Chapter 6 #2
I sit and scroll through my phone, wondering whether I can text Luce now to save me. The thought gives me pause, and I look up at Joey. He hasn’t done anything wrong; he just doesn’t understand where my head is at. And maybe that’s on me.
Once he’s sitting back down, I prepare myself, searching for the right words to say to him.
“So, I wanted to apologise for last week, and you should know I’ve forgiven you,” he says.
What?
He forgives me?!
I swallow the anger bubbling up in my throat. “Sorry, you forgive me for what exactly?”
He seems surprised, his brows dropping low. “For leaving with that dickhead who hit me.”
I sit back in my seat, trying to mask my annoyance.
“Joey, you need to understand something, and I’m sorry for putting it so bluntly, but I’m not interested in anything other than a friendship with you.
And, who I spend time with has absolutely nothing to do with you.
I certainly don’t want your forgiveness. ”
“Oh, of course. I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought… you know. You didn’t know him so…”
“As I said, it’s really not your business. I’m sorry for everything that happened in the club and the way things ended.” I pause. “You did hit him first, though, Joey. You almost hit me.”
He runs his hand over his face. “I know. I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”
My shoulders sag, feeling better now I’ve been honest with him. “It’s fine. It’s done now. Let’s just move on from it.” I give a half smile, feeling awkward and wanting to wrap things up.
“Yeah, sure, and I’m sorry again.” He steeples his hands, resting them against his mouth, a pensive look on his face.
My knee bounces under the table, my patience wearing thin. “What is it?”
“I have a huge favour to ask, and you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.
I feel like I’ve screwed things up to be honest, and I probably shouldn’t ask, but you are kind of perfect for it.
” He watches me for a reaction, but I keep my face stoic.
“I have a unit coming up in my course that looks at the art of dance. We are required to capture it in images. I’m hoping you can help me? ”
My brows rise involuntarily, not expecting what he has said at all. I should say no. But it’s dance, and it’s what I know. He has me intrigued, and I can’t help but want to know more.
“What are you studying?” I ask.
Joey’s face drops, and I bristle in my seat. Crap! I’m presuming he’s told me before, and it only makes me feel worse.
“Photography. The gallery I work at will display the prints as well, so it’s great publicity for you and the company.”
It does sound good. My classes are mostly full, but I have room for more. And I want more. I want to grow the business more than anything else.
I grab a pen from my bag and start to scribble my email down on the napkin. “Could you send me some more details? It sounds really—”
“Like you’re trying to piss me off,” Mason’s voice comes out a growl at my back.
My pen falls to the floor as I spin in my seat, my eyes going wide when I find him standing behind me.
The man makes me feel unhinged.
A mixture of anger and elation that he’s shown up stirs in my gut, and it’s somewhat frustrating—but mostly intriguing.
Today’s suit is black pinstripe, and I momentarily allow myself to imagine the pleasure it would bring me to remove every single piece of it, right down to his tie pin.
My eyes move to his beautiful face. His jaw is locked tight, his lips mashed in a thin line.
“Out now,” he barks, and although it’s meant for me, his eyes are fixed on Joey.
If looks could kill, Joey would be in a box on the way to the morgue. To his credit, he doesn’t cower down to Mason. He sits tall.
A laugh bubbles in my throat, and I try to find the right words as I’m bamboozled by Mason’s balls. I mean, they must be pretty freaking huge at this point. “Who do you thin—”
“Don’t speak to her like that! You can’t tell her what to do,” Joey’s voice rises, shaking with anger.
“Nina. Out. Now,” Mason snarls over my head.
I recoil at his words once again. “No! Both of you stop. This is getting ridiculous.” They will be brawling in the damn coffee shop in a minute.
I stand, picking up my bag. “Look, Joey, here is my email, just send me—”
Mason snatches the napkin from my hand, balling it up before claiming my wrist in his grip. He pulls me through the coffee shop and out the door.
“Mason!” I fume. “Let go of me!” I fight against him, but his hold is too strong.
“You’ll damn well listen to me,” he spits.
“No. I won’t. Mase, let go of my arm now,” I warn.
He pulls open the door to the back of the Audi, then looks down at where I stand beside him. His forehead creases as his eyes search my face. “Please,” he asks, closing his eyes briefly and pulling in a breath before loosening his hold on me. “Get in the car.”
Ripping my arm away, I turn to and stand toe to toe with him. “I’m getting in the car because I deserve an explanation, not because I want to spend another second with you—and you should be thankful that I’m even giving you the opportunity.”
