The Price of Mason

by Linda Kage

  She stuttered a moment before saying, “It’s The Chamber of Secrets.” Then she squinted suspiciously. “Did you really, really finish this already?”

  “Yes!” I lifted my hands and let out a harassed yet amused laugh. “Do you want to quiz me about it or do you want to give me the next book already?”

  Her mouth popped open. “You want to read the next one?” Then, she brightened, straightening her back with a smug kind of glee. “You liked it, didn’t you?”

  I shook my head, trying to deny it. “Sarah wants to know what happens next.”

  “But you do too,” she insisted, stepping closer and making my breath catch when that familiar scent of hers wafted up. “Admit it. You liked it.”

  I held myself stiff, afraid to like how close she’d gotten. “Don’t even think about saying I told you so.”

  “Ha!” she cried, spiking up her hands in victory. “I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I so told you so.”

  God, she was cute like this. Torn between rolling my eyes and laughing, I muttered, “I see you’re one of those gracious, humble types of winners.”

  “This is so awesome,” she crowed. “I created a Harry Potter fan. You know, if this keeps up, J.K. is going to have to give me a cut of her royalties. Don’t you think?”

  “I think you’re pushing it, Randall.” God, I wanted to kiss her when she was happy and vivacious and acting like a total goofball.

  Not Patricia, or Monica, or anyone from their class would be caught dead acting so ridiculous and silly just for the fun of it. And that right there was one of the biggest reasons why I couldn’t get enough of Reese.

  She wasn’t them.

  She was so not them, in fact, that I was beginning to fear I needed her in my life if I ever truly wanted to recover from them.

  Completely oblivious to the terrifying revelation I was having, Reese rolled her eyes. “Whatever. This is still awesome. I can go get you book two right now, if you really want it.”

  I blinked, confused. “You carry Harry Potter books around with you to college keggers?”

  With a snicker, she held up the book I’d just handed her. “What? You do too.”

  Okay, she got me there. I laughed. “Wow, you really are aiming to be the top recruiter of the year.”

  “You know it.” With a quirky grin, she used the corner of the book she was holding and tapped my chin dimple with it. “But seriously, my apartment is right above the garage, which is, like, twenty feet away from that back door there, so I can get it for you in two minutes tops.”

  Wait. What?

  I glanced at the door as that little piece of information knocked me for a loop. It was one thing for her to associate with Eva Mercer, talk to her before classes, eat lunch with her, and attend one of her parties. But living above her garage…?

  I’d been so sure she wasn’t like Eva at all but now I was thrown. How could they be this close and some of Mercer’s pretentious, egotistical personality not rub off onto Reese, even a little? My worry grew as I turned back to her. I’d really come to like Reese; there’d been moments when the emotion had even felt stronger than “like.” I didn’t want to learn she was different than the girl I’d eaten lunch with, that she might be a lot more like them than I had realized.

  “You’re staying above the Mercers’ garage?” I asked slowly.

  “Yep,” she answered cheerfully, only to pause and roll her eyes. “And I know what you’re thinking, but trust me, the place is super cool. It’s honestly like a mini apartment up there with a kitchenette, bedroom, bathroom, and living room. And the privacy is awesome. Eva is so jealous. She had no idea what kind of gem was on her property until I moved into it. I swear, she’d probably kick me out and move in herself if her closet wasn’t twice the size of my entire bedroom.”

  “Hmm,” I said, not really listening to her rambling explanation. “Wow. I could tell you and Eva were close, but I had no idea her parents would let you move in.”

  “Oh!” Her eyes flared with surprise before she grinned and nudged my arm. “I’m sorry, I guess you didn’t realize—Eva’s my cousin. Her mom, Aunt Mads, is my mom’s little sister.”

  Oh.

  Wow.

  Well, hell. That changed everything, reassuring me about her personality again. Their blood ties, and not the fact that they actually liked each other because they were alike, could be the reason they hung out so much. She could still be just the way she’d come across to me this past week, after all.

