Mace (Cocky Cage Fighter #4) (17 page)

“Mason, hey, you wanna come with us?” Claire asks.

“Where are you ladies headed?” I ask with my approach.

“Bakery to put in the final order for the wedding cake and pick up some desserts,” she answers. That explains why Hailey’s not going.

“Sure,” I say, feeling guilty for not hanging out with my sister much yesterday. “Hailey?” I ask, even though I know the answer.

“No, thanks. I need to catch up on some emails,” she says without glancing up.

“You could do that while we’re driving,” I argue, just to get a rise out of her.

“I should probably use my laptop,” she says before striding off toward the basement. I don’t even remember seeing her bring a computer bag.

“You have a laptop?” I call out and get a growl in response before the door slams. Thought so. When will she learn that there’s no point trying to lie to me? I know her too well.

When I turn around, the three women are staring at me like they’re waiting for me to do or say something. I really don’t wanna talk about this shit.

“Ready?” I ask, going over to hold open the front door to get them moving. 

Once we buckle up in Lynn’s SUV, Kylie and Claire calling a reverse shotgun to make me sit up front in the passenger seat, the interrogation begins.

“Sooo,” my sister drags out the one word and I know I’m in trouble. “What happened to cause trouble in paradise?”

I keep my eyes on the passing scenery and remain silent since she didn’t actually direct the question to me personally.

“Mason?” she prompts.

“None of your business, sis.” I decide that the no comment route is my best bet in this situation.

“Everything seemed fine last night when you two stayed in the ladies bathroom for a lonnng time together,” Kylie points out with a giggle.

And great, now my face is burning. I don’t remember the last time I blushed, but right now, sitting next to Hailey’s mother after Kylie called us out, well, it’s too much embarrassment for even me to handle.

“None of your business, best friend of my sis.”

“Oh, I think it is my business when I innocently walked into the restroom to relieve my bladder, only to hear-”

“Ahh!” I cover my ears and yell to interrupt whatever she was about to say. “Fine! Hailey said she doesn’t want to see me after this week, so I basically told her we’re done.”

A chorus of
Aww
fill the SUV before three jinxes of “Why doesn’t she want to see you?”

I keep quiet until Kylie clears her throat in an obvious threat that she’ll continue her eye-witness bathroom story if I don’t respond. “She says I’m too young for her and she doesn’t want to be a part of my ‘harem.’”

Muttered sounds of understanding make me feel even shitter. “The age shit doesn’t matter, right? And I told her I was willing to be exclusive.”

“Well, in that case, what’s wrong with her?” Kylie asks.

“No clue,” I grumble.

“Sorry, Mason,” Lynn says with a quick, sympathetic pat on my arm before her eyes go back to the road. “We’ll talk to her.”

“No, you don’t have to do that,” I protest only half-heartedly. “I mean, I’m not even her type, am I?”

“Hmm.” Lynn tilts her head to the side in contemplation. “I’m not sure what her type is, but you’re definitely different from the men she’s dated.”

“Oh,” I say, figuring that’s not a good thing.

“Yeah, those guys were…scrawny and serious, almost too serious, sort of like Hailey. Their work was everything to them, and Hailey seemed to be more of an afterthought. At least, that was my impression.”

“Bastards,” I mumble under my breath.

“None of them made her happy. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her smile as much as she has this week.”

“Really?” I ask.

“Uh-huh,” she says with a grin. “Hailey…since she was a teenager, she’s always had a dark cloud surrounding her, but I think you’ve helped a few rays of sunshine break through.”

“Why the hell did you let her go into modeling?” I ask before I can help myself.

“Mason!” my sister exclaims from the backseat, since I was just uncharacteristically rude to her soon-to-be mother-in-law.

Lynn only laughs softly. “We didn’t
let
Hailey or Linc do anything. She turned eighteen and left us to go to college and then pursue her dream. Linc skipped college to do the same, except he at least stayed local. Gary and I tried to talk them both out of their decisions, but my children are stubborn like their father and do whatever they put their minds to, sometimes without our permission or approval. Do you really think I wanted my daughter on a constant diet or my son to fight people for a living?” she asks. “Neither are in the professions I would’ve picked for them, but Gary and I try our best to support them and be proud of them in everything they decide to do.” 

