Only the Truth Pt. 01

Literotic asexstories – Only the Truth Pt. 01 by __Lisa__,__Lisa__
“Sadie! Saaaddiiee giiirrrl.” My older sister’s friend, Hannah, tottered into the kitchen on high heels which had now become a safety hazard. She tugged the bodice of her strapless dress a smidge higher, then leaned in close enough that the concept of personal space went right out the window.

“Whatcha doin’?” She followed my line of sight and made a little hum of approval when she discovered what had caught my attention. “Checkin’ out the hottest guy here? Nice.” 

The ends of her blonde bob brushed my cheek, and her warm breath hinted of Sambuca and… was that crab dip? I didn’t want to encourage her, so I just gave her a smile and went back to admiring the man in question. Mason Blackwood; one-time crush of my teens, current starring role in all my adult fantasies.

I’d never mentioned my attraction to him to anyone, so until now, I’d been able to enjoy my obsession in private. I just hoped Hannah was drunk enough that she wouldn’t remember our conversation tomorrow.

“Can’t say I blame you.” She wrapped her hands around my upper arm and swayed against me. “You know what they say about him, right?”  

“Yes, yes I do.” Conversations about guy parts tended to catch my attention, and his had become so talked about these days it now had a personality all its own. Funnily enough, it didn’t even make the list of things that interested me most about him. “Pretty sure everyone’s heard the rumors, Han.”

“Big dick,” she said, carrying on as if I hadn’t said a word. “Huge–and more than happy to share it with anyone who wants a piece of that sweet fucking man cake.”

I snorted and shot her a look, ignoring the unintentional sting her words had caused. He wasn’t mine. I had no reason to be upset about the attention he got from other women. If my heart could just get on board with that idea and stop flip-flopping around in my chest whenever I heard his name, I’d be fine. “You think maybe you should have another drink?”

We were celebrating my sister Claire’s twenty-eighth birthday in the home she shared on the outskirts of Melbourne with her fiancé Andy–and Mason. Our parents were away in Hawaii for another week, and I didn’t know many of Claire’s friends. Three hours into the party, I had the distinct impression everyone was hammered but me. I couldn’t risk drinking, though. I had the tendency for oversharing when I’d had a few, and my feelings for Mason had reached the point now where they’d come flowing out if I so much as sniffed a glass of wine.

“Nah.” Hannah waved away my suggestion with a smile, like there was even the slightest chance I was serious. “I’ve drunken–dranken–shit. The bottle’s all gone, is what I’m trying to say.”

“That sucks.”

“Speaking of sucking, give me five minutes alone with that beautiful bastard. That’s all I’d need.”

Oooo-kay. 

Mason had been a part of my life since he and Claire became best friends back when they were ten years old. Up until my late teens I’d mostly looked up to him in a harmless, hero-worship kind of way, and I’d never been shy about letting him know. When those feelings turned into something more intense, and more… adult, the change must have been so subtle it went straight over his head, because he still treated me like… I don’t know. Like he had no clue one touch from him could make my skin tingle, or that when he hugged me my whole world felt like a better, calmer, safer place.

A while ago I would have laughed at a comment like Hannah’s, but I’d unintentionally joined the ranks of girls who lusted after him, and all it did was remind me of my competition. Kind of disheartening since the rest of the women in his social circle were a lot more mature, experienced, and completely in the know about how to keep a man like him happy. 

What chance did I have as a twenty-one-year-old whose familiarity with men went as far as kissing and some minor groping?

I sighed and squeezed Hannah’s hand while we took in the show. Mason stood amongst a cluster of women in a cleared area of the living room, flinging his arms around in that unique way of his that never failed to bring a smile to my face. His dancing style made him look like a hot, sexy idiot, and the fact that he didn’t give a crap only increased his appeal. His dark hair was disheveled, his blue eyes bright and full of life. A day’s worth of stubble shadowed his jaw, and his fitted charcoal t-shirt showed off the kind of muscles that made me wish for five minutes alone with him, too. 

“So, you haven’t… gone there yet?” I asked, feigning disinterest while I secretly hung on her every word. 

“Me?” Hannah laughed. “Oh, no. Nonononono.”

I frowned. She clearly liked him, and he’d developed a reputation for being a man-whore. Sleeping with each other should have been a natural progression. “Why not?”

“Oh, I tried. Don’t get me wrong. I threw myself at him… told him straight out I wanted in his pants, but…” She stared off into the distance and swallowed hard. Her eyes watered and her grip on my arm tightened. 

Oh, God. Was she crying? 

Mason had always been known as a laid-back charmer. One of those types who was a natural with all kinds of people. I couldn’t imagine him doing anything that might upset someone–at least not on purpose. “What happened?” 

Please don’t let it be something that makes me see him in a different light.

“He… he turned me down.” 

She swallowed again, and her eyes welled until tears threatened to fall. I glanced around the room then back at her, unsure how to handle this situation. Nobody liked being rejected, but her reaction seemed a little over the top. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” She pulled in a deep breath. “I just… I think I’m gonna puke.”

Oh, crap. “I thought you were crying about Mason!” I slid my arm around her waist and pulled her against me.

“No, not crying. More like… purging. On your shoes, maybe.” She looked down at my black peep-toe heels, pointing at them like she wasn’t sure I knew they were there. “Pretty shoes.”

With a choking sound–a little amused, a lot horrified–my hold on her turned vice-like and I checked to make sure we had a clear run to the bathroom. “C’mon. Let’s get you out of here.”

Hannah leaned on me and let me do most of the work. We managed to cross the room without any major hold-ups, then rounded the corner to the relative quiet of the hallway. With no one else around and the bathroom door hanging open, it looked like we were in luck. 

“You’re awesome, Sadie-girl,” she said as she stumbled and sent me lurching toward the wall. “I think I might be in love with you.”

I righted my footing and kept a firm hold on her, hoping like hell neither of us would end up with an injury. “Why don’t we see how you feel about that tomorrow?”

She laughed, but then a beat later her humor died. The sound that came next could have been a hiccup or the beginning of something so much worse. Dread washed over me, and I shoved her through the door and dragged her straight to the toilet. 

