Whatever It Takes (16 page)

Sucking in another sharp breath, he gazed at her perfect
pink lips wrapped around his cock. He wasn’t going to last long. She’d been so
unsure and innocent she’d never done this before. A smile curved his lips at
the thought. He took perverse pleasure in knowing she was giving him something
she’d never given anyone else. She was timid, at first, but once she warmed up
she sucked him with surprising talent. He’d imagined it so many times but the
real thing was beyond words. His hips jerked as she sucked harder; he was
close. He groaned and tried to pull her away but she kept going. A moment
later, he exploded in her mouth and she swallowed everything as if it was a
gift. The sight made him feel as if something short-circuited in his brain.

She rose up and looked at him shyly as he gazed at her in
awe. His pretty little Angel was a powerful and sexy temptress. She’d made him
come—he’d been powerless to stop her—and for just a moment, she held his world
in the palm of her hand. She moved her mouth to his belly, sucking and kissing
him there, which gave him another thrill.

Earlier, they’d taken turns exploring each other’s bodies.
He’d enjoyed touching and tasting every freckle and scar on her body and then
she’d explored every inch of his torso, as if trying to memorize every detail.

His tension began to rise as she kissed and teased his body.
She bit him just under the bellybutton and he gasped.

“Come here,” he said as he reached for her. “I’ll show you
how to play rodeo.”

Laurie smiled shyly and crawled toward him. His dick was
hard and ready again as she straddled his hips. She let out a hiss of
discomfort as she impaled herself on his shaft. Her sweet little pussy had to
be pretty sore and swollen at that point. He’d lost count of how many times
they’d had sex but it had been a few hours since the first time on the couch.

They clung to each other all night, never able to get
enough. Sometimes, they just fondled each other; sometimes, they took it slow
and tender. But mostly they came together frantic and fast. At that point, he
was sure it wasn’t the drug but rather the months of resisting their desire for
each other that spurred them forward.

Laurie closed her eyes as she took every inch of him. Mason
squeezed her hips and showed her how he wanted her to grind against him. She
caught on quickly, rising up on her knees and thrusting her hips as she came
back down. He reached for her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fingers.

“Your tits are like something from a wet dream, Angel. So beautiful.”
He rose far enough to take a nipple into his mouth.

He knew the position was perfect for reaching her G-spot and
he thrust in short, fast strokes to make her come quickly. He grabbed her ass,
squeezing so tight that his fingers dug into her flesh, and Laurie braced her
hands on his chest. She cried out his name and he wasn’t sure if she said the
words or if he imagined them but he heard
I love you
, and the statement
shot through him like lightning, setting a fire in his blood. Feeling totally
out of control, he rolled her onto her back and plunged into her hard. He
wanted to pour every ounce of himself into her. Gazing at the pleasure on her
face sent him over the edge and his whole body trembled as he exploded inside
her.

When their breathing slowed he rolled to his side, taking
her with him. He was exhausted but happy. Maybe he should thank that bitch
Brook for pulling her little stunt. He and Laurie had wanted each other from
the moment they met—he knew how he’d felt and he was sure it had been the same
for her. The drug had simply pushed them over the edge, gave them an excuse to
stop fighting their desire. It hadn’t lasted long; he hadn’t been under its
influence in hours yet he still wanted her, and she was glad to keep going, as
well. Kissing her gently as she lay in his arms smiling and sleepy, he closed
his eyes and allowed himself to drift. One way or another, he was going to keep
her.

The sky was turning light gray when Laurie opened her eyes.
She was still in Mason’s bed. His muscular torso was at her back, a tattooed
arm stretched across her and his legs intertwined with hers. Memories of the
night before flooded her and she closed her eyes in shame. Had she really
begged him to have sex with her? Did she really do all those things with him?
Things she never imagined herself doing yet were too enticing to resist when he
suggested them. What could he possibly think of her after all that? She nearly
gasped when a flash of a memory hit her. Did she really say she loved him? Had
that really slipped out? How silly she must have sounded to him. It wasn’t as
if she would fit into his world at all. She shouldn’t want to either.

