by Mia Madison
“I suppose I get my fair share of attention,” I said with a shrug as he used the spatula to put the eggs on the plates I’d brought out for us. “But it’s been quite a while since I’ve even gone on a date.”
He seemed genuinely surprised. “Oh? Why’s that?”
I took the plate he held out to me and gave him a small smile as I said, “My attention’s been preoccupied for the past few months.”
We were each holding one side of the plate as we stared at each other and I was absolutely certain he picked up on what I was trying to hint at. His throat bobbed and I saw his eyelids lower a fraction. The visible reaction made me giddy inside.
“Thanks for cooking,” I said as I tugged the plate gently.
He snapped out of his daze and let go, nodding as he turned away to grab his own plate. I took a seat at the table and waited for him to join me before digging in. Nothing was said while we ate, but I could feel his eyes move to me more often than not.
The eggs weren’t enough to be much of a meal and I was grateful for it when I pushed my empty plate aside and realized I didn’t feel full. Nothing ruined a mood quite like feeling bloated by an over-stuffed stomach.
“It was excellent, thank you again,” I said, my heart quickening when he smiled at me. “But I do feel bad that I offered you lunch and you ended up cooking.”
“No worries. It’s not your fault. I appreciate the invitation nonetheless.”
Even though something was telling me it wasn’t the right time, I couldn’t help myself. I was determined to step my game up another notch.
“Is there any way I can show you my thanks?” I asked as I leaned my chin on my hand and batted my eyelashes.
Mason froze and I realized my mistake, but my pride wouldn’t allow me to move. I held my breath and waited for his reaction, thankful when it only took him a moment to recover.
Unfortunately, I didn’t like what he had to say.
“This wasn’t a good idea,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, Layla. I should go.”
“Wait!” I exclaimed as he hastily turned to leave. “What wasn’t a good idea? Lunch?”
Mason sighed. “These private lessons. I can’t keep doing it.”
“Do you mean in general or the ones with just me?” His lack of response made the answer clear enough. I folded my arms over my chest as I asked, “Is it because you’re attracted to me?”
“Yes.”
My eyes widened at the fact that he admitted it so easily, but it didn’t change anything. He carried our plates to the sink and left them there before silently stalking down the hall.
A beat passed before I chased after him. I couldn’t let him get away just as I found out he felt the same way about me.
Well, maybe not the same way. I was fairly certain I was in love with him and I wasn’t dumb enough to think that him wanting me physically was even close to being the same thing. But the physical magnetism between us had to count for something.
I waited in the hallway while he retrieved his gym bag. He froze to the spot when he saw me standing there, a heavy sigh slipping past his lips as he dropped the bag to the floor.
“You’re just too young for me, Layla. I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself for taking advantage of you if you ended up regretting it.”
“I’m twenty-one, Mason. I’m more than capable of figuring out who and what I want.”
“And why do you think that’s me?”
I might have been a little offended at the question were it not for the total disbelief in his voice as he asked. In an instant, I realized that him running away had less to do with me than he claimed.
“I don’t think it, Mason. I know it’s you that I want. And I’m pretty sure you know that you wouldn’t be taking advantage of me,” I said as I took a tiny step forward, watching his expression closely. “In fact, I think the only reason you’re hesitating isn’t because you think I’m too young. You think you’re too old.”
The way his eyes narrowed before he looked away told me all I needed to know. I was about to argue with him when he beat me to the punch.
“I know how this goes. We’ll start messing around and before you know it—things will get serious. You’ll feel special for having me so thoroughly whipped that you’ll keep going along with it until a younger guy captures your attention again.”
“Excuse me?”
I didn’t know whether to be offended by the accusation or surprised by how certain he sounded.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized as he shook his head miserably. “I just... I saw my brother go through this. He married the girl and I guess she eventually realized she didn’t like the idea of taking care of an old man. She screwed around on him for a long time before one of the guys offered her enough to leave him. It’s been three years and he still hasn’t moved on. She destroyed his heart.”
“I’m sorry about your brother. But you should know me well enough by now to know that I’d never do that.”
His head whipped to me and he angrily said, “I bet she told him the same thing at some point.”
“Oh, come on. You damn well know I wouldn’t go behind your back, Mason. I’d tell you the truth to your face—not that I’d ever get sick of you.”
“You don’t even know me,” he said incredulously, searching my eyes like he was desperate for me to agree and just let it go. Like there was even a chance of that happening.
“I know enough to like you.” It was a hell of an understatement, but I didn’t want to totally scare him off. “The question is—do you know enough to like me?”
He blinked a few times and looked down to the floor, clearly at a loss of what to do next. Hearing the story about his brother made a ton of things suddenly make sense, but I was determined to show him that I wasn’t like that.
Who could ever get tired of Mason? Thirty-seven wasn’t even old.
“Not today,” he finally said as he met my eyes, albeit a little reluctantly. “But I’ll see you soon for your next lesson.”
