Southern Seduction

by Alcorn, N. A.

  “Lacey, you’re going to have to be really creative to find a way to let him down easy. This could break him.”

  “What?” I ask when suddenly it dawns on me that Hunter really doesn’t have a clue about my relationship with Mason. (And it doesn’t even scare me to call it a relationship at this point.)

  It isn’t Mason I have to let down easy at all.

  “You should know a few things.” I start preparing myself to end things with Hunter. “I spend every night talking to Mason. In a way, I know him better than I do you. You fall asleep and he and I stay awake for hours. Hunter, he’s amazing. He gets me and believes in me and trusts me. He’s quiet, but the way he looks at me says more than his words could ever express. The best part is I look at him the same way. From the very first night, my connection with Mason has been intense. I recognized something in him right away. I’ve just been too scared to admit it. ” I confess it all. I don’t want to hurt Hunter, but if he has some delusional idea that he and I have anything close to what Mason and I have, I need to crush it now.

  “No, Lacey.” I know he wasn’t expecting that answer. I also know it’s killing him to hear.

  “Hunter, I need to go find him.”

  “So what does that mean? Are you breaking up with me?” he asks, tossing his hands out to the side. The hurt can’t be hidden on his beautiful face. “Damn it, Lacey. Can’t you see I want to be with you? Just me and you. I want us to form that bond that you think you have with Mason. Lacey, I’m fucking crazy about you, but if I tell you I love you now, I’ll sound like an ass. I want to say it when you can appreciate it and not when it sounds like I’m just saying it to compete with my best friend. I want you, Lacey. Stay with me.” He moves to grab me, but for the first time, I move away from Hunter Coy.

  “Mason needs me,” I say quietly.

  He barks out a laugh. “No he doesn’t! Mason is a loner, always has been. He doesn’t attach himself to people. He may have had a shit past, but that’s not why he’s quiet and likes to watch. He watches because he is trying to figure out how to make things better. He’s a trainer through and through. He trains things, Lacey. He takes them in a raw form and molds them into something beautiful. He’s going to mold you and try to change you. And when he is done, he will walk away and consider it a job well done. I’m the only person he has ever stuck with. He doesn’t need you, Lacey. ” Two months ago, his words would have terrified me. Hell, two hours ago they would have had me on the run. But now that I think Mason loves me, I’m blind to anything but that.

  “Well none of that matters, because I need him,” I say matter-of-factly.

  And with that, I turn away from an amazing sure thing. I have no doubt that Hunter loves me. I’m not blind. And on a scale of one to ten, Hunter Coy is an off-the-charts catch. He’s kind and loyal and would probably spend the rest of his life taking care of me. The only thing he isn’t…is Mason Wynn.

  I rush around the corner of the building, hoping to catch a cab back to Mason’s place when, suddenly, I stumble. I barely catch my balance as I try to figure out what tripped me. I look back and can faintly make out a silhouette sitting against the wall. His knees are pulled up, his head cradled in his hands.

  “Mase?” I ask, heading back in his direction. “What are you doing?”

  “I promised you I’d never leave. I couldn’t stand there any longer, but I couldn’t just leave either.”

  “So you’ve just been sitting here eavesdropping?” I try to make a joke as I squat down next to him.

  “Pretty much.” He finally lifts his eyes to mine, and the fear and pain inside them forces me to my ass beside him.

  “Jesus, are you okay?”

  “Not even close.”

  “Mason…”

  “I can’t go back to that, Lace. I can’t watch him touch you. He’s my best friend, and I have hated him every minute since he said he wanted to take you away from me. I can’t live wrapped up in that kind of hate, but I also don’t think I can live without you. I’m sorry if that’s what you want, but I can’t do it anymore.”

  “I don’t want that either. I thought you said you were listening?” I scoot in close to him. He’s made no attempt to touch me, but I need to touch him. I rest my head on his shoulder, and he gently leans his down on top of it.

  “I was listening, but you didn’t have a chance to hear me.”

  “So was Hunter, right?” I ask, begging for the answer.

