But that was exactly why it was only one more night. What they didn’t know was that from here, I planned to spend the next two nights at Isla’s.
When Charity called the kids in for lunch, I snuck back to the room to check my phone. I turned it on, and a flood of texts came through. Refusing to be sucked back in, I only allowed myself to read what showed up on the screen. Under Mason’s name was the beginning of a message that read: I don’t want to do this through a text. Please come over and…
I didn’t open the message. Mostly because I was so incredibly disappointed that the first word wasn’t sorry. The handful of texts I’d seen before turning my phone off showed that Mason was full of explanations, yet he couldn’t bring himself to offer an apology? The bottom line was he’d hurt me. And that should be the part that mattered. Not clearing his conscience. Not telling his side of the story. Just acknowledging that his actions hurt someone he supposedly cared about.
I turned my phone back off and tossed it into my purse. I knew it was coming to this, but now more than ever my mind had been made up.
This relationship would come to an end eventually, and that time was definitely now.
—
I finally returned home after four days, but had only been back for ten minutes when there was a knock at the door.
Was Mason staring out his window waiting for me? With an annoyed huff, I threw open the door, prepared to tell him to turn around and go home, but on the other side stood Owen.
“Hey, T.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and asked, “Can I come in?”
I glanced behind him, kind of wondering if Mason was using him as a way in, but he was alone.
“Sure.” I stepped back, and he closed the door behind himself.
“You still aren’t talking to Mason—”
I crossed my arms. “Did he send you over here?”
“Sort of.”
“Really, Owen? I thought better of you. Why would you take his side in all of this?”
“He didn’t tell me to talk to you, but it’s my fault you aren’t talking to him, so I need to help clear it up. I figured y’all would get it all sorted out, but hell, T, you’re stubborn. So if you won’t talk to him, you can at least listen to me.”
“What do you mean ‘your fault’? Did you force him to take a girl home?” I rolled my eyes. “Look, Mason makes his own decisions. You don’t need to cover for him.”
“Dammit, T, just stop and listen. Mason didn’t take a girl back to his cabin, I did.”
“What? You brought a girl to Mason?”
“No.” He paused and stared at me like I was supposed to be getting something. “I took a girl there. For me.”
“Oh…Oh.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not a fucking kid, T. Believe it or not, I hook up with girls. Look, that girl and I got to talking at the bonfire. We’d been drinking, and I wasn’t really thinking straight. Guess I’d figured I could take her to Dad’s boat and be gone before Mason got back.”
My jaw dropped.
Owen shrugged. “I do it all the time, just never since he’s been living there.”
I had no idea that had been going on right next door for…who knows how long?
“Problem was”—he went on—“she kind of passed out. I couldn’t wake her up.” He shook his head. “I didn’t know what to fucking do, and I had to be home before curfew.”
“Oh my God, Owen. What were you thinking?”
He grinned. “You really want to know the answer to that, T?”
I shook my head. “Just go on. What happened?”
“Well, when Mason got back he was pissed by the whole situation, but I begged him to help me. Mom would flip if I wasn’t home by midnight, but it’s not like I could drag a drunk girl off a boat either. Eventually, Mason told me to go home and said he’d be sure she got home okay.”
The girl had been Owen’s all along? That would explain why she didn’t say two words to Mason when she left that morning, but…“Why didn’t Mason say that when your dad asked him?”
“To protect me, I guess. Dad would freak if he knew I’d brought some drunk girl to his boat. Mason could have ratted me out but he didn’t. Guess he figured he could explain it all to you later and save my ass in the process. Though if he knew you’d stop speaking to him, I’m sure he wouldn’t have given a fuck about keeping me out of trouble.”
“Shit, Owen. I’ve been such a bitch to him.” I swatted his arm. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“I figured you’d talk to him. How was I supposed to know you’d go all ice princess on him?”
Oh my God. I’d been horrible to him. Never giving him a chance to explain. Not even bothering to read his texts. I completely overreacted…Though, in my defense, the situation did look bad. If only I’d let him tell his side. It was stupid to let my emotions get the better of me. The situation had stirred one too many bad memories, and I’d made a snap judgment.
I plopped on the couch, tired of pacing the small space of my living room. “Does he know you’re over here telling me?”
“No. He’s pissed at the world right now. I’m staying out of his way until you two work this shit out.”
I groaned and leaned my head back. “Who’s to say he’ll want to now? He probably thinks I’m crazy.” I looked at Owen. “Does Colby know?”
“I don’t think so. Colby is barely talking to Mason.”
“But they work together.” I had no idea if Mason even wanted anything to do with me now, but I could ensure things between him and Colby were patched up. “You need to fix this between them, Owen.” I stood back up. “For some stupid reason, Mason is still protecting you, and it’s only right you be the one to tell Colby the truth.”
“But you know how he is. He’ll want to set the record straight and tell my dad…”
I stared at him. Unbelievable. I loved Owen, but at times like this I couldn’t help but remember he was a seventeen-year-old.
“Okay,” he groaned. “Quit looking at me like that. I’ll tell Colby. Fuck.” He shoved his hands into his pockets again. “All this drama for a girl I didn’t even get to—”
“If the words come out of your mouth that I think are about to, I will hurt you.”