An argument was on the tip of my tongue, but I held it back before it could escape. He seemed so torn that I didn’t want to accidentally end up pushing him into something he truly didn’t want.
But that didn’t mean I’d let him have the last word either.
“Mason.”
He stopped and turned back to me with a great amount of hesitation.
“What happened to your brother sucks, but one couple with an age difference falling apart doesn’t mean they’re all doomed to fail. It doesn’t make it a rule.”
“It doesn’t make it an exception either,” he said softly.
“Fair point. I guess the only way we’ll ever find out is if we both decide it’s worth the risk to try.”
I was a bit surprised by my own maturity in that moment, so I left it on a good note and turned away. I smiled to myself as I walked back to the kitchen and began washing our plates from lunch.
It was at least five minutes before I heard the echo of the front door shutting behind Mason. I took it as a very good sign.
3
Nearly a week passed without a word from Mason, not that it was unusual considering we never really talked. I was hoping that giving him time and space to think about what I said would make it easier to face each other during our upcoming Saturday session.
Which was why I was so pissed off when I came home from shopping Thursday afternoon and found Mom lounging around in her yoga clothes. I hadn’t seen Mason’s Jeep in the driveway and she was covered in a light sheen of sweat. He had already come and gone.
I dropped my bags by the staircase and stormed into the living room to confront my mother.
“Have fun shopping?”
I ignored the question, clenching my fists at my sides as I angrily asked, “You had yoga without me? Why didn’t you tell me Mason was coming before I left this morning?”
She waved her hand through the air, dismissing my animosity.
“It was last minute. Colette invited
me to Spain with her for the week so I called to schedule him in for a quick session before we fly out.” She let out a dreamy sigh and relaxed back on the couch. “It was lovely. Oh and I told him not to bother coming on Saturday. Now you can do… whatever it is you do with your friends.”
My anger was growing by the second, but I held it back and clipped out, “Spain?”
“Hmm? Oh! Yes, Spain. We’ll be jetting off late tomorrow night. I’ll leave you some cash for the week.”
At least I didn’t need to ask how long she’d be gone, though I doubted she even had a firm idea of that herself. Sometimes one week turned into two, or Spain would turn into France. There was no telling with her.
“Thanks,” I sarcastically muttered before I picked up my bags and headed up to my bedroom.
Instead of going through my new purchases right away, I dropped the bags unceremoniously on my bed and pulled my cell phone from my pocket. I pursed my lips together as I scanned through my contact list and quickly typed out a text message.
-I hope to see you for the session on Saturday as planned.
I let out a slow breath after I hit send, proud of myself for being so mature about it. Only a few seconds passed before my phone chimed with a reply.
-Your mom cancelled it.
I thought back to what she said in the living room and grinned as an idea formed.
-Which is why I’ll be paying you for a private session myself.
It’s not like I even needed her to leave me money. She gave me my own credit card the moment I turned eighteen so she could take off at a moment’s notice without worrying about feeding me.
Then there was the trust fund I had finally gained access to when I turned twenty-one a few weeks ago. I was now independently rich, but it was taking some time to get used to that thought.
My phone chimed again and I grinned like a lunatic.
-Be ready at 10.
“Oh, I will be,” I whispered before shoving the phone back into my pocket and turning back to my new clothes.
The moment after Mom said goodbye to me late Friday evening, I locked the door behind her and ran up to my room. I grabbed my cell and dialed the number from memory, impatiently waiting for a voice to answer while I paced around the bedroom.
“Hello?” a groggy voice answered.
“Finally!” I exclaimed. “I need to ask you something important.”
I heard a shuffle on the end of the line and a deep, masculine groan followed by a quietly murmured apology. I waited, frowning at the unrecognizable sound that greeted my ears next.
“Sorry. I was asleep.”
“At nine o’clock? Jesus.”
“I blame Trent,” Ava muttered miserably. “Trent and the damn baby he put in me.”
“Sounded like he was sleeping, too.”
“Yeah. Whenever I feel sick, he lays down with me and rubs my stomach until I fall asleep. He must have passed out at some point.”
“Awww. You two are so fucking sweet it makes me sick.”
She ignored my comment and asked, “What’s this important question? Is everything all right?”
“Oh! Yeah, okay. So—on a scale of one to ten—how inappropriate would it be to answer the door naked when Mason shows up tomorrow? Keep in mind that my mom is out of town if that was going to affect your answer.”
There was a long pause before she dryly asked, “Are you serious right now?”
“As a heart attack.”
“You woke me up for this, Layla.”
“Which makes it all the more important that you answer me.”
She started to speak, but that weird sound hit my ears again along with a soft curse. When I heard Trent’s muffled voice asking what was going on, I realized she must have stepped out onto the patio. That explained the odd sound—it was the sliding glass door.
“It’s Layla,” she told him. “She just wants to know how inappropriate her method of seduction is.”
Maybe I should have felt embarrassed by her telling him that, but when he simply laughed, I realized it might be a good idea to get a man’s opinion on the matter.
