by Erin Noelle
Mason led me across the parking lot to his car, a new, black Infiniti G37. The car was gorgeous, but I was actually quite surprised he didn’t drive a motorcycle, which would’ve completed the image perfectly. When I told him just that, he jokingly apologized for disappointing me in not being the “full package.”
I sighed overdramatically and teased him, “I guess you’ll do for tonight, but you’re going to need to step up your badassness if you expect me to go out with you again.” Playing along, he assured me he was going to buy a motorcycle the very next day.
We continued our playful banter over pancakes and orange juice at a local IHOP. I quickly discovered that Mason was a child trapped in a twenty-three-year-old’s body. We joked, teased, and clowned around throughout the entire meal. I had never had so much fun just eating with anyone except Evie. I wasn’t embarrassed to say or do anything around him, and I could tell he felt the same way about me. And even though we refrained from touching and kissing each other too much while in the restaurant, the physical ache I felt for his touch never subsided.
When we reached my place, Mason insisted on walking me all the way to my door. I wasn’t surprised to find Evie hadn’t made it home. I was happy for her, knowing it had been so long since she had been with a guy. I actually was a little worried for Max. The poor guy probably didn’t know what hit him once she got him alone.
Mason followed me into the living room area of the suite. “This is really nice for a dorm. It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be,” he said while looking around the place.
“Yeah, Evie’s parents paid a pretty penny for us to have the apartment-style student housing. Usually freshman don’t get these, but her mom is on some president’s council here or something, so she pulled some strings for us,” I explained. “That’s Evie’s room over there, and this one is mine,” I continued as I pointed to each of our doors. “We each have our own bathroom and then, obviously, we have our common area and kitchenette here. And that completes the tour.” I pointed it all out in my best fake, over-the-top HGTV realtor voice.
Laughing, he grabbed my hips and pulled me close to him. He looked down at me, his gray eyes twinkling, and he pressed his forehead against mine. “I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am that you walked into my bar tonight, angel. You’re like a breath of fresh air that blew into my life.”
I swatted at his shoulder. “Oh stop, you don’t have to say all that. I had an awesome time tonight. It was a night full of new experiences for me. Definitely a night I won’t soon forget.” I rubbed my nose against his in an Eskimo kiss.
“When can I see you again?” he asked. The question completely caught me off guard. I honestly thought this was going to be a one-time kind of thing. I guess my face showed my confusion, because he frowned and questioned, “You do want to see me again, don’t you?”
I quickly nodded. “I didn’t think you would want to… I just assumed this was, ya know, a one-time thing. I’m really not sure how these things work.” Suddenly, I felt extremely immature and naïve, and it embarrassed me. I looked away from Mason’s face so that he couldn’t see me blush, but he wouldn’t allow me to escape my mortification that easily.
“Scarlett, look at me. Don’t be ridiculous,” he scolded and pulled my face back to his. His eyes were warm and sincere. “You told me that you didn’t want to constantly think about or be reminded of the things you have or haven’t done, so don’t dwell on it or beat yourself up over it. Like you said earlier tonight, just go with what feels right. You’re going to make mistakes and bad decisions, so just make sure you learn from them, or otherwise the pain, stress, and heartache you endure from them was all for nothing. Okay?” His thumb was stroking my cheek, and I closed my eyes and nodded. Understanding exactly what I wanted and not disappointing, Mason covered my mouth with his in a long, sensual kiss.
After several more kisses, an exchange of phone numbers, and plans for him to pick me up the following Friday for dinner before going to the warehouse, Mason left. Tired couldn’t even begin to explain how my brain and body felt. I took the quickest shower of my life, threw on a camisole and panties, and collapsed on my bed in a self-pleasure-induced coma.
Nineteen
The alarm clock read twelve o’clock sharp when my phone vibrating on my desk woke me up. For several minutes, I just laid in my bed and stared at the ceiling, remembering the previous night and early morning hours. At just the thought of Mason, a wide smile spread across my face. His gorgeous face, his ripped body, the beautiful tattoos and piercings, his full lips…
I brought my hand to my swollen mouth, thinking about how it had explored not only his mouth but all over his body. My upper thighs clenched as the visual ran through my mind.
