HATE ME AGAIN: a bad boy romance novel Page 16

  “It doesn’t matter,” Mason said. He turned and faced me as I sat on the couch. “You want to know about Stacey.”

  “Stacey?”

  “My wife,” he said. He walked to the couch and sat down. He took a few deep swigs of beer and shook his head. “It was a crazy fucking night, Violet.”

  “Oh?”

  “Vegas,” he whispered.

  “Oh,” I said. The story made a little more sense instantly. “Wow.”

  “I had no interest in being there. Got sucked into it. Doesn’t make anything I did right.” Mason looked at me. “See, the problem here is that I don’t make excuses, Violet. I always own my shit. No matter what. But when I’m with you, I want to make excuses. I want to say whatever it takes to make you happy and keep you here. That’s not my style. Because losing you…”

  I leaned forward and touched the sexy scruff on his face. “I just want to know the truth, Mason.”

  He nodded. “The truth is that you cut me down. In a fucked-up way. And the truth is that I went to Vegas one night and got myself married. Okay? I was there with some friends and shit got out of hand. They were there for the ultimate experience and for me it was all boring. What they wanted in one night was what I did every night. So Stacey caught my eye. She was fast, fun, bold, and without an ounce of fear. She could match me shot for shot. She could match me crude comment for crude comment. She was perfect at what she did… which was hustle. She’s a fucking leech, Violet. She grabs onto something and doesn’t let go until it’s dead or dry. I was dumb enough to let my guard down for a split second and I married her. I was fucking hammered when it happened and I was in a state of mind where I was really pissed off.”

  Mason took another drink and smacked his lips together.

  He shook his head.

  “What is it?” I whispered. “Mason…”

  “I was thinking about her,” Mason said. “Kate. When I was out there. I remember seeing this couple. They were just walking down the strip, hand-in-hand, she was holding his hand with her left hand and gripping his arm with her right hand. And she was walking with her head against his arm. They walked like nothing in the world mattered but their love. I mean, fuck, just imagine that, right? All the lights, sounds, wildness around them, and they were just walking along like they were in some park in some little fucking town. And it just flipped the switch.”

  “Because that’s what you did with Kate?” I asked.

  Mason glanced at me. I could see the hurt and the anger swelling across his gaze.

  “No,” he said. “What I wanted.”

  Shit.

  Mason looked down. He sucked in a breath and stood up. “It doesn’t matter now. What happened is what happened. We ended up getting married. And legit married. I woke up the next day and knew it was a fucking joke. A fucking mistake at that. But she knew what she had done. I woke up to breakfast in bed. A hotel room. That I was paying for. She emptied my pockets of cash, too. And that’s the grace of Stacey.”

  “Money,” I said.

  “Yeah. Not love, babe. Nothing even close to love. I promise you that. It’s money. All about money. She usually stays away. Every now and again she’ll call up and ask for some cash. So, I send her some and she goes away again. I never thought she would show up here. Ever. But she did. And she picked the worst time to show up.”

  I sank back to the couch and let the story settle. I started to feel a little shitty but fought it off. It was Mason’s job to tell me he was married and tell me the truth. I shouldn’t have found out by opening the door to his apartment and seeing a woman standing there.

  “Violet…”

  “When was the last time she was here?”

  “Not that long ago. Money, of course. I sent her away, though.”

  “Of course. I don’t know what to say. I mean, part of me wants to scream at you, Mason. I want to slap you.”

  “You should,” he said. “Slap me. I fucked you over.”

  “I mean… I want to tell you to divorce her. But I’m sure it’s not easy.”

  “I’m sure it’s not. I never gave a shit about it until you came along, Violet. I hope you know that. You know, I had the shop, right? I didn’t want that to get compromised in anything. People depended on me. But I gave that up to Hunter. I’m still doing okay, though. Now I guess I got drunk and gave Hunter a shit-ton of cash and he bought some land next to the shop to build another one. So I’m back in the business.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah,” Mason said. “I guess I missed my window to get Stacey out of my life, but I was lost then. I was in the chair getting inked up.”

  “The ink…”

  “Started out as pain,” Mason said. He looked at his arm. “It was good to feel pain. To just be lost. To find something to do with my time. Then I just wanted to be everything different. I let Kate down. I let you down.”

  Mason walked away.

  He grabbed a fresh beer out of the fridge and walked to a drawer. He opened it and took something out. Then…

  He left the apartment.

  It took me a few seconds to realize what he’d just done.

  I jumped up and took off after him. I tore open the door and darted into the hallway. I put on the brakes when I realized Mason was in the hall, standing at my old apartment door. He had his beer bottle on the floor. He glanced at me and then back to the door. He jammed something into the lock and twisted, jerked, grunted, and threw his shoulder into the door.

  The door opened and Mason grabbed for his beer bottle.

  “Mason,” I said. “What are you…”

  I hurried to the open door and looked into the apartment.

  It was untouched. Just the way it was when I left the apartment.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  Mason stood in the middle of the floor. He took a cellphone out of his pocket. “Ready for something wild?”

  “Um…”

  “We just broke into an apartment,” he said. “That’s a no-no, Violet. You could go to jail for that.”