She immediately dropped to her knees, hugged the bowl, and let out a god-almighty roar that made the tiny hairs rise on my forearms. With my hands pressing her chin-length hair to the sides of her head, I closed my eyes and sighed. If I thought Sambuca and crab dip had made a bad combination earlier…

I had no idea why I’d bothered trying to put myself on Mason’s radar tonight. While he was out there having the time of his life surrounded by his harem, I was hidden away here playing nursemaid in the dress I’d specifically chosen for him–a little red number that did a pretty great job of showing off my legs and taking the focus from my less than impressive breasts. My dark hair flowed freely to the middle of my back, and I’d even put on makeup to highlight the grey in my eyes. 

Other than throwing myself at him naked, it looked like I’d have to come to terms with the fact that he didn’t see me in that way and probably never would. 

Such a depressing thought. Even more so given my current circumstances.

I opened my eyes to check on the patient. “You doing okay there?” 

“Not done yet.” 

Oh, God. Some things just couldn’t be unseen. My eyes drifted closed again, and minutes dragged by like hours until I finally heard a burp echo in the toilet bowl. The sigh that followed filled me with relief. 

I let go of Hannah’s hair and rubbed her back in slow circles. “All finished now?”

“Yeah.” She swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’m done.”

I helped her up from the floor and whipped a couple of tissues from the box on the vanity, handing them to her while I tugged the bodice of her dress into place. She’d obviously hit the wall now and would have no interest in getting back into the party. “Want me to organize a ride home or would you rather stay here?” 

Claire and Andy shared one of the bedrooms while Mason occupied another. The third had been set up as a guest room with a big, comfy bed I’d spent many a night in. Friends often stayed over so I didn’t feel the need to clear it with Claire. Plus, she owed me one now.

“You’re a good girl, Sadie.” Hannah avoided eye contact with me and gave my arm an awkward pat. All the love she’d been feeling earlier had apparently faded in the face of her misery. “A ride would be great. I just wanna go home.”

Oh, how I understood that feeling.

~ * ~

“Sadie!”

That made twice now someone had called out my name, except this time around the voice was deep and masculine. There were no signs of slurring either. I’d just come back inside after helping Hannah into an Uber, but I didn’t need to adjust to the noise and chaos to figure out where the voice had come from. My gaze zeroed in on Mason and my heart gave a happy little thump.

He stood in the main part of the living room where the couches and coffee table had been dragged off to one side to make space for the guests. Half a dozen girls and a few guys were dancing there.

Mason didn’t appear to notice any of the activity. His eyes locked on mine and he extended his hand, inviting me to dance without saying a word. When his fingers wiggled in encouragement, the urge came over me to run to him. Not in slow motion like they did in the movies either, more like one of those flat-out sprints where our bodies collided, and he had to wrap his arms around me to make sure I didn’t send us both flying. Maybe grab my ass for balance, too.

I smiled and shook my head, not wanting to look too eager.

He raised his brows and waited.

A laugh burst from me, and I shook my head again. Always with the teasing and trying to draw out my playful side. I didn’t know if he enjoyed the banter, or if it was just the novelty of being around a girl who refused to fawn all over him. Either way, it meant being able to spend some one-on-one time with him and earn those deep, rumbling laughs that always made my stomach flip with pleasure.

“Don’t make me come over there,” he called out. “We both know how that’ll end.”

He’d toss me over his shoulder like a caveman and haul me back there himself. Just the thought tempted me to stand my ground to see if he’d follow through in a room full of people. Instead, I gave in and made my way across the room, taking my time so he wouldn’t be too pleased with himself.

His attention never wavered from my face as I approached. No sneaky peeks to check out the goods, no wandering gaze like he’d forgotten where my eyes were located. He merely looked at me with that charismatic half smile of his, like he had no idea I’d made all this effort just for him.

I couldn’t understand why it didn’t bother me anymore, why I wasn’t desperate for him to notice the changes I’d made to my appearance. Even now with the dress and the hair and the makeup, I still couldn’t get him to see me.

And then it hit me.

I came to a stop in front of him, and the force of the realization stole my breath.

He’d always seen me.

Maybe not in the way I wanted or wished for, but he’d never once left me feeling ignored or overlooked.

I pulled in a shuddering breath and fought back the surge of emotion.

My arms wanted to slide around his neck to the place where they always felt most at home. My lips wanted to press to his cheek to soak up his warmth. It took all my willpower to keep my hands to myself and maintain the foot or so distance between us.

“You don’t want to dance with me?” Mason asked. “Are you trying to hurt my feelings?”

The humor in his tone helped snap me out of the strange mood that had come over me. When I felt the urge to goad him into our usual sparring, I knew I’d made it back to something that resembled normal. “It’s more of a safety issue,” I told him. “I’m just scared I might get injured by your flailing arms.”

“Oh, is that right?”

I shrugged and gave him a meek smile. “Sorry.”

“You don’t look sorry.” Mason grabbed my hand and pulled me against him. His fingers slid between mine, and his free arm wrapped around my waist, his hold on me tightening until our bodies were pressed together from chest to hip. “Maybe we should do some slow dancing then so there’s no chance of injury.”

God. Too close. Not close enough. If there was ever a moment for a spontaneous orgasm, now would have been that time. As he began swaying with me, I pulled in a breath and tried to ignore the rapid beating of my heart. He didn’t slow dance with anyone. Ever. Why now? Why me?

“I saw the way you took care of Hannah,” he said, seemingly oblivious to the thoughts ricocheting through my head. “You’d make a great nurse.”

“Thanks.” I made myself glance up at him and smile. “If you ever need someone to rub your back while you hug the toilet, I’m your girl.”

He gave my hip a squeeze. “Pretty sure I can think of better things to hug.”

“Like a teddy bear?”

“No.” He spun me around without warning then dragged me back against him. For someone who made such a spectacular mess of freestyle dancing, he sure knew how to execute the slow moves. “I sleep with a stuffed penguin.”

Such a simple thing to admit, but it made me smile because I’d just learned something new about him. Picturing a masculine guy like Mason snuggling with a penguin… God, why did that do things to me? I laughed and let him spin me around again. “How did I not know something that adorable about you?”

“Hmm… maybe because you haven’t come in my room before.”

The husky edge to his voice made my breath catch, the double meaning in his words shocking me in the best kind of way. When I lifted my gaze to meet his, electricity zapped between us, spreading goosebumps over my skin and leaving me feeling like I’d been wrapped in a warm blanket at the same time.

