Double Coverage

by Meghan Quinn

  Her early disappearance from the baseball game a few days ago disturbed him. He thought they were having a great time, until her phone went off. He wondered if it was the guy she was seeing. Of course it was, what else could it have been? She didn’t speak to her parents and she really only talked to Hannah, so that only left one other person, the other man.

  The thought of Piper with another man made him want to bury his fist down someone’s throat. Piper belonged with him and only him. Why couldn’t she see them together the way he did? When they were at the game, he thought he was making a lot of headway with the slight touches, knowing glances between them and, at the end, she was holding his hand. He felt so genuinely connected with her, more than he ever did with Brooke.

  Ryker busted through the doors of the training room and took up the ice bath next to Mason. “Dude, what the hell is your deal? I know it’s not because you’re tired.”

  Mason shrugged, he didn’t want to get into it with Ryker and, contrary to what Ryker thought, Mason was tired. He was tired from the sleepless nights he’d been having from constantly thinking about Piper and her boyfriend together. He wondered if she thought about him the way she consumed his mind on a daily basis. He thought that maybe she did think about him, but ever since she shut Mason out, he was starting to think she didn’t have any kind of feelings for him, like he did for her.

  “It’s not Piper, is it?” Mason didn’t say anything, giving Ryker the conclusion he was looking for. “Come on, man; you can’t let her affect you like that. It’s not like anything was really going to happen anyway; you two are like water and oil…you don’t mix well. Unlike me and Hannah, now there’s a good couple.”

  “You are delusional, man. Hannah is never going to break it off with her boyfriend or soon-to-be fiancé. You’re fishing around in the wrong lake.”

  “Speak for yourself. You’re trying to make a girl fall for you who started off hating you and is currently in a serious committed relationship with another guy.”

  “It’s not that serious,” Mason said, trying to convince himself.

  “Oh yeah? Hannah told me she told the guy she loved him.”

  Mason couldn’t feel the piercing cold water touch his body anymore because all feeling left his nerves at hearing Piper was in love with another man. His lungs seized up and all breath escaped his chest.

  Piper was in love with another man? How could that be? Lexi and Jake’s wedding wasn’t that long ago. He thought about their wedding and it was about a month and a half ago. Was that enough time to fall in love with someone she didn’t know? Of course it was. Mason was terrified that he had fallen in love with Piper himself. He wasn’t going to address those current feelings, but he knew it was possible.

  “Shit.” Did he just say that out loud?

  “Lighten up man, there are many girls who’d love to be with you. You’re one lucky guy. Stop dwelling on Piper and move on.”

  Mason ignored Ryker and reached for his phone. He pulled up Piper’s name and sent her a text message.

  Mason: Hey, beautiful. Are you free tonight? I’m looking for a friend to help me with something.

  Mason knew he was using the friend excuse, but anything to get close to her again. Ryker started talking about his new haircut and how it looked like it ran off on one side, but Mason drowned him out. He didn’t care about Ryker’s uneven hair, purple Capri pants or new cologne. Sometimes Mason really wondered if his friend was gay. It wouldn’t be a problem, since he had many gay friends, but if Ryker was gay, Mason would be happy enough to hook him up with someone he knew. His gay friends had been more than vocal about wanting to get their hands on Ryker.

  Mason received a message back. Thank God.

  Piper: Sorry, can’t. I’m hanging with my boyfriend.

  Mason gritted down on his teeth. Why couldn’t she just say she was busy? Why did she have to say she was with her boyfriend? It was as if she was trying to warn him off. Point taken, message is clear, but he chose to ignore it.

  Mason: Tomorrow. Please, you’re the only one I trust in this matter.

  Piper: Are you okay?

  The fact that she cared a little bit about his well-being eased the vise that was gripped around his heart.

  Mason: I’m fine. I just really need some support. I’ll pick you up at two tomorrow. Dress casual.

  Piper: Uh, okay. See you tomorrow.

  Mason was thankful she conceded. He thought she would put up more of a fight, but she didn’t, which was nice. Maybe he did have a chance, whatever chance it was he was going to take advantage of the opportunity. Being with Piper was like being on a roller coaster; there were so many ups and downs when it came to her, he was starting to get used to the ride.

  ***

  “Where are you going, sweetheart?” Jax said, while rolling over and grabbing Piper around the waist before she could sneak out of bed.

  “It’s almost one o’clock. We’ve been in bed all day. I have to get back to my place and get some things done.”

  He smiled at her, grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his chest. “Or, you can stay in bed all day with me.”

  Kissing him on the nose she said, “I can’t.”

  She quickly wiggled away and looked at him while she threw on yesterday’s clothing. He looked completely deflated and she felt bad that she was leaving, but she had to meet up with Mason. She didn’t know why she said yes to him. Maybe it was because she was just a glutton for punishment.

  Jax sat up on one elbow. “You’re really leaving?”

  “Yes. I have to get some things done. I’m sorry.”

  He gave her a quizzical look, as if she was missing something, but she had no clue what was going on and didn’t have time to explore it. She ran over to the bed and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

  “I’ll call you.”

