Rumor Has It (Limelight) (36 page)

“Ellie, I need your help. What are you doing right now?”

“Um…I’m at home.” Why was he calling me on a Sunday night? What couldn’t wait until the morning?

“I need you to head over to the Oceanfront Avenue property. I don’t know what it is with this place but the renter is having trouble getting the door open using the key in the lockbox. Since you’ve been there and are familiar with the place I want you to go see if you could help him out.”

My stomach heaved at the mention of the house that held so many memories for Mason and me. I had no desire to set foot in that house ever again. I didn’t bother confessing to Jeff that the last time I’d had to open the place I’d ended up sprawled half-naked under the bathroom window.

“Could I just call them and walk them through it? It’s not hard at all.” It was just a lock for Pete’s sake. What couldn’t they figure out?

“I already tried that.”

“I was just about to head to bed,” I lied. I knew I was pushing but I didn’t want to go out. I was perfectly content to wallow on my own.

“Ellie, I might have made it sound like a request when I called but don’t mistake that this is very much in fact an order.”

There was the Jeff we all knew and loved. I rolled my eyes for my own perverse pleasure.

“Okay, let me change into something more appropriate and I’ll head over there.”

“You do that,” he said and hung up.

I dragged my ass upstairs like I was headed to the electric chair and not a multi-million dollar beach house and changed into a pair of dark skinny jeans and a green v-neck t-shirt. It’d be cooler by the ocean and I wasn’t taking the time to press a pair of dress pants. If the client didn’t appreciate my lack of professional attire then they could pull up a deck chair and sleep in that. It was Sunday night for God’s sake and they couldn’t figure out how to put a key in a lock and turn it.

I grabbed my purse off the bench at the front door and made my way out of the house, steeling myself for the onslaught of emotions sure to come when I reached my destination.

It was just a house I told myself. It might have been where the memories were made but it couldn’t cause me any more pain than I was already in. Those memories were trapped inside my heart and I carried the pain they caused with me everywhere I went anyway.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

I paced the darkened beach house waiting for any sign of Ellie’s arrival. My chest was tight with anticipation both at seeing her again and concern for her reaction to everything I had to tell her.

Car tires crunched on stone and sand a moment later and I heard it turn onto the driveway. I waited to hear her footsteps on the deck but they didn’t come. Had the car pulled into a neighbor’s driveway? Maybe her boss hadn’t been able to get her out here. I’d had to agree to offer free publicity for his Brokerage in exchange for his help but it was a small price to pay. It was somewhat devious to get her here under false pretenses but this was where our story had begun. It’s where I hoped we could start writing the next chapter. We had a lot of great memories here and hell yes, I wanted to remind her of that.

Wait. There. She was on the deck now. I’d left the outside lights for her to see and I heard her opening the lockbox and putting the key in the lock. The door opened and I saw her blackened silhouette against the outside lights.

“Hello?” she called out. A moment later she flipped on the lights. She turned and looked in my direction. Her body went rigid and the car keys fell from her fingertips to crash to the floor. “Mason.” My name came out in a rush with equal parts pain and relief.

She was as gorgeous as the day I’d foolishly thrown her out of my life, but was thinner than when I’d seen her last. Was she not taking care of herself? I took in her features one by one like an archeologist examining the most precious of treasures. I committed them all to memory in a way I hadn’t before in case she couldn’t find it in her heart to forgive me for believing her capable of the worst.

“I needed to see you,” I said because it was the truth. It was the truth before I’d even found out she hadn’t betrayed me. I’d been working so hard to make myself believe it wasn’t the case but she was a need so deep in me it was undeniable. My body needed oxygen to survive but I needed Ellie to really live—live a real life full of joy, happiness and love.

Her eyes were wide with unshed tears. It twisted my guts to see the pain I’d put there.

“Mason, if you’re here to rehash everything I don’t think I can—”

“That’s not why I’m here, Ellie. Will you stay and hear me out?”

*****

It was hard to fathom. Mason was actually standing in front of me. I’d dreamed it, wished it for months but now that it was happening it didn’t seem real. I couldn’t imagine what he wanted to talk about but I owed it to him to hear him out.

“I’ll stay,” I said softly.

Relief appeared on Mason’s face. “Will you come sit down?”

I nodded and walked over to the couch. As I passed he grabbed my wrist. I stopped. The feel of his fingertips pressed lightly against my skin almost undid me. I wanted so badly to take refuge in his strong arms.

He dropped his hand and I went to sit on the couch. He sat beside me but not as close as he once would have. The emotional distance between us had translated to physical distance as well.

He looked good in his dark jeans and white Henley. As fit as ever. What I wouldn’t give to feel that five o’clock shadow tickle my neck again. I pushed the thought down. Thinking like that wasn’t going to help me get through this conversation with Mason.

Mason took my hands in his. His warmth seeped into me and I felt more at peace than I had in months.

“There’s a lot I need to say. A lot I need to apologize for. I’m hoping you’ll let me explain.”

“What is this about?” I asked.

“I found out what happened the night you were with Mac.”

I couldn’t do this again. He had every right to hate me but I couldn’t rehash this. I’d barely patched myself together the first time. His cruel words would break me a second time. I started to stand but Mason pulled me back.

“I’m not here because I’m angry. I’m here to tell you what an ass I was. But you already know that.” I looked at him warily. “I know it wasn’t your fault. I can’t tell you how I found out but that doesn’t really matter. I know for a fact Mac put something in your drink that night.”

All the oxygen left my body. I felt sick and violated again. It was one thing to assume that had happened but to hear Mason confirm it reminded me how easily I could have been taken advantage of that night. Mason was still, carefully taking in my reaction.

