by MK Schiller
Mason takes a step toward me. I follow suit. Only a sliver of air is between us. The wind picks up and causes an annoying strand of hair to brush against my face. I think he’s going to tuck it behind my ear. Instead, he unclips my barrette. With a hand on each side of my face, he kisses my forehead. The kiss is tender and pure. His hands slide lower until his fingers fiddle with the bottom button of my shirt. Seeking permission, he gives me an assessing look. I nod.
He undoes the button. Then a second, and then a third. His fingers shake, or maybe that’s my body reacting. I never imagined being comfortable enough with anyone to expose myself. I can count the days I’ve known Mason Cutler on one hand. Yet there is a freedom between us I’ve never experienced with anyone else.
He gently pushes the fabric off my shoulders. It flutters away. My breasts heave in the simple white bra I’m wearing. He gazes at my body.
“You’re beautiful, Kiran.”
His fingers ghost over my skin. They slide along the biggest and ugliest of all my scars. A long, straight line that runs down my stomach.
“This is surgical?” he asks, not taking his eyes off it.
“Yes. They filleted me like a fish.”
He falls to his knees before me. He kisses that spot. Once. Twice. Three times. My legs shake, but not from any kind of pain. He grips the button on my jeans. Before he undoes it, he looks up, seeking permission once again.
“Take them off, Mason.”
They fall to the ground. Besides my panties and bra, I’m naked. Naked and not afraid for once. He stands. He places a finger under my chin and tilts my face until our eyes meet.
“Ready for that swim?”
“Yes.”
He takes my hand and leads me into the water. It’s chillier than I thought. But it could have been arctic, and I wouldn’t mind. The waves crash against us, threatening to push me to the ground. Mason holds me tight. The water comes over my waist. It’s dark and cool. Maybe it even breaks my self-imposed shackles. The moon is vibrant against the water as if the two are kissing.
When the water reaches just below my chest, we stop. I turn to him. He smiles softly. This time, he does tuck the strand of hair behind my ear.
I place a hand on each of his hips.
“One day we’ll go surfing together,” he whispers.
“I’d like that.”
“One day I’ll take you to the revolving restaurant on top of the Wilshire, and we’ll have ourselves a nice dance.”
“I’d like that too.”
“And one day, I’m going to kiss you under a full moon.”
“Make that day today, Mason.”
He leans in. I expect him to go straight for my mouth, but he doesn’t. He kisses my temple. Then he moves across to trace the shell of my ear. A shiver races up my back. He moves slowly until his lips brush against mine. He’s all hard, lean muscles, but his lips are surprisingly soft. The kiss is gentle like a loving caress. He builds the pressure slowly, as if coaxing me. I ache for more. My teeth scrape against his upper lip. A groan comes from the back of his throat. He lifts me up. I wrap my arms around him and press my body against his. The kiss advances, becomes more aggressive. More passionate. Needier. More predatory.
He sucks on my bottom lip. I open my mouth. His tongue tangles around mine. He tastes of sweet mint. I moan as he tightens his grip on me. How can I feel so free when I’ve just surrendered?
When we break apart, he leans his forehead against mine. I’m happy he is breathing as hard as I am. His smile is two parts sweet boy and one part wicked, naughty man.
“I changed my mind, Kiran.”
“About what?”
He runs his thumb across my swollen lips.
“That… That right there is the best kiss I’ve ever had.”
“Best kiss ever,” I agree.
Chapter 7
Mason
The girl has been through hell and back. Now I understand her fear of confined spaces, her panic attacks, and why she’s hidden herself away. It’s a shame because I think she’s got a lot to offer the world. I’m honored she chose to share the tragedies in her life with me.
Last night, all we did was kiss, but it felt more intimate than anything else I’ve done with a girl. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more. There was that moment when the elevator opened on her floor. She looked at me. I’m certain the longing on her face mirrored mine. But I didn’t voice my thoughts. I sensed from the beginning that whatever crazy ride we’re on, Kiran is the conductor. The last thing I want is to damage her trust in me.
I zipped my mouth before I could ask to go to her room. She didn’t offer. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. We said good night. Her hair was dripping wet. Watching her make her way down the hall, I shifted with the elevator doors as they closed so I could catch a last look. Why? Because I didn’t want to miss a fucking thing, that’s why.
We hadn’t made any plans for today. When the knock at my door sounds, I hope it’s her. I roll out of bed. I’m awake and…oh, fuck. I’ve got a Mason Cutler erecter set going on. I need to take care of my morning wood.
Shit.
“Who is it?” I call. If it’s the cleaning lady, I’ll ask her to come back.
“Kiran.”
Not sure if this is good or bad. Good because I want to see her. Bad because I don’t really want her to see me, at least not in my present condition. “Coming.”
I wish.
Loose shorts. I know I have a zillion pairs. Why can’t I find just one? I rifle through my stuff, but come up…short. Finally, I just wrap a towel around my waist. It’s tented like there is a pole in the middle. Hell, there is a pole in the middle.
Her eyes go wide as she takes me in. “Hi.”
