Price of a Kiss

by Linda Kage

But he grasped my wrist, his grip gentle. When I paused to look at him, I was shocked by the concern in his gaze—as if he was concerned about me. “I’ll get it.” After urging me back down to return to Sarah’s side, he stood and loped down the hall.

  Sarah’s lashes fluttered just as he returned.

  “Hey,” Mason murmured as he rejoined us on the floor. “Welcome back, kiddo. You had a little spell there, but you’re okay now.”

  He helped her sit up and propped her back against his chest as he held the cup to her mouth and tipped it just enough to give her a drink.

  Smacking her hydrated lips, Sarah gazed around in a daze. When she saw me, she reached out her hand.

  It took everything I had not to burst into tears all over again. Taking her fingers, I moved close until my knee bumped Mason’s. “I guess my knock-knock jokes were just too funny, huh?”

  She grinned and said, “Knock-knock,” in her precious, throaty voice.

  “Who’s there?” I returned, squeezing her fingers tight.

  “Boo,” she answered.

  Together Mason and I said, “Boo who?”

  Sarah thought this was hilarious and began to cackle. She was so busy laughing she couldn’t even finish the joke to ask us why we were crying.

  Every muscle in my body clenched, afraid she’d laugh herself into another seizure.

  But Mason chuckled right along with her as he hefted her into his arms. “Let’s get you into bed, kiddo. We’re missing out on some valuable Harry Potter story time.”

  “Well, we can’t have that.” I followed them into Sarah’s room and pulled back the blankets for Mason to place her on the mattress. After the first night I’d delivered the book to her, I hadn’t read any of the series with Sarah, because it seemed like an infringement on her and Mason’s special time. But tonight, I sat on the opposite side of her as him while he cracked open The Chamber of Secrets and started chapter seven.

  Her attack must’ve worn her out, though, because she fell asleep before learning Draco was the new seeker for Slytherin. She didn’t even wish us a good night or demand hugs and kisses as she usually did. Her lashes merely fluttered closed and she was breathing heavily.

  Mason’s deep, lulling voice fell quiet when he glanced at her. Then he looked at me across the bed. My chin trembled. More tears filled my eyes. The urge to fling myself into his arms and weep actually made my limbs feel stiff and sore.

  Slowly, he closed the book. After setting it on the nightstand, he kissed Sarah’s forehead and slid off the mattress. I fussed over her a moment longer, making sure the blankets were secure and tucked in tight before I pressed my lips to her sweet, soft cheek.

  “’Night, little buddy. I love you. So much.”

  Mason was waiting for me in the hall. “Are you okay?” he asked as soon as I closed Sarah’s door behind me and turned to face him.

  I snorted and wiped at my eyes before hugging myself. “I’m not the one who just had a seizure.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry about her. She’s going to be fine.” Taking my hand, he started to lead me down the hallway toward the kitchen. “Come on. Let’s get you a drink.”

  But I resisted. “I need to clean up the bathroom. I think there’s still water in the tub and the towels are everywhere and...” Thank God, we’d already rinsed the soap out of Sarah’s hair before her attack had started.

  “Don’t worry about that either. I’ll clean the bathroom later. Just…come and sit down for a second. You look like you need to get off your feet.”

  A break did sound tempting, preferably one in the Bahamas while I was stretched out on a beach towel, watching an amazing sunset off an ocean view while a shirtless Mason served me a piña colada with a tiny umbrella in it, shish-kebobbing a stack of rum-soaked fruit.

  I blinked at him to realize he’d ushered me into the dimly lit kitchen. Instead of a colorful sunset, I saw a stack of dirty dishes sitting by the sink. Mason was most definitely not shirtless—grr—and the cup he thrust at me was full of drab, boring ice water.

  Feeling ancient all of the sudden, I eyed the glass without taking it. I couldn’t drink right now if a masked gunman held a pistol to my temple and told me to swallow or die.

  My gaze sought Mason’s desperately. I was still terrified for Sarah’s sake. “Are you sure she’s going to be okay?”

