Three
“So, whilst I love our little catch-ups, lads, we’d like to get back to our evening, so if you could find another couple to torture, that would be great,” I rambled out dismissively. My eyes flicked briefly over at Mason, who still sat there in silence like a terrifying apparition. He looked huge , even in his seated position.
I didn’t have to wait long. My words had obviously pulled the tiger’s tail. Drat.
“You should get a medal for having to put up with that mouth Alex, does she ever shut the fuck up?” Mason said, his voice much more booming than the other two.
Alex shifted uncomfortably and sipped his drink.
“Ignore him, Alex, you don’t have to answer,” I put in on his behalf, knowing that he wouldn’t want to lock horns with Mason. It appeared I was the only one that stupid.
“Fuck me, she even answers for you. Guess we know who wears the jeans there then,” Mason drawled with insulting ease, a lopsided smile on his face. I wanted to scratch him and mark that perfection.
“Piss off, Mason,” I responded with a sigh, rejecting all thoughts about his toned body and chiselled jaw.
He grunted, his eyes now glittering like two pools of promise.
“You got to first base with her yet Alex? I imagine not,” Seth slotted in with a leering expression.
“Look, we don’t want any trouble,” Alex said, ignoring the question and suddenly growing a pair. I was impressed. He turned in his seat slightly so he was half facing the trio, but his pose was still defensive.
“Then answer the question?” Seth shot back.
“It’s none of your business,” Alex snapped at Seth, who was of course the youngest and least threatening brother.
Mason suddenly grew in his seat; he’d taken Alex’s words personally.
“What did you say to me princess?” he volleyed back on his brother’s behalf with a half-amused, half-annoyed expression. Oh, dear.
“ Please , just leave us alone,” I interjected, wanting to draw the heat off Alex. He gave me a thankful look .
Those dark penetrative eyes of the meanest McKenna were now pinned on me again. “I prefer your voice when you beg Amy, it’s less shrill.”
I had been dealing with this boy’s bullshit my entire life and I was getting tired of it. I took a sip of wine before shooting him a look. “I wasn’t begging, I was asking you to leave, in a polite way. Like civilised people do. We are not all animals .” His face darkened at my reference.
“You’re like a fucking broken record. You need some new material sweetheart.”
I placed my glass back on the table harder than I intended and the white liquid sloshed, mirroring my insides. “ Don’t call me that. I’d rather eat my own eyeballs than be your sweetheart.”
Mason swirled the liquid around his beer, briefly dropping his gaze before lifting those eyes back to tangle with mine.
“You wouldn’t last a day with me Amy,” he said with a mean curl to his lip. I so wasn’t enjoying this conversation. They had all spoiled my night with Alex and then some.
“The thought of spending a day in your company, would be like the death sentence,” I rattled back. I was in good form and I surprised myself. Especially considering Alex was there and there were three of them.
Mason ignored me and turned his attention toward Alex again which wasn’t good.
“Don’t you ever feel the urge to gag her Alex?”
I choked out a laugh and answered before Alex could respond. He’d gone terribly pale.
“I don’t think so. It’s not our style.”
“I imagine you never get the urge to do anything with her,” Mason shot back, ignoring me; his focus still on Alex. Cheeky git, was he trying to say I was unattractive?
His gaze swung to mine, a deep chuckle coming from his chest. His sexy eyes now hooded.
“Not everyone is as kinky as you are Mason,” I said dryly.
“Really, how boring,” he replied before pressing his lips together .
The guy was sinfully gorgeous and under any other circumstances, it would have been easy to flirt with him.
“Nothing about our relationship is boring. We understand each other. Ours is a two-way street.” I inwardly cringed at how dull my reply made us sound.
“I seriously doubt that. Bet you bend over and take it from her all the time. That should be the other way around Alex, you should have put her in her place from the get-go,” Mason said, his narrowed gaze on my boyfriend. The other boys laughed in unison, trading dirty grins.
I diverted my eyes to Alex, who looked like he was going to throw up again.
