There are so many things I want to say to her, to reassure her that it’ll get better, but I push all of those aside in favor of showing her. My tongue delves back into her mouth as my fingers go in search of her clit. The pain’s going to fade, or so I’ve heard, and hopefully it’ll soon turn into pleasure. I fucking hope so, because if I don’t get to move soon, I might fucking explode.
I play her body the only way I know how, and soon she starts to relax under me. I test the waters by flexing my hips slightly, and she gasps.
“Sorry, I’m so sorry,” I whisper into her neck.
“No. It was... it was good, I think.”
“You think?” I ask with a smile.
“Do it again and we’ll find out.”
So I do, and she makes this incredible little noise that I want to hear for the rest of my fucking life.
Sitting up so I can see her, see where we’re connected, I stare down at the vision below me. She reaches for my hands and our fingers intertwine as I start to rock into her faster.
“Mason,” she moans, her eyes getting heavy with pleasure.
Letting go of one of her hands, I go back to her clit. Pressing down with the pad of my thumb, I gently start to circle. Her hips lift, her back arching as she cries out. Her muscles clamp around me and tingles shoot up my spine.
I continue what I’m doing, increasing the pace with each thrust, and before long, she’s chanting my name.
Just before she falls, I take her lips once again to muffle her cries. Her fingers grip onto my sides, and, as she finds her release, her nails dig in. That little shock of pain along with the tightening of her pussy pushes me over the edge with her, and I roar my release.
I fall down beside her, our chests heaving with exertion. I remove the condom, dropping it over the side, and I pull her into my body and hold her tight.
“That was some fucking birthday present.” She laughs, her body jolting in my arms with her amusement. “Are you okay?” I drop a kiss to her shoulder as she thinks.
“I don’t know,” she admits quietly. Rolling her over, I give her no choice but to have to look at me.
She reaches out and tries to tuck a bit of my hair behind my ear, but like always, it just falls forward once again.
“Was I totally crazy coming in here tonight? Have I just made the biggest mistake of my life?”
“Why would you say that?” My thumb gently caresses her cheek as I try to hide the fact that her questioning what just happened between us cuts.
“Things haven’t exactly been easy sailing between us, have they?”
“Nope. But no one said love was easy.”
Her lips part to respond, but she must decide better of it. “I should probably go.”
“Go, like run back to your room?”
“I was thinking more the bathroom, but yeah, I should probably do that too.”
Dropping my head, I whisper in her ear, “Don’t make me your dirty little secret, Cami.”
I know it’s probably what I deserve, but I’m not ready to give her up and I’m certainly not ready for other guys to now think she’s single. Our history is common knowledge around Rosewood, and I have no doubt I’ve pissed off enough guys who would willingly go after her if they got the chance just to piss me off.
She doesn’t respond, just drops a quick kiss to my lips before climbing from my bed. She looks around at the floor before quickly finding her discarded pajamas and pulling them on. Every inch of me wants to demand that she gets back into bed, but I need to allow her some space if that’s what she needs. She’ll come to me when she’s ready. At least I hope she will.
The second she closes the door behind her, I roll onto my back and throw my arm over my eyes.
I just fucked Camila. I just took her fucking virginity.
A smile twitches at my lips. I always thought it would be the two of us. We kind of went a long way around to get here, but it happened. I now just have to hope she doesn’t regret every second of it and hate me more than she should.
The silent seconds stretch out into long minutes, and I start to think that she’s snuck back into her room and I’m going to have to spend the night in my bed alone. The thought doesn’t thrill me.
I’ve given up hope and I’m just drifting off when the sound of a door opening brings me back around. I’ve turned the light off so I can only see her shadow with the sliver of moonlight shining through the curtains.
The sheets lift and she climbs in next to me, immediately tucking herself into my body.
“Do you need me to turn the light on?” I whisper, knowing how much she hates the dark.
“I’m good as long as I’m with you.”
My heart damn near explodes in my chest. I remember her saying the same words when we were kids, but I didn’t expect her to still feel the same all these years later.
I kiss the top of her head and hold her a little bit tighter, because in the cold light of day, this could all just be a memory.
28
Camila
I wake up hot with my legs stuck to something.
What the—
And then it hits me. I’m not stuck to a thing, I’m stuck to a person, and that person just so happens to be Mason.
Memories play out in my mind like a fucking movie. Me walking in here bold as brass and telling him in not so many words that I was his birthday present and whipping my top off. My cheeks flame and my temperature increases as embarrassment at my forwardness hits me full force.
My personal movie continues, me with his cock as deep in my mouth as I could get it, the taste of him on my tongue. Me writhing in his bed as he pushed me toward my release with his tongue and fingers. The biting pain as he pushed all the way inside me. My muscles clench at that memory. I knew it was going to hurt, but I wasn’t disappointed with what came next. Fuck, that was mind blowing. The way he felt moving inside me, stretching me.
Jesus. I need to get out of here.
With him snoring lightly beside me, I somehow manage to unattach myself from him and slide from the bed. He doesn’t so much as stir, just proving that the hours he’s been putting in to support his family really are taking their toll.
