Rising to my full height, I glare down at her. “You better enjoy the next five days. Life, as you know it, is about to end.”
Chapter 18
Kingsley
“Yeah, I’m going to be honest,” I say, as I watch Mason leave, “it feels like I’ve entered the twilight zone.”
Shaking off Mason’s weird behavior, I look for Preston, and when my eyes fall on him, I say, “I haven’t seen you since the party. Where have you been hiding?”
“I’ve been helping Falcon,” he says, a proud look on his face.
“Oh, are you both Lake and Falcon’s assistant now?”
“He was never my assistant, to begin with,” Lake mumbles under his breath which has me laughing.
I glance at Falcon and see him smiling at Preston, then he explains, “Preston is helping me with the business plans for the new company.”
“Wow, good for you, Preston.”
“I’m just grateful for the opportunity,” he brushes off the compliment.
I tilt my head, and ask, “How did you know I was in the pool?”
Preston’s face sets into a scowl, as he begins to give me a play by play of the entire night’s events.
When he gets to the part where Mason gave me CPR, my hand shoots up. “Wait a second. Rewind, and say the part about Mason again.”
“He pulled you out and started giving you CPR.” Preston’s face softens. “I was exhausted just from keeping your head above the water for a minute or so, but Mason kept doing compressions until Layla had to pull him away.” He shakes his head with a perplexed look. “It’s still hard to believe Serena did that to you.”
I don’t even take in his last sentence because I’m still stuck on the fact that Mason gave me CPR. Worrying that this incident might have brought Mason’s past trauma back to the surface, I look at Lake, and ask, “Is Mason okay?”
Lake shakes his head, “What do you mean?”
“Did this incident bring back memories, like with the avalanche?”
“No.” Falcon answers. “He didn’t mention it at all.”
“That’s good,” I muse.
It also makes me realize that Mason’s change in behavior toward me is probably because I almost died.
After everyone left, Layla came back wearing her pj’s. With the lights dimmed, we sit on the floor, out on the balcony and stare at the stars.
“How do you really feel?” she asks, not taking her gaze off the heavens.
I let out a burst of silent laughter. “You don’t believe me when I say I’m okay?”
She turns her head to me. “Not after what happened to me with Grayson. I know you’re not okay.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “It’s weird. One minute I’m totally fine, and the next it feels as if I’m struggling to breathe. Literally. It’s hard to accept the fact that I was almost killed.”
“Killed,” Layla murmurs. “It sounds like such a small word. It doesn’t give the definition of what really happened.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
She reaches over to me and taking my hand, she links our fingers. “Give me your definition.”
“I only remember the panic. It’s weird,” I let out a shaky breath before I continue, “when the avalanche hit me, I didn’t feel nearly as panicked as when –” my voice breaks as the desolate feeling creeps back into my heart. “It’s hard to put into words. I felt horribly vulnerable and alone. Knowing there was no one to help me, and I couldn’t keep my head above the water. I never want to feel that kind of panic again.”
Letting go of my hand, Layla scoots closer to me and pulls me into her arms.
After a while, she whispers, “The day you sat down next to me and introduced yourself was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I love you, Kingsley.”
“Love you, too,” I whisper.
We only watched one episode of Grace & Frankie on my laptop before Layla fell asleep.
Leaving the bedroom, I softly shut the door behind me, and go sit on the couch. I bring my legs up and hug them to my chest.
It feels like my world has been tainted, as if someone took black paint and splattered it all over my emotions and my beliefs.
A knock at the door pulls me out of my somber thoughts. I get up and go to open it, thinking it’s probably Falcon looking for Layla. When I open the door and see Mason, something shifts in my chest.
Mason did CPR on me until emergency services came.
He was literally my heartbeat.
The thought is overwhelming and makes tears push up my throat.
“Did I wake you?” he asks.
I shake my head and step aside so he can come in.
“Why are you sitting in the dark?” he asks.
I close the door before I answer, “Layla just fell asleep, and I came out here so I wouldn’t wake her.”
“You can’t sleep?” he asks, taking a step closer to me.
I shake my head, trying to swallow the emotions down as a tear escapes.
“Babe?” He lifts his hand to my cheek and brushes the tear away. “Come here.” He wraps his arms around me and holds me tightly to his chest.
Never in a ka-zillion years would I have thought I’d be crying my heart out in Mason Chargill’s arms.
When a sob escapes, he bends down and placing an arm beneath my knees, he picks me up. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face against his shoulder as he walks to the couch. He sits down with me on his lap and places a hand behind my head.
After a while, I manage to calm down enough to lift my head and say, “Thank you for giving me CPR.”
He doesn’t say anything but instead presses a kiss to my forehead.
I meet his eyes, and I wonder who Mason really is.
Is he the volatile bad boy or this caring man?
“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” he whispers.
I’ve never been one to beat around the bush, so I answer him honestly. “I’m wondering which Mason is the real one; the hotheaded, take-no-prisoners guy, or the kind one.”
“Who says I can’t be both?” A smile forms around my lips, and then he continues, “I’m ruthless when someone crosses me, but when it comes to my friends and family, I’m protective.”