The phone vibrated again, jolting me from my daydream. Begrudgingly, I crawled out of bed and crossed the short distance to my desk. I grabbed the phone and read my missed messages.
Rat (5:44 a.m.) Had a great time tonight, angel. Sweet dreams
Ash (8:35 a.m.) Just making sure u made it home safe
Ash (10:07 a.m.) Let me know u r ok
Ash (10:52 a.m.) Scarlett, I’m getting worried. I knew I shouldn’t have left you there
Evie (10:55 a.m.) Scarlett, where are you? Ash is freaking out. I’m headed home now
Dylan (11:10 a.m.) Morning, don’t forget I’m picking you up early today at 5. Can’t wait to see you all dressed up. See ya soon
Ash (11:17 a.m.) I’m coming looking for you
Okay, first thing’s first. I needed to change Mason’s name in my phone. I wasn’t having a conversation when I had to look at the name Rat on my screen. I also noted his disregard to follow the proverbial three-day rul, or whatever the hell it was where you had to wait a set period of time to contact someone, so you didn’t look too interested or some stupid shit. I never quite understood the idea behind this. I mean, if two people really liked each other and had a good time on a date, why would they torture themselves in not seeing or talking to each other for several days just so they didn’t appear to be what they actually were—interested in each other.
A sound out in the main living area startled me, so before I had time to mentally address the other messages and let Ash know I was fine and he could call off the search-and-rescue mission, I went to investigate. I opened the door and marched out, still just in my tank top and panties, only to see Evie and Ash sitting at the small table, drinking coffee. I froze.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Ash once the shock wore off.
“I was worried sick, Scarlett,” he explained as he stood up and walked over to me. “When you didn’t answer my texts all morning, I just got really concerned that something happened. So I called Evie, but she wasn’t here, so she didn’t know where you were. So we agreed to meet here to see if you were just passed out, like you were, or if we needed to try to find you.” When Ash reached me, he pulled me into a tight hug. “I was so worried, butterfly,” he mumbled into my neck.
His arms that held me snug around the waist relaxed when he finally accepted I was okay, and they brushed across my bare ass-cheek. A jolt of energy surged through my body the second his skin touched mine, and his body tightened in response as well. My head snapped back and our eyes locked. We had already determined the attraction between us was undeniable, but to save my sanity, I had to be strong enough to resist it. To resist him.
As he moved toward me, I took a step back, moving away from him. Ash stopped and cocked his head, obviously surprised by my action. He took another step in my direction, but I put my arm out to stop his chest and shook my head. “I can’t,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.” My eyes pleaded with his to not push the issue. I was surprised I had mustered up the strength to tell him “no” one time. I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it again.
Ash seemed to understand what I was asking, and he nodded. He reached his hand out to my face and brushed his thumb lightly over my cheek. “I’m glad you’re home safe, butterfly. I’ll see you ton
ight.” And with that, he said goodbye to Evie, grabbed his coffee, and left.
As soon as the door closed, Evie jumped out of her chair and grabbed a pint of ice cream from the freezer with two spoons. “My bed. Five minutes. Brush your teeth, pee, and whatever else.”
Ten minutes later, I had responded to Mason and Dylan’s texts, freshened up, and sat fully clothed on Evie’s bed with a spoon of frozen vanilla heaven dancing on my tongue. She decided she would go first on rehashing her night with Max, since it was far less drama-filled and would take much less time discussing. Her story was pretty cut and dry. They went back to his place, did the nasty—which she claimed was “the best ever”—and he cuddled her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear until she fell asleep. They were awoken by Ash’s multiple calls and texts, so their time together was cut short, but they had plans to see each other again later that day. She was completely smitten with him, and I was so happy she found someone she seemed to really like. I felt bad I was the reason she was forced to leave Max, but she assured me that it wasn’t any big deal. She said she wouldn’t have wanted to miss the scene that had just occurred between me and Ash for anything.