  He stared at me before shaking his head. Then his lips tilted into a soft smile, and the skin around his eyes crinkled with amusement. “You know, your eyes look really big and blue when you’ve been crying.”

  My mouth fell open. “How can you possibly think about eyes at a time like this? Your sister just—”

  “Shh.” After setting the cup of water on the table, Mason took my hand and pulled me to my feet. “Come here.”

  He tugged me to him, and I sank against his chest, clutching his shirt hard as I balled my hands into fists. Burying my face in his shoulder and seeking comfort, I held on to him for dear life. My eyes watered some more when my sore nose bumped against his collar bone, but I didn’t care. This was heaven. He rubbed my back and pressed his cheek to my temple, giving me exactly what I needed.

  “She’s going to be fine,” he reassured me for a second time. “She is fine.”

  “How do you know?” I looked up and saw blue and yellow flecks in his silver irises. They were exquisite, like reflections of the beauty within were sparkling through a magnificent stained-glass window.

  His lips twitched. “Well. I have this theory. If you love someone enough, you can make them invincible. Like your feelings for them are so strong they work as a magical shield, protecting them from all harm and pain.”

  I sniffed. “Like the protective spell Harry’s mom used to save his life from Voldemort? Her love protected him.”

  Mason chuckled and kissed my nose. “Yeah. Kind of exactly like that.”

  “I like that theory.” I lowered my head to rest my cheek back against his shoulder. “I wish it were really true.”

  Lips brushed my temple as Mason blew out a shuddered breath. “Yeah. So do I.” His voice was hoarse with emotion as his arms tightened around me, forming a protective shell as if he wanted to protect me from all harm and pain.

  I closed my eyes, soaking up the comforting warmth emanating off him. We stood there in his mother’s kitchen, embracing forever. I grew drowsy and languid. I was so drained I might have even dozed off.

  “Thank you so much for coming home,” I slurred against his chest, even more sedated by his drugging smell. He gave off some kind of clean musk that made me breathe in deeper, falling further into a tranquilized state.

  “Why wouldn’t I?” He stroked my hair, just like my mom used to do to put me to sleep after I’d had a nightmare when I was young.

  God, he was trying to knock me unconscious, wasn’t he?

  Oh, well. That was okay. I’d totally let him.

  “I don’t know,” I murmured. “I was…I was worried you were busy. With a woman.”

  As if throwing a bucket of arctic ice water all over both of us, my question broke the spell.

  Mason tensed and dropped his hand from my hair. “No.” His voice went hard. Abrupt. “I don’t get off work at the club until after eleven. I was still there.”

  “Oh.” I lifted my face, but his eyes were averted. “Well, thank you anyway. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t calmed me down.”

  He stepped back. And every place he’d been pressing against me—warming me—turned cold and bereft from his sudden absence. “You handled it just fine,” he said, though he even sounded cold. “You found a safe place for her and got help. There’s not much else to do when she’s having an episode.”

  I studied the side of his face. He couldn’t even look at me since I’d brought up his job.

  Sick and tired of being evaded like this for the past thirteen most miserable days of my life, I said, “I’ve missed you.”

  I know how pathetic I sounded. Any woman who admits t
hat to a guy who’s been avoiding her might as well just tear her heart from her chest and hand it over to him, begging, “Here, please stomp all over this and rip it into little bitty pieces for me, will you? Thanks.”

  But I couldn’t help it. The words just spilled out. I had missed him. Too damn much. It wasn’t healthy to miss anyone the way I’d missed him.

  He darted a quick glance at me, furrowing his brows as if my comment confused him. “I haven’t gone anywhere.” But he wasn’t fooling me. I saw the guilt and the misery in his stormy eyes before he turned away.

  “You know what I mean,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest because I felt too exposed. “I thought we were friends.”

  He whirled back. “We are.” This time, his confusion was genuine.

  “Oh, really?” I cocked my hip and lifted an eyebrow. “Well, friends don’t avoid friends. You’ve been avoiding me. On purpose. I still sit at the exact same table every day for lunch. And we still keep getting calculus assignments to work on.”

