“I can’t believe you’re going to leave. Just call him. I know Mason will forgive you,” Harper pleaded. “Don’t leave. Don’t give up on him.”
“Harp, you know him. He doesn’t … just forgive … and forget. You didn’t see him. You didn’t see … the hurt in his eyes.” London leaned against the wall, her energy spent. She had been up for hours and should have been done packing. It was as if someone was siphoning the energy out of her. “Even if he did … forgive me, I can’t forgive … myself for what I … did to him.”
“You weren’t thinking. You were in shock and I know my brother understands that. Heck, I was shocked, too, and I didn’t even know Cory well.”
London shook her head, immediately regretting the move. Blinking rapidly to clear her sight, she leaned against the wall again. She sucked in a breath, coughed, and tried again.
Harper might’ve thought that Mason understood, but his actions said otherwise. Their relationship was over. But what had London expected? First she told him that she couldn’t continue carrying on the way they were, and then she basically called him a liar. Who would want to be with someone like that?
“At least don’t leave until you’re feeling better.”
“I’ll be fine. And I do feel better.”
“You don’t seem any better. Your skin is still pale and look at you. You can barely stand up without leaning against something.” Harper moved closer, concern covering her face. London hadn’t looked in the mirror since brushing her teeth that morning and could only imagine what she looked like. “And you’re still having a hard time breathing. Have you even taken your medication?”
“I have.” At least she had that morning. She was so distracted, the last few days had been hit or miss with the inhaler.
“You need to see a doctor.”
“I will.”
“Today, London. I can’t believe you’re even thinking about going anywhere like this. Let me call Mason. If I can’t talk some sense into you, maybe he can.”
“D-don’t … bother. He … He’s still not an … answering.”
London pushed away from the wall and the room started spinning. A heaviness descended on her like a black fog and she grabbed her neck, unable to breathe.
Oh, God.
Wheezing, she pulled at the top of her shirt as if the move would force air into her lungs. Reaching out, she tried grabbing hold of the wall as tears blurred her eyes.
“London? London!”
Harper’s voice sounded in the distance, but London couldn’t speak. Darkness surrounded her, pushing her deeper into an abyss before being blanketed in unconsciousness.
*
“Mase, can I holler at you for a minute?” Hamilton nodded his head toward the stairs that led up to the control room. The club wouldn’t open for another two hours, but Mason had called his security team in early for a meeting. “Oh and, Jack, can you order dinner and drinks for everyone who’s on staff tonight?” Hamilton asked. “The rest of you can either stick around and eat or you can take off. I’ll hook you up with dinner during your next shift.”
“What?” Mason growled the moment they stepped into the control room and Hamilton closed the door. “What couldn’t wait until after the meeting? And how you gon’ just dismissed them when I wasn’t even done?”
“I’m not sure where you’ve been for the past week, but you need to take some more time off until you get your head on straight. That wasn’t a meeting down there. The way you were going off on everyone a minute ago was more like you were using each one of us as your own personal whipping boy.”
Sitting on the edge of the desk that was shoved into a corner of the room, Mason folded his arms across his chest, irked by the way Hamilton was glaring at him. “So what, you’re like the expert on how to run a meeting now? If I see people slacking, I’m going to let them know.”
“But see that’s just it. You haven’t been here, Mase. How would you know if they were slacking? Some of them know you and London aren’t together anymore and are giving you a pass. At some point, though, they’re going to push back.”
“And when they do, their ass is out of here.”
“We’ve been tolerating your shit for the past ninety minutes. I’m about ready to leave my own damn self.” Sighing, Hamilton dropped down in one of the chairs. “Listen, man, I know you’re hurting and I’m sorry about you and London, but you gotta chill. Go back to wherever you’ve been hiding out. We’ve got everything covered here.”
Mason said nothing as he stared down at the hardwood floor. Hurting didn’t begin to describe what he was feeling. It was as if someone had reached into his chest, wrapped their hands around his heart, yanked it out, and then ran it through a meat grinder. He had never been on an emotional roller coaster like the one he experienced this past week.
Rising, he rubbed his hand over his head and down to the back of his neck. The breakup had caught him totally off guard. He knew something was up with London, but what should have been an easy conversation, had quickly turned into something he hadn’t even recognized. He understood she wanted more from their relationship and he had finally been ready to take that next step. And he would have told her that had she given him the chance. Instead, she totally blindsided him.
He released an exaggerated breath and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, staring at the monitors, but not really seeing anything. In London’s defense, finding out the person who had been harassing her was now dead would shock anyone. And she had good reason to believe that he would kill for her. He hadn’t, but he would have. He would never forget the fear in her eyes. She had said more than once she couldn’t handle if he got into trouble because of her. Unfortunately, what Mason couldn’t ignore was that even after he told her he had nothing to do with Cory’s death, she hadn’t believed him.