  He lets out a loud breath. “Yeah, pretty much spot-on. Well, except for the whole trainer bit. That was a stretch, even for him. I don’t want to change you, and obviously I won’t leave.” He shrugs.

  My heart begins to race over the fact that this could actually be real. “I can see that,” I tease.

  “I’m sorry if I was a dick back there. It’s just that I’m so fucking scared you will chose him.”

  I move around to face him and kneel between his legs. I make sure his blues are looking at me. I want him to understand this and know that it’s more than just a sentence. “It was never a choice, Mase. It was always you.”

  “I…I do need you. But not for the reason you think. It’s not because I’m broken. It’s because I can’t figure out how I would even begin to move my life forward without you. I don’t want just the nights anymore, Lace. I want the days too. For once in my life, I feel like I have something I can really be proud of. I want you to be mine for everyone to see. Not hide it like it’s some dirty little secret. Is that something you think you could handle?”

  “I think I could handle just about anything except losing you.” Tears pool in my eyes as I prepare myself for what I’m going to say next. Still holding his gaze, I free us both. “Mason, I love you.”

  Without hesitation, and before I even finish, he says, “I love you, too.” I watch, stunned, as the most mesmerizing smile covers his face from ear to ear. He blows out a breath. “Oh shit, that felt good.” He starts laughing.

  I’m grinning like a fool, staring at this deliriously happy version of my dark cowboy. I begin to laugh right along with him when suddenly he stops.

  “Wait. Just so I’m not reading into anything, did you just agree to be my girl and admit that you love me and can’t stop thinking of me naked?” He flashes me an unabashed grin.

  “Yes to all of the above, although I don’t exactly remember saying that last part.”

  “It was obviously implied.” He stands up, pulling me to my feet along with him.

  “Mason Wynn, are you cracking jokes now?”

  He pulls me hard against his body. “I’m really fucking happy right now.” He kisses me hard, but the smile never leaves his lips.

  “I want to go home,” I whisper against his mouth.

  “I’m probably going to be homeless and unemployed tomorrow.” He kisses me again.

  “You don’t think Hunter would really do that to you, do you?”

  “Nah, but I think is probably for the best if we get some space for a while. He’ll eventually come around, but he’s really stubborn. If I stick around and he has to watch you and me together, he’ll eventually explode. Lacey, I love you, and there is nothing that will ever change that, but Hunter is my only family. One day, we are going to have to deal with him, but I think he needs some time before he deals with you. I’ll go by myself and talk to him in the morning.”

  “Okay.” I stand on my tiptoes to give him another kiss “Want to go back to my place tonight?”

  “Lacey, I’ll follow you anywhere.”

  “Anywhere? Because I could have a lot of fun with that!” I wink over at him.

  “Well, not anywhere.” He surprises me by pushing me back against the wall. He drags his tongue up my neck before stopping at my ear. With a deep rumble, he growls, “Sometimes I’ll lead.”

  I stand on my tiptoes again to give him another kiss. “Good. Then lead the way home.”

  “Lace, you are my home. You have been since that first morning in the barn.” He leans forward, placing a
gentle but heated kiss to my mouth. Finally, I have the answer I’ve always questioned. It’s good to know that Mason felt the connection too.

  The next morning, Mason went to talk to Hunter, but all he found was a half-empty apartment. Apparently Hunter took our ‘breakup’ harder than any of us expected. Two days later, he sent Mason a heartbreaking text.

  I love you both, but I can’t be there right now. I’m staying with a friend in Savannah for a while. I just need some distance, but you’ll always be my family.

  Mason responded, but we didn’t hear another word from Hunter. Mason broke down and tried to call him only to find that his number had been changed. It almost destroyed him not having Hunter around, but we leaned on each other as we made the transition from three to two.

  Mason took a full-time job at the university as the head trainer for the equestrian team. And a week after he got that text from Hunter, he moved out of the barn. We spent a lot of time at Mason’s new apartment, which later became our apartment. While he never asked me to move in with him, one day I came home to find all of my belongings in his closet. I wanted to be annoyed, but the shrug and smirk he gave me erased it all.

