by Holly Renee
I had made my decision the other night that I was going to push him away, a firm decision, but apparently it was deciding to be weak as hell in that moment.
“We’re not cuddling.” Because we were just friends.
“Of course not.” He acted as if I had just offended him. “I don’t cuddle during chick flicks. I need room to get all the feels.”
A grin tugged on my lips. “Okay, Mr. Sensitive.” I grabbed my purse. “Lead the way.”
I had cried all the way through The Notebook, and Mason looked at me like I might be losing it. Hell, I might have been.
The tacos had been long since devoured, and I was moving on to the ice cream.
“Maybe we should watch something that is a little happier, next?” Mason was squatted down looking through my movies, and I smiled as he went through romance after romance.
“I’m a little surprised by your movie collection.” He turned and looked at me over his shoulder.
“Didn’t expect so many romances?” I pulled my spoon through the ice cream and plopped it into my mouth.
“Not really.” He shook his head. “I’m just surprised is all.”
My body tensed thinking about all the things he didn’t know about me, about the things I didn’t know about him, but I refused to think about that.
“Well, what did you pick.”
He stood up from the DVD player and made his way over to the couch. The opening credits began, and he sat down right next to me. Far closer than he had been earlier.
“I thought I said no cuddling.” I pointed my spoon to the seat he had sat in earlier.
“This isn’t cuddling.” He picked up the movie case that he had just set down on the table and held it up to me.
He had to be kidding me.
There was no way in hell.
Amityville Horror.
“This movie is scary.” He fake shuddered. “If I sit way over there and you sit way over here, there is a bigger chance that one of us will be taken.”
I rolled my eyes, but realistically there was no way in hell I would be able to watch that movie if he was all the way across the couch. I wouldn’t let him know it, but the only reason I even owned the movie was because of Ryan Reynolds’ abs. I didn’t like scary movies. At all.
“You don’t get taken because you’re watching a scary movie.”
He looked behind his back then looked back at me. “No, but it feels like you might,” he whispered.
I laughed before I pushed at his shoulder.
“Fine.” I waved my spoon at him. “You can stay where you are just so I can protect you.”
“Thank God.” He grinned right before he hit play.
Mason
She was scared shitless.
I glanced over at her as she gripped the blanket in her hands so hard that her knuckles were turning white.
Her eyes were glued to the TV and if she didn’t look so damn cute in her fear, I might have laughed. Instead, I touched my hand against her thigh. My plan was to comfort her. To let her know that nothing would touch her while I was here, but all I managed to do was scare her more.
She screamed, a sound that hurt my ears and probably woke her neighbors, and she swung out her arm and hit me dead in the chest.
“What the hell was that for?” I rubbed my chest where it was now aching.
“Are you insane? You don’t touch someone in the middle of a scary ass movie. You’re lucky I didn’t kill you.” She slyly looked behind her into the dark apartment, but I saw it.
“I was just trying to comfort you.” I chuckled. “Plus, I don’t think you could actually kill me.”
“Don’t underestimate me. My fight or flight skills are insane.”
Screaming on the movie jerked her attention back to the screen, and she pulled the blanket higher over her body.
I watched her as she watched the rest of the movie. I didn’t give a damn what was happening on the TV screen.
She flashed her eyes to mine as the credits began rolling, and I needed air. Being around her, becoming wrapped in her, I needed to clear my head.
“I’m going to head out.” I stretched my arms above my head.
“What?” Her green eyes flicked around the apartment, and I had to hide my smile.
“I’m going to head home. I have to be on the job site first thing in the morning to meet the inspector.”
I stood from her couch and grabbed our dinner trash from the table before carrying it to the kitchen.
“I could get that you know.”
I gave her a look that told her not to mess with me, and she rolled her eyes before cuddling deeper into the couch.
“What time do you have to be at work?” She picked at the polish of her fingernail.
“I need to be there around seven. Why?” I threw our containers in her trash before shutting the lid.
“I just thought since it’s so late maybe you would want to stay the night.”
She avoided looking at me, and I couldn’t hide my smile.
“I’ll be damned.” I chuckled.
“What?” Her eyes jerked up to mine.
“Never in my life would I think badass, Staci Johnson, would be so scared from a movie that she would need me to stay.”
“I’m not scared.” She threw her blanket down on the couch before making her way into the kitchen where I stood. “I was just being nice since it’s so late.”
I grinned. “So, you’ll be fine if I leave?”
“Of course, I will be fine, Mason. I do live on my own you know.”
“Then I’ll head home.”
I saw the momentary panic in her face before she quickly hid it. “Fine.”
She was leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss the stubborn look off her face. Instead, I put my hands on the counter at her sides and leaned into her space.
“Just say that you want me to stay, and I’ll stay.”
