I was going to fucking kill him when I got my hands on him. I could not believe he put me in this position and even though he acted like it was all innocent, just two friends who like to play guitar together, I couldn’t help but think he was sending a message to Mason. I turned to Mason and asked if there was an extra acoustic I could use. He stood up with me and walked with his hand in mine over to the back of the stage where he grabbed a guitar out of a case. He leaned down and kissed me solidly on the mouth. “I will beat his ass later if you want me to.” I just nodded my head, completely aware of the silence and stares still focused in on me. I walked up on stage where Ash had already pulled another stool next to his and set up a microphone. I glared at him letting him know that I was none too happy with his antics, but he just smiled and patted the stool.
“Sit down, butterfly,” he purred. Still contemplating bashing him over the head with the guitar, I lowered myself on the stool.
“Lover’s Eyes?” he asked. I nodded and tried to focus less on the ass sitting in front of me and more on not making an idiot of myself. I looked over at Mason and gave him a tight smile. He nodded his head at me and smiled back. I was sure he was just as curious as everyone else what this was going to sound like.
I closed my eyes and took myself back to Ash’s room and pictured us sitting on his bed and tried to relax. I allowed him to lead us in as I always did, and then I joined him, in both guitar and voice. I looked into his beautiful face and forgot being mad at him while we lost ourselves in each other and the song. By the first chorus, I had forgotten about the other people there and just let go. We sang to each other, lost in the magical melodic connection that we always seemed to produce. We cut the song short since in its original version was well over five minutes long. As we stopped playing, a hush fell over the crowd before a burst of applause shattered the silence and we even received a standing ovation from many of the people. I couldn’t believe it. My heart filled with joy at everyone’s positive reaction.
I slipped off the stool, gave a small curtsey, and put the guitar back in its case. I didn’t dare look at Ash during my exit, I turned off any emotion I felt for him. I would not allow him to ruin my night with Mason any more. People congratulated and complimented me as I walked back over to Mason’s table and I smiled and nodded my appreciation. I could hear Ash’s voice in the background singing, but my sole focus was on one rather large, pierced, tattooed, really fucking sexy rocker that was just a few feet in front of me.
Mason was standing with his feet slightly apart, his arms crossed in front of his chest, and his lips pressed together in a firm line. He sort of looked like a bouncer guarding entrance to the bar stool behind him. I walked straight up to him and looked into his charcoal eyes, everyone at the table was silent and focused in on the two of us. I had thought he wasn’t upset since he had been smiling and clapping, but all of a sudden, I was nervous that he was mad at me. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he said something.
“That was the fucking sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Mason growled. He grabbed both sides of my face in his hands and attacked my mouth and neck right there in front of everyone. Everyone started hooting and hollering and yelling lewd comments, and I couldn’t have cared in the least bit. When Mason’s lips were anywhere on my body, it was as if all brain functions except those centered around physical pleasure were temporarily paralyzed.
“I’m ready to go,” I whispered up into Mason’s ear between my panting breaths.
He chuckled and pressed his lips against my forehead, “We just got here, angel. You know what everyone would think?”
I looked around at the people near us. Everyone had resumed their conversations or making out or listening to the next guy up on stage. “I don’t care what they think. I don’t want to be here if he’s going to be. I’m really angry right now and I need you to help bring me back down… relieve some tension,” I looked up at him wantonly. “Please.”
“I could never deny you anything, Angel,” he said shaking his head at himself. “Especially if involves me and you and relieving tension.”
I kissed him. “Thank you, Rat.”
He threw his head back in a hearty laugh. “What am I going to do with you, you little musical, virtuous, angel?”
I scrunched my nose at his description of me. “I sound like I should be on top of a Christmas tree. Do I light up, too?”
He grabbed my hips and spun me around so I was facing the exit and my back was against his chest. “I made you light up on Tuesday and I plan on doing it again as soon as we get back to my place.” He kissed the center of the back of my neck and shivers ran down my body. I couldn’t wait.
