Page 65 of Boundaries

“So, Sunday morning,” Mason suddenly started to explain and I was scared that his words would ruin the moment. The prickly Amy was still in there somewhere, waiting to react.

“It doesn’t matter now Mason,” I cut in as I traced one of the ornate taps with my toe. Mason’s thighs were corded with thick muscle, I only just fitted between them in the small space.

“It matters if it upset you,” he delivered in a soft voice.

“Really? When we’ve spent a lifetime upsetting each other,” I replied.

There was a beat of silence.

“Well, I think it’s safe to say something has shifted,” Mason defended, his tone suggesting he was also trying to figure out when and how.

I was too tired to start any conversations about what it was we were doing. Was this a sex thing like fuck buddies or were we together and all that serious stuff. That was a discussion for another time. It must have been one in the morning.

There was also the shit show that would be my parents when they found out. If they found out. I did not relish that thought. Mattie and Chrissy would be cool, as they had their own shit to deal with and Jenna already knew, in a fashion.

Deciding it was better to allow him to explain, I prompted, “So, Sunday?” twisting my head to one side. Mason ran his fingers up and down my arms affectionately.

“I got a message from Boyd to say he was at the hospital with Seth.”

This revelation made me sit forward and half turn to give him my full attention. My brow was creased.

“What happened?”

Mason scratched his jaw, his eyes searching my face.

“The doctors think someone put something in his drink and he had an allergic reaction to it,” he said.

My heart leapt in my chest, “What, where, here? At our party?” I questioned, my words falling from my mouth in panic.

He nodded his head, “Yes, it must have happened here. They stayed on doing shots until the early hours.”

A hundred questions surged to the front of my mind. OMG!

“You don’t think it was me?” I blathered. If he said yes, a part of me would die inside.

He shuffled in the water, creating a wave. “Of course not,” Mason shot out. Totally not happy with my question. Thank God.

He watched my shoulders droop. “You’ve been a pain in my side since I can remember, a provoking little witch, but you’re not vindictive.”

I nodded in agreement. Yes, I could be a bitch and spikey but I wasn’t a nasty person, not really. Most of the time, I used the mean girl attitude as a cover. To hide the fact that I wasn’t the strongest of people. Especially not emotionally.

“Is Seth OK now?”

“Yes, he’s almost fully recovered,” Mason confessed in a relieved tone. “Shit always happens when our parents are away. I was going to contact them, but he seems OK now and it would just freak my mother out. She has enough on her plate with Mitchell.

I nodded my understanding.

“Well, we need to get to the bottom of it, try and establish who did it and whether anyone else has been targeted. To be honest, there were quite a few people there I didn’t know.”

Mason agreed with me, “Yes, same here. But I will find out and once I do, they will pay. Big time. I just hope I get there before Nixon does. The guy is desperate to tear someone’s arms and legs off.” I could imagine.

I thought about that for a moment longer. To be on Mason’s shit list was bad enough but Nixon’s. Damn.

I started thinking back to that night and who was there. Maybe we could write the names down and make a list. Work through it.

Mason put his hand on my shoulder and manoeuvred me back against his chest.

“Don’t think about it now, it’s too late. We need to get to bed really,” he whispered against my neck and my skin prickled. I released a suggestive sound and he chuckled.

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