Page 9 of Masked in Deception
When we pull into the driveway, my cock, which has been sleeping down my pants leg on the thigh her hand is on,fucking twitches,and Margot was always too observant for her own good. Her eyes snap to the movement, then slowly rake up my body, settling on my lips for a three-count before meeting my gaze. She licks her lips and takes in a ragged breath.
“Thank you for rescuing me as always,” she says, beforesqueezingmy thigh. She digs her nails in for a heartbeat, and then she’s out of the car and scurrying into the house.
I release the breath I’m holding and let go of my white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.
“Always, Princess.”
Chapter twelve
19 years old
“Whoa, Margot, are these from Brad?” my roommate Sara asks as she walks into our shared dorm room, no doubt noticing the bouquet of assorted pink flowers that takes up approximately one-fourth of our tiny space.
“No,thoseare from my boyfriend,” I say, pointing at the small vase of red roses on my desk beside a tiny bear I’ll inevitably throw away.
“The pink ones are from my Ja…from Jack.”
Sara raises an eyebrow at me in obvious need of more explanation.
Sighing, I give her the full story. “Jack is basically like an adopted brother. Him, my two real brothers, and my dad always went above and beyond on Valentine’s Day for Mom and me. It was something Dad would do for Mom, and when I came along, he roped the boys into making sure they did it for me. Of course Dad did and still does a little something for me too, but he would let my brothers take charge of my presents. Well, Henry was thefirst to stop, years after he had moved. When Ledger and Jack went away for college, Ledger stopped as well. Jack is the only one who still remembers. He’s never missed a year.”
He’s really never missed a year. Note to self: remember to give Jack a call later to thank him for the gifts.
“Wow, that’s so sweet. I think I need a Jack,” Sara jokes, nudging me in the side with her elbow before bending over to get a better look at the bouquet.
I grab the pink diamond hanging from the necklace Jack sent with the arrangement and remember past Valentine’s Days.
When I was five, we put on aSleeping Beautyplay for Mom. Jack was obviously my prince even though he spent the whole day poking everyone with a wooden sword.
When I was nine, they tried to make me breakfast but ended up setting off the fire alarms that, in turn, activated the sprinklers in the kitchen. Dad was so mad that he made the boys eat everything they had made. They tried to apologize for ruining my breakfast, but it was worth it to watch them suffer through soggy pancakes.
When I was eleven, they decorated the entire house to be my very own wizarding academy and convinced Mom to let us all skip real school for the day so we could undertake our magical studies. There was a potions lab where we mixed fancy drinks, a class where we used fake wands to duel, and we finished our day in the yard with flight lessons. I still can’t believe they didn’t drop me off the broom I was “flying” on.
“Well, are you doing anything tonight with Brad?”
My thoughts snap back to reality, and I'm reminded that my boyfriend hasn’t told me his plans yet.
Sara picks up a card that I must have missed with the flowers. “I think this is for you!”
I smile at the same note I’ve received as far back as I can remember, and my heart feels like it’s going to explode out of my chest. I hardly think about Jack anymore, and it’s usually always in a friendly, happy way.
Not on Valentine’s Day, though.
Every year on Valentine’s Day, he asks me to be his Valentine, and every year I let myself escape into that reality, even if only for a moment.
Me:
For the 19th year in a row, yes <3
I send Jack a text, not brave enough to stomach a call with him today. There’s no way I could survive hearing his voice. I’m surprised when he immediately responds.
Jack:
:) Phew. You had me sweating bullets. Getting a little late with your response there, Princess.
Me:
Well, next year you’re going to have to work a little harder than a bouquet the size of my room and a custom pink necklace.
