Forever Your Touch (A Manwhore Series Book 4)

by Apryl Baker

  Fuck. He’d never suspected anything like that. His heart broke for her.

  “Jo, it wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. You may not believe it now, but it was. Ray was right to stand by you like he did, but that doesn’t give him the right to treat you like he does now. No one deserves to be treated like a flyaway thought.”

  “I know.” She took a deep breath. “Being around you and away from my family has opened my eyes to a lot of things. Losing our child was awful, and I made up for it by letting him treat me that way. I thought I deserved it for the longest time, but I can’t do it anymore, Mason. I can’t keep letting him put everything before me. I needed him here with me yesterday, and he chose his dad and their fishing trip over me. Despite what happened to our baby, I deserve better than that.”

  Not knowing how else to comfort her, he pushed her over slightly and crawled into the bed with her, pulling her close. “It’s okay, moye dragotsennyy. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  “I’m saying goodbye to the last three years of my life, Mason. It’s going to take a while before it’s all okay.”

  “You’ve got me.” He leaned over and kissed her temple. “Your FIBB will always be here when you need a shoulder to cry on or when you get too lonely.”

  “That may be harder than you think when I’m three thousand miles away. I don’t want to go back to California, but my parents are going to insist on it when I tell them I’m breaking up with Ray.”

  “Do you have any other place you can stay besides Ray’s?”

  She thought for a few minutes. “Maybe, if my sorority has a house on campus. They might have a room.”

  “You’re in a sorority?” He was shocked to the bone. She so wasn’t that kind of girl.

  “My friend Abby dragged me to Kappa during rush week our freshman year. They knew who I was and thought I’d be good publicity for them. That’s what I figured, anyway. Who the hell would want the world’s biggest klutz as a member? They realized how clumsy I was the first fundraiser we organized.” She let out a little snort. Mason loved those snorts of hers. “After that, I got to sit and help out. No more accidents.”

  “Kappa does have a house on campus.” He grabbed his phone and texted one of his brothers to haul Kappa’s president over to the hospital. He was doing his best not to crow. She was leaving the bastard, and now he might have a chance with her. Keeping the victory off his face was hard, but she’d just told him about the worst moment of her life. Showing how happy he was right now wasn’t the best way to handle her baring her soul to him. “I’m having one of my buddies bring the president over here to talk to you. If they don’t have any room, we’ll figure something out. You’re not going back to California.”

  “It can wait a few days, Mason. I’m not leaving here anytime soon.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m getting this shit locked down so you’ll have a plan when your parents try to get you to come home.”

  “You’re intent on me staying in New York, huh?”

  He saw something in her blue eyes that he pushed away. He didn’t want to scare her. She was just getting the courage to leave Ray. He couldn’t push her. Not yet, anyway. He’d keep his feelings tucked away for when she not only was ready to hear them, but also be in a place where she could respond to them.

  “You’re staying right where you belong.”

  “And where do I belong, Mason?” Her voice went soft and a little husky at the same time.

  “Here.”

  Before he could say anything else, the parade of his family started. He was grateful. If she’d kept pushing, he might have blurted out the whole truth despite his resolve not to.

  He planned on showing her how he felt before he confessed how much he loved her.

  If this had a shot, Josephine needed to understand her own self-worth. She’d begun her journey today by deciding to leave Ray, but Mason wasn’t stupid enough to think that was all it was going to take. He planned on teaching her the value of her.

  And then he’d claim her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  September came and went. They were now nearing Halloween. It was only a few days away. As Jo suspected, the fight to stay in New York was a knock-down, drag-out one with her parents. Since she broke up with Ray, they saw no reason for her to remain here. To them, he was the only obstacle.

  But that wasn’t quite true.

  She actually loved New York. Yes, parts of it were dirty and smelly, but what big city wasn’t? It wasn’t only the city either. Mason and his family seemed to have taken her in as one of their own. She didn’t feel lonely anymore.

