Spencer had called Mason, not only to offer his home, but to let him know he was throwing a party at his place in a couple of weeks. That’s when I decided Sophie needed to attend the festivities. I shot off a quick text to her, and she texted me that she’d be here.
The ocean air kissed my skin as I dangled my feet in the warm pool water.
“Your shoulders are getting pink.” Mason held out a bottle of sunscreen. “Here.”
“Thank you.” I squirted some on my hand and began to rub it on my shoulders, arms, and anywhere my hands could reach.
“Let me help you.”
Long, muscular legs appeared next to mine. Mason had positioned himself so I was sitting between them. Strong hands rubbed my upper back. A deep breath caused a small sigh to escape me during my exhale. His fingers were magical, his palms strong, and my head swirled with how they would feel on the rest of my body. My head involuntarily lolled back.
Mason’s application of sunscreen made my body feel as if I’d just had a body massage. Except, rather than relaxed, his touch woke up every erotic nerve ending in my body, clearly making me realize I’d missed the touch of a man’s hands. Scott’s touch had never ignited a spark on my skin like Mason’s did.
He abruptly stood, which made me miss our close connection. “You’re all set.”
When I looked up, shielding my eyes from the sun, he slid into the pool. There was that tattoo again. Not that I expected it to vanish, but I was curious. The design was an intricate compass. There were words in the image, but without getting closer, I couldn’t be sure what it said.
“Hey, Mason?” Water splashed as he made his way back to me. “Why a compass?”
His brow furrowed. “Oh, my tattoo?” I nodded. “I got it after I met Lucy.”
“Lucy? Why?” I knew they had never been a couple, but to get a tattoo for someone was serious. Granted, they were best friends, but I still didn’t understand the connection.
“When I met her, she was lost. Well, she was trying to find herself.” When he shook his head at the memory, water droplets flew about, and his lips turned down a bit. “Then she told me her story. She was all alone and far from home, trying to make a new home for herself. She was so brave, yet I could tell she was scared. Not to mention, she was alone. The thing about her was, she never wavered in her decision to leave Colorado. That’s when I decided to get the tattoo.”
At my look of confusion, he explained. “It doesn’t matter where you are if you know the direction you’re headed.”
“That sounds philosophical.” I smiled.
“All I wanted for Lucy was for her to be happy. She knew what she wanted out of life, and it didn’t matter if she was in Virginia or Alaska, Lucy was going to make it happen. There were times I needed to remind her and myself of that.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal.
“Can I see it?”
Mason turned, and tiny drops of water beaded on his skin. The words I hadn’t been able to make out before read LIVE FOR YOU.
Tears pricked my eyes. This man had saved Lucy in so many ways, and was there for her when no one else was, despite the fact that they met by happenstance.
Some say fate doesn’t exist. I say bullshit.
When he turned back around, a tear slipped down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away.
“Gretch?”
“Sorry. I was thinking about everything that she went through. I’m so glad she had you.”
He smiled wide. “I love her. I’ll always love her.”
Hearing him say those words filled my heart as if he’d said them to me. All I knew or thought I knew about him was solidified then and there. This gorgeous man had a pure heart. All I could do was lean down and kiss him on the cheek.
Mason had other plans. As my lips left his face, he grabbed my hips and tossed me in the pool.
A squeal escaped me as I hit the water. Once my head was above the surface, I splashed him. His chuckle stopped as his eyes landed on my chest. The top of my bikini was now above my breasts. I floated in shock before my hands did what my brain said and pulled the pink fabric down to cover them.
Embarrassment flooded my entire body. How in the hell did I not realize I was half naked?
“I’m so sorry, Gretch.” His serious tone didn’t match the big grin on his face. No, he was laughing at my wardrobe malfunction while I was sure my face was red, and not because of the sun.
It was as if I was possessed with retribution. My eyes focused on his blue trunks. Part of me wanted to yank them down, but instead I began splashing him at full force.
