Mason

  A chuckle slipped out. At the sound of it, she froze again and her head jerked back down. Then she was muttering, “I should get going. I shouldn’t be here. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  She was about to slip away, when I blocked her. “Hey.” I frowned.

  “Stop, Mason.” Agony was in her voice now. The sound of it had me wincing. Dropping to a whisper, she added, “You’re right. You were right to be mean. I didn’t think about that. I thought they had stopped, but if you say that she noticed,” she stopped. “I can’t handle that again.”

  How bad had it been?

  “I have to go.” Then she rushed off. I was left in the hallway, wondering what had really happened just now.

  11

  PSYCHO AND THE BROUDOUS

  The girl beneath me groaned as I continued thrusting in her. Her hands fell to my hip and her eyes were closed. Her head was tipped back, exposing her neck to me and she moaned again. I thrust deeper, closing my own eyes, as I felt it coming. The build-up was the best. I was almost there and I went deeper, harder, then it was there. It was so close. Fuck. I thrust one last time, going as deep as I could, her legs lifted up from the force. They wound around my waist. Her hips rose from the bed, but then I felt her own climax shooting through her. Her walls were trembling and she collapsed. I collapsed with her, feeling my own climax ripping through me.

  Her legs were still wound around me. They slipped from my waist and rested against the backs of my legs. Her hands were still clamped onto me, but as I pulled out, she let go. She opened her eyes and raked a hand through her hair. She gave me a smile and murmured, “Fuck. That was good.”

  I nodded. “Sex is usually good.”

  She chuckled and sat up when I went into the bathroom. As she watched me wash myself off, she said, “Sex isn’t always good with everyone.” A seductive glimmer appeared in her eyes and she smiled at me, trying to draw me in. “But it is with you.”

  I snorted, coming back into the room. “Jenny, you’re good at sex. You know it. Own it.”

  A genuine laugh came from her and she scooted to the edge of the bed. I sat on the corner, but she wrapped her legs around me and wound her arms around my waist, propping her head on my shoulder. Then she nipped my skin, brushing her tongue there in a swirl, one meant to be a caress. She murmured, “I’m not a whore, Mason, but I’m not inexperienced and trust me,” her legs wound tighter and she rubbed against me. Her eyes closed and a small whimper left her lips. “You’re very, very, very good in bed. I can see why Kate’s so nuts about you.”

  I had been tempted to turn her around and slide back into her, but that feeling stopped cold at those words. She felt me stiffen and lifted her head from my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” I tapped her foot. “Release.”

  She did and when I started to dress, she frowned at me. She lifted her hands, trying to smooth down her red hair, but wariness filtered in her dark eyes. She stuck her lip out, trying to figure me out. But I kept my face blank. Pulling my jeans on, I left them unzipped and grabbed my shirt. Slipping my feet into my shoes, I headed for the door still holding my shirt. I lifted it in a salute to her. “Thanks for the fun time.”

  “Wait.” She scooted forward, making no move to cover herself. Her breasts were still perked up but she didn’t care.

  I grinned. Jenny wasn’t a new kid around the block. She was the head of the drill team and she had a sexual appetite like me. It was there, it liked to be satisfied, but she didn’t pick just any guy. We had hooked up before, but when she brought up Kate’s name, all the shit from the past few months came back. I enjoyed forgetting it, forgetting Kate, forgetting Tate, Logan’s pain, and my family drama. At her one statement about Kate, it opened a door and the real world filtered back in. Getting away for a nice lay had been fun, but the old emptiness took root in me. It knocked inside, reminding me it was there.

  I asked, “What?”

  “That’s it? You’ve stuck around in the past for another round.”

  “Not this time.” I flashed her a half-grin. “Thanks.”

  She sighed. “Okay. Just wait. I’ll dress and leave with you.” She stood and reached for her bra, giving me a good view of her tight ass. After she pulled her skirt on, she wiggled her underwear up and grinned. Her bra wasn’t hooked, just pulled over her arms so I knew she left her tits out for one last little dance for me. “Like it?”

  “I do.” I grinned. “Don’t people pull their panties on first?”

  She laughed. “I don’t know why, but it’s hilarious when someone says panties to me. It’s a thong. It’s what women should be wearing.” She became speculative. “What does Kate wear? Somehow I see her not wearing anything.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not stepping into that one.”

  She pretended to groan, shaking her head, as she continued to hold my gaze. She reached around, hooked her bra and slipped her shirt over her head, still watching me. Then she licked her lips and drew close to me. Her hands went to my waist and she moved so she was lightly rubbing against me. Her hand went to the front of my pants and cupped me. “I like this guy. He’s welcome any time he wants in my home.”

  I smirked down at her, but pulled her shirt down and rubbed my thumb over one of her tips. A slight tremor went through her. I said, “As long as your home remains drama free, my guy will keep that in mind.”

  She laughed, and I opened the door. Jenny went out first, running her hands through her hair again, but stopped abruptly. I had lifted to slip my arms through my shirt and bumped into her. Pulling my shirt over my head, I saw the problem.

