Page 39 of Mase
The ring isn’t a symbol of his love for an ex-lover, and while that brings me comfort, I hate the fact he’s had to endure such pain.
“Hey. I’ll keep you safe, Sum. I promise.” He whispers soft promises into my hair and strokes my back. “Don’t cry, sweet girl. I’m here for you.” His words are meant to reassure me, but they only break my heart further. They’re everything I want to hear and everything I shouldn’t. Not while holding such a dark secret.
TWENTY
MASE
Summer spentthe night sobbing in my arms while I rocked her to sleep. Something tells me my confession wasn’t the only thing that upset her, but I didn’t want to cause her more pain by asking.
That’s something I need to discuss with her, and soon. For some reason, I want to be open with her, but I want the same in return. It’s something I never had with Tara, and as much as I refuse to put a label on whatever is happening between Summer and me, I know it’s something significant.
She stirs in her sleep, and I itch to push the sheets off her and revel in the glory of her body, but she quickly rolls away from me, jumping out of bed and darting toward the bathroom.
When I reach the bathroom, I come to a standstill. She’s bent over the toilet, throwing up, so I spring into action, kneeling on the floor to hold her hair away from her face. Terror-filled eyes meet mine before she heaves again and fills the bowl. Unsure what else to do, I stroke her back, up anddown, like I remember my mom doing with me when I was a child.
“I’m here for you,” I whisper.
She nods and vomits again, and when she’s finally emptied her stomach, she turns to face me. “I’m sorry.”
I chuckle to lighten the mood and get to my feet. “Don’t be. Did you eat something? Probably the shitty cafeteria meals, right?”
“I’m not sure.”
I scan over her face, and she scrunches her nose. “I had chicken salad yesterday. Maybe it was that?”
“You should take today off.” In fact, that sounds like a pretty good idea. I can look after her while she’s sick, then she won’t be seeing that prick at her school. I wonder how long she can be off sick from a stomach bug?
She shakes her head. “No. I’ll be fine once I’ve freshened up.”
My jaw locks up, and I scan her face. She has some color coming back into her cheeks. “Are you going to be a brat?” I ask, and she blinks, then she jolts, as if realizing exactly what I mean. Which is,are you going to contact the prick today, or do as I’ve told you and stay the hell away from him?
She pushes past me and grabs the toothpaste and toothbrush. “I’ll let you spank me if I am.” Irking me with her response, she smirks.
Let me?
Her eyes meet mine in the mirror. “Can you go grab me my fresh uniform from the closet, please?”
“If you wear your hair braided today.”
“Why braided?”
“More innocent.” I shrug and decide to answer honestly. “Hopefully, less people want to fuck what’s mine.”
Her lips part, and I can’t help but chuckle as I head to her closet. “Wear the white cotton panties too. Very fucking innocent.”
“I thought men liked lace panties?” she shouts between brushing her teeth.
I scoff but know she can’t hear me. When I enter her closet, I shake my head at the vast amount of clothes on the rails. My father really did try to buy her, so why the hell did she sell her virginity to me?
“G-strings too!” she yells.
“My ex-wife wore that shit. You are not.”
I slide one of the drawers open and smile when I pick up the innocent cotton bra. Thank fuck my father didn’t have a hand in purchasing her underwear.Ew.A shudder racks through me.
“You have an ex-wife?” Summer asks, and I turn to find she’s poked her head through the doorway.
I clear my throat, unprepared for this discussion right now. “That conversation is for another time.”