As I digested Mason’s words, I realised how outdated his view of a relationship was, but then I’d always known the McKenna’s were overbearing alpha-types. A breed I despised. They belonged in the books I read for escapism. I enjoyed reading about them, but that content wasn’t something I’d want in real life. Funny really, as I hadn’t really thought about that until lately.
Batting away his attempt to ‘little woman’ me, I said, “Put me in my place, you’re from the dark ages, Mason. I’m not like the women you associate with. I have a mind of my own.”
Annoyance flashed across his features. “At least let the boy answer one fucking question by himself.”
“Alex is too much of a pussy obviously,” Seth McKenna suddenly chimed in and Boyd barked out a laugh. They were all bullies.
His words did push Alex to reply. He now looked quite annoyed, an expression he rarely wore.
“I can speak for myself. As Amy said. We’re in a proper relationship; give and take, as it should be.” Alex then leaned his head toward me and added, “I need to get my wallet from the car.”
There was a beat of silence as everyone concentrated on their drinks and awaited Mason’s comeback.
“That’s the way it is with me lad, although I give and she takes.”
His smug look sent a slither of annoyance to snake up my spine and I sat up straight in my seat .
“I think you’ve just sunk even lower in my estimations Mason. Did you take lessons in how to be insulting?” A crack unfortunately split my voice, making my words sound weak.
He quirked his head and rolled his shoulders again before necking his beer. Seth and Boyd were doing a looking back and forth thing between us, and I knew it was time to leave. The atmosphere crackled with awkwardness.
Drat, I had to wait for Alex to fetch money, as I’d left my cash card in my other purse by mistake. I was a modern girl; I didn’t expect the boy to get the bill all the time.
Alex finished his drink and stood up. I could see from his body language that he was upset, extremely so.
“Will you be, OK?” he whispered down, shooting the McKenna boys a wary look.
I smiled warmly, “Of course. I can handle it.”
He looked relieved, “I’ll go and pay the bill and then we can head back to mine if you want?” he declared, before negotiating his way cagily around the McKenna boys. He didn’t give them any attention, and I attempted to do the same as I dragged my bag onto my lap. Preparing to follow him.
“What the fuck for?” Seth chuckled as Alex passed him.
The McKenna lads all glanced at each other, sharing a silent message. They obviously didn’t like Alex either, but so what.
I wore an adoring smile as I watched my boyfriend walk away. I could feel Mason watching me. What the hell was his problem? Oh yes, me!
I was now alone with the three of them. It was like the stuff nightmares were made from.
I cleared my throat and rested my hands on the table, suddenly feeling unable to stand. Mason was staring at me over the rim of his bottle of beer. His expression was intense. It was unnerving. He didn’t usually stare so much. It made me feel like I had something on my face. His jaw was so solid, a man could break his fist on it.
I’d wait until I saw Alex come back into the pub before I moved. I didn’t want them thinking they had won anything by us leaving early. However, I still needed to fill the silence until he came back, either that or should I have high-tailed it out of there ?
“So, not as if I care, but when is the prodigal son home?” I asked, now eyeballing Mason.
“Why do you ask, if you don’t care?” he responded dryly.
“So, I can hide Jenna.” This I said with a fair amount of force.
Seth dropped his hands from their position behind his head and Boyd snickered and muttered under his breath, “Good luck with that.”
Seth looked down and concentrated on his drink.
Mason cradled the beer against his chest and hooked his chin at me. “If Nixon wants Jenna back, you won’t be able to hide her Amy. He’s a resourceful man. He’ll tear your house apart. The guy gets off on conflict, you know that.”
I wrinkled my nose and turned in my seat to face him. “Exactly, he’s obviously twisted, which is why I don’t want him anywhere near my family.”
Mason scratched his jaw with the hand that held his beer and shot me a thoughtful look.
“As Seth said, good luck with that?” he echoed.
I puffed out a breath, frustration starting to tangle inside me. “Well, when is he expected back?” If I knew that, I could prepare the family. Although saying that, he’d probably be back after my parents had left for holiday. Drat. It would be harder to prepare ourselves without adults there. And preparation was essential to avoid a potential attack.