“Well, then I’m glad I’m a friend,” I tease.
I begin to pull back so I can get off his lap, but he places a hand on my back, stopping me.
My eyes dart back to his face, and when I see the corner of his mouth lifting, I ask, “I’m a friend, aren’t I?”
He remains quiet for a while before he says, “You’re a friend… for now.”
And that means?
“Are you planning on fighting with me again?”
He shakes his head and a sexy smirk forms around his mouth. “You don’t want to know what I’m planning.”
I pull a face and grumble, “At least give me time to get back to my old self so I can fight back.”
He moves his hand from my back to the side of my neck, and when his thumb brushes over my jaw, a thought begins to niggle in the back of my mind.
As farfetched as it sounds, I have to wonder whether Mason likes me or whether he just feels pity for me because I almost died.
He begins to lean closer to me, his eyes never leaving mine, and then he stops an inch from my face, watching for my reaction before he presses his mouth to mine.
The kiss is soft and quick, but it packs one hell of a punch I didn’t expect.
“I’m going to leave you with that thought,” he says as he lifts me off his lap, and sets me down on the couch. “Get some sleep, Babe.”
Wide-eyed I watch him leave.
Well, that’s something I didn’t expect.
Angry sex, yes. But… gentle and caring?
I’m not imagining things, right?
Chapter 19
Kingsley
I’ve been staring at Layla for the last thirty minutes, waiting for her to wake up.
When I can’t hold out a
ny longer, I shake her shoulder. “I need you to wake up.”
She grumbles something, only stirring.
“Layla, wake up! I need you,” I whine, shaking her again.
Her eyes pop open, and she darts up, instantly going into panic mode. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”
I nod and pouting, I mumble, “I’m confused.”
Layla blinks then rubs her eyes. “So, you’re okay?”
“Far from. I can’t make sense of any of it.”
“Coffee first,” she groans, then falls back against the pillows.
“Coming right up.” I dart off the bed and not even bothering to brush my hair, I race to the elevator so I can go get us some coffee.
When the doors open, I freeze, and my eyes widen. Mason’s leaning against the back panel and his head lifts slowly from where he was staring at the floor.
When he sees me, the stupid sexy smirk begins to pull at the corner of his mouth. “Did your hair straightener break, or are you going with the all-natural look today?”
“Huh?” I pat the top of my head, then remember it must look like one hell of a mess. Glaring at him, I mumble, “I haven’t had coffee yet. Don’t mess with me while I’m caffeine-deprived.”
I step inside and press the button for the doors to close.
“And just when I think it couldn’t look worse, I get to see it from behind,” he chuckles.
“Dude,” I growl, willing the elevator to move faster.
“I might love your morning look, but for the sake of the other students, let’s get this on you.”
I glance over my shoulder, ready to snap at him when my eyes bulge as I watch him drag his hoody over his head. The doors ping open, and all I can do is stare at his abs as his t-shirt lifts up for a moment.
Yeah, I love your morning look as well.
“When you’re done drooling, catch the doors before they close,” he grumbles as he straightens his shirt covering the strip of golden delicious skin.
I begin to blink and feeling my face heat with embarrassment, I rush forward. I bump into the doors as they begin to close, and growling, I smack the metal, “Stupid damn doors!”
I’m almost jogging in my hurry to get away from Mason’s gorgeously smirking face, but he grabs hold of my arm and pulls me to a stop. Coming to stand in front of me, he shoves the hoodie over my head, then grumbles, “Left arm.” I shove my arm through the sleeve while shooting him a glare. “Right arm.” I roll my eyes but do it anyway.
Then he steps right into my personal space as he adjusts the hoodie over all my hair. Holding onto the sides of the fabric, he leans in and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“Go get your coffee, Babe.” Not needing to be told twice, I dart around him, and almost fall face down from shock when he slaps my ass.
I let out a squeak before I give him a what-the-fuck scowl. There’s a fluttering in my stomach, and I try to ignore it as I dart out of the building.
He’s only screwing with you, Kingsley.
Not yet fully recovered from the near-drowning, it feels like I’ve run a marathon when I reach the café on campus.
The barista smiles at me, but her friendly expression freezes when I say, “Please tell me I can get alcohol with my coffee.
She keeps staring at me as if I lost my mind, which has me mumbling, “Two coffees and two caffè mochas.”
With the order in my hands, I keep glancing around to make sure I don’t run into Mason again while I rush back to the dorm. When I reach my suite without anything else happening, I let out a sigh of relief.
“Layla, coffee is here,” I call out.
She comes out of the room and sitting down on the couch, she takes one of the cups, and looking at the label, she puts it back down and reaches for the other, “Nourishment before dessert.”
I wait for her to take a sip, then say, “Please tell me you know what’s going on with Mason.”
She immediately smiles widely and wags her eyebrows at me as she keeps sipping her coffee. After a couple of seconds, she asks, “He’s friendly all of a sudden, right?”
“Yeah, it’s creeping me out.”
“He’s touching you more, right?”