He snapped it shut.
“I guess it’s up to me to talk with Mason now.” I took a deep breath and puffed it out, scared of the outcome. If only I hadn’t been so freaking stubborn about the whole thing. I’d be lucky if he wanted to talk to me now.
“Sorry, T. I can talk with him too if you want.”
“No, that’s okay. This is something I have to do.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you around.”
After he left, I paced from the kitchen to the living room, which was really only about a ten-foot area, but it was all I had without going upstairs, and I wasn’t ready to potentially see Mason.
I envisioned several different ways to start the conversation, but they were all some variation of I’m sorry—the words I’d been wanting to hear, but now realized were mine to give. I decided to lead with that, just as I’d wanted him to do. Unfortunately, I wasn’t brave enough to show up at his doorstep.
Chapter 21
Mason
I crumpled the towel I’d used to clean up the water I’d spilled and tossed it on the counter. But because that was my luck, it missed and fell into the sink filled with soapy water and dirty dishes. Fuck. I yanked it out and wrung the water from the dripping rag. This summed up life for me lately. All this pent-up frustration had no place to go, so instead my movements were hasty, my actions clumsy and I was a mess. A Felicity-induced mess.
She hadn’t given me a chance to explain shit. Though I’d tried…had I ever. Over twenty-five text messages in the last five days. Not a single one answered. But I was done. I wasn’t going to call or text or so much as even look her way. I did nothing wrong, and I was tired of reaching out to her and getting nothing in return.
My phone chimed from
wherever I’d set it down, and I knew it was Brinley. I’d been ignoring her calls, answering her texts with short replies, and she knew something was up. But I wasn’t ready to talk about it. Mostly because if I even tried to I’d blow up at someone, and she didn’t deserve to be the person on the other end of that.
I dug around the couch and finally found my phone wedged in the cushions. But my jaw dropped when I saw the message.
Felicity: Can we talk?
Me: So your phone does work? Huh. Look at that.
Felicity: Is that a no?
Oh, no way was she getting off that easy. She wanted to talk; we’d talk.
Me: I’m coming over.
I grabbed a shirt that was balled up on the floor and yanked it on. My hair was still wet from the shower I’d just taken, but I didn’t care.
I marched over to her cabin and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” she called.
I stepped in and found her sitting at the table with her laptop.
She nibbled her bottom lip as she shut the screen. “Hey.” Her gaze flitted over me then shifted away. “Want to sit?”
I’d expected her to look upset or mad, but she actually seemed really nervous.
I plopped down on the couch, which also happened to be the farthest place I could sit from her and still be in the same room. Just because she was sitting there looking all timid and sweet, and so fucking pretty, didn’t mean I was going to go groveling back to her.
“I’m sorry,” she blurted.
Now that I hadn’t expected.
“I’m sure you’re mad at me, and I’m sorry.”
“Why would I be mad at you? I’m frustrated as hell, but what’s new? You’re a frustrating girl, Felicity. But you know that.”
“I should have given you a chance to talk. I was so convinced you’d done something that hurt me, I didn’t give you an opportunity to tell your side.”
And there it was. “So I take it Owen’s talked to you?”
She nodded.
I leaned back and stretched one arm over the back of the couch. “You know the part that really gets me? It’s not the part where you wouldn’t let me explain or even that the whole damn situation happened. It’s the fact that you really think I’d do that. To you. After everything…You think I’d fuck some other girl?” I stood and walked to the door then spun back around. “I can’t decide if this tells me something about how you see me, or the way you see yourself.”
She pulled her knees up to her chest. And looked way too damn vulnerable.
So I softened my words a bit and asked, “Is it something I’ve said or done? Because hell knows I’ve tried to make how I feel clear to you. And if you know how I feel, and still think I’d do that to you, then what kind of guy do you think I am?”
“What kind of guy?” She turned her head, her mouth tugging into a slight frown. “Even a perfect guy can make a mistake. Even a decent guy can have a lapse in judgment.” Her gaze finally shifted back to me. Her eyes were glassy, and her voice cracked the tiniest bit. “Even a guy who loves me can make a decision that will hurt me. I think you’re fucking human. That’s what. We both are. And because of that, we are bound to hurt each other.” Her shoulders drooped like she’d accepted defeat before even giving us a chance.
“I’m not him, Felicity.”
She straightened, posture suddenly rigid. “I never said you were.”
And that was it. No more trying to skirt around this shit. I shook my head, ready to lay it out. “You know what? I may fuck up. I might even hurt you. But at least give me the chance to be more than that. I’ve done nothing wrong, so why in the hell does some other relationship have to fuck over mine? You claim you have no future yet you let the past rule your entire fucking life.”
She stood, looking about ready to argue, so I closed the gap between us and cupped her cheek. “I want this. Hell, I need it.” My hand moved, gliding around to the back of her neck, desperate to pull her closer but trying to keep my distance. “But I’m not going to beg or plead or try to convince you to change your mind, because ultimately that’s what this is. It’s your decision, and I’m only going to ask once.” My fingers pressed into her skin, and I locked my eyes on hers. “Move on. Please. Move on…with me.”