Seeing him nearly caught with God knew how many drugs should
have been enough to make her realize that nothing between the two of them would
ever work. The problem was the feelings she was already fighting were magnified
more than she could have ever imagined after spending the night with him. Drug
induced or not, there were feelings behind the sex for her.

It dawned on her that they had not bothered with condoms and
she prayed Mason didn’t have any diseases, but she was sure he would have never
touched her if he did. The situation was bad but at least she never forgot to
take her birth control. That was her—always looking on the bright side. A
hysterical laugh nearly bubbled out of her so she clamped her hand over her
mouth.

On the verge of a panic attack, she quickly slipped out of
Mason’s grasp and quietly moved around the apartment, looking for her clothes.
She dressed quickly then allowed herself a moment to gaze regretfully at Mason’s
beautiful sleeping form before she fled.

She threw open the door to the hallway and almost screamed.
Dewayne was sitting in the floor, reading a paperback book. When he saw her he
stood up, rolling his shoulders as if working out a kink.

“Heard there was some trouble here last night. Y’all all right?”

Laurie nodded nervously, unsure if she should run back
inside and lock the door or run down the stairs. She glanced back into the
apartment, uncertain if Mason would be safe if she left.

For a moment, she wondered if she would stand a chance if
Dewayne decided to try to overpower her. He was over six feet tall but not as
big as Mason was. With the baggy shirts he seemed to favor wearing, it was hard
to tell how muscular he was, but he had noticeably toned arms with sinewy
muscles that looked as if they came from hard work. She had a feeling he might
be made of the same kind of steel that Mason was. Which meant if he had
sinister motives, she was pretty much screwed.

Dewayne seemed to sense her fear and smiled. “Don’t worry,
lil’ girl, it’s safe. I heard some shit went down and I came to guard the door ‘til
y’all got on your feet again. Trust me. No one’s going to come after y’all
again.”

He had a hard gleam in his eyes that made her wonder if
there was more to the man than what she had seen.

“Mace okay in there?”

She glanced back again and the hard edge was gone. Once
again, he looked like a handsome, goofy pothead. Her face heated as she
wondered how long he had been out there and how much he’d heard. She knew they
had gotten loud.

“He’s sleeping.”

Dewayne nodded and looked at her with what appeared to be
genuine concern.

“You okay to get home?”

“I called a cab.” She glanced back into the apartment, still
not sure about leaving Mason with Dewayne. He and Mason seemed to be good
friends but the assholes who’d attacked them were supposed to be his friends
too. She still hadn’t decided what to do when a horn honked down on the street.

“That must be your cab.”

Dewayne smiled but she stood frozen in the doorway.

“You know Mace has been taking care of me since we were kids
in foster care. He saved my ass too many times to count and I ain’t fixin’ to
let him down. He’ll be okay, so go ahead if you need to go. Nobody’s going to
get to him on my watch.”

Laurie looked into his fierce blue eyes and felt satisfied
that he was telling the truth. Finally, she nodded and hurried out of the
building to the cab.

* * * * *

Mason stood under a tree in the square at the college. He
was painfully hung over and angry. He had been on a bender since he woke up and
found Laurie gone two days before. Dewayne almost got the beating of his life
for letting her go. If he weren’t such a loyal friend, Mason would have
considered kicking the shit out of Dewayne just to release the anger.

During their night together, he was sure Laurie felt
something for him. He clearly remembered her words. At least, in that moment,
she’d loved him. He stiffened when he saw her coming out of her dorm building
and he pulled his cap farther down to shade his face.

She was dressed nice but modestly and carried a full armload
of books. He noticed she seemed to be walking a little stiffly, and he smiled,
knowing he was the reason for that. He was still recovering from his own aches
and pains from their sexual marathon. A sudden urge to just throw her over his
shoulder and drag her back to his bed hit him hard. He was angry that she had
slipped out on him and thought she needed punished for it. He knew just how he
wanted to punish her…in his bed for days.

He smiled and considered approaching her. What would she do
if he confessed his feelings for her? Would she smile and let him hold her and
kiss her? Or would she leave him standing there with his dick in his hand?

He looked around at the men crossing the campus on their way
back and forth to classes. They were working hard to make something of
themselves.