All three McKenna’s remained mute and I wanted to shake the answer from Mason.
“Well?” I prompted.
“In a couple of days,” he replied in a flat, bored voice.
Shit! So soon? I sucked in a sharp breath.
“You suddenly look like you’re going to throw up Amy. As I keep saying, do yourself a favour, and stay the fuck out of it?”
God, he was annoying and had such a messed-up opinion about the whole matter.
“Don’t you dare blame me, I’m not the one who turned up at our house drunk and making threats. She didn’t want to see him, and he should have respected that.”
His next words could have floored me. “People behave out of character when they’re in pain. ”
“In pain my arse. You can keep trying to see the good in him Mason, but it won’t change who he is. In pain? More, like not wanting to lose face.”
Boyd suddenly cut in again, supporting his brother.
“As Mase says, stay out of our business you interfering little bitch.” His voice was quite aggressive and a chill ran through me. Mason quirked a look at his brother with tapered eyes. Did I imagine it or was he angry with the way Boyd had spoken to me? I shook off the ridiculous notion. As if.
“Maybe we should go, she looks like she’s going to burst into tears,” Seth put in with a concerned expression. Wow, a caring gesture. Finally, a McKenna I could get on board with.
“Go and wait for me at the car, both of you? And send the message that there’s a fight at ours, Friday night,” Mason ordered, dismissing his flock.
Seth and Boyd exchanged a look and opened their mouths as if they were going to respond, but then thought better of it. I found it interesting that he had mentioned that a fight was going ahead at his place in front of me. He was usually cloak and dagger about that shit. I remained silent and filed that fact away. My shutter button finger used on my camera, was suddenly trigger-happy. I’d love to get photographic evidence of the fight. For possible future blackmail attempts as well as creativity.
“Fine,” Seth huffed, taking his brother’s empty bottle along with his own, and depositing them on the table I was still foolishly sitting at. Where the hell was Alex?
The thought of being alone in a secluded corner of the pub with Mason sent a zoo of butterflies to riot in my stomach.
Both the younger McKenna boys had pushed from their seats like they belonged in the military. I was surprised they didn’t salute. Fucking monkeys. Leaving their stools exactly where they were, they then made their way down the room toward the exit.
“So, back to the boyfriends. He on a promise tonight?” Mason, drawled, his gaze roaming up and down my body. Well, the bit he could see above the table. It made me want to cross my arms over my chest. Thinking of him looking at that area started a churning feeling in the pit of my stomach which scared off the butterflies.
I could feel my cheeks heat at his unacceptable question .
“That’s none of your business,” I grunted, smoothing my fingers down my hair. My hands were shaking and I suddenly needed to busy them. I so wasn’t having boy-talk with this guy. I was severely limited in my sexual experience so far. I still had my virginity. Mason was probably born without his.
I jumped back in my seat as Mason suddenly pushed to his feet and slid his large body into the booth on the opposite side of the table, taking Alex’s seat. My heart thumped in my chest and I turned to glance for Alex who was still nowhere to be seen. A horrible thought occurred to me, what if Seth and Boyd had cornered him outside?
I shoved off the thought as I had my own problems. What the heck was Mason doing? I suddenly felt cornered as he loomed over the table and bent slightly toward me. It felt way too intimate and I swallowed. A lump appeared in my throat. I felt genuine worry. He was so close. He dwarfed the seat, his massive shoulders taunt with muscle. The sleeves on his T-shirt were short and his biceps bulged. My arms were scrawny in comparison.
“What do you want Mason?” I put out breathlessly. I could smell his heady scent. It was a thoroughly masculine smell, totally natural.
His eyes assessed my reaction, drinking me in as I leaned my head against the headboard with a groan of frustration.
“I just wanted to give you a word of warning without an audience,” he replied with a twist to his lips. They were curled into a cruel line.
I shoved my bag off my lap and placed my fingers in front of me on the table, fiddling with my dress ring.
“If it has anything to do with Nixon and Jenna, I don’t want to talk about it.” Their situation was tricky and I suddenly didn’t have the energy to fight with Mason again. Seeing him twice in one day was already tiring.