  Kate was there. She was leaning against the other side of the hallway with her arms crossed and a snarl on her mouth. “Really?” There was so much condescension in her tone.

  Jenny cried out, “Really? He’s not yours, Kathryn. Get it through your fucking crazy head.”

  Kate reacted. Her eyes turned feral and she reached up, grabbed Jenny’s hair, and started to pull her head down.

  I didn’t think. I reacted and caught Kate’s arm, stopping her. It happened in the blink of an eye, no warning, nothing. Jenny’s head was two inches from the wall. She hadn’t prepared to fight, but when I held Kate’s arm suspended and she saw what had been about to happen, her eyes got big and she wrestled out of Kate’s hold.

  “You’re a fucking psycho!” She leapt at Kate, but I caught her around the waist and held her back.

  When Kate looked ready to hit her, I shot a hand out to stop her and warned, “Don’t you fucking dare.”

  She moved back with a huff. “You’re going to regret this.”

  I wasn’t sure who she was talking to, but Jenny responded first. She laughed, still trying to claw at her. “Are you sure about that? You and your friends are bullies in school, but I’ve got the numbers.”

  Kate had moved down the hallway, but stopped. She listened.

  Jenny kept going, flicking her off. “I’m the captain of the drill team. Guess how many girls want to be on my squad? Guess how many girls want to be me?”

  “Whatever.”

  “Take your fight elsewhere, Kate. You’ll lose against me.”

  “Stop.”

  She struggled against my hold, but Kate had turned the corner. Lowering her to the floor, as soon as her feet were touching, she shoved my arm off her and raked her hands through her hair. Her eyes were wild. “Holy shit, she’s psychotic.”

  I frowned. I was realizing just how psychotic she was now.

  Jenny shook her head and a hollow laugh came from her. “You have a major problem on your hands. Keep messing around with her and she’s going to get worse and worse. She’s going to do major damage to someone.” She swept a palm over her face, wiping at her eyes. “My god. I can’t believe that just happened.” Then she slashed a hand across her throat. “You and me, no more. I’m not ready to battle that crazy, not for a guy I screw every now and then. If you were my boyfriend, yeah, I might battle her, but not for what you’re o
ffering.” She started down the hallway, but glanced back before turning the corner. “You know that little friend from your class? Heads up, Kate’s got her eyes on her. You know what Kate would do to a sweet girl like that? It wouldn’t be pretty. That’s all I can say.”

  Kate was a fucking headache and I had no idea how to defuse her. When I went downstairs, she was outside with her friends. When she saw me coming, she looked ready to bolt, but thought better of it and held her ground.

  My patience was up. I wasn’t going to deal with her anymore. Grabbing her arm, I dragged her around the side of the house. There were people there, but I didn’t care. I was fed up. Pushing her against the house, she shoved me back. “Watch it. You wouldn’t want to hurt a girl.”

  “Shut up.” I barely touched her and she knew it. “I don’t need to use force to hurt someone. If you push me far enough, I will fight back and it won’t be physically. I’m not that type of guy so do not insult me again.” I stressed my words and let her see the warning in my gaze. It was real. She needed to heed it. I meant what I was about to say.

  The conversations around us quieted when they heard us, and they moved closer.

  Kate was watching them. Her unease was clear, but she kept quiet. For once. I rolled my eyes. “You listen to me because this was the last straw.”

  She snorted, folding her arms over her chest. She was trying to be brave, but I saw the fear in her eyes.

  I kept going, this wasn’t her time to smart off to me. “I don’t care about you. I might have at one point, but the farther you push things, the less I give a shit about you. You did this. You trampled our friendship into the ground. You and I are done. Do you hear me?”

  “Good luck trying to get with someone—”

  I shook my head in a forceful clip. She stopped talking and I finished for her, “There will always be someone else. Always. You don’t have the power to keep girls away from me so don’t use that card. Don’t even try to use it. It won’t work. You’re scary, but not nearly as scary as I can be. Trust me.”

  The fight was in her gaze. She wanted to fight back, threaten me, use her fists, but she didn’t. She kept it reined in. As I stepped back from her, she hissed at me, “We’re through.”

  “Good.”

  “I mean it, Mason.” I almost rolled my eyes, but I refrained. I’d let her have her say. She added, “You can screw whoever you want. I’m done. I won’t give a shit anymore because I don’t give a shit about you.”

  Then she swept a cold look at the crowd that had formed. “Do you hear that? He’s fair game. I’m out. Go ahead and deal with him, but I feel sorry for whoever does.” She ended with a last hateful look at me. “You’re broken inside. I don’t know what broke you, but they did a goddamn good job. You’ll never love anyone. Only Logan. That’s all you’ll let in. I feel sorry for whoever falls in love with you. It’s not a mistake I’ll be making.”

  She left, stalking around the house. I heard her snap out, “Let’s go, you guys!”