His expression tempted me, challenging me to take the conversation deeper. Maybe to a place not quite so innocent.

“You want me to come in your room so you can show me your penguin, Mason?”

He laughed and lowered me into a dip before bringing me to an upright position again. “If you’re nice to me I might even let you hold it.”

I stared up at him and blinked. Mason didn’t talk to me this way. Sure, we had the witty back-and-forth thing going on and traded insults way too often, but this was different. Actual flirting. The kind he usually reserved for women who weren’t me. “Well, if it’s as appealing as I think it’s going to be–”

“Don’t go there, Sadie.”

His tone and the reckless glint in his eye suggested he wanted me to do the exact opposite. We were already in unfamiliar territory, so there didn’t seem to be any point in holding back now. “I’ll probably want to kiss it on the head.”

His loud bark of laughter made me feel ridiculously proud of myself. He let go of my hand and slipped his arms around me, holding me so firmly the muscles in his chest and abs were pressed against me. When he growled beside my ear, I dragged in a breath and held it, unsure how to react now we were standing so close to each other.

I had no idea what was going on here, but I didn’t ever want it to stop.

We were hugging, but not in the way we usually did. This felt… God, it felt so nice.

Mason chuckled, the sound low and throaty and thrilling. He touched his lips to my temple, his mouth lingering there as if he didn’t want to lose the connection. I sighed as our bodies began moving to the music again, continuing the pretense of dancing even though we’d progressed to something a whole lot more interesting.

“Are you drunk?” I turned my head and came into close contact with dark stubble and warm, tanned skin. He smelled so delicious, I wanted to lick him. “Is that why you’re being all touchy feely with me?”

Nothing about the way he moved or spoke suggested he’d had too much to drink. He didn’t need to be buzzed to start throwing around those crazy dance moves of his either.

He dipped his head and said softly, “You think a guy has to be drunk to want to touch you?”

A shiver skated across my skin. His mouth was so close to mine I could lean in just a fraction and be kissing him without too much effort. How would he react if I did? Would he push me away or pull me closer still? Would his kisses be full of fire and passion like I’d imagined, or would he be careful with me and take his time? “No, but I’m sure it helps.”

Mason’s lips quirked. “How wrong can one person be?” He dipped his hand under my hair and cradled the back of my head, working his fingers over my scalp in a way that sent tingles rushing through me. His eyes were filled with affection, but as the seconds passed by, his expression morphed into something more intimate and intense. I didn’t have nearly enough experience with boys–or men in this case–to know how to take his shift in mood.

A breath stuttered from me, and my skin flushed. “What are you doing?”

His thumb swept over my temple just as the beginning notes of a new song drifted from the sound system. A cheer went up in the crowd, and a few guests pushed past us to make their way into the living room to dance.

Mason paid no attention to what was going on around us. He only seemed interested in me. “Nothing,” he said, with a smile in his voice. “Not yet.”

I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or messing with me. We may have had the kind of relationship where we took regular digs at each other, but this had gone beyond harmless fun. I wanted to pull away and make some space so I could breathe. Protect myself before it went too far. “If this is your idea of a joke, it’s not funny.”

His free hand drifted over my waist, clasping my hip to keep me steady while the lower half of his body bumped against mine. A subtle move, but still enough pressure to have his hardness nudging my belly, long and firm and… oh, my God.

“Does it feel like I’m joking?”

Relief flooded me, the excitement that followed giving me a head rush. I pushed my hips against him to experience more of the same, rewarded with his quick intake of breath. “I can’t… I don’t know what to say. Why is this happening? You’ve never–why now?”

His husky laugh sent a wave of pleasure through me. A silent moment passed between us, then our eyes met, and his gaze dropped to my mouth. “Maybe I’m tired of holding back.”

Holding back? Since when? So many questions, but I had no desire to talk when we appeared to be on the verge of something so much more exciting. As I braced myself for what I hoped would be coming next, a hand gripped my upper arm and tugged.

“Come dance with me, Sadie!”

No, no, no. I closed my eyes and forced back a groan.

My sister had the worst timing ever.

When my lids opened again, there she stood, the epitome of sophistication. Navy blue dress, blonde hair piled high on her head. Tall and slim and so composed, I always felt completely inadequate in her presence. Grey eyes much like mine implored me to ditch Mason and go spend some time with her, and while everything in me wanted to cling to him and refuse, I reminded myself it was Claire’s birthday. It wouldn’t be fair to her.

I looked up at Mason, expecting to see resigned amusement in his expression, maybe a silent promise to pick up where we’d left off later in the night. Instead, his attention shifted to Claire, and his jaw clenched.

He looked pissed.

The two of them had known each other so long they’d grown as close as siblings. I’d witnessed some spectacular arguments between them over the years, sometimes to the point where I’d back out of the room and silently hope it wouldn’t be the one that finally pushed him from our lives forever–but it never took long for them to make up afterwards.

This, though. I hadn’t seen this kind of silent, simmering tension.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, glancing from Mason to Claire.

Claire flashed me a taut smile. “Nope. All good. I just wanted to spend some time with my little sister. Isn’t she cute tonight, Mason? She looks so grown up in her dress and make-up.” She palmed my hair like she was humoring a clueless six-year-old who’d rifled through her mother’s closet, not a twenty-one-year-old woman.

My eyes narrowed as I took her in. Claire had never patronized or belittled me before. She’d always been my biggest and loudest supporter. Something about the way she spoke made my stomach churn, but I couldn’t pinpoint why.

“Hmm. That’s our Sadie,” Mason drawled. “Cute as a fucking button.”

Any other time a comment like that would have made me laugh. This time, the hostility in the air confused me. Neither of them voiced their concerns, but it was as if a torrent of words were passing between them.

After several tense seconds Claire put a hand on her hip and gave him her signature raised brow, but when even that failed to get him to back down, she huffed and grabbed my arm again. “C’mon, Sadie.”

“No.” I shook myself free and looked up at Mason, hoping I’d find a clue in his expression that might tell me what was happening here. His snort of amusement and the pride in his eyes didn’t bring me any closer to understanding Claire’s mood.

