4. Chapter 4
Jinx
A thrill of excitement and fear races through me as soon as Mason approaches our table.
Weirdly, my hands get clammy, too. We hadn’t planned to go out to eat tonight, but I insisted, so Julien made us reservations.
I may have left out the part about what happened earlier today, not in the mood for lectures.
I also made sure I looked my best. Why do I even care?
My mind is trying to resist, but my soul is tugging me toward him.
Fuck, he looks hot in a suit. His wavy hair is perfect, and I imagine running my fingers through it, but I shut the visual down. I need to put it out of my head. It’s curiosity that’s driving me. It has to be. I want nothing to do with men.
Before I can say anything, he and Julien start chatting it up.
“I’m Mason Vitali,” he says, spreading his arms with a proud smile. “This place is mine, and I welcome you. Are you new to Durango?”
“Julien Kendrick. Actually, we’ve eaten here before.”
“Indeed? Well, welcome back then.”
“Thanks. Yeah, we moved here two and a half years ago. I just opened up my ranch for horse training. We’ve hired an amazing trainer out of Dallas, Texas.”
Mason’s brows rise to his hairline. “You do? Interesting because I’ve lost my trainer, and I have a filly coming in the spring.”
Julien pulls out his wallet and hands him a business card. “Sugar-Sweet Ranch,” Mason reads. “I’ve heard about you. I hope you don’t mind me saying that you seem… awfully young.”
Julien smiles at that. “Yeah, we get that a lot. But I’m pretty smart.
I’ve been working on my education as well, but I won’t be doing the training myself.
I also have the financial backing to hire the best.” He takes Aleks’s hand and kisses the top.
“This is my fiancé, Aleks. We’re getting married in January.
It’ll be an intimate wedding in Siena, Italy, in the Tuscan region.
He also helps out with the horses while he gets his vet tech degree. ”
Mason nods politely. “It’s a pleasure, Aleks.”
“Thanks, nice meeting you.”
Julien waves at me. “This is Jinx. He’s also taking classes online, but he’s amazing at helping with the horses.”
Mason’s hazel eyes land on me, his smile never leaving his face. “Yes, Jinx and I met today, actually. It’s nice to see you again. Did you get your phone fixed?”
“You broke your phone?” Aleks asks me.
“Mr. Vitali did,” I say, turning my attention back to Mason. “Ah, yeah. Got it done in a couple of hours.”
“Excellent. I assure you, it was an accident.”
It wasn’t an accident when you cornered, controlled, and propositioned me. It wasn’t an accident that I gave in so easily.
“And these two are Foxy and Tink. They moved here this summer. Everyone here helps with the ranch, but we’re all family,” Julien continues.
Mason greets my old friends, and then his eyes land on me again.
I’m struggling not to fidget, and I’m getting fucking sweaty, which is super uncomfortable when wearing a suit and tie.
I wasn’t sure what I’d accomplish by coming here.
Maybe this wasn’t such a hot idea. I feel like he can see right through me, and I’m desperately trying not to squirm.
Before we can talk further, our server steps up to the table to take our order.
Mason nods his head in a slight bow. “Gentlemen, please enjoy your dinner,” he says before addressing the server. “Their meals are on me, Henry.”
“Yessir.”
Everyone thanks him, but me.
With one more glance my way, Mason walks away.
I’m not sure what I expected when I came here, but this wasn’t it.
Hell, I didn’t even expect him to be working tonight, only hoped.
I should let him walk away. I should never talk to him again.
Instead, I remove my napkin from my lap and place it on the table.
“I need to use the restroom. Order me the ragù napoletano,” I tell them and chase after Mason, who’s heading toward the back.
I quickly reach him and slip my hand into the crook of his elbow. “Can we talk?”
He glances down at my hand, then at me. “I’m busy, Jinx.”
“Please?” I inwardly cringe at my begging and let his arm go.
He lets out a heavy sigh and nods. “Very well, this way.”
I follow him toward the back and into a spacious office. He locks the door behind us and waves to one of the cushioned leather chairs. “Have a seat.”
Mason sits across from me and drapes a long leg over the other.
He’s relaxed, while I’m stiff and tense.
Now that I’ve got him alone, I’m drawing a blank.
I can’t find words. Fuck, I’m not even sure what the fuck I’m doing.
His eyes never leave me, while I look at anything but him.
I feel him probing into my soul, I swear.
“If we’re going to sit in silence, you’re wasting my time. I really need to get back onto the floor.”
“I… I don’t know why I’m here.”
