“So what are we going to do now?” I asked softly, nuzzling against his chest.
It didn’t matter if the whole world was after us. With Mason at my side, I felt like anything was possible.
I looked up from my reverie when I realized he hadn’t replied. “Mason?”
He side-eyed me. “Huh?”
“I said what are we going to do now?”
“Oh, I didn’t hear you. Well, we can’t stay here, that’s for sure. I think I’ll have my contact book us a hotel somewhere safe.”
“Shadow?” I guessed.
Mason nodded. “I haven’t talked to him since yesterday, but he’s been busy keeping someone off of our trail.”
I rose on my elbow and raised an eyebrow. “Someone?”
Something flashed across Mason’s eyes. “No one. Anonymous.”
When Mason saw my face crumple, he pulled me close and delivered a kiss to my forehead. “Don’t worry, baby, everything will work out.” It was the first time he’d call me that word and despite being upset with him, I loved hearing it roll off of his tongue. Even still, I hated how he was being secretive, like there was something he wasn’t telling me.
We laid there, and even despite the feeling that he wasn’t being completely honest, I felt more at home than I had in my entire life in his arms.
Finally, I broke the silence. “Mason, why’d you never tell me your true feelings,” I asked. “All of this could’ve avoided if you would have just spoke up.”
Mason wasn’t having it. “Don’t put all the blame on me. You have a mouth too. You could’ve just as easily told me.”
“Gee, ya think? But you’re supposed to be the ladies man.” I joked.
Mason laughed. “Better late than never, right? Besides, I did just give you the best dicking down you’ve ever had.”
I made a face. “It’s not like I have anything to compare it to. For all I know, you could be an amateur.”
“Oh yeah? Then you might want to consider a career in acting.” He raised his deep voice as high it would go, “Ohh yes, fuck me harder Mason!” His voice cracked liked a teenager on the last word and I had to laugh. “That ring any bells?”
“You sound absolutely terrible!” I laughed.
Mason winked at me.
“But, no really, I asked first.”
Mason’s expression turned serious. “Well, for one . . . I was scared.”
I snorted with disbelief. “You? Scared? Please. I’ve seen the way you are around girls — it annoyed me to no end, in fact. You’ll have to do better than that.”
“You’d be surprised,” Mason said quietly. “And second, I always thought you barely tolerated me, as in you liked being around me at first, but you seemed to get more and more bitchy.”
“Well, why wouldn’t I? You were always doing something that pissed me off,” I explained. “Besides teasing me, you were always bringing home girls. Some of it was a feigned attempt to not let you on to my feelings, but I was angry at that.”
“I’m sorry, Carly, but what was I supposed to do? You were my stepsister and I had no idea that there was any chance of us ever being together.”
“So you screw a bunch of chicks instead of just being honest? How does that logic work?”
“Even if we could’ve been together, our relationship wouldn’t have lasted sneaking behind our parent’s back. You know what would’ve happened the first time we got caught? They would’ve separated us, made us feel like we were disgusting human beings. We probably would’ve ended up hating each other.”
I thought about how much my mom already made me feel bad about a multitude of things in my life and found myself agreeing. “I guess I see what you’re saying.”
“Those other girls — they meant nothing to me,” he assured me, seeing me lost in thought. “Absolutely nothing. In fact, I always felt empty and disgusted afterward. It was like a void I could never fill.”
His words touched me even though I should’ve been annoyed.
“Yet you kept doing it?”
Mason pursed his lips. “I was hoping that I’d eventually find someone who would erase what I felt for you, someone who could fill that hole. I never did.” Mason squeezed my arm gently. “In a way, I think part of my rebellion against dad had to do with me not being able to have you, my subconscious at work.”
It amazed me to see the serious side of Mason when it came to expressing emotions. It was something I’d never seen him do. He always had some smart ass comment or joke to deflect.
“Well have you found someone now?” I asked, giving him a firm kiss on the lips.
“Now I have,” Mason affirmed, pulling me close and allowing me to nuzzle against his chest.
In that moment, I didn’t care who was after Mason. The only thing that mattered to me was that I was once again safe in his arms.
Mason
What the hell am I doing?