  But on that same note, their blood ties could make her more blindly loyal to Eva, and if not blindly loyal, maybe just reluctantly loyal.

  At the end of the day, she would no doubt side with Mercer over me.

  Not sure why she’d ever need to pick a side between us, but the mere idea concerned me.

  “Yeah,” I drew out slowly, “I didn’t know that.”

  “Okay, seriously,” she said, staring me straight in the eye. “Is there more to this thing between you and E than you two are letting on?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “No, I just…no. Not at all. I was only worried the contention between her and me would bother you. I mean, you’re not going to stop talking to me now in loyalty to your cousin, are you?”

  She arched a single eyebrow as if my concern was ridiculous. “If I haven’t stopped by now because of her, then I’m probably not going to stop later on either because of her.”

  My shoulders relaxed. “Okay, good. It’s just… I know she doesn’t consider me to be from her class. It’d be a shame if you jumped over that cliff with her.”

  Reese merely sighed as if tired of this line of conversation. “I may love my cousin to pieces and go all fashion crazy with her on occasion but trust me, I do know how to be my own person. If I ever become as condescending as Eva Mercer, please shoot me, okay?”

  I wouldn’t shoot her; I’d probably just give up on life completely if she became like them. But I nodded. “Okay.”

  She sent me an exaggerated goofy grin, probably to get me to smile, which worked. “Great. Now that we have that settled, wait right here. I’ll be back in a jiffy with your next book.”

  Confession #17: I had a bad habit of setting myself up for temptation.

  When Reese left through the back door, I followed. I didn’t want to be anywhere else but with her, and besides, a trio of girls who’d gathered at the other end of the hall were eyeing me as they sipped their drinks, and from the expressions on their faces, they thought they owned me. Made me think they were little Patricias in training.

  So I fled from them and stuck with Reese.

  She looked at me lustfully sometimes, too, but I liked the way she watched me, like I was something awe-inspiring and important, not like something she wanted to train and bend to her will. The way her eyes heated made me feel special. Essential.

  When she glanced back at me now, however, her gaze seemed wary and instantly on guard.

  “Or…you could just, you know, come with me,” she said slowly, making it clear that my following her made her uncomfortable.

  I didn’t want to make her uneasy. That was the very last thing on my agenda. But I also refused to be left alone at this party.

  So I made a joke of it. “Hey, you’re not leaving me in there by myself with fifty other Eva Mercers lurking about. I might be molested before you returned.”

  “Oh my God,” she groaned, rolling me a dry look over her shoulder. “Drama much?”

  I shrugged, letting her decide for herself how accurate I was being.

  She sniffed and started up a darkened staircase. “Well, just don’t expect me to jump in front of you like some kind of human shield if any frisky females come flying out of the shadows to ambush you for a freebie.”

  With a laugh, I followed her up. “I’ll be sure to toss you in front of me against your will, then.”

  “Ha, real funny, smart-ass.” At the landing, we stopped, and I listened to her in front of me, her keys jingling.

  I frown
ed, wondering if she did this every night she babysat: stood out here in the pitch-dark night, fumbling with keys.

  I was about to ask if there was a light around when she said, “Here we go,” and unlocked the door.

  Suddenly realizing I was following her alone, inside the place where she lived, my libido sprang to life. As I stepped into the front room behind her, all I could think about was all the places I could take her in here.

  I pictured myself shoving that textbook she had lying open on the coffee table aside so she could sit there, facing me, as I unzipped my jeans. Or I could clearly see us curled up in the blanket that lay wadded on the couch, both of us naked underneath. Or I could heft her up onto the kitchen cabinets among the dirty dishes and step between her spread thighs so I could give her a long, drawn-out kiss as I pushed inside her.

  Before I knew it, I was actually walking around the apartment, fantasy after fantasy springing to life inside me. The place was small, quaint, and perfect. Like a love nest.

