Savor Me(27)

And with that, I turn away from an amazing sure thing. I have no doubt that Hunter loves me. I’m not blind. And on a scale of one to ten, Hunter Coy is an off-the-charts catch. He’s kind and loyal and would probably spend the rest of his life taking care of me. The only thing he isn’t…is Mason Wynn.





I RUSH AROUND THE corner of the building, hoping to catch a cab back to Mason’s place when, suddenly, I stumble. I barely catch my balance as I try to figure out what tripped me. I look back and can faintly make out a silhouette sitting against the wall. His knees are pulled up, his head cradled in his hands.

“Mase?” I ask, heading back in his direction. “What are you doing?”

“I promised you I’d never leave. I couldn’t stand there any longer, but I couldn’t just leave either.”

“So you’ve just been sitting here eavesdropping?” I try to make a joke as I squat down next to him.

“Pretty much.” He finally lifts his eyes to mine, and the fear and pain inside them forces me to my ass beside him.

“Jesus, are you okay?”

“Not even close.”

“Mason…”

“I can’t go back to that, Lace. I can’t watch him touch you. He’s my best friend, and I have hated him every minute since he said he wanted to take you away from me. I can’t live wrapped up in that kind of hate, but I also don’t think I can live without you. I’m sorry if that’s what you want, but I can’t do it anymore.”

“I don’t want that either. I thought you said you were listening?” I scoot in close to him. He’s made no attempt to touch me, but I need to touch him. I rest my head on his shoulder, and he gently leans his down on top of it.

“I was listening, but you didn’t have a chance to hear me.”

“So was Hunter, right?” I ask, begging for the answer.

He lets out a loud breath. “Yeah, pretty much spot-on. Well, except for the whole trainer bit. That was a stretch, even for him. I don’t want to change you, and obviously I won’t leave.” He shrugs.

My heart begins to race over the fact that this could actually be real. “I can see that,” I tease.

“I’m sorry if I was a dick back there. It’s just that I’m so f*cking scared you will chose him.”

I move around to face him and kneel between his legs. I make sure his blues are looking at me. I want him to understand this and know that it’s more than just a sentence. “It was never a choice, Mase. It was always you.”

“I…I do need you. But not for the reason you think. It’s not because I’m broken. It’s because I can’t figure out how I would even begin to move my life forward without you. I don’t want just the nights anymore, Lace. I want the days too. For once in my life, I feel like I have something I can really be proud of. I want you to be mine for everyone to see. Not hide it like it’s some dirty little secret. Is that something you think you could handle?”

“I think I could handle just about anything except losing you.” Tears pool in my eyes as I prepare myself for what I’m going to say next. Still holding his gaze, I free us both. “Mason, I love you.”

Without hesitation, and before I even finish, he says, “I love you, too.” I watch, stunned, as the most mesmerizing smile covers his face from ear to ear. He blows out a breath. “Oh shit, that felt good.” He starts laughing.

I’m grinning like a fool, staring at this deliriously happy version of my dark cowboy. I begin to laugh right along with him when suddenly he stops.

“Wait. Just so I’m not reading into anything, did you just agree to be my girl and admit that you love me and can’t stop thinking of me naked?” He flashes me an unabashed grin.

“Yes to all of the above, although I don’t exactly remember saying that last part.”

“It was obviously implied.” He stands up, pulling me to my feet along with him.

“Mason Wynn, are you cracking jokes now?”

He pulls me hard against his body. “I’m really f*cking happy right now.” He kisses me hard, but the smile never leaves his lips.

“I want to go home,” I whisper against his mouth.

“I’m probably going to be homeless and unemployed tomorrow.” He kisses me again.

“You don’t think Hunter would really do that to you, do you?”

“Nah, but I think is probably for the best if we get some space for a while. He’ll eventually come around, but he’s really stubborn. If I stick around and he has to watch you and me together, he’ll eventually explode. Lacey, I love you, and there is nothing that will ever change that, but Hunter is my only family. One day, we are going to have to deal with him, but I think he needs some time before he deals with you. I’ll go by myself and talk to him in the morning.”

“Okay.” I stand on my tiptoes to give him another kiss “Want to go back to my place tonight?”

“Lacey, I’ll follow you anywhere.”

“Anywhere? Because I could have a lot of fun with that!” I wink over at him.

“Well, not anywhere.” He surprises me by pushing me back against the wall. He drags his tongue up my neck before stopping at my ear. With a deep rumble, he growls, “Sometimes I’ll lead.”