A Step Two Close

  I shook my head again. “No, that’s fine. I will start a diary, though. Thank you.”

  Mason placed his hands on my shoulders and smiled. All the while, my mother was throwing daggers at me. “Promise me you will come to me if he becomes troublesome?”

  I nodded and smiled, but I wondered where Hunter was whilst all this was happening. “I promise.”

  Mason nodded. “Good. Now, let’s go inside and get you a drink. I’m sure you could use one now.”

  I smiled up at him. “That would be great, thank you.”

  We all marched in, and Mason made good on his promise to grab me that drink. Hunter, however, was nowhere to be found, so I thanked Mason and excused myself to use the toilet. I searched around the ground floor, and when I couldn’t find him, I went upstairs. It was when I reached the top that I heard voices. It sounded like it was coming from Hunter’s room.

  Frowning, I made my way towards the door when I heard them. “You don’t realise how long I’ve been dreaming about your cock inside me. I want you to fuck me, Hunter,” she moaned, and that was all it took for me to bolt for the stairs.

  Tears pricked my eyes as I chastised myself for being so stupid. I was letting myself fall for him. How could I have been so dumb? I shouldn’t be upset, but after our little chat, I felt a connection. Call me an idiot, but I would have sworn that it was there. Now I’ve just become one of his many other conquests. A stupid little fuck bunny that waits on his every move, wondering and hoping that it would be towards me.

  Oh, how dumb was I? I raced down the stairs, my eyes pooling with tears. What would people think of me?

  Wanting to get away, I raced inside the bathroom and tried to shut the door when I felt pressure on the other end. When I let go, my mother burst through the door with venom in her eyes.

  “You fucking piece of shit! When are you going to do as you’re told? Do you realise how embarrassing that was tonight?” She was stalking towards me, a hand behind her back. I couldn’t see what was in it, which made me nervous.

  “You invited him, Kat. I didn’t want him here. If you hadn’t invited him, none of that would have happened.”

  My mum grabbed the back of my hair and pushed me against the wall. Before I could fight back, she had a knife pressed to my throat. “You listen here, you little piece of shit. The only person that makes a scene is you. Every time there’s a problem, you’re somehow fucking involved. When are you going to learn that it’s not all about you? You’re ruining my fucking party. You’re always ruining everything!”

  She let go of my hair, but my heart was beating a million miles an hour. She looked about ready to boil. “I’m sorry,” I said, trying to placate her.

  She had a fucking knife!

  “I’ll try to be good. I swear.”

  My mother sighed. “You had better be.” Then, she did something that totally surprised me. She suddenly struck—slicing my arm with the knife. At first it didn’t register, but when I felt the trickle of blood fall down my arm, I looked and found she had sliced up my inner left arm. The cut was about four inches in length.

  When I looked back up, my mouth open, all my mum did was sigh. “See what you made me do?! Maybe that will finally teach you a lesson.” She grabbed some tissues, cleaned the blood off the knife and looked down at the blood on the floor. “Clean this shit up.”

  Then, she left, and all I could do at first was just stand there. When I thought someone could come in at any second, I bolted the door shut and went about cleaning up the mess. I managed to clean the wound, but it kept on bleeding, so I grabbed a towel and applied pressure to it. With my free right hand, I cleaned the blood from the floor, but I started crying when I saw it was all over my dress. Great. There was no way I could return to the party without being noticed after this. It wasn’t even a coloured dress of any kind. It was white, which is the worst possible colour to have on when you’re bleeding. I looked like a virgin who had just been sacrificed.

  Why? Why did this have to happen to me? Was it really too much to ask for a normal family life?

  I was still contemplating this when a huge bang at the door made me jump. I immediately heard giggling behind it and a “sorry” uttered by an unknown male voice. Great, someone wanted to bump uglies in the bathroom, and I was in their way.

  At first, I wondered what to do, but then I remembered that I could make a quick getaway up the stairs without anyone seeing me.

