“I didn’t mean to hurt her…” Mason began to reply but Shannon stopped him.
“That’s not what I mean,” Shannon quickly explained. “I am getting this all wrong. Look, as I said, I don’t know what happened between you two, but I know you can’t leave things as they are. Amelia has been through so much, and she always pushes people away. I have never seen her react to anyone, the way she has reacted to you. Something has changed within her.”
“But your husband said…” Mason said feeling somewhat confused.
“I can imagine what he said,” Shannon said as she looked over at her husband and took his hand. “Charlie still thinks Amelia is a little girl and that he needs to fight her battles for her.”
“Shannon…” Charlie began to protest but Shannon stopped him with a kiss.
“She needs to find her own way, Sweetheart,” she said before she turned back to Mason. “I think you need to talk to Amelia.”
Shannon suddenly stood up and looked at Mason expectantly.
“Well,” she said when he made no attempt to stand up. “Are you going to sit there or are you going to go talk to her?”
“Talk to her,” Mason said as he quickly stood up. “Of course.”
He started after Shannon towards the door but stopped and turned back to Charlie.
“I have heard what you have said, too,” he said looking Charlie in the eye. “And you are probably right about me and the people I work for. I have made mistakes that I am not proud of and that includes hurting Amelia. But I give you my word now, I will never hurt her again or do anything that would put her into danger. I promise.”
“Then we won’t have an issue,” Charlie said stepping closer to Mason. “But you hurt her again and I will come for you. You don’t scare me, Mr. James. Never forget that.”
“I won’t,” Mason replied before he turned and followed Shannon.
Mason agreed to follow her to their home in his own car, where he would have a chance to talk to Amelia.
A short while later, Mason pulled up outside a beautiful, two story white washed house, complete with white picket fences. He smiled to himself as he made his way up the front path to where Shannon was waiting for him. This was exactly where he would have pictured Amelia growing up.
“Are you ready?” Shannon asked as he walked up the steps onto the front porch.
“I am,” Mason replied. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this.”
“Please come in,” Shannon said as she opened the front door. Mason stepped into the hallway behind her, and held his breath. He had stood before grand juries, people of power and important men in his career, and never once had he felt as nervous as he did right in that moment. This feeling was very new and completely unsettling to him.
Do not fuck this up Mace! He silently warned himself.
“Milly,” Shannon called up the stairs then smiled at Mason.
It took a moment, but finally there she was. She walked down the stairs but stopped half way the moment she spotted Mason standing next to her mother.
“I will leave you two alone,” Shannon said before she turned and walked back out of the house leaving Mason and Amelia standing there staring at each other.
Chapter 14
Amelia stood and stared at Mason, waiting for him to speak. She was stunned to see him standing there in her parent’s house. Almost like she was in some kind of dream. She wondered if she should walk further down the stairs, but her feet felt like lead.
“Hi,” Mason finally said, and for the first time since she met him, the cocky, arrogant ass she remembered, was nowhere to be found. Instead he seemed quieter, nervous even. This made Amelia feel a little easier. She took one more step down the stairs.
“Hey,” she said with a smile.
“How are you?” Mason asked inching closer to the stairs.
“Okay I guess,” Amelia replied with a shrug. “Better today.”
“I wanted to apologise,” Mason continued as he stepped even closer to the stairs. “Yesterday was a mistake.”
“Oh,” Amelia said, unable to hide the tiny pang of disappointment she felt. What part was the mistake? Did he regret upsetting her, or was it the things he had said? Had he changed his mind?
“Upsetting you was the last thing I meant to do,” Mason said as if he was reading her mind. “But I don’t regret what I said to you. I meant every word.”
“I see,” Amelia replied. Mason stared at her for a moment and she knew he was waiting for her to say how she felt, but she had no idea how she felt, much less where to begin.
“Jesus, Amelia.” Mason said taking a couple of steps up the stairs, then stopping. “Talk to me. Tell me how you feel, because this is killing me. I am so out of my comfort zone here.”
“What do you want me to say, Mason?” Amelia snapped back. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you, and I think you want me, too,” he said closing the distance between them. He stood on the step before her, and although he was on a lower step, he was still taller than her. He looked down into her eyes, but he didn’t touch her. “If you tell me that I am wrong. I will go and never bother you again, but I need to hear the words.”
“I…I’m scared,” Amelia closed her eyes and whispered. Her heart was thumping so hard; she was sure Mason could hear it too. “From the moment I met you, I knew you would hurt me. Every ounce of my being told me to stay away from you, not to trust you.”
She hesitated for a moment, before she opened her eyes and met his stare.
“But still I trusted you,” she continued. “For the first time ever, I let someone close to me and you used me, and…and you hurt me.”
“I never used you,” Mason replied honestly. “I just didn’t know I would feel the way I did when I made love to you. I was scared, too. You have to believe that. This is all very new to me and so I fucked up.”
“I don’t know why you would even want me,” Amelia said honestly, as Mason inched closer to her, but still didn’t touch her. “I am so broken…”
“So am I, Amelia,” Mason said, his lips barely inches from hers. “I find it so hard to let people close to me, to let them see the real me.”