  “You seem to be a pro at breaking into this apartment,” I said.

  “And calling the police.”

  Before I could say a word, Mason pressed a few buttons and hit the speaker button on the phone.

  I stood in shock as he waited for an operator and then reported a break-in at the apartment. He called the police on himself! Worse yet, he had me dragged into the middle of it.

  “What are you doing,” I growled when he ended the call.

  Mason put his phone into his pocket and then charged at me. He scooped me up and turned, taking me to the kitchen counter.

  “I’m going to fuck you,” he whispered. “And you’re going to come all over me. Then we’re going to get out of here before the police show up.”

  “Mason…”

  He kissed me. Hard. Fast.

  His hands lifted my shirt up and grabbed the top of my pajamas. He shoved them down, panties, too. I raced to kick everything off so I could open my legs for him. Everything to do with Mason was fucking crazy. Ten minutes ago he was opening his heart to me about personal stuff and now he was ready to fuck me in an apartment he broke into.

  My heart raced so fucking fast.

  I clutched to his white t-shirt as he pushed his pajama bottoms down, letting his beautiful, thick cock stand tall and free.

  He was between my legs.

  I felt the pressure of the head of his cock touch me and I gasped.

  “Fuck, Mason,” I groaned.

  “You better fucking hurry,” he said. “I won’t stop until you come. You don’t want to end up in jail, do you?”

  “Mason…”

  He thrust forward, entering me and stealing my breath.

  I put my head back and cried out.

  It felt so good.

  So fucking good.

  He sank deeply into me and held there. His hand slid around to my lower back and he pulled, making sure he was as deep as the angle would allow.
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  Trust me, he was deep enough.

  My heart and body raced. My ears were tingling, listening for the sound of sirens. Or maybe the police would show up without sirens. Try to catch the criminals in the act.

  How much trouble could we really get into, though?

  Mason pulled back and thrusted forward with the force of a jackhammer. And he didn’t just do it once. He started to have me. I put my leg around him and leaned back a little on the counter. I thrust my hips at him, feeling everything he had to offer.

  The apartment is empty… so it’s not like we were stealing…

  “Oh, fuck,” I cried out.

  Mason kissed my neck and then nibbled up to my ear. “Hurry, babe. I want fill you with my cum before we go to jail.”

  “Shit,” I groaned.

  Mason thrust harder into me, letting out a laugh. I looked at him and saw the smile on his face. He was fucking beautiful. And he was fucking crazy.

  I grabbed for his shoulders and held tight.

  He kept fucking me, grinning as he did so, grunting, breathing heavily on me, bringing back the memory of when he made me come with just his breath against my skin.

  I had no concept of time with his cock sliding in and out of me, but I knew time was working against us.

  If a cop finds us fucking on a counter… I’ll have to explain this to everyone…

  “Mason,” I said.

  “I’m not stopping until you come, babe,” he growled.

  “Fuck. Mason… I hear something.”

  “Hurry. Go.”

  He slammed forward and kissed at my neck. The flicker of his tongue and the pulse of his cock as deep as he could go did the trick for me. My hips bucked forward and I clawed at his neck, scratching at him as I started to come.

  I let out a hopeless cry from deep in my throat.

  Mason quickly put his mouth to mine and kissed me as I came. He pulled back and thrust forward with one last hard movement and he started to come. The first shot of his release made me jump again. He kept pounding into me, grunting with each throb of his beautiful dick.

  My ass slid against the counter, my legs slamming off the sides.

  I gasped into his mouth, desperate to breathe.

  As fast as it began, he was just as fast getting me out of there. He jumped back and pulled up his pants. Then he took my hand and got me off the counter.

  I tried to grab for my clothes and he said, “No time!”

  He took my pants and panties and we bolted the hell out of my apartment, shutting the door behind us.

  We rushed into his place and I clutched my chest, unsure of what had me feeling wilder - the rush of the sex or the rush of the crime.

  “Fuck,” I said.

  Mason grinned and threw my pants and panties to the floor. He came at me, kissing me, holding my face as he did so.

  It wasn’t a regular kiss, either.

  It was a deep kiss. A slow kiss. The kind that…

  I heard noises outside the door in the hallway. I broke the kiss and looked at the door.

  “Mason,” I whispered.

  “I got this,” he said, and winked.

  He took off his shirt. He threw it to the floor.

  “Ready?” he asked, eyes wide.

  “For what?”

  Mason took my hand and opened the apartment door.

  My heart leapt into my throat.

  There were two officers standing in the hallway.

  “Excuse me,” Mason said.

  One of the officers looked right at us. Eyed us up and down. I knew I had to have had guilt written all over my face.

  “Did you call this in?” the officer asked.

  “I did, officer,” Mason said. “Heard someone scratching at the door or something. I was in bed with my girl here, and we heard noises. Right, babe?”

  Mason looked at me.

  I nodded. “Yeah. Noises. I heard noises.”

  “I swore the place was empty,” Mason said.

  “It is,” the officer said. “Someone looking for a cheap steal or maybe a place to crash.”

  The two officers started to talk to each other.