Her lips were just a whisper away from mine, and I could feel the heat of her breath.
“I was just being nice.” Her eyes sparked with defiance, challenge.
“Okay. Then goodnight.”
I leaned into her and brushed my lips against her cheek. Her eyes closed and her breath hitched so slightly that I barely even noticed.
But God, I noticed.
I pushed off the counter, leaving her standing there, but as I turned away, her small hand grabbed mine.
She took a deep breath and it was easy to see she was struggling with her decision, with her stubbornness.
“I want you to stay.”
I could barely hear her words.
“What was that?” I cupped my hand around my ear and leaned toward her.
She rolled her eyes, which seemed like a constant when I was around, and said it again. “I want you to stay. Okay, ass?”
“All you had to do was say so.”
She rolled her eyes again before she huffed, and I laughed as she walked away from me and headed into her room.
And I followed her.
She started throwing pillows off the bed before she started pulling down the blanket, and I took the time to look around her room.
There was floor to ceiling bookshelves covering one wall and every inch of space filled with books.
“I knew you liked to read, but I didn’t realize you liked to read this much.” I ran my finger across the spines as I took in the titles of the books. She had every type of romance novel imaginable.
“Yeah. It’s my thing.” She climbed into the bed and pulled the comforter up to her chin.
“You have a lot of things.” I unzipped my jeans before pulling them down my legs.
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.”
“Well then I’m not going to tell you,” I smirked before pulling my shirt off.
“Why are you taking your shirt off?”
“To sleep?” I held my shirt in my hand.
“You’re at a sleepover. You don’t sleep n
aked at a sleepover.”
“You don’t?”
“Have you ever been to a sleepover?”
“Yes. Me and my buddies have sleepovers all the time where we braid each other’s hair and gossip about girls.” I dropped my shirt on top of my jeans and climbed into her bed. She was lying on her side facing me, and my hand ached to reach out and push her black hair out of her face.
“I bet you and Parker did that shit all the time.” She grinned.
“He tried, but he’s really in touch with his feminine side.”
She laughed as she turned away from me and turned off the lamp.
We were silent for several minutes with only the sound of our breathing filling the room.
“Are we going to cuddle?” My whisper broke the silence.
“No.” She laughed. “You don’t cuddle at sleepovers.”
“Well shit. Me and Parker were completely doing this sleepover thing wrong.”
She laughed as she buried her face in her pillow, but she didn’t reach out for me.
But when I woke up the next morning, her body was wrapped around mine and I reveled in the feeling before she could wake up and pull away.
Staci
It had been three days since Mason stayed over at my apartment. Three days that we had spent every day together. I was getting so used to him being in my space, and that scared the crap out of me. But he hadn’t made a single move.
Not one.
We ate dinner. We watched movies. We laughed. Then he went home.
Every single night.
He never asked to stay. He hadn’t touched me in any way that could possibly be misconstrued as inappropriate, and even though I had told him that was what I wanted, told myself that was what I wanted, it was driving me crazy.
My phone beeped on the table, and I smiled as I saw his name on my screen.
Mason: I had to go grocery shopping for you. You should feel special.
Me: I do. I know how hard that must have been for you.
Mason: It was. At least 3 different MILFs tried to take me home with them.
Me: You poor thing.
Mason: I know. They should have just put a price tag on me and put me in the meat department.
“What’s that smile about? Who are you talking to?”
I looked up at Livy before tucking my phone in my back pocket.
“It’s nothing. It was just Mason.”
She grinned, and I pointed my finger at her. “No way. Get that little smirk off your face. Me and Mason are just friends.”
She put her hand on her chest. “I didn’t say you weren’t. Don’t get so touchy.” She took a bite of her lunch. “What are you all doing tonight?”
“What makes you think we’re doing anything?” I took a bite of my own burger and looked around the restaurant.
“Well, considering I’ve text you every night this week to do something and you’ve been with him, I just figured.”
“He’s cooking dinner for me tonight.” I popped a fry in my mouth as she almost choked on hers. “Are you okay?”
“My brother”—she pointed to her chest—“is cooking dinner for you?”
“Yes,” I said cautiously.
She just nodded her head.
“What’s that bullshit. Tell me what you were just thinking.”
“I wasn’t thinking anything.” She swirled another fry in her ketchup and avoided looking up at me.
“Livy, I am your best friend. I know when you are lying to me.”
She looked up at me then and studied me. “You’re not interested in hearing what I have to say.”
I rolled my eyes. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Because I’m also your best friend, and I know you.”
“So, what? I’m not supposed to eat dinner with him. Friends can’t do that?” I felt so frustrated, but I knew it wasn’t her fault that she was just being honest with me.
“No. I’m not saying that.”
“Then what are you saying, Livy?” I pushed my hair out of my face and looked at her.
