Only the Truth Pt. 04

Literotic asexstories – Only the Truth Pt. 04 by __Lisa__,__Lisa__
MASON

———–

The smile Sadie gave me as she shoved the car door open and stepped out into the sunshine looked more like a grimace, but at least she was trying. I had second thoughts about bringing her home with me while I showered and changed, but when I told her I didn’t want to be without her, it wasn’t an exaggeration.

Up until now the need to be with her had always hovered somewhere on the periphery of my life, growing stronger whenever she was near me. I’d had no trouble controlling it or pushing it to the back of my mind. It hadn’t stopped me from focusing on work, friendships, and at times other women.

But now we’d spent the night together, everything had changed. We were connected, and in more ways than just the physical–although the physical turned out to be even hotter and better than I’d imagined all these years.

Before I could get caught up in those thoughts again, I opened the driver’s door and climbed out to join her. Just in the time it took me to round the car and step up onto the curb, her initial show of confidence had disappeared, and she didn’t look so sure of herself anymore.

She stood there with her hands in the pockets of her white shorts while the breeze ruffled the hem of her navy tank. Her lower lip disappeared between her teeth, her eyes trained on the house like she was about to enter a torture chamber. It wouldn’t be easy for her seeing Claire again after the way things had ended last night, but if she could make things right with me, I had a feeling she could handle forgiving her sister as well.

I moved in beside her as the sounds of the neighborhood carried on around us; the hum of a distant lawn mower, the laughter of two kids next door, their heads popping up above the side fence every time they jumped on their trampoline.

It was just like any other Sunday afternoon, but at the same time, everything felt different.

My fingers interlaced with Sadie’s, and I gave her hand a squeeze. “All good?”

She sent me a pained glance, then realized what she was doing and smiled. “Sorry, I’m just… you know, mentally preparing.”

Claire’s car was the only one in the driveway, which meant Andy must have headed out for his usual Sunday food run. He took off around lunchtime and came back carrying bags filled with mouth-watering aromas for the three of us–sometimes more depending on who’d stopped by–and we’d sit around the kitchen table talking crap while we stuffed our faces. Maybe sticking to his normal routine meant everything was okay in there, and that life could get back to normal quicker than I’d expected.

“Are we going in?” I asked.

She didn’t look anywhere near ready to go, but she pulled in a breath and nodded.

Her hand clamped mine as we made our way inside and headed for the living room. Someone had left the TV on with the sound muted, and any clues a party had been going on here hours before had already disappeared. The place looked pristine. Claire must have been up half the night finishing off the cleaning we’d started, but I couldn’t see any sign of her now. Either she’d stayed in bed to catch up on sleep, or Andy had dragged her out on his hunter-gatherer mission.

The shuffling sound that came from the other side of the couch was the first indication we weren’t alone. I sent Sadie a look then we both watched as a feminine hand gripped the back of the sofa. The seconds that followed would have been funny if it were any other situation–it was like watching a B-grade horror movie–but when Claire heaved herself up to a sitting position, I forgot why I’d been tempted to smile.

As she came around the end of the couch, her gaze darted from Sadie to me. Her blonde hair was tangled around her shoulders, there were dark shadows under her eyes, and her skin looked paler than usual. I’d never seen her so unraveled. Her feet were bare, and she wore a baggy black tank over a pair of sweatpants that were at least a size too big. She either hadn’t noticed or didn’t give a shit that one leg of the pants had got caught up at her knee.

“Hi.” Her features were tight with the strain of being Claire, and her attempt at a smile fell flat. She shoved her hair back from her face and didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands after that. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Sadie closed her eyes and blew out a breath. When she opened them again, the determined look that came over her had me wanting to hook my arm around her neck and drag her in close for a kiss. “We just got here,” she said. “Thought you might want to talk about what happened last night.”

“Sure. Okay, yes.” Claire finally noticed her uneven pants and shoved the offending leg until it dropped to match the other one. “Want coffee first? Tea?”

“No, nothing thanks.”

She flicked a look my way and lifted her brows. “Mason?”

“No, I’m good, too.” Cheeky shit. Treating me like a guest even though I still lived here and had no plans of changing that status. “Are you all right, Claire-bear? You look like crap.”

She let out her usual snort-laugh like I’d hoped she would, but her amusement died just as quickly as it appeared. “Yep. I’m fine. So…” Her gaze flitted around the room.