  Not everything has changed since our days back at the barn. My sister is still a bitch, and while my parents do speak to me now, it’s just not the same. Every night, Midnight Mason makes an appearance as we lie in bed together. The only difference is that he’s also there when we wake up in the morning. Actually, he’s there all the time now.

  Mason and I never used a condom again after that night outside the bar, and we made it three whole years before we had an ‘accident.’ The night I told Mason I was pregnant, I fully expected him to freak out. He stood staring at me for a few minutes before he busted out laughing. He walked into the bedroom and came back carrying a tiny black velvet box. Two months later, I married Mason in a small outside wedding with Hunter standing at his side.

  Sophie Ann Wynn might not have been planned, but she definitely wasn’t an accident. She is easily the best thing that ever happened to us. There was no doubt that Mason would be a good father, but surprisingly enough, I think I make a pretty good mom too.

  If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it’s that things rarely happen the way you expect them to. But that doesn’t mean they don’t happen the way they are supposed to. I always thought I needed two guys to make me happy, but the truth is that I just needed one exceptional man to truly savor me.

  College sucks and math is the devil. My major is Commercial Music, not math, and there's a reason for that. Math is not my best subject, but what class do they put me in? College Algebra. I barely passed High School Algebra; I'll never make it in this class. I'll have to find a tutor, there's no other option.

  On top of my math problems, I've got a new roommate. I don't know what the hell happened; I had my dorm room to myself for the entire first semester. I got a notification yesterday from the housing department saying that as of today, I will have to share. Freshman year is just getting better and better.

  Now I'm hurrying back to the dorms so that I can meet this new mystery roommate. The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get. I like having my own space, like being able to spread myself out. It doesn't help that I'm not a people person. In fact, I pretty much try to avoid people whenever possible. That's probably why I want to throw a tantrum when I reach my floor because there's a slender, dark-haired girl cussing my door. This must be her. She's about my height, at least I think she is, it's hard to tell because she's weighed down by at least three duffel bags. She has one hanging from each shoulder, and then one draped across her body. Lovely. On top of having a new roommate, I have a new clothes-hound for a roommate. The dorms don't have enough closet space for this.

  Rolling my eyes heavenward, I walk over to introduce myself but when I reach her I chicken out..

  "Problems?"

  Her back stiffens when she hears the snotty tone in my voice before she mumbles something I can't understand.

  Then, she snaps, "No, no problems at all. Just trying to get into my new room. Do you mind?"

  Great. She has just as much attitude as I do. This is going to be one hell of a semester.

  "I was going to offer to help considering that's my room you're trying to get into, but by all means, continue to curse at the door. I'm sure that will make it better." I snark; leaning against the wall and crossing my arms over my chest.

  The girl, whose name was on the letter from housing that I didn't pay attention to, blows out an aggravated breath before turning to glare at me. It's a good thing I have a thick skin or I'd be backing up.

  After the death glare, she closes her eyes before muttering,"Wonderful. Way to make a first impression there Kat."

  I can't help the smirk, if it wasn't for the fact that I hate her for interrupting my nice, solitary dorm, I might actually like this girl. Unfortunately, before I can make any smart-ass comments about her talking to herself, a herd of what sounds like elephants stomp up the stairs to join us. Now, in edition to my bitchy roommate, there are four guys standing with us. All four are taller than my 5'8" and two of them are obviously related. The guys and my new roommate Kat all have dark hair, and I'm just waiting for the dumb blonde jokes to begin. One of the must-be-related guys puts his arm around Kat's shoulders and pulls her in for a hug.

  "Who's this?" he asks her, looking over at me.

  She sighs, "Apparently, my new not-so-friendly roommate. Max, this is..." trailing off when she realizes I haven't told her my name.

  Without moving forward or extending a hand, I speak up, "Peyton, her roommate Peyton."

