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Authors: Syd Parker

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BOOK: Made to Love
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Lex kissed the top of Aspen’s head and wrapped her arms around her belly. “I wish I knew.”

“I shouldn’t worry. Mason is a big
girl; it's just that…”

“Oh, I know. It’s Nikki. I wouldn’t put anything past her.” Lex spun Aspen around and kissed her soundly on the mouth. “Let’s worry about it tomorrow. Right now, I just want to snuggle with my wife.”

Aspen glanced at the dirty dishes on the table and grimaced. “Let me just…”

“U
nh-uh. I’ll get them tomorrow.” Lex slid her fingers through Aspen’s and pulled her toward the stairs. “Tomorrow.”

“Fine.” Aspen followed Lex up the stairs, the dishes all but forgotten. What she couldn’t stop thinking about was her friend and the short trek across the yard into the lion’s den.
God help us if Nikki gets her claws into Mason.

Outside, Mason stopped at the stairs. “Thanks for the company.”

Nikki’s bottom lip jutted out. “You’re not stopping there, are you? I thought I was getting directions to your place.”

“I…uh…” Mason hesitated. Her mind was reeling. If she didn’t know any better, she would have sworn that Nikki was propositioning her. No, that wasn’t possible. She was Nikki Castellanos and Mason was,
well Mason just was. Nothing special or exotic. Just homegrown and ordinary. “Lex and Aspen can show you how to get there.”

Nikki came back down the stairs and stopped when she was eye level with Mason. “I’m much better with visual aids.”
She ran a fingernail along Mason’s jawbone. “Besides, I could use more than a glass of milk tonight.”

Mason gulped and tried to swallow the lump that formed in her throat. In all her years, she couldn’t remember a time when she had been so skillfully hit on, or so incredibly turned on in such a short time. “Listen, Nikki, I really should be going. It’s late.”

“Is it?” Nikki held out her hand, silently beckoning Mason inside. “Join me for one drink, and I’ll turn you loose after that. I just want some company.”

Mason made the mistake of looking into Nikki’s eyes. Even in the pale moonlight, Nikki’s eyes danced seductively. She felt herself walking up the stairs before she knew it was happening. She paused at the door, steeling herself. “One drink.”

“That’s all; I promise.” Nikki opened the door to the bunkhouse and flipped on the light. She nodded toward the living room. “It’s a tad chilly. Do you think you could start a fire for me?”

Mason nodded. “Sure.”

Nikki opened the cabinet and pulled out two tumblers and filled them with ice. “Whiskey okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” Mason laid several logs on the fire then grabbed
a couple of sheets of old newspaper. She lit the ends and blew on the flames to fan them. Satisfied with the results, she pushed herself up and found a seat in one of the wingback chairs opposite the fire. She reached around and pulled her wallet from her pocket and laid it on the table, unable to get comfortable with the bulge in her pocket. 

Nikki handed Mason a glass and stood behind the
chair, her eyes watching the flames lick the kindling. She sipped her drink and winced as the first bit burned all the way down and settled in her belly. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Mason’s shoulders were tight and she rolled them gently, trying to work out the kinks.

“Sore?”

“Some. I’m working overtime to finish enough pieces for the show.” Mason rubbed her traps as she spoke.

“I think we can take care of that.” Nikki set her glass on the end table and leaned over Mason’s chair. She slid her hands over Mason’s shoulders and rubbed the knots in her shoulders. It didn’t take her long to move to the front of the chair and straddle Mason’s hips. She smiled seductively and licked Mason’s lips before slipping her tongue between her lips and kissing Mason hungrily. After