“I’m going to get a drink,” I told them, eager to move to safer ground, maybe try my hand at having fun since this was supposed to be a party. “I’ll let the two of you carry on with whatever it is you’re doing here. I want no part of it.”

Little did I know it wouldn’t end up being a choice that I’d get to make.

~ * ~

An hour later, I’d seen far too many women throw themselves at Mason while he smiled half-heartedly and did his best to fend them off. It happened so often it was as if they’d been sent to him, on a mission to shower him with attention and distract him from me–or maybe that was just my overactive imagination.

Each time a new admirer headed his way, his eyes sought out mine across the room, and a look of such genuine longing came over him that I almost caved and went to rescue him. I’d kept my distance after Claire interrupted our dance, though, and refused to walk into another situation like the one I’d encountered earlier. 

Now, a brunette girl named Rachael–I’d met her months ago when I stopped by the law office where Claire worked–had her back pressed to Mason’s front, her ass rubbing his crotch with so much enthusiasm she’d end up pregnant if someone didn’t step in soon. 

No matter how much I wanted to be that person, I didn’t have the energy to deal with this tonight. 

With a sigh, I downed the vodka-soda I’d been nursing for long enough it had gone warm, then slid the empty glass on the dining table. There was only so much one person could stand, and I’d already seen enough of Mason being mauled. 

After a final look in his direction, I turned and headed for the hallway. 

The guest bedroom had been beckoning me, and I couldn’t wait to get settled under the covers and put this whole stupid, frustrating, most-exciting-night-of-my-life behind me. I didn’t expect to be doing a lot of sleeping after everything that had happened. I just wanted to spend some time alone with my thoughts, away from a party where I’d increasingly begun to feel like I didn’t belong.

When I reached the doorway, my feet had other ideas. 

Instead of stopping, I continued to the last room on the left and crossed the threshold, ignoring the internal voice yelling at me to turn and run. Coming in here would change everything, but my curiosity had taken on a life of its own, and I needed to poke around until I found some answers. 

I slipped off my shoes beside the nightstand and blew the hair from my eyes. My heart thumped like mad at first, but as I took in the cluttered desk, rumpled sheets and the glow coming from the bedside lamp, seeing Mason everywhere helped me relax. 

He’d been a sports photographer for years now, and his framed work decorated the main expanse of wall. Dirt bikes floating mid-air, race cars drifting past cheering crowds, a group abseiling down a vertigo-inspiring cliff face. So much talent for a man who pretended to be such a goof. 

A series of scrawled notes were thumb-tacked to a corkboard above his desk, and a lone photo peeked out from the center of it all. I knew it featured Claire, Andy, Mason and me. I had the same picture wedged into the frame of my dressing table mirror at home–but on Mason’s corkboard, the notes scattered around it blocked everything from view except the two of us. 

Funny how something so simple could feel so big.   

I heard a movement behind me and turned to find him leaning against the doorjamb, his blue eyes locked on me. The corner of his mouth lifted, and I smiled back, taking in the features that made up the man I’d wanted for so long. Music thumped in the main part of the house, and the yellow light from the hallway poured in around him. He looked so dark and gorgeous, it took all my strength to stand still. 

His gaze flicked from the bed to my bare feet, then cruised over my body in a way that left me feeling like I’d just been touched. “Sadie Addison, what are you doing in my room?” 

My stomach fluttered despite the humor in his tone. “Trying to lure you away from your horde of admirers.” 

“Brave move with your sister on guard out there.”

I waited, hoping he’d go on to explain why he’d let those women climb all over him right there in front of me. Not just tonight, but for months now. Years, even. All he had to do was walk away from them and toward me. Such a simple solution, yet one look from Claire seemed to be enough to stop him in his tracks. 

And then it registered that although he’d shared his feelings with me, my sister had interrupted our chat before I could do the same for him. As far as Mason was concerned, the attraction was all one-sided, which meant he didn’t need to worry about his behavior hurting me. 

He and Claire had unknowingly given me the freedom to pretend I didn’t care and keep admiring him from a distance. If I did, we could all go back to a slightly different version of how things had been before tonight. The smartest option, really, if I wanted to put a stop to all this awful pounding in my chest–but I couldn’t make myself go down that path. “I had to risk it. I didn’t like seeing those girls all over you.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and raised his brows. “Why?”

“You know why.” I gave him a look, intending to avoid verbalizing my emotions. My bravery had its limits, and he had to be able to feel this invisible pull between us. 

The ghost of a smile appeared, and his gaze turned tender as he looked me over. “Say it anyway.”

I blew out an annoyed breath, which only seemed to amuse him. The butterflies in my stomach had officially reached plague proportions now. “Seeing you like that–with them–it made me jealous. And it hurt me… because I like you.”

Mason didn’t make a move toward me, and I appreciated his restraint. If he’d come any closer, his nearness would have turned me into a babbling idiot. “Do you think I was doing it to upset you?” 

I shook my head. He didn’t have it in him to use people for his own entertainment. “No… I think you were allowing it so you wouldn’t upset them.” 

He gazed at me for long seconds, his expression filled with affection. “But it still bothered you.”

I pressed my lips together and nodded. “I wanted to drag that last one off you by her hair.”

An amused breath left him. He took another step inside the room, then reached behind him to close and lock the door. I tried not to get too excited about his need for privacy and what that might mean. 

“Are you trying to keep me in or Claire out?” I asked.

He smiled as he walked toward me. “Can’t it be both?”

The sight of his smooth, masculine grace had me pulling in a breath, and the quiet that descended now the door was closed didn’t help either. Instead of being soothing like it often was for me, it allowed me to focus on the roar of blood in my ears and the pulsing between my thighs. 

Mason stopped before me then, and his presence… it just filled the room. I tilted my head to stare up at him, my breaths coming faster now that we were within touching distance. 

He took in the rise and fall of my chest, the way my body swayed toward him of its own accord. His mouth quirked, but I didn’t get the feeling he was laughing at me. “No interruptions this time around,” he said. 

He didn’t even attempt to touch me and that somehow made the anticipation worse. I rolled my shoulders to loosen up and reminded myself I’d known him my entire life. “No, not this time.”

He smiled and combed his fingers through the hair at my temple, sweeping it back from my face. A shiver rushed over me, and my body came alive with sensations. Too many emotions rolled through me at once, along with unanswered questions about the tension between him and Claire. I closed my eyes and turned my cheek into his palm, pushing them away for later.

