Whatever It Takes (21 page)

Mason looked around, nodding thoughtfully.

“Give me a call sometime… I’ll help you with it.”

Mason smiled, thinking that would be cool.

When Mason and Davis came through the door, Laurie was
stumbling through trying to explain to Saunders what had happened to the
kitchen table. Davis looked at the spot occupied only by chairs and then looked
at Mason, who snickered and moved to stand by Laurie.

“They just don’t make furniture like they used to,” he said.

Davis looked from Mason to a blushing Laurie and laughed
knowingly.

“And on that note, I think we’ll be going.” He motioned for
Saunders to follow.

Mason and Laurie followed them to the porch and watched them
leave then looked at each other.

“That was weird,” she said, yawning.

“Sure was.” He pulled her to him and stared at the
taillights of the police car as it rolled down the street.

“I’m going to have a shower and head to bed, babe. Are you
coming?”

“Yeah, you go ahead, Angel. I’ll be up in a minute. I’m just
going to shut everything down and lock up.” He ushered her back into the house
and shut the door behind them.

An hour later, Mason checked the door locks one last time.
He couldn’t help but feel as if the latest incident was an attack, rather than
a misunderstanding. Now he was paranoid and needed to make sure the whole house
was secure before he turned in. He even checked every window and door in the
basement. Dewayne wasn’t home yet but Mason knew his friend had a key so he
locked everything down.

Finally satisfied that the house was as secure as he could
make it, he hurried up the stairs and was pleasantly surprised to find Laurie
naked in the middle of the bed. She was asleep but had obviously been waiting
for him in a tantalizing pose. He chuckled as he neared the bed and his heart
swelled with love for her. He stopped a few feet away to study her sleeping
form and think of how many times he had fantasized about seeing her like that.

She finally belonged to him and not only that he belonged to
her…mind, body and soul. She could totally crush him in her tiny hand and
strangely, it felt good to give her that power. He trusted her and that was
something special. Hell, it was a damn miracle. He moved forward again but
stopped just short of the bed. An idea settled in his mind and he quietly
stepped away for a moment.

Mason trailed his fingers down Laurie’s belly to her neatly
trimmed patch of soft curls and her muscles tightened. She came awake smiling
sleepily and reached for him. He could already see the passion flaring in her
eyes. He joined her on the bed, sliding his body alongside hers.

He kissed her tenderly then moved down her neck, trailing
kisses to her breasts. With his hands and mouth, he stoked a fire in her and
she opened her legs, inviting him inside. He cradled himself in her pelvis and
plunged into her. She was hot and in need but he slowed her burn and took her at
a leisurely pace, kissing and caressing her gently. Her passion mellowed and,
with his coaxing, she let him control the pace. Although primed and humming
with need, her body relaxed and she accepted the pleasure he offered. He smiled
when he felt that familiar tension in her body as she neared release. Her inner
muscles began to clench and release rapidly and he knew he’d done his job well.
The sound of her whimpering his name when she came hit him like a potent drug,
and he fell over the edge with her.

When they both recovered from their lovemaking, Mason lay on
his back, staring up at the canopy. Laurie rested her head on his shoulder, one
arm draped across his chest. He was happy and sated and he marveled at his
luck.

“Oh my God.” Laurie jolted to a sitting position, staring at
her hand.

Mason stayed where he was, watching her with amusement and
anticipation. A look of shock and confusion slowly faded from her face as
understanding dawned on her. She looked from her hand to his face, tears
welling in her eyes.

“Mason, really? Are you sure? I mean, this is big, and it’s
so soon.”

Mason nodded as he sat up and took her face in his hands.
Laurie clutched her hand to her chest. The diamond-and-sapphire ring that had
belonged to Nanan, Mason’s guardian, fit her finger perfectly. He’d saved the
ring for years and he finally understood why.

“Laurie, I love you. I’ve never been so sure about anything
in my life,” he whispered. “I want you forever. I want you to be my wife.
Please, Angel, say yes.”

Laurie managed a nod as a tear slipped down her cheek. Deep
emotion was clear on her face and she seemed to struggle to draw in a shaky
breath before she spoke.

“I love you too, Mason. Nothing would make me happier than
to be your wife.”

Mason wiped her tears away and grinned at her. He had never been
so happy before. He pulled her back down to the bed and held her close to him.
She relaxed again with her head on his shoulder and they lay together in
silence. He couldn’t help but smile every time she raised her hand to gaze at
the ring. Eventually, she settled and drifted off, and soon after he fell
asleep, feeling as if the future was going to be a good place.