After using the bathroom, I sneak back into my room and slide between my cold sheets. It’s only then that I wonder if I just made a very bad decision. He’s going to wake and find I’ve left. Is he going to hate me?
I don’t get to dwell on my decision, because fabric rustling fills my ears before my mattress dips and someone climbs in beside me.
“If you even think about lying to me, then I’m going to drag you next door and demand answers from the man himself,” Amalie whispers, her eyes twinkling in the morning sun.
“I wasn’t going to lie,” I whisper back.
“So you didn’t just do a very short walk of shame in the hope I didn’t know you slipped out last night and rocked Mason’s world?”
“Shush, Alyssa might hear you!”
“Are you kidding me? She snores louder than a fucking rhino. If she can sleep through that and you screaming last night, then she certainly can through our whispering.”
“You heard me screaming?” I cover my face with my hands, mortified that my best friend heard everything. “Oh my god. Oh my god.”
“No, I didn’t actually. The bed banged against the wall a bit, but that was it. You shouldn’t need to worry about your parents knowing what’s going on under their roof when they return.”
I peek through my fingers at her.
“So how was it? I’m assuming you gave him a fine birthday treat.”
“It was…” I trail off, trying to find the words to describe what my time with Mason last night was. “What I’d always hoped it would be.”
A wide smile breaks across Amalie’s face. “I always knew you two were meant to be together.”
“Whoa, hold your horses. Just because we…”
“Fucked,” Amalie helpfully adds.
“Yeah, that. It doesn’t mean we�
�re together.”
“Really? You’re going to lie there and try telling me that you’ve not been secretly yearning for him for the past four years.”
“I was mostly hating him.”
“Yeah, trust me when I tell you that I understand how quickly that can change.”
I open my mouth to tell her that she’s not all that far from the mark, although I’m only just starting to understand how I’ve been feeling myself when another voice pops up.
“What are you two whispering about? It sounds juicy.” Alyssa’s head pops up over the mattress.
Amalie looks to me. I widen my eyes and shake my head slightly. I’m not ready for the world to know about this yet.
“Just talking about Jake.”
“Ugh, of course you are. You know those guys don’t need their egos boosting any more, right?”
Amalie laughs. “I’m aware.”
“Come on, I want pancakes,” I announce, sitting up and putting an end to any more of Alyssa’s questions.
I throw a hoodie over my pajamas and leave them both to get washed and dressed.
Pausing at Mason’s door, I press my ear to the wood and listen, but only silence greets me, so I assume he’s still sleeping.
I make my way to the kitchen, opening the curtains we’d shut on our way up last night and turning the radio on as I pass.
With all the ingredients I need out on the counter, I get started making my batter just like my granny taught me. She made the best pancakes. I smile as I think of the lady who taught me to bake as a kid and fire up the stove.
By the time the girls join me I’m dancing around the kitchen and have a stack of pancakes that almost hits the counter above.
Amalie immediately reaches for the jug of orange I’d pulled from the refrigerator and downs half a glass.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you got some last night,” Alyssa says, watching my hips wiggle in time to the music.
Amalie snorts mid swallow and sprays the kitchen in juice as she starts coughing and spluttering.
“Oh my god. I’m so sorry. It... uh... went down the wrong pipe?” Thankfully Alyssa buys the lie. I, on the other hand, can’t help laughing as she begins cleaning up.
Once the counter is clear of juice, Alyssa and Amalie grab the items I’ve got lined up and take them to the table. I’m just about to join them with the pancakes when the atmosphere in the air changes. It’s suddenly hard to breathe, and I don’t need to turn around to know the reason why.
“I must have missed my invite for pancakes.” His voice rumbles through me and hits me right between the legs. I can’t deny that I’m not feeling a little sore down there this morning, but I like the reminder of what happened last night. Looking over my shoulder, I watch him stalk toward me and I stiffen. “I didn’t like waking up alone.”
His hand slips around my waist and I jump away, grabbing the plate of pancakes and holding them in front of me like a shield. His entire face drops at my reaction to him, and it breaks my heart. I didn’t mean to hurt him.
“Oh, I see.” Without saying another word or picking up anything from the kitchen, he disappears and storms back up the stairs.
A lump forms in my throat and my eyes burn with unshed tears. That wasn’t how I intended our first meeting the morning after to go.
“Cami, come on, we’re starving to death in here,” Alyssa shouts, and I shake my head to get it together. I’ll give them breakfast, point them in the direction of the front door and then go and sort Mason out.
Amalie gives me a sympathetic look when I appear, probably looking a little worse for wear. She’d have seen Mason storm past this room on his way back to the stairs. She knows that something is off between us.
“Thank god. I’m dying for one of your pancakes—or five.”
They both eat more than their body weight in syrup and fruit covered pancakes while I push one around my plate, my mind repeating that short interaction with Mason in the kitchen. The second I jumped away from him, I regretted it, but I didn’t want Alyssa walking in. It’s stupid, I know. If I told her not to say anything, she wouldn’t. I trust her, but this is all so new, so scary and potentially serious that I don’t know which way is up.
