by Melinda Minx
Even where the dress does cover me, it squeezes me. It hugs my hips and ass, leaving nothing to the imagination. It’s the complete opposite of how I usually dress.
And that’s why I have to wear it, right? I can’t hide from life, Mason taught me that. I only get to be young one time, and I’ve tried being timid and afraid. How did that work out for me?
Why not be brave? And having the hottest guy in school right at my side can make me feel almost fearless.
I get my makeup on with not a minute to spare. The doorbell rings, and my heart pounds against my chest. I feel blood surging through my cheeks.
“Sophie!” My dad shouts up the stairs. “Mason’s here!”
Mason and my Dad have already met. Even though Mason has quite a reputation at school for being a player, he’s good at acting like a complete gentleman to my Dad, and my Dad loves him. I can tell he hopes that Mason and I will get married and be happy together forever, and I try to play it off. Like it’s all no big deal to me.
But honestly, I probably want what my Dad wants even more than he does. Ever since Mason has started spending time with me, my life has felt like a fairytale.
I take deep breaths at the top of the staircase, and I walk down, step by step.
Mason comes into view. He’s wearing a suit and tie. The suit is perfectly cut for his strong frame, and he’s clean shaven. His smile reveals his perfectly white and straight teeth.
I smile too as I finish the last few steps. For once I’m not self-conscious about my braces, I know I look the best I’ve ever looked, and I just want to feel happy for once.
Dad overdoes his reaction, but Mason’s seems genuine. He takes me by the arm and says, “Ready to go?”
I nod.
“You guys get a limo?” My dad asks.
Mason grins. “Nah, Mr. Sinclair, I love my car too much to let anyone else drive.”
My dad laughs. “Good man.”
We step outside, and it’s still warm at night. The Fall chill hasn’t set in yet. Everything feels just perfect.
Mason opens the door for me, and he holds it until I’m inside his car, like a perfect gentleman. I buckle up and he shuts the door.
He slides into his seat and starts the car.
“This is really nice of you,” I say. “I really appreciate it.”
He takes his hand off the wheel and looks over at me. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“What?”
“I thought you’d made so much progress, but here you go again.”
My mouth moves, but no words come out.
He grabs me by the hand and squeezes. “I’m not doing this as some kind of favor. I mean, maybe when I first asked you it was sort of like that? But come on, Sophie, don’t you see how I look at you?”
I’m blushing so hard that I feel like my entire body is blushing, not just my face.
“I…” I stammer. “Okay.”
He laughs. “Okay? So you do see?”
“It feels a bit too good to be true,” I say.
“And can’t I feel that way too?” He asks. “I’ve messed around with a lot of girls, Sophie, and I never really was looking for more than that…”
He looks away, down at his shoes.
“Who’s being shy now?” I ask.
He laughs, then leans closer in toward me. “Come here.”
His voice is soft, and even though I’m not 100% sure he means what I hope he might mean, I decide to apply everything he’s taught me and just assume that life is what I want it to be. That fortunate is on my side.
I grab hold of him, and the next thing I know, Mason Steel’s lips are pressed against mine. I gasp and part my lips, and I feel his tongue slide into me. Warmth overtakes every part of my body, and I meet his tongue awkwardly at first. I focus on what he’s doing, and I try to match him as best I can. Soon my tongue is fighting back against his.
His masculine scent is surrounding me, and his taste fills me up. This is everything I could have wanted, and more.
After a long time, I feel him pull away.
He licks his lips, and my mouth is just hanging agape. I can’t believe it happened. It’s like everything before that kiss was another life, and everything after is my new one. It feels like one-hundred years divide the time before that kiss from the time after it.
“I feel like your Dad is watching us through the blinds or something…” Mason says.
I laugh. “He would. Let’s go.”
Mason shifts the car into drive and takes us toward the dance.
24
Mason
Prologue - Sixteen Years Ago
When we step into the dance, I see everyone whispering and pointing. I see a lout of jealous girls scoffing at Sophie, and I also notice a lot of guys checking her out.
To silence everyone, I grab her by the waist, pull her into me, and kiss her again. I kiss her deep and warm, not quite as long as the first kiss in the car, but long enough to shut everyone the fuck up. Long enough to get a taste of her again. I can tell she’d never kissed before--not that I want to make a big deal out of it and embarrass her--but already on her second kiss, she’s really fucking good at it.
When I let go of her, I realize no one is watching us anymore. No one cares. Her confidence has finally shut everyone up, and now we can just enjoy the night together.
We dance to Usher, OutKast, and Destiny’s Child. We dance fast, and we dance slow. Neither of us are very good at dancing, but neither of us even cares. During the slow dances, I feel her pressed against my body, and I hold her by the waist. I’ve done much more--and much faster--with plenty of girls, but it’s never felt this good just to hold someone.
After a while, I hear a lot of noise near the drink table.
“Isn’t that your brother?” Sophie says, looking over.
I see Eric and Dan Grossman stumbling around near the table. Some guy--I think it’s Nick Miller--is red-faced. He shoves Eric, and knocks him into the table.
The table, and all the pre-filled cups of punch, fall onto the ground.