  Leaving Ray had taken every ounce of strength she had, but Sara’s words made sense to her in a way her family’s never had. Sara had no ulterior motive, whereas her family had. It made her sit down and think about her life with Ray and how he treated her. It made her realize she deserved more than what he gave her, despite her having lost their child. She deserved as much as she gave to him.

  She missed him. She’d been with Ray for years, and she missed his laugh, his smile. She even missed his bad habit of leaving his dirty underwear on the bathroom floor. He called every single day. Sometimes multiple times a day. She listened to the voicemails he left, heard the pain in his voice when he told her how sorry he was, how things would change if she just came home.

  They were starting to worry her, though. His messages were taking on an almost desperate tone. She’d been debating calling him because she was concerned about him. His tone reminded her of those first few weeks after she’d lost the baby. She’d gone down a rabbit hole so deep, it had taken her the better part of a year to climb back out. He’d been there for her, so shouldn’t she at least return a phone call?

  But then she remembered her promise to herself. She was going to put herself first for once. Ray was going to have to learn to deal with everything he had caused without her help.

  Jo wanted to believe he was sorry and had changed, but actions spoke louder than words. He’d proven how important she was when she’d literally almost cut her leg off with the lawnmower. She wasn’t going to put herself back in a situation like that again. She deserved better than that.

  Mason turned out to be the one constant in her life. He came by the sorority every morning to bring her coffee. Well, his morning, at least. Sometimes that was noon, sometimes it was nine-ish, depending on his class schedule. He was not a morning person. He’d bring her lunch and dinner every day. He got her through the worst of those first two weeks without Ray.

  Keith stuck around for a few days after their parents left as well. Surprisingly, Keith had been her biggest advocate for staying in New York. He’d gone to bat for her and pissed her dad off royally. But between the two of them, they’d won the argument, reminding her why she loved her big brother.

  He’d helped Mason pack her stuff at Ray’s. They never said anything about what they did when it came to Ray, but she suspected he hadn’t walked away from them without some bruises.

  “Wake up, sleepy-head.” Mason bustled into her room. “Today is the day. You ready?”

  Her leg had healed faster than expected, and her physical therapist said she’d be able to walk without a cane as long as she didn’t overdo it. She’d done it in the PT office, but today she was going to try to do it by herself. Mason told her last night he had a surprise planned, and she’d be running before the end of the day.

  It made her curious about what he was up to.

  “How cold is it outside?” Being from California, all this cold weather was new to her. She’d grown up about forty-five minutes outside L.A. Earthquakes she could handle, but the cold? Brrr…

  “It’s good. Low fifties.”

  “So, double shirts and a coat.”

  He snickered until he realized she was serious. “It’s not that cold, Josephine.”

  “Says the boy who grew up in Russia. You’re all about the cold. Me, not so much.”

  “You’re in four seasons country now. You’ll either g
et used to it or freeze. I’ll take you shopping tomorrow, and you can get some warmer things. Gloves and some boots, specifically.”

  She might have a pair or two of gloves boxed up in her storage unit. She was definitely going to have to check. “How’s Ava today?”

  His face lit up like Christmas. “She’s getting stronger and stronger. Up to about four and a half pounds now. They say once she gets to be five pounds and her sleep apnea clears up, we can take her home. She smiled at me this morning while I read her daily story to her.”

  That baby had fought hard. She’d survived several major surgeries to correct all the problems she’d had at birth. It was a miracle she was still with them.

  “That’s awesome, Mason. And Sasha?”

  “She eats like a little pig.” The affection in his voice was clear as day. Mason loved those two little munchkins like they were his own. All the brothers did. It was something she’d come to realize about the Kincaid clan. They considered everyone that was family their own. Didn’t matter who the father of the child was, that child belonged to each person.

