Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
JULIET
M ason looked at me like I had two heads. He set his spoon in his bowl carefully and sat back, folding his hands in front of him as he stared at me.
“Jules, if you think I could stand by and watch you get hurt, you don’t know me very well.” “You didn’t just stop me from getting hurt. You risked yourself for me.”
It didn’t make sense. He could have been killed. It was a miracle we weren’t in the ER right now.
“Juliet, I think it’s pretty obvious I’m crazy about you. Have been since the night we met. Even if you don’t feel the same way, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
My jaw dropped open. A moment later, I shook my head. No, this wasn’t right. I was reading more into this thanI should.
“You don’t have to pretend to like me,” I said. “I know leaving like I did was a shitty thing to do, but I wasn’t playing hard to get. I was embarrassed. I’ve never done anything like that.”
It was Mason’s turn to look stunned, his jaw falling open.
“You think I’m pretending to like you? Juliet, what the hell?” He sounded almost angry. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“Mason, I see how you are with all the girls at work. You’re a flirt–I get it. As soon as you get me back into bed, you’ll forget all about me, and we’ll still have to work together. I don’t want to get my heart broken and then have to see you flirting with other girls every day,” I said.
Now he didn’t just sound angry–he looked angry.
“What do you mean, how I am with all the girls ?“ he demanded.
I tried not to sigh.
“Like today with the cookies and the whole naughty list thing?”
“I brought cookies for everyone, not just the girls, because it sucks having to work on Christmas and I was trying to do something nice. There was no ulterior motive. I even gave them out to the stage techs.”
He sat back, looking hurt. He shook his head sadly.
“I had no idea you thought so little of me. Damn,” Mason said. “Let me be clear. I liked you the moment I saw you. You were the first girl I’d brought home in over a year, and it sucked waking up to find you gone. I tried asking around to see if anyone knew who you were, but all I had to go on was a first name and that you worked in entertainment. I thought I won the lottery when we met at rehearsal because it gave me a second chance at getting to know you. You’re incredible, Juliet, and any guy would be lucky to have you. But to hear you think I’m just some douche collecting notches on my bedpost? Well, I’ll get out of your hair. You can let me know if you still need Damian to take the dog to the vet tomorrow.”
With that, he stood up so suddenly the tree rocked as the table wobbled. I stared at Mason, mouth agape, having no idea how to respond to a word he just said, but knowing I couldn’t let him leave. He was almost to the door, and I still sat there like a dead fish with my mouth open.
“Wait!” I blurted as he reached for the door handle, shoving myself to my feet. I closed the space between us without any plan at all, my hand fisting in his t-shirt because I didn’t know where I could touch him without hurting him.
“Please, don’t go!”
“If you really think so little of me, I’m sure you want me out of your apartment,” Mason said, shaking his head.
But my brain was still trying to catch up with reality, turning over the past few weeks in my mind.
Had he been flirting with everyone, or had he just been being friendly and I read too much into it because I was trying to protect myself? Had I seen bad intentions where there had been none?
“I... I may have misjudged you,” I said finally, but Mason’s harsh facial expression didn’t change.
“Yeah, you fucking did,” he said, trying to dislodge my grip on his shirt, but I only clenched tighter. Now that I knew the truth, I couldn’t let him leave.
How had I gotten it so wrong?
The silence stretched between us, heavy and awkward.
“Let go, Jules,” Mason finally said, quietly. The disappointment in his voice crushed my heart like a vise. “No,” I said without hesitation. If I let go, he’d leave, and I’d never have the chance to fix this. But I also didn’t have the slightest clue how to do that either.
At a loss for words, I did the only thing I could think of. I kissed him.
At first, he stiffened against me, rigid with shock, but I didn’t let go, I didn’t pull back. If anything, I tightenedmy grip on his shirt and snaked my free arm around his neck.
Then he kissed me back, and it was everything I’d remembered and tried so hard to forget. His tongue slid against my lips, and I melted for him, opening my mouth and welcoming him in. His mouth was so soft, his touch so tender–a stark contrast to the hard planes of muscle that pressed against my front.
That was all the warning I got before he hauled me up against his chest, lifting my feet clean off the ground. Without thinking, I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding tight as he carried me across the room toward my bed. I vaguely registered the clack of the dog’s nails on my hardwood floor, but she was forgotten about just as soon as Mason laid me back on the bed. He crouched over me, those green eyes glimmering in the light of the Christmas tree as he stared down at me.
“I want to be clear about something,” he said, his voice low and firm. “We do this–you’re mine, and we give us a real shot. No more of this thinking I’m a playboy or pushing me away crap. We give this a real chance. And if it doesn’t work out, we talk about it like adults and be professional at work. Okay?”
I nodded, panting for breath.
“Words, Juliet. I need to hear you say it.”
“Okay.”
That was all I got out before Mason kissed me again, stealing my breath away.