by Dena Christy
“I’m sorry, Alpha.” He glanced up at Logan as he crossed his arms over his powerful chest.
“You’re sorry? Was there something about my speech last night that you didn’t get? Did you not hear me specifically say that it was time to put our differences aside and stand together?” The muscle worked in Logan’s jaw and Mason could feel the heat of shame burning under his skin. When he’d picked the fight with Rafe last night he had not been thinking about how it would look to those around him. All he’d thought about was that Rafe had been paying attention to Grace and he hadn’t liked it.
“I wasn’t thinking about that. I wasn’t really thinking at all. I don’t know what I can say except I’m sorry and it won’t happen again.”
Logan uncrossed his arms and dragged his hands through his hair. “Jesus Mason, what the hell? The last thing I expected to hear this morning was that my lieutenant and my enforcer got in a scrap last night. What the fuck happened? I didn’t know you and Rafe had any beefs with each other.”
“We don’t.” Mason turned away and went around to his desk. He didn’t want to have to tell Logan what the root of the problem was, since it would only piss him off again. He waited for his alpha to sit in the chair across from his desk and he sat back down and looked over at him.
“Then why did you have to be pulled off each other.” Logan leaned forward to drum his fingers on the top of Mason’s desk. There was no way he was going to let it go until he told him.
“Rafe was talking to Grace.” He wouldn’t look at Logan when he said it, because it sounded like the stupidest reason to get in a fight. He could see that now, in the cold light of day. Too bad he hadn’t seen it when he’d been in the throes of a jealous rage last night.
“You have to be kidding me. He talked to Grace. That’s it? Just talked to her?”
Mason glanced up to see the look of disbelief on his cousin’s face. His mouth tightened for a second but he refrained from pointing out that he would have reacted the same way if another guy was making a move on Faith. It was hardly the same thing, since Logan was in love with Faith.
“He may have flirted with her. Look, I’m not proud of myself and I know it was a stupid thing to do. It won't happen again.”
“You’re goddamn right it won’t happen again. I told you weeks ago to get your shit together as far as she is concerned. I know it was hard at first, seeing her again. God knows, I know what it’s like when someone you thought was in your past comes back into your life, but grow up. This pack is more important than your hurt feelings. Did anyone at the bar know what it was that you were fighting about?”
“Pretty sure they did, since he was talking to her and then next thing we were fighting in the parking lot.” It hadn’t exactly played out like that, at least not in his mind. But he was certain to the casual observers who were there last night, that was how it would look.
“You are unbelievable. Rafe too, and he’s next on my list for an ass kicking when I get done with you. Don’t you think enough attention had been called to her last night when I announced to everyone that I was not going to mate with her? Do you think you did her any favors with her pack with you and Rafe fighting over her like a pair of mutts over a slab of meat?” Two red spots burned on Logan’s cheeks, and it was obvious that his anger was not being mollified by this conversation.
“If it makes you feel any better, she read me the riot act after it was over. She got pissed when I told her that she could go ahead and date Rafe if she wanted to.” And she’d looked magnificent doing it. The old desire, the yearning he’d had for her years ago when he couldn’t get enough of her had flared to life. Even now, when he knew that there was no going back with her, a part of him wanted to.
“It doesn’t make me feel any better. And I’m sure you giving her permission to run her own life didn’t make her feel any better either.” Logan shook his head and sighed. “I know her coming back was unexpected, but you have to get over it. I need you by my side, and I need this pack to be strong. I have other things to worry about right now, and in-fighting between members of the pack is not one of them.”
“I’m sorry. What do you need me to do to make up for it?”
He’d do whatever it took to make things right for the pack. Logan was right, things weren't exactly rosy right now, and if they were going to make it through the next little while intact they needed to stand together.
“Well, you can start by going to see Grace.”
“What? What do I need to see Grace for?” It would be so much easier for him to move on if he didn’t have to see her, didn’t have to interact with her. She still had the power to pull him to her, to make him want her, and a part of him hated her for it. Why couldn’t he just forget her? She’d forgotten him fast enough. She hadn’t even waited for them to break up before she’d moved on to someone else.
“You are going to see her for two reasons. First, you are going to apologize, which I’m sure you didn’t do last night.” The heat of embarrassment that stained his face told his alpha all he needed to know. He’d said several things to Grace last night, but an apology had not been part of it. “Second you are going to bring her to my office. I need to meet with her.”
“What about?” Why would Logan need to meet with Grace? Surely now that he’d chosen to be with Faith, he wouldn’t need to meet with her any more?
Although he tried to suppress it, that old feeling of jealousy rose up inside him. What was wrong with him? He needed to get his head examined, because there was no way there was anything going on between Grace and Logan. His alpha’s devotion to Faith was evident to anyone who had eyes to see it for themselves.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Logan got to his feet and Mason followed suit. “You’re coming to this meeting too.”