“I remember a sixteen-year-old boy who told me on a regular basis that he would do whatever he wanted, when he wanted, and I couldn’t stop him,” Claire says with a tug on my hair from the backseat, making me wince.

“Sorry, sis,” I say honestly, remembering the hell I put my sister through during the high school years.

“You think Hailey isn’t ready to give up her life in the big city and come home?” her mom asks. “Because I have a feeling that she could be persuaded to move if someone offered her a good enough reason.”

“I’m not so sure,” I remark as we pull up in front of the local bakery.

“Don’t give up on her yet,” her mom says with a smile. “She’s stubborn, but I think you can win her over.”

“Really?” I ask, still doubtful.

She turns to me with her hand on the door handle. “I think you already have. She just doesn’t know it yet.”         

Hailey

After runnin’ on the beach for an hour, I drag my tired ass through the dunes and back down into the basement, as quickly as my tired legs can carry me before anyone sees me lookin’ like a drowned rat. It is so freakin’ hot that I think my skin is meltin’ off me.

In my air-conditioned room, I lock the door and start peelin’ off my sweaty clothes to take an ice cold shower. Somethin’ white stands out on my blue comforter, catchin’ my eye when I walk past. Lookin’ closer, it’s the biggest cupcake I’ve ever seen, with white chocolate seashells decoratin’ the top. There’s a handwritten note propped up in front of it that reads two simple words that make me shiver at the memory of having his mouth on me. “Eat me.”

“Ugh!” I groan to the empty room. That infuratin’ man. How dare he tempt me with more wicked calories after I just worked so hard to burn a few off my flabby ass? I consider trashin’ it for half a second, but it smells too good to destroy. Maybe I can have a small bite later, and another one tomorrow.

I sit the mouthwatering temptation on the dresser and head for the bathroom, makin’ sure both doors are locked before I turn on the shower. It sucks that all I can think about is how I wish I wasn’t takin’ a shower alone. By myself, it’s not nearly as entertainin’ as with Mason fillin’ up the space with his massive muscles.

Climbin’ out when done, I’m in the process of towelin’ dry when I see the message written on the foggy mirror, the one that says, “Just eat the fucking cupcake.” A laugh bubbles up out of me before I can help myself because I can practically hear Mason’s deep voice grumblin’ the words. He knows me so well that it’s sometimes eerie, and annoyin’ as all get out.

I apply my usual makeup in front of the mirror with the tauntin’ message; and when I reach for toilet paper to blot my lipstick, I see the third message from Mason. The one written on his white hand tape that’s wrapped around and around the entire commode with the lid down. It says, “Out of service. Use the one upstairs. Don’t even think of upchucking.”

Damn him. I could undo all the tape, but it’ll take forever, so I’ll probably just end up goin’ upstairs and usin’ the one in my parents’ room. Bastard.

I’m still cursin’ him when I go back into my room to put on my clothes. Openin’ the top drawer where I keep my undies, there’s yet another handwritten note. This one reads, “I’ll know if you upchuck and if you do, I’ll spank your ass. I prefer your ass in black lace whether I’m spanking it or not. That way I’ll always know what you’re wearing underneath your clothes without going crazy trying to guess.” Inside, the drawer is full of nothin’ but black lace panties in various styles, thong, boyshort, and bikini. I have no idea how or when he picked these up, but I’m grateful since I’ve been wearin’ the old ones I rounded up at my parents’ house. There’s still no update from the airline about my lost luggage.

Not havin’ a choice, unless I want to go commando, I grab the pair of boyshorts and slip them on. Of course they fit perfectly. I wonder if there’s anything about me that he doesn’t know. It’s startin’ to worry me that he may know me even better than I know myself.

It doesn’t help that my mom is now meddlin’, and she’s not bein’ shy about takin’ Mason’s side.

“Hailey,” my mom starts while I help her wash dishes after our seafood buffet dinner. “You’re such a bright girl, so why did you go and do something so fucked up?”

“Excuse me?” I reply indignantly.

“Mason is such a nice guy. He obviously cares about you, so why don’t you want to keep seeing him?”

“We live in different states, and he’s too young for me.”

“Oh,” she says, makin’ me think she’s droppin’ the issue. I should’ve known better. “You’re in the same state now. What’s keeping you chained to New York anyway? Move back home. Your dad and I miss you. Even Linc misses having you around to give a hard time. You’ve been gone for way too long.”

