Savor Me(16)

"I'm always available for sampling." He leans down, placing several gentle kisses to my mouth, barely swiping his damp tongue across my bottom lip. "Better?" he asks with a crooked smile.

"Much." I rest my head on his shoulder, and even though I should, I never release his hand.

A few seconds later, the show ring begins to fill with horses. I immediately find Mason on top of a beautiful dappled gray. Just as I thought, Mason is gorgeous on a horse. He effortlessly rides around the arena. The huge animal moves under him even though Mason’s hand never moves to give direction. Only the slight twitch of his leg has the horse changing direction. It’s fascinating to watch. Just before the class begins, Hunter stands, pulling me with him, and lets out a loud wolf whistle. Mason’s eyes briefly scan the crowd before landing on us. He gives a small nod in our direction and immediate turns away.

“Does he ever smile?” I ask Hunter.

“Ha! He is a serious bastard sometimes. But yeah, he’s actually funny as hell. It just takes him a while to warm up to new people. He likes you already though. He usually sits out completely the first time with a new girl.”

“He said y’all have known each other since you were kids.”

“Yeah. His dad was a real * so he basically lived at my house growing up.”

“Well, I guess that’s where he gets it from them. Chip off the old block, huh?”

Hunter’s head snaps around to me. “No,” he says firmly. “Mason is nothing like his father. Ray Wynn was an abusive, worthless prick. He was a drunk and blamed Mason for all of his failures. Don’t ever compare him to Ray.”

“Wait, what?” I whisper as my heart sinks.

“His mom left when he was around ten, and Ray blamed Mason for her leaving. He was a f*cking kid, so I have no idea how he rationalized that, but I guess he needed someone to blame. Our dads had been friends since high school, so when Ray went off the deep end, Dad did the best he could to shield Mason. He made up reasons why Mase needed to stay with us for weeks at a time. On more than one occasion, he left in the middle of the night, only to return a few hours later with a battered Mason in tow.”

I turn back to the ring and watch Mason as he trots around. My heart breaks imaging what he experienced growing up.

“God, that sounds terrible.”

“It was. Look, I’m just telling you this so you understand him a little better. I’m hoping you’re going to be around a lot more, and he really can be a dick when he’s first getting to know someone. He doesn’t trust very easily.”

I nod, and Hunter changes the conversation. He begins explaining to me everything that’s happening in the ring. I pretend to be paying attention, but all I can think about is the storm in Mason’s eyes last night. Suddenly, it makes a lot more sense.





AFTER THE HORSE SHOW, our second night together went a lot like our first. We hung out, then had a lot of sex. Hunter made jokes and kissed me every chance he got. Mason watched, and when he did participate, he avoided my mouth completely. And more than anything else, I watched Mason. I did the one thing I hate that people do to me—I tried to figure him out. I desperately wanted to know more about him and how his past may have affected him. But unlike Hunter, Mason’s lips were sealed. Although, I never came right out and asked him.

The night ended much the same as the first, with Hunter sleeping sprawled out across the bed and me and Mason cuddling and talking.

The day after the show, the guys left to deliver the horse they managed to sell. They were gone for three days. Hunter called every night, but he never passed the phone to Mason. But then again, Mason never asked for it either. However, each night around midnight, I’d get a “Goodnight” text from him. It was always something brief and businesslike, but the idea of Mason sitting down to text me made me smile. I tried to send him something sexy back, but he never would respond.

The minute the guys got back, Hunter was knocking at my door. We made plans to go out and have a few drinks, and as sad as it made me, I spent the whole day staring at the clock.

“I need a drink, sugar.” Hunter shouts into my ear.

I’m drenched in sweat, and my hair is sticking to my face. I can only assume my makeup is running down my face. Hunter and I have been dancing for the last hour straight. He’s not just a pretty face. The man can move. His hard body has been grinding into me in the most erotic rhythm. The whole bar is staring as we all but f*ck on the dance floor. However, the only I eyes I see are those of Mason carefully watching from the bar.

“Yeah, I could use a beer, too.”

Hunter grabs my hand and makes his way toward the bar. He holds me close, making sure no one bumps into me. When we reach the bar, he grips Mason on the shoulder.

“I’ve got to take a piss. Keep an eye on her.”

“What?” I shout. “I don’t need anyone to keep an eye on me!”

“Yeah, I got her,” Mason responds, completely ignoring me.

“Shut up! You are not keeping an eye on me.”

“Okay, fine. I’m not keeping an eye on you. Just don’t leave my side,” he says, going back to sipping his beer.

“You know what—” I begin, but Hunter stops me by dragging me against him.

“I just meant I want to be able to find you when I get back. I know you don’t need anyone to watch you.” He winks. He’s totally patronizing me, but he’s sexy doing it, so I let it slide.