  Nodding, I glanced at her. “Yeah,” I said, “I have to say, you were right. This is pretty awesome. I could live here with no problem.” When I caught sight of an apple sitting in a fruit basket on the table, I grinned. Since me taking her food was our thing, I snagged it and buffed it against the shoulder of my shirt.

  Reese sighed and shook her head. “You just couldn’t resist, could you?”

  I met her gaze as I took that first slow bite. “What? Resist your forbidden fruit? Hell no.” Then I winked and chewed. “What do you think of them apples?”

  She snorted. “I think your pun is corny and pathetic.”

  Except she really didn’t at all, and we both knew it.

  I laughed and kept eating, trying to temper the desire that was roaring through me. “So, where’s this book?”

  “In my room.”

  Of course, it was.

  She hurried through a side doorway, and because I was a glutton for punishment, I wandered to the entrance.

  I knew I shouldn’t go in. I was already knocking at temptation’s door; I was being a complete idiot for even coming here tonight. But hell, I’d already gone this far, and I ached to see her room, the bed she slept on each night, the sheets that touched her skin when she dreamed.

  The need was more addictive than I could resist.

  I stepped inside.

  The space was snug, real snug, which was probably why it smelled so strongly of her. Her scent was literally trapped in this place. Not much more than a small bed, dresser, and miniature bookshelf adorned it. We’d have to get close in here. We’d have to stay close.

  I went rock-solid hard.

  No one knew I was here. Not Monica, not Patricia. No one would make a case of it. No one would know anything we did.

  Watching Reese’s lines bloom into delicious curves as she bent down to fetch the second Harry Potter book for me, I played with the idea in my head.

  Just one night. What could it hurt? One night to live out my ultimate fantasy of being with Reese.

  It would be wrong. So fucking wrong.

  But it’d be worth it to finally taste her. To take her.

  She straightened and turned back to me, not expecting me to be there.

  “Oh!” she gasped, skidding to a halt before bumping into me. “There you are.”

  She looked scared and intimidated, but also about as turned on as I felt.

  “Do you… I mean…” Her hands began to shake around the book she clutched. Her timid gaze lifted to me. In them, I saw question, hesitation, but also yearning. “You can take the entire series now if you’d like. That way you won’t have to wait between each book until I can get the next one to you.”

  “I don’t mind waiting,” I said, staring straight into her eyes. “In fact, I like building up the anticipation.”

  She caught her breath and shuddered. When her gaze moved to my mouth, my cock pulsed greedily.

  I studied her, debating my next move.

  Could I really do this? Throw caution to the wind and have her? Right here? Right now?

  Oh, hell, yes. Of course, I could. But should I?

  Absolutely not.

  So… Would I?

  God, I didn’t know. I guess it would be up to her. If she gave me the slightest signal to proceed, I’d crumble like a stack of cards and be on her so fast both our heads would spin. But what would she do if I pressed the situation?

  I shouldn’t find out. I really, really shouldn’t. I was the kind of person that should go nowhere near a sweet, innocent girl like Reese Randall.

  Feeling like the dirty, predatory wolf I knew I was, I turned away, trying to cool myself down, and in doing so, I focused on all the lotion bottles and other cosmetics she kept scattered on her dresser top.

  Idly, I opened one and sniffed, mostly for something to do to distract myself from how much I wanted her, but as soon as I did, I almost groaned and my eyes nearly crossed from the pleasure, because damn… The origin of Reese’s scent was sitting in my hand.

  “You wore this Friday,” I said, glancing at her… And Thursday, and Wednesday, and Tuesday, as well as right now.

  She nodded silently, just watching me.

  I read the label. “Sweet pea.” An affectionate grin lit my face. “So fitting.”

  As if watching me hold her lotion was more than she could take, she slipped the container from my hand and returned it to its place. “I was thinking of getting a bottle for Sarah. Do you think she’d like this fragrance?”

  “Don’t you dare,” I said before I could check myself. When she frowned slightly, I explained, “This is your scent. It would be too weird to smell on my little sister.” Especially since it gave me a hard-on every time I got a whiff of it. Smelling it meant Reese was near.