Mason wrapped his arms around my waist and turned me so my back was to his front as I kicked to break free. Then we both burst into a fit of laughter as the sexual tension dissipated. After a few more kicks, splashes, and a lot of squirming, he tossed me across the pool as if I were a beach toy and not a person. Naturally, the first thing I did was make sure my top was in place before I swam underwater to the steps.
My mind raced with ways I could get revenge. Yes, he might think he just got away with something, but payback was a bitch—and fun.
CHAPTER 16
~ Mason ~
Holy fuck. Never in my life did I expect that to happen. But when Gretchen’s perfectly formed tits were practically eye level with me, it took every ounce of self-control not to reach out and get personally acquainted with them.
I sat on the edge of my bed, my head cradled in my hands, forcing myself to remember we were friends. Just friends. Gretchen didn’t need or, for that matter, want more with me. Yes, we flirted with each other and her family ribbed her about us, but that could be because they were thrilled Scott was out of the picture.
Being in the same house would only intensify my feelings for her.
I glanced around the room. Dark cherry furniture with pictures of beach scenes calmed me a bit. But what I noticed in each room was a family picture. The one in this room must have been taken during a holiday; my guess would be the Fourth of July. All the Prescott kids were dressed in red, white, and blue attire. Gretchen looked to be about seven. She was standing in the middle with two brothers on either side of her, which reminded me how protective they were of her. What would happen if I acted on my instincts and things didn’t work out? Would I lose her as a friend? And what about Lucy?
I stood and decided it would be best to forget about the spell this woman had cast on me. She was just a close friend who invited me into her home while I needed a place to stay—nothing more, nothing less. We were friends, and I needed to keep my dick and my heart in check.
After I had taken yet another lukewarm shower, I grabbed my coaching notebook and headed to the family room. Gretchen was lying on the couch, fast asleep. She must have showered and changed as well; her hair was pulled on top of her head in a ponytail that was still damp, and she was wearing black short-shorts with a white tank top. I couldn’t help but notice the goose bumps on her skin, most likely due to the air-conditioning.
On instinct, I pulled the fleece throw blanket off the back of the couch to cover her. Her body shimmied a bit and her lips curled into a smile, but she didn’t wake up.
Beautiful. Gretchen Prescott was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen.
* * *
The week went by slowly. Gretchen didn’t bring up the pool incident, but she had a glint in her eye as if she was plotting revenge. Not that I did it on purpose, nor was I upset that it happened.
That image of her played in my mind each night I went to sleep and all the time in between. What was it about her that made me want to give her the world? There were so many possible answers to that question; pinpointing one reason a man would want to be with Gretchen was a ridiculous task. All I knew was this man wanted to claim her—body, soul, mind, and heart.
Especially her heart.
It probably didn’t matter, anyway. Time wasn’t on our side, plus her friend Sophie would be coming in from Virginia soon. As much as I loved being alone with Gretchen, having anothe
r person in the house would alleviate some of my thoughts, or at least I hoped it would. Granted, Sophie wouldn’t be here in California forever, but neither would Gretchen.
* * *
Second semester was in full swing, and the campus was bustling with students heading to their classes. Professors were gearing up for the time of the year when they knew everyone wanted the year to be over with. Spring break was just around the corner, and once that came, kids mentally checked out for the year, wishing it was summer.
Athletics at the university never seemed to stop. Once one sport ended, another started. As far as my soccer team was concerned, we still ran conditioning drills. Most athletes welcomed the break from their studies. Soccer wasn’t a low-cardio sport, so today we were at the track. After the team had finished their sprints and were excused, I stayed to run a few miles to try to clear my head.
Even the slap of my shoes hitting the track floor didn’t rid my mind of Gretchen. She had a list of things she wanted to accomplish while she was here, and we’d only managed to cross one off her list. Since this was the off season for my team, I decided to take a week off from work in order to get some things on Gretchen’s list checked off.