“You’re the only one I care about,” he said, as if he thought I needed further reassurance.

I did, and I didn’t. 

While the other girls were trying to get his attention, he’d been sending me a clear message from across the room. He wanted me to cut in and claim him as my own, to show everyone he was off limits. This change in our relationship had taken me by surprise though, and I needed time to adjust.

My eyes opened, and I looked up at him, wondering how long he’d felt this way about me, and how something that seemed like such happy news could make my sister so angry.  “You didn’t answer me earlier. When did this start–and why me? You could take your pick when it comes to women.”

And if I let myself believe the gossip, that’s exactly what he had done. 

He glanced over the top of my head before meeting my eyes again, appearing equal parts frustrated and disappointed. “Sadie, what people say about me is bullshit. Most of it, anyway. You know that don’t you?”

So, which parts were true?

I thought about his crazy dance moves, how the exclusion zone around him meant only the aggressive girls could get through, and how he’d always played the clown, so no one would ever make the mistake of taking him too seriously. His methods were so subtle they’d gone right over my head. For someone who paid so much attention to the guy, I couldn’t believe I’d missed the signs. 

My gaze lowered to the smooth, tanned column of his throat, and I imagined how warm his skin would feel beneath my lips. “When people started talking a few years ago,” I asked, lifting my eyes to find him watching me, “did you like the attention? It must have been fun having women throw themselves at you.” 

Mason stepped around me, and I wanted to reach for his hand and pull him close again. When I turned around, he was taking a seat on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. “I won’t lie. Whoever kicked them off created a nice distraction from something else I had going on at the time,” he said, “but now…” He stared at his hands and rubbed an invisible spot on the back of his thumb. “I’m getting tired of being polite to women who only want to grab my dick or proposition me.”

My mind filled with images just like the ones I’d seen tonight. Girls who ignored his personal space and did whatever they wanted without stopping to question if they were stepping over the line. He’d been left to fend for himself, a man who only ever treated people with respect, who cared more about others’ feelings than his own. “You need a girlfriend to protect you and tell them all to back off.” 

He looked up at me then, his blue eyes serious. “Are you volunteering for the job?”  

My stomach lurched. “Are you offering a position?”

Instead of giving me the answer I craved, Mason snagged my wrist and drew me between his thighs. He wrapped his arms around me, and when his cheek came to rest against my breasts, a sigh rolled through him. “Everything’s better when you’re around,” he said, squeezing me.

My cheeks overheated, and I struggled to keep my composure. I stroked my fingers through his hair, wondering if he could feel how fast my heart was racing. I’d spent so many years pining for him that my brain and body still hadn’t caught up to this new reality. 

Mason pulled back and lifted his head, keeping his arms around me so I couldn’t go too far. I smiled as I took in his features, trailing my fingertips over his forehead, his dark brows, the stubble on his jaw. It floored me that I could do this now, and I no longer had to be conscious of how much I gave away with each look or touch. 

The urge to explore every inch of him slowly gained strength, and the way he sat there with that faintly amused look on his face only made it worse. My gaze dropped to his mouth, and I touched his lower lip with my thumb. Would our first kiss have any chance of competing with my countless daydreams? Even if it came a close second, I’d be a happy girl.

My hands slid into his hair, and I leaned in until my mouth rested beside his. His stubble scraped my cheek and the fading scent of his cologne clung to his skin. His arms tightened around me, and he surprised me by pulling in a breath as if he needed to calm himself. 

“Sadie.”

I wasn’t sure if he’d murmured my name as a plea or a warning. Either way, I had no interest in playing games with him and drawing out the torture. When my lips brushed across his, a sigh moved through me, and I felt him smile against my cheek.

He lowered one hand to my hip and the other slid up my spine to sink beneath my hair. A tremor took hold of me, and I let out a laughing breath, resigned to the fact that every one of his touches would probably have me reacting in some way tonight. 

“Sorry,” I said, kissing the space beside his mouth. “I’m nervous.” 

He gave the back of my neck a squeeze. “Don’t be nervous. It’s just me.”

The man who could stun me with a look, whose touch sent my senses into a tailspin? The man I’d been in love with for the past three years? Sure, nothing to be nervous about. “I can’t help it. This is kind of intimidating,” I said, combing my fingers through his hair. “You have experience, and I have… let’s just say nowhere near as much as you.”

We were pressed so close together that I felt the ripple of surprise move through him. He pulled back and looked at me. “How much experience are we talking about here?” 

Going by the wariness in his voice, he already knew, or at least suspected where this was heading. I would have preferred to be talking about anything else, or nothing at all, but I needed him to know what he was getting into before we started.

I wanted him to be my first, and in a perfect world he’d be my last, but that wasn’t the kind of news you shared with someone after you’d just crossed the line from friendship to something more complicated. And to be clear, I didn’t care about my lack of experience. I just wanted to make sure it didn’t bother him. He was seven years older than me and spent time with women who knew what they were doing. How to challenge him, how to turn him on. Maybe I wouldn’t be exciting enough for him. 

His gaze moved from my eyes to my mouth then back again. “Are you a virgin?”

I swallowed and nodded.

“And you think… what? I’ll be turned off by that?” 

“I don’t know.” But I did. He’d just voiced my fears as if he’d been able to read my mind. My gaze shifted to the photographs on the wall as his thumb moved over my hip in slow, deliberate strokes. 

I could feel him watching me, patiently taking everything in before he spoke again. He waited for me to look at him, and when I did his eyes were filled with affection. “Why in the hell would you ever think I’d be turned off by that?”

“Because I don’t know what I’m doing! Because you’ve been with experienced women.”

“You don’t need to know what you’re doing to respond to touch.” His fingertips trailed up the side of my body, and when I shuddered and pressed closer to him, he smiled. “Or to know what feels good–and all we’re doing is talking. Maybe kissing. Hopefully a lot. I’ve got no intention of trying to get you out of that dress tonight.”

He’d always had a talent for saying the right thing at just the right time. Relief rushed through me, and I suddenly felt so much lighter. My gaze dropped to his mouth, and I let my shoulders relax for the first time since he’d walked in here. 

