Page 60 of The Young & the Sinner

But he didn’t seem to mind. We put a movie on Netflix and Mason microwaved the popcorn. There was at least a foot of space between us on the couch, where the popcorn bowl laid, and yet, I was aware of his every movement, every breath.

There was just something about Mason that fascinated me beyond reason. I wanted to know everything about him, and still, it wouldn’t be enough to fill my curiosity.

He felt strong and secure to me. He had been nothing but nice, yet I got the feeling that he was only like that with me. That there might be a whole different side to him that I knew nothing about. A more chaotic side… a more playful side… just, more. And I wanted to learn about it all.

But he had never been anything but distantly polite since the day we met. Though I did feel like it was changing with each day that passed. After that first and only night I spent sleeping in bed with him, the gap between us slowly disappeared bit by bit, no matter how much Mason wished for it not to be true.

I knew he didn’t want to get close to me. He was holding back. More likely than not, Max’s words had gotten to him. He wanted to remain polite with me so bad that there was a wall between us.

One I was determined to break down.

One I needed to break down.

Mason caught my eyes and he shot me a curious look. “Okay?”

“Yup,” I said, blushing. I looked out to the windows and noticed the sun had fully set. It was pitch dark outside and it still raining.

“Are you enjoying the movie?” he asked in amusement.

“Of course.”

His smirk told me he knew I hadn’t been paying attention. Thank goodness he didn’t say anything about it.

“Good.” He looked down at his phone for the time. “Looks like it’s almost time for dinner. Did Max say when he would be home?”

I shook my head. “He texted me a little while back and said he’d probably be home by seven. That the meeting is running a little longer than he expected, and that I should eat dinner without him. Do you need to go?” I asked hesitantly. I couldn’t very well ask him to stay with me for so long.

He shook his head. “No, I can stay here for as long as you need me to.”

Was forever a reasonable answer? I needed him to stay forever. “Oh. I’m glad. Thank you.”

“I think we should order some dinner. What do you feel like having? I’ll call in an order and have it delivered to the house.”

I shrugged. “Whatever you want. I’m easy.”

He grabbed his phone and I turned my attention to the film. Right to a sex scene. My eyes widened, and I sneaked in a peek at Mason, but he was still looking down at his phone. What the hell were we watching?!

And why were there two people going at it on screen? And why was that so… hot?

I squirmed. I needed to calm down. It wasn’t like I was watching porn with him. And he wasn’t even paying attention.

Wait, the man on the screen was taking off the woman’s shirt. I forgot to check the rating when I put this on. Was this PG-13? Or rated R? Or TV-MA? Which one was the one that showed nudity? Oh, my God!

Her bra was coming off. This was not a drill. A hint of the woman’s nipple showed through and I wanted to avert my eyes, but it was like watching a train wreck.

The man threw the woman’s bra on the floor and we could see her naked chest. She had nice breasts. Perky and full, with her dusky pink nipples erected. And… oh, wow…

The man laid on top of the woman, kissing his way down her body, and I wondered what that would feel like. To have the welcomed weight of a man on top of me. To know that you both wanted this, and wanted it bad, but to feel safe enough to know that if you asked him to stop, he would. Not that the woman looked like she wanted the man to stop.

She closed her eyes, and it looked like she was really enjoying his attention. This, right here, was some good acting.

“Hey, I found a pizza place nearby. They deliver and they have deep-dish pizza. What do you usually like as your toppings?”

I looked at Mason. My mouth opened but nothing came out. My cheeks felt like they were on fire.

Mason looked at me when I took too long to answer and frowned just as a moan came from the TV. He turned to the screen, and when he looked back at me, he couldn’t stop the amusement from showing on his face.

“Alright?”

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