Savor Me (8 page)

“Okay, fine. I’m not keeping an eye on you. Just don’t leave my side,” he says, going back to sipping his beer.

“You know what—” I begin, but Hunter stops me by dragging me against him.

“I just meant I want to be able to find you when I get back. I know you don’t need anyone to watch you.” He winks. He’s totally patronizing me, but he’s sexy doing it, so I let it slide.

“Whatever. Just go,” I say, annoyed.

He smiles down at me with his dark brown eyes dancing with humor. “I’ll be thinking about you.”

“Oh Jesus. Go pee, Casanova. Save your cheesy lines for someone who needs them.”

He laughs but walks toward the bathroom.

I turn my attention to Mason. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he responds, looking at me but not moving in my direction at all.

“You’ve been quiet tonight. Everything okay?”

“I’m always quiet, but yeah, I’m good. I’m just tired from the drive home.”

“I loved watching you ride the other day,” I say, taking a step towards him, only to have him back away.

“Lace, I’d rather not tell everyone here about our little arrangement. They’ve been watching you dry hump Hunter all night. Don’t add me to the mix.” The hurt must paint my face because he quickly changes his tone to that of my Midnight Mason. “Hey, they wouldn’t understand. Don’t read into it. Let’s head out, go back to my place tonight. Okay?”

“Your place?” A small smile creeps across my face.

“Yeah. Is that okay with you?”

“Is your bed big enough?”

“It’s a queen. I think we’ll fit.”

“But Hunter likes to stretch out when he sleeps.”

“I guess you’ll have to sleep on top of me then. Ya know, just so he’s comfortable.”

I laugh, and a gentle smile tilts his lips. This Mason is amazing, and the draw I feel to him is unrivaled. He may like to watch, but I think I like to watch him more.

“You want to dance?”

“No,” he quickly answers.

“Please.” I put on an exaggerated sad face.

“No,” he answers, but he finally gives me a grin.

“But—”

“Next slow song maybe. I don’t move like Hunter.” His smile drops when he makes the comparison.

“Mase, I don’t want you to move like Hunter. I want to dance with
you
.”

“Next slow song,” he reiterates.

“Fine. I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.”

I turn and walk away, heading straight for the DJ’s booth. I pull twenty bucks from my bra and pass it to the DJ, whispering my request in his ear.

“Let’s go, cowboy.” I walk back to Mason, grabbing his hand and pulling him out toward the floor.

The first notes of Garth Brooks
The Dance
ring out over the speakers. Mason freezes for a minute before I glance back to find a heat in his eyes.

“Why this song, Lace?” he asks.

“I may not like country, but this is a damn good song.”

He stops trying to fight and actually drags me to the dance floor.

“I’m assuming you like this one.”

“For some reason, I suddenly feel like dancing.” He pulls me into his arms, closer than two friends but not as close as we will be in a few hours.

I sway in Mason’s arms through the entire song. Despite the fact that I picked this song just because it was the only slow country song I know, it’s strangely fitting. I wouldn’t pass up this moment with Mason for anything. Even though, one day, it will only be a memory.

He doesn’t move like Hunter, but he still captivates me. And it isn’t until the next song starts that I realize Hunter is watching us from the corner of the floor. He’s waiting for us to head back to the bar, and the disappointment I feel leaving Mason’s arms is alarming. I can tell Mason feels it too. But like a trained professional, he slams down his emotionless mask and leads me off the floor. I fully expected him to let me go right back into Hunter’s arms, but when we gets close he pulls me behind him and has a quiet chat with Hunter. They are probably just hashing out sleeping arrangements since Mason wanted us back at his place tonight. I enjoy the minute and hold Mason’s hand.

“Twice in one week? To what do I owe this misfortune?” I hear the familiar bitchy voice behind me. Both guys snap their heads around as well.

“Shit,” I whisper to myself. “Just leave me alone, Abby!” I shout over the music.

