get it back if it’s too upsetting seeing me like this.”
She blinks at me a few times and eases back up onto the bed. “No, no, it just surprised me.” She moves beside me and reaches out to wrap her delicate fingers around my wrist. “Can I see?”
I want to say no. To keep hiding. But the tenderness in her expression now that the shock has faded gives me the courage to let her guide my hands from my face.
Ada’s breath hitches as she gazes at me, her eyes flicking over every inch of my newly bare visage. I hold perfectly still in case she panics again, trying not to worry when it takes her a minute to say anything.
When she finally speaks, her lips curve into a smile. “Jesus, were you always this handsome under there?”
I blink back at her. “What?”
“Seth, you’re stunning.” The corners of her eyes crinkle as her gaze meets mine. “You have such nice eyes. I’m surprised there aren’t more of them given the mask, but there are zero complaints about that.” She runs her thumb across the rougher skin across my cheekbones that must mirror those scattered on my body. “I really like these.” Her fingers move to map my nose, like she’s relearning me bit by bit. “I wasn’t sure if you had a nose under there.”
“So not a horrifying monster?” I ask, releasing a relieved exhale.
Her smile broadens as she moves her hand to cup my cheek. “You’re definitely a monster, but not horrifying in the least. But I hope you know that no matter what was under the mask, I’d still love you.”
My mouth falls open in surprise.
“What?” Ada’s brow furrows. “Don’t act so surprised. I fell in love with you as my masked nightmare. Is it really so hard to believe what was underneath wouldn’t matter to me?”
“It’s not. It’s just…” Emotion swells inside me, so intense I feel like I’m going to burst. “You said you love me.”
Ada’s eyes flare wider. “Oh.” Her cheeks flush a bright pink. “Well, that’s because I do.”
“You do?” It feels moreimpossible than being here with her, sharing her bed. Having her give me her body and letting me take care of her was already more than I could’ve dreamed of. But having her love?
“Yes. Sorry, I know that’s too fast to say…”
I shake my head adamantly, pulling her closer and claiming her lips. For the first time, there’s nothing between us, and it feels so incredible I could cry.
“I love you,” I murmur when our lips part. I kiss her again, tangling a hand in her hair as it deepens. I don’t have to worry about mashing into her delicate features with the cold, hard porcelain of the mask.
We’re both panting when our mouths separate, and I pull back to see her eyes gleaming with emotion. I smile at her, swallowing down the overwhelming emotion that’s clogging my throat. “I love you so fucking much, Ada. And I’ll spend the rest of my existence showing you that, if you want me to.”
“I want you to,” she whispers back. “I’ve spent a lifetime dreaming of you, and I can’t imagine a life without you now that you’re here with me.”