“I’m just saying that I really like this whole you and Mason thing.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Me and Mason as friends.” I reiterated the point.
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “But you seem to have to keep saying those words out loud a lot.”
“Trust me. I don’t. He’s made the point very clear.” I regretted the words as soon as they slipped past my lips.
“What do you mean?” She leaned closer to me.
“I don’t know. I think I just need to get laid.”
“By Mason?” She looked confused. Confused as I felt.
“No. Not by Mason. Hell, I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“Are you sure that you just want to be friends with him?” She asked the question without a trace of judgment, and it was one of the things I absolutely loved about her. It didn’t matter that it was her brother. Nothing mattered except the fact that I was her best friend.
“I just don’t really know how to do the whole friend thing.”
“That’s not true. You’re friends with Brandon and Parker.”
“Yes, but I’m not attracted to either of them.” I shuddered just at the thought. “They are more like brothers to me.”
“Plus, you’ve never slept with them.”
“That too.” I put my face in my hands.
“Just think about your friendship with Mason like you would with me.”
“That’s impossible.” I looked her over.
“How so?” She cocked her eyebrow at me.
“Because you don’t make my lady parts tingle when I look at you.”
“Eww, Staci.” She leaned back in her chair. “We are still talking about my brother you know.”
“Trust me, I know. But dear God.” I closed my eyes and she fake gagged.
“It doesn’t sound like you just want to be friends with him.”
“It’s not me.” I batted my eyes at her. “It’s my vagina. That girl can’t differentiate the difference between our good friend Mason and the Mason who rocked her world.”
“Then I guess you will have to be strong for the both of you.” She smirked.
“Lord help us all.”
Her laughter filled the restaurant as we finished our lunch.
I got out of my car and straightened my shirt. There was something about going to Mason’s house for the first time that made my stomach flutter. It didn’t matter that he had been to my apartment. I had the advantage there. I made the rules. But not here. Here I was in his domain.
My knuckles had barely touched the door before it was pulled open, and it left me with no time to school my features before my jaw hit the ground.
“You made it.”
I barely even heard his words. I just stared at him. Every freaking inch of him that was on display.
He wiped his hands on a towel, and I watched as what looked like powdered sugar or flour flew off his hands and landed on his very exposed abs. Abs that led down to that deep V of muscles that trailed beneath sweatpants that were slung low on his hips.
“Are you going to come in or are you going to stand on the porch staring at me?”
My gaze ran back up his body, very slowly, before finally meeting his. “Why don’t you have a shirt on?”
He opened the door wider, and I shook my head to clear it before finally taking a step over the threshold.
“I never wear a shirt at my house.” He shrugged before leaning into me. The smell of his cologne mixed with the hint of tomato sauce surrounded him, and I had to bite my lip not to groan. “But you better stop looking at me like that because we have a visitor.”
“A visitor?” But as soon as the question left my lips, a loud commotion from what I assumed was the kitchen echoed throughout the house.
“Shit,” Mason swore before taking off in that direction.
I watched as he ran through his house, and I shut the door behind me. I didn’
t know what kind of visitor he could possibly have, but there was something about it that instantly didn’t sit right with me. If he had another woman here, I couldn’t do it. I knew that we were just friends, but there was still a line.
At least for me there was.
I took a deep breath and took a step in the direction Mason had just disappeared.
Was he still sleeping with other women? The question had bounced through my head over and over the last few days.
Not that they were truly other women since I wasn’t, I don’t know, anything to him really, but the thought of him hanging out with me all evening then leaving to go sleep with someone else made my chest ache.
But I couldn’t ask him. Definitely not in front of another girl.
I stepped into his kitchen and was knocked back a step when something ran straight into my legs. Not something exactly but someone. I barely caught him before he hit the ground.
“Who are you?” He didn’t even wait until I put him back on his feet before he asked the question.
“I’m Staci.” I glanced up at Mason who was stirring something on the stove. “Who are you?”
“I’m Finn.” He picked up the ball from between my feet that he must have been chasing. “I’m Mason’s best friend.”
“You are?”
“Yup.” He bounced the ball against the ground, and it flew back up into the air. “Are you his girlfriend?”
I glanced at Mason again and noticed the small smile that graced his lips before he turned toward his sink.
“No. I’m just his friend.”
Finn tossed the ball toward me, and I caught it before tossing it back.
“Do you want to be my girlfriend?” He grinned at me, an almost toothless grin, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
I sat down on the floor, and he sat down across from me. We began rolling the ball back and forth while I contemplated his question.
“How old are you?”
“Five.” He held up his hand with all five fingers proudly in the air.
“There’s a bit of an age difference. I’m twenty-four.” I tapped my chin. “Do you have any other girlfriends?”