“I didn’t know for sure it was him, but I knew someone had to have done it. I told you that when you found us.” Nausea swam through my stomach at the thought of what could’ve happened.

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I never should have questioned it. I have no defense except when I saw you laying in the same bed as him, I snapped.” Mason’s hands came to either side of my face, stroking my cheeks. “Are you okay? Tell me what you’re thinking.”

I looked into those green eyes that had captured me from the moment I first saw them. They were full of concern and if I didn’t know better, glistening tears waiting to fall. “I don’t know what I’m thinking. I’ve been doing my best not to think about it since it happened.”

“It’s a lot to process.”

“I’m angry. I’m upset. I feel violated even though nothing happened.” I brought my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around my legs, rocking myself back and forth.

Mason hugged me, his cheek pressed to my back. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Ellie. This would never have happened if it weren’t for me.”

I pulled up to look at him. “It wasn’t your fault,” I said with conviction.

“There’s more you don’t know. Troy was the one who put Mac up to it. He had no idea Mac was gonna drug you but he instigated the entire thing.”

“Troy?” I sat there dumbfounded. I knew he hadn’t liked me but I couldn’t believe he’d gone to such lengths to get me out of Mason’s life.

“I fired him as soon as I found out. I can’t believe I let this happen.” Mason scrubbed his hands over his face.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Mason. This isn’t on you.”

“I did. I did do something wrong.” He paused for a second and looked at me with so much pain in his eyes that I wanted nothing more than to take that pain away. “I didn’t believe in you. I didn’t trust that nothing added up. I took the situation at face value without questioning it when you’d only ever shown me loyalty. I said horrible things to you. Things I can’t forgive myself for, never mind asking you to forgive me.”

This time a single tear did escape his eye. It was too much to bear, watching the man I loved in so much pain. My own tears joined his.

“The things you said to me, Mason.” My voice hitched and it took me a minute to compose myself. Mason shut his eyes tight. “It hurt me. Those words cut me deep.” I broke into an ugly cry and Mason wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tight. I told myself I should push him away after how badly he’d hurt me, but it still felt like home being in his arms and I couldn’t do it. After a while I was able to compose myself and told him what I’d been regretting since the incident. “I shouldn’t have put myself in the position for it to happen in the first place.”

“Stop it. You’re not at fault here, you’re the victim,” he said, his voice fierce.

“I know, but if I hadn’t been feeling insecure because of Becca I never would’ve sat with him. I wanted him to tell me how you and Becca broke up. He was going on and on about how into each other you used to be and when you went off with her… I let him get the better of me.”

Mason stroked some stray hairs back from my face. “Ellie, you had nothing to worry about where she was concerned. If you wanted to know why we broke up why didn’t you just ask me?”

“I was embarrassed. I didn’t want you to think I was being crazy or a jealous lover.”

“I wouldn’t have thought that, and I would have told you. There’s no big story really. We were together, I found out she was cheating on me with multiple people. Mac was one of those people. I caught them in the act and that was the end of our relationship.”

No wonder Mason flipped when he saw us in bed together. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“I’m over it. Honestly. I haven’t have feelings for Becca for years. Nothing except for disgust. I wish I’d known you were feeling that way.”

“My insecurity had more to do with me than with you. Every man has left me.” My voice broke at the end and I took another minute to calm myself. “My whole life. My dad left after I was born. My mom never kept a husband long enough for any of them to have a relationship with me after they split. I realized after we broke up that I’ve been waiting for you to leave from the moment this began between us.”

He cupped my jaw. “I’m not leaving you. Not ever again…if you’ll have me.” His face was pleading.

“As much as you hurt me, that’s all I’ve wanted since the moment I walked away.”

Mason wrapped his strong arms around me and gave me a crushing kiss full of desperation and remorse. Our tongues danced in rhythm like we’d never been apart. I wanted to stay this way forever for fear it wasn’t real. I poured all the emotion, all the love and loss I’d felt into that kiss telling him without words exactly how I felt.

“I love you, Ellie. I think I always did. From the moment I found you on the floor I was yours. My heart had been caged for so long. And you…you had the key. You picked the lock open and I haven’t been the same since. The inside of you is as beautiful as the outside—which is saying a lot. I love your mind…” he kissed the top of my head “…your body…” he kissed down my neck to my shoulder “…and your soul.” Finally he placed a single kiss over my heart.

I wrapped my hands around his head and brought him to eye level. “I love you. I admitted it to myself after I’d left. After everything happened I was so upset because I never told you.”

Mason brushed a tear gently off my cheek. “It’s okay, El. I know now.”

There was compassion and forgiveness in his voice. I melted into another kiss. This one was better than any we’d shared before because this was the first kiss with our feelings laid bare for the other to see.

Mason pulled away as our kiss moved from love into lust. “There’s something else we have to discuss and I want you to hear me out.”

“I don’t think I can take anymore revelations tonight.”

“This isn’t bad news but I know you’re going to fight me on it.”

“Okay…”

“I want you to come and work for me.”

“You can’t be serious,” I said, eyes wide with a slackened jaw.

“Totally. I want you to oversee all my social media stuff, my website. I want you to implement any other ideas you might have to improve things. Anything that has to do with me and the public I want you to handle. You’ve got great instincts. I know you have lots of ideas tucked inside that brain of yours you haven’t shared with me.” He tapped the side of my head with his finger.

I couldn’t deny what he said—it was true. When I’d worked on Mason’s website I’d had a bunch of other ideas running through my head but I hadn’t wanted to overwhelm him so I’d kept them to myself.