Chapter 24
Saturday morning brought with it stormy weather, which I thought was ominous for the “talk” that Dylan and I were going to have later in the day. The night before with Mason had been just about perfect, minus the Ash hiccup. Back at his apartment, we spent hours exploring each other’s bodies and after my third orgasm, I passed out in his bed. I had no idea that someone touching the back of my knee and the palm of my hand could be such a turn-on. Waking up with him had been a little strange since the only guy I had shared a bed with was Ash... and Ash and I didn’t sleep together naked. So when I woke up in a foreign room, draped in heavy limbs, and looked down to see myself and a male body completely in the buff, I had a more-than-a-minor freak out until I recalled the events of the prior evening.
I wiggled out from under Mason’s body and went to the bathroom to get cleaned up and dressed. When I returned to his room, he was still dead asleep. I didn’t want to wake him, he looked so peaceful and innocent. Against my better judgment, I stripped out of the clothes that I had just put on and rejoined him in bed. The next time I woke up, it was to Mason’s tongue teasing the most sensitive parts of my body while his hand lightly traced patterns on the inside of my upper thighs.
After finally pulling ourselves from his bed, Mason took me back to my apartment with a promise to see each other again soon. I knew that at any time Mason could decide he didn’t want to continue to play along with this game that I was making the rules for. I had told myself to just enjoy any time that I did get with him, and after just our first three lessons, I had gained quite a bit of confidence while in bed with him. Mason had not once eluded or attempted to go all the way with me. He was respecting my wish to not go there, even though I could’ve easily been persuaded in the heat of the moment.
Saturday afternoon passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to take a shower and get ready for Dylan’s arrival. Where part of me thought I should get all dolled up so that Dylan could see what he would be missing, but in the end I threw on a gray camisole and some yoga pants. I was too tired to care. I did at least blow dry my hair and put a little mascara and lip gloss on so that I didn’t look completely awful. I wished that Evie would have been there to help calm my nerves with her always insightful advice, but she was spending the entire weekend at Max’s because he was going to be out of town the following week.
At five ‘til five, a knock on the door alerted me of Dylan’s arrival. I wiped my clammy palms on my cotton pants and went to let him in. Dylan looked as handsomely GQ as ever in his khakis and forest green golf shirt, even with the uncommon dark circles under his gloomy eyes. Despite what had happened or what was going to happen between the two of us, I hated seeing him so obviously stressed and strained. I immediately stepped towards him and we wrapped our arms around one another, neither of us saying a word. He squeezed me so tight that I thought he may had bruised a rib, but I didn’t dare complain.
After several minutes, we finally pulled apart and I led him to the sofa in the living area. I grabbed us both a bottle of water and then sat down on the couch, facing him with my legs tucked up underneath me.
“I’ve missed you, Dylan,” I said with a small smile.
“I’ve missed you too, Scarlett,” he returned the sentiment. “I’ve wanted to call so bad, but I just wasn’t sure what to say.”
“Well, let’s start with the truth. What happened last Saturday? Everything was going so good and then you just started acting weird and then you just left? No explanation… nothing.”
He looked around the room, obviously uncomfortable with my direct, to-the-point questions.
“Dylan, look at me,” I demanded. “I’m a big girl, I can handle it. Just tell me the truth.”
“Okay,” he exhaled loudly as he began. “I have been best friends with a girl named Jillian for the last few years. We met at freshman orientation, both non-native Texans, and we hit it off instantly. When we first met we were both in a serious relationship with someone from our respective home towns. The situation was perfect for us to be friends because we could hang out and have fun, and even though we were both attracted to one another, we respected and understood the difficulties of having a long distance relationship, so neither of us ever crossed the line. Well of course, neither of those relationships lasted, and then we each dated other people and somehow, we just never were both single at the same time.” He paused to take a drink. “I realized a long time ago that I was in love with her, but I was always too scared to act on it because I didn’t want lose her as a friend. So, I went on with life as did she.” Dylan ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.