And that was my cue to get the hell out of here.

“I’ll go grab a shower so you two can talk.” Sadie hadn’t asked me to stay while she talked to her sister, but after the way she’d stood up for herself last night, I didn’t have to ask if she needed backup.

With a smile that I hoped she’d find reassuring, I squeezed her shoulder and left the room.

~ * ~

After I finished drying off, I pulled on a pair of basketball shorts and a white t-shirt that had seen better days. With the holes in the hem and the neckline, it wasn’t fit for wearing anywhere outside the house anymore, but it still took up space in my closet because I was a sentimental idiot. Sadie had borrowed it one time a couple of years ago and I couldn’t seem to let it go.

We’d been sitting around the dining room table with a group of friends devouring the Mexican food Andy had just brought back with him. I’d made a joke, no idea what it was now–probably something completely asinine–but Sadie had found it funny. She’d tried biting into a soft taco and laughing at the same time, only to end up wearing half her food down the front of her.

She’d shared a look with me, partly amused, mostly embarrassed, before she disappeared with Claire to repair the damage. It didn’t look like the kind of spill you could fix with the dab of a sponge, so I ran off and grabbed a t-shirt from the pile of folded clothes in my room, forgetting Claire would have a better option for Sadie to wear.

I found the two of them in the laundry standing beside the washing machine. Claire was facing the doorway, and Sadie had her back to me as she pulled her unbuttoned shirt down her arms. “Here,” I said. Just before I turned my head and held out my offering, I caught a glimpse of her slender back, smooth skin, and a pair of bright red bra straps that, as basic as they were, had given me a head rush with the not-so-innocent thoughts that kicked in.

When Sadie laughed and assured me it was safe to look again, I did.

The way she clutched her shirt to her chest and reached out to take mine, that shy, grateful smile she sent me instead of insisting Claire lend her one of her shirts instead… I should have known right then and there, but I was clueless, too focused on the way I felt around her to pay attention to the subtle changes in her behavior toward me.

She wanted to wear my t-shirt.

And she had.

For the rest of the day.

I remembered checking her out every time her attention was elsewhere. Warmth spread through me at the sight of her swamped in my clothing, the shape of her crimson bra showing through the material. I spent an embarrassing amount of time wondering if the fabric would smell like her afterwards–and it did, all clean and floral and feminine–and whether she wore that kind of thing to bed.

Sadie only gave it back to me when she left, even though the clothes dryer had beeped a couple of hours earlier signaling hers was ready to go again.

Like I said. Idiot.

Should have figured it out a long time ago.

With a shake of my head, I dropped last night’s clothes in the hamper and opened the bathroom door. When the raised voices in the living room registered, I turned and headed in the opposite direction. As much as I loved both women, it would be smart to stay out of the way until they were done. If I walked into the middle of it, I’d be too tempted to defend Sadie and potentially make it worse.

I sat on my bed, leaning against the headboard as I flicked through a dirt-bike magazine to pass the time. As far as distractions went it sucked pretty hard. My mind kept drifting to the action on the other side of the door, and I couldn’t focus on the pages for more than three seconds.

How would we handle this if they weren’t able to come to some kind of understanding? Would I be stuck between Sadie and Claire while Andy hovered somewhere on the periphery, friendships and relationships permanently ruined no matter which way we turned?

I slapped the magazine shut and checked the time on my phone, wondering why Andy hadn’t come back yet. Judging by the sounds drifting from the living room, Claire needed some pointers on groveling instead of throwing herself into an angry defense, and no one had the ability to calm her like he could.

Just when I’d made the decision to get involved after all, the door burst open, and a brunette whirlwind came flying into my room. Flushed cheeks, wild eyes and cute as all hell, Sadie flung the door closed and glared at me. No need to confirm if her anger was meant for me or Claire, though. As soon as our eyes, met the heat in hers cooled, and she let out an audible breath.

“Well, this just fucking sucks.”

My mouth twitched but I wouldn’t smile, not when I didn’t know for sure how she’d take it. Sadie rarely swore. Whenever I heard that smooth, sweet voice of hers hurling curses it hit me like a one-two punch. Humor first, followed by hot, bone-deep lust.