A woman like Laurie could have any one of them she wanted.
Why would she want a loser drug dealer? The simple fact he had been pushing
away since the day he met her bore down hard on him. Even if she were insane
enough to choose him, she would be bringing herself down. He was twenty-nine
years old and the most he’d done with his life was sell dope and build up a
scary reputation. It hit him like a blow to the gut. He was not good enough for
her. He knew he couldn’t let her throw her life away on a scumbag like him.

She needed a good man, which was one thing he had never
been. He had been the quintessential bad boy his whole life and he was sure
there was no changing that. Hell, look what had happened to her as a result of
hanging out with him. Feeling heavy, he walked away. As he headed back to his
car in the parking lot, he vowed to stay out of her life for good.

Laurie guided the car to the side of the road, pumping the
brakes and trying to catch her breath.

“What the fuck?” she cried as she threw the gearshift into
park.

She jumped out, aware of the dangerous situation she was in
as cars zoomed past her. Her car was a piece of shit but she’d never had the
slightest problem with her brakes before. She’d almost sideswiped a bus and had
barely missed hitting another car after her brakes failed on the freeway.

She was coming back from work. It was dark and traffic was
heavy. She looked around, not sure what to do or how to get off the freeway.
Looking at her phone, she couldn’t think of anyone to call for help.

She’d been so depressed and stressed out for the last month
and she thought this might finally send her over the edge. She’d be just one
more college student who couldn’t take the pressure. The evening news would
have a breaking-news bulletin about a crazy woman running in traffic while
screaming at the top of her lungs, and that crazy woman would be her. She
certainly felt the urge.

She was relieved when a car pulled up behind hers. A moment
later, a truck also pulled off the freeway and stopped in front of her car. As
soon as the truck came to a stop, she was surprised to see the car pull back
into traffic, moving so fast its tires squealed.

She was relieved for a moment when she realized the truck
was a tow truck but that only lasted a moment. A large man in greasy work
clothes and a baseball cap stepped out of the cab and it dawned on her that
owning a tow truck did not automatically make someone a good person. She
swallowed hard as the man neared her. She couldn’t make out his features in the
darkness but he seemed to get larger as he got closer.

“What the hell are you doing, Angel?” a familiar voice
demanded.

No way.

“Mason?” she cried, unsure if she was relieved or mortified.

He tipped his cap back, revealing his handsome face, and
grinned rakishly. Her heart skipped a beat.

“The one and only.” He stepped closer and motioned toward
her car. “What’s going on here?”

Laurie’s mind was reeling but she pulled her thoughts
together well enough to explain. “I’m not sure. I hit the brakes and nothing
happened. If it wasn’t for the incline on the road, I don’t know how I would
have stopped.”

“Damn it, Laurie.” Mason whipped off his hat and ran a hand
through his hair as he looked at the traffic. “You could have been killed.”

She shivered, completely aware of that fact. She wanted to
cry. She was frightened, and looking at Mason brought on a whole new set of
emotions she was not prepared to deal with at that moment. Cars whizzed by;
horns blared and Laurie gasped. Mason motioned toward his truck.

“Get in my truck and I’ll hook you up and tow you out of
here.”

She hesitated and shook her head. “I can’t pay you, Mason.
It’ll take me months to save up enough to pay for this.” She jumped as another
car whizzed by, its engine growling loudly.

Mason smiled as he walked toward her then gripped her upper
arm, turned her around and walked her toward his truck.

“I didn’t ask if you could pay. I said get your ass in the
truck. Now quit arguing and just do what I tell you. Get. In. Now.”

He opened the driver’s side door and pushed her in. She
climbed across the cab to the passenger seat then studied him in the rearview
mirror as he worked to hook up her car to his truck.

He looked good…too good. Images of him gazing down at her
with breathtaking passion while he made love to her bombarded her. She felt
that all-too-familiar ache around her heart and her stomach clenched painfully.
It had been a little over a month since she’d seen him last but she had not
been able to stop thinking about him for a moment. When he saw her watching him
in the mirror, he smiled and her insides melted.