“Which leads us to what’s going on in your head and heart, Sammy girl,” Evie said.
I raised my eyebrow at her. “Sammy girl?” I asked, moaning in delight while I took another bite of ice cream. I had never eaten ice cream as breakfast before, and I needed to do it more often. What an incredible way to start your day!
Evie’s voice brought me back to reality out of my sweet, creamy daydream. “Yeah, since you are letting other people call you nicknames these days, I thought you were going soft on the issue.” I threw one of her numerous pillows at her head. “But don’t try to change the subject. I know what you’re doing.”
“What do you want to know?” I asked her.
“Everything!” she squealed. “Ash, Rat, Dylan… tell me what’s going on with all of them!”
“Okay,” I agreed, eager to talk to her about all of the craziness swarming around in my head. “Let’s start with the easy one. Dylan. On paper, he’s my perfect guy. He’s drop-dead gorgeous. Not only is he smart, but he’s goal-driven and ambitious. He comes from what seems to be a normal family. He texts or calls me every day, and we never struggle for conversation—we get along great.” I stopped for another bite of ice cream. The freshman fifteen was starting to make a lot more sense.
“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming up?” Evie asked.
“There’s a ‘but’ with all of them. If there weren’t, we wouldn’t need to have this conversation. I’d still be lying in his bed,” I explained. “Whichever bed his is.”
“Good point.”
I continued on about Dylan. “So here’s the big ‘but.’ We have been seeing each other for over two months and all he will do is kiss me. I mean, he did more with me physically, like feeling me up and stuff, the first night we met before he knew about me being a big V. Since then, it’s like we have a PG relationship and it’s just weird. Not to mention, he can’t really think that I believe he’s gone this long without getting some from someone.”
“You don’t know that!” Evie argued.
“I only see him one day a week, Evie! He has never even once asked me to do something on a day other than Saturday. Either he’s gay or he’s fucking someone else. But the topper of all of these ‘buts’ is that I really don’t care that much. It’s not that when he touches or kisses me that it doesn’t feel good, because it does, and my body responds accordingly. I mean… look at him. You’d have to be dead to not find the guy hot as hell. But it is not even close to the way I feel when Mason or Ash touches me. It’s not even in the same universe.” I sighed in frustration. “All that being said, it is Saturday and I’m going on a date with him tonight. I at least want to give something with him a real chance. I’m going to try really hard to focus on Dylan tonight and not think about the other two, and we’ll see how it goes. Unfortunately, he’s the one I’m the least into. He is the one who’s probably the best for me and will be the one least likely to break my heart.”
“That’s usually how it is, Scarlett. Welcome to the world of dating.” Evie gave me an understanding smile. “So where are y’all going tonight?” she asked, changing the subject, and thankfully so, because I needed to get going.
“I’m not sure. He wouldn’t tell me. But it’s somewhere fancy, so I need to leave here in a bit to go buy a dress and shoes, if you want to come with. I’m actually pretty excited. It’s my first dress-up date!” I squealed. “We can talk about the other two and last night while we shop.”
“Yay! I’m so excited for you!” Evie screeched with me. “I’ll help you get ready before I go meet Max. I won’t be going to Jacob’s tonight. Are you cool with that?” she asked me.
“Of course I am. Evie, you have to live your life. You can’t always be worried about me. I’m figuring this out… kind of.” We both burst out laughing at the uncertainty of my last two words. “Plus, we aren’t going either. Dylan is going to bring me back here, since he said it will be pretty late.”
Damn, that reminded me that I told Ash earlier I would see him later that night, but I wouldn’t. Then I realized it would be the first Saturday night in over two months that I wouldn’t be sleeping in Ash’s bed, and a wave of disappointment washed over me. Not only would I miss the few hours we normally hang out together, but also the night of the week I slept the best.
As we headed out the door to her car, Evie said, “Scarlett, we haven’t even been here three months and you are already juggling three incredibly hot guys! I’m not sure if I should bow at your feet or stock up on tissues for future breakdowns or both?” She chuckled. “Better yet, I’m…”
“What did you just say?” I thought I misheard her.