Without warning, she launched herself at me, barely giving me time to slide the magazine out of the way before I was surrounded with soft, warm, sweet-smelling woman. She planted herself sideways on my lap then twisted her upper body and threw her arms around my neck.

“Hey,” I said softly, “What the hell did she say to you?”

Her grip on me intensified, like she was trying to stay grounded while her anger, along with all the other emotions crashing around in there tried to send her flying. “Everything. I’m not done talking to her yet. I just need to be with you for a minute.”

With a gruff sound, I pressed my lips to her cheek, hard, letting them rest there while her breaths quietened. For a while, I just enjoyed the closeness with her, then I eased back far enough to look her over.

Her fingers must have run through her hair a couple of times, because the dark strands were all tousled like she’d just climbed out of bed. Her eyes were troubled, her lower lip swollen and pink, tempting me even now to give it some attention. I had no idea if the bright spots on her cheeks were from her shouting match with Claire or the contact with me, but she looked so soft and appealing, I wanted to put all this frustrating shit behind us and just be with her.

“Talk to me.”

Sadie rubbed her forehead and sighed. “She told me about the pregnancy,” she said. Her hand dropped to her lap then her gaze shifted to the other side of the room. “I didn’t know, Mason. I had no clue. Not back then, not now. I just wanted to hug her.”

Pretty much how I’d felt when Claire had told me her story. If big sister had spilled all her secrets like I expected her to, the next part wouldn’t come as a surprise. I still had to ask. “And then…”

Sadie’s eyes searched out mine again, a faint look of amusement filling hers. “We both know she spread those stupid, hurtful rumors about you.” She reached up to touch my face but then pulled back before she had the chance to make contact. “I can’t believe she did that. I’m so sorry.”

“What?” Talking to her profile suddenly frustrated the shit out of me. “Come here, I need to see you.” I gripped her hips and hoisted her up, repositioning her so she was facing me. Although she made a sound of protest, the heat crawling up her neck told me she didn’t exactly hate being man-handled. “Why are you sorry?”

Sadie shifted on my lap and arranged her thighs either side of mine. “Because I feel like I’m partly to blame. She only did it because of me.”

Making excuses for Claire suggested she wanted to move on from this just as much as I did. I slouched against the headboard and bent my knees behind her, using my thighs to tip her closer. “So, you’re responsible for her fuck ups now?”

“No… yes. Kind of.” She shivered and leaned into me, her fingers bunching in the material of my t-shirt.

With a smile, I cupped her face and touched my lips to the underside of her jaw, the pulse in her throat. My attention earned another tremor, a soft sigh. I lifted my head and swept my thumbs over her cheeks, watching her lips come part and a storm brew in those grey eyes of hers. Her tongue slipped out to moisten her lower lip, and her thighs squeezed either side of mine. Then she gave herself a little shake as if to break the spell, and wrapped her fingers around my wrists.

“You’re way too distracting.” She pulled my hands down into the space between us. “I can’t think when you touch me like that.”

“That’s kind of the point.”

Her eyes narrowed as she took in my features, then she released my wrists and sighed. “I can forgive what she did to me, but I can’t handle what she did to you. How can you just sit here and act like it doesn’t even matter? I’m starting to question your sanity.”

I rubbed my hand down my face and tried to put into words something I didn’t fully understand myself. Claire had been my closest friend since we were ten years old, the nearest thing to a sister I’d had as an only child.

I loved her.

Not in a romantic or sexual way.

Not as a friend.

She was my family.

We’d built our first treehouse together, been grounded by both sets of parents for too many ideas suggested by me and agreed upon by her. We’d spent our summers together and holidayed with each other’s families. She’d even been hauled into a couple of detentions with me before she figured out how to resist the lure of my kind of fun.

Claire had pissed me off in a major way last night–and we weren’t even close to being done with that conversation–but it would take something serious that we had no chance of coming back from to have me cutting her out of my life for good. “Being calm doesn’t mean I’ve just rolled over and accepted the situation.”

Sadie rested her hand on my chest, her fingers splayed over my heart. “What does it mean then?”

“I’m concentrating on what’s more important.”

“Which is?”

I raised my brows. “If you have to ask it looks like I need to up my game.”

She bit her lip and smiled around it, but then her expression sobered, and she pulled in a breath. “When I heard the first part about her pregnancy, it broke my heart. I might have been too young to understand back then, but I still would have tried to help.”