* * * * *

They slept late the next morning. It was a rainy Sunday and
neither of them needed to rush off anywhere. Mason threw on clothes long enough
to run to the little café up the street for beignets and coffee before slipping
back into bed with Laurie. They spent the morning alternating between making
love and talking about anything that came to mind.

At one point, Laurie finally asked about his tattoos. She’d
been fascinated with them since the first time he stood shirtless in front of
her, and her curiosity had grown over the months. She was eager to ask him a
million questions.

He was lying on his back, propped up on the pillows, and she
was on her belly, facing him. She was close enough to lean forward and place
slow kisses on his chest and stomach.

“How old were you when you got this?” she asked, tracing
parts of the tattoo and studying it.

“I started when I was seventeen.”

He closed his eyes and grunted as Laurie traced the part of
the tattoo around his nipple with her fingertips.

“Took about a year to do it all. I go in every now and then
for touch-ups.”

“Did it hurt?”

“Yeah, it hurt but it’s a different kind of pain. For me, it’s
a good pain.”

“I don’t understand good pain.” Laurie frowned.

Mason opened one eye and smiled before he gave her behind a
sharp smack. She jumped and let out a small yelp but the heat that flared was
unmistakable. Her face warmed with embarrassment and she couldn’t quite meet
his eyes for a moment.

“Yes you do and there’s nothing wrong with it, Angel. When
you’re ready we can explore a lot more about good pain,” he said with a
mischievous gleam in his eyes.

He caressed her stinging behind as she considered the possibilities.
She felt herself blush deeper in a combination of embarrassment and desire but
she nodded and pushed the thought away before returning to her questions.

“What made you choose this design?”

She watched his face as he thought about it for a moment and
then he gave a half-smile.

“Unlike some people, I have no profound explanation or
special meaning for my tat. It’s actually simple—maybe even a little lame. I
liked to do mechanical work and even played around with robotics. Other than
that, hell…I was seventeen and on my own with no one to tell me
no
about
anything. I thought it would look badass so I said fuck it, let’s do the whole
right side.”

Laurie smiled at him. She could imagine seventeen-year-old
Mason sitting in the chair, taking the pain just to prove to the world that no
one was in charge of him. The image suited him.

“After it was all finished, people started calling me Mr.
Fix-It. I think Dewayne might have started it. The nickname stuck for twelve
years and I liked it because it was badass and impersonal. Then you walked in
and I just knew hearing you call me that would feel like someone stabbing me in
the guts.”

Warmth spread through Laurie as he gazed at her. She was
glad to know he felt the same instant connection she had felt. He made her feel
like no one else ever had and she wanted to show him.

“Don’t worry, babe. I will never call you that ridiculous
name,” she teased him.

He let out a chuckle that turned into a growl when she
lowered her mouth to his stomach. He sucked in a sharp breath and squirmed a
little as she nibbled and sucked on his abs before moving lower.

“Oh, Angel, I love it when you’re a bad girl,” he breathed
as she slid between his legs and disappeared under the sheets. She kissed the
smooth tip of his cock and then slowly sucked the head into her mouth, before
taking him deeper. She raised her eyes in time to see him lift the sheet and
bite his lip as he watched her. She did her best to give him one hell of a
show.

* * * * *

It was around noon when Laurie’s phone rang the first time.
She saw it was Olivia and assumed she was just checking on Laurie. She and
Mason had agreed on no interruptions for the day so she pressed
ignore
and tossed her phone aside. He grinned and pulled her close but her phone
immediately started ringing again. He let out a mock growl and snatched it up.
He frowned when he looked at the caller ID.

“It’s her again.” He handed Laurie the phone.

“Something must be wrong.” Worry creased her brow as she
answered.

“Oh my God, Laurie,” Olivia cried, not bothering with a
greeting. “We could have died.”

“What? How?”

“Someone broke into our room.”

Olivia talked loudly enough for Mason to hear her and he frowned.

“After you left, they gave your bed to a girl named
Francesca, who, by the way, has way too many bottles of mouthwash to be a
normal person. I mean, how dirty is her mouth? Anyway, I was out with this new
really hot guy I met, sure not as hot as
your
guy but hot, okay…hot.”

“Okay, Olivia, get on with it,” Laurie said, losing patience.

“Oh yeah, okay. Anyway, so Ms. Mouthwash was alone in the
room, and being a rule breaker like the rest of us normal people, she had plans
for her boyfriend to sneak in on the fire escape and when he got there he found
some guy on top of her, choking her. He went after the dude but the guy got
away, and then he noticed she wasn’t breathing so he had to do CPR on her.
Chick almost died.”