  So that’s what I did. Without warning, I opened the door and pushed past the couple so fast that they didn’t see me coming. All I heard behind me was, “Someone’s in a bad mood,” and then further giggling. No doubt they were making their way into the bathroom. I would have to disinfect it thoroughly before using it again.

  As I rushed up the stairs, I saw Mason, in the corner of my eye, talking to my uncle. He looked up, but I quickly disappeared from view before he saw me. Still no Hunter. His door was shut, so, no doubt, he was still entertaining the slut in there. I really didn’t want to go in my room and hear him—hear them—but I had to change, and I had to get to the hospital. By now the towel I was using was starting to get a little wet.

  As fast and as carefully as I could, I changed out of my dress and somehow managed to pull a pair of jeans and a tank top on with one arm. By now, the cut was throbbing, and it was getting quite painful. I needed something to kill the pain, but the need to get out of there as quickly as possible without being seen was far greater.

  Once I was ready, I grabbed my handbag and slowly opened the door. I couldn’t see anyone on the landing, so I slipped by and quickly tiptoed down the stairs. Why I was doing that was anyone’s guess. There was a party going on, so my footsteps would be the last thing they would hear... even if I stomped my feet all the way down.

  I got to the bottom of the stairs and was relieved that no one had seen me and that the front door was just a few feet ahead. I looked down the hallway towards the kitchen and diner, but I couldn’t see anyone. I heard voices, but that was about it.

  Wasting no time, I ran towards the door and opened it. Just as I was about to go through, I felt a hand grip my good arm. “Where are you going, Ayden?”

  Chapter Eleven

  I turned around to look at Mason at the same time as trying my best to cover my bad arm. He saw my distress and frowned. “You’ve been crying. Has that boy been bothering you again?”

  I shook my head. “No. I’m fine. I just need to pop out for a few minutes. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  I could tell Mason wasn’t buying it. He looked me over, surely noticing that I had changed, and then he tried peeking over my shoulder to see what I was hiding.

  “What’s wrong, Ayden? Let me see.”

  I shook my head, tears now welling my eyes. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. I just need to go out for a bit. I promise I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

  Mason ignored me and spun me around. He saw my arm, and his eyes widened. “Shit, Ayden. What happened to you?”

  I tried smiling, but it was an effort. “It was stupid really.” I laughed trying to make light of it. I was going to lie through my teeth, but I had made a habit out of it since my mum started hitting me. “I was trying to cut one of the melons, and I sliced through it, but I ended up slicing my arm along with it.”

  Mason pulled at my arm. “Let me see.”

  I shook my head. “Please, I don’t want a fuss. I was going to go to the hospital because it hasn’t stop bleeding. I was hoping I would be able to sneak out without anyone seeing me. I didn’t want to ruin your party.”

  Mason inhaled sharply. “For fuck’s sake, Ayden. You’re more important than any stupid party.” He looked around and then back at me. “Get in the Porsche, and I’ll take you. I just need to get my keys.”

  “It’s really okay, Mason. I’ll get a taxi—”

  Mason stepped closer to me and gritted his teeth. “Ayden, get in the car and wait for me. I won’t take no for an answer.”

  I nodded, sc
ared. When I saw him disappear to get his keys, I grabbed his arm. Mason spun round to look at me. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone.”

  Mason frowned. “Why? I don’t understand.”

  “Please, Mason. I feel embarrassed enough as it is. Please don’t tell anyone—not even my mum.”

  Mason sighed and looked away in thought. “Okay. I won’t say anything. I’ll tell your mum that an important work emergency came up and that I have to go in for an hour.”

  “But she’ll be mad at you, Mason.”

  He shrugged. “I’m taking you to the hospital, Ayden. You need to get that looked at. Now, get in the car and no more will be said.” He walked away leaving me to race toward his Porsche. Luckily, it was conveniently parked by the gate as the front of our house was pretty full with cars by now.

  I got to the door, opened it, and slid myself down into the seat. Well, I more like plonked into the seat, considering I had only the one arm. It was starting to really burn. Searing heat with pain seemed to mesh together causing one hell of a throb in my arm. Man, it stung like a bitch!