“I know.”

“But when she admitted to starting those rumors about you, it made me see her differently. I’ve looked up to her my whole life and now it’s just not the same anymore.”

“You still love her,” I said. “That hasn’t changed.”

Sadie bumped my chest with the side of her fist. “So, what? It doesn’t make any of this okay.”

“You’re right, but it’s a pretty solid reason to get back out there. Don’t you want to wrap this thing up and move on?”

She sent me one of those looks, the kind that said I was either a fool or way too generous with my forgiveness. “She made everyone think you were a player for years,” she reminded me. “No one could take you seriously, and women only saw you as someone to fuck for fun. You couldn’t have a proper relationship because of her.”

There she went with the swearing again. A rush of need and the urge to smile hit me at the same time. “Are you complaining about me being single all this time?”

Her lids drifted closed, and she let out a long breath through her nose. When her eyes opened again, she didn’t answer me, but the look on her face said it all. Claire’s interference had resulted in one big upside for us, and that just gave Sadie one more thing to feel guilty about.

“Just think–”

She sat up straighter and clasped my face in her hands. “No. Don’t say it. Don’t you dare! You’re going to try to put another positive spin on a crappy situation, I know it.”

“Just think,” I repeated, grabbing her wrists, and pulling her hands out to the sides. “We won’t be able to spend time at your place when your parents get home. Not the naked kind, anyway. If you go back out and talk to her, I won’t have to find somewhere else to live. We can be together here.”

The mention of sex had her cheeks turning pink. “If I try to fix things, it’ll be because it’s the right thing to do, not because it makes my orgasm more convenient.”

“Multiple orgasms.” My quick grin had her fighting a smile. I kept hold of her wrists and drew her in close, leaving soft, sucking kisses on her throat that made her sigh and lift her chin to invite more.

When she spoke again, her voice sounded breathy and distracted, her hands tugging against my grip like she wanted to free them and put them on me. “One thing I don’t understand is how Claire found out about your, you know?”

“Hmm?” I nibbled her ear then gave the lobe a lick.

“About your man parts.”

My head lifted, and I smiled. “My what?”

She gave me a patient look, all that breathiness gone now. “You know what I mean.”

“No.” I guided her hands behind her back and clamped them together at the base of her spine. “Why don’t you spell it out for me?”

I’d only teased her to watch the fire ignite in her eyes. When she got worked up, it did things for me, made me want to earn that look from her again and again. I should have known not to underestimate her, though.

Rather than giving me the heat I expected, she flashed a sweet smile and pressed her chest closer to mine, rocking her lower body in a rolling motion that had my man parts straining against my shorts. Then she trailed the tip of her tongue up my neck and spoke in a husky murmur beside my ear. “That big, beautiful cock of yours, Mason. The one I haven’t gotten to know nearly well enough.”

Need slammed into me, an immediate, visceral reaction I had no control over. I dumped her on the mattress, where she landed on her back, legs splayed. This woman… she pushed my buttons like no one else, and I had no clue which one of us loved it more.

I climbed over her and grabbed her wrists again, holding them in a firm grip above her head–and then I saw that fire I’d been looking for. Combined with the barely-there smile hovering at her mouth, she had me close to losing it. My hips pushed between her thighs, and I gave her a couple of grinding thrusts. “God, the things I want to do to you when you talk to me like that…”

She stared up at me with turbulent eyes, all eagerness and challenge and soft, pouting lips. Instead of continuing with the banter like I’d thought she would, her hips lifted from the bed, and she made a whimpering sound in the back of her throat. “Do it. Now. Please.”

There was a distinct possibility she’d kill me.

Just when I thought I had her all figured out, she went and changed the rules on me.

I let go of her and rested my arms beside her head, leaning down so she was cradled between my elbows. I touched my mouth to hers, smiling at the way she tipped her chin and tried to claim my lower lip. “There’s nothing I want more right now.” I kissed her again, softly, not lingering long enough for either of us to take it any deeper. “But you need to finish what you started with Claire.”

Sadie closed her eyes and sighed. A series of emotions played across her face while she worked on pulling herself together, then she opened them again and searched my features. “You didn’t answer my question before.”

“Which one?”

“How did she know? Was it a lucky guess or…?”

And then it clicked into place.