“That’s awful,” Laurie said, feeling bad for the girl. “Is
she going to be okay?”

“Yeah, they already released her from the hospital. Girl,
you are so lucky you moved out yesterday. Just think about it. You would have
never let someone in your window. Nobody would have ever known you were in
trouble.”

Laurie shivered at the thought, feeling as if she had
narrowly escaped death.

She finished her phone call with Olivia then recounted the
conversation to Mason before she settled back into his embrace. She felt bad
for the girl who’d been attacked but was also grateful that it hadn’t been her.
Mason gave Laurie a comforting squeeze and kissed the top of her head as she
continued to think about the incident. After a few minutes of her silence, he
rolled her onto her back and settled on top of her.

“Knock it off, Angel.”

His lips grazed the sensitive skin below her ear and her
body responded in an instant.

“You’re all mine today and I won’t tolerate that beautiful
mind of yours being focused on anything but me or what I’m doing to you. I’m
going to get your mind off your troubles and back where it belongs.”

Laurie opened her mouth to respond but he covered her lips
with his and trailed his hands down her body. Mason was definitely a man of his
word. In only a few moments, Laurie forgot that anything else on the planet
existed.

“What the fuck, Mason?” Laurie threw her hands in the air. “I
agreed to be your wife not your prisoner.”

“Angel, I don’t want you to be my prisoner.” Mason caressed
her shoulders, trying to calm her down.

“Then why the hell do I need a babysitter?” She tossed her
head in Dewayne’s direction.

He smiled that good-natured smile of his and lit a
cigarette.

“Hey, not in the damn house, man,” Mason yelled and then he
turned his attention back to Laurie. “It’s for your protection, baby. Too many
weird things have been happening and I just want to make sure you’re safe.
Dewayne won’t get in your way. He’ll just drive you to school and watch your
back.”

Laurie crossed her arms over her chest in a huff.

“If you would feel better, I can take off work and go with
you instead.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. She knew him well enough to
know he would definitely cause a commotion. God forbid another man actually spoke
to her because Mason would probably jump out from behind a bush and decimate
the poor bastard with a Viking sword or something equally brutal and badass.

“So that’s it, huh?” she snapped. “You say the word and I’m
stuck choosing between the lesser of the two assholes.”

Mason bit his lip in an obvious effort to keep from
laughing. Laurie frowned deeper. How dare he look at her as if she was cute
when she was pissed off?

“I promise Dewayne will be discreet. Please, Angel, for me?
I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

Laurie sighed, knowing she was going to lose the battle
because he wasn’t playing fair. She couldn’t take it when he did that
pretty
please with sugar on top, and because I have sexy eyes and perfect abs
thing,
which always convinced her to go along with what he wanted.

“Fine,” she huffed.

Mason pulled her to him, ran his hands through her hair and
turned her face up to his. He lowered his lips almost to hers and then stopped.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Laurie nodded and waited for his kiss but he stayed where he
was, his lips hovering over hers. She waited and when he still made no move to
kiss her, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to her. He went
without hesitation and gave her a kiss that made her want to forget class and
drag him back to bed. She suspected that was his goal. She finally pulled away
smiling but punched him in the stomach before she walked away. He grunted and
bent over a little.

“You know why,” she called over her shoulder as she walked
out onto the porch, headed for the car.

Mason grinned after her, rubbing his stomach.

“Ugh. You are so pussy-whipped.” Dewayne sighed and rolled
his eyes, feigning disgust with his old friend but he paused long enough to
open his jacket and show Mason the .45 Dewayne was carrying before he followed
Laurie out.

Dewayne was one of the few people in the world Mason knew he
could trust. Dewayne would lay down his own life before he let anything happen
to Laurie.

Mason stood in the doorway and watched his best friend drive
away with his girl, and tried to calm his frazzled nerves. Hearing what
happened to the woman who took Laurie’s room had shaken him to the core, just
like the attempted attack at her job. As much as he tried to put the incident
out of his mind, it continued to trouble him. Now with the latest near miss, he
was beginning to suspect someone was out to hurt his girl, and he’d be damned
if he’d let that happen. Taking a calming breath, he did his best to push the
worrisome thoughts to the back of his mind as he returned to the house and
headed to work.

