Love life? “There’s nothing to tell, Mason.”
Another grunt, followed by a smirk. “Mason now, huh?”
I ignored the smirk and how good his mouth looked doing it, or how hot my skin flushed. “Do you agree to forget about that night?”
“No, but I will keep my mouth shut.” He was still holding my hand, and he squeezed gently, tugging me a little closer. His expression softened. “You doing okay?”
I swallowed, audibly. “Yep.”
“Sorry about your gran, kitten.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “Don’t call me that.”
“You told me you liked it.”
No, I didn’t like it—I loved it. And if he didn’t stop looking at me like he was, while he called me that, in that deep, sexy voice, I would melt into a puddle at his feet.
His lips twitched.
I got the unhappy feeling he was reading my mind. I pulled free and stepped back quickly. “If we’re all good here, I’ll head back to my place.”
He said nothing, just watched me retreat.
“Thank you for…what you did that night.”
His eyes sharpened.
God, what was I saying? Hey, Mase, thanks for all the orgasms and for holding me down and fucking me when I asked you to. You’re a real good sport, you know that? “What I meant to say…what I meant was…I needed to escape from reality for a while and you gave me that.”
“Right,” he said in a way I had no hope of reading.
“So…we’re good?” I said and took another step back.
He dipped his chin.
Jimmy was sitting patiently at my side. “Come on, bud, let’s go.” I glanced back at Mase. “I uh, guess I’ll see you around.”
“You will,” he said.
Then I rushed from the room, out the door, and hightailed it back to my trailer.
Chapter Five
Mase
Sipping my coffee, I stared out the kitchen window. Jimmy was out there tearing around the backyard. He had some toy that squeaked when he bit down on it. The thing was covered in drool.
My gaze slid back to the trailer. Trixie hadn’t surfaced yet. I knew this because I’d been loitering around the fucking window since I got up. And I’d been up for a long time. In fact, I’d barely slept.
Trixie was my mystery girl.
The hot, funny, fucking gorgeous woman who walked into that bar, snatched my attention, then blew my fucking mind close to a month ago, the woman I thought I’d never see again, was living in my backyard. I’d talked to Trixie since that night and had no clue.
I needed to escape reality for a while and you gave me that.
Her words echoed through my head for the millionth time.
I gripped the edge of the counter so tight the old laminate groaned.
An escape?
What we’d shared that night had been the most real thing I’d experienced in a fucking long time.
My phone rang, and I yanked it from my back pocket. Janie. Again. I’d ignored her last few calls. It was wrong, but we both needed to move on. I should ignore this one as well.
Shit.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, it’s me.”
I felt tired all of a sudden. Fucking drained. I couldn’t do this anymore, and I wasn’t ready for us to be friends, not yet. “What do you need, Janie?”
A pause. “I just wanted to see how you were doing. How the move went?”
“It was fine. I’m fine.”
Silence, then a long exhale. “Please, don’t be like that.”
“Like what?”
“I know I hurt you, but we were in different places in our lives. We’ve been with each other since college, neither of us had a chance to spread our wings. I felt smothered. I just needed to do things I never got the chance to…”
“Smothered? I thought the problem was I was never there?” What the fuck was this?
“I know it’s hard for you to understand, but I just needed time for myself.”
“Well, you got it, right?”
More silence. “Mase—”
“You got the keys for the storage unit?”
“Yes.”
“Good, take what you want, give the rest to Goodwill or dump it, I’m not worried.”
“You have no problem dumping our memories?” she said, actually sounding hurt.
I squeezed my eyes closed and dragged in a breath. “There’s no point hanging on to that shit… Look, Janie—”
“We don’t know what will happen in the future. We didn’t work now…but maybe in a year’s time, after I’ve taken time for me…”
“What?” I rasped.
“Mase…”
“We’re divorced, Janie.”
Silence.
“Janie?”
“I haven’t actually sent in the paperwork yet.”
My fucking head nearly exploded. “We’re still married?”
“Yes…but, I needed more time, this whole thing, it felt…rushed. I wasn’t ready, and you never know what might happen in the future…”
“The future?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. What did she want? Me here waiting in the wings in case no one better came along? “Does Blake know you’re still married to me?” She’d been seeing the guy for six months.
“No.”
“What the hell are you doing, Janie?”
“I miss you,” she whispered. “You were a huge part of my life. You were my life. I don’t know how to do this without you.”
Fuck. I needed this to be over. “Yeah, you do. You’re scared, that’s all. I get it. You were my best friend as well. It’s fucking hard losing your best friend, but you gotta stop looking back. You don’t want me. You went after what you wanted, now embrace it.”
A sniff. Tears. Fuck.
“Janie?”
“No, you’re right. But I can’t just not talk to you anymore, Mase. I need my friend back.”
“I’m not there, honey, not yet.”
The door to the trailer opened, and Trixie walked out—
I sucked in a sharp breath. Jimmy ran to her, and she grinned down at him.
Christ, I was still reeling after learning last night who Trixie was.
“I understand,” Janie said. “I’ll leave you alone for a while. Bye, Mase.” Then she hung up.
I gripped my phone in my hand, watching as Trixie patted Jimmy enthusiastically, as she pulled the drool-covered squeaky toy from his