It never occurred to me that she might get the wrong idea when she found out who’d started those stories. I rubbed the frown line between her brows, trying to keep my voice even so she wouldn’t catch on to the frustration building in me.

Freaking Claire. Still had the power to cause shit without even lifting a finger.

“When I said nothing was going on I meant it. Only the truth, always.”

Her hopeful expression wavered then fell. “But you’re still not answering the question.”

The accusation in her tone felt like a punch to the gut, but after everything she’d learned over the past twenty-four hours, I couldn’t blame her for doubting me. I rolled off her to give us both some space, landing on my back beside her with a sigh. “Because it was a complete non-event. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

Sadie rose on one elbow. “So, tell me.”

Her hair hung over one shoulder, the ends brushing my chest as she gazed down at me. I slid my fingers through the strands as I recalled the one and only time Claire had copped an eyeful.

I went for my Saturday morning run at the football ground three blocks from here, where I liked to do laps of the oval followed by sprints until I couldn’t breathe. When I got home, I jumped straight in the shower, failing to take a change of clothes with me.

Completely naked afterwards, I dried my hair with a towel as I headed down the hall to my room, not caring about being exposed since Claire and Andy had been on their way out to do grocery shopping when I went into the bathroom.

While I alternated between scrubbing my hair and checking to see where I was going, I heard a weird little squeak from behind me. I turned around and lowered the towel to find Claire standing there, open-mouthed in horror.

I’d have a hard time deciding which one of us moved the fastest after that. I yanked the towel down in front of me while Claire turned away and sprang into action.

In her hurry to get out of there, she smacked her big toe against the doorway and let out a pained howl like an injured animal. Instinctively, I reached out to make sure she was okay, but it turned out to be a mistake. She hopped back from me and screeched, “Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!” then overbalanced and hit her head on the fucking wall.

I watched the emotions play over Sadie’s face while I told the story. Curiosity, surprise, then a small smile. When I finished, she let out a huff of amusement. “Okay then.”

I laughed at the memory despite not feeling a trace of humor at the time. “No. Not okay at all. She wouldn’t make eye contact with me for about a week after that. Every time I went near her, she flinched like she expected me to whip it out again and ask if she wanted to take another look. It would have offended me if I hadn’t been just as traumatized as her. I felt like I’d flashed my sister.”

Sadie gave me a half smile. “Awkward.”

“Yeah, awkward doesn’t begin to cover it. I’ll never walk through the house naked again.”

The lightness disappeared from her features and a pensive expression took over. She toyed with my hair for a minute while she appeared to think something through. “I know it sounds possessive,” she said slowly, as if she didn’t know whether to share the next part with me, “but I don’t want anyone else seeing you naked.”

We’d already slept together and exchanged I love yous. Neither of us needed to spell it out that we were exclusive and had no interest in dating anyone else. Even so, I loved hearing her stake her claim. It made me want to do some staking of my own. “No one will,” I told her.

Sadie leaned in to kiss me, her lips lingering for a while before she finally straightened and sat back. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, shooting a glance over her shoulder in resignation. “All right. I’m heading out there again, but I’m doing this for you and me–not her. And only because I don’t want anything else holding us back.”

I smiled. “Sounds good to me.” The reasons didn’t matter, so long as we found a way to get past all this bullshit and tension.

I helped her off my lap and watched as she wandered across the room, hoping it would turn out the way we both wanted.

~ * ~

SADIE

———

I hated this. Truly. All my life I’d followed my sister’s lead, listened to her advice, and taken her opinions on board, even if I didn’t always agree with them. 

Up until now, Claire had been my voice of reason, my conscience, my best friend, supportive and quick to back me whenever I struggled to back myself. I didn’t even need to worry about feeling alone because I always knew she’d be there by my side. My big sister–one of the few constants in my life.

The way I felt now, though? I could only compare it to the time I snuck out of my room on Christmas Eve to find my dad tiptoeing around arranging piles of presents under the tree. My dad. No more Santa Claus. I had to rethink everything and question all those parts of my life I’d always accepted as true because I trusted the people around me.

And when it came to Claire, I needed to accept my role in this situation too, because no one ever climbed onto a pedestal themselves, forcing you to view them as something other than  flawed and human. You had to put them up there in the first place to give them the opportunity to come tumbling down.

So, yeah, this sucked. For more reasons than one.