“Then what should we do?” She whispered as she closed her eyes and leaned in closer to him. She longed for him to kiss her. “Tell me what to do.”
“Let me fix you,” he breathed against her mouth, sending shivers down her spine. “And you can fix me.”
Before she could reply, Mason slammed his mouth against hers, as he wrapped her in his arms and drew her closer to him, pressing his body against her.
Amelia could feel his arousal against her stomach and she gasped. The moment her lips parted, Mason didn’t miss a beat. He dipped his tongue into her mouth and kissed her harder and deeper. He slowly lowered her down onto the stairs, and balanced above her.
Amelia lifted her hands up and grabbed Mason’s hair, pulling him even closer to her. She could barely breathe, her head was spinning and her heart was hammering in her chest.
She briefly thought back to the first time they were together. She was so scared, but Mason took his time. He had been kind, gentle and tender, but then he left.
But he came back, she thought to herself.
Mason reached down and slowly eased her skirt up her legs. He breathlessly broke his lips from hers and looked down into her eyes. For a moment, Amelia was a little confused, but then she realised he was asking her for permission.
She smiled then leaned up and kissed Mason again. Feeling bold, she reached for the belt on his trousers and pulled it open.
That was all Mason needed. He returned her kiss, this time with so much passion, it almost consumed Amelia.
They pulled at each other’s clothes, almost frantically, each filled with a need to touch, to feel the other person against them.
Amelia could feel Mason pull her panties down. She straightened her legs and let them drop to the lower steps.
He moved suddenly, and with
one thrust, he filled her completely with his rock hard erection.
“OH GOD!!” Amelia cried out but the sound was muffled when Mason brought his mouth down over hers once again. Amelia closed her eyes, and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist.
He kissed her hard and deep, while he pushed into her again and again. Amelia tried to move in time with Mason, but the stairs made it so difficult. So, all she could do was hold him tightly and let him take them to where they were going.
Over and over, he drove into her as deeply as he could, each time pushing her higher. Amelia had never felt more alive than she did right at that moment. Her heart raced and her head spun, but the euphoria was unlike anything she had ever imagined.
She could feel her arms and legs begin to tremble so she held Mason tighter. As she came undone her whole body shook as her orgasm washed over her.
Mason continued to thrust into her, over and over until finally he erupted inside her. He didn’t make any move to get up for a moment, instead just holding her tight while he tried to calm his ragged breathing.
When Mason didn’t speak, Amelia could feel a tiny rush of panic spread through her body. Was he going to leave her again? She held her breath and blinked back the tears that had suddenly pooled in her eyes.
Finally, Mason lifted his head and smiled at Amelia, but his smile quickly faded.
“What’s wrong?” He asked wiping a tear that trickled down her face.
“Are you going to leave again?” She whispered suddenly unable to look at him.
“What? No!” He said quickly. “Why would you think that?”
“It’s just you were so quiet,” she explained. “And the last time...”
“Amelia,” he began, but stopped and moved so he was now sitting on the stairs. He then moved Amelia and pulled her onto his lap. “I know I am asking a lot, expecting you to trust me. You hardly know me, and my behaviour to date has been less than perfect. But I give you my word. I will never do anything to hurt you or let you come to any harm. I promise you.”
“Okay,” she smiled and nodded. Mason kissed her again and smiled.
“It’s good to see you smile,” Mason said as he softly touched her face. “You should always smile. I will make it my mission to see that it always happens.”
They sat on the stairs for what seemed like forever wrapped in each other’s arms. Finally, Mason that the first one to move.
“I should go,” Mason said kissing Amelia on the forehead.
“Why?” Amelia asked, surprised he wanted to leave.
“Because I have something I need to sort out,” Mason said giving her a reassuring smile. “Besides, your dad already looks like he wants to kill me. I don’t fancy him coming home and finding us like this on his staircase.”
“I guess not,” Amelia said with a giggle, but still she felt a little unsure of herself.
“Don’t worry,” Mason said, sensing Amelia’s concerns. “I will be back. I was hoping you would agree to a date, this evening.”
“You want to go on a date?” Amelia smiled.
“Yes,” Mason replied. “I will come by and collect you around seven.”
“Okay,” Amelia agreed with a smile. “I will be ready.”
“Good,” he said before he kissed her again.
Amelia stood up and walked slowly down the stairs, acutely aware she was no longer wearing panties. She waited at the bottom, while Mason fixed himself before he followed her down.
“I will be here at seven sharp,” he said as he opened the front door. He turned back to Amelia and wrapped her in his arms again, then kissed her softly.
“I will see you later,” he said before he turned and hurried down the steps. Amelia stood and watched as Mason hurried out to his car. Before he climbed in, he turned and looked back at Amelia. He gave her one last smile before he got into his car and pulled away from the kerb.
Amelia closed the door and headed up the stairs, stopping to pick up her panties before running up the rest of the way. She just reached the top when the door bell sounded. She smiled and turned around, running back down the stairs, assuming it was Mason. She wondered what he had forgotten.
