Chasing Bristol (The Finding Trilogy Book 2) (17 page)

“Still, good for him. This is awesome.”
I drank some more. “So what do your parents do?”

“Dad’s a financial advisor and my mother
is a pharmacist.”

“Nice, and you’re the son who didn’t
follow in either footsteps.”

“Indeed.” He smiled. “I remember you
said your dad’s in construction. What about your mom?”

I twirled my glass a bit as I answered,
“She’s a retired real estate agent. These days she keeps herself busy at the
country club, planning retreats, and maintaining her lifestyle.”

“You seem upset with her,” he muttered,
leaning his head to one side.

“No,” I sighed. “I’m really not. I love
my mother. She pisses me off sometimes, but I love her.”

Mason placed the glass on the island,
then spun back to me. Nervousness crept into my stomach. Fearing I might spill
the wine, I put down my glass as well.

“You know, I find it hard to believe you
don’t have a girlfriend.”

He crinkled his brows. “Why is that?”

“Well,” I tucked my hair behind my ears.
“You’re such a nice guy. I mean, surely there must have been someone…” I
trailed, studying his reaction.

Mason traced his fingers along the edge of
the granite top. “I dated in New Hampshire, but nothing worked out.”

“Because of your job?” I assumed,
intrigued and wanting to learn more.

He refocused on me. “Not only that,
Bristol.”

I swallowed at the passion in his gaze.

Easing forward, he muttered in a
seductive tone, “I told you, I couldn’t get a certain girl off my mind.”

Marley barked. I jumped, and then looked
at him. The silly dog was chewing up his squeaky toy.

“Relax!” Mason called out to him.

Turning back to me, he smiled and
whispered, “So…”

“So,” I repeated.

My body shuddered as he stroked the
‘fearless’ tattoo on my arm. The movement was slow, as if to savor the feel of
my skin. “What’s the story behind this?” he asked, scrutinizing the flower
design above the word.

“Um…” I fought to recover when he pulled
his hand away. “Amber and I wanted to do something cool and memorable in our
senior year of high school.” I glanced at my arm. “I knew my mom would be mad;
she gets upset over pretty much anything I do without her. So…” I looked at Mason
again; he seemed to be soaking in every word. “I got ‘fearless’ because that’s
how I felt at the moment and how I wanted to live my life. The swirly flower
was just pretty to look at.”

His mouth slanted into a sexy grin. It
made me weak in the knees. “That’s cool,” he said. “I like it.”

“Thanks. I don’t feel so fearless lately
though.” I dropped my head as the events of the past few weeks rushed back to
me.

I nearly flew out of my skin when Mason
placed his thumb under my chin and guided me back to him. His eyes constricted
seductively as he spoke. “Think of what’s happening to you as a test. When it’s
over, you’ll see how fearless you really are.”

Pulling his hand away, he picked up his
wine and watched me over the glass as he drank.

“A test?” I repeated. “If it is I feel
like I’m about to fail.”

Raising a brow, he set his glass down
again. “Why do you think that you’re going to fail?”

My body slumped on the stool, suddenly
feeling defeated. “I left my apartment, Mason. I’m scared out of my mind of
going back, not to mention going to work is hard. I may act like I’m okay but
I’m not. The truth is…” I stopped myself from going further.

Why was I so open with this man? If I
wasn’t careful I’d let it all slip.

“The truth is?” he pressed, touching my hand.
  

A sensual breath gust from my lips. I
decided to just come out and say it. “I…I’ve been on edge, and I need
something. Something to make me feel safe. I don’t know why but with you,
Mason, I’m not afraid. That day when you wrapped your arms around me, you gave
me the best feeling in the world. I’ve never felt that before, so safe and
protected.”

Mason moved his hand away, but continued
staring at me. “I’ve never felt that way either, Bristol. At first, I wasn’t
sure about you coming here tonight. I didn’t want to scare you.”

My breathing increased. I loosened the
tightness in my throat before asking, “Scare me how?”

He inhaled and exhaled intensely, then
leaned forward, parting his lips as he whispered, “With all the things I want
to do to you.”

I closed my eyes as his mouth conquered
mine, kissing me slowly. It seemed he was testing the waters, making sure I was
comfortable. When he realized that I had surrendered, Mason placed a hand at
the nape of my neck and deepened the kiss.

Lust darted through me. Our tongues
intertwined, wild yet sensual. I locked my fingers around his neck and towed
him in closer. He could never be close enough.

Mason trailed his hands down my arms,
caressing me. We breathed heavily from the sweltering heat, hungry. We both
wanted more.

He straightened and heaved me into his
chest. Then he backed me against the island, almost knocking over the glasses.
His lips never left mine. His hands rested on my hips, curious if they could
explore. I snuck my fingers underneath his shirt to grip his firm, muscular
back, his skin warm and inviting. Like an animal, I squeezed him, wanting to be
closer. I wanted him.

Mason tore himself away for a moment. He
gave me the once over, groaning, chest rising. He didn’t have to say anything. It
was plastered across his face. He wanted to make sure I was okay with this.

