Brooke moved her hand from Mason’s chest, down to his crotch and gave it a squeeze, jolting him from his position.
Ryker started laughing and pointed at Mason. “She totally ducked you, man.”
“Ducked me?” Mason said, confused.
“You know…” Ryker said looking around, but everyone had no clue what he was talking about. Ryker rolled his eyes and continued. “You know, when someone gooses you, they grab you from behind; well, she totally grabbed your dick…so she ducked you.”
Ashlin shook her head and hugged Ryker. “There is something wrong with you.”
“You want to be ducked?” Ryker asked, while wiggling his eyebrows?”
“Tell me when and where.”
“Looks like you’ve met your match,” Jake said, while holding Lexi in front of him.
“No, I think Ashlin is far above Ryker. She has class; Ryker is just…an ass,” Lexi said, while smiling.
Ryker held his chest and faked being hurt by Lexi’s words. “How you wound me, doll.”
Mason was barely paying attention to the ribbing that was going back and forth amongst his friends. How could he focus when Jax had his arm wrapped possessively around Piper’s midsection and was nuzzling her neck? Mason felt like his veins were going to pop and bleed out from the amount of fury running through his body. He couldn’t take the disgusting display of affection between Piper and Jax much longer; the scene between them was slowly eating him alive.
“Mason, were you even paying attention?” Lexi asked.
Mason shook his head. “Sorry, what?”
Lexi pointed at Brooke. “She asked you a question.”
He looked down at Brooke, who looked upset. He hated that a little piece of him felt guilty for making her upset. He didn’t want to feel bad for her because she put herself in the position she was currently in, but a little part of him did pity her. She tried so hard to get his attention; it was pathetic and hard not to feel sorry for the pleading woman standing in front of him.
“What did you ask?” Mason said gently, since everyone was watching him, including Piper.
“If you wanted to get out of here with me,” Brooke said, with a twinkle in her eye.
“Yeah! Get it on, man!” Ryker said, while thrusting his pelvis toward Ashlin, with his hands on his hips.
“You’re a pig,” Hannah said, throwing everyone for a loop.
“Jealous, much?” Ryker asked, while throwing an arm around Ashlin and pressing a kiss to her temple. Hannah rolled her eyes and walked back toward the bathrooms, making the smile vanish from Ryker’s face.
“You’re a dick, man,” Mason whispered.
“Speak for yourself.”
“So…” Brooke asked, as she rubbed her hands from Mason’s shoulders down his stomach and then looped her fingers into his waistband, slowly stroking his bare skin that she was able to expose. Mason jerked at her touch and caught Piper staring at him with fire radiating from her eyes.
Mason smiled at Piper and then looked down at Brooke. “Sure. Let me settle my tab and I’ll walk you out. I need to get some sleep anyway, if I plan on kicking this douche bag’s ass tomorrow,” Mason said, while pointing to Jake.
“Bring it man. My rookies will be running circles around your sorry ass tomorrow.”
Mason scoffed and lifted Brooke’s chin up so he could place a kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him with complete satisfaction as he turned and talked to Piper.
“Do you mind pulling yourself away for a moment to settle my tab?”
Piper rolled her eyes, placed a gentle kiss on Jax’s lips and walked toward the register, away from everyone.
Mason watched as her perfectly round ass strode toward the register. Damn, he didn’t think he would ever be able to get over the walking wet dream that was in front of him. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in vivid dark shades of red and her shirt clung to every curve of her body, making Mason’s mouth water. He knew he just had her earlier in the evening, but good God, he needed her again and Brooke was not going to satisfy that need, but that information didn’t need to be communicated to Piper.
Piper went around the bar and started pressing buttons on the touch screen register. Mason went up next to her, so he could be close enough to smell the sweet scent that permeated from her body. He was pathetic.
“How much?” Mason asked in a clipped tone; he was having a hard time masking the frustration the night had produced.
“Fifty-six dollars, not including gratuity,” she said, while not looking at him.