I almost jumped out of my skin as Mason’s fist hit the top of the table, the knives and forks rattling against the dirty plates.
“It has nothing to do with them. As you know, I couldn’t give a shit about that drama. I leave my brother to it. I don’t interfere in his shit and don’t give a flying fuck about his love life. Yours, however, I do.” My heartbeat lurched in my chest and I had to take a breath to calm myself before replying. Mason McKenna was so unpredictable and why the hell was he suddenly focusing on my love life?
“So, what’s the warning?” I managed to utter.
His voice dipped to a sensual whisper.
“When you’re with Alex tonight, why don’t you let him take charge for a change? You never know, you might enjoy it?”
I grimaced, not totally understanding what he meant by that. “I don’t know what you mean?” I stuttered back, feeling flustered.
“I mean in bed. Let him dominate you. Let him lead, take control.”
Boom! His words lit a torch inside me and heat gushed from my belly to my chest.
“I don’t think this is a conversation I want to be having with you, Mason. My sex life is none of your business.” I hated how my voice cracked at the end of that sentence.
Mason pushed his head against the back of the seat and stared down his slightly hooked nose at me. “You do have one then?”
I darted a nervous look toward the door.
“Yes,” I panted.
“With Alex?”
I nodded the lie, “Yes.”
His mouth curled into a sneer. “Now I know you’re lying.”
“You’re wrong and I think you should go, Alex will be back in a minute,” I blurted, feeling like a duck out of water.
Mason lifted one of those perfect black eyebrows before he stated. “So, you’re telling me, Alex has fucked you?”
He was so aggressively crude and I felt dumbfounded. Mason was behaving so odd again.
I ran my hands down my hair again, everything suddenly felt so, wrong. “You’re out of order Mason and I’m leaving,” I almost stuttered. I could feel tears at the back of my eyes. The guy was six years older than me at the end of the day, and I suddenly felt like an unsophisticated little girl .
He shot me a disappointed smile and I took that as my signal to leave. As I lifted my hands off the table, Mason’s hand shot out suddenly and caught my wrist as I attempted to stand.
I glared down at his fingers as they bit into my skin. This was the second time he’d touched me that day and I didn’t like it. At least my head didn’t, I wasn’t sure what my body thought it was doing. My pulse twitched under his hold and tiny pinpricks danced across the skin there.
“Let go. What do you think you’re doing?” My face flushed at the contact. His hand was huge.
He stared up into my face with an unfathomable expression. “I want the truth,” he declared, his voice dripping with determination, and command.
“I don’t have to tell you a thing and let go of my wrist or I’ll scream,” I had to sit down again and I dashed an alarmed look around the pub. It was dead, there wasn’t even anyone at the bar. Where the hell was Alex? And what the heck was happening to my body? I felt hot again, the contact between us seemed charged almost.
“As much as I’d love to make you scream Amy, you’ll keep your pretty mouth shut.”
Pretty? What the fuck? Did I hear correctly or was I drunk?
I batted off my confusion, who gave a shit at the end of the day. “You’re a brutal pig,” I spluttered, tugging on that hold of steel. His touch was unnerving and I didn’t know how to respond to that sensation that was snaking up my arm.
“A refreshing change from a dog. Answer the question and I’ll let go.”
He’d won. I didn’t know what to do so I replied. “No. We aren’t sleeping together. We’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks. Are you happy now?”
And the answer to that was yes, from his expression, again fucking odd. “That’s what I thought and I think you’ll be waiting a hell of a long time for that day to come too.”
What the hell did that mean? OK, so Alex and I had kissed a few times and that was it, but we were taking it slow. I could see myself sleeping with him.
Another tug on my arm but nope. The sod still had me. “He’s a gentleman , he isn’t like you. ”
His lip curled into a sneer, “No, he isn’t like me. I’d have had you on day one.” A jet of heat pooled between my thighs at the tone of his voice, and I crossed my legs under the table. Totally unprepared for that reaction.
I was flailing to understand how we had gotten there. It was like he was flirting with me again but in a weird, messed-up sexually aggressive way.
