Peering up, she caught his eyes as they held hers, through space, through time, through her soul. Sparks flew and some kind of connection Skylar didn't understand erupted through her. Though she didn't want to feel this way, she had no other choice. Her heart longed to know him even more.
Mason blinked his eyes, looking frazzled and concerned. "Are you okay?" His tone was softer than usual.
Anchoring her trembling hands on the bench, she raised herself up and rested her back against the wall. "I think so. I'm drenched." My mascara. Great! I wonder how I look. "You opened the door and saved me. How did you know I was in there?"
"I just got here. Nick told me you were in the restroom. He asked me to check on you."
"Good thing you came, but-but-?" Tears pooled in her eyes. She buried her face in the palms of her hands. Looking up, her glassy eyes shone as pearl drop tears trickled down her face. She was mad at herself for being weak in front of him, but she was more afraid of how he would react.
Though he showed a tender side of himself tonight, she couldn't help recall the times he had been rude to her. What puzzled her most was that these supernatural encounters, things that happened only in books, TV, and movies, were happening only to her. Somehow he was always there to save her, but why wasn't he flipping out like she was?
How was it that he didn't find what had just happened to be abnormal? Either he'd had extraordinary encounters of this kind before, or he was good at hiding his true emotions in front of her. Regardless, she needed answers. "Am I going crazy? I don't know what's happening to me. If you know something, please tell me."
To her surprise, he was calm-too calm. He didn't answer her. Instead, his eyes revealed sadness, and she couldn't imagine a possible reason for it. Her stare was broken when he stood tall. "You're wet. You should take off your clothes."
What a way to avoid a question! Skylar blinked her eyes in disbelief. Had she heard him correctly? "Excuse me?" Not wanting to assume he was honestly asking her to strip off her clothes, she didn't move a muscle, but the way his eyes seemed to pierce through hers, she might as well have already been naked. She gasped when he started to unbutton his shirt. Her eyes shot to the floor, then back to him, and then to the floor again, wondering what she was supposed to do in this awkward moment.
"Here. Go change in the restroom. You don't want to catch a cold." He placed his shirt in front of her.
She looked up to see him shirtless for the very first time. With all the right curves and tightness, he looked like a chiseled statue of a Roman god. He was beautiful and perfectly toned, with satin-like skin that looked like it would be smooth to the touch. Then there was the small tattoo shaped like a lightning bolt on his upper right arm, near his shoulder. Way too sexy!
As warmth flushed her face, she tried not to stare, but there was no way around it. "You won't have a shirt," Skylar said and immediately cringed inside from saying something so idiotic. But she couldn't think when he was half naked in front of her.
"I'm not cold, but you will be."
Mason was right. Skylar hadn't realized she was shivering until she placed her hand out to take his shirt. The adrenaline from the initial shock had kept her warm and now it was wearing off. The blasting air conditioner didn't help either. "Thanks."
Just as she pivoted toward the restroom even though she was deathly scared to go back in, Mason gripped her arm. "Wait. Don't go in there without me."
His sudden protectiveness surprised Skylar, but then again, he had saved her. With a nod, he gestured for her to lead. Walking back into her nightmare, her pulse raced faster than she'd expected, but once she had entered, surprisingly, she was calm for two reasons: first, Mason was with her; and second, the restroom was in one piece as if nothing had happened. After she'd had enough of looking at the sinks and the stalls, she turned to Mason.
"Oh, I'll turn my back." He turned away from her. "I have a really nice view-white ceiling . . . mesmerizing. And a clear view of myself from the mirrors. So many mirrors. Mirrors everywhere I look."
Skylar giggled and her face lit with a small smile. Underneath that stiff heart of his, he had proven he had a sense of humor.
After slipping her arms into the sleeves of his shirt, her eyes followed her hands as she buttoned it quickly from bottom to top.
"Okay, I'm done." She looked up expecting to see Mason's back, but he had already turned and was facing her.
Skylar turned red. "You-you just turned, right?"
He pointed to the left, to the right, and to all the mirrors in the bathroom. "Do you girls need all these mirrors? Can't get enough of yourselves? I thought you were done."
"You could've closed your eyes." Skylar scoffed, feeling embarrassed.
"What would be the fun in that?" He smirked.
He was right. Every direction he turned, he had a clear view of . . . her. Whatever. She justified that seeing her in a bra was like seeing her in a bikini top. "Well, next time make sure you do."
He didn't say a word, and she was unsure whether he was uncomfortable from her remark or he was simply ignoring her. "Let's get out of here," he suggested, opening the door and looking as if his mind was deep in thought.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked, folding her shirt to hold as she stood by the doorway.
"Later."
"No, I need to know now," she demanded.
"Let's go. It's not safe here."
Cold chills pricked along her spine from his words. Before moving Skylar gazed around cautiously. Then she glared at him as she walked out and headed to Theater Number 10.
Skylar jerked back when Mason grabbed her hand. She couldn't believe he was holding her hand. Not only that, he pulled her close to his chest-so close, almost into a hug.
Her eyes drifted to his, unable to look away, as if he held a spell over her. She could see so much love, tenderness, and possibility behind his rude, egotistical attitude. She blinked and retreated a few steps when he released her abruptly, as if he finally realized he was holding her longer than he wanted to.
"We're not going there," he stated as if his words were final.
"We're not going there?" When did I become a part of "we?"
"No. We need to talk."
You got that right. I've been asking you like constantly. It's about time. "Yes. We need to talk. Where should we talk then?"
"At my house."
Skylar gulped nervously. "At your house?"
"Are you going to repeat everything I say? I should just call you Echo."
There he goes again, back to Mr. Rude. "I'm not repeating. I'm just asking."
"If you don't want answers to your questions, then fine with me."
"What? I've asked you so many times, but you won't answer me. I'm not going to beg."
"Umm, that might be interesting." He arched his brows, giving that tantalizing smirk he did so well. The kind that made butterflies dance in her stomach, the kind that made her want to just pull him in and plant her lips on his.
"Are you kidding? Just take me to your house." She couldn't believe she'd just said that, but enough was enough. "I need to tell my cousin and get my purse."
"You don't need your purse. I've already told Nick." Without her permission, he snatched her wrist and tugged her out the exit door.
After a few strides, she yanked her arm back to her chest and stood her ground. Gritting her teeth, she peered up at him angrily. "I can walk by myself. And next time, ask me first before you make a decision for me."
With a nod, and with her not knowing if that was an answer to her request, he led the way to his car.
Mason opened Skylar's side of the car. When she stepped out, she was still holding on to her T-shirt. Mason placed his hand out, asking for it. After she reluctantly gave it to him, he placed it on the passenger seat. "You don't need to carry that around. I'll leave it right here in the car."
Skylar nodded and looked past him. She didn't want to freak out from the grand size of his house, but her eyes were a dead giveaway. Passing the long, enormous steel gate upon entering the circular driveway, she should have known she would be setting her eyes on a mansion. She had seen big houses in magazines, but never had she been this close to one.
As she followed Mason's footsteps to the front entrance, her eyes were still glued to the house, admiring the elegance of it. Though it was dark, the surrounding lights were enough to reveal the beauty. Red rosebushes edged the cobblestone path leading to the front door. To the right was a huge water fountain with an ivory statue she thought looked like Zeus lounging in the middle, but she wasn't sure. He looked majestic and proud.