“I’m sorry,” I told Claire. I looked up at her from my spot on the couch during part two of our attempt to find a middle ground where we could both feel comfortable.

We’d been speaking over each other and raising our voices up until now, and the whole time her restless pacing had taken her from one side of the lounge room to the other. At the sound of my more subdued tone, she stopped and stared at me with her eyes wide.

I waited and resisted the urge to fill the silence.

She took a couple of steps closer, then lowered her butt to the coffee table in front of me. I knew I was mostly over being mad at her when the shocked look on her face made me want to smile. Claire flattened her palms on the table and looked at me like I’d spoken another language. “Why are you sorry? I’m the one who’s in the wrong here.”

“Oh, I know.” I smiled to take some of the sting from my words, relieved when a fleeting look of amusement passed over her features. “I’m not talking about what you did. I’m talking about the way I’ve been treating you.”

“I don’t…” She frowned and glanced down at her lap then brought her gaze back to me. “You’ve thrown me, Sadie. What are you talking about?

I took a slow breath in and let it out. “I’m sorry for always thinking of you as perfect, for not leaving any room for you to make mistakes like the rest of us mere humans.”

She didn’t say anything, but she watched on with an open curiosity that urged me to keep going. I mentally sorted through my thoughts before I spoke again, hoping I made sense because everything had started clicking into place for me now in a way it hadn’t before.

“I’m sorry I always expected you to be there for me,” I said, “that I let you fix things for me instead of taking care of them myself–and last night… last night I got so pissed off at you because I didn’t like your methods even though I understood your reasons. I think I’ve relied on you for too long, and I didn’t even realize I was doing that until now.”

Claire reached out and brushed her fingertips over my knee, her skin cold despite the warmth in the room. “To be fair I’ve been doing that your whole life. You’ve never had a chance to see what it was like to fend for yourself.”

Just like a mother tiger with her cub, I thought, making sure no one could ever get close enough to cause harm. Nice in theory, but in practice it never worked; it just took away my chance to figure everything out for myself, and that didn’t make for a very capable adult.

I smiled and caught her hand in mine, squeezing a little for reassurance. My gaze slid over her, taking in her grey eyes so like my own, the slight bump in the bridge of her nose, the smooth skin that resembled porcelain. So familiar yet completely new to me.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’d always seen the two of us as unequal. She’d forever been the taller, smarter, more put-together one, and I’d trotted along somewhere in her shadow, oblivious to my own strengths, and that different didn’t have to mean less of anything.

Until now, it hadn’t registered that we’d levelled out, that I’d grown up and the gap between us had disappeared.

Why had I expected her to see something I’d never picked up on myself?

I let go of her hand and looked away, rubbing the tension point in my temple that thankfully seemed to be fading the longer we talked. Now we’d found a way to stop shouting at each other, Mason’s suggestion had become a lot more achievable. I just needed to remind myself how much Claire meant to me and focus on the important things, like Mason and me, and the career I couldn’t wait to kickstart once I wrapped up my degree next year. 

“I think we should put this behind us,” I suggested. “If I do my best to stop leaning on you, I’m sure you can stop micromanaging me. You think you can do that, Claire-bear?”

She blew out a gusty laugh and rolled her eyes. “Yes. Yeah, I think I can manage that. I’m sorry, Sadie. I am. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately. I’ve been so angry. I seem to be losing it over the smallest things.”

I’d noticed that, too, but she’d been busier than ever with work, and I figured it was a temporary thing that would disappear once her professional life settled down. “It’s okay. We’re moving on. It’s getting better already.”

The tightness in my shoulders eased and my smile felt genuine for the first time since I’d shown up here this afternoon. I wanted to run down the hall and drag Mason out to the lounge room just so he could enjoy the moment, too.

The front door swung open then, and I twisted around to see Andy stepping into the tiled entry with a couple of bags hanging from one hand. As he shut the door behind him, he seemed to look everywhere at once, surveying the room like he was worried he’d walked into an ambush situation and needed to be ready to run.

When his attention shifted from Claire to me, whatever he saw in our faces had his wariness disappearing. He raised his brows as he headed our way. “Ladies.”

“Andy.” I gave him a little wave with my fingertips. “Do you have food in those bags? Please tell me it’s food.”

He smiled. “Worked up an appetite last night?”

