Page 54 of Mason
I let a low groan rumble from my chest. “Fuck. I lied.”
She pauses in her struggle. “About?”
I think the only way for her to listen to me at all is to— “I knew you were upset, and I followed you in here.” She blinks. I blink back. “I watched over you to make sure you were okay. Sat here and sketched for well over an hour, hoping the sleep did you some good. Please stay. I just want to talk to you.” Bringing my legs up behind her, my thighs nudge her, and she falls forward, her hands bracing against my chest.
Air gusts from between perfectly pink lips. She leans away from me, her eyes traveling my face, and I know she must be looking for any hint of a lie in my words. But there isn’t one. She wets her lips and gives her head a little shake. “Why should I listen to a word you say?”
I study her, unsure if I should allow her to know that I see her, that I know she’s a little damaged just like me. I reach up and cup her flushed cheek. “Because broken mirrors still cast reflections, and when I look at you, I see myself, Lennon.”
Her surprised exhale is audible, and she pulls back slightly, staring at me for a few seconds. I read the hesitation all over her features. Moving slowly, I put my arms around her body and pull her closer so I can rest my forehead on her shoulder. “Just a few minutes, then if you want to go, I won’t stop you.”
Her chest rises and falls several times before she murmurs, “I’ll stay on one condition. We can talk about whatever you want, but I get to ask you a question, and you can’t fly into a sociopathic rage about it.”
“Tall order.” I lift my head and tilt it to the side, studying the minute changes in her as she ever so gradually gives in—she’s breathing easier, and her entire body is more relaxed. I show her a hint of a smile. “Deal.” I lift my hand to brush a few loose tendrils of hair back from her face.
I let my eyes travel over her and rest my hands on her waist. “Bear didn’t tell me a damn thing. He’s my friend, and I shouldn’t have let you think that.”
Her lips part, brows pinching. “But—”
“Your soap or whatever. I smelled it on him. When he was upstairs with me. Put two and two together, and got one, if you catch my drift.” I pause. Her blue eyes register confusion as her forehead sets in a deep scowl. “Are you upset that I let you think that?”
“A little… I mean, you let me treat him like crap earlier.”
“Yeah. Kinda why I’m telling you. I felt bad about it. He’s my friend.”
She purses her lips. “Well, what about Duke? Did you tell him? Because that bullshit this morning was—”
“Nope. Pure coincidence as far as I know. I don’t know what to tell you there. And he and I have our own shit, which is a story for another day.”
She looks past me for a few moments, like she’s trying to decide whether to say something else. “Are you mad that Bear and I…” She frowns. “I mean, the two of us, we aren’t together, but I wondered”—she swallows hard—“like, a lot about what you were thinking this morning after you told me you knew. The things you put on my skin. I know that what I did could come across a certain way.” A shudder runs through her. “But I like sex, I like how it pulls me from my head.”
I halt her with a raised hand as I work my jaw to the side. “I think you did what felt right to you, and that’ll always be okay with me.” I shrug. “I was angry about Duke’s interruption, and really fucking pissed that we didn’t get to finish what we’d started. I also know what I drew on you was a lot to take. But… did anything happen up there that you regret? Did Imakeyou—”
Lennon looks into my eyes, the blue depths calling to me. “No. I don’t want you or anyone else asking about that again. I went up there and I made a choice to allow you to touch me the way you did. And when you laid me down, I wasn’t thinking of anything but making both of us feel good.” She leans in and touches her soft lips to mine. As she eases back, she sweeps the pad of her thumb gently over the split in my lip. “Does it hurt?”
“No. I’m fine.” And I might die if I don’t kiss her again. I need my lips on hers, need to know how she tastes. I catch the back of her neck and tug her to me, bent on proving just how fine I am. I crush my mouth to hers, and when her lips part on a gasp, I breathe her in. She’s fucking intoxicating. Her hands find my shoulders and hang on tight as I draw her closer, until our bodies are firmly pressed together. There’s not a sliver of space between us. My heart rockets around in my chest as I swipe my tongue across her bottom lip. It results in sparks of fire shooting down my spine, and my dick hardening at an incredible rate.
She sighs into my mouth, and that’s all it takes. I ravenously stroke my tongue into hers, wanting to know this part of her, too. And fuck, her kiss is just as addicting as the rest of her mind and body is for me. Lush lips, wicked tongue, and a hint of tease as we crash together over and over again. This girl, she kisses with her entire body, moaning as she grinds against my dick, hands roaming to my neck and into the hair at the back of my head. Her breasts are pressed tightly to me, and I can’t fucking help myself—I run one hand along the side of her thigh and under her dress, not stopping until I have a handful of her taut ass cheek.
I groan, coaxing her to ride the ridge of my dick. I’m consumed by her. Every cell in my body is in tune with hers, all my sharp edges fitting so perfectly with her jagged pieces.
“Mase,” she gasps out my name, her body rocking faster and faster. I grip her ass more tightly. I want my dick inside her so fucking bad, it’s all I can think about. She pulls away, her face glowing pink as she stares into my eyes, and then suddenly her gaze shifts, taking in our surroundings. “We can’t do this here.”
But the entire time she’s saying she can’t, her body continues to move over mine, dragging her clit up and down my cock. My hand slides from her ass, fingertips seeking out her panty-covered pussy. I brush them over the damp fabric between her legs. My eyes connect with hers as I withdraw my hand, fixing her dress for her. “You’re probably right.”
She heaves out a breath, lightly smacking me. “You know I am.”
So fucking pretty all flushed like this. My brain is so full of her, it’s as much a surprise to me as it is to her when I whisper, “Lennon, why do you think Duke calls you Stella?”
TWENTY-EIGHT
LENNON
I freeze,my eyes widening. “Oh, um—” Why is Mason asking me about Duke’s nasty nickname for me?
He gives me a subtle smile. “You don’t have to lie or make shit up. Or be embarrassed. I’m fairly certain I know the truth. But I want to hear it from your lips. I want to know whatyouthink.”
My brows dart together, and my fingers reflexively clutch at the front of his shirt, digging into the skin below. Is this some sort of insane trick question? Finally, I blurt out, “Stella’s—it’s where I was working to save money for school. So he calls me Stella.” Is that really what he was after? “It’s a little run-down diner that does, in fact, have the best burgers anywhere near Kingston University. It’s definitely a dig at the fact that I had to work there.” I look past him for a moment, unsure how much more to share. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this, but—”
