“Hey, surfer boy, how was dinner?”
He smiled at her question. It was always about him first. Harley’s selflessness was
something he was still getting used to.
“It wasn’t the greatest, but I made it through.” She giggled, and Mason melted into his
bed at the sound, his eyes drifting shut as he sighed. “I would have much rather been with you tonight though.”
She sighed too. The noise took his breath and kept it hostage in his lungs. He could
almost picture her face, her snuggling into his arms, using his chest as a pillow.
“I know … same here. Therapy was crappier than usual because David’s super
temperamental right now.”
“Oh yeah? What’s up with him?”
“Well, you know how I said he told Abigail that he didn’t want a relationship with her?
Well apparently she’d decided to start dating around now, and he saw her with her new flavor this afternoon.”
Mason was all ears as she went on with her story. He threw one hand behind his head
against the pillow, and found himself truly feeling for her brother. If that was him, and Abigail was Harley, then he’d be a mess too.
“Well, maybe now that he sees that she’s serious about moving on. Maybe he’ll get his
act together and make a move.”
“Yeah, but I think it’s too late. Abigail was obviously upset with his decision and was
probably even more pissed due to the fact that he led her on for so long. Now I’m stuck in the middle of them brooding over each other, and there’s nothing I hate more than taking sides.”
“Well, if I could kiss you right now, then I would. Would that help?” Mason shook his
head and wiped a hand down the front of his red tinged cheeks. Jesus, she was turning him into a mushy bastard, but at his words, he could have sworn he heard her smile through the phone. If she liked a mushy mouth, then he’d keep the fluffiness rolling. She was worth it.
Unfortunately he had to go and ruin the moment. He had to tell her, “I’ve got something
to tell you, Harley, and I don’t want you to freak out...”
“Tell me then,” she giggled. “I promise to keep my freaking to a minimal level.”
He took a deep breath, wincing as the Kylee announcement came out in a rush. “My
sister’s best friend from Santa Cruz is coming to visit over Thanksgiving weekend, and I wanted you to know because we kind of, sort of hooked up for about a week before I moved here.” He exhaled heavily, stiffening as he waited for her answer, but the answering quiet scared him worse than if she would have freaked.
“Um, by hooked up, you do mean like, kissing and stuff … right? Or do you mean really and truly hooking up, like sex-wise, hooking up?”
“I mean the latter,” he cringed, squeezing his eye shut, waiting for an inevitable dial tone, but he sure as hell didn’t expect the answering quiet he received instead. “Tell me what you’re thinking, Har!”
She blew out a breath into the speaker. Her question came out with a whisper. “Exactly
how many girls have you hooked up with, Mason, because you sound as though it’s a common thing for you to do.” He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness. He’d been
dreading this conversation for a while, but there was no better time than now to discuss it.
“I’ve had sex with a total of seven girls, but I’ve messed around with, um, several more than that.”
“Seven, Mason, for real? When exactly did you lose your virginity, like, ten?” She had no
idea that she was only four years shy of the actual number, but he wasn’t going there. He was a guy. He made mistakes, lots of them.
“It’s not that bad, Harley. Hell, I’m practically a virgin as far as my old high school’s standards are concerned.” She snorted. Her laughter sounded forced. “It’s true,” he shook his head. The number was minimal, nothing compared to his buddies.
“Hell, then I’d be considered a nun, wouldn’t I?” This perked his attention, and his brows
rose. Was she going to go there? He felt his jaw clench and his teeth grind. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know that answer.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m the big ‘V’, Mase. Why do you sound so surprised? Some people have standards, ya know?”
He ignored the dig, “Yeah, well, I figured you were with that guy Aiden for a while…”
S hut up, Mason...
“Aiden and I never got to that point. I wasn’t ready, no matter how much he used to
pressure me about it.” Mason knew the guy was dead, but if he hadn’t been, then Mason would have hunted him down and … God, he’d do something to the dude. Harley deserved better.
Better than you especially, man…
He ignored his internal voice. It was right, but he already working on changing that. “I’m
sorry for assuming, Harley. I respect you for waiting.”
“Yeah well, it’s not that I plan to stay that way for forever, so…” He sensed a hidden
meaning but let it slide. He’d dig deeper soon.
“So anyways, this girl that’s coming. Is she, like, in love with you or something? Should I be worried?” Harley’s teasing words were a front. He could hear the underlying anxiousness in her voice. He struggled with his reassurance, wiping his sweaty hands on his comforter. He could be trusted, but Kylee? No, she couldn’t.
She was a sneaky she devil of the worst kind. No matter what, she had always found a
way to get her claws sunk into whatever she wanted. He just hoped she didn’t want to dig them into him anymore.
“No, you have absolutely nothing to worry about,” he lied, his heart stuttering at the
words. “The girl hates my guts, and I don’t exactly like her either. Besides, I plan on spending as much time with you as possible that weekend.”
“Well, shit,” she groaned. Mason’s smile grew big at her potty mouth. Not a lot of girls
out there let those words fly like Harley. “There’s only one problem with that, Mase. I won’t be in town that weekend. We always visit my grandparents in Lincoln on Thanksgiving, so it looks as though you’re going to have to fend for yourself.”