“Hello, Kiran.” She’s wearing a faded Steely Dan T-shirt. The girl is nothing if not eclectic, but it’s the fitted shorts about two inches past her thighs that capture most of my attention. It’s the most skin she’s ever revealed. One glimpse of her golden legs, and I’m a goner.
“I woke you. Sorry.”
“No apologies, Shenoy. I needed to get up.” The way the sun streams through the window tells me I’ve slept through my alarm. Something I never do. I missed my morning run.
“Hungry?” she asks.
I could feast on her right now.
“I could do with a meal.”
“I’ll wait for you down by the lobby. See you in twenty?”
“Make it thirty.”
Hell, I really need forty, but thirty will do. Thirty, I can work with if I shower and jerk off at the same time. Sometimes, a man’s gotta multitask.
Showered, shaved, and morning wood tamed, I go down to the lobby. I find Kiran looking over all the tourist pamphlets along the entrance wall. They advertise just about every tourist venue Jasper and its neighboring cities have to offer from ghost ship tours to Zeppelin rides.
“Anything good?”
She almost drops the pamphlet. “A few things. Probably nothing I’ll do.”
“Show me what you got there.”
“It’s silly.” She clutches the paper tighter in her hand.
“Give it over, girl.”
She hands it to me. It’s an advertisement for a place in town that offers indoor skydiving adventures.
“Really?”
“I’ve always wanted to sky dive.”
“Me too. I might get trained later, but it would be nice to do it for fun.”
“This isn’t real. It’s simulated.”
“Doesn’t have to be.” I pick up the brochure next to it. One that advertises real sky diving.
“That’s inching up the danger scale.” She chews on her lower lip. I’ve never seen anxiety and excitement manifest at the same time, but that is the expression she offers me.
“You’re right. We should stick to something safer.” I hold up her brochure.
“You’d go with me?”
“You bet.”
“Let me think on this.” She grabs both brochures and shoves them in her bag. “Do you mind if we go out to eat? I want to see Sam.”
“Sure thing.”
We head to a restaurant Kiran recommends. We sit outside on a table covered by a huge orange umbrella.
“What are you getting?” she asks, reading the menu closely.
“Fish and chips, you?”
She throws down the menu. “Do you have them with malt vinegar?”
“Is there any other way to eat fish and chips?”
“Not in my book.” She licks her bottom lip.
I chug water to distract myself. “Are you getting it too?”
“It sounds good, except I’m really in the mood for chicken strips.”
“Well, you’ve got a tough decision ahead of you.”
She cracks a smile. “Or I could get the chicken strips, and you get the fish and chips, and we split them.”
“Kind of a red neck version of surf and turf, wouldn’t you say?”
She laughs. “Maybe.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.”
The waitress approaches us. I almost have to cover my ears when the girl shrieks. “Kiran!”
Kiran looks up. “Sidney, how are you?”
“Fabulous. It’s so freaking good to see you.” I think this girl’s voice is permanently dialed to max volume. “How are you?”
“Great.”
“I can’t believe you’re in town. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t tell anyone.”
Her gaze dart over to me. Kiran shifts in her seat. “This is Mason.”
“Oh, your boyfriend. So nice to meet you.”
“No,” Kiran says a little too loud for my liking. “We’re friends. We just met at the hotel. You’re working here?”
“Just over the summer. Trying to make some money toward school. You could have stayed with me. My mom would have loved to see you again.”
“Sidney, it was a spur of the moment trip. I’m sorry.” Kiran clasps her hands. There is an awkward silence.
“You guys were friends in high school I take it?” I interject with an obvious question to fill the void.
“Yeah, really good friends,” Sidney says. “Once.”
I need to give them some time alone. I stand. “Hey, I’m gonna head to the restroom. Kiran knows what I want.”
At least what I want to eat. When I come back, they are still chatting. In fact, Sidney’s taken my seat. But Kiran seems more relaxed now. I throw a few quarters in the old-style Pac-Man machine by the entrance to give them more time. I scan the top ten all-time high scores. Miss Kiran is number eight on the list. It doesn’t take long for the ghosts to clobber me. When I come back, our drinks are on the table.
“Sorry about that,” Kiran says.
“No big deal. I was playing Pac-Man.”
“Am I still on the board?”
“Yeah, number eight.”
She pouts. “I was number one.”
“You want to reclaim your title?”
She shakes her head. “I’ll let someone else keep it.”
“Yeah, you might give a thirteen-year-old a real hit in the self-esteem department.”
“Never.”
I take a sip of my drink. “How did you know I wanted ice tea?”
“You never said. Just a guess. It’s what I ordered too. It’s really good here. It’s sun-sweetened. Did I make a good choice?”
“Yeah, much better than the blow job you ordered for me.”
“You don’t like blow jobs? I’ll remember that.”
I choke on my drink.
“You okay?”
“Correction, I love blow jobs. Just not the drink.”
“Okay.”
“To recap, Mason loves blow jobs.”
A woman at the end of the table glares at me.
“Good to know,” Kiran says, placing her napkin on her lap. She’s fucking smirking too.
“You’re naughty.”
