Page 3 of Boundaries

Mason didn’t like that I’d sassed him, and he unfolded his body, bent over, and hauled me up by my arms.

"Get your grubby paws off me before I thump you!"

"I don’t think so, you little cow." He paused to moodily clear his throat. "Take it back, now!" he boomed. He didn’t like to lose face in front of his younger brother. I stuck my tongue out, and his eyes narrowed, following the movement.

My training from Daddy kicked in, and I attempted to knee him in his thingy, but he blocked me with his leg.

After another frantic wiggle, I managed to stamp on his toe, and he grunted, hauling me closer to his lanky bulk, his hands tightening on my arms. Tears shot into my eyes, and I struggled against him.

He was so much taller than me, that my neck touched my back; it had flipped over so far. The tangled mess that was my hair fell over my shoulders as he shook me, hard, once. The movement caused my teeth to rattle, and I almost bit my tongue. Again, this encouraged further moisture from my eyes. The looming blubs started to creep forward, and there was nothing I could do to stop them.

"Don’t start snivelling; you cry baby, you were fine a minute ago," Mason snarled.

"Let’s chuck her off our property, Mase!" Boyd huffed, egging his brother on.

I suddenly felt properly ganged up on, and a full-on wail fell from my throat. I was scared, and I cursed myself for that weakness.

"Please, just let go," I snivelled. "I won’t tell my dad or anything."

Surely, they wouldn’t rough me up? I was a girl! Boys weren’t allowed to hit girls; doing that turned them into sissies!

Mason watched me in silence for several seconds, his gaze searching my face. I peered helplessly up at him, and his grip loosened on my arms, the balls of my feet sinking into the ground. A dart of relief jetted into me.

As he stared down into my eyes, I saw his expression soften, and I took my chances, catching him off guard. My second wind hit me like a hurricane.

And that was the first time I kicked Mason McKenna directly in the balls.

One

Boundaries

noun

A line which marks the limits of an area; a dividing line.

The Present

“What the fuck do you want?”

There was no doubt about it. Even though we were now adults, Mason McKenna was still a giant dick.

I exhaled moodily. The realisation that my good day was about to nose dive was like ordering a Big Mac, but being served with a shit sandwich.

What the heck was Mason doing there? Mattie had told me that Mason had gone to the Royal Norfolk Show with his parents. Something he did, every year. So why the fuck was I now looking at that smug, too-handsome-for-his-own-good face? My palms itched. How I’d love to break that perfect nose. Knock something off-kilter. Give the other blokes a fighting chance.

Mason McKenna was annoying. There was no doubt about that, but whilst his personality was lacking, his sex appeal was not.

It was just my luck that this McKenna wasn’t where he should have been. I quickly scanned the area. At least Mason was alone, and none of his friends or brothers were there to back him up. I couldn’t deal with them all in one serving, it was just too much.

After hearing some troubling news about my younger sister and this boy’s brother, I was there to see Boyd McKenna alone. I would probably have to abort my mission now, as getting past Mason wouldn’t be easy. It’s not like I could just breeze past the guy.

My eyes zoomed in on the tower of confidence before me, but I was unimpressed. Mason walked the earth as if he owned it. And most people believed that shit he peddled, but not I, to me the boy was a social deviant with a chip on his shoulder the size of a mountain. Yes, he was as fit as fuck, but his obnoxiousness made me see past what was on the outside. This guy was mean to the bone. His dad used to treat him like shit so go figure. Despite the beatings he’d received, Mason still had a God Complex.

It didn’t help that his younger brothers also stroked his ego. They also believed he was some type of Messiah. Both Boyd and Sethidolisedthe man. They dressed like him, styled their hair that same stupid way, and attempted to copy all his mannerisms, which they radically failed to do. No one could mimic Mason McKenna. He was unreproducible. The friends that completed his posse were also wannabees and swarmed around him like flies to shit. Whenever they were out in the village, they shadowed him like they were part of his security detail. Fucking losers.

Mason wore a heavy frown on that flawlessly sculptured face of his. “I take it you’re lost, as you know you’re not fucking welcome on our property, Amy. So why don’t you turn around and take your sweet arse home,” Mason huffed. Boy, he was in a mood. No change there then.

He had a point, of course. The sticky stuff would hit the fan if my family found out about my little trip behind enemy lines. Stepping foot on McKenna soil wasstrictlyagainst the rules. If my father knew where I was, I would be in big trouble. But I was there for a purpose, and it was important.

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