  “I know,” he broke in with a tortured wince as he blew out a breath. “I know. I just…” Closing his eyes, he bowed his head and squeezed the bridge of his nose before looking up again. “We got a little too close that night. I still want to be your friend, Reese. I will be your friend. I just…I need some time and space to control my…my horny guy urges.”

  He thought we’d gotten too close?

  My curiosity was killing me to find out exactly in what way he thought we’d gotten close. The horny-guy-urges comment—which, I loved by the way; I might have to steal that phrase soon—made me think maybe he was only talking about sex. But the depth of feeling in his gaze said it was more than that. It said something so much deeper than a little physical interaction.

  I wondered if the boy had just confessed he’d fallen for me.

  My heart gave a happy lurch, almost pounding its way through my ribcage.

  Needing to taunt him, just a little, I stepped forward, coming so close to him I’m sure he could feel my breath on his face.

  He stumbled back until his spine hit the wall. And when I kept closing in, he exhaled, his entire body tensing. I finally stopped with a bare inch of space between us. That familiar inch was always keeping us apart.

  “Jesus,” he breathed.

  “So you thought we got too close, huh?”

  His gaze fell to my mouth, and he appeared completely unable to look away. With a vacant nod, he murmured, “Yes.”

  “I see.” I made myself stare at his chin, since it seemed like the least likely thing to turn me on, even though the dimple there was a total turn on. “And you haven’t had enough time or space to control those pesky urges yet?”

  He gulped. I was so close I could actually hear the swallow shift down his throat. “Not…quite…yet.” Damn, he sounded sexy when he was breathless.

  I made a sympathetic sound. “Gee, I’m sorry to hear that.” Even though, I totally wasn’t. I loved knowing I turned him on. I tapped on his dimple playfully. “Make sure to let me know when they’re gone. Okay? I’m ready to have my friend back.”

  He reached out and took hold of the edge of the kitchen counter as if he needed to grab on to something to keep from reaching for me. Shaking his head, he let out a breath. “You are so evil. If I didn’t like you so much, I’d take you right now.”

  Sweet Baby Jesus. Talk about turning my panties to mush.

  The euphoria that surged through my veins was unreal. The first time I’d seen Mason Lowe, he’d been like this mythical, totally inaccessible erotic beast I probably wasn’t even fit to stare at. To be standing so close to him, actually turning him on, was so unreal and amazing I wanted to dance, and scream, and burst with joy.

  “Really?” I said. “How?”

  Heat flared in his expression. “Probably hard and fast against this wall.”

  “Hmm.” I bit my lip, trying not to react. But I stared at the wall behind him, picturing it…vividly. “That sounds…fun.” And wow, it really kind of did.

  But he was my friend, and I’d probably tortured him enough for one night. I managed a friendly grin. “I guess since we’re friends and you’re not going to take me, I’ll give you that time and space you need then.”

  I took a step back, and then a few more, retreating until the air in his lungs hissed out as he wilted his shoulders.

  Shaking his head, he murmured, “Evil, evil, evil.”

  As he rested his butt against the side of the counter, looking drained, I shrugged. “Would you really have given me a freebie just now?”

  He glanced up, his eyes swirling. “Just say the word.”

  Hot damn.

  My grin stretched wide, loving the power I wielded. I could actually make the unbendable Mason Lowe break one of his sacred rules and give a girl a freebie. “Cool,” I admitted. Scooping up my purse from the table, I remembered I’d left my phone on the floor in the hallway.

  “My phone,” I told him before I disappeared for a second. When I returned with it, he’d slunk to the table and was sitting in a chair with his elbows resting on the tabletop and his face cradled in his trembling hands.

  Tucking my phone away, I said, “I guess I’ll see you around then.”

  When I slung my purse strap over my shoulder, he lifted his weary gaze. “Are you seriously going to walk out of here right now after I just confessed my soul to you, cool as a cucumber, without reciprocating at all?”

  “What?” I sent him a blank look. Then I rolled my eyes and reached out to ruffle his amazing hair. “Mason Lowe, if you don’t know by now that I’m attracted as hell to you, you’re freaking blind.”

  He stared at me a moment before muttering, “There. Was that so hard to admit?”