“He slapped my freaking ass this morning,” I call out, not even sure how to process it.
“Oooh,” she leans forward, “Did you like it?”
“Huh?” I begin to shake my head but then stop, because, with the shock set aside, it did make something flutter inside of me. “Yeah, I suppose I did.”
She leans back, and grinning, she mumbles, “Didn’t take him for an ass man.”
Pinching the fabric of his hoodie between my thumb and forefinger, I pull it away from my chest. “I’m wearing his hoodie. The guy dressed me in the lobby.”
Layla keeps drinking the damn beverage, her eyes filled with laughter.
“You’re not helping,” I grumble as I reach for my own coffee.
I take a huge sip of the warm liquid, hoping it will clear my mind, and then Layla asks, “Is it so hard to believe Mason likes you?”
I tilt my head as I stare at her, and after a while, I begin to nod. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“For starters, I’m not his type.”
She lifts an eyebrow at me.
“We bicker,” I state, “Like… all the time.”
Her smile widens, and she gestures with her hand for me to go on.
“What more do you want? He picks on me every chance he gets. He’s always growling. Damn, even the sex was angry.”
Layla sets her empty cup down and reaches for the caffè mocha. “You still need to tell me about the epic sex you had.” Sitting back again, she asks, “When last did the two of you bicker?”
I think about the question, and when I can’t remember, I shrug.
“Okay, let's be serious,” Layla says, and she begins to tick off on her fingers, “You and Mason used to take digs at each other, then you had sex, then you were awkward, then you almost died.”
“That pretty much sums it up,” I agree.
A serious look tightens Layla’s features. “Kingsley, Mason watched you almost die. I think the shock made him realize he cares about you. He never left your side while we were waiting for you to wake up.”
I let her words sink in before I admit, “The thought never even crossed my mind. I was just worried I might’ve triggered his past trauma again.” Then I frown, “But I’m not his type.”
“Stop saying that,” she scolds me. “You’re freaking badass, and Mason will be lucky if he ever gets to date you.”
Grinning, I chuckle, “Yeah, I am pretty badass.”
“Honestly, I think Mason fell for you because you don’t take his shit. He would never be happy with some docile airhead.”
Wow, she’s right.
“Kingsley, you’re exactly Mason’s type.”
For a while, I process everything I’ve just discovered, then I whisper, “What do I do now?”
“That’s the easy part,” Layla states as she continues to drink her beverage. “You either tell him you’re not interested or you enjoy the ride… literally.”
A burst of laughter explodes from me. “And the previous ride was so damn hot.”
“Yeah?” Layla shoots up and comes to sit next to me, “Give me the details.”
Grinning, I say, “One second we were arguing and the next he had me shoved up against the wall.”
“Hot, damn.”
Her excitement is infectious, and soon she has me rambling, “The way he kisses. Holy hotness. It felt like he was trying to devour me.” I wave a hand over my face as it begins to heat up. “Let’s just say, the man knows how to satisfy a girl.”
We laugh, and after the excitement dies down, Layla asks, “Do you like Mason?”
“I like him, but…” I pause and try to think of the right words to express my concern. “He’s Mason Chargill, the future president of CRC.”
“So?” Layla shrugs.
“He
’s intense, Layla. Liking him won’t matter for shit if I can’t keep up with his pace.”
“Are you afraid he’ll grow bored with you?” Trust my friend to be brutally honest.
“That and what if we give a relationship a chance and I have to change to fit into his world?” I look down at my hands where they’re gripping his sweater. “I like who I am.”
“Maybe you should talk to Mason about that. Hear what he actually expects from a relationship before you start to worry. His answer might surprise you.” When I just nod, Layla reminds me, “Look at Falcon and me. I didn’t change who I am for him, because he loves me for who I am. If I were to change, I’d lose him.”
“I know you’re right, but I can’t help worrying,” I admit.
Layla reaches over and gives my hand a squeeze. “Don’t think about it too much. If things don’t work out between the two of you, at least enjoy the flirting.”
Bringing a smile to my face, I agree, “Yeah, I’m totally overthinking things. Besides, it’s not every day a girl has a man like Mason giving her attention.” Then my smile turns into a mischievous grin. “Can you imagine how confused he would be if I flirted back?”
“I’d pay to see that,” Layla laughs.
Feeling better after talking it out with Layla, I get up. “I’m going to shower and get ready for the day.” As I walk to the bedroom, I chuckle. “Might even wear something sexy and put on some makeup.”
“Yes! Bring out the big guns.” Layla rushes after me. “Seeing as he’s an ass man, do you have any hot shorts?”
Chapter 20
Mason
Heading to class, Lake slaps a hand against my chest. “You’re in trouble.”
“Why?” I frown and looking at him, I see him staring at something ahead.
My eyes follow his line of sight, and then my steps falter to a stop, and I growl, “Fuck, I’m so fucking fucked.”
Kingsley and Layla are at the end of the hallway, walking toward us. The sight is seriously badass as I watch students give way to them. Guys turn to watch them pass by, and it makes my eyebrow slowly rise.
Mason (Trinity Academy Book 2) Page 11