There was a look on Logan’s face that told him this was not a request from his friend, but a command from his alpha. Mason squared his shoulders and followed Logan out of the office. He had no idea what the meeting could be about, but he'd know soon enough. What he needed to do now was go to Grace, apologize to her and move on.
3
Grace pulled up to her mother’s house and shock went through her when she saw Mason had his truck parked in front of it. He was leaning against the door, with his massive arms folded across his equally massive chest. He was certainly a lot bigger then he’d been fifteen years ago, and was sure to be stronger too. She sat in the car as she stared at him, trying desperately to get her heart rate back down to normal. Why the hell couldn’t he have gotten uglier over the intervening years instead of hotter? It would have been a hell of a lot easier for her peace of mind and her ability to get him out of her thoughts.
She shut off the ignition and braced herself. Was she really prepared to go toe to toe with him again, now that she’d decided to cut her losses and leave East Brook for good this time. Well, if nothing else, it would certainly prove to her that she’d made the right decision. And she couldn’t sit here staring at him all day.
She pulled the keys out of the ignition and tucked them into the pocket of her jean shorts. Sending up a silent prayer that he was here for something else other than to antagonize her, she opened her car door and stepped out. He straightened away from the truck, and she turned away so she wouldn’t have to see how good he looked in the black T-shirt with his gym’s logo on it, which was stretched over the breadth of his chest. How many hand spans would it take for her to get from one shoulder to the other?
You don’t need to know. She went to the back of the car, and opened the trunk. It was full of empty grocery store boxes. She’d figured that if she had made the decision to list the house, it was time to go through all the stuff her mother had accumulated over the years and finally deal with it.
“If you plan on staying for longer than five minutes, you might as well give me a hand.” He had yet to say anything about why he was here, in fact he hadn’t said anything at all. If he was going to be here, he was going to help.
; His footsteps got closer and she managed to avoid looking at him as she pulled boxes out and dumped them on to the drive way.
“What’s all this?”
“Boxes.” So if they were not going to fight and yell at each other, were any future conversations they were going to have going to be this stilted and awkward? She sighed when she remembered how different it had been fifteen years ago. They talked all the time, at least when they weren’t too busy making love with each other. They’d had the insatiable appetites of young lovers and could barely keep their hands off each other.
“I can see that. What are they for?” He stacked several small boxes into a couple bigger boxes and picked them up. His hands were large and tanned against the cardboard and she tried to blot out the memory of what it had felt like to have those gentle hands caressing her skin. She was never going to feel that again, so she better stop thinking about it.
She slammed the trunk shut and scooped up a bunch of her own boxes. With a glance at him, she led the way to the house and set the boxes on the porch while she fished out the house key from her pocket.
“I’m going to start going through my mom’s stuff. I don’t know how much of it is worth keeping, but I thought that some of her things could be given to any member of the pack who wants or needs it.” It was going to be a daunting task and one she’d avoided until now.
“How long as she been gone?” For the first time since she’d come back, his voice was soft and he sounded like the old Mason. She shoved aside the ache in her heart at the sound of that voice. It didn't matter what he sounded like, he was no longer the sweet, gentle guy who she’d been in love with fifteen years ago. Her lies and secrets had seen to that.
“It’s been five years. It’s time I got it done and over with. I don’t want to put it off in case the house sells quicker than I think it will.”
Using her hip she shoved the door opened and walked into the living room of the tidy little house. She dumped the boxes on the couch and turned to take the ones he was holding from him.
“Well you better make sure you have somewhere in East Brook to live in if it does sell quick.” The look he cast around the house told her that he had his doubts that it would happen. East Brook was a blink and miss it kind of place, things weren't exactly prosperous but what was she going to do? She wanted to cut all ties to East Brook and move on, and part of that meant getting rid of this house.
“I have no intention of living in East Brook.”
“You’re not moving to Cold Bay, are you?” He drew back, and her mouth tightened when she saw the momentary look of horror cross his face before he masked it.
“No, I’m not moving to Cold Bay. Don’t worry, you won’t see much of me anymore. Once I get the house settled I’m going to ask Logan to release me from East Brook’s membership.” It was the hardest decision she’d had to make, and there was no guarantee that Logan would agree to it.
Now more than ever he needed every pack member that he could get, but she hoped that he would understand why she needed to do it. When she’d first come back she’d thought that she could handle it, that she could come home again, but just like looking at Mason now, it was too painful. The past had her in it’s grip and wouldn’t let her go unless she made a complete break from everything.
“You’re leaving the pack?” There was a look of stunned disbelief on his face, as if he couldn’t conceive of why anyone would want to do that. She supposed that for Mason, Cold Bay and the pack were everything to him, but for her, East Brook held nothing for her anymore. Nothing but bad memories
“Well not immediately, but yes. There’s nothing for me here any more, and the pack doesn’t need me now that it’s merging with Cold Bay. It’s time to move on.”
“So that’s your new motto now? Just move on when things get a little difficult? Or is there someone else waiting for you somewhere else?”