I’d had enough, “You’re a bastard and I hate you.”
Mason slowly shook his head and I was suddenly very aware of him as a man. “Whatever, keep telling yourself that.”
I felt sick with nerves. “What does that mean? You surely can’t think I’m interested in you?” An odd stirring started in my belly at where this conversation was going. Unchartered waters most definitely.
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”
It was like something in my head exploded. Almost as if I’d tried to bury something and it had popped to life. I hated the confusion, that mixed feeling which was literally humming through my body.
“My God. You’re deranged,” I managed.
“Then stop eye-fucking me every time you look at me, it sends mixed messages Amy,” Mason drawled. OMG, I didn’t do that, did I?
I was going to cry, my frustration bursting into distress. “I don’t know what you mean and you’re actually hurting my arm now,” I gasped, trying to tug away again.
“Surely, you’re not that naive, when you look at a man like that, it’s a clear come on. Or are you a prick tease is that it?” Mason seemed angry now and I felt a trickle of fear.
“No, I’m not like that,” I protested vehemently as tears started to develop in the corner of my eye. Tears of frustration, I would have described them as. I just wanted to run away and hide.
“Are you crying?” Mason shot out, blatantly not one to bend to female displays of emotion. “You’re such a baby,” he added with a sneer.
“Mason, please. You’re going to mark my wrist.”
“Oh, I’d love to put my mark on you Amy, you fucking deserve it. Stop fighting me and it won’t hurt. ”
He pulled me further forward across the table, my breasts skimming the surface before he whispered. “I think Amy Taylor-Joy wants me to take her cherry.” His warm breath tickled my ear.
We were almost nose to nose, a face-off across the table but he was most definitely the one in control.
“You are so out of order,” I panted, my wide eyes searching his. I was helpless.
Mason was ignoring me, “And maybe I will eventually , you’re certainly not going to lose it anytime soon. Especially not to someone like Alex.”
I glared into his harsh features, using my free hand to dash away a tear. “You’re hateful.”
“I am. And you should remember that when you look at me with those come-to-bed eyes, the lingering looks. You’re lucky you’re a Taylor-Joy and I have some restraint.” I tensed at his words.
Mason darted a look to the side, his piercing eyes leaving mine for seconds.
“Look, the boyfriend’s coming back to save you and so I’d dry your eyes. You wouldn’t want him to stand up for you and piss me off. We both know I’d knock him out with one punch.” The guy was impossible, his behaviour was horrendous. So, what did my body think it was doing? I felt all tingly.
“Go to hell, Mason,” I spat the words into his face but only with enough volume for Mason alone.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Probably due to the conviction in my voice, bearing in mind he’d reduced me to tears. Not for the first time let me tell you. This guy had been making me cry for years.
“Amy, what’s wrong? Are you OK?” Alex shot out approaching the table, his gaze flicking between us.
“Yes, I’m fine. Let’s go, I just got something in my eye,”
That smug look on Mason’s face would be with me for the rest of the night.
Alex apologised for taking so long but his wallet had dropped in between the seats and he couldn’t find it straight away .
When we got to the car, I shot invisible daggers toward Mason’s truck where Seth and Boyd were sitting, texting on their phones. Boyd looked up and grinned, giving us a sarcastic wave.
I lied to Alex and asked him to take me home, saying I could feel a headache coming on.
Whatever the hell had transpired between me and my childhood tormentor, it wasn’t good.
I’d never understood upped the ante, but after the run-in with Mason, I totally got it, in spades.
He’d also put a huge question mark over my relationship with Alex. Something was wrong. It was like he was suggesting that either Alex wasn’t into me or I wasn’t really into Alex. Either that or they were trying to suggest Alex was gay.
What had been a childhood, battle of wits to come out on top had just changed into something much more grown up. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
I thought back to what Mason had revealed about his plans for a fight. I hadn’t had a chance to use my camera lately. It would be great to get some action shots.
I sat on my bed later that night, and cleaned all my camera equipment, thoughts of the unknown pulsating through me.