“Of course.”
She propped herself up on my chest, giving me a concerned look. “Don’t go texting Mason. I’m sure he’ll shout it to the world when he gets home from work, but…but I want to tell you, first.”
“Tell me what?” I wasn’t concerned, exactly, not like she clearly was, but I was curious. I ran my fingers up along her arms, tracing imaginary lines on them as I waited for her to continue.
Bree bit her bottom lip, a gesture that drove me nuts. “Mason and I…we were together last night.”
They were together last night? Well, obviously. I mean, I didn’t come back, so who else would she be with? Unless—I suddenly realized—she meant something different, something else. Something much more intimate than simply hanging out and cuddling with Mason.
Did she mean sex?
Not sure why, but I felt my heart speed up at that. The bastard. I should’ve known Mason would try something. It wasn’t like I was jealous, but it also wasn’t like I wasn’t jealous, so…yeah.
“By that, you mean—” I started, needing to know whether my mind was on the right track or not.
“Sex,” Bree spoke the word, her cheeks flushing as she looked away from me. “I mean sex.”
Tone down the jealousy, tone down the jealousy. Those words repeated in my head as I managed to ask, “Was he good? I mean, was he gentle with you?” We were both dating her, so this was bound to happen eventually. I was a little bitter that she’d been with him first, but it wasn’t like I could change it. It wasn’t like there was anything I could do about it now.
Besides, as long as he was good to her, as long as he was nice and kind during it, if she was happy, I was happy.
Bree nodded. “He was. He was great. I was so nervous…”
I could imagine. I knew how Bree got, overthinking everything, letting her cynical and sad outlook on things dominate her mind. It was something she’d been working on lately, and I could tell.
Still, for a twenty-one-year-old virgin, having sex for the first time was bound to be nerve-wracking.
It was a moment before Bree added, “Are you jealous?”
“What? No, no, I’m not—well, maybe a little, but—” My fumbling stopped when Bree brought her lips to mine, kissing away anything else I might’ve said. Just like that, my jealousy was gone. Mason wasn’t here with her now; I was. Right now, she was all mine.
She pulled away abruptly, turning her head away as she crawled off my lap.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
I cocked a brow. Was she really going to play this game with me right now? “Bree, tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said, finally turning that pretty face back to me. “I just…I kind of wanted it to be with both of you.” Her cheeks were bright red now. “I’m not even sure how that would work, but…” Bree shrugged. “Then you couldn’t come, and I…I don’t know.”
Leaning toward her, I ran my fingers through her hair, forcing her to look at me. “You don’t have to explain anything to me,” I told her, meaning it. “I’m a little jealous, yeah, but that doesn’t change anything. Besides, who has you all to himself right now?” I paused, letting a smile grow on my face. I found I smiled more often now, too. Bree brought it out of me. “Me. Not Mason. Me.”
This time, when I kissed her, I kissed her hard. I kissed her to push away all of her worries and concerns over what she’d done with Mason last night. This, us, here and now, it wasn’t about Mason. It was about us, about what we were together, the fire between us.
“Bree,” I spoke between kisses, “you know I love you. You know I’ll be there whenever, wherever you want me. That’s not even a question.” I devoured her response, pulling her small body back onto my lap, my arms circling around her and holding her close.
She nibbled my bottom lip before murmuring, “So if I said I wanted you now…”
My whole body turned to molten fire at that. Was she being serious, or was she just saying that because she thought she had to make up for her being with Mason last night? My cock twitched in my pants, and I could not fight the immediate longing inside me.
“I’d say tell me when and where, and I’ll be there with bells on.” Fuck. Mason’s lameness must’ve worn off on me, because that was not something I’d normally say.
Bree smiled at my lameness, running a hand along the side of my face.
Would it be weird if we went into his room? Probably.
Although, shit. We couldn’t do it, not if I didn’t have protection, and I knew Bree wasn’t on any kind of birth control yet—I didn’t think she wanted to be.
“Does he have any—”
“In his nightstand,” Bree said.
I could not hop off the couch fast enough. I never thought this was where today would lead, but I wasn’t going to complain. This was something I’d been waiting for for what felt like ever, so fuck no, no complaining here. And certainly no jealousy toward Mason and what he’d done with her last night.
She was mine right now. All mine.
I went into his room, heading straight to the little wooden nightstand beside his bed. Inside the small drawer, I found a new box of condoms. Ah, so Mason had been stocking up in wait of the day when Bree finally decided she wanted to be with him. Good for him.
I’d have to thank him later.
When I came back out, I found Bree still sitting on the couch, still looking just as beautiful as ever. I tossed the condom on