Grace rolled her eyes. She should have known that it was too good to be true, that the old, understanding Mason wouldn’t hang around for long. He was back to being the newer, bitterer version of himself and this was another reason why she was moving on. They weren’t healthy for each other, and perhaps if she was out of the picture, the past could loosen its grip on him too.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but there is no one else. Do you honestly think I would have told Logan that I would mate with him if I had someone else in my life.”
“Why not? It hasn’t stopped you before.”
A quick flash of pain went through her as his barb struck home. She was certain that if she had done what he thought she had, it would have drawn blood. As it was, it didn’t matter that she was innocent of what he accused her of, because he would never know. Some secrets should never see the light of day, and by leaving she would make sure that the one she'd carried around with her for fifteen years like a millstone around her neck would stay hidden.
“Did you come here to insult me? Because if you did, you can get out. Thanks for the help with the boxes but you can be on your way.” She turned away and started sorting through the boxes, piling them on the floor by size for lack of anything better to do. She heard him sigh behind her, and there was the weight of regret in it. He put his hand on her arm and she stiffened.
“I didn’t come to insult you. The opposite in fact. Logan kicked my ass this morning and told me to get out here to apologize.”
She pulled her arm away from him and moved to put some distance between them before she turned to face him. “I don’t need you to apologize to me just because your alpha ordered you to. As a matter of fact, I think that would be more insulting than not apologizing at all.”
He sighed and his shoulders sagged for a moment. He scrubbed his hand over his face, and she could hear the rasp of his skin over the black stubble covering his chin.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was one of quiet sincerity and as she looked into his dark blue eyes, she could see that he meant it. This was not a coerced apology, made at his alpha’s behest. “I didn’t come here to insult you. Your life is your own, and you need to do what’s good for you. And I’m sorry for how I acted last night too. It was stupid of me to go after Rafe the way I did. If it makes you feel any better, Logan tore me a new one over that.”
“It doesn’t make me feel better to know that you and Logan are having conflict. But thank you for apologizing. I know it can’t have been easy for you to do it.” She pushed a smile on her face, one that she knew would not reach her eyes. Hopefully he would be leaving soon. It was difficult keeping her barrier up against him now that he had such a soft look in his eyes. “I don’t know if I’ll see you again, since I doubt I’ll be back in Cold Bay now that I don’t have business with Logan anymore. Take care of yourself, Mason.”
He made no move to leave, and she would have thought with the tension between them the way it was that he would jump at the opportunity to get out.
“The apology isn’t the only reason I’m here. Logan sent me to bring you to Cold Bay. He wants to have a meeting with you and me.”
Logan wanted to meet with her and Mason? Her heart picked up its pace and she swallowed hard for a second. The only person who knew that she had not taken off out of East Brook fifteen years ago because of another man was Logan. Had he had enough of the discord that the past between her and Mason was inflicting on his pack that he’d decided that he was going to reveal what he knew?
“Do you know what it’s about?” She licked her lips nervously as she tucked her hands in her back pocket.
“No.” He frowned for a second and she could have kicked herself for letting what was going on inside her come out. She was sure that he could read the anxiety on her face. “If you’re worried that he’s going to go off on you over what happened last night, don’t be. He knows who was to blame for it all. Come on, we’ll go in my truck.”
He turned around and strode to the front door. She followed behind, and reassured herself that Logan would not reveal what he knew from fifteen years
ago. He’d given his word that he’d take it to his grave, and Logan was nothing if not a man of his word. This meeting had to be about something else, and as soon as it was over with, she could make a start on a new life that didn’t include East Brook, Cold Bay or Mason.
Mason pulled into the parking lot of Sawyer’s Place, and willed himself to say something. The truck ride here passed in a silence so thick that he was certain that if he could eat it, it would be like trying to chew through a mouth full of gristle. Did this mean that if they weren’t fighting, if he wasn’t making accusations and she wasn’t pushing back against him, that they had nothing to say to each other?
The corner of his mouth turned down as he shut off the truck. It was just as well that she was leaving the area, because when they were together they were only tearing each other apart. The old saying about time healing wounds was a sack of shit as far as they were concerned.
He got out of the truck and hurried around to her side so he could help her out. When he was only an arm’s length away, she jumped down and stumbled in the gravel. Out of reflex he reached for her, putting his hand around her upper arm as she fell forward against his chest. They froze for a second, and he swallowed hard at the feeling of her full breasts pressed against him.
They sprang apart like scalded cats, and he cleared his throat.
“You okay?”
“Yep.” She pulled her purse strap up on her shoulder and wiped her hands down the side of her jean shorts. “I’m sure Logan’s waiting.”
He hung back a little, calling himself every kind of fool for letting his eyes drift down to her butt. If nothing else, that woman could fill out a pair of shorts. That was what had drawn him to her in the first place, the sight of her bare legs and pert ass in a pair of jean shorts. For a second it was like time stood still and he was cast back to that moment fifteen years ago.