  She didn’t ask about his father for fear of ruining his mood. The prognosis wasn’t good, but they weren’t giving up hope. He was on an advanced course of radiation therapy along with a new drug regimen. Ronin wasn’t giving up, and neither was his family. If anyone could pull off a miracle, it was Ronin Kincaid.

  “So, where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise. I told you that.”

  Jo scrunched up her nose in frustration. Mason knew how much she hated surprises, yet he made it his life’s mission to spring them on her.

  “Now, get your coat. We’ve got some hiking to do.”

  Hiking? In the cold? With her bum leg?

  “Don’t worry so much.” He grinned. “I’m carrying you most of the way.” Then he winked and slapped her ass. “Get a move on, darlin’. Daylight’s a-wastin’.”

  Worst Texas accent ever, but she did grab her coat out of the closet. He should stick with the Russian. Girls loved that more than any fake accent he could drum up.

  New York in the fall was gorgeous. As much as she disliked the cold, the leaves in a cascade of colors painted a picture of beauty all around them. She was shocked when they piled in the truck and headed out of the city. It took about thirty minutes, but she recognized where they were headed. It was the land the Kincaids owned. She couldn’t even remember how many acres they had.

  Mason drove a bit longer then parked his truck along a heavy forest. What was he up to?

  “Um, Mase…I’m not sure about this. I can’t walk so much…”

  He picked her up. “And I said I was carrying you, so shush and be the damsel in distress.”

  “I’m always the damsel in distress.” She laughed. “As much as I fall, there should be legends about me.”

  “Who says there aren’t?” Mason started walking toward the trees. “Keith has told me all about the times he had to save you from yourself. He even gave me his blessing to follow in his footsteps.”

  “Did he, now?”

  “Uh-huh.” Mason grinned and kept walking. It took about twenty minutes to reach the clearing where he’d set out a large checkered blanket and a picnic basket, along with two coolers beside it.

  Mason set her down a few feet before they reached the actual blanket. He watched the biggest smile he’d ever seen light up her entire face. Sara helped him set everything up earlier—the grand gesture and all that. He’d given Jo enough time to get through the worst of her breakup. He wanted her to be his, and this was his way of easing her into the idea.

  By the time they left here, his heart would either be broken, or it would be flying higher than the tops of the mountains back home in Russia.

  “You did all this?” Jo turned in a circle taking everything in, including the small fire pit he’d brought along to keep her warm. He’d listened to her gripe about the cold so much, he was determined to not let that be a problem today.

  “Yup.” He went over and lit the fire. The flames caught, and Jo squealed, rushing over and holding her hands out in front of her.

  He started setting out the food then pulled the cooler over, taking out a beer for himself and Jo’s favorite drink, nasty orange soda. “What do you want, turkey or ham?”

  “Ham.” Jo sat on the blanket, keeping as close to the fire as humanly possible. “I love all this, Mason. Thank you.”

  “You deserve something nice to celebrate the loss of the cane.” Jo hated that thing. Mason had to make her use it by taking her on walks around campus every day. Said it wasn’t fashionable or some stupid girly thing, but her physical therapist said she had to exercise the leg. So, Mason did what he could to make sure she got better.

  “Thank God.” She shuddered as she spoke. “We should have brought it along and burned it in the fire.”

  “Vicious woman.”

  “You’ve no idea.” She flashed him a mischievous smile.

  “So, how ya doin’, sweetheart?” Mason sat across from her, his knees bumping her own. “Keith told me Ray’s been calling every day.”

  Her expression morphed instantly. Gone was the happy, carefree girl of a moment ago. She looked sad more than anything, but there was something there. A ghost of worry.

  “Yeah, but I haven’t returned any of them. I took your advice and put me first for a change. It’s refreshing.”

  He tweaked her nose like he did Delia’s sometimes. “Told you so. How’s that working out for you?”

  “I’m happy for the first time in a long time. I’d forgotten how to be me. The clumsy, sassy girl who smiled all the time and laughed at herself. I like me.”