I’d made out with my share of boys, but whenever it came time to take the next step, something had always held me back. I hadn’t specifically been waiting for Mason to open his eyes and see me, but there’d been an element missing with others that I knew wouldn’t be lacking with him.

I had a feeling kissing him would be something spectacular, too. 

Before I could come up with reasons to get anxious again, I closed my eyes and pressed my mouth to his, finding his lips warm and soft, and oh, so welcoming. 

Mason sighed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me flush against him. His mouth traveled over mine, his lips thrilling me with long, searching kisses. He went slowly with me, building the desire, making me want more and more. The casual pace went on for so long that when his tongue finally swept over mine, it took me by surprise, and I gripped his hair.

It must have been the sign he was waiting for, because the kiss exploded then, no longer sweet or restrained. It wouldn’t be one of those moments I looked back on with a smile or a sigh. He took control of my body like he wanted to brand me, to make me understand I belonged to him and no one else. It was more than I’d ever hoped for and everything I’d been missing. 

His tongue warred with mine, his mouth hard and demanding. One of his hands supported my waist while the other cradled my throat. He overloaded my senses. His nearness, his strength, the feel of his mouth. For a split second, I wondered if I’d taken on way more than I could handle–but then his grip gentled again, and his thumb caressed my neck. 

It was as if he wanted to show me that no matter how far I pushed him, he’d never lose control.

Mason tilted my head and softened the kiss. His mouth slowed to a more relaxed pace, his lips almost massaging mine. The scrape of his five o’clock shadow pulled a sigh from me, and I melted against him. I would have done anything he asked of me at that moment. Anything. Seeing him slip so effortlessly from passionate back to slow and easy filled me with pleasure.

A loud thump on the door interrupted the moment. I jerked back from Mason like I’d been slapped, my mind spinning with all the sensations bombarding me.

“Mase, you got Sadie in there?” Andy called out, giving the handle a rattle. “The door’s locked so the answer better be no.”

My eyes went wide, and I touched my fingers to my mouth while I tried to recover. Holy crap. That kiss had been phenomenal. I barely had time to catch my breath let alone say anything. Mason gave my lips a long look, his eyes filled with humor and need. “Yeah, I’m doing her right now. Can you give us a minute?”

I held back a laugh and shoved him. He grinned and planted a smacking kiss on my mouth. 

A world-weary sigh came from the other side of the door. “Thanks for the help, asshole. Her bag’s still in the kitchen, but she’s disappeared. Claire’s worried. Let me know if you see or hear from her, okay?” 

“Will do.”

Neither of us moved while we waited to see what would happen next. Going by the lengthy silence that followed, Andy must have headed off to look for me elsewhere. 

“So…” Mason said, his voice deep and calm like we hadn’t just been about to tear each other’s clothes off. “Where were we?” He clasped my hips and pulled me back against him, touching his mouth to my throat in an all-too-brief kiss. “Here?” 

“Ahh, no.” Going from all that intensity back to teasing touches left me feeling like I’d just stepped off a spinning merry-go-round. 

His lips travelled higher. “Was it here?” He gave my earlobe a gentle nip.

The man knew exactly what he was doing to me. I could hear the smile in his voice. “No?”

He let out a husky laugh and stroked my hair back from my face. His lips moved to my cheek, and he pressed a warm kiss there that made me clutch his shoulders. “What about here?”

“I don’t think that was the spot either.” Not that I cared. He could put his mouth anywhere he wanted to, so long as he kept touching me. 

“Why don’t you remind me then?”

I cradled his jaw, stroking his sun-bronzed skin while I looked him over. He was seriously beautiful. Dark and masculine, with a glimmer of warmth in his eyes that softened all his rough edges. I still couldn’t believe he was mine for tonight–and hopefully much, much longer. 

I pressed my mouth to his to pick up where we’d left off, and as soon as our lips met, the passion went through the roof again. He wound his arms around me with a groan and pulled me against him. My mouth moved with his, the kiss so wild right from the start that my back arched, and a strange keening noise sounded in my throat. 

The desperate need to be closer to him overcame me. I climbed onto his lap and rested my knees on either side of his thighs. Mason welcomed the change in position, smoothing his palms under the rising hem of my dress. The moment he discovered I’d worn a thong, he made a deep, male sound of appreciation. 

The feel of his erection beneath me had me breaking the kiss to let out a breath. It was all too much, but I couldn’t stop myself from taking more. With my forehead pressed to his I moved against him, shifting my hips slowly forward then back, creating a friction that was so thrilling, I pressed down harder to intensify the sensation. 

We stayed like that for a while, building the tension until our breaths grew harsher, my movements more deliberate. When Mason finally spoke again, his voice was a deep rasp. “If you keep that up, I’m going to come in my pants, and I haven’t done that in at least a couple of years.”

How was it possible to be amused and turned on at the same time? I wanted to laugh and kiss him and torment him, but the need for release hit me, and suddenly nothing else mattered. I ground my hips against him a couple more times, increasing the pressure until finally…

A wave of sensation flooded me, and my mouth dropped open on a long moan. Our eyes didn’t meet–he didn’t say a word–but I knew I had his full attention. I rocked against him until I’d extracted every ounce of pleasure, and my God, it felt so good to do this with someone else.

As the tremors eased, Mason cupped my face and lifted my chin. His gaze roamed my features, his voice filled with wonder. “Sadie. Jesus.”   

When he looked at me like that, I couldn’t find the energy to be embarrassed about what I’d just done. With a shaky breath, I smiled at him. “I couldn’t stop. It just… it got away from me.”

I pushed his shoulders until he fell back onto the mattress. I had no idea what he expected from me now, but need still thrummed inside me, and I wanted to know more of him. “Seems like it might be your turn.”

He closed his eyes for a moment then looked at me again. “I can’t believe I’m saying this… but not tonight.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I scoffed in amazement. “I can’t believe you’re saying it either. Neither can this guy.” My hips moved against his erection just to remind him of the hardness still wedged between us. 

He swore under his breath and gripped my thighs. “Don’t move. Don’t. I’m hanging on by a thread here.”

I raised my hands in surrender and leaned back, trying not to be offended by what felt very much like rejection. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” I suddenly wanted to look anywhere but at him, unwilling to meet his eyes just in case I saw sympathy in them. 