  I was just in the middle of trying to inspect it when the door flung open, making me jump. Mason got in as he pushed the button for the gate to open.

  “Thank you for this.” I smiled across at Mason as he started the engine.

  “What kind of person would I be if I let you get a taxi with your arm like that?” He looked down briefly before driving through the gate. “It looks pretty bad, Ayden. How the hell did you manage that?”

  I chuckled. “I’m clumsy, I guess.” I bit my lip afraid that I would cry and give myself away. My mum was always pretty bad with me, but lately, since Mason and Hunter moved in, she had been ten times worse. At first it was just slaps, but it had finally progressed to full-blown grievous bodily harm. I didn’t know why she was doing it. Maybe she thought I was out to ruin her relationship. Mason seemed to be a decent man. I just didn’t think he realised exactly whom he was marrying.

  Trying to get comfortable, I moved my arm and winced. Mason briefly looked over with a worried expression. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. It just hurts a little.”

  He looked me in the eyes a moment before returning his attention back on the road. “It looks like it’s hurting you a lot. You don’t need to pretend with me, Ayden. If you’re feeling something, tell me.”

  “Okay, then. It hurts like a mother-effing bitch. Is that better?”

  Mason laughed, which made me smile. “Yes, that’s better.” He paused a moment, then said, “We’ll be there soon. It’s only down the road.”

  I nodded. “Okay, but once we’re there, please get back to your party.”

  Mason sighed and shook his head. “I’m going to stay with you.” I went to say something, but he put his hand up. “Ah, that’s not up for discussion.”

  I huffed. “Has anyone told you that you’re as stubborn as a mule?”

  Mason laughed loudly. “I may have had one or two people comment on that. But let it be known that I take care of my family, Ayden, and you’re definitely becoming a part of that now.”

  I was about to respond by asking him about him and my mum and how they met, but he interrupted me. “Ah, we’re here now.”

  I shut my mouth and let Mason find a parking space. It was probably best I didn’t meddle anyway. Whatever he saw in her was beyond any logic, but he must have seen something... So, to each his or her own I guessed.

  Once parked, Mason quickly dashed out of his seat and came running around to mine just as I was trying to get out.

  Mason tutted. “And you say I am as stubborn as a mule? Couldn’t you have waited a couple of seconds?”

  I smiled. “Nah, it was about a second too long.”

  “Are you saying I have no stamina?”

  I laughed as we walked towards Casualty. “I seem to recall you had no problems there.”

  Oh fuck! Does my mouth not know when to shut up?

  When Mason fell silent, my face turned as red as a beetroot. “I’m so sorry. That was really inappropriate of me to say that. Fuck, I’m an idiot.” I looked away—embarrassed with myself—but Mason pulled my chin towards him. “It’s fine, Ayden. We can’t ignore what happened between us. It’s just something that can never be repeated.”

  I nodded. “I know.”

  He saw my sigh and turned to me. “Look, Ayden, what happened between us happened, and we can’t take it back. We didn’t know that a month or so later I would meet your mother. It’s just a really fucked up coincidence.”

  I nodded. “You’re telling me.” And he didn’t even know the half of it!

  We walked into Casualty after that without another word. Mason took charge, telling the nurse at reception about my little predicament. She looked at me, saw the blood, and immediately ushered me out of the way into a room to wait for the triage nurse.

  Once we sat down and she disappeared, I turned to Mason. “I guess me sitting out there pouring blood isn’t really a good look.”

  Mason shook his head with a smile. “How does it feel?”

  I cringed as the reminder of pain set in again. “It still hurts like a bitch.”

  Just as I said that, a nurse opened the door with a bright smile. “Good evening. I take it that you’re Ayden Pearson. Is that right?” She checked her notes as I agreed. She looked over at Mason. “Is this your partner?”

  We both laughed, and I felt my cheeks redden. “No,” I answered. “He’s my soon-to-be stepfather.”

  “Oh.” She bit her lip as she sat down opposite me. “Sorry.”