  "Well, hey Peyton. I'm Maxwell, but you can call me Max." Pointing at each guy in turn, he introduces the rest, "That's my brother Clay and his roommates Emmett and Wyatt."

  So, I was right. Clay and Max are both tall with brown hair and eyes, although Clay is much more rugged-looking than his brother. Max is a little too fresh-faced for me. Based on the blush Kat's had since he put his arm around her, he's definitely her type. Interesting. The other two guys, Emmett and Wyatt are also tall, dark and handsome. Emmett has a much wilder look to him. His chestnut hair is messy, and he's got more than a five-o'clock shadow going on. When I look at Wyatt though, I feel an immediate jolt. Where Emmett and Clay are rougher around the edges, Wyatt is polished sophistication. He's got light bluish-green eyes and just enough scruff to be sexy instead of sloppy. He's actually really attractive, and with everything else going on, I can't afford to be attracted to someone. I need to focus on getting my degree before my parents decide to stop paying for school.

  Trying to bring everyone back to the problem at hand, I turn back to Kat. "Are you ready to let me open the door, or are we just going to stand out here staring at each other for the rest of the afternoon?"

  Kat opens her mouth to say something, but Max cuts her off when he steps in front of her like he thinks she needs protection from me. "Hey! What's your problem?"

  Stepping away from the wall, I stalk over to stand in front of him. Jeez. He's tall and I have to tip my head back to look at him before saying, "The only problem I have is that I'd rather be in my room than standing out here with the five of you. Is that okay with you? I mean, it has been MY room since last semester."

  When I stop to take a breath, an arm comes between us, pushing Max back. Wyatt steps forward and puts a hand on each of our shoulders before turning his turquoise gaze on me.

  "Calm down Cujo. Max is just a little protective." He grins at me, showing off the dimple in his cheek, but the fact that it makes him even hotter is lost on me at the moment.

  My mouth drops open as I stare up at him in disbelief. Cujo?!? Did he just freaking call me Cujo? What. The. Fuck. Reaching up, I slap his hand away from my shoulder.

  "You don't get to touch me," I snarl at him. He backs up, eyes wide with his palms up in front of him like he's afraid I'm going to come after him. He's probably not far off. I'd love nothing more than to junk punch him for
daring to call me that, no matter how attractive he is.

  Looking around him to Max I raise an eyebrow, "Now, can I please go into my room? Y'all can fight this out amongst yourselves, but I'd like to be comfortable if I'm going to have to deal with all of you." I know I'm coming off as a serious bitch, but he and Wyatt are both pushing every button I have.

  Max looks like he's going to lay into me again until Kat places a hand on his arm. When he turns to look down at her, she murmurs, "Just let it go Max, she's my roommate. I'd rather not have her hate me."

  Too late for that sweetheart, I hated you as soon as I got that notice yesterday. I know it isn't really her fault, but I'm just not in a very giving mood right now.

  Giving me a warning glance Max shrugs, "Whatever you say Kat."

  Once they both move away from the door, I rush forward to put my key in. I want nothing more than to put my stuff down and get the hell away from the entire group. All five of them, my new roommate and her entourage, especially Max and Wyatt, can kiss my ass. I don't need this; I still have to figure out what I'm going to do about getting a tutor so I don't fail Algebra.

  Kat follows me into the room, the guys behind her. Ignoring her friends, I gesture towards the unmade bed, "That side is yours. Make sure you keep your stuff on your side of the room."

  She nods, pulling one of her duffel bags off her shoulder and dropping it onto the bed with a sigh of relief. The girl looks resigned, which isn't what I was expecting. I'm not sure why, but she looks about as thrilled to be here as I am to have her. I'm not going to ask her what her deal is though. Making friends isn't why I'm here. In fact, if I had my way, I'd be at a bigger college, farther away from my controlling parents.

  Catching the look on her face, Max doesn't hesitate to pull her into a hug. "It'll be okay doll face," he whispers into her hair, obviously unaware that I'm close enough to hear what they're saying. "Living in the dorms will be good for you. New experiences and all that shit."