Mason sighed and took hold of my wrists, pulling my hands down to rest against his abdomen. “Don’t be sorry. It’s not what you think. Claire would have organized a search party by now,” he explained while I stared at the front of his t-shirt, “and I don’t want to be in the middle of something with you–something there’s no way in hell I’d want to stop once we got started–when the helicopters start hovering.”

A reluctant smile tugged at my mouth, and I lifted my gaze to lock eyes with him. I had a sneaking suspicion he’d just handed me an out to stop me from making a decision I’d had no time to think through. “That makes sense, I guess.” 

Mason swept his thumbs over the insides of my wrists and studied me. His expression was intense at first, but it relaxed more with each passing second. “When we go there,” he said, “there won’t be a party on the other side of the door or anyone else around. We’ll take our time, make it good. So good you’ll be begging for more.”

How could I argue with him when he put it like that? “All right. You win.” 

I pushed myself off his lap and stood beside the bed, tugging my dress into place while I tried my best to switch off lust mode.

There were more important things for me to worry about now, like how my sister might react when she found out we’d been hiding in here this entire time.

~ * ~

We hadn’t been gone for long, but so much had happened while we were alone in Mason’s room that it felt like forever since we’d left the party.

He liked me.

It still blew my mind, even now with his hand holding mine, squeezing it for reassurance as we headed back down the hall. I loved knowing that I could touch him whenever and wherever I wanted now that my feelings were no longer a secret.

If I could just get Claire on board with the idea it would make life so much easier.

We’d done nothing wrong. There was no solid reason for me to be worried, but I kept remembering the look on her face and the tension between her and Mason. She’d never outright said she hated the idea of the two of us together, but something told me this new development wouldn’t go down well.

Each step closer to the living room had me feeling like I was about to introduce my fresh-out-of-prison boyfriend to my disapproving mother.

When we rounded the corner, the first thing that hit me was the wall of sound. The music had been dialed up a couple of notches and voices were raised to compete with all the noise.

A group of guys had a drunken breakdancing contest going on in the living room that looked like it wouldn’t end well. Two girls were making out on the nearby couch. People were scattered everywhere, but other than Andy’s coming to search for me it didn’t look as if anyone had noticed we were missing.

Maybe it wouldn’t be too difficult to blend in with the crowd. If we committed to the idea, we could enjoy the rest of the night without having to explain our absence to anyone.

“How do you want to handle this?” I asked, looking up at Mason. “Grab a couple of drinks and pretend like nothing happened? I could tell her I went for a walk or something.”

He met my eyes and shook his head. “I’m done tiptoeing around.”

I didn’t have time to analyze the edge to his voice, or the way his fingers tightened around mine.

A whoosh of air blew through the room, followed by the slam of the front door. Andy walked by, too caught up with shaking the rain from his hair to notice Mason and me standing at the end of the hallway. He headed straight for the kitchen, where two of Claire’s friends were laughing as they lined up shot glasses on the bench. Claire had her back to us while she rose on her toes to grab a bottle of tequila from the overhead cupboard. 

My guilt took over, and I opened my mouth to call out to her, but Andy got her attention first. She turned at the sound of her name, and after they exchanged a few words, she frowned and scanned the room as if hoping I’d appear out of nowhere.

As soon as she spotted me, I pulled in a sharp breath, and I knew–I just knew–my suspicion had been right, and her birthday party was about to go downhill fast.

She spared me an absent smile, a silent hey-there-you-are, but when her attention shifted to my left, her eyes narrowed, and her expression changed to something a little less friendly. She took in the sight of our joined hands, then stared at Mason, not appearing all that surprised, but not pleased with the situation either.

“Aaannd… it finally clicks.”

“Shh.” I nudged his shoulder and said under my breath, “This isn’t the time for jokes.”

He gave my shoulder a return bump. “This isn’t the time for caving under pressure either. Don’t let her push you around. Do what’s right for you, and if being with me turns out to be what’s right for you, I’m the last person you’ll hear complaining.”

While Claire stalked over to us with Andy in tow, my worries eased for a moment, and I looked up at him with a smile. “You want me to be with you?” I’d already had an idea that was the case, but we’d run out of time to have that discussion in his room, so it was comforting to hear him say it out loud.

He pinched my chin between his forefinger and thumb, dipping his head to press a kiss on my mouth. When our lips had barely parted, he muttered, “Oh, yeah.”

“Oh, hell no.”

And with those words, our moment ended.

Mason sighed and swept his thumb over my chin before releasing me.

I turned my head to find Claire standing before us with her fists jammed on her hips and her mouth pressed into a firm line. Her grey eyes flashed at me. I’d been expecting that, but beneath the irritation lay something a little more surprising.

Disappointment.

In a way, I could understand her feelings. No one actively encouraged their sibling to get together with their best friend. It had too much potential to create trouble down the line, to ruin friendships and relationships–sometimes forever–but it didn’t stop me from wishing it could have been different.

With his auburn hair still damp from the rain, Andy stood beside her, staying silent and keeping an eye on the situation.

“Hey, Claire-bear. Having fun?” Mason’s tone gave the impression the tension had no impact on him, but I knew now that whatever you saw on the surface didn’t necessarily reflect what was going on inside of him.

Claire apparently had him figured out as well. “Enough with the easy-going, loveable clown routine, Mason. Weren’t there enough options for you here tonight? You had to go and put your hands on my sister?”

His fingers flexed around mine and his attention remained on Claire. I could feel the tension coming off him. “Put my hands on her? Like all I care about is getting laid?”

She looked like she wanted to roll her eyes. “You’re telling me you two didn’t just have sex?”

My face flushed with mortification. Did we really need to be having this discussion in the middle of a fucking party? Before Mason could respond, I jumped to his defense. “Claire, what the hell? We haven’t slept together–not that it’s any of your business. He’s been good to me.”

She scoffed and gave Andy a look before she redirected her attention to me. “Yeah, I’ll bet. That’s the thing, Sadie. He’s good to lots of women.”

“Babe.” Andy slipped his arm around her shoulder, either to distract her from saying something she’d regret or to prepare for a choke-hold. My vote was for the latter.

She didn’t shake him off, but she didn’t back down either. Her eyes stayed on Mason, daring him to refute her claims. Claire had always been highly-strung, but on a scale of one to ten tonight’s intensity would have been an eleven.