Sophie looks at me nervously.
“I gotta go help him,” I say. “Fucking Eric.”
Sophie frowns and nods.
I rush over toward Eric, who is pulling his drunk ass back up to his feet. Nick’s fists are still all balled up, and he looks like he’s only letting Eric get back up so he can knock him down again.
“Nick!” I shout.
He turns to face me. “Fuck off, Mason, this has got nothing to do with you.”
“He’s my brother.”
Nick turns to me as Eric stumbles back up. His shirt is stained with punch. Dan laughs and punches Eric on the arm. Dan looks even more drunk than Eric.
But Nick has turned his anger toward me. “You know what he did?”
I look over at him. “Looks like he spiked the punch and had too much to drink. Come on, Nick, you got a good hit on him--”
Eric rushes Nick from behind. He ducks his head down like a bull.
I open my mouth and point, but Eric headbutts Nick in the back before he can turn around. Nick grunts as Eric crushes him to the floor.
Dan cheers, and Nick’s friends bumrush me. As if I started the fucking fight.
I may not start fights--not usually at least--but I sure as hell fight back if someone hits me.
Three guys move for me, and I slam my fist into the first one’s jaw, knocking him back straight away.
The other two see it and get cold feet. They start to back up.
I eye them down, daring them to hit me.
Two of the teachers are coming now, they’re shouting at Nick, who is punching Eric in the face.
I grab Nick and peel him off, and I slam an elbow into his face to knock some sense into him.
“Fuck off!” I shout, shoving him backward.
The teachers get between me, Nick, and his friends. Eric is laughing, but his face is all bloody.
“Steel!” The teacher looks at me, shouting, “You and
your brother...out!”
I nod. “Let me get my date…”
“Out!”
I see Sophie standing in the crowd that’s gathered around. I grab Eric by one arm, toward Sophie.
“Are you okay?” She asks.
“They’re kicking me out of the dance,” I say. “You want to come with me, or?”
She grabs my free hand, and I take my fuck-up brother on one hand, and Sophie on the other, out into the night.
As soon as we’re outside, the feeling of homecoming is gone. My suit and Sophie’s dress feel totally out of place, and Eric is mumbling something as blood drips down his face.
“Let me help you clean him up,” Sophie says.
We get him down on a bench outside, and I go to grab some oil rags from my car.
When I get back to the bench, Sophie is sitting next to Eric and smiling as she talks to him. It looks like she’s trying to get his mind off whatever got him going in the first place.
She grabs the oil rags out of my hand and starts to clean off Eric’s face.
“I stole his girl,” Eric says.
“You proud of that?” I ask.
Eric grins. “Yeah, Lana Del Gotto? You seen her? She told me that I’m twice the size as Nick, that--”
“Shut up,” I hiss.
“I already told Sophie the whole thing,” Eric says, grinning, “You don’t have to spare her, bro.”
“So where’s Lana now, huh?”
“Nick might have a small dick, but he’s got more money than we do, bro. Girls will always stick to money.”
Sophie gives me a look.
“But not you, huh, Sophie? You’ve got a pure heart, right?”
“You gotta work on your impulse control, man,” I say, grabbing Eric by the shoulders. Just because you want to do something, or you think it feels right in the moment, doesn’t mean you just do it.”
“You saying I should grow up, huh?” Eric asks. “Stop being a fuckup?”
“Basically, yeah,” I say. “There’s still time.”
Eric nods, and I actually think he’s taking my advice seriously. For once.
25
Sophie
Prologue - Sixteen Years Ago
I’d honestly hoped that Mason would stick to his reputation, that he’d sleep with me on our first real date. Maybe if Eric hadn’t gotten into the fight, then maybe have ended up “taking a ride” with Mason in his famous Camaro.
Instead, he holds me, and kisses me for the third time that night. It’s a real, passionate kiss good night.
I beam up at him after we part lips. “That was good.”
Mason nods. “I know you’ve heard stuff about me, Sophie, but…”
“It’s not true?”
He looks down at his feet. “It is true. But maybe I don’t have to be that guy?”
I give him a sinful smile and eye his Camaro. “Didn’t you tell me not to hide who you are?”
“Is that what you want?” he asks. “You wanna fuck in my car? And you want me to forget your name and never call you again? You really want that?
I bite my lip. “Maybe just the first part of that…”
He laughs and shakes his head. “We got time, Sophie. It’s not like I don’t want to tear that dress right off you, but I don’t want that other stuff to happen. Maybe I’m just talking shit, but I feel like we got something real here. Don’t you?”
I nod, but I barely believe what I’m hearing. Mason Steel doesn’t talk like that. Especially not to me.
“You’re not just saying that,” I say, “To make me feel better? You’re not letting me down easy?”
“Where’d your confidence go?” He asks, grinning. “This is good night, but it’s just the beginning for us.”
The next morning, in the middle of my second class, the door swings open, and Ms. Bierman tells our teacher to turn on the TV.
When the screen turns on, we all look up and see the World Trade Center on fire. And then we see the horrifying, surreal replay of a plane flying into it.
