Moving to stand, he steps back, and I slide my jean shorts down my legs, revealing the thinnest neon green G-string I own. He sucks in a breath. “Fuck,” he murmurs.
He wants me to change, then fine. I’ll change because, knowing Mase, he will not let me out of my room with the cheeks of my ass hanging out the back of my shorts. Mase has always been possessive but I’m not going to make it easy for him. I’m going to push to see how hard he snaps. Sashaying to the dresser to grab a pair of black yoga leggings, I close the drawer and bend down slowly on purpose to slide them on.
“Keep playing, gorgeous. I might forgo going out to dinner and eat you right here.”
My cheeks flame because I know he will. He has never been so forward before, he has flirted with me before, but this is different. He is acting very different but so am I.
* * *
We head downstairs and my mother waves us goodbye with a smile like she has just seen her favorite celebrity couple in person. My mother has always wanted me to end up with Mason. She thinks we make a great match, but if she knew what happened and how he hurt me, I’m not so sure she would see him in the same light.
We head out to Mason’s McLaren and he opens the door for me like a gentleman. If a woman wonders if chivalry still exists, then they have to meet Mason. He gives it in droves, at least with me. Sliding inside the luxurious leather of the car that looks like a fighter jet inside, he hops in and starts the powerful engine.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
He places the car in gear and drives onto the road leading to the highway. He turns on the music to drown out the silence. My mind is wondering how I agreed to be sitting in Mason’s car heading to dinner with him. Butterflies swarm in my stomach because I thought I was able to get over Mason by sleeping with someone else. The only thing I feel is guilt and attraction all at the same time. I’m so fucked. I am not sure if it is lust or love I feel anymore because it’s laced with hurt and loss.
“To the Ends” by Aaryan Shah plays softly through the speakers of his car. A text comes through from Aiden asking where I went because I’m not home and my car is parked inside the garage. My mother probably left already for her fundraiser, and he must have missed her. I’m firing a text when Mase looks over.
“Tell whoever that is that you are on a date and won’t be back until much later.”
My head tilts. “Did you tell your flavor of the week the same?”
The corner of his mouth tilts in a half grin. “There isn’t a flavor of the week. There is only one flavor and it’s the one between your legs. So, tell your little boyfriend that it’s over or I will.”
I snort, shaking my head. “You have some serious balls.”
From the corner of my eye, I can see his jaw tic in annoyance. “Tell him, Luciana or I will.”
He only calls me Luciana when he is getting annoyed.
“I don’t have a boyfriend and it was Aiden asking where I went. You can relax now.”
The grip he had on the steering loosens and he takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry I’m acting like a jealous prick, but I don’t want to lose you, Lucy. I’m tired of the way things have been between us, and all I’m asking is for a chance. A chance to make things right between us.”
He caresses the top of my hand that is resting on my thigh. Tingles flutter on my skin, making the tiny hairs on my skin rise. Biting my lip, my mind fills with the worry of all the things he doesn’t know. When he finds out, will he still want me? Will he even want to be at least my friend? All I can give him right now is friendship because my fear is of falling deeply in love with him and being hurt all over again. The second time I don’t think I will be able to survive it.
My fingers entwine with his and I glance at him. “All I can offer is friendship, Mase. It is what I can do right now. We can flirt and push our attraction to see who has more power over the other, but all I can offer right now is friendship.”
He stays silent. The only thing that can be heard is the soft music coming from the speakers. The tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. It is not what he wants to hear, but there is so much he doesn’t know and right now, I’m afraid to tell him. I don’t want to hurt him even though he has hurt me. I can’t hurt someone I care about. He isn’t some guy I just met. He was my whole world for so long.
He breaks the silence between us with a wry smile. “Okay. We can start there, I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I miss you, Lucy.”
“Okay.” I smile. “I miss you too, Mase.”
He pulls into a Tex-Mex restaurant and parks the car. He hops out of the car and opens my door. “I hope you like Mexican.”
“You’re joking, right?” I tease.
He gives me a white-toothed grin. “You can never go wrong with Mexican to us, it’s practically a food group.”
Once I’m seated, the older lady that is the waiter places a fruity red drink on the table and gives me a wink. “You need to try it and it’s on the house.”
Mase watches me sipping the fruity drink. It is so good.
“Slow down there, gorgeous.” He points toward the pretty cup with the colorful umbrella sticking out of it. “That is Sangria and it has alcohol.”