Oh. Too soon. I winced and glanced at Claire, expecting to see a look of disapproval on her face. She surprised me by shaking her head and giving me a tentative smile. We may have been taking baby steps, but at least we were off to a promising start.

“Hey.” Mason chose that moment to wander into the room, as if he’d already sniffed out the aromas that were only just starting to make their way over to me. The spices were unmistakable; Mexican food, which just happened to be my favorite. My stomach grumbled and my mouth watered in approval. If there were soft tacos somewhere in those bags, I’d seriously consider kissing Andy.

While he and Claire headed into the kitchen to collect plates and cutlery, Mason approached the rear of the couch. I leaned back and looked up at him, smiling as he dipped his head and planted an upside-down kiss on my mouth.

“All good?” he murmured, sweeping my hair back from my forehead to press his lips there, too.

I nodded. “Probably too soon to tell for sure, but right now I feel like a weight’s been lifted off me. I think that’s a good sign.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“Aw.”

He smiled, then reached down and grabbed me around the waist. Without warning he flipped me over like a rag doll and draped me over his shoulder in one smooth motion. I didn’t even get the chance to fight back; I just hung there with my hair swinging around my face and my head spinning.

And that pretty much described the way I felt whenever Mason was around.

Giddy and alive.

A little confused.

And never quite knowing what would happen next. 

~ * ~

“So… Mason, huh?” Mum stalled in the middle of slicing a tomato and shot me a look from the other side of the kitchen bench.

The glimmer of amusement in her eyes suggested the news hadn’t exactly come as a shock, which made me wonder why no one had ever said anything to me. Had my feelings for him been that obvious? All these years I’d been convinced I was operating in stealth mode, but I hadn’t fooled anyone.

My parents arrived home early this morning and after bombarding me with stories and photos from their getaway in Fiji, Mum threw herself into organizing a lunch gathering for us all today. Saturday. Two weeks since Mason and I had become a couple. It felt like a lifetime and a fleeting moment all at once.

Dad left fifteen minutes ago to pick up a few bottles of wine from the supermarket. During his absence, Mum and I had discussed the issue between Claire and me, as well as the teen pregnancy I’d only recently found out about. Although she wasn’t too pleased with the way Claire had manipulated Mason to keep him from me, she at least seemed to understand her motivations.

Now we’d moved on to a more positive topic, one that made me happier with each passing day.

“Yep. Who would have thought?” I scooted to the edge of the stool and played with the leaves of a discarded celery stalk. My eyes remained on her face, needing to see her reaction to my next question. “Should I assume this is good news for you and Dad?”

Since the age difference had been one of Claire’s biggest concerns, I didn’t think it would be too much of a stretch to expect my parents might feel the same way.

Not that it would change anything, but still…

Mum lifted her shoulder to shove back a length of dark hair that had fallen free of its clip. She slid the tomatoes to the side and turned her attention to a head of lettuce, the sleeves of her flowing blue kaftan shifting with each slicing motion. “If you get a start on buttering those rolls I might tell you.”

I smiled, and without further protest, pulled the platter toward me to nab a fresh roll from the pile. She must have decided I’d done enough to warrant an answer because she picked the conversation up again before I’d even scraped on the first layer of butter.

“You know how I feel about Mason,” she said. “He’s one of the good ones.”

A long moment passed where only the sound of chopping filled the silence. She’d never heard any of the rumors about the countless women he’d supposedly been with, but I still expected her to have some reservations about the guy I’d started dating–even if it was the almighty Mason.

My leg jiggled above the footrest while I waited for her to go on, but she didn’t appear to have anything more to add. “That’s it?” I prompted. “That’s all you have to say?”

Mum spared me a glance before she continued with her work. “That’s it. He’s perfect. Gorgeous, smart, loyal, strong. He looks at you like he’d give his life for you. If I could have picked your boyfriend for you myself, I still would have chosen him.”

Oh, wow. Tears flooded my eyes and my chest filled with warmth, the sensation spreading until it overwhelmed me. I stared at the granite countertop and blinked, fidgeting with the butter knife while I waited for my body to settle.

When I finally lifted my head, I realized she’d stopped working and had been keeping an eye on me during my mini-breakdown. I tried to smile but it only wobbled and fell apart. “I’ve wanted him for so long, Mum.”

Her features softened, and she looked like she would have come around the bench to hug me if she hadn’t been holding a sharp implement. “I know, honey. I do. I’m not sorry you had to wait, though.”