  “Why? What just happened?”

  “LET’S GO!”

  There was a little bit of silence after they took off and then someone started laughing. “Finally. She’s been on that high horse for too long.” Others joined in laughing and I glanced over. Her friend was there, the one that hooked up with Nate. He had his arm around her waist, but he dropped it when he saw me looking. He jerked his head in an abrupt nod and moved back a step. Parker? I think. She twisted around, fixing him with an accusing look. He never met her eyes. Then she cursed. “Are you serious?”

  She stormed away, but bypassed me on her way. As she went past me, she muttered, “You turned Kate into a laughing stock just now. Don’t think for one second that I won’t tell her.”

  I didn’t care. Maybe I should’ve, but it was becoming hard for me to care about anything at that moment. Kate. Other girls. Maybe I should’ve cared, but I didn’t. Then Nate came up to me. He said, “Logan called. He needs a ride. He’s at Quickie’s.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “I have no idea. You want me to go?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’ll go. Stay here and have fun.”

  “You sure?”

  “Didn’t your hook-up just leave?”

  Nate shrugged. “My dick’s not dipped in gold like yours, but I don’t have a problem getting girls either.” He flashed me a grin. “But if you want to go and pick him up, I wouldn’t mind sticking around and finding a new hook-up.”

  “Yeah. Have fun. I’ll get him.”

  “All right.” He paused. “You okay?”

  Was I? I shrugged. The Kate thing was a problem that I didn’t know how to reign in.

  I didn’t answer him. I didn’t know how and I didn’t want to lie. When I pulled into Quickie’s, I didn’t see Logan. Sending him a quick text, I waited, but there was no answer so I got out. When I went inside, there was still no Logan, but I saw Marissa behind the counter.

  She was biting her lip as she waited for my reaction.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Her hand shot up in an awkward wave before her cheeks grew red. She looked down and her hand slammed to the counter, spilling her water. “Oh shit.” She lunged for the napkins, knocking over another glass of liquid and then groaned. “Oh my god.” The second glass tipped onto the register and she began repeating, “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” over and over again as she looked around. “There’s no towel. Nothing. My uncle will kill me. I swear.”

  I grabbed a bunch of napkins and began piling them on top of each other, absorbing the first pile of liquid. When I had enough, I slid it over. She was still jumping in a circle, frantic, so I started wiping up the second spill. Leaning over the counter, I was finishing off the register when she squealed, grabbed her coat from under the counter, and pivoted back to me. She was ready to use her coat to absorb it, but she froze when she saw the spills were already cleaned up.

  Her hands dropped. “Oh.”

  I grinned. “It’s done. No damage.”

  “That’s so embarrassing.”

  I checked my phone. Still no reply from Logan, but I asked again, “What are you doing here?” After sending another text to him, I added, “Working a gas station at night is dangerous. You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I know. He knows.”

  “Who?”

  She was picking up the soaked napkins now. A few slipped from her fingers and fell back with a splat. When she tried picking them up again, they broke in half. “Dammit.”

  “Marissa.”

  “What?” she looked up. “Oh yeah. My uncle runs this gas station. I don’t normally work, but there was a family emergency and he asked if I would fill in. I’m only here for a little bit. He’s on his way back.”

  “Your uncle owns Quickie’s?”

  She nodded. “Yeah.” She gave up trying to pick up the napkins by hand and grabbed a trash can. Holding it beneath the counter, she swiped all the napkins into it, then groaned when she saw the puddle of liquid that hadn’t been absorbed. “These are cheap napkins.”

  I frowned. “I guess.” There was still no answer from Logan. “Have you seen my brother? I’m supposed to pick him up from here.”

  “What?”

  “My brother.” She was still focused on cleaning the counter. “You know Logan? My brother. An inch shorter and leaner than me. Is this ringing a bell?”

  She flushed. “I’m sorry. Yes. He’s in the back.”

  “In the back?”

  “He was really wasted so I told him he could lay down in the back.”

  “He’s passed out?”

  She nodded, her cheeks were red, but it spread to cover her entire face. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking nervous again. “I’m sorry. I texted Nate. Logan told me not to text you before he passed out. He said you needed to get laid so, um, I texted Nate instead. I’m sorry. I should’ve texted you or called you or I don’t know.”

  “Is he okay?”


  “Yeah. Yeah.” She started to leave the counter, but cursed and stopped. “I can’t leave. I’m sorry or I would show you. It’s just through the back door. He’s on the couch back there.”

  “Okay.” I frowned at her.

  She waved at me. “Go. Take care of your brother. My uncle is coming back now.” A sweep of headlights flashed in the window as a car pulled into the lot. “See. That’s him.”

  “Okay.” I waited until I saw a guy hurrying inside. A harassed look was on his face, but it morphed into alarm when he saw me.

  “What are you doing here?” he started forward.

  Marissa hurried around the counter and held him back. “He’s a friend, Uncle Ben. He’s a friend. That’s it. His brother is