Despite how pissed he was at her, she was never far from his thoughts. He had to pack a bag and leave his loft because everywhere he looked, sat, or ate, reminded him of their last few months together. Mason had taken a slow drive to Savannah, Georgia and had called Cameron to let him know that he was all right, but would be off the grid for a few days. Despite the distance he had put between him and London, he couldn’t even close his eyes without seeing her angelic face. No matter how he tried to fight his feelings, he knew she was the woman for him. But he couldn’t be with someone who didn’t trust him.
Who was he kidding? Mason knew she trusted him. Was he using her shock as an out? Was he finding any excuse to not move forward with asking her to marry him? The only woman he had ever loved and he was walking away without a fight. He always fought for what he wanted, but this—
“You said you needed to finish up some paperwork for Supreme Security Agency-Atlanta.” Hamilton interrupted Mason’s thoughts. “Why not take time off and handle that?”
He was right. Mason didn’t have to be there. He shouldn’t be there, especially considering he still felt like punching something. Their staff was more than capable of handling the club’s security and any other issues that popped up. The truth was, he was staying away from home because he still felt London’s presence there. Her scent, memories of making love to her in his bed, and even her workout clothes that he’d found in his hamper. She wasn’t out of his system and he feared she never would be.
“You’re right. I do need to clear my head. But first I have to apologize to everyone. Just leave the dinner receipt for me. The least I can do is cover that since I made a total ass of myself down there.”
“Oh, I had already planned on billing you for the meal.” Hamilton chuckled. “As for your very capable staff, they know you’re not yourself right now. I doubt they’ll hold your behavior over your head for too long.”
Mason nodded. Their employees were the best of the best when it came to security, and had shown their loyalty to him and the club from day one. “I think I’ll—”
The private line rang and Hamilton quickly picked it up. “This is Ha— Wait, Harp, calm dow
n, I …”
The small hairs on the back of Mason’s neck rose when Hamilton casted a glance at him. Mason didn’t know what was going on, but a sense of doom gripped his body. Only his family and the staff had the telephone number to the control room.
“Yeah … yeah.” Hamilton stood. “He’s right here.”
Mason braced himself when Hamilton hung up. “Is Harp all right? What happened?”
“It’s not her. It’s London.”
Fear like nothing Mason had ever experienced gripped his body and he grabbed hold of the edge of the console. “Wha—”
“She’s been rushed to the hospital.”
Chapter Fourteen
Several hours later, Mason sat next to London’s hospital bed holding her hand. Harper sat near the window, while Cameron paced between them. All of them worried. London had had asthma attacks before, but Mason didn’t know of a time when she had ended up in the hospital. The nurse had removed the oxygen mask over an hour ago, but London was still hooked up to an IV. Not only had she suffered an attack, but she was also dehydrated. Who knew the last time she had eaten or drank anything?
The thought had Mason remembering how he had found every excuse to feed her those first few weeks of her being back in Atlanta. She was one of those people who lost their appetite whenever she was stressed. What had he been thinking taking off like that? Sure he was angry, but a serious conversation between them would have ended this nonsense. But no. He had ignored her calls and tried to wipe the memories of her from his mind.
Mason brought London’s fingers to his lips and kissed the back of them. The bandage on the side of her head stood out like a pimp in a pink fedora at a church service, taunting him, reminding Mason that he hadn’t been there for her. According to Harper, London had collapsed in her bedroom, hitting her head on the wall. Thank God she didn’t have a concussion, and Mason didn’t even want to think about what could have happened if Harper hadn’t been there.
He rubbed his forehead, his chest tight from worry. If only he had been there. Guilt swirled in his gut. She hadn’t been feeling well for the last few weeks, but Mason had no idea something like this would happen. When he arrived at the hospital, Harper had reamed him out for not having his cell phone on. He couldn’t ever remember his sister being that upset. She had been trying to reach him since London’s incident, getting angrier by the minute. Mason had turned his cell off days ago after listening to London’s third voicemail, where she had left a tearful apology. He thought falling off the grid would rid him of thoughts of her. He’d been wrong.
Harper stepped behind Mason and wrapped her arms around his neck, her chin resting on his shoulder. Her soft fragrance, similar to London’s tickled his nose.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you when you got here. Even if your cell phone had been on, there was nothing you could have done.”
Cameron approached the bed, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his slacks. “I’m going down to the cafeteria. You guys want anything?”
Mason shook his head. He hadn’t left London’s side since arriving, wanting to be there when she woke up.
“I’ll go with you,” Harper said.
“I’ll wait for you in the hall.”
After Cameron left the room, Harper leaned close to Mason’s ear. “You gotta fix this, Mase. London loves you more than life and I know you feel the same way about her. Disagreements happen even in the strongest relationships, look at Mom and Dad. They argue, but they never walk out on each other. You can’t just disappear.”
Mason gazed up at his sister wondering if something else was going on. He had been out of the loop for a while and didn’t even know if she was still dating the Hunter dude. There was something different about her, something gentler in the way she was talking to him. He had a feeling it wasn’t just about London being in the hospital.