It only took Mason a few minutes to get Laurie’s car hooked
up then he climbed into the driver’s seat and tossed his hat in the space between
them. He did his best to appear calm but he was frantic inside. It was so good
to see her that it was all he could do to refrain from pulling her to him,
forgetting the traffic and screwing her brains out right in the cab of his
truck.

He’d kept his word to stay away from her for the last month
but he couldn’t help but think that maybe fate was intervening. What were the
odds of him driving in the area just when she needed him? Maybe they were
supposed to be together. The idea pumped up his pulse and sent an excited jolt
throughout his body.

He’d recognized her shitty little car in an instant and hadn’t
hesitated to stop and rescue her. There was no way he would leave his girl
broke down on the side of the road. Regardless of whether he could have her or
not, she would always be his girl.

When he saw the other car stop and then peel out when he
pulled over, the hairs on the back of his neck had stood up. Something was off
about that. He’d sensed that the other driver was up to no good and that’s why he’d
taken off so fast. Mason was glad he’d been there—no telling what would have
happened, otherwise.

“When did you start doing this?” Laurie asked, motioning
around the truck cab.

“About a month ago,” he told her.

She continued to stare at him and he knew she wanted to hear
more, so he elaborated.

“After, well, you know…”

He motioned back and forth between the two of them. Laurie
blushed and nodded.

“I decided it was time to get out of the drug dealer game.
What happened was my fault. I surrounded myself with shitty people and you
ended up paying the price along with me. It wasn’t fair and I cannot tell you
how sorry I am. I know I’ll never be able to make it right.”

“I didn’t see it as your fault, Mason,” she cut in. “I never
blamed you.”

He glanced at her with a skeptical expression before
continuing. “I didn’t want to take a chance on anyone getting hurt because of
me ever again…and I wanted something else, something good, something I could be
proud of.” He honked his horn and cursed at a car that cut him off and then went
on with his explanation. “I saved up a lot of money over the last twelve years,
so when I heard this old guy was selling his garage
and
house I jumped
at the opportunity. They both need work but business is already through the
roof. Seems this city was in need of a good, honest mechanic. I’ve already had
to hire four people just to keep up with demand. Now Mr. Fix-It actually fixes
things.”

Laurie looked at him and smiled, clearly impressed. “Wow,
Mason, that’s amazing. You changed your life.”

He glanced at her and smiled sheepishly as he exited the
freeway and headed for her campus.

“Well, being a law-abiding citizen ain’t nearly as much fun
as being a criminal thug, but now that I’ve crossed over, there’s no going
back.”

A short while later, when he stopped in the parking lot
outside her dorm, he handed her a business card that read
Mr. Fix-It Auto
Repair.

“My old number doesn’t work anymore so if you want to reach
me, try any of those numbers. My cell is always on.”

Laurie nodded and accepted the card.

“I’ll take a look at your car and see what I can do, give
you a call in a day or two.”

“Thank you, Mason.” Laurie opened the passenger-side door
and slid out of the truck.

“Anytime, Angel.”

* * * * *

Laurie’s heart was heavy as she walked toward her dorm. Over
the last month, she had tried to talk herself out of the feelings she had for
him and she’d thought she was winning the battle. However, seeing him cleared
up any confusion in her mind. No, her feelings for Mason definitely had not
faded over the last month, not one bit. She reached the front doors of her dorm
and turned around to see him give a quick wave then drive away.

Fighting the urge to cry, Laurie went upstairs to her room,
which she found empty. Olivia was off on another adventure. After a shower, she
sat on her bed, staring at the business card Mason had given her. She took a
moment to update his number in her phone contacts before she curled up under
the covers, feeling certain she would be seeing Mason in her dreams.

She was wrong. She’d have to sleep in order to have dreams.
Thoughts of Mason kept her awake until the sky was beginning to lighten early
the next morning. No sooner had she fallen asleep than her alarm went off. She
groaned and slammed her fist on top of her alarm clock.
Damn early classes.

She was barely out of bed when her phone rang and she
noticed with a start that it was Mason’s new number. Her heart raced and she
felt a rush of delight at the prospect of hearing his voice. She answered quickly,
trying not to sound too eager.

“What the fuck is going on, Laurie?” he all but shouted at
her.