“Service was poor tonight, so don’t plan on getting your twenty percent.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that, maybe if you would have spent less time on acting like some ditzy blonde who didn’t know how to play pool and more time doing your job, then maybe you would be getting a bigger…tip.” Mason laced his words with malice and emphasized the word tip, alluding to the fact that she could have Mason over Jax.
“Who’s to say I even want your tip,” Piper asked, cluing in on what Mason actually meant.
“You were begging for it earlier.”
“I can hardly think what happened earlier was begging, more like you attacked my body and I had no chance to fend you off.”
“Is that right? Well, I might as well not waste my time then. I have a willing and able body ready to fucking pleasure me from my toes to the top of my God damn head. Lord knows, she’ll give me whatever I want, wherever I want and not fucking sass me about it.”
Piper’s eyes lit with fire once again, sending instant satisfaction through Mason’s body, so he continued his spiel. “And, God, does she look good tonight. Her tits are so…”
Piper cut him off. “Finish that sentence and expect your dick to be cut off.”
Mason threw his hands up in defense. “Seems like my little firecracker doesn’t want me taking another girl home.”
Piper got in his face and poked him in the chest with her finger. “I swear to God, if you take her home tonight, if you fuck her, you can kiss any chance you have with me goodbye. I don’t want that whore near you, you hear me? All she wants is your dick.”
“And what do you want?” Mason asked, trying to hold back the smile that her instant jealous rage caused him.
She dropped her head in defeat. “I don’t know what I want.” She looked up at him and her silver eyes pierced through his soul. She was no longer angry; she was upset and the look she gave him cut through to his core. “All I know is, I don’t want you near her. I can’t take it if you fuck her. I know it’s not fair of me, since I have Jax, but if you fuck her Mason, it’s over.”
Her confession took him by surprise. So she didn’t necessarily want him, but she didn’t want anyone else to have him either. How was that fair?
“Come home with me, Piper. Come home, not to fuck me, but come to spend time with me. I want to be near you, please.” Mason held his breath as he waited for her reply. If she really had feelings for him, she would spend the night with him.
“I can’t Mason, Jax is here.”
“Fuck Jax. Spend the night with me…or I spend the night with Brooke.” Mason didn’t want to have to threaten Piper, but he so desperately wanted her to be with him tonight. He needed to hold her in his arms, breathe in her scent and show her that what was going on between them was not just physical. There was a deep pull between them that was unmistakable.
“Please, Piper.”
Piper looked over at the group and then back at Mason. “Fine. I will meet you at your place. She better not go home with you.”
“She’s trash compared to you, baby. You know you’re what I want, what I need.”
“Alright. I will see you tonight.”
Satisfied, Mason walked away, grabbed Brooke by the arm and pulled her out the bar, but not before he said goodbye to everyone, even Jax. Piper eyed him and silently asked what the hell he was doing with Brooke. He gave her a quick wink and walked out the door. He wanted to m
ake it seem to everyone else that he was going home with Brooke, when in fact, he was dumping her in the first taxi he saw so he could hurry home and prepare for Piper. He wanted everything to be perfect when she came over.
***
Ryker walked Ashlin to her car once everyone left the bar. They didn’t stay out too late because they did have a game the next day and they respected their sport enough to not throw it away by partying.
Ryker didn’t know what the hell was going on with Mason and Piper, but when Piper didn’t go home with Jax, the party at the bar got very awkward. Piper spouted out how she needed to clean the bar and didn’t want Jax waiting on her; it seemed a little sketchy, but then again, Mason did leave with Brooke in tow.
Ryker felt bad for Brooke, Mason was clearly stringing her along to make Piper jealous, but the girl kept going back to him, so it was her own damn fault, in Ryker’s eyes, if she got hurt.
