Page 119 of The Young & the Sinner

He played with my hair, and I closed my eyes, loving the way it felt. I let out a small moan of pleasure, and he paused his movement for a brief second, before picking it back up again.

“This is nice,” I said.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He kissed the top of my head, and I smiled into his shirt.

“Do you have a ton of homework, or do you want to watch a movie for a bit before I make us dinner?”

“You’re cooking?” I asked.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

I shook my head. “No. I just didn’t know you could.”

“Ah, well, Max is the cook in the family. But I can make a decent plate of spaghetti.”

“Oh, that’s my favorite.”

He winked. “So I’ve heard.”

“That sounds nice. I don’t really have anything due tomorrow, so homework can be put off for another day.”

He nodded. “Movie and dinner, it is.”

Mason put on a comedy. I wasn’t really paying attention. All I got from the movie was that the lead was played by a medium-build actor I had never seen or heard of before. I didn’t much care for it, not when Mason was sitting so close by, and not when we were finally alone for the first time in weeks without fear that Max might come home at any given minute.

Being here with him was as terrifying as it was thrilling.

By the time the credits rolled, I had missed the entire plot of the movie and the sky had darkened. I looked at Mason and I found a faraway look on his face. He obviously wasn’t paying attention to the movie either. I grabbed the remote and shut off the TV.

Mason turned to me then. “Dinner?”

I nodded, even if dinner was the last thing on my mind. There was this energy between us that I wanted to address. There had always been this energy between us, especially when we were alone, like a small hum or a noticeable silence before an explosion. But Mason was adamant that we took things slow, so we hadn’t done more than kiss and fondle each other in the dark. I thought it was because he was afraid of how I might react after the last time, when we tried to take things a little further. I didn’t blame him.

I felt myself getting stronger every day, where thoughts about Lorenzo no longer had the same effect on me as they once did. It didn’t mean all my issues were resolved. It just meant I was more hopeful that his hold on me wouldn’t always be there. That I could be a normal human being who enjoyed sex as much as the next person, and dear Lord, I really wanted to enjoy them with him.

He leaned down and kissed me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in close. I needed him closer. I would’ve burrowed myself inside him if I could.

Mason deepened the kiss and I moaned. He was very good at kissing me. I couldn’t get enough. But then I felt him pull back and knew he would stop this before it went any further.

“I should really start making dinner,” he said.

I nodded, trying to hide my disappointment. When he finally left to the kitchen, I sagged against the couch and let out a sigh. This was going nowhere. Mason probably would wait until I was thirty to do anything more if he thought that was best for me.

When I looked over at him the kitchen, his back was to me, and he was pulling out all the ingredients.

“Do you want any help?” I called out.

“No, Livie. That’s okay. Why don’t you relax a little?”

He said it like I spent my day doing back-breaking work. I rolled my eyes and stood up. I could probably make garlic bread or something. I didn’t want to sit there doing nothing but twiddle with my thumbs.

Mason’s back was still turned to me when I walked up. He tensed a little when I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Is everything okay?”

He turned slightly and found my eyes. His gaze was dark and… hungry. I took a deep breath. I didn’t realize our kiss had affected him so much.

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