  “Are we going to have dinner tonight?” he asked, bright eyed. Piper melted right on sight. She leaned over him and gave him a more in-depth kiss, exploring every facet of his mouth.

  “Did you want to have dinner together?”

  “Well…yeah, I kind of expected us to have dinner together.”

  “Alright…” He was being weird. She gave him another quick kiss and told him she would see him later.

  When she got home, she took a quick shower, shaved and put on her make up. Thankfully, her hair was able to air dry after a quick run-through with the blow dryer. She dried her hair just enough so she didn’t look like a drowned rat. She had no clue what to wear, so she went with a typical Piper outfit. She put on an old Aerosmith concert T-shirt that hugged every part of her body, a pair of tiny jean shorts that had holes in them and her black Chuck Taylors. Just as she finished tying her shoes, there was a knock at her door.

  She got up quickly, grabbed her purse and headed for the door. She didn’t even bother letting Mason in her place because she didn’t want to get stuck in a closed area with him where no one else could see them. She needed to be in a public place.

  “Hey.” He gave her a giant grin and she felt her legs go weak. Stupid attractive men in her life.

  He was wearing simple grey shorts, flip flops and a semi-tight black shirt. There wasn’t much color to his outfit at all, but he looked damn good. He always had the perfect amount of hair on his face, like he just got out of bed and forgot to shave. Her hands begged her brain to let them touch his face and feel his stubble, but she denied them the pleasure. There would be no touching of Mason.

  “Hey,” she replied back, as they walked down to his car. He opened the door for her and tried not to think about how what they were doing seemed like a date.

  When he got in the car, she turned to him. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Annoyed with his ability to keep a secret, she folded her arms over her chest and stared out the window like a petulant child. She heard Mason laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” she snapped. She didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but her emotions w
ere skating on thin ice. There was no way for her to control them.

  “You don’t like to be surprised, do you?”

  “I just like to know the plan, alright? Especially when I have a boyfriend I left in a warm bed for this.” She knew it was the wrong thing to say, but for some reason, she wanted to put Mason in his place…just so he knew where he stood. She looked over at him and knew for certain he heard her loud and clear. His jaw was tight and his eyes raged.

  “If you didn’t want to come, then that’s all you had to say.” Mason got in the left turn lane at a light and did a U-turn. He was headed back to her place. Great, she didn’t mean to make him this mad.

  “Don’t be a girl. I’ll go with you…wherever you’re going.”

  “Don’t do me any favors.” He pulled up in front of her apartment and put the car in park. He rested his head in his hand that was on the side of the window as he waited for her to get out of the car. Her mind told her to open the door, but she didn’t budge. One of these days, she hoped her mind and body would actually start working together for the betterment of herself. She would have to work on that.

  “Mason…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just never had control growing up and was always surprised when I got home and my room was packed in boxes and a moving truck was out in the driveway. I moved so many times, I can’t even count them and I never knew when it was going to happen, so to say I have control issues is an understatement.”

  “Sorry. I just didn’t want to tell you because I really wanted you to go.”

  “I will go. I’m here for you…as a friend. I’m sorry I upset you.”

  Mason shrugged and threw the car into drive. They didn’t talk on their ride; instead they listened to music, classic rock and enjoyed the magical rifts played by Brian May as Freddie Mercury sang his heart out. When they got to their location, which looked like a creepy warehouse, Mason got out and opened her car door.

  “I can’t get enough of Queen,” he said, while holding out his hand for her. She took it and looked around, worried that she might be getting herself into trouble.

  “You didn’t bring me out here to whack me off, did you?” She laughed nervously.

  He grabbed her hand and led her to the warehouse. Any other time she would have protested the gesture, but right now, she needed all the comfort she could get. He turned and smiled at her.

  “I did not come here to kill you. This is the back entrance. I didn’t want anyone seeing me.”

  They walked in and Piper heard a faint familiar buzzing. What was that? She knew that sound distinctively. It wasn’t until they walked into a room full of color, piercings and tattoos that she realized they were at a tattoo parlor, a very nice and expensive tattoo parlor.

  “Are you getting a tattoo?” she asked, feeling excited.

  “Yeah, I was hoping you could help me out.”

  Piper smiled at the fact that Mason chose her to take with him. It felt nice to be needed…even though it was Mason.

  A bald muscular man, who was wearing all leather and had gauges in his ears came up to them and wrapped Mason in a big bear hug.

  “Hey man, it’s been a while. When you called yesterday, I couldn’t wait to get you in here. Let’s get you in a private room.”

  They walked past a kitchen that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a month, a corner where they must do their piercings, and into a dark room, closed off by a red velvet curtain. When the tattoo man turned on the light, Piper was surprised to see the room was very posh looking. It had red and white checkered flooring, expensive looking chaise lounges and some very beautiful tattoo art on the walls. This place was way better than any tattoo parlor she had ever been to. She was a little jealous.

  “How have you been?”

  “Great.” Mason turned to Piper and said, “Piper this is Wolf, Wolf this is my friend, Piper.”

  Piper took his hand and gave him a quizzical look. “Wolf?”