  “I like you too, Josephine, just the way you are.” He couldn’t stop the smile if he’d wanted to.

  “You’re mostly the reason I’m so happy. If it weren’t for you, I’m not sure I could have found my way back to myself.”

  “You’re stronger than you think you are, Josephine. You would have found your way back, but I will take all the credit because I’m just that damn awesome.”

  “You’re just that damn cocky.” Jo laughed and threw a grape at him. “But I like you anyway.”

  She was back to being happy, and his head dipped down, intent on doing the one thing he’d been wanting to do for months.

  He kissed her.

  Mason had kissed a lot of women. Enjoyed it too. But none of them was Josephine Maxwell.

  When his lips met hers, fire licked across his skin, and the most euphoric feeling captured him. Kissing Jo was like coming home. He deepened the kiss when she didn’t pull away. He’d wanted this for so very long, and now that he had it, he couldn’t get enough.

  Josephine was shocked for the barest of seconds when Mason kissed her. But only for a second. The slow burn set in, and she let herself get lost in it. Heat pooled in her belly when he deepened the kiss, and she groaned, her hands going up to tangle in his slightly too long hair. Her tongue snaked out to duel with his, and he pulled her into his lap. She wrapped herself around him, trying to get as close as possible.

  It was over all too quickly.

  He pulled away and tilted his head, trying to gauge her reaction. Not that she blamed him. They’d just been talking about Ray.

  “Wondered when you were going to get around to doing that,” she whispered. “I thought maybe I was going to have to do it myself.”

  “Is that so?”

  “That would be so.” His eyes were sleepy with desire, and she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, but they needed to talk. It was long overdue. “You done trying to skirt around the subject of you and me?”

  She could see his shock and laughed out loud. Jo definitely wasn’t the same person she was a month ago.

  “New Jo, remember?”

  Mason turned serious. “You and me?”

  “Unless you don’t want there to be a you and me?”

  “No,” he blurted. “I never said that, I just wanted to give you time. You were heali
ng, and I didn’t want to push.”

  “I’m not as blind as you think. Not to say I haven’t fought my feelings for you from day one, but I see everything you do for me, how you treat me, how you always put me first. Who couldn’t fall for that?”

  “So, you’re saying you want to give the idea of us a try, then?” His eyes burned with hope, and Jo was lost all over again. This man could make her get lost in his voice, his eyes, his expressions, his words. It took a while for her to get past the idea that being with Mason was cheating on Ray, even if they weren’t together. Once she stopped focusing on her ex and paid attention to the man in front of her, she understood.

  “I do. I’m not saying I’m ready to jump from one frying pan into another one. This has to be slow, Mason. It has to be right. So, if you’re willing to take it nice and slow, then I’m willing to give you and me a try.”

  “Thank fuck,” he breathed out and kissed her again. “I was afraid you’d tell me to fuck off and to get the hell out.”

  “Well, no, I wouldn’t have said that.”

  “No?”

  She shook her head. “You’re my ride.”

  He was silent for a heartbeat, and then he burst out laughing.

  Jo grinned at him. “Wasn’t expecting that, were you?”

  “No, but then you’re rarely what I expect. I love you, Jo. I know you’re not ready to say that to me, and that’s okay.”

  “I…”

  He put a finger to her lips. “Nice and slow, remember? I just wanted to tell you. I’ve been biting my tongue for weeks.”

  He loved her. Her entire chest swelled with his declaration. He loved her. Did she love him? She wasn’t ready to say that until she was sure, but she cared a lot. More than a lot.

  “We’ll do this your way. I’m patient. Learned it from Viktor. We can do this however you want.”

  Her phone buzzed, and she looked down to where it had fallen out of her pocket. Ray.

  Mason saw it and growled. Actually growled. Jo stopped him from answering it. “Leave it alone, Mason. He’s just hurting right now, and he’s desperate. I won’t return his calls. I’m going to block his number, so please don’t let him ruin this.”