Chapter 30
THIRTY
Nina
He steps up to the edge of the table, his strong hands finding my waist as he lifts me effortlessly and places me on the ground. My feet hit the floor, and I stare at him through a drunken haze.
Now isn’t the time to do this.
“It hurts to look at your face,” I tell him.
He nods, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he watches me.
“I need a drink.” I leave him at the edge of the dance floor and walk to the bar, trying my best to keep my feet steady.
“Vodka cranberry, please,” I ask the barman.
The guy to my left smiles down at me, and I grin wide. “Hi!”
The barman’s eyes move past me, and I spin to see Mase shaking his finger ‘no’ at him.
“Who do you think you are?” I turn back around. “Yes, to the vodka cranberry, thanks,” I say, shaking my head.
Does he think he can tell me what to do? He can’t.
“You can’t!” I mutter when he steps up beside me, and he frowns down at me.
The handsome son of a bitch.
“You and your friend put on quite a show up there,” the guy to my right tells me, drawing my attention to him.
“We did, huh!” I chuckle. “I’m Nina.”
“Nina,” Mason growls at my back.
“Ugh, what? Why are you here? Who phoned you? Was it you?” I evil eye the guy beside me, and he puts his hands up in defence.
“Cause he’s an asshole, he sold my studio, and I’m so mad at him I hate him,” I slur.
He smirks at me. He’s a pretty boy. I give him a wink, but both my eyes squint shut. “I need water,” I announce.
I turn to the bar and find a pint of water already waiting for me.
Mason leans in to speak into my ear. “We’re leaving. Where is your bag?”
“Get off me.” I swat him away. “I’m drunk, not stupid, and I remember everything you know, Mase. Like the night you sold my studio, then came home and stuck it in my—”
“Nina—”
“You little prick.” I gulp my water, leaning into the guy beside me who clearly finds this conversation fascinating. “Is isn’t little,” I whisper-shout, then frown as I notice my words slur. “It’s isn’t little.”
He throws his head back, laughing as the glass is taken from me, and I’m thrown over a strong shoulder.
“Oh, how original of you, Mase. You gonna fuck me in your office now?”
“Don’t tempt me.”
I don’t try to fight him as he carries me through the club, but we still manage to draw plenty of attention. Men eye Mason as if to say poor guy, and well, the women? They watch Mason too. I don’t blame them, but as if I’d allow him the ego boost right now.
“Don’t be fooled, girls; he’s completely shit in bed.” I hold up my pinkie, wiggling it at the group of ladies seated near the entrance.
Mason’s hand shifts, gripping me high on my left leg and dangerously close to my underwear.
He squeezes the smooth skin there, making me gasp and jolt in his hold.
He walks us out of the club and across the street to the Bentley. “You can put me down, you know. I won’t run away.”
I slide down his body. Every solid, hard inch of it. It has my body thrumming with want. But not need.
I don’t need this man.
Swallowing hard, I look up into his tired eyes, and I am instantly filled with worry. Has he been sleeping?
Why do I care?
“It’s kind of what you always do. Run.”
“That’s not fair.”
He looks off to the side, his jaw clenching. “Would you have come back? Are you going to come back?”
No.
“You’re always so grumpy, Mase. Lighten up. I did, and I feel great!” I go to tap his nose, but it ends up higher than I anticipated, and I catch him in the eye.
“Fuck,” he spews.
My face screws up in guilt, and I bare my teeth as I cringe. “I think I just need to go to bed.” I shake my head, giggling.
“Me fucking too! In!” He opens the passenger side door, and I slide inside.
Rounding the car, I see him rubbing at his eye, and it sets me off again. I snort through my nose before I start laughing uncontrollably.
“I used to think you were so beautiful when you laughed.” He shakes his head, turning the key in the ignition.
“I’m sorry, am I being a bitch?” I try to keep my face straight, but I’m too far gone and can’t control it.
“No, I—”
I snort again, cutting him off.
He shakes his head, not at all amused. “Jesus Christ.”
“I will st-op.”
“And now we have the hiccups,” he tuts.
“Oh, no,” I say, completely serious. “Not the hi-cups.”
I can see Mason’s smile, but I can only feel pure panic.
“Lexie Grey’s mum died of th-e hiccups.”
“Who?”
“Just a friend.” I wave him off.
“You’re not going to die, Nina,” he tells me.
“That’s what they told Lexie’s mum!”
Closing my eyes, I take a big breath in and hold it. I can feel his eyes on me, but I need to get rid of my hiccups so I don’t dare look at him.
“Breathe, Nina, Jesus Christ! You will die if you hold your breath for too long.” He cups the back of my head, and I snap my eyes open, instantly getting lost in his.