Ashlin and Ryker walked in silence to her car. Ryker was too busy thinking about Hannah to even come up with some topic of conversation to fill the silence between him and Ashlin. Ryker still was playing the last conversation he had with Hannah over in his head. He tried to act like the words he said to her and her judgmental tone didn’t bother him, but they did. Hannah acted out tonight in a way he had never seen before and Ryker wondered if it was because of Ashlin’s presence. Hannah seemed to tense up once Ashlin was around; he couldn’t blame her, Ashlin was gorgeous. She had grown up to be a gorgeous, brilliant woman, but she still did not compare to his Hannah. For some stupid reason, his heart was on reserve for Hannah, even though his brain and…little brain were telling him otherwise.
Ashlin stopped in front of a sporty red car a couple of blocks down from the bar. Ryker frowned at her for parking so far away.
“I don’t like you walking these streets by yourself. You should have parked closer, or you should have asked me to walk with you once you got here.”
Ashlin giggled. “Don’t be ridiculous, but thank you for your concern.” They stood there for a second, just staring at each other. For some reason, Ryker found himself tongue tied when he was staring into Ashlin’s eyes. There was so much history between the two of them. They had been through hell and back together; they were each other’s firsts for pretty much everything and the reason why they survived their shitty lives and the reason why they’d made something of themselves.
“Soo…are you ready for tomorrow and Monday?”
“What’s Monday?” Ryker asked, confusion etching his face.
“The practice photo shoot. Didn’t your agent call you?” Ryker shook his head no and Ashlin sighed. “C.C. Morris wants to do some practice shots on Monday to make sure her vision is met.” Ashlin said in a dramatic voice, making Ryker laugh. “It’s an all-day photo shoot, so she can test out different styles on us. We will be modeling her fall line and then, of course, her bedroom line.”
Ryker nodded, since he couldn’t really think of an appropriate response. Ever since he found out Ashlin was his Ashley from when he was a kid, he couldn’t get over the fact that he was going to have to be practically naked with her…again. But this time, she would be a mature woman, not a young teenager seeking love.
“Are you going to be okay with this?” Ashlin asked, as if reading his mind.
“Yeah, why not? I’m excited about the clothing line.”
“And the bedroom line…”
Ryker shrugged as he positioned his body up against the side of Ashlin’s car. She joined him.
“I mean, it’s going to be a little awkward. When I didn’t realize it was you, I was pumped because, let’s be honest, you’re fucking hot, but now that I know I will be practically naked with my Ashley, I don’t know…it just seems awkward.”
“I wouldn’t describe it as awkward, more like meant to be.”
“Maybe,” Ryker said with a sigh. Hannah’s face kept flashing through his mind, which bothered him because he pretty much blew her off tonight and he wanted to keep it that way. Maybe it was for the best if he cut ties now and possibly pursued a relationship with Ashlin, but he knew he couldn’t. Hannah was his forbidden fruit that he needed, he craved, and that he wanted. Hannah was it for him, he knew it, deep in his gut he knew he and Hannah were meant to be, but thanks to Hannah’s frosty exterior, he’d made no leeway whatsoever. She was still practically engaged to Douche McGee and he was soon to be “engaged” by the media to Ashlin. It seemed like, instead of Hannah and Ryker getting closer, they were being torn apart, inch by agonizing inch.
“You really like her, don’t you?” Ashlin asked, with concern in her eyes.
“Who?” Ryker asked, even though he knew exactly who Ashlin was talking about. He was just trying to buy himself some time from answering her question.
“You know exactly who I’m talking about.”
Ryker sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t want to Ash. She is slowly tearing me apart inside by staying with that moron and not giving me the time of day, but damn it if I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Is it worth it, Ryker? It seems like she’s serious about this other guy. Maybe you should let her go.”
“I want to believe she’s worth it, but I can’t be sure.”
Ashlin kicked a rock that was on the sidewalk and they both watched it tumble across the cement and land in a planter.
“Can I be honest with you?” Ashlin asked, as she turned toward him.
“Always, doll. What’s on your mind?”