Sweat dripped down my body as I pushed myself to round the track. Typically, I enjoyed running on the beach before coming to work, but lately I’d been enjoying having coffee with my new roommate. I was missing her already, and she was still here. That wasn’t good. What would it be like without her here? It wasn’t like I could force her to stay; Gretchen Prescott made up her own mind. Even the thought of someone wanting to change who she was infuriated me, and there was no way I’d be that guy.
All I knew for certain was she took up residence in my heart . . . part of it would always be hers. I’d never want someone to consume all of my heart, and I never thought that was possible—or smart, for that matter. Yes, one day I hoped to find a mutual love with someone, and when I found her, I’d give her all the love a man could give a woman, and would want the same in return.
Would that woman be Gretchen? Who knows. But what I did know was that I wanted it to be.
When I got back to Jack’s house, I hopped in the shower. My plan was to get everything I wanted to do in order. One of the items on her California list was to take a ride in a sleek convertible up and down the coast.
Once I got dressed and headed downstairs, Gretchen was having a glass of iced tea on the patio. I grabbed a beer and headed outside. Before I said anything, I paused to drink her in. Her soft curls were pulled back in some sort of knot on the top of her head, exposing her slim neck.
She must have sensed me and turned around. “I didn’t hear you come outside.” A gorgeous smile spread across her face. Then she worried her bottom lip as she raked her gaze up and down my body.
There were times the woman completely threw me off, and this was one of them. Did I have something on my face? Was my fly down? After I ran my hand over my cheeks and down my chin, I checked my zipper, well, where my zipper would be. Since I had on basketball shorts, it looked like I was touching myself, which made her laugh.
I sat in the chair next to her. “All right, I give. What’s that look for?”
“Just thinking about how I’m going to get back at you for the pool incident.”
Great, now I was staring at her chest. “Are you still on that kick? I completely forgot about it.” Yup, that sounded sincere. I took a swig of my beer.
“Kick? No, it’s not a kick.”
“Whatever. It wasn’t on purpose.” I made myself comfortable on the chaise next to her.
She was about to say something but her phone rang. Even though I did my best not to eavesdrop, with her sitting right next to me that was virtually impossible.
“Hey, Dane.” A genuine smile brightened her face. Gretchen glanced at me, and her lips twisted into a shit-eating grin.
Doing my best to focus on my beer and not her conversation was a grand task at which I miserably failed. I took a generous swig and almost spit it out when I heard what she said next.
“No, I’m just sitting out back with Mason.” She paused. “He’s good. Although, he’s behaving today. You wouldn’t believe what he did the other day.”
Holy fucking shit. No way.
I snapped my head around in her direction, shocked I didn’t give myself whiplash, but Gretchen was looking down at her lap, playing with a thread or something.
“What did he do? He pulled me in the pool and my bikini top flew off.”
She smiled while my heart stopped beating. I actually might have stopped breathing, which would save Dane the trouble of killing me if I should die here.
“I know. I was surprised too.” A giggle escaped her while I was sure I was going to throw up. “Yes, I’ll tell him. Let me call you back. Love you.”
She placed the phone on the small table between us and acted completely nonchalant about the entire thing. Not saying a word, she picked up her drink and took a sip while I simply gaped at her, speechless.
Her phone rang again, and I saw Dane’s name flash across the screen. Gretchen’s eyes went wide, but I quickly snatched it off the table.
“Hey, Dane, it’s Mason. Look, about me seeing your sister naked. You have to believe me when I say it was an accident.”
“You saw my sister naked?”
Dane’s voice went in my ear and straight to the center of my chest acting as a defibrillator, because now my heart was racing and I was sure an aneurysm was next. When I glanced up at Gretchen, her lips were rolled between her teeth.
“Mason?” he growled. “Are you still there?”