I duck down and step into the car, the door slamming shut as I turn to look at Vinny in the driver’s seat. Whipping my head around, I see Mason striding back across the street and towards the café.
Shit! I go to open the door, and the lock clicks.
“Vinny, No! You didn’t see him in there. He is fucking wild,” I cry, adrenaline making my hand tremble on the handle.
“Mason is only acting out of concern for you, and keeping you out of harm’s way. You need to trust him,” Vinny replies flatly.
I widen my eyes at him. He has gone mad. “Vinny, please.” I try to reason with him. “You go then, and I’ll wait here. But please do something. One of them is going to get hurt.”
He doesn’t budge, doesn’t answer me, doesn’t even acknowledge I’m in the car. I sit staring in the direction Mase went, waiting for him to reappear.
It’s only a few minutes later that he emerges from the café, his face like stone and muscles taut as he strides towards me, looking every bit of the god that he is. I scoot across the seat as he yanks open the door and squeezes in next to me.
He doesn’t say a word, his knee brushing mine as he widens his legs, sinking deeper into the leather. His tongue runs across the front of his teeth, and he sits, staring straight ahead.
“What the fuck was that!” I yell as Vinny pulls out into traffic.
“Don’t.” Mason raises his finger in the air, nodding towards Vinny.
“Vinny doesn’t give a shit! He clearly knows what a headcase you are!” I proclaim, my anger getting the better of me.
His nostrils flare as he continues to try and calm himself. I don’t think I’m helping the situation, but I’m not about to roll over and take his bullshit. He runs his hand back and forth across his mouth, his silence only heightening my annoyance.
“I only met up with him to apologise and make sure he was okay. Why did you have to make such a big deal about it, and why do you even care?” I ask.
His glare turns on me. “You went to apologise? For what?”
“Everything that happened on Friday night. Your friend Elliot made a fool of him at the bar, and then you ended up choking him and—”
“He almost hit you! You…” His hands ball into fists as he pauses, shaking his head. “You don’t know him, Nina. You need to be more careful.”
“I don’t fucking know you, Mason! But you seem to think I should obey your every command.”
“You’re right. You don’t know me,” he scoffs. “You’ve just confirmed my point exactly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I squint at him.
“Well, it didn’t take a lot to get you to go home with me, did it?”
Did he just say that?
I hear Vinny tut in the front seat, obviously a lot fucking smarter than his boss. “Vinny, take me back to the studio, please.”
Mason’s head snaps between us. “What now?”
I stare out the window, not wanting to speak or look at him when he can so easily cut me with his words. He came to me last Friday at the club, not the other way around. He came to me at the studio this week, and he came to the café today. For him to sit and judge me on my actions is infuriating.
Wait.
I whip my head around to face him. “How did you know where I was?”
He averts his eyes to the front of the car, it’s quick, but I don’t miss it. I look to Vinny, but his eyes are focused on the road.
“You followed me?” I shout.
“Vinny was in the area and saw you, then notified me,” Mason says dismissively as if it isn’t weird.
“Why? Why would he do that?” I frown.
Mason sighs, running his hand through his hair. “Because I asked him to,” he mutters, his head dropping back against the seat.
“Unbelievable! Do you have any idea how fucked up this is?”
“Watch your language,” he scolds me.
“Fuck yo—”
Before I can finish, he unbuckles my seat belt and tugs me across the seat to straddle him. One hand finds my hip while the other glides up my neck.
“I do what I do so that I know you are safe. I have an overwhelming need to protect you, Nina, and I won’t apologise for it,” he whispers, quiet enough that Vinny can’t hear. His eyes skim every inch of my face as if he can’t pick a feature to settle on.
“I want to take you out.” His features soften, his thumb stretching up to brush across my cheek.
“Please, don’t fight me on this. This isn’t me.
” He shakes his head, his eyes resolute.
“You make me fucking crazy.” The feel of his fingers flexing against my hips makes me shudder.
“Give me a chance to show you.” He licks at his bottom lip, his mouth so close I can almost taste him.
“One more night. If you still hate me after that, then I’ll leave you alone. ”
I sit back on his lap. “Like a date?”
“You can call it whatever you want.”
I bite my lip to hide my smile. “I don’t hate you, Mason.”
He smirks, all cocky, and although I love the way he is looking at me, the way he feels beneath me, I know I need to make this harder for him.