Ashlin took a deep breath, like she was gathering all the courage she had to approach him. “When I heard I would be modeling with you, I got really excited. I flew out here so I could be with you and work with you and around your schedule. I don’t ever do that, but I wanted to make sure that there would be nothing to stop you from taking the job.”
“I like you Ryker, I miss you and I…I want to be with you again.” Ryker was taken aback. He knew Ashlin was flirting with him tonight, but he never thought she was actually serious. “But I don’t want to get in the way of your happiness and if Hannah is just that, then I want to make sure I don’t deter her from finally making the connection you so desperately want with her.”
“Ashlin…”
“Let me finish.” She held up her hand and then continued. “I will back down, but if there is any inkling that you might have feelings for me, I want you to explore them. I miss you and you are the sole reason I am here today. I love you Ryker and I always have.”
“I love you too, doll,” Ryker said, as he pulled her in for a hug.
Jesus, what was he supposed to say? Russell the love Muscle was screaming to be let out and take Ashlin up on her offer, but his heart was telling him otherwise. His body felt like it was being ripped in two. Was he really ever going to be with Hannah? Did he really have a chance? If he did, he didn’t want to mess it up by screwing around with Ashlin. Plus he didn’t want to lead her on either; that wouldn’t be fair to her. He wasn’t a dick like Mason.
“I just don’t know. I have to think about it, I don’t want to mess up our friendship.”
“You could never do that,” she said, while burying her head in his shoulder. “I lost you once, I don’t want to lose you again and I don’t want to ruin anything for you.”
“What would you ruin for me?”
She pulled her head back and looked Ryker in his eyes, piercing him with her light pools of green. “Ryker, do you realize how sexual these pictures are going to be, how kinky?”
“It’s just some lingerie…”
Ashlin laughed. “It’s lingerie, but it’s very revealing. They want us to act out scenes to capture the true essence of what C.C. wants to get from her lingerie, the feeling. I have seen some of the ideas and it’s intense. I don’t want this to ruin anything with you and Hannah.”
Ryker hugged Ashlin tight from being touched by her concern. “I appreciate the thought, doll, but right now Hannah and I are non-existent and I’ve been looking forward to modeling wi
th C.C, Morris, even if I have to shed my clothes for some of the shots. Don’t worry about it. We’re in this together.”
“You sure? Hannah might not understand.”
“Fuck it.”
Ashlin smiled and snuggled closer, making Ryker feel warm for the first time in a very long time. He wasn’t sure if it was because an old friend loved him or if it was because a gorgeous woman was hugging him, but whatever it was, he liked it. It was much better than the coldness that was radiating off of Hannah. Why would he want to be with someone who was cold and distant from him when he had a warm and caring person on the sidelines, waiting for him? He had some serious thinking to do and he planned on using all the organs in his body to make an executive decision.
Chapter 17
Mason paced back and forth in his living room. His bare feet dragged across the plush tan carpet that covered his apartment, but the feeling of the soft carpet on his bare feet didn’t register in his brain. It had been an hour since he left the bar. Piper was not supposed to be that far behind him when he left, so what was taking her so long? He really hoped she hadn’t changed her mind because that would absolutely crush him.
Watching Jax put his hands all over Piper’s body during the night was pure torture. Thank God Brooke was there to ease some of the pain that was roaring through his body. Not that he liked her, but it was easier to watch Piper make him jealous when he was doing the same to her. He knew the whole night was some kind of fucked up madness, from taking Piper in the back room, to fighting, to turning each other into insanely scary green-eyed monsters. If he was honest with himself, he couldn’t believe that Piper actually agreed to come over to his place, so her not being here really didn’t surprise him at all. It wasn’t the first time she said she would meet up with him, but then never showed.
It was midnight and he had a game tomorrow. He needed to get some sleep if he wanted to be somewhat coherent during the game. He went to his bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. As he brushed his teeth, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked…pathetic. Even more pathetic then when Brooke left him and that was a dark time in his life. He had lines around his eyes that he never noticed before and his scruff was growing to a possible beard length, which was not like him. Was he really letting a woman affect him this much?