  “I guess I could get her some cucumber melon then. Or warm vanil—”

  When she began to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, I caught her hand, startling her quiet. “If your hair getting in your face bothers you that much, why don’t you ever tie it back?”

  She blinked at me repeatedly before shaking her head slightly. “You know I never tie my hair back?”

  I shifted closer. I don’t know why I was doing this. It was wrong to mess around with her—it could only hurt her—but I couldn’t seem to stop. “I know you’re always pushing it out of your eyes,” I said.

  Her gaze glazed and lips parted. A part of me knew exactly what was happening to her under those clothes she wore. Her nipples were puckering tight, aching to be sucked as moisture gathered at the seam of her sex, readying her body for me.

  “I don’t know,” she said with a loose shrug even as color heightened the tops of her cheeks and her breathing shuddered unsteadily. “Don’t… Don’t you guys prefer long, flowing hair?”

  I caught a strand of her dark locks and ran it through my fingers. “I can’t speak for other guys but, yeah, I guess I do like it long and flowing.” Because that’s how she had her hair. Finally focusing on what we were actually talking about, I sent her a disappointed glance. “So this is just to attract a guy then?” I didn’t like thinking of her as man-hunting. “Anyone specific?”

  She cleared her throat and looked down. “No. Not necessarily. I just… I personally think I look best this way.”

  Relieved by that answer, I lifted another piece of hair on the other side of her cheek until I was nearly cupping her face. She slowly lifted her gaze.

  “Does this mean you’ll have caught your guy whenever you show up on campus someday with your hair in a ponytail?”

  She blinked, probably not prepared for me to keep on with this conversation…when I could so easily just lean in and kiss her. “Well, then I’ll have to keep his attention, so probably not.”

  I combed my finger through the dark strands until I’d gathered it all into a ponytail with my hand. “I don’t think you ever have to worry about what your hair looks like in order to attract a guy.” She could be bald or have a frizzed-out mess, and I was sure I’d still
want her right now, more than I ever wanted anyone. “You have too many other intriguing attributes to keep them interested.”

  My thumb barely grazed the front of her throat.

  Realization flooded her eyes. “Mason,” she damn near whispered, her body going taut and still. “What’re you doing?”

  I moved in closer, pressing my forehead to hers. “Something I probably shouldn’t.”

  But if she gave me the go-ahead, I’d keep doing it no matter how wrong it was. Because God, I wanted this. I wanted it so fucking much.

  Her breath trembled from parted lips and her eyes went leery and tempted even as she said, “If… If you shouldn’t, then…don’t.”

  Dammit.

  I might have whimpered. But God, the rejection…

  It hurt.

  “Easier said than done,” I answered on a shaky voice, even as I combed my fingers through her hair again, one last time. But she didn’t stop me. In fact, she reached up and gripped my arm as if to keep me there, so my final caress lingered and just...kept going. I cupped the back of her neck and tipped her face up.

  Nothing else mattered but learning what that mouth tasted like.

  She leaned in as if to receive me. I whispered her name, my body igniting with the knowledge that I was actually with the girl whose name I said this time, the girl I wanted to be with.

  How the hell was I lucky enough to be allowed here in this moment with her?

  But then, it was all just stolen time, wasn’t it, because Reese seemed to come to her senses as she lowered her gaze and said, “I think… I think it’d be best if you stopped.”

  Right.

  Fuck. She’d already told me no. Why the hell hadn’t I stopped yet?

  “Okay,” I said, except I wasn’t moving back. Shit. She needed to push me away or something, because I literally could not move back. My mouth was inches from hers, my forehead remained pressed against hers, and I swear our hearts were thumping in the same exact rhythm.

  I eased my lips closer and shifted my hand along the back of her neck, trying to stimulate her into being the one to initiate the kiss. But my fingers suddenly seemed to realize the back of her neck felt different. The skin was marred, as if it held a scar.