My voice came out a stifled whisper as I
told him, “Yes.”

He shoved his lips back on mine and
picked me up. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I held on tight as he carried
me down the hall to his bedroom and gently laid me down on his bed.

Desire pulsed in my veins like a bomb
waiting to explode. I stripped out of my clothes. Mason stood in awe as his
eyes glided over my body. Then he did the same, revealing his mouth-wateringly
chiseled chest, washboard abs, and well-toned arms and legs. He slid out of his
boxers and climbed on top of me.

Jolts of sweet agony shot through my
body. I groaned and dug my fingers into his back as Mason nibbled on my
earlobe.

He whispered, “I’ve wanted you for so
long,” and then started to trace kisses down my neck and across my chest.

I gasped for air, drowning in his
irresistible pull. “Take me,” I whispered back, breathless.

The moonlight peeked through the sheer
curtains, shades of a spectral blue reflecting on our naked bodies pressing
against each other.

We moaned, louder and louder with each
thrust.

Mason made love to me over and over, our
rhythmic sounds of passion echoing in the air. When there was no strength left
and ecstasy had seeped away, we finally settled down. Entangled in the deep
hush of the night, we listened to the satisfied thumps of our hearts.

Bliss. A high dosage of it
swished through me the moment I opened my eyes and saw Mason beaming at me.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” he said, then planted a tender kiss on my lips.

When he eased away, I answered shyly,
“Morning.”

He stroked my cheek with the back of his
hand. “I’m going to take Marley out for a bit and then make you breakfast. I’m
surprised he didn’t come jumping on us.”

I watched as he climbed out of bed.
“Hmm…” I gawked at his naked and
very
sexy body before he dragged on
sweatpants.

Mason grinned broadly, winked at me, and
then headed out of the room.

Sliding off the bed, I got dressed and
checked my phone: the battery had died.

“Marl!” Mason’s voice resounded from
outside the room. “Where are you boy?” There was no happy bark or any sound of
Marley. I began to worry.

Going into the living room, I saw Mason
out on the balcony. He stepped back inside and closed the sliding door,
seemingly upset.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He skated a hand through his hair and blew
out hard. “I don’t see him anywhere.”

“What? Where could he be?” I glanced
over at the front door. “Did he get out?”

“No. I locked it after you came last
night.” Mason treaded over to the door to check. It opened easily.

It was
not
locked.

Panic grew within me, replacing the
feeling of security I’d felt throughout the night.

“Oh no, you don’t think…” I drifted off,
too afraid to say the words.

Mason didn’t look at me. He flung the
door open and stormed into the hallway. When he returned, there was a blue note
in his hand, along with Marley’s collar.

“Oh!” I gasped and covered my mouth,
staggering back. “Wh-what does it say?” I stuttered.

Nervously, Mason unfolded the note. His
face screwed up in anguish and the paper dropped from his trembling hands. He
ran past me, turning down the passage to the bathroom.

I walked over and picked up the note.
There were two terrifying words written in the familiar script.

Woof! Woof!

X

Mason came back to the living room.
Huffing. He was angry.  

“Did you—”

“No!” he yelled. “That bastard snuck in
and took my dog. I can’t believe I didn’t hear a thing.”

Guilt pounded my body. That asshole had
done this because of me. Marley could be hurt because of
me
.

“I’m so sorry,” I said in a whisper.
“Mason, I’m sorry about all of this.”

He spun away from me, his mouth
twitching in anger. That hurt. A lot. I felt like he had twisted a knife inside
my heart.

“I’m going to call this in. I have to
find Marley,” he said through gritted teeth.

At his words something flashed to me:
the dead rat in my car.

“Oh god,” I sobbed. “My car!”

I bolted out the door. Mason followed
behind. We took the elevator down to the parking garage.

Knots formed in my stomach when I saw
drops of blood leading to where I’d parked my car.

“No…” Mason darted past me to the Kia.
The driver’s door was opened. He chanced one look inside. Limply, he backed
away and crumbled to his knees, hurling over in pain.

I covered my mouth with both hands as I
edged closer. Stopping at the hood, I peered through the windshield. “Oh… no…”
I tried not to gag.

The sight was deplorable. A lifeless
Marley lay on the passenger seat, eyes wide open, blood encircling the area of
his stomach where he’d been stabbed.

“God!” A loud cry escaped me. Tears
started to stream down my cheeks nonstop.

I turned from the car and glanced at
Mason, still on his knees crying. Stepping closer to him, I extended a shaky
hand to touch his shoulder.

“Mason…” I murmured. His body tensed at
my voice. He didn’t look at me, just eased my hand away.

This was my fault.

Mason didn’t say a word to me. When the
cops showed up and questioned us about the night before, he answered with a
straight face, never looking my way.

“So you didn’t hear a thing?” Officer
Lyons asked. I remembered him from the night at my apartment when Mason’s car
was trashed. He looked like he was in his early forties. There were lines at
the corners of his eyes and dark circles beneath them.