Words of reassurance were on his lips ... that is until his mother’s agitated voice echoed
in the hall outside his bedroom door. He rolled his eyes at her dramatics. “Hey, Har, my mom’s yelling for me, so I’ve got to get going. Are you, um, gonna be okay with what I just told you?”
“Yep, fine. See you tomorrow,” she snapped with a hurried reply. It was more than
obvious that she was not okay.
“Harley?”
“Uh-huh?”
“Please don’t worry about my sister’s friend. I only have eyes for you, little beast.” He
held his breath.
“I know, Mason.” He sensed a but coming on, and just as he began to intercede with
more reassuring words on his lips ready to go, the freaking phone died. The only sound left was his mother, now pounding at his door.
Frustration brewed heavily in his chest, and he threw the four-hundred dollar phone
against the head of his bed.
Damn, this was not going to be good.
Chapter Twenty One
Harley was officially sleep deprived. Her upper eye lids were practically glued to her
lower ones. She hadn’t slept a wink after she’d gotten off the phone with Mason the night before.
Anxiety had become her mortal enemy at two o’clock in the morning, and no matter how many
times she flipped her pillow to the cold side, all she could think about were Mason’s revelations.
Seven girls...
Okay, so she had figured he wasn’t a virgin by any means, and she was okay with that
fact because, seriously, it was the year twenty thirteen. But seven girls, was he
being serious? In all honesty, he could have said three, and it would have stung just as bad. He’d also slept with them all before he even turned eighteen! Talk about feeling a wee bit inadequate, jeez. Oh, and then there was the simple little fact that his last conquest was apparently going to be staying at his house for two days.
Yeah, that idea was unsettling.
She trusted Mason explicably, but she had no idea what the other girl was capable of. She
hated being jealous and hated feeling as if she had no control over a situation, but those emotions weren’t going to go away anytime soon.
Her stomach boiled with insecurity as she sat ramrod at her desk. She bit her lip, tapping
her pencil to the ticking noise of the clock. Thank God last period was almost over because there was no way in hell she could handle another hour of school.
“What’s the matter, sunshine? Did the pretty boy keep you up too late?” Toby. Crap.
Harley readied her elbow. If he wanted to go round two with her, then she’d be well equipped and more than ready.
She gripped the edge of her desk top, dropping her pencil onto her desk, swallowing
down any remaining fear he’d stirred up inside of her. “Leave me alone, Toby. Unless of course you’re up for another round of ball-kicking, that is?” She growled. Her lips curled into a hatred snarl as his hand gripped the nape of her neck. She stiffened hating that he could make the bile rise in her throat with one, creepy touch of his fingers.
“Whatever. You could have just asked if you wanted to touch my shit, you know. You’ll
be on your knees begging for it soon anyways.” Her rage was near the surface, but she pushed it down, determined not to let the egotistical asshole get the best of her.
“No, numb nuts, I’d rather burn in the fire pits of hell for eternity than go anywhere near your old man sack of potatoes.”
She shuddered. Yuck.
She pulled out of his grip right as the final bell for the day rang, but he still sidled up next to her as she exited the class. Holy hell, he was worse than a needy dog with rabies, fleas, and worms. “We’d be good together; you know that. Our chemistry goes beyond your wildest
dreams,” he lingered on the S, and spit from his lips hit her ear. She wiped it away with the palm of her hand and curled her lip higher in disgust and hatred.
Still, her temper boiled just enough under the surface of her skin that she was able to keep cool. She’d be the better person. She’d walk away, not out of fear but out of hatred this time towards him.
With her messenger bag slung over her shoulder, her fingers digging into the strap, she
finally managed to minimalize her rapid breathing as she strode away with a relieved and super proud smile on her mouth. She’d done it. She’d pushed past her fear and the panic. It was about freaking time.
She made her way through the stacks of papers in her locker until she found everything
she’d need to take home over the Thanksgiving holiday, and just as she moved her hand to the front to shut the door, an arm slipped around her waist, and a nose nuzzled into hair. She jumped, her finally calm heart tripping over a few beats at the surprise until she inhaled the familiar, comforting scent of coconuts. She smiled, relaxing instantly.
Mason.
“God, I’ve missed you,” his midnight voice sent her pulse racing, and she melted under
his touch, sinking deeper into his warm arms. He was her warmth in the cold halls and her
sunshine in the darkest of nights.
Her eyes shut in contentment for a brief second until she slowly turned around to face
him. He stared down at her, His mouth opened just slightly, his hair, like always, was
ridiculously astray. They were toe to toe, heart to heart. She fisted her hand into the bottom of his shirt. Her eyes had to have been glowing as she studied him.
“Ditto,” she whispered, needing to be closer.