“I said, ‘I’m going to try to bottle up your scent and sell it,’” she confirmed what I thought I heard the first time. “I think you must have some distinct scent that drives guys wild… like eau de purity or virtuous body splash.”
I laughed so hard I snorted. Where in the world did she get this shit?
She continued, “I mean seriously, Ash acts like a jealous, possessive Neanderthal around you and Mason dedicated a fucking mini-concert to you in front of a barful of people not two hours after y’all met. There’s got to be some virginity scent you have and we need to figure out how to bottle it up and market it. We’re going to make a fortune on Essence de Scarlett.”
By this point, she couldn’t keep a straight face any longer. We both died in a heap of giggles. When I finally stopped long enough to catch my breath, I told her, “Mason sang me those songs after I gave him a blowjob. Maybe it’s not my smell but my magical mouth.”
She shook her head at me, holding her side while still cracking up. “Come on, lover lips, let’s go find you a dress. And you bet you’re going to tell me all of the juicy details about last night. I’m not letting it go.” I rolled my eyes and opened the passenger door.
Twenty
While we shopped, I recounted all of the previous evening’s events for her. I told her about how I had purposely tried to make Ash jealous and how Mason had known. I went into vivid detail about how completely freaking amazing Mason made me feel when his hands and lips were on me, that she was right in that it was so much more intense than what I had experienced before solo. I had already told her the night before what exactly we had done, but she wanted a play-by-play, and I did my best to describe what happened.
It was when I got to the part of the story when Ash dragged me out of the warehouse that I admitted to her he kissed me when we had first gone outside. She and Mina had come outside a few minutes after us to check on me, but she had missed the beginning of our confrontation.
“So do you feel different when you kiss Ash and when you kiss Mason?” she asked curiously.
“Yes, definitely, but I’m not sure how to describe it.” I thought about it for a minute, trying to find the best way to verbalize it. �
��With all three of them, it’s different. With Dylan, I feel comfortable. We have a lot in common, so we always have something to talk about, but we never really talk about anything of substance or meaning. We are both easygoing, so we don’t argue or bicker. And when he kisses me, it’s… nice. Even when it’s supposed to be more than nice, harder than nice, it’s always just nice.
“With Mason, obviously I just have last night to go off of, but he made me feel wanted… desired… needed. When he kissed me, it was like his body craved mine and he wanted to consume me. Of course, he has the whole tattooed, bad-boy image thing going, which just enhances the excitement of it all. But even when we were just hanging out, my body constantly hummed in anticipation, wanting him to touch me, to kiss me. I mean, we got along great during the few moments we weren’t all over each other. He’s like a little kid; he’s just playful and free-spirited, but I can see how it can come off as obnoxious to some people. I like it though. He’s definitely the spice in my life.”
“So he’s already ‘in your life’?” Evie questioned my choice of words.
“I guess so, since we are going out to dinner and the warehouse next Friday,” I responded, feeling my body temperature rise as the memory of kissing Mason lingered in my head.
“Well, your calendar is filling up nicely, isn’t it, Miss I-date-every-kind-of-book-boyfriend possible?”
“Jealous much?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely.” She grinned slyly at me. “Now tell me what I don’t already know about your precious Ash, other than how proud I was of you for telling him no earlier.”
Without hesitation, I answered, “When Ash and I are together, he makes me feel cherished and coveted, like I’m the most treasured thing on earth. I’ve already told you numerous times there’s just something completely unexplainable that draws me to him. What is the saying ‘like a moth to the flame’? That’s how I feel with him. Despite what he says, I know he’s a selfish asshole who wants to be able to have his fun with whoever, whenever, while I sit at home and pine after him. He tells me to go out and live, to experience life, yada yada yada, but he doesn’t really want me to meet anyone, and I basically told him last night that I wasn’t going to do that. I told him if we were going to be friends, like he wanted, then he wasn’t going to be able to act the way he did. I thought everything was cool, and we were going to pick back up the way we had been, but then he showed up at the apartment this morning and things got all awkward again.” I had started whining toward the end of my rant.