“New York is where the jobs are,” I respond, tryin’ to blink away the tears that sting my eyes. I can’t tell her the truth, that I want to move back home to be with Mason. But if I do that, I’ll single handedly end his fightin’ career. He would give up an IFC contract for me. I know he would, which simultaneously makes me conclude that he’s insane and that I lov…Oh no. I did not just think that phrase!

“You’re beautiful, smart and driven. You can do anything you want, anywhere you want. There’s also that degree you have from one of the best schools in the state, if not the country. Haven’t you ever considered doing something in marketing?”

“Mom, I’m twenty-seven with no real world experience. If I went to work in advertising or whatever, I’ll have to start at the bottom, makin’ minimum wage. Right now, even with only two or three jobs a month I make more than that.”

“Who cares about the money? Do something you love, and if you need a loan…”

“No,” I say right away while scrubbin’ vigorously on the plate in my hands. “I’m too old for you and Dad to pay my bills.”

“You’re never too old for us to pay your bills if that’s what you need us to do.”

“I’m fine where I am,” I say, gettin’ tired of this argument. Why does my mom have to always be so reasonable and shit? I swear the woman can figure out a way to solve any problem she faces. Too bad, she can’t solve mine this time.

“That’s your decision, and you know we’ll support you no matter what. I just don’t want you to have any regrets,” she says with a sad smile.  

…

“I’m not giving up.”

Mason’s voice is so unexpected on the quiet rooftop patio the next mornin’ that I almost flip out of the hammock and drop my Kindle.

“What the hell, Mason?” I ask as I lay the readin’ device on my lap to reach for the sides of the hammock to steady it again.

He comes closer, flauntin’ his tanned muscles in nothin’ but those too-sexy-to-be-legal, white boardshorts. My eyes narrow in annoyance at the sight of his half-naked body because I can’t be near him for five seconds without wantin’ him.

“I would thank you for the cupcake, but I lost my appreciation after findin’ out you’ve been havin’ girl talks with my mother.”

“That-that was not by choice,” he says when he flops down in the lounge chair across from me. “I was manipulated into giving them an update, with the threat of our bathroom escapades being aired for your mother and my sister to hear hanging over my head like a guillotine blade.”

Holy shit. “Kylie came into the bathroom at the club when…”

“Uh-huh,” he confirms my suspicion. “She was itching to blab, and your mom is cool and all, but I didn’t think those were details you wanted her to know.”

“Gossipin’ hens,” I mutter.

“Have you thrown up any?” Mason randomly asks.

“No,” I reply on an exhale, avoidin’ his eyes in favor of watchin’ the rollin’ waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

“Good. I believe you.”

“Your diversions are very effective,” I tease. But really I haven’t felt the compulsion here like I do back in New York. Maybe it is time for a career change, and a change of scenery after all. I just can’t come back home.

“I missed sleeping with you last night,” he says softly, stealin’ my breath. “And showering with you this morning.”

“Whatever,” I reply with an eye roll, tryin’ to blow off his sweet admission. I sure as hell won’t confess to the same, even though it’s true for me as well. I quietly add, “You just missed the action you were gettin' in both places.” 

“That too,” he admits with a grin, one that is so wickedly potent that it instantly wets my panties. My black thong panties that he went into a store and handpicked for me. “You can’t honestly tell me that you don’t miss the same.”

Bastard. I hate that he’s always right.

“Too bad you have so many rules,” I say to remind him that he’s the one who put a stop to our foolin’ around. We could be naked in my bed right now if he hadn’t thrown out an ultimatum. “I thought you said rules were made to be broken.”

“Not this one,” he says through clenched teeth, tellin’ me he’s not budgin’ on the issue. “The stakes are too high.”

“Well, let me know if you change your mind,” I reply, pickin’ my Kindle back up to try and act unaffected by him.

“Let me know if you decide you want more than to just use my body for a few nights,” he responds, makin’ me feel ashamed of myself as I watch his retreating back. He has no idea how much I care about him, all of him, and I can’t tell him.

…

I clear my throat after I stand up, feelin’ everyone’s eyes on me. Tonight, hours before they get married tomorrow, is Linc and Claire’s engagement/rehearsal party. I’m not the maid of honor, Kylie is, but somehow I was roped into a toast as the new sister-in-law, just like Mason was.