  Mason laughed again. “That’s okay. It’s actually a compliment to me, I guess.”

  The nurse briefly looked over to Mason, taking in his perfectly styled dark hair and even more perfect green eyes. Yeah, she had it bad.

  I found my gaze settling on Mason, and he too looked at me a little longer than he should have. It was only when the nurse moved forward to grab my arm that my gaze dropped.

  “Right. Let’s have a look at this then.” She carefully peeled back the towel, but, by this stage, some of it had stuck to my arm, so prying it away hurt like hell.

  “I’m sorry,” she offered. “It does look pretty deep. How did you do it?”

  I laughed it off, just like I always did. “It was silly really. I was trying to cut into a melon, and it was really hard. I held it in my left hand and sliced upwards with my right. In doing so, I sliced my arm. Pretty dumb, huh?” I think if my mum wasn’t left-handed, I wouldn’t have gotten away with this as well. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that I was right-handed.

  The nurse furrowed her brows. “Hmm... It does look pretty deep. It will definitely need stitches, but first, we’ll have to clean it up.” She got up from her seat. “Come with me, and I’ll take you to the treatment room. A nurse will fix you up there.”

  Both Mason and I got up at the same time and thanked her. She then led us into a different room. One which I thought would be packed, but I was surprised to see that there was only one gentleman at the other end of the room. He had a patch over his eye, so there was no doubt as to what he was in for. I gave him a curt smile and sat on the bed. The nurse pulled the curtain to give us some privacy and told us someone would be along as soon as possible.

  I was left in deep thought about everything that had happened today. It was almost like someone invented the worse possible evening for Ayden Pearson and decided they would like to give it a shot. I mean, first my uncle, then Robert, then Hunter, and then my mum. If I didn’t feel so pathetic already, I would have felt sorry for myself.

  “Are you okay? You look... I don’t know... sad.”

  I turned to look at Mason. He looked troubled, like he actually cared. It made me feel something inside. Not in the “butterflies and love” sense. It was almost like the feeling of being wanted. Being truly cared for. It was the strangest feeling and one I hadn’t felt since my dad passed. In a sense, when he died, all chances of having a family died
along with him. I just existed in my own little world... a world where everyone seemed to want to change me in order to bend me to their will. I fought everyone along the way because I had to. I turned into the person I am today, because I had had no other choice. They gave me no other choice.

  At that moment, I was being comforted by a man I had slept with, who, surprisingly, was also coming to mean more to me than that. It was almost as if I could see what having a family truly meant—a glimpse of something I had lost along the way.

  “I want you to go home, Mason. I’m fine here by myself. I think I might just head on over to Christian’s once I’m done.”

  Mason frowned. “Why? You should come home and be with your family.”

  I have no family.

  “I just feel stupid, and I want to be alone for a little while.” I also didn’t want to see Hunter after what I had heard tonight. He expected me to come to his room, but he had another thing coming after he he’s just had his dick wet by somebody else. Prick!

  “No one’s going to judge you, Ayden.”

  “Is Pete staying with us?”

  Mason’s features changed. His concerned face grew hard as he sucked in a breath. “He did drop hints about it, but I made an excuse about rooms being decorated.”

  I frowned. “Is that true?”

  He shook his head. “No, but I guess I’m going to have to make it look as though we are now.”

  “Why?”

  Mason inhaled sharply again. “Because, I saw the way he was around you.” He sighed. “Ayden, is there something you want to tell me?”

  I looked at him silently for a moment, but then a pull of the curtain broke the spell. I guess I was saved, but I doubt it would be for long. Mason knew I was acting strangely, but I would be damned if I was going back to the scene of the crime so soon. My mother might decide to pretty up my other arm for me.

  With all conversations on hold, the nurse cleaned up my wound, gave me a local anaesthetic—one that killed—and, in the end, I had needed eighteen stitches. Yeah, my mum had done a good job.

  Afterwards, I was bandaged, told to take ibuprofen and paracetamol for the pain, and given an appointment to come back in ten days to have the stitches removed.