There is so much between us, so much in that one look.
I don’t know how we could ever be done. How do you walk away from someone who’s impacted you so profoundly and in such a short space of time? A little over two months. It’s all it took, and I am head over heels in love with him.
“Why do you have to hurt me, Mase?” I ask, looking at him through my lashes.
“Pix.”
“Take me home.” I turn my head, pulling from his grip and looking out the window.
I just need my bed.
My mouth is dry when I wake, and my head pulses as if it has its own heartbeat.
Sitting up, I notice I am in my pyjamas, but I don’t remember getting dressed. I don’t remember anything after Mason picked me up.
Mason.
He brought me home.
Climbing from the bed, I make the short walk to the kitchen, spotting two socked feet hanging off the end of my sofa. My tiny kidney-shaped sofa. I should feel sorry for him—I don’t.
I fill a glass with water as quietly as I can, then peek over the top of the counter.
“Hi,” I squeak out when I find him staring up at me.
“You’re up early. Considering the state you were in last night.” He pops a brow as if I need reminding.
“I needed water. You slept out here?”
He sits himself up, reaching for his T-shirt. It gives me the perfect view of his chiselled abs as they ripple beneath his tan skin. “Yeah, you told me to.”
“I did?”
Drunk Nina is smart. I give her an internal high five.
“You don’t remember?”
“No,” I answer warily, not sure if I want to know.
He snickers, shaking his head. “I’m going to go. Do you need anything?”
“You’re leaving?”
My body feels tired, and I have no idea what time it is. This hangover might just be the death of me today.
He frowns, raking his eyes over me. “You want me to stay?”
I shrug. “I have questions.”
“I know that,” he says with pity in his tone.
“Will you answer them?”
“Will you ever trust me without answers?”
“No.” I shake my head vehemently. “I deserve better than that.”
He steps forward, cupping my face in his sprawled hand. I lean into the touch. I have missed him so much these last few days.
How would it feel to miss him forever?
His thumb brushes my cheek as he searches my eyes. “Walk away, my beautiful girl. Please.” Leaning in, he kisses the space between my brows, his soft lips lingering there for a beat before stepping away.
He slips on his shoes, and then he’s gone.
Mase
It’s Saturday night and the guys are at my place tonight.
Elliot’s neighbour is getting married, and he’s been asked to be the best man.
Ridiculous if you ask me. The only reason they’re friends is because they go out picking up women together.
That and the fact Elliot is game for pretty much fucking anything.
It’s why I know the stag he is attempting to plan is going to be an absolute shit show.
They’re here to finalise the details, and honestly, if this was my stag, I already know Nina would have my balls.
I let that thought settle. Marriage. I never wanted it before now.
Why would I want a piece of paper that tied me to someone for life?
It always seemed like a pointless tradition, but now?
Now I would scour the ends of the earth for the last remaining tree if it meant getting that piece of paper.
Being with Nina and feeling the contentment she brings, I suppose at some point marriage became inevitable with her. Not an option, just necessary.
“Tits, he loves big tits.”
“Find me a man who doesn’t.” Lance waggles his brows at Elliot over the top of the laptop.
“Lowell, what was the one in Soho called?” Lance asks.
“Vue’s,” I offer.
Vue’s is a high-end strip joint in the West End. It offers some of the best dancers in the city. Again, Nina would have my balls if she heard me say that out loud.
Elliot snaps his finger to Lance. “Write that down. The girls were fucking good in there.”
I sit and peel the sticker off my bottle, thinking about Nina and the look on her face when I left the other morning.
I already know I won’t stay away, even if she wants me to.
“You spoke to her?” Charlie asks.
He’s sprawled out on my sofa, still in his suit. You’ll rarely catch him in anything else.
Charlie has known me for years. There used to be nothing he didn’t know, but that changed last year. He’s probably still pissed at me, but I wouldn’t take it back, even if that meant I took the blame and suffered the consequences.
“Yeah, she went to Melders Tuesday night. Jim called me.”
He nods his head, his lips pressed into a thin line. “I presume you didn’t sort things out?”
Elliot and Lance are hyping each other up about the stag, bouncing ludicrous ideas around and not paying us any attention. I nod my head to the kitchen and stand, Charlie following behind.
“I don’t know, Aldridge.” I cross my arms over my chest, resting my head back against the fridge.
“Nina had a shitty time growing up. She built the studio from nothing to a fully functioning business, and then I came in and fucked it all up. I don’t know how she will get over me selling her studio, and to taint her with the truth unnecessarily seems wrong when she already has the twisted shit that she does in her head. ”