The past two days have been shitty while I try to avoid him during the day and then miss him like crazy in my empty bed at night. At least Claire and my parents have been able to keep me somewhat busy runnin’ errands with them, fixin’ up the gazebo, and preparin’ the food for tomorrow’s reception.

“You would have to be blind not to see how happy and in love Linc and Claire are. Sometimes, when I’m around them, I wish I was temporarily blind and deaf,” I tease the couple sittin’ at the end of the table, makin’ everyone laugh. “But if I was lucky enough to have found what they have, that deep, all-encompassin’ love, then I’m sure I’d be just as mushy and inappropriately handsy in public, probably even more so. Despite my jealously of bein’ an old maid and nowhere close to seein’ the light at the end of the aisle, I still wish my baby brother the best with his new bride. I hope that through the good times and the bad, the two of you never forget how much you are loved by your friends, family and each other, which in the end is all that really matters.”

I take my seat at the sound of applause, glad to be out of the spotlight. Reachin’ for my glass of water, I sip on it as I let myself watch Mason, only because he’s standin’ up and everyone else is lookin’ at him too. God, he’s so freakin’ sexy. Tonight he’s wearin’ a white dress shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, which shows off the tattoos on his forearm, with a pair of camel colored khakis made to display his incredible ass. I noticed his backside when he walked into the restaurant tonight in front of me.

“I suck at this sort of thing, but here goes,” Mason says, and if he wasn’t so tan, I’d swear the big man was blushin’. “From what I hear, love can blindside you and sometimes you find it in unexpected places, you know like walking down a random street, standing in a coffee shop, or even in the back room of a strip club,” he clears his throat and everyone laughs knowin’ a strip club is where Linc and Claire first met. Wait, did he just say coffee shop? “But the important thing is that you hold on to it when you find it, regardless of the obstacles that try and stand in your way. Because like Hailey said, in the end I can’t imagine there’s anything better than going to sleep and waking up every morning beside the person you love more than anyone else in the world, at least until the two of you make miniature people to love together. So, Claire and Linc, don’t take a second of those days or nights for granted, because some of us can only dream of being as lucky as the two of you. Congratulations!” he says, raisin’ his glass of water in toast since he’s too young to drink. “Oh, and, Linc, just a reminder, if you break my sister’s heart, I’ll remove both of your arms and then bludgeon you to death with them,” he warns my brother with a wink.

Everyone laughs and applauds. I’m unable to help my own smile as I watch Mason retake his seat. When his sad, golden green eyes lock on mine from across the table, I hear the shatterin’ of my heart breakin’ into a million pieces a second before the agonizin’ pain hits me. He-he’s in love with me. No, dammit. He can’t do this to me! I’m too weak and selfish. If he says one word to me or lays a finger on me, I don’t know if I can keep stayin’ away from him! Then he’ll lose the career he wants more than anything. The one he’s worked so hard for and deserves. We would never work out for the long-term, then I’ll be heartbroken and an even
older
old maid. Alone with not even a cat to keep me company, because I’m allergic to them. I’ll wrinkle up and die without ever havin’ kids or grandkids come see me, watchin’ as everyone else around me lives happily ever after.

My chest tightens and suddenly I can’t breathe. I need air. Throwin’ my purse over my shoulder, I stand up from the table and head out the front door of the restaurant when I can’t find the bathroom right away. I weave through the people standin’ and waitin’ around the entrance until I reach an open area around back. I’m still gaspin’ for air when a strong arm wraps around my waist from behind. When I look down and don’t see tattoos, I let out a sob. I’m so tired of expectin’ one man and only gettin’ another.

“Please don’t throw up,” Mason says into my hair. Mason, not Senn. His left arm, not his right. I spin around to make sure and then wish I hadn’t. I want to kiss the worry, the pity, and the stupid love right off his beautiful face.

“I wasn’t…I just…needed air,” I hang my head and tell him, since I can’t keep lookin’ into his warm, sincere eyes.

“Good,” he says on an exhale, but he doesn’t let go of me. The past few days he’s been constantly hoverin’ around me probably to try and catch me throwin’ up. At night, he’s locked my bathroom door and not unlocked it until he wakes up, which sucks. I’m still havin’ to run upstairs to use my parent’s bathroom in the mornings when I wake up and have to go because our toilet is, “Out of order.”