“You okay?” he asked her, pulling on the end of her hair like he used to do when they were kids. When she didn’t swat his hand away or punch him, he knew that something was up. “What’s going on with you?”
Her hesitation spoke volumes and then she sighed. “Nothing. I’m just worried about you guys. You and London need each other. But if you let her leave town, she mi—”
“Wait.” Frowning, Mason leaned back. “She was leaving?”
Harper nodded, sadness in her eyes. “She didn’t want to stay here knowing she had hurt you. Mason, fight for her if you truly love her.” She placed a kiss on his cheek and hugged him before leaving.
When the door closed behind her, Mason returned his attention to London. She had been awake earlier, but only for a few minutes. Weak and out of it, Mason wasn’t sure she knew he was there.
He pushed his chair away from the bed, stretching his legs out in front of him. His gaze landed on a landscape painting on the wall directly across from him. He couldn’t believe London had been planning to leave. Then again, why was he surprised? He had left. He understood the need to run away.
Mason shifted his attention back to London lying eerily still. Little did she know that even if she had left, he would have hunted her down. Yeah she had ticked him off, but she was a part of him. They clearly had some work to do on their relationship, but that didn’t change how much he loved her.
He stood and sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at her beautiful face wishing she would open her eyes. Caressing her cheek, a sense of calm swept over him. They were going to be okay.
“Baby, I need you.” Mason placed a lingering kiss on her cheek. “And I love you.”
*
London eased her eyes opened and darkness greeted her except for a hint of light to her left. Too exhausted to move her head, especially with the steady throb pounding against her skull, she just laid there. She knew she was in the hospital and had been drifting in and out of sleep, but had no idea how long she’d been there.
A heavy weight on her left hand had her wondering what she’d done to it. She struggled to move her fingers, but folded them into a fist when she felt movement. Someone squeezed her hand and then kissed it. Her heart pounded triple time when Mason’s face came into view.
“Mase.” A whimper crawled through her throat and tears popped into her eyes as she remembered the last time they were together. She had never been so happy to see anyone in her life.
“You’re finally awake,” he said, his voice heavy with sleep. “Even my kisses couldn’t get you to open those gorgeous, brown eyes.”
Tears dripped down London’s cheek when his lips touched hers in the sweetest kiss. She never thought she’d be on the receiving end of one of his kisses again. And with the way she had treated him, accusing him of murder, she didn’t deserve his gentle lips against hers. She didn’t deserve him.
Knowing that didn’t stop her from wanting to touch him.
Bringing her hands up to touch his face, she winced when she felt a pinch on her right hand, but she ignored the discomfort of the IV. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry I didn’t believe you. I heard you, but I guess I wasn’t listening and I-I—” she choked out.
“Shhh, calm down before you get yourself all worked up. I just need you to get better so that I can get you the hell out of here.” Mason wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs and her eyes drifted close, soaking up his touch. “We have a lot to talk about, Tiny.”
Hearing him call her Tiny pierced her heart. Thank God he was willing to talk to her. She thought for sure that they were through, that he would never speak to her again. It would have served her right. How could she have ever doubted his word?
“I love you so much.” She hoped the declaration could cancel out her mistake.
“I know, baby. And I love you more. Always have. Always will.” Mason kissed her again, but this time his hungry lips devoured hers as if wanting her to feel how much he loved her. She felt his emotions, thankful that they matched everything she felt within her heart.
Mason was right. They did have a lot to talk about.
The n
ext morning, London sat up in the hospital bed as she and Mason shared breakfast. He had made a phone call the moment he received the okay that he could bring in breakfast for her. The chocolate chip waffles and hash browns were like a treat to her taste buds.
“I thought we were through with you constantly trying to feed me,” she said between bites.
“I thought so to until I walked in here yesterday and saw that you had lost the weight that you had gained. I guess I’m going to have to be around you all the time to make sure you eat, even if that means going to work with you.”
Mason mentioning her job reminded her of what he didn’t know. Harper didn’t even know.
“I’m quitting my job.”
His fork stopped midair. “What? Why? I thought you liked the job. You said you always wanted to be a news anchor.”
London pushed her container of food away, but Mason lifted a brow and pushed it back toward her. “I’m full.”
“Try to eat a little more while you tell me why you left the job you said that you loved.”
London picked up her fork and placed another bite of the waffle into her mouth. “I did love it, but I couldn’t handle the hours. Some days I was so busy that I wasn’t taking my medication properly and I think right now, I need a change. I also thought you and I were over. So I was planning to leave town.”
Mason said nothing for the longest time. “Was planning. Does that mean you’re staying now?”
London wasn’t sure how to respond. They still hadn’t really talked about their relationship. Although the fact that he had been there with her around the clock spoke volumes. Harper told her that Mason had only left for about a half an hour while London napped the day before. Other than that, he had been right by her side.
A Passionate Kiss Page 13