I shook my head while answering, “No.”

“There’s foam on his…mouth,” Mason
choked out. “Was he poisoned too?”

Lyons drifted across to my car, where a
guy wearing blue gloves and a black jacket with “Department of Animal Control”
on the back was taking out Marley’s body. He placed him inside a large black
plastic bag.

“We’ll know when they take a look at
him,” Lyons replied as he turned back to us. In a softer tone, he said to
Mason, “I’m sorry, son. I know how much he meant to you.”

Mason nodded and watched as the animal
control guy carried Marley to a white van, putting the plastic bag in the back.

“This never should have happened,” he
grunted. “I shouldn’t have gotten caught up in this again.”

My body weakened at his words of regret.
It felt as if a sledgehammer had been driven into my chest. The pain was
indescribable.

“Um, Officer Lyons, I don’t think I can
drive my car after...” I stopped to catch my breath. “Do you mind driving me
home please? I’m worried about my dad and my phone’s dead.”

He looked at Mason, perhaps to see if
he’d mind. Mason didn’t object, so Lyons nudged me toward his unit car.

“Sorry about Marley,” I said again to
Mason before leaving. Officer Lyons muttered something to him and then started
to walk behind me.

I got in the passenger side and stared
straight ahead as Lyons hopped in around the steering wheel. He started the
car, waving at Mason as he drove out of the underground parking garage. I
glanced down at my lap, fearful of looking into his hardened eyes. I knew in my
heart that he blamed me for what had happened to Marley, and that he probably
thought the night before had been a mistake.

I’d be lucky if he ever spoke to me
again.

The drive to Middletown was quiet until
we arrived at my dad’s condo. Just before I stepped out of the car, Officer
Lyons asked, “You have no idea who this guy is?”

Looking at him, I replied, “No. I wish I
did. Then I could put a stop to all this.”

“Humph. Do you want me to ask the
station to send a patrol car over?”

“No, it’s okay. My dad’s probably home
and I’ll ask my friends to stop by if they can.”

“Okay.” He offered me a sympathetic
smile and handed me his card. “Let us know if you think of anything.”

Accepting the card, I nodded and slipped
out of the car. Lyons drove off, and I hiked up the steps and entered the
condo. Dead silence greeted me.

“Dad!” I called out, lingering by the
door.

I didn’t see his car in the driveway,
but it could have been parked in the garage.

Locking the door, I walked over to the kitchen
and slid my phone out of my jeans pocket to plug it in to charge. While waiting
for it to turn on, I noticed a note on the island. Anxiously, I moved closer
and picked it up. My trembling ceased when I saw it was from Dad.

Sorry again about last night,
sweetheart.

Your phone’s off and I wanted to let you
know I’m working overtime today.

Don’t stay home alone.

-Dad

Soon after reading the note, my phone
started to ring. Amber’s name and cheerful image filled the screen. “Hey,” I
answered, my tone flat.

“Hey there. Didn’t you have fun last
night?” she teased. “Tried calling but your phone was off, which is
understandable since you were…” She stopped to giggle, and then added, “Tied
up. Your dad told me where you went. Did you use handcuffs like I suggested?”

I slammed my eyes shut. My heart began
to palpitate as the horror rushed back.

“Uh,
hello?
Bristol, you there?”
Amber’s jovial tone switched to worry.

The waterworks started again. I couldn’t
hold back, tears trickled down my cheeks. “His dog…Marley…he was killed,” I
sobbed. “It’s all my fault, Amber.”

“Oh no. What happened?”

My lips trembled as I told her, “We
found Marley in my car. There was a knife in him. Mason was so broken up. He’s
never going to speak to me again. He’ll never forgive me.”

Amber tried to console me. “No, don’t
say that, sweetie. It’s not your fault. This guy is a lunatic and you can’t
blame yourself for his sick fascination with you.”

I took a moment to wipe my eyes with my
other hand and settled my mind a bit. Then something came to me. “Where’d you
go last night?” I asked. “You totally disappeared from the fundraiser.”

“Oh, yeah,” her voice dipped, like she’d
been caught. “Sorry about that. Roman and I really hit it off. We went for a
walk and spent the whole night talking and getting to know each other.”

Perplexed, I crumpled my forehead.
“Wait, Roman?”

A giggle escaped her before she
explained, “The remarkably hot guy we saw at the door.”

The tall, composed man with dark hair
and the intriguing gaze raced back to me. “Who is he?” I asked. “Where’s he
from?”

“His name is Roman Orsini, Mom.” She
chuckled. “He’s thirty-two and he works at a shipping company here in Newport.
He’s really smart, super sweet, and very romantic. He loves classical music and
literature.”

Classical music. Why did that stand out
to me?

I scraped a hand through my hair.
“That’s all?”

“Well,” Amber scoffed. “We’re still
getting to know each other, Bristol. Besides, I like a little mystery. It won’t
be fun if we spill everything about ourselves on one occasion.”