He smiles and adjusts the thick gold ring on his middle finger. “That’s probably the most truthful thing you’ve said to me since we met.”
The urge to clap back is strong, but I shut up and stare at my hands resting on my lap.
He observes me, waiting for me to speak. I want to ask him all these questions, but I can’t get them out. Weird, considering I never stop talking.
With a sigh, he stands. “I have to get back.”
Panic swirls in me as I scramble to say something, anything. God, I should just let him go and move on, but Gwen’s words are ringing too loudly in my ears. Maybe she was right.
“Wait!” I yell and stand as he reaches for the door.
He makes his way over to me like a damn panther, and I take an instinctual step back.
Like earlier, he rests his hand on my throat, right under my jaw, and looks deeply into my eyes.
“I want to say no to you. I should say no. But those eyes… those freckles…” He sighs again and drops his hand.
“Are you needed at your ranch this weekend?”
“I can take some time off.”
“I’ll send my car for you on Friday afternoon. You’ll stay with me for two days, and I’ll have my driver take you home on Sunday. Pack lightly.” Mason stands closer to me, allowing me to inhale his spice and pepper. “I expect you to be on your best behavior, Jinx. I don’t play games.”
“Is this about sex?”
“It can be if you wish, but we don’t have to. That choice is up to you. We’ll talk more in detail when we meet again.”
Is he giving me a choice? I try not to overthink it and nod. “Okay.”
It’s Friday night. Finally, I’ve been impatient and nervous as fuck for the past three days. I stand on the porch, watching the shiny, rust-colored Aston Martin Vantage pull to a stop in front of the house.
“Fucking show off,” I mumble to myself.
“You sure about this?” Aleks asks.
Thank god, Julien isn’t home. Otherwise, he’d talk me out of this. But I can tell Aleks anything. We’ve held onto each other’s secrets since we were kids.
“Yep.” No.
Still, I fucking lie to him. What else can I do? I don’t have any answers for him.
“You know, older men only want one thing from younger guys.”
“God, you sound like me. Anyway, we don’t know that for sure,” I insist. “He said there could be sex if I wanted it, but it’s not on the table for right now.”
Aleks stands in front of me with folded arms and narrows his eyes. “You and I both know that it’s about sex. Men lie and manipulate all the time to get what they want. And stop lying to yourself and me. If you do this, go into it being true to your heart.”
I huff at him. “I’m not lying. But I’m not going to pretend I know for sure what he wants. Besides, it’s just sex, if that’s all it is.”
He rests a gentle hand on my shoulder. “And Julien told you to take it easy. You don’t need to be with someone all the time. Besides, I thought you were done with guys after everything that happened to us.”
How do I explain to him that I’m curious as fuck about Mason?
I don’t know what I plan to do or what decisions I’m going to make until then.
I may be nervous, but I’m not scared. Do I trust him?
Hell no. But I have this need to know for sure if I’m right.
It’s so strong, like an itch I can’t reach, but I’m desperate to scratch because I know this is more than just about sex.
I want to know why I gave in to him so easily that day.
Or why I chased him in his restaurant. I just can’t put that into words to make Aleks understand, and it doesn’t make me look like I’m uselessly chasing dead ends.
“It’s fine,” I say, brushing past him. “Don’t wait up, Mom.”
“Be careful!” he calls out behind me.
With a sigh, I turn around and give Aleks a wave and a smile I don’t feel. He tried to save me once when we were kids. He’s a good soul, and I need to stop being such a dick to everyone I love.
A man steps out and opens the car door to the back for me. “Evening, Mr. Jinx,” he says.
“Hey.”
It’s not really an appropriate car for the high mountains, which get tons of snow, and we’re getting some this weekend, but it’s fucking fire.
Living with Julien and Aleks, I’ve gotten used to wealth and just buying whatever we need without scrimping and saving every single penny.
It’s not mine, but Julien pays me tons to help out around here while I take my online college classes, which he also pays for.
Not to mention, he filled up my savings account a couple of years back.
He didn’t have to, but he’s a fucking saint like that.
We wind through the mountains; trees bare of leaves except for the evergreens. The early evening is cloudy, showing that we’re not getting out of the snowfall. I like snow, so it’s never bothered me.
After driving for nearly thirty minutes, the car pulls up in front of a huge house.
It’s modern and rectangular, full of stone, rustic wood, and glass, not unlike his restaurant.
Some contemporary homes are ugly, but this one is actually nice.
Oddly, it blends against the mountain backdrop despite its sharp lines.