“Milly,” Jeremy said, surprising Amelia when she opened the door. “I wasn’t sure you would answer the door.”
“Jeremy!” Amelia said, surprised to see him standing there. She stepped back to let him in. “Of course I would open the door to you.”
“Well, you haven’t been taking my calls,” he said stepping past Amelia. He walked into the hallway and turned back to Amelia. He smiled nervously at her, then his eyes dropped to the underwear she was still holding in her hand. “I don’t think they are my colour.”
“Shit,” Amelia said. She blushed and quickly hid them behind her back. “I forgot I was holding them.”
“It’s fine,” Jeremy laughed as he shifted uncomfortably. “So…um…I have to ask. Have I done something to you?”
“No!” Amelia said, surprised by his question. “Why would you even think that?”
“We were out having a good time,” Jeremy replied. “Or so I thought. Then you suddenly left and the next I hear is, you have left New York and come home. I thought maybe I had done something to upset you.”
“It was nothing you did, Jeremy.” Amelia sighed, feeling like a total cow for how she had treated her best friend. “I just needed some time out.”
“Okay,” he nodded then added. “And did it have anything to do with the guy I just saw leaving here? Is he the reason you left the restaurant that night?”
“Jeremy,” Amelia sighed. “Look, if you came here for an argument, it’s not happening.”
“I didn’t come to fight, Milly,” he replied defensively. “You’re my best friend and I worry about you. I worry about you getting hurt again.”
“I’m a big girl, Jeremy, I don’t need anyone’s approval on who I date!” Amelia said feeling a little sick of everyone assuming they knew what was better for her more than she did. “Besides, I already have a dad, I don’t need another one. Now if you will excuse me, I have a date to get ready for. You can let yourself out.”
Without saying another word, Amelia turned and hurried up the stairs to her bedroom.
When Amelia reached her room she sat on the bed and tried to calm her breathing. She was gutted that she had lost her temper with Jeremy. She knew he was just looking out for her, but she was tired of being treated like this damaged creature.
Suddenly, there was a soft tap on the door.
“Amelia,” Jeremy said. “Can I come in?”
“Come in,” Amelia sighed. She didn’t want to argue anymore.
“Hey,” he said as he stepped through the door. “I’m sorry for upsetting you.”
“I’m sorry for being so sensitive,” Amelia replied with a sigh. “I know you are just looking out for me.”
“I know you don’t need my approval on who you date,” Jeremy said as he walked over and sat next to Amelia on the bed. “I just don’t want you hurt again.”
“Mason won’t hurt me,” Amelia assured him. “He is a good guy.”
“Okay,” Jeremy shrugged, but the look on his face told Amelia there was something he wasn’t saying.
“What?” She asked, turning to her friend. “What aren’t you saying?”
Jeremy didn’t reply, instead he stared down at his hands and she knew he was trying to decide if he should tell her something, he hadn’t yet said.
“Jeremy, what is it?” Amelia repeated a little more firmly this time.
“You know Roxy, from the coffee shop?” Jeremy said finally looking at Amelia. “We were all hanging out in Josie’s apartment and that guy, Mason James was on the news and Roxy said she hooked up with him.”
“When?” Amelia asked but she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.
“Last Saturday,” he said and his words were like a kick in the guts for Amelia.
“I see,” Amelia replied and tried her hardest to appear as unfazed
as she could. “Well, we weren’t really together then. So who he slept with had nothing to do with me.”
“Well, as long as you are okay with that,” Jeremy said, standing up. “I will leave you to get ready for your date.”
“Thanks, Jeremy.” Amelia said and forced a smile.
“Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?” He asked as he walked to the door.
“Sure,” Amelia replied and smiled feebly at him. Jeremy said his goodbyes and left Amelia sitting alone on her bed.
She flopped back down onto the bed and sighed. She could lie to Jeremy and pretend what he told her didn’t bother her, but the truth was, she was crushed. What they hell was she supposed to do now?
Chapter 15
Mason reached Amelia’s parent’s house at exactly seven o’clock, and although he was excited about tonight, he wasn’t as nervous as he had been the last time he pulled up outside this house.
None-the-less, when he saw no cars parked in the driveway, he felt a lot happier. He hadn’t really wanted another face off with Amelia’s father. He knew he needed to try to make things better between them, but for now it was about making things right with Amelia.
Just don’t screw it up again! He scolded himself.
He hurried up the front steps, and knocked on the door. Amelia opened the door almost immediately. She looked beautiful. She was wearing a black, satin blouse and black pencil skirt. She was also wearing killer stilettos, that made her look taller, and her hair swept up into a loose bun on the top of her head.
She looked different, elegant and incredibly hot, but it wasn’t the Amelia, Mason knew.
“Hi,” she said, and Mason could sense a change in her demeanour too. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he sensed something was wrong. Everything about her seemed different.
“Hi there,” he said, as he kissed her on the cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Yep,” she replied with a smile, but Mason wasn’t convinced.
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