I surprised myself by saying, “Neither am I.”

The sound of the front door opening interrupted our conversation. Footsteps travelled down the hall, and my heartbeat quickened in anticipation.

It could have been Dad or Mason and the others–but I knew. The static charge, the warmth that filtered through my body… it floored me how I could feel him before he even entered the room.

Mum’s face lit up at the chorus of greetings that rang out. She dropped the knife and reached over the bench to squeeze my hand, then rushed across the kitchen to deliver a round of hugs to Claire, Andy and Mason.

The room filled with a happy kind of noise, and I sat there feeling content, taking it all in over my shoulder.

As soon as Mum released my sister, Claire glanced my way and smiled. Our relationship had been going so well lately that my return smile came easily.

She had some news of her own to share today, and I couldn’t wait to see our parents’ reaction. When I found out earlier that week, tears flooded my eyes, and I jumped up and down in excitement.

I had a feeling Mum would be beside herself.

Claire had a good reason for her recent outbursts. Turned out she was hormonal, and pretty soon I was going to be an aunty for the first time. She called to tell me the news right after she shared it with Andy. Knowing what it was like to be in on a family secret now made me feel like I’d finally made it to the inner circle.

Mason still had no clue, but Claire had kept it that way on purpose. There’d been a shift in loyalties over the past couple of weeks and some new boundaries put in place.

Speak of the devil, a wall of solid warmth hit me from behind. Before I could turn my head and set eyes on him, he swept my long hair to the side and touched his lips to the spot just beneath my ear. “Hi.”

The sound of his deep voice made me squirm. A flurry of butterflies took flight in my stomach, getting stronger when he slipped his arms around my waist and hugged me.

“Hi,” I said, trying to hide the tremor in my voice.

The fact that he could still have this impact on me after everything we’d done amazed me. All week he’d been making the most of this power, kissing me in public to test my control, touching me in platonic ways that generated some very non-platonic feelings. I wondered how long it would take for the intensity to die down. Not that I’d wish that on either of us.

“I missed you,” he said.

A thrill raced through me, and I leaned back against him. I had to keep reminding myself we had company and, at a quick glance–yep–they were all paying close attention to the interaction between the two of us. “I missed you, too,” I told him.

We’d only been apart one night, not nearly long enough to feel this level of exhilaration when we saw each other again.

“Hey, Mase, maybe you should back off now while you’re still somewhere in the parent-friendly vicinity.”

Andy may have sounded amused, but he had a point. Mason stepped back just enough to create a sliver of space between us, moving his hands to my shoulders instead. He pressed his thumbs into the base of my neck, massaging muscles I hadn’t even known needed attention until he started touching me. I wanted to drop my head forward and moan, but I made myself glance around the room as if everything was perfectly normal.

Claire smiled, clearly aware of Mason’s tactics but appearing more entertained than annoyed. Those baby steps of hers were turning into full length strides.

“Claire, can you take over with those rolls so we can eat? Your sister seems a little distracted.”

Having all the attention on me made my cheeks flame. Normally I would have tried to hide my reaction, but now everyone knew how hopelessly in love with him I was, I could be more open about my feelings.

I went on impulse and pushed off the barstool, turning to face Mason. With a smile, I threw my arms around his neck and held on tight, soaking up his scent and the feel of his strength plastered against me. He clasped my waist and hugged me back, his hum of appreciation sending happiness flowing through me.

The front door opened and closed again. Seconds later my dad’s gruff voice filled the room. “What’s the hell’s going on in here?”

Instead of breaking free of Mason’s hold, I closed my eyes and settled in for more of the same, feeling his heart thud strong and steady against my chest. He ran his hand up and down my back, keeping me close as his lips touched the underside of my jaw.

“Breaking news,” Claire said. “Sadie has a thing for Mason.”

“Big surprise,” Andy added.

“Mmm. Huge.” Wow. Sarcasm from my mother. I never would have expected that.

“Worst kept secret in history.” Dad just had to throw that in there, didn’t he?

I let out a breathless laugh and felt Mason smile against my neck.

In the space of two weeks, my life had been turned upside down in all the best and worst ways.

Now, with Mason by my side, a niece or nephew on the way, and the people I loved most surrounding me, it could only get better from here.  

THE END