Mason scrubbed his free hand down his face and threw me a sideways glance. I could tell he wanted to let her have it, but when he saw my pleading look, he managed to rein in his anger. “They were rumors, Claire. Most of them bullshit. I haven’t been with a woman–any woman–in a while. You should know. We share a house.”

I had the least experience of anyone here, but even I knew you didn’t need a bed or a bedroom to have sex. He could have done it anywhere with anyone–not that I wanted to think about him with other women. Claire seemed to be aware of this, too, because she spared our joined hands another glance and let out a humorless laugh. “Right. It doesn’t matter, though, does it? I asked you to stay away from her, remember?”

Her admission had a trickle of unease starting in my gut, and I suddenly wanted to run away, to be anywhere but here. Something had gone very wrong here tonight, and I had the distinct impression I was the only one in the dark.

“Claire.”

On a roll now, she ignored Mason’s warning tone. I’d seen her like this before. She turned into a Pitbull whenever she had a point to make, and once she got hold of something, she couldn’t let it go. Hence why she’d become a lawyer. She got paid to do her favourite thing; argue.

“You told me you liked her and wanted to ask her out,” she went on. “I said you were too old for her, too experienced, too everything. You promised me you’d leave her alone–so now what? Three years later your promises suddenly mean nothing?”

She must have realized the exact moment she’d made a mistake because her mouth clamped shut and her eyes darted across to mine. Mason wouldn’t look my way, but his thumb swept over my hand like he wanted to soothe me.

My breath caught and my face grew hot. I could barely process what I’d heard let alone take comfort from his touch.

Three years?

Three years.

All this time and neither of them had said a thing?

My eyes burned as I looked from Mason to Claire. When neither of them attempted to provide an explanation, my gaze shifted to Andy. Quiet, contemplative Andy, who always seemed to know  exactly the right thing to say, who provided the calm to Claire’s chaos. This time around, he offered no support other than understanding eyes and a sympathetic smile.

So, he’d been in on it, too.

Did everyone know? Their friends? My parents?

I felt like a fool, the butt of a joke I didn’t understand. Claire and I had never had a physical fight, but an unfamiliar rage welled inside me, rising and gaining momentum until it took everything in me not to yank my hand from Mason’s and dive on her.

Why hadn’t anyone told me? My sister, the one who supposedly only ever wanted the best for me, had made a choice on my behalf like my opinion didn’t matter, like it wasn’t even relevant. She’d taken something from me that would have made me happy, something I’d wanted since I was eighteen.

And Mason. Why hadn’t he told her to back off and stay out of his private business? One request from her had been enough to put his feelings on hold indefinitely, like they weren’t even important enough to withstand the pressure in the first place.

“I can’t believe you all just–” My voice broke, and I paused to swallow and try again. Pressure built inside me, and the pain in my chest made it hard to breathe. “Why would you do something like that? I’m not a child. You don’t get to decide what’s best for me, Claire. None of you do!”

Mason turned to me. “Sadie, honey–”

My breath hitched, and something inside me broke. “Don’t call me that.” The tenderness behind the endearment made me want to cry, and I was so close to losing it already. “Don’t be nice to me. Just do what you’ve done the last three years and say nothing.”

If I’d been one for public scenes, I would have stomped my foot and screamed out my frustration, drawing the attention of all the other guests so they could see what kind of person they were here to celebrate, but I just couldn’t go there. “I can’t handle this tonight. I don’t want to be around any of you.”

One of my sister’s friends shouted from the kitchen that their shots were ready. Claire closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “Look, I have to go,” she said, throwing me an apologetic glance. “Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

“Can we never talk again?” At my hard stare, she had the audacity to look hurt before she gave up and headed over to her friends. Andy squeezed my shoulder and took off to check on her, leaving me alone with Mason.

With a sinking stomach I turned to face him. Everything had changed between us tonight, and now we’d done a one-eighty and hurtled right back to where we were before the party.

Why did something so good have to be so fleeting?

Looking up at him only reminded me of the time we could have spent together, and I swallowed to try to ease the ache in my throat. The enamored girl in me still wanted to seek comfort from the man who’d kept this secret, and I had to force my hands to stay at my sides instead of pulling him closer.

“I’m heading home,” I told him. “Alone. I guess I’ll see you when I see you–if Claire says it’s okay.”

He raked a hand through his hair, his expression so heartfelt I immediately regretted my jab. “Stay. You don’t have to go anywhere. Come back to my room with me so we can talk.”

It would have been so easy to dive into the private world we’d been immersed in only a short while ago, maybe find a way to appreciate the fact that for whatever reason, they both thought they were doing the right thing for me. If I didn’t stand my ground now though, it would only send the message it was okay to walk all over me. “I don’t want to talk. I want to get out of here.”

I still lived at home while I was completing my double degree, but with my parents in Hawaii celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary, it gave me the freedom to blubber in private without anyone around to ask questions or feel sorry for me.

Mason stared at me with a torn expression for the longest time. When it reached the point that I began feeling lost and hopeless and desperate for the security of his arms around me, he pulled me closer and engulfed me in a hug that pushed the breath from me. My eyes welled with tears, and I tucked my face against his chest to soak up his warmth.

“Why did you do it?” I asked, thinking my voice might be quiet enough he wouldn’t hear.

“I was an idiot,” he said. “Trying to keep everyone happy.”

I sniffled and pushed back from him, already missing his closeness. “Well, it didn’t work.”

“Yeah, I know.” He tucked my hair behind my ear, letting his hand linger before it dropped to his side. “Sadie…”

My stupid heart thudded away as I stared up at him. Even though my brain knew I should keep my distance, my body hadn’t caught up with the change in circumstances. I raised my brows to prompt the rest of whatever he’d been about to say.

“Don’t let this change how you feel about me. I’ll call you later. We’ll talk, okay?”

Seeing the concern in his face nearly broke me, and I looked away to keep a hold of my composure. I glanced past him to the kitchen where Claire stood with her friends, knowing I’d have to head over there if I wanted to collect my bag. Better to get it over with now before I lost my nerve.

“Don’t call,” I told him. “I’ll be going straight to bed.”

Instead of trying to convince me, he cupped the back of my neck and pressed a kiss on my forehead. With an inward sigh, I steeled myself against the shiver that ran through me and stepped away from him. 

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