  I stuck out my tongue and started for the door. “Good night, Hotness.”

  “’Night, Reese.” I heard his much softer response as I slipped into the warm night.

  I stood with my back to the closed door and my hand pressed over my heart for a solid minute. Crap, but that had taken all the willpower I possessed to act blasé and leave with my head up. I still wanted to rush back inside and get myself that hard-and-fast-against-the-wall freebie. I would love to take anything I could get from Mason, just so I could spend more time with him.

  Shaken to the core, I finally staggered to my car. Usually, I was more alert when I was alone outside at night. But I was so worried about Sarah and still utterly bowled over by Mason’s admission, I didn’t see the woman until she spoke.

  “Nice night, isn’t it?”

  I screamed and dropped my purse.

  A middle-age female stepped from the shadows in the neighbor’s yard and strolled toward me, the heels of her shoes clicking against the drive. “Sorry about that, darling. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “It’s okay.” I bent and scrambled for my purse, hoping I hadn’t spilled any of the contents, because there was no way to find them in the dark. “You just”—I gave a nervous laugh—“totally scared the living shit out of me. No biggie.”

  She laughed too, but it was husky and amused, not the least bit on edge like mine. She lifted a cigarette to her lips, the red glow from the butt brightening as she inhaled. “You seem a little preoccupied.”

  “Oh.” I cursed myself. Not paying attention to my surroundings could land me in a heap of trouble. I needed to be more careful. If Jeremy ever found me—

  Well, I didn’t want to think about that scenario.

  “Yeah,” I told the woman. “You could say that.” Or she could say preoccupied was a huge understatement. Whatever. “It’s been a…wild night.”

  “Hmm.” She took another drag. I couldn’t make out much of her appearance through the dark, but I sensed her watching me as if she had night vision and could dissect every detail.

  That’s exactly what it felt like, anyway: a dissection.

  “Are you a friend of Mason’s?” she finally asked.

  “What?” Rattled by the question, I shook my head. “N
o. I mean…” I flushed and flailed my hand, not sure how to answer. “I guess so.” I didn’t know what we were anymore. “I’m Sarah’s babysitter,” I explained.

  “Ah.” Her knowing voice said that answered everything. “The replacement for Ashley.”

  Since I remembered Dawn calling Sarah’s former evening sitter Ashley, I nodded. “Right. Are you Mrs. Arnosta’s neighbor?”

  Shifting my weight from one foot to the other, I managed a tight smile, though I was sure she couldn’t see it in the dark. I didn’t really want to stand out here all night, talking to her. But she was in no hurry to let me go.

  “I’m Patricia Garrison,” she said. “Dawn and Mason’s landlady.”

  “Oh.” The way she totally left Sarah out of that equation irritated me. I mean, seriously. Why mention Mason and forget his sister?

  Rude much?

  “Are you a student?” Mrs. Garrison asked, fishing a little too deeply for my taste.

  Not wanting to upset the woman who owned Dawn, Sarah, and Mason’s home, I nodded. “Yeah. I attend Waterford.”

  “With Mason,” she added.

  Wow, she certainly liked to bring him up. That was kind of…really creepy.

  “Umm…I guess,” I hedged. “We don’t have any classes together, though.”

  “I see.”

  I had no idea what she really saw. The entire conversation was growing way beyond my scope of understanding, so I shifted closer to my driver’s side door and found my car keys. “Well, it was nice to meet you.” I waved and smiled again.

  “You too, Reese. Have a nice night.”

  I didn’t realize until I was halfway home that she’d called me Reese, and I’d never told her my name.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Another week passed. Things between Mason and I stayed distant, and yet not. He still refused to sit with me at lunch, but we remained friends of a sort. After our talk on the night of Sarah’s seizure, our relationship morphed into friends-that-flirted status.

  On Tuesday, I saw him across the courtyard while I was snacking on cheeseburger sliders and curly fries—both of which I’m sure he would’ve stolen if he’d been close enough—and everything inside me brightened. I straightened and waved. When he returned the wave, I patted the seat next to me and gave him an encouraging thumbs-up. He smiled but shook his head and kept walking.