Her lips parted, and I was pretty sure I heard a tiny gasp. But then her gaze shifted away; she stared down for a second then looked back up. Her eyes wide and uncertain. Though I couldn’t be sure what was going through her head, a part of me wasn’t ready to hear bad news. And I suspected that was where this conversation was headed. Maybe she’d feel differently if I wasn’t rushing her into it.
I lowered my hand and stepped back “Just think about it. I don’t need your answer now.”
She made no move to stop me. No move to speak. Nothing. She just stood there, everything I’d come to realize I wanted, frozen behind fear and doubt. But I’d said my piece, and there was nothing more I could do. I turned to leave, knowing full and well I wouldn’t walk out of here unaffected. A part of me was lost within her. And until she figured out what she wanted, neither one of us would be whole.
“Yes,” she blurted.
I slowly turned back. “Yes, what?”
“One day at a time. You have today, and tomorrow and every day after that until this isn’t what we want anymore.”
“And when I go home in a few weeks?”
She nodded. “Until we don’t want this anymore.”
I yanked her against me, slammed my mouth to hers then slid my hands down her thighs and lifted her off the ground. I walked her past the small kitchen and straight into the bedroom, breaking the kiss only long enough to say, “How could I ever not want this?” Then my lips returned to hers.
I laid her on the bed and settled over her, slowing my kisses as my fingers glided into her hair. She melted under me, and I was completely lost in the feel of her. There would never be a time when I wouldn’t want Felicity, and it tore me up to think that one day she might not feel the same.
Thankfully, that day wasn’t today.
She pushed at my shirt as if relishing the feel of my skin. From my mouth to my neck to my chest. Her hands and mouth were everywhere. And I totally ate it up. It had been too long since I’d held her or kissed her, and it wouldn’t stop there. If she was committed to this, then it was time to take things further.
Her fingers traced my stomach as I yanked my shirt over my head. The light touch of her skin on mine sent my head spiraling. I jerked her tank top up, and she raised her arms so I could slide it off. Almost a week apart and now we couldn’t get enough. Her lips skimmed my shoulder, her teeth pressed into the skin while I kissed her ear, her collarbone, anywhere my mouth could reach. And then I was moving, my mouth working its way over her body, knowing there was only one way this could end. I kissed a path down her stomach then spread her thighs and settled between her legs.
Her head lolled back as I bunched her skirt around her waist and kissed her inner thigh. I moved my way up and just as her body arched toward me, I shifted my mouth to the other leg and slowly made my way down the other side.
And I couldn’t help but laugh and the sounds of extreme displeasure and frustration coming out of Felicity.
“Are you intentionally torturing me?” she asked.
“No more than you did me this past week.” I smirked up at her then planted a kiss directly between her thighs.
Her hips bucked slightly and I moved my mouth, because this was way too much fun to give in to. I traced a line from one hip bone to the other with my tongue, right before slowly working her panties down and sliding them off. Then with my hands on the topmost part of her inner thighs, I pushed her legs apart, giving me full access and an exceptional view. I swept my tongue over her, and she moaned then groaned as I pulled away.
“This isn’t fair,” she whined. “I wasn’t trying to torture you.”
“This isn’t about torture anymore.” I ran my tongue over her again, slowly, and followed it
with a kiss.
Her breath shuddered from her lips. “Feels like torture to me.”
“Sorry you feel that way because I’m enjoying myself quite nicely.” And I was. I’d waited way too long for this moment to rush it. I moved my mouth back to her thigh and slid my fingers over her slick skin.
“Mason,” she groaned. “Seriously?”
I bit back a grin. “Shh, just lie back. I’m going to be here awhile.”
“I hate you so much right now.”
“You’ll change your mind soon enough.” I slipped my finger inside her just as my mouth returned to her body. Then I flicked my tongue directly at her core, and she moaned loud enough to make my dick throb. If anyone was being tortured, it wasn’t her.
I continued to work my mouth over her, bringing her to the point of pure bliss then pulled back right before she could find her release.
She threaded her fingers through my hair and moaned my name. And it was so fucking hot. So I rewarded her with more slow, hot kisses. Her hips began rolling under my mouth as my fingers glided in and out of her body. But I wasn’t done yet, so I slipped my arms under her legs and wrapped my hands around her thighs, elevating her hips and pinning her in place. I settled my mouth on her, in exactly the spot I’d discovered always sent her over the edge.
Her hands fell to the bed and gripped the blankets. She writhed under me as if it was impossible to hold still, but my arms remained locked around her, holding her in place.
“Fuck. Mason. Oh my—” Her hips tried to twist away, but she didn’t get far. I sucked harder and she gasped, then her body bucked forward. “Oh. Yes. Mas…” Her words trailed off as she shook under me. She tugged the blanket then collapsed back onto the bed. I flicked my tongue over her one last time and she shivered.
“Holy shit,” she murmured.
I sat back on my knees and looked down on her. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks flushed, her body relaxed. She ran her hand over her stomach and, I was done. I needed her. To be inside her. To fuck her. To make love to her. Whatever she wanted to call it. I just needed it.
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