* * * * *

The first few weeks of Dewayne driving her to and from class
went better than Laurie expected. True to his word, he made sure he was discreet.
Only Laurie noticed him hanging around. Occasionally, she was nervous that Trey
would approach her because Dewayne was under orders to
shoot that cocksucker
if he came anywhere near her.

She wasn’t real sure how serious the order was or if Dewayne
was crazy enough to follow it. He was definitely loyal to Mason so she wouldn’t
put it past him to cause some kind of ruckus, at the very least.

She didn’t ask what kind of things went on in the foster
homes they shared, what they’d experienced that bonded their relationship, but
she figured it wasn’t anything either of them would want to share. Whatever the
reasons, it was obvious to her that Dewayne would always be a fixture in the
life she would share with Mason. She didn’t mind because she’d discovered that
despite the fact that he was a major pothead, she liked him.

So far, the only trouble she’d gotten from Trey and his
little group of degenerates was in the form of rumors about her. Word was out
that she’d cheated on Trey with Mr. Fix-It. She thought it was funny since it
was kind of true but she’d never cared what they thought of her anyway, so it
was business as usual.

Things were going smoothly and the days seemed to pass so
quickly, that spring break nearly snuck up on her. Laurie was almost giddy over
the prospect of some uninterrupted time with her future husband. She was looking
forward to some uninterrupted time with her future husband. She was
preoccupied, thinking about how they would spend the weekend, which was why she
did not notice a familiar face waiting for her near the parking lot.

She could see Dewayne waiting by the car and gave him a
wave. He waved back but then started frowning in her direction. He moved toward
her, slipping his hand into his light jacket. His expression startled her and
she was about to turn around to see what he was looking at when a hand touched
her shoulder. She spun around and gasped.

“Uncle Ron?”

Her uncle smiled politely at her. It had only been six years
since she’d seen him but he looked as if he had aged at least ten. He was only
eleven years her senior but he looked at least twenty years older than she was.
His receding hairline had turned into a baldhead, and he was thinner—a lot
thinner. He still wore thousand-dollar suits though. It looked as if he was
still trying to play the part of the rich playboy. Even after all the time that
had passed, he still creeped her out.

“Laurie, dear, how are you?”

He moved in to hug her but she stepped back and put her
hands out in front of her.

“What are you doing here?”

He dropped his arms and sighed. “I was in town for a few
days. I knew you were in school here so I thought I would drop by and see you.
After all, you are my
only
living relative.”

Laurie shook her head, eyeing him suspiciously. “Why do you
care about family now?”

He shrugged and started to reach for her again but faltered
when Dewayne moved to Laurie’s side.

“Everything okay here, lil’ girl?” he asked, frowning at
Ron.

Laurie looked over at Dewayne and was momentarily shocked.
Gone was the goofy, handsome pothead who spent most of his time getting high in
Mason’s basement. He looked and sounded intimidating. He wasn’t quite Mason-level
intimidating. Mason had a scary,
I’ll kill you with my bare hands and fuck
your skull, you silly mortal
kind of intimidation going on, whereas Dewayne’s
brand of intimidation was shady. He came off as the kind of guy who already
knew where he would bury your body.

“Dewayne, this is my uncle Ron,” Laurie told Dewayne.

“That so?” Dewayne narrowed his eyes at Ron. “And exactly
what is Uncle Ron doing here?”

“Laurie, is this your boyfriend?” Ron asked, looking
confused.

“Consider me her long-lost brother.” Dewayne shot him a
shark-like smile. “And who she talks to is my business. Especially if it’s a
creepy-lookin’ uncle.”

Ron looked from Dewayne to Laurie as if he wasn’t sure what
to say next. “I was hoping we could have a cup of coffee and catch up. There’s
a coffee shop right across the street. Your, um, brother is welcome to come
too.”

“I don’t drink coffee. Shit’s bad for you,” Dewayne drawled.
“But I’ll come along anyway.”

* * * * *

Ron stirred his coffee and looked at Laurie across the
table. She didn’t have the patience for this and was on the verge of leaving.
She didn’t want to be around Ron any longer than necessary. She glanced at
Dewayne, who stood leaning on the car parked in front of the café. He’d made
sure he had a clear view of her through the large window at the front of the
coffee shop.

“What do you want, Ron?” she asked finally.

He looked up at her and sighed.

“Laurie, I did you wrong. I know that now. I should never have
done what I did and I should have never thrown you out in the cold like that. I
was grieving over my mother and I did the wrong thing, then instead of making
it right I pretended it never happened.”