Her cheeks turn crimson. “Who me? You’re the one shouting how much you like blow jobs.”
“True.”
Sidney sets the bill down. Kiran and I both reach for it at the same time, but I’m a lot quicker.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warn.
“So I’ll see you tonight?” Sidney asks.
“Yeah, it’ll be fun.”
“What’s tonight?” I ask when Sidney leaves.
“Karaoke.”
“Really?”
“Sidney says a lot of our friends from high school are in town, and everyone’s going to be there tonight.”
“Cool.” I’m a little sad I won’t see her tonight. But I’m happy she’s going out.
“Would you be interested in coming with me?”
I’m not interested in karaoke. But Kiran… Kiran is a whole other story. “Sure.”
“Yeah? For some reason, I don’t think this is your thing. It might not be fun for you.”
“It’s not my thing, but if you’re there, I’ll have fun.”
We go to the bookstore and spend a few hours with Sam. Sam isn’t emotional, but he claps her on the back. I think it’s his version of a hug. The three of us talk about books. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this way. She’s completely in her element, confident and excited, bordering on elated. It’s like witnessing a flower in bloom. I imagine Kiran in college pursing her true dreams. She will thrive at Iowa.
“Mind if I go into that store?” she asks when we leave.
It’s a woman’s clothing store. The word Boutique painted across the glass in flourishing gold letters makes me grimace.
“Shopping?”
“I just need to get one thing.”
“Um… It’s never one thing. I know for a fact.”
“Oh yeah? You go shopping with girls a lot?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Or at least I did. Dana does her own shopping now, thank God. But I had to take her to buy school clothes until high school. She’s a tomboy, but she still took forever.” I shudder at the memory of standing outside the dressing room doors while she tried on a million outfits.
Kiran gives me that sweet smile. “You’re a good brother, Mason.”
I think I’m blushing.
“You’re a good man,” she says a little quieter.
Definitely blushing.
“Fine, Shenoy. You win. Let’s go.” We head across the street. “What do you need to buy anyway?”
“A bathing suit. I didn’t pack one. I don’t even own one anymore. It’s time to change that.”
I shoulder bump her. “Done with the skinny dipping?”
“I didn’t say that.”
She slips into the store before I can respond. Not that I had a response.
I was right.
It’s more than one item she picks up. The sales lady offers to help, but Kiran refuses. I can see she’s rushing, taking items from their hangers without even trying them on.
“Take your time, Kiran. I don’t mind.”
She tries on a few outfits. They show more skin. She looks damn beautiful in every one.
I zip up the white sundress for her.
“Is this weird?” she asks, twirling around in it.
The hem is a few inches above her knees. It shows off her long shapely legs. She pairs it with red cowboy boots. Red fucking cowboy boots. Fucking hotter than any high heel. At least to this boy, they are. As if I needed another dose of Kiran Kryptonite. She always looks beautiful to me, but in this dress… In this dress, she looks downright edible. In a way, the outfit is like her, innocent and unique and a little bit naughty.
“Not weird at all. It looks like someone made it just for you.”
She doesn’t believe me. I walk into the room with her and close the curtain. I turn her toward the mirror and stand behind her. With my mouth hovering over her ear, I
whisper, “I wouldn’t lie to you, sunshine. Just look at yourself. And if I could let you borrow my eyes so you can see what I do, I would. But I can’t, so you’ll have to really look this time.”
She stares at herself in the mirror, her beautiful mouth pursed in contemplation. “You’re right. It makes me look good.”
“You make it look good.”
“Thank you. I love the eyelets. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but they are my favorite thing about this dress.”
I don’t have a clue what she’s talking about. “What are eyelets?”
She takes hold of my finger and traces it around the circular cutouts at the waist. She takes a sharp breath as I mimic the same motion with my other hand. Turns out, I really like eyelets myself. There’s a hint of vanilla in her scent today. It’s driving me crazy.
“I’m going to get this. And the boots too.”
“Good.”
“Now leave so I can take it off.”
“Not so fast, girl. You still require my services.” I move her hair aside, imagining those soft silky strands brushing against my flesh. I run my hand up her back for no other reason than I want to touch her. She chews on her lip. I have an urge to chew on it too. I unzip her dress. It’s slower this time, less mechanical. The sound of the tongues and grove of the zipper is audible as it comes apart. Her shoulders tense. Another part of me tenses too. Her bra straps are thin. One falls to the side. I adjust it…with my teeth. She leans back until she is against my chest. I have an urge to kiss her again. To rip this dress I love stitch by stitch, one eyelet at a time, until it’s a pile of shreds on the ground. Then take her against the wall in this very confined fitting room until I finally relieve some of this pent up hunger that’s left me a starved man.
“Finding everything okay?” the saleslady says. I jerk back like a boy caught hiding Penthouse in his bible at Sunday school.
“Yes. We’re all set,” she blurts out.
When we leave, I’m carrying a pile of shopping bags. But I don’t mind. In the car, she holds up the bathing suit she picked. It’s aquamarine; the material shimmers against the sun.
“I used to have a suit this color. I loved it.”
Yeah Kiran, I remember that suit.