26
Mason
Prologue - Sixteen Years Ago
“I grew up,” Eric says, stepping inside.
Mom and I have been watching the TV, trying to make sense of whatever the fuck is happening in New York, but Eric has been MIA.
“What?” I ask. “You seeing this shit on the news?”
“Yeah,” Eric says. “I saw it, and I did what you told me, Mason, I grew up.”
Mom and I look at him. He’s got bruises all over his face, and despite his words, he still looks like a kid.
“What did you do?” Mom asks, standing up.
She seems to know something I don’t. She can read him better than I can.
“Enlisted,” Eric says, sticking his chest out. “I’m going to fight those fuckers. Whoever did this is going to pay.”
“No!” Mom shouts. “You’re my baby, you can’t!”
She goes hysterical, and she begs Eric to go back to the recruiter, to change his mind.
“I already did the physical,” Eric says. “As long as I pass, I’m in. No going back. I can’t be a fuckup anymore. I learned that last night...I’m tired of being aimless. Now I’ve got purpose.”
I’m in Sophie’s room. Her dad is gone. The news has finally died down--you can finally turn the TV on without seeing the attacks on loop--but Eric’s decision has made it so I can’t forget.
No, my decision. I haven’t told Sophie yet, but tonight I have to. I can’t hold it back from her any longer.
“What’s wrong?” She asks. “I can tell you’re hiding something. Is it Eric again?”
I nod, and she runs her hand up along my abs. I squeeze her hand and push it away.
“Jesus, Mason,” she says, standing up, fuming anger at me. “You say you like me, but you sure don’t seem interested in touching me. Or letting me touch you. And don’t blame it on Eric.”
I look up at her, dread filling my chest. “He’s my little brother. I have to watch out for him. I have to protect him.”
She shakes her head. “I know. Maybe he won’t get sent off to war, but if he does...what can you do?”
I smooth her hair back, look her in the eyes, and say it. “I joined up too, Sophie, I gotta protect my brother.”
I see her face nearly break apart, but she pulls it back together. “How long?”
“I dunno,” I say, “Shit, we don’t even really know for sure who attacked us? Who all was involved.”
“I mean how long do we have left?” She asks.
I pull her close to me and say, “Forever. If you’ll wait for me.”
“I’ll wait for you,” she says, “But I want you, Mason, now.”
She straddles me, and presses her lips against mine. I don’t resist. She drinks me in thirstily--with hunger. Her hands grab at my belt, tear at it.
“Slow down, Sophie--”
“No,” she says, locking eyes with me.
Something takes over me, some kind of animal instinct. I grab her waist and flip her onto her back. Suddenly I’m on top of her. And I’m not just tearing at her belt. It’s already off.
Her face flushes red, and her lips part. She gasps for air.
It’s a fucking frenzy. She knows I’m leaving, and she’s wanted me to do this for a while now. She wants me now, before I’m gone. But I don’t want to rush this, it’s Sophie’s first time, and it’s bound to be my last time for a long fucking time. This memory will be one of the few good things I can hold onto, to get me through whatever is to come.
She pulls me back into her, our lips are together again, and I slide my tongue against hers as my hand slides up under her shirt.
She breaks the kiss and says in a hurried pant, “Let me get it off.”
I laugh and pull my hand away. I can still feel the warmth of her belly linger on my hand.
She sits up and tugs her shirt off, and her big breasts spill out over her bra. She laughs as she catches me staring with my mouth agape.
“Come on,” she says.
“Cut me a break,” I say, grinning, “I’ve been using a lot of brainpower ever since I met you to imagine what they look like, and now I’ve almost seen ‘em.”
She smiles and reaches back, moments later the bra falls away. Her nipples are rock hard and pointing out, and as much as I want to stand back and appreciate her body in all its glory, I find myself shoving her down.
My hands reach up her sides and cup her breasts. Their warmth fills my hands, and I stare down at those beautiful fucking nipples. If I’m not careful they’ll poke my eye out. Or at least it looks that way.
She giggles as I squeeze her big mounds, but soon her giggles give way to moans, and I see her eyes closing, her chin tilting back.
“God, Sophie,” I say, running my fingers up to her nipples, then sliding them gently along the sensitive and swollen skin.
I pinch one nipple, with just light pressure, but Sophie gasps and screams.
I stop, suddenly, worried I went too far.
“Don’t stop, Mason!” She shouts.
I squeeze her again, harder, and as she moans, my dick gets so hard that I worry my jeans will snap it right off. But I don’t have time to get my pants off, I’ve gotta bury myself in Sophie’s tits.
I squeeze her nipple harder between my fingers, and I go for the other one with my mouth. I attack it with my lips and tongue, sucking on her while flicking it with my tongue.
Her whole body bucks up against me, and her hand clutches the back of my head, her nails digging into my scalp through my hair. She presses me into her, begging me for more.
And I give her all I’ve fucking got.
Then I notice her legs are squirming a lot. If I’m this fucking hard, she’s gotta be soaking wet.
I let go of her breasts, popping her nipple out of my mouth. Both breasts are now wet with my saliva, and her nipples have somehow become even harder.