“So who’s the unlucky guy tonight? Does he know you probably have every STD known to man?”

“Nope, not happening tonight,” Hunter says, stepping into my sister’s face. “I’m going to need you to shut the fuck up and leave.

“Oh, please. I bet you’re all excited to get between her legs now, but you probably wouldn’t even feel it.”

“I’m not sure what issue you have with Lacey, but I am sure it can be dealt with in private instead of acting like a raving bitch every time you run into her out in public.”

“Okay, wait. She can’t seriously be that good in bed. You’re hot, even if you are overcompensating for a small dick.”

“What the hell is it with Hamilton woman assuming I have a small dick? I would love to show to you the same way I showed Lacey, but I imagine it would turn to ice the minute it touched your wicked witch of a pussy.”

“You asshole.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty accurate,” Hunter says, leaning forward, scooping Abby off her feet, and tossing her over his shoulder. He carts her off toward the front as Mason pulls me out the back door.

“She is such a fucking cunt!” I yell even though it’s unnecessary in the silence outside.

“Who exactly is she?” Mason questions. His eyes scan the parking lot to make sure we are alone before pulling me tight against his side.

“That would be my sister Abby.”

“No shit?”

“Totally true story.” I melt further into his arms.

The bar doors swing open as the bouncers escort Hunter outside. I’m guessing his manhandling my sister didn’t go over too well with the staff. He strides over, and just as he gets close, Mason releases me and steps away. He pretends it’s only to get his keys out of his pocket, but I can’t help but feel like he is handing me back to Hunter. And the ease with which he is able to do that stings.

We pile into Mason’s truck and head back to the barn. I’m lost in my head, replaying the latest run-in with Abby.

“Okay, spill it. Why does she hate you?” Hunter asks just as we pull out of the parking lot.

“I slept with her fiancé.”

Both guys’ heads immediately snap to me.

“Well, that explains it!” Hunter says, but it’s Mason’s response that surprises me most.

“No, you didn’t.” He catches my eye for only a minute before looking back at the road.

“I just said I slept with him.”

“And I’m calling bullshit. You wouldn’t do that.”

“You’ve know me for, like, five days now. I hardly think you know me well enough to say that.”

His eyes purposely flash over to Hunter, who is staring out the passenger’s side window. Then he shakes his head in a silent explanation of why he won’t be discussing this right now. He lowers his voice and says, “I know enough.”

We ride the rest of the way home in silence.

“YOUR BED IS TOO
small,” Hunter complains as I lie sated at his side.

“You are more than welcome to sleep on the floor. Or, ya know…go home!” Mason replies, pulling me closer to his side.

“And miss round two? Hell no.”

“I want you to stay, but I have to be at work super early tomorrow, so there will be no round two tonight.”

“So I have to sleep in this small-ass bed for nothing?”

“You can hold my boob while you sleep if that would help,” I tease.

“You do have nice boobs.” He rolls over, gliding his hands over my chest. “Okay, you convinced me. I’ll stay.”

“That didn’t take much.” I lean over, planting a lingering kiss to his lips.

“It never does with you, sugar.” He nuzzles into my neck and quickly falls asleep.

Not ten minutes later, Mason rolls me away and into his side.

“Hey,” I whisper, kissing his jaw.

He gives me a tight squeeze. “Hey.”

“Thanks for going out tonight. I know dancing isn’t really your thing, but I loved having you there.”

“Oh yeah. I could tell,” he says sarcastically.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I’m glad you had fun.” His shield slips into place. “So tell me about this bullshit with your sister.”

“I already told you. I slept with her fiancé.”

“And I already told you that I don’t believe you. So spit it out.”

“Why don’t you believe me?” I ask just before my voice catches.

“Lace, I may not know much about you, but you told me your biggest fear is being left alone. There is no way in hell you would ever try to steal your sister’s fiancé, effectively leaving her alone. You’re not that girl.”