“Yes. Did you just call here about five minutes ago?” I raked my tongue over my teeth as I glared at Gretchen with narrowed eyes.
“Dude, are you drunk? No, I didn’t call five minutes ago. What are you talking about? And what do you mean, naked?”
“Never mind. I’ll have your sister call you back.”
When I ended the call with Dane, I quickly looked at her recent calls. Sophie. That was who she’d been talking to, not Dane.
Gretchen burst into a fit of giggles.
She thought this was funny? She had four brothers who were capable of kicking my ass. Not to mention that I was staying in one of their houses, and he owned a plane, which meant they could all be here in a matter of hours.
“You think that was funny?”
I stalked toward Gretchen. Her cheeks were rosy, and tears of laughter streamed down her face. She rolled to her side, trying to control her hysteria.
That’s when I leaned over, scooped her up, and carried her to the edge of the pool.
“Okay, okay, it wasn’t funny.” Her entire body vibrated in my arms. She kicked her feet wildly, but she wasn’t getting off the hook that easily.
“Then why are you still laughing?” I stretched out my arms while hers tightened around my neck. “Sounds like you think it’s funny.”
She tossed her head back. The softness of her hair grazed my arm, and the curve of her slim neck made my dick twitch. Gorgeous. Everything about her was perfect, except for the joke she’d just played.
“Don’t drop me in the pool. Please, Mason?”
The girl was as sweet as sugar when she wanted to be. After she batted her eyelashes a few times, I set her down.
“Thank you.” She rolled up on tiptoe and kissed my cheek. “I’d better call Dane back.”
“You think?” I shook my head. “Jesus, Gretch.”
Again she laughed, but when she made it back to her phone, she called first Dane and then Sophie to explain the crazy conversation she’d pretty much had by herself.
Once things had calmed down a bit and all joking was put to rest, Gretchen told me she was a day away from completing Jonas’s project.
“Not that you deserve this right now,” I said, and Gretchen turned toward me, tilting her head to the side. “But I took the week off to fulfill one of your bucket-list items. Would you like to drive the coast with me?”
Her eyes sparkled like the stars that were now blanketing the sky. “Yes. When can we leave?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “How about the day after tomorrow?”
She bounced out of her chair. “Sounds great.”
“It’s a long drive, plus there are things I want to show you along the way.” Knowing she was happy did weird things to me. A surge of contentment mixed with anticipation washed through every cell of my body.
“Thank you, Mason. I’m sorry about the prank I played.” Then her smile faltered. “This isn’t a joke, right? We’re really going?”
I stood up, set my beer down, and looked into her eyes. Every part of me wanted to reassure her that I was serious. Spending the week with Gretchen meant as much to me as the items on her list meant to her.
“We’re going. I’d never lie to you, Gretchen.”
She kissed me chastely on the lips. “I know. Thank you. I’m going to go decide what I should pack.” Something resembling a squeal echoed in the night air as she ran into the house.
Her giddiness was infectious. I’d driven the coast a few times since I got here. But I had a feeling doing it with Gretchen would be like I’d never done it before.
* * *
Tonight we were going to dinner to plan our route. However, I had a surprise for Gretchen. She had called to tell me she’d sent Jonas the final website, which he approved, so we’d also be celebrating. When I refused to let her know where I’d be taking her, she informed me she didn’t like surprises. Not buying it, I told her the only information she was getting from me was she should wear jeans.
When I walked in the door, she was just coming down the stairs wearing tight-fitting low-rise light-denim jeans, a black T-shirt, and pink Converse high-tops. She looked adorable.
The soles of her shoes squeaked on the hardwood floor as she spun around. “How do I look?”
Edible was the first word that came to mind, but I settled for beautiful. “Let me go change and then we can head out.”
In record time, I tossed on a casual pair of jeans and a navy T-shirt, then grabbed my leather jacket and the gift I’d gotten her.
Charmed: A Prescott Novel (The Prescott Series Book 3) Page 12