“Is this supposed to be news to me?” She crossed her arms
over her chest, refusing to touch the coffee he’d ordered for her.

He frowned and she saw anger touch his eyes before he
covered it, and she knew he was after something and any regret he pretended to
have was an act to get what he wanted. She had seen this show before. It was
how he got everything he wanted from his mother.

“Are you going through a twelve-step program where you have
to make amends to all the people you wronged or something? If that’s the case,
fine, I forgive you, Ron. You did a shitty thing but I survived. I’m probably a
better person for it, actually. Nevertheless, if you’re truly here for some
sentimental reasons…because I’m
your only living relative
, then forget
it. The little bit of watered-down blood we share doesn’t mean a damn thing.
You were my father’s brother, you didn’t like him and you sure as hell never
liked me, and after what you tried to do to me.” She shook her head. “Well, let’s
just say we’re not family and leave it at that. I have my family. I don’t need
anyone else, especially not you.”

“Family?” Ron hissed, unable to hide his anger anymore.

This was the Uncle Ron she remembered.

“What family? You don’t have a goddamn thing. You never have
and you never will. You’re a pathetic little orphan. That white-trash scumbag
out there is your family?” He motioned toward Dewayne outside then looked
startled and appeared to shrink in his custom-made suit.

Laurie cracked a smile. She didn’t have to guess what was
going on. She’d seen that expression on people’s faces before.

“Not just that scumbag.”

Mason’s voice cut through the air like a knife and Ron
gulped.

“Mason, this is Ron Donovan,” Laurie said, glancing over her
shoulder to find her handsome man standing right behind her, his body tense and
his eyes angry.

Mason wore his usual brand of jeans, an undershirt and an
unbuttoned work shirt with the name of the garage on it. He looked deadly.
There were traces of grease on his clothes and hands, and Laurie figured he had
just dropped everything he was doing at the shop and raced across town to get
there. She could credit this to tattletale Dewayne.

“Ron, this is my fiancé.”

Ron tried to smile but didn’t quite make it. Mason placed a
hand on her shoulder in a clearly possessive gesture.

“I heard about you. I heard about what you did,” Mason said,
pinning Ron with an angry gaze. “Laurie’s with me now and I don’t believe you
have any reason to contact her again. Do you?”

Ron stared at him frightfully and slowly shook his head.

Mason nodded then tossed a twenty-dollar bill onto the
table. “Good, the coffee’s on me. Laurie, you’re done here. Let’s go.”

He held out his hand to help her out of her seat. She took
it and allowed him to guide her out of the café and to the car, where he opened
the passenger door and then turned to her.

“That bastard tried to touch you, didn’t he? That’s what you
meant when you said he ‘got creepy’.”

The rage in his eyes sent chills down her spine. “It was a
long time ago,” she said soothingly. “And nothing really happened.”

“Tell me,” he growled. “Tell me what he did.”

Laurie sighed and tried to keep her voice calm. “He
suggested we become lovers and when I said no, he tried to force himself on me,
and when I gave him a bloody nose, he kicked me out. That’s it. Nothing else
happened.”

“Well, I’d say that was enough. Goddamn it, I knew I should
have snapped his fucking neck. I don’t want him near you again. Ever,” he told
her, making a visible effort to calm down. “Why the hell would you come here with
him after what he did to you?”

“Because I wanted the chance to tell him that what he did
back then didn’t break me.”

Mason scrubbed a hand over his face, looking exceedingly
frustrated. “Did you get that done?”

Laurie nodded.

“Well, thank fuck for that. Get in the goddamn car.”

“You know what,” she snapped, poking him in the chest. “If
you want to act like a dick just because you can’t understand my reasons for
wanting to tell that bastard off myself, then you can go fuck yourself, you
oblivious prick.”

She turned her back to him and moved to get in the car. Tears
welled up in her eyes. She wanted him to hold her and tell her that he loved
her and that he understood and was sorry for being angry. As she reached for
the car door to balance herself, her heart sank…he wasn’t going to stop her. At
the last second, he grabbed her hips and he pulled her back and spun her around
to face him. In the same instant, there was a loud pop and the passenger window
of the car exploded.

Without a second’s hesitation, Mason tackled Laurie to the
ground, using his body to shield hers as a rapid series of pops rent the air
and pieces of concrete chipped up around them. In only a few moments, the
popping noise stopped and the sound of people screaming rose to a fever pitch. Laurie
lay on the pavement beneath Mason, shocked and shaking. Her heart thundered in
her ears, as her brain tried to piece together the events that had just taken
place.