She pulled the phone away from her ear and rubbed it before
responding.

“Good morning to you too. What the hell are you talking
about?” she demanded, angry that he would yell at her like that.

“Your goddamn brake lines have been cut. That’s what I’m
talking about,” he cried. “Who the fuck would cut your brakes?”

Laurie frowned, feeling confused. “How should I know? Are
you sure they were cut? Maybe they were just old and fell apart.”

“Sure, ‘cause
that
happens. Where did you learn to be
a mechanic?”

“Mason, I don’t know but the sarcasm damn sure isn’t
helping.” Laurie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I park in front of
the dorm most of the time. If the car isn’t there, it’s at work. I have never
seen anyone messing with it. I mean, who would want to do that? I may be an
asshole but I didn’t think I was that big of an asshole. Apparently, I need to
reassess.”

“Okay.”

He was quiet for a moment and Laurie knew he was trying to
get his temper under control. She could picture him with his eyes closed,
breathing deeply, opening and closing his fists. When he spoke again, he
sounded a little calmer.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you. I just think you need to take
this seriously because someone definitely tampered with your brakes. So please,
pretty fuckin’ please
be cautious. I’ll get it fixed and bring it back
in a couple of days. I’ll put an alarm on the piece of shit so this can’t
happen again. Will you be okay without a car until then?”

She thought of riding the bus to and from work and grimaced.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

She spent the rest of the day trying to push the nagging
worries about her brakes out of her head. The situation bothered her and left
her distracted throughout her classes. She was frustrated with herself by the
end of the day and just wanted to go to her room and bury herself under her
covers.

On her way back to her dorm, she saw Carol and Lisa. They
called her name and jogged toward her. She groaned inwardly as they approached.
The last thing she needed was a confrontation with Trey’s fan club.

Carol began in a friendly tone. “We’ve been trying to find
you. Your car hasn’t been in the parking lot so we thought you were gone
somewhere.”

“I had a problem with my brakes the other night, had to put
it in the shop,” Laurie informed them.

Carol nodded.

“Sorry to hear about that. We just wanted to tell you we are
really sorry about you and Trey. We should have never taken his side over
yours.”

Laurie nodded, offering them a small smile.

“Well, thank you both, but you shouldn’t worry yourselves. I
don’t have any hard feelings about it.”

She began to walk away but the girls fell into step beside
her.

“He’s been such an asshole to both of us lately,” Carol
continued. “Now I can totally understand why you dumped him.”

“Yeah,” Lisa piped in. “He even talked us into putting the
money up for a balcony above Bourbon Street for Mardi Gras and then he took the
keys and said it’s going to be a private party for him and his frat brothers. I
mean, after we paid.”

Laurie shook her head sympathetically. “Damn, that sucks. I
hear those balconies are pricy. Sorry, guys.”

“But we stole them back.” Carol grinned and waved a set of
keys at Laurie. “We’re having our own private party tomorrow night. Trey and
his brothers are banned.”

Laurie smiled as the two girls did a victory dance.

“Oh well, that’s great. Good for you guys. You two should go
and have a great time.”

She turned to walk away but Carol caught her arm.

“Wait. We want you to come with us. We were so far up Trey’s
ass that we missed the opportunity to be friends with you. I mean, you could
have been having a blast with us all this time. We want to make it up to you.
You know, start over. We have the balcony all day, starting at midnight
tomorrow night.”

Laurie smiled at them but shook her head. “I have to work
tomorrow and then I have classes the next day. I just can’t be out that late
but thanks for asking, guys.”

“Well, how about if we at least give you a ride home from
work,” Carol suggested.

Laurie thought of the bus ride home and some of the mutants
she had run into on the way.

After the sun went down, all sorts of creatures came out
from under their rocks and it seemed most of them rode the same bus as she did.
She looked at Carol and Lisa, weighing her options. Finally, she nodded,
figuring she could put up with the two dimwits a lot easier than she could the
creeps on the bus.

“Okay,” she finally conceded. “A ride home would be great,
guys. I get off at 9:00.”

“Groovy. We’ll see you then, girl.” Carol grinned.

The two girls walked away, talking excitedly.