Alyssa sits back, downing the last of her juice, and lets out the most unladylike burp before announcing that she needs to get home because she’s got a family meal this afternoon for her grandparents’ wedding anniversary.
The three of us take all the plates to the kitchen and they help me fill the dishwasher and clean up before we head upstairs to get the girls packed.
Alyssa shoves all her stuff in her bag, says her goodbyes and is gone before I even blink. Amalie hangs around a little longer. Once she’s sorted, she sits on the edge of my bed with me and takes one of my hands in hers.
“Just go and talk to him. Explain how you’re feeling. He’ll understand. Chances are, he’s feeling the same.”
I nod. “I will, if he’ll listen.”
“Of course he will. That boy’s been in love with you forever. It was in his eyes the first time I saw him look at you.”
I give her a smile but I don’t share her enthusiasm. Things between Mason and me are more complicated than anyone else understands. “I’ll do my best.”
“I’m at the other end of the phone if you need me. And he might be his best friend, but if I promise sexual favors, I’m sure Jake would knock him out for you, should you need that option.”
“Thank you,” I say with a laugh, smiling for what feels like the first time all morning.
Amalie gives me a hug and assures me that she can see herself out. I stand at my window after she walks out and watch as she climbs into her car and drives off.
The house is still empty besides the two of us. I have no idea what time Nicky and the boys are due back, but I know that we need to make the most of the peace. With the number of people living under this roof right now, times without threat of interruption are going to be hard to come by.
Thinking against knocking and walking into his room, much like I did last night, I decide on trying a different tact.
Grabbing a fresh set of clothes, I carry them down to the bathroom. I turn the shower on and strip down before dropping a bottle into the shower tray, ensuring it’s loud enough that he’d have heard before I grab my phone and send him a message.
Me: Any chance you could help me please?
29
Mason
Waking up alone kinda hurt, but in the end I tell myself that she just woke up earlier than me and got bored. Why she wouldn’t wake me to keep her entertained plays on my mind, but I rationalize that she’s got friends sleeping over in her bedroom so I guess she needs to be social. It still pisses me off though.
But that was nothing compared to the way she jumped away from me when I touched her in the kitchen. It was like my touch physically burned her and she couldn’t get away fast enough. I thought last night was the beginning of something, something that should have happened a long time ago, but it seems that I might be the only one who feels that way.
Pushing aside the books I’m trying to focus on, I throw myself back on the bed. The need to work out my frustration pulls at my muscles, and I tug my cell from my pocket to see if either Ethan or Jake, or both, are free to work out. I’m missing out on my daily practice with the guys and I’m desperate not to ruin the hours of work I’ve put in. I might not be on the team right now, but that doesn’t mean my dream of college football has died.
I let out a sigh. I sent my applications in as early as possible. I know it’s still way too early to hear anything back, but the radio silence makes me feel a little sick nonetheless. My stomach twists that college might not even be an option at all if I don’t get a scholarship. Getting a roof over my brothers’ heads is more important right now. This place isn’t exactly a long-term home for them.
The sound of Amalie’s car backing out of the drive sounds out over my music before Camila’s small feet move
down the hallway. I hold my breath, thinking she might come storming in, but she walks straight past my door. My heart drops but I refuse to go chasing after her. If what happened between us last night meant nothing to her, then so be it. I’m not being one of those pathetic guys who goes begging to the girl. No fucking way.
The bathroom door bangs shut before the shower turns on. Fucking tease. My imagination gets the better of me as I picture what her sinful curves might look like covered in white fluffy bubbles. My cock swells and I fight to stop my need for her getting the better of me. It’s something I’ve become a fucking master at, so it shouldn’t be all that hard.
But you’ve made her yours now, a little voice says in my head, but it’s forgotten when a loud crash comes from the bathroom. I sit bolt upright, trying to hear if she’s okay.
Chastising myself for caring so much when she clearly doesn’t, I open my messages but before I find the chat, a new message pops up.
Cami-bear: Any chance you could help me please?
I stare down at my cell, blinking a couple of times just to make sure I’m not hallucinating. A wicked smile turns up the corner of my lip. This is karma kicking her ass for this morning.
Running my hand through my hair, I climb from my bed and head toward the bathroom, hoping like hell I’m about to walk into something that can go straight into my wank bank.
My smirk still firmly in place as I walk into the bathroom, half expecting her to be curled up in a ball on the floor having tripped over the toilet or something stupid, but what I actually find makes my eyes widen and my jaw drop.
Camila’s standing under the torrent of water, her hair soaked and sticking to her shoulders and down onto her chest. Rivers run over her breasts, down her stomach and over her hips. I’m instantly hard, my cock tenting my sweats.
“What are you waiting for?” Her voice is like pure sex, and I don’t waste a second. Pulling my shirt over my head, I drop my pants and step into the shower. But I don’t touch her. I keep an inch between us and just stare into her eyes, my need to know what the hell she’s playing at only marginally more important than her body right now.
PAINE: ROSEWOOD HIGH #2 Page 21