He brushed a stray curl from her eye, his fingertips leaving tiny electric sparks in their
wake against her cheek. Then seconds later their hands interlocked at the top of their brushing thighs. She was lost in the moment with Mason, and as if they weren’t in the crowded hallway, surrounded by a gazillion eyes, she went up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his. His quick intake of breath said it all, and he pulled her closer, taking the breath from her lungs as their mouths danced to the unheard rhythm of their hearts.
It was unhurried. There was nothing more than a simple hello wrapped in that one single
kiss, but it was more than just that too. They were seemingly declaring something to each other right in that moment, right in the halls of the school, and Harley was going to eat it up without a single bit of regret.
“Get a room, you two. You’re grossing out the entire school with your PDA crap,”
Abigail snarled at them from the behind, ending their perfect moment too quickly. Harley
glanced over Mason’s shoulder as he pecked her head, and she felt his lips curl into a grin on her temple.
“Sorry, Abs.”
“Hell, you don’t need to apologize, just tone it the freak down,” Harley glanced at
Abigail’s little boy toy standing next to her and shook her head as he messed around with his phone. “God, you’re worse than a girl,” Abigail swiped the black fancy thing away and tucked it into his hoodie pocket. He glared at her and dug it back out. Harley’s eyes traveled between the two of them. The pairing was so wrong.
Mason grabbed her hand, pulling her out of her sudden stupor. He gave her a reassuring
smile as if he knew what she was thinking before leading her towards the exit. She was more than ready for the long holiday weekend that waited beyond those doors.
“Are you still going to Lincoln for Thanksgiving tomorrow?” Abigail questioned her,
pirouetting on her toes as she danced around a few straggling guys. They whistled cat calls at her, but she ignored them. Harley glanced towards her friend noticing he’d hung back with the whistlers. Abigail didn’t even seem to even notice his absence.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry I didn’t mention it sooner.”
“Will you be home Saturday in time for Ava Duncan’s Party then, or will you get back on
Sunday?”
“Sunday most likely. My parents like to stay and go to that festival of light tour on
Saturday night.” Harley gripped Mason’s elbow, tucking herself closer to his side as she laid her head on his shoulder.
“Fine … whatev… It won’t be a party without you there,” Abigail pouted for a second
before she proceeded to skip away with a little wave. “I’ll see you love birds later. Oh! And Har?”
Harley blinked as she stared back at the sad smile etched across Abigail’s face, “Tell
David I said hey, alright?” She nodded sadly at her best friend as she watched her gallop towards her man flavor of the week. Dammit, it totally should have been David standing there waiting for her.
“Hey, you okay?” Mason leaned in close, kissing the top of her head. She smiled at his
attentiveness. He knew her so well already.
“Yeah, I’m good, just tired. You ready?” Mason nodded as they pulled up to his pretty
black car, opening the door in chivalrous form. She slipped in, buckling her seat as a million thoughts crowded her head.
Mason reached for her hand, kissed it, and held it tightly as he got situated into his seat.
She smiled over at him, her beautiful boyfriend, realizing just how lucky she was to have him in her life. He was flawed just like she was. They were a good fit for one another.
Out of all the girls he’d been with, Harley was the only one that he’d chosen to have for
keeps. She would probably never understand why that was, but it was an amazing feeling to be that important to someone.
Chapter Twenty Two
Fridays after Thanksgivings used to be pretty cool. Footba
ll days … early morning
waves… God, life used to be so simple, but as Mason hung up the phone with Harley, he
couldn’t get the smile off his face. His life was beyond cool now. It was freaking fabulous. And Harley was the addition that finally made it that way. He didn’t need her to complete him. He just needed her there as his equal.
They hadn’t gone more than three hours at a time without at least texting one another
since she left Thursday morning. Mason didn’t know he’d miss her as much as he did, but it’d only be few more days until she was home.
The sound of giggling girls on the other side of his bedroom door ruined his mood. He
groaned in frustration. If they didn’t shut the hell up they’d wake his grandpa or, worse yet, his mother. A knock sounded at the door, and with a heavy sigh, he regretfully stood to answer it.
The girl who mostly likely stood on the other side was a leach who couldn’t take no for an answer.
He flipped the lock on his door, took a deep breath, and swung it towards him. Spite
formed in his eyes as she studied him head to toe. Clad in un-appealing tiny boxer shorts and a tank top with absolutely nothing on underneath stood Kylee. Predatory eyes painted with black eye liner looked at him as she smiled up at him. She sucked on her lower lip, her new found nose piercing glistened like a devil’s radar off the light. He shuddered. She was nasty.
How had he ever found her hot?
“Ooops, sorry, Mase, I was just looking for the bathroom.” She’s bit her finger and
shrugged as she waltzed into his room, hips strutting in a way that made Mason’s stomach hurt.
He had the strangest urge to hurl.
He curled his lip in loathing as she jumped onto his bed.
What. The. Hell?
“Nice room, Mase. Nice bed too,” she winked at him and curled her finger, in that come
hither sort of way. If he had sharp enough scissors, he’d clip the thing off.
“What do you want, Kylee?” He leaned against his door frame, not wanting to go near
her. Ever.
She pouted her extra red pasted lips at him, leaning back so her legs opened up just
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