“Mason…” I suck in a breath as his words release me. “I didn’t sleep with him.” I whisper.

“I know, but tell me why she thinks you did. And better yet, why you are willing to accept that you did?”

“They had been together since high school. He was very much a member of the family, and there was no question they were going to get married. The night Sean proposed, I thought my father’s face was going to split in half from the smile he couldn’t wipe away.

“I’ve always been the wild child and loved boys since I was very young. My whole life, I loved that, while my parents didn’t approve of how quickly I went through
boyfriends
”—I make air quotes around boyfriends—“they always loved me enough to look past it and not give me shit. Well, that is until Abby found Sean pinning me against the bathroom door. I wanted nothing to do with that asshole, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I tried to tell them he was forcing himself on me, but he said I came on to him. I’ll give you one guess who they believed.”

“Shit!” Mason lets out on a huff.

“Pretty much. He told my sister that he got drunk and we had sex the night before. Said that he was trying to let me down easy when I threw myself at him. I haven’t spoken to any of them since that night. Even my own mother and father believed him.”

“Knowing your fears, they still left you alone? All of them?”

“See, this is where you don’t know me. Being alone was never my fear until three years ago when every member of my family turned their back on me. All because a guy they knew for a few years said I slept with him. Everything else they knew about me flew out the window as they focused on my biggest flaw.

“Lace, sleeping around isn’t necessarily a flaw, as long as you own it.”

“Yeah right, because every guy wants a girl who’s had more sexual partners than they have,” I joke, but it’s flat.

“Wait, do you sleep around to keep guys at a distance?”

“That makes zero sense.”

“Doesn’t it? You meet guys and hook up with them, have fun for the night, while thinking you are making yourself less desirable to the next guy. Stop acting like you have nothing to offer but a warm pussy and sexy body.

I try to make a joke to take the focus off his compliment. “You forgot about my talented mouth.”

“You do have a talented mouth. I won’t deny that. But it’s even good when you aren’t using it get me off. Lace, you are more than sex. You know that. You’re just too scared to believe it.”

“You’re the first person to ever believe me,” I confide, looking up into his eyes.

“Then you are surrounded by idiots. That is more on them than it is on you.”

“Those idiots are my family.” I chew on my bottom lip to fight back the emotions.

“Every family has idiots. Just keep your head up and try not to be one of them. That’s all you can do.”

“Are there idiots in your family?” I ask, even though I know the answer.

“No, my family is full of assholes.”

“Tell me about your family.”

“No.”

“You know all my dirty secrets. Tell me yours.” I place a kiss on his cheek and squeeze him tight. I want him to tell me. I know the story, but I want to know if Mason trusts me enough to tell me.

“I know Hunter already told you,” he says, leaning down to kiss me on the forehead.

“I…I…” I stutter like I’ve been caught in a lie.

“It’s okay, Lace. Hunter has a big mouth, and he’s always trying to protect me. When did he tell you though? Judging by the way you looked at me that first night, I’m assuming it was before you even met me.”

“What?! No! He told me at the show. And what do you mean about the way I looked at you that first night?”

“You looked at me like you felt sorry for me. I figured you already knew.”

Oh shit!
How do I even answer that? I have a feeling ‘No, Mason, I have this unexplainable draw to you’ won’t go over very well. And at the very least, it will make me look like a clinger. So I answer like a bitch instead.

“No, Mason. I wasn’t looking at you because I feel sorry for you. What Hunter told me sucks, but really? It isn’t even the saddest story I’ve heard this week.”

A look of relief passes through his eyes. I don’t even have time to recognize that look before his hand dives between my legs and wide smile creeps across his face.

“Remember when I told you I believed you about your sister’s douchebag fiancé?” Using his thumb, he finds exactly the right spot. “Well your words just returned the favor.” I still as I process his statement. Mason doesn’t want pity, and in one bitchy statement, I gave him that.