  Mason looked down at me. He squeezed my hand tight. Then he winked.

  It was yet another crazy fucking night with him…and it was only about to get crazier.

  Mason leaned down and kissed my cheek.

  He whispered, “I love you.”

  21

  Back For Good

  (Mason)

  I watched her sleep. Back in bed. Back for good. Just the way I wanted it to be. I loved the way she got nervous around the police, revealing those leftover strands of innocence I still hadn’t torn from her. Nothing happened with the cops. They called the landlord, and a report was filed. Shit, there were no cameras in the building, and it didn’t fucking matter since the apartment was empty. Damn cops didn’t even find it worth their time to look for prints. Rightfully so—there was nothing to steal. They chalked it up to some kids looking for a place to drink.

  Reaching out, I touched Violet’s soft shoulder.

  Just touching her did something to me. She made me crazy. She made me want to fight the bad side away. She made me want to spill everything to her. Shit, I couldn't believe I talked to her about Stacey. But she knew the truth now. And I needed to face that truth once and for all. Preferably soon, too. Before she came snooping around for more cash.

  Plus, if anything ever got serious with Violet…

  I looked at her again and realized what the fuck just went through my mind.

  I then snuck out of bed to get some damn air.

  Violet. Love. A ring on her finger. Me promising a word like forever…

  I grabbed a beer and stood at the counter. The apartment was dead-silent, but there were a lot of voices in my head.

  There was only one way to silence everything.

  I opened the drawer and took out a pen and paper.

  Dear Kate,

  Shit. I fell in love again. With the same woman. What’s happening to me? What’s happening to us? I thought what I felt for you could go beyond anything. Even though you’re gone, I thought it would matter more. I thought it would hold steady for us. But look at me. I’m a damn fool around her, Kate. I’ve been writing to you and her for months, burning the words, trying to pretend there’s nothing to see.

  You know what? I’ve been in fucking pain. I’ve been missing her so damn much. I’ve been doing everything possible to keep her out of my mind and heart, but that’s impossible. I’ll never be able to let her go now. Just like you. Never let go, right? Shit, why did you say that to me when you left? I didn’t let go. You did. You let go and you left.

  Fuck, how can I be mad at you for that? You fought as hard as you could to stay.

  Fuck me. I’m sorry, Kate.

  I tried to block you out, like I did to Violet. I got a tattoo over your date. I can never undo that. I can never take that back. And no matter what I do, I can never save you. You’ll always be gone.

  But Violet is still here. She’s right in my bed. And she’s not going to get kicked out in the morning. I want her here. That’s the craziest part of it all. I found what I had been missing. What I had been needing for so long.

  I can’t entertain the idea of losing her though. All the truths need to come out, Kate. I have to tell her everything. All of my deepest and darkest secrets, which include yours. And you won't be here to defend yourself against judgment.

  I know, Violet won’t judge…but everyone judges. Trust me. Silent. With their eyes. Even if it’s for a quick second. They all fucking judge. That’s why things broke off the way they did with us, right? I should have been there. I could have been there. I could have done so much more for you, Kate. I could have…fuck, I feel like I could have saved you.

  You know?

  I could have bought you fancy hippie food. I could have made you big ass kale salads with some kind of organic shit that could have killed the cancer. Fuck, cancer. Why? What the
fuck, Kate? After all we went through, that’s what it all came down to? We went through fucking hell together, pulling each other out of the flames, and that’s what it came down to.

  I would have sold everything I had, which wasn’t much then. But anything to give you what you needed to make it. So you wouldn’t leave me.

  But now I’m in love with someone else, Kate. Does that mean I don’t love you? Fuck, how do I answer that? How do I…

  I stopped writing. I turned and threw the note into the sink. I opened the junk drawer and got the matches out. After I lit one, I stood there, ready to drop it. But I just stared at the words instead. Raw words. Nothing more real than the written fucking word, because you could never take that shit back.

  Unless you burned those words…

  The flame licked my fingers, and I shook the match away.

  “Fuck it,” I said.

  I grabbed the letter from the sink and walked it to the bedroom. I folded it in half and carefully slid it under Violet’s pillow.

  I then climbed into bed and wrapped my right arm around her body and pulled her close.

  She let out this little cute purring sound.

  My cock throbbed.

  I smiled.

  And there it was…the craziest reality of all.

  Violet made me fucking smile.

  It was dark outside when I slipped the key into the door at RN Custom Rides and opened up. I walked through the office and hall, taking in the changes Hunter had made to make the company his. His concept of expansion was really smart. The guy had a knack for business, and it was definitely going to suit him well for the rest of his life. Me? I had my ways of getting by, and I was perfectly content with that shit. Which made me wonder why the fuck my sign was hanging up out front. People needed to experience what Hunter had to offer, but not by looking for the comfort of my fucking name.

  I flipped the lights on in the garage and looked around at all the work. A lot of what looked like junk. Shells of projects and ideas. But that was the beauty of what we did at the shop: take a piece of shit and clean it up and make it new again. Take a vision buried in a memory and turn it into a living reality.

  I wandered around the shop for a little bit, pausing at each project, giving it my own two cents that might make it that much better.