“Put me on speaker!”
“Hold up… Okay, you’re on.”
“What’s the method?” Trent asked, the amusement clear in his voice even though he still sounded like he was half-asleep.
I repeated my question to him and rolled my eyes when he burst out laughing. Ava chided him and I heard a thud shortly after. I was beyond pleased that she swatted at him in my defense.
“I’d give it a ten. Sounds pretty solid to me. Who are you trying to seduce?”
“Her yoga teacher,” Ava answered before I could speak up.
I laughed outright at the sound of his grunt. He hadn’t forgotten the other man either.
“Wow. That was pretty much Mason’s exact reaction when I mentioned you.”
“Why’d you mention me?”
“He asked how Ava’s been doing,” I said before cutting him off when he went to speak again. “Can we please get back to the original topic? Answering the door naked—yes or no?”
“Do it,” Trent urged. “And report back.”
“Don’t tell her that!” Ava exclaimed. “You can’t take his advice, Layla. He doesn’t have the full story.”
I was beginning to seriously regret confiding in Ava about the last conversation I had with Mason. As I began to grumble to myself, she ignored me and continued.
“You know it’s just going to send him running. Don’t push so hard. You said what you needed to say—the ball’s in his court now.”
Much as I hated to admit it, I knew she was right. Giving him space to process his own feelings was the main reason why I hadn’t contacted him again. If I did what I stupidly wanted to do, it would completely defeat the purpose.
I guess I didn’t respond quickly enough for Ava’s liking because she smugly added, “You know I’m right.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know,” I muttered in agreement, nodding to myself even though I knew she couldn’t see it. “Let me sulk a little.”
“Who knows? Maybe he thought about what you said and he’ll end up seducing you.”
“Ooh! Do you think he’ll show up naked?” I jokingly asked, my voice hopeful. Trent laughed and I could picture Ava shaking her head in annoyance.
“You’re such a pervert.”
“You know it, baby.”
“I’m going back to bed now.”
“I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“Please don’t.”
“Belay that. I want to know what happens,” Trent chimed in.
“Don’t worry. All the gory details will be yours!” I yelled, laughing as Ava groaned again before quickly saying goodbye.
I ended the call and shot off a quick text before she went back to sleep, apologizing for waking her up and also thanking her for the advice. She texted me back not even a minute later.
-No problem. Let me know how it goes WITHOUT the gory details.
After sending her an affirmative response, I plugged the phone in and laid down, chuckling at myself for going to bed so early after I had just given Ava shit for the same thing.
I wanted to make sure I got a full night of sleep just in case the scenario Ava had imagined actually happened. I wasn’t optimistic enough to really convince myself that it would, but the thought was more than enough to lure me to sleep.
4
The doorbell rang and I smoothed my hair down and took a deep breath.
“This is it. The moment of truth,” I murmured softly to my reflection in the hall mirror. “Fingers crossed.”
My dreams the night before all started the same way—with me opening the door and Mason immediately kissing me. Ava’s comment had caused my brain to create a fantasy I found pretty ridiculous, but I still couldn’t shake it.
I wanted it to be real.
I wanted it to happen just like I envisioned.
The doorbell rang once again and I couldn’t put it off any longer. It
felt like I was walking through quicksand in my trek to the front door. Everything moved in slow motion—even the door itself as I twisted the locks and pulled it open.
Mason looked more glorious than ever—or maybe that was just my insane fantasy playing out in my head as I imagined we were in a movie. Unfortunately, this was reality.
“Hey,” he said, his voice confused. His eyebrows drew together as I stared blankly at him and he softly asked, “You gonna let me in?”
“Of course,” I breathed out, disappointed beyond belief. I forced a smile as I stepped aside.
“You okay?”
He looked me up and down after he spoke, the concern clear in his eyes.
“Yeah,” I said even though my heart obviously wasn’t in it. “Never better.”
Mason didn’t buy it, but I didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. I began walking down the hall and into the exercise room, listening to the sound of his footsteps trailing behind.
I set up my yoga mat while I silently cursed Ava for putting the thought into my head that ended up devastating me. Caught up in my internal monologue of what I planned to say to her the next time I saw her, I didn’t notice Mason cautiously approaching.
“I thought about what you said.”
I blinked a few times before looking up at him. I tried to school my expression into something neutral while I waited for him to continue. He let out an awkward laugh and looked away.
“If I’m being honest, I haven’t thought of much else since we had that talk,” he admitted as I slowly rose to my feet. “I even called my brother to see how he was doing. We haven’t talked in a few months.”
“How is he?”
“Better than last time I talked to him. It’s funny. Even after everything he’s been through, he still said pretty much exactly what you did. That what happened between them wasn’t the exception or the rule. That I’d only know if I gave it a try.”
There was an intense look in his eyes as he shifted his gaze back to me. My breath caught in my throat and I felt my heart hammer as he took a step closer.
