Page 60 of Mason
Seated with an entire galvanized bucket full of cold beer at poolside, I slowly move my legs in the water, watching the ripples created from my movement. I chuckle softly to myself, staring into space. The ripple effect Lennon has had on our lives is unreal. Every single thing she does and says has an effect on us, from the sway of her female hips to her sassy mouth. That girl… I said from the moment she moved in that she could bring down this entire brotherhood, destroy us. And after just one week, it’s already begun—fuck. I was totally on the money with my assessment of what it’d mean to have my stepsister under this roof.
Dragging in a breath, I sip at my drink and allow my mind to continue to roam. I wish I could say I didn’t care if Bear and Mason kept tabs on Lennon or not, but I do. Not only because of the agreement I made with my father, but if I dig really deep, I’d have to admit that the incident the previous day made me really fucking nervous—the lock-in incident, that is, not the three-way action I’d walked in on. That was something else entirely.
Lennon.She’s rather quickly put an invisible leash on both Bear and Mason. Bear doesn’t surprise me all that much. He was immediately protective of her, even when it wasn’t necessarily apparent. He’s had his eyes on her from the beginning. Of course, we’ll see how long that lasts when she finds out the sort of things he’s involved in.
But frankly, Mason surprises the hell out of me where she’s concerned, especially with how things began with the two of them—all the choking and rage and confusion. It’s strange the way they see inside their troubled minds, yet accept each other with all their damaged pieces, sharp edges and all. Do I think them getting friendly is the end of the tempestuous moments?Nope.I fully expect thunderstorms to brew and hurricanes to roar.
Goddammit, I want to feel the whip of her wind and the torrential rain that she brings down, need to feel her fury unleashed. I want it directed right at me. My brain goes fuzzy with the idea of having Lennon’s sole focus, no matter what that looks like.Fuck.I want her hand on my dick again. I give myself a mental shake. No. I’m not ready to admit any of this shit. Not prepared to explore where she resides in the deepest recesses of my mind and definitely nowhere close to verbalizing it to anyone else.
I finish up my beer, chuck the bottle into the recycling bin, and grab another, knowing full well that if I allow myself to think about how Lennon had looked and sounded lying naked on those mats, I need to be on my way to buzzed. Tipping the bottle to my lips, I let my internal mental slideshow rip. Flushed skin, parted lips, throaty cries, undulating hips. Screaming out names that weren’t mine. I inhale sharply through my nose before giving in to the jealousy and chugging.
I look around, noting that not a soul has ventured out here with me despite the fact that it’s September in Georgia and there’s no fucking better way to spend a Friday evening than in the pool with a drink in hand. I’ve intimidated the fuck out of everyone, scared them into giving me a wide-as-hell berth.
I suppose this is both the best and worst part of being Duke Valentine. It’s really fucking nice that people stay the fuck out of my way with one pointedWhat are you fucking looking at?stare. It’s also a little lonely. Oh, well. What the fuck do I care? I’m sure rumors are swirling about what’s caused our pack to break up and for me to be the lone wolf. When those rumors get back to me, I’ll decide whether or not I give a flying fuck.
Finishing my beer, I toss the bottle, then go for another. I glance at my phone as I twist off the top and flick it into the trash. Brothers should be making their way down here in the next ten minutes or so. Since we’ll be busy with Bear’s game tomorrow and who knows what else this weekend, I’d called a brotherhood meeting tonight to discuss upcoming plans.
They’re going to fucking riot, I’m ninety-nine percent sure—mostly in a good way, if I had to bet on it. The only one I see dissenting could be Warren, and that’s because his woman doesn’t like this sort of shit. Last year, she’d been invited to the event we’d thrown. It was a mud wrestling competition, and I swear, I thought she was going to talk his ear off with what she thought about it. Personally, if I were him, I’d have shut her up by tossing her into the mud pit with one of the girls and see what she did with it, but hey, that’s just me. If I’d been running that particular event, I’d have suggested it to him to shut her up.
It’s not more than a minute later that Arik and Quincy come through the back doors with girls on their arms—two for each of them. The six stop dead in their tracks, noting the unamused glint in my eye.Nope.My brow arches as I jut my chin at the guys. “The brotherhood is meeting out here tonight. You weren’t invited. We don’t have grunts at meetings until they prove themselves.” My lips twitch. “So, I suppose the question is how badly do you want to stay?” My gaze cuts to the patio door when the noise level goes up, distracting me. “One sec.”