  Wolf looked her up and down and answered back, “Piper?” He scrunched his face up imitating her expression, making her laugh.

  “Fair enough.” They laughed and Wolf turned to Mason.

  “What do we have going on today?”

  Piper wasn’t expecting what happened next, but all of a sudden, Mason pulled his shirt off and Piper lost all ability to think; all she could do was stare at the beautiful landscape of muscle across Mason’s chest. Jax had a great body, but Mason was absolutely ripped. She could serve chips and multiple dips in the crevices of his six pack and the “V” that led down to his waistline. His boxer briefs poked up from his shorts, making Piper’s mouth water. The man was completely bare of any kind of hair and all she wanted to do was feel how soft his skin was.

  She scanned his body and took in his tattoos. His body was, literally, a work of art. She loved his tattoos. They were sexy and meaningful and covered him in all the right ways, framing his massive pecs, down to his arms. She wouldn’t make any changes to his body art, so she wondered why Mason came to the tattoo parlor.

  Both men started laughing and Piper realized they were both staring at her while she was staring at Mason.

  “See something you like, babe?” Mason asked.

  Piper shook her head and sat down on a chaise lounge, feeling completely mortified at being caught staring by not just one man, but two. They kept chuckling while Mason told Wolf about his plans for coming today.

  “I’ve finally decided that I want to get rid of this black hole that sits above my heart. I feel like it’s sucking the life out of me.”

  “Not a problem. Let me make sure my schedule is clear and I will be right back to get started and we can go over designs.”

  “Perfect.”

  When Wolf left, Piper got up and stood in front of Mason. She stared at his chest and saw the spot above his heart he was talking about, it was blacked out. She felt her arm raise and her fingers graze the blacked-out tattoo. Mason did a quick intake of breath, but Piper didn’t care that she startled him with her touch.

  She looked into his eyes. “This used to be a tattoo for Brooke, didn’t it?” He nodded, not saying a word. “I noticed it on the beach that one night and figured as much. How are you going to change it?”

  ‘I’m going to do white ink over the top.”

  “Interesting. I’ve never heard of that before. What are you going to get?”

  “Not sure, that’s where you come in.”

  “Oh?” she asked, while still touching his chest where the black hole was; how ironic that it was right above his heart.

  He touched her cheek with his giant hand and skimmed the back of his knuckles across her cheek. “Do you think you can help me?” She nodded, while pressing her face against his hand.

  There was something so vulnerable about Mason right now; it touched Piper’s heart. That was why she was going against all her rules she set for herself. When she was near Mason, she lost herself in him and forgot about the world around them. She forgot about Jax and the love they shared and she forgot about the consequences she faced while being with Mason and what she could lose.

  “I would love to help you. Do you have anything in mind?”

  Mason brought his hand from her face and down to her neckline. He traced her collarbone with his fingers, ever so gently.

  “I like your saying that you have here. I think it would be symbolic to have, right above my heart.”

  “I think that would be perfect.”

  “You wouldn’t mind?” he asked, while stroking her collarbone. Somehow, her arms found their way around his waist, holding him still. They were a couple of inches apart…too close, but she didn’t move. She didn’t want to move. She wanted to be closer to him.

  “I don’t mind at all, as long as I can copy one of your tattoos.”

  His eyes brightened. “You want one of mine?”

  She nodded and traced a saying that was scrolled across his right arm. It read, “The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is co
urage.”

  “I love this tattoo and, the minute I saw it, I wish it was scrolled across my body instead of yours. It speaks so much for what I believe in, I just need it.”

  He lifted her chin so she was looking him in the eyes. “It’s yours baby. A tattoo for a tattoo. You want to get it today? Wolf is the best.”

  “Could I really?” she asked, almost jumping up and down she was so excited.

  “Of course you can.”

  Piper was so excited she grabbed the hem of her shirt and took it off; she knew exactly where she wanted her tattoo and she couldn’t wait to have it written across her body.

  ***

  Mason froze in his spot when Piper tore her shirt off. She was smiling brightly in a deep purple lace bra that framed her breasts perfectly. Mason took in the full sight of her and felt himself go hard immediately. It was crazy what this woman could do to him.

  She laughed at him and pushed his chest. “Like what you see…babe?” she said in a deep voice, mocking him earlier.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her up against his chest. Instant sparks flew from her eyes and she looked up at him with what seemed like adoration. Was he reading her wrong or was she actually liking that fact that he was holding her close to him?

  Her skin felt so incredibly good against his; he never wanted her to leave his side. Her breath quickened as he stared down at her. She was nibbling on her bottom lip while staring into his eyes. She was driving him crazy and he was about to drag her to a locked room and take her as his if she didn’t stop being all sexy cute.

  “I like what I see…a lot.”

  “Is that right?” She flipped her hair to the side and licked her lips. The silk strands of her curly vibrant hair brushed his shoulder, sending off a coconut scent that surrounded his nose. His body became even harder and he was slowly losing control. He knew he needed to respect the fact that she was with someone and not make the first move, but he didn’t know how much more he could take. She was tempting him way too much.