More people spill outside, including Bear, Mason, and Lennon. She was included tonight only because I don’t trust her not to take off again or get herself into some sort of trouble.
I shake my head, my jaw already working. Bear’s got his big hand on her shoulder, and Mason leans close on the other side to whisper in her ear. My eyes flick to her face as she listens to him. Whatever he said, she thinks is funny because she gives him a quick grin before she goes back to sucking on another one of those fucking lollipops she likes. A zip of annoyance rolls down my spine.
I stiffen as my eyes scan over the small crowd. It’s not my fucking imagination; every dude in the vicinity is now imagining what it’d be like to have her lips wrapped around his cock because of the way she’s sucking on that candy. I scrub my hand through my hair. Not my concern if she wants to open herself up to that.
I stand up, draining most of the beer I just opened. “Everyone, gather around, so Arik and Quincy can decide whether or not they want to prove they’re willing to do what it takes to attend tonight’s meeting.” The two grunts look warily at each other. My lips twist in amusement. I’ve been so fucking caught up in Lennon, I haven’t really laid into these two properly this week. It’s time.
Bear and Mason leave Lennon as she sits down on one of the patio chairs and come over to stand with me. At least during brotherhood events, they understand we need to be a united front. I drag in a ragged breath, meeting Bear’s gaze out of the corner of my eye. His brow furrows, but he gives me a reassuring nod.
My eyes shift to Mason who gives me a half smile, but also one of his signature naughty winks. It strangely feels like an olive branch.
I let my breath hiss from between my lips. My eyes connect with each of theirs in turn.If either of them so much as says a word about Lennon grabbing my dick yesterday…And then my gaze darts to Lennon, and my chest jerks hard before I tear my eyes away from her.
I’ve got to fuckin’ get my head in the game. I clap my hands together, catching the eyes of the girls on Quincy and Arik’s arms. “Ladies.” Their eyes widen, but these four… they’re curious. It’s obvious they’re all freshman sorority girls looking to climb the social ladder here at KU. And they’re totally not staying here at Bainbridge Hall tonight.Nope.Not a fucking chance. “Yep. All four of you. Could you come here for a minute, please? I need your help with something.”
Giggling, they let go of Quincy and Arik, probably assuming they’re heading for greener pastures. I beckon them closer, ducking my head and softly whispering what they’re going to have to do to stay in my good graces. Once I’ve finished relaying my instructions, I have them turn around, facing the brotherhood. A couple lounge in chairs and some had come down in bathing suits and have gone for a dip in the pool, while the remainder sit on the edge, feet dangling into the cool water. Everyone is looking on expectantly, waiting for whatever bomb I’m going to drop on the grunts.
I crook my finger, beckoning to Arik and Quincy. “Come here, please. Stand across from these gorgeous young ladies.” I wet my lips, situating myself between two of them, casually wrapping my arms around their shoulders. “Ladies, are you ready?”
All at once, as seductively as possible, they reach up under their dresses and slip their underwear over their hips and down their legs.
“Oh, fuck yes. Best meeting ever,” Tucker hoots. “I fuckin’ love it.”
He might not love it so much in a few minutes. I smirk with the knowledge of what these two idiots will have to agree to in order to hang with the big boys.
Mason raises a brow, watching as, one by one, each girl holds up her panties. “Well, fuck.” He rubs his hand over his jaw, nodding his approval.
Bear catches my eye, his gaze narrowing. I totally read it asWhat the hell are you doing?I shrug, my lips twitching in amusement.
I feel Lennon’s eyes on me. I see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to get inside my head and see where I’m going with this. She licks her lollipop again, and my dick positively jumps in my shorts.Fuck.
“Arik, Quincy? Take two each. But be wise in your choices.” There’s a hot pink thong, a pair of purple lace boy shorts, a black-and-white polka-dot bikini pair, and another thong, only this one is black and just the tiniest scrap of fabric. My brows raise at that last one.Fucking hell, those are skimpy.And fucking perfect for what’s next. “Go on. Choose.”
The grunts step forward tentatively, possibly beginning to suspect that their hopes for how this evening would turn out were way off base. Arik glances around, searching for help. Quincy’s face is flushed, his pale skin doing him no favors. I’m beginning to wonder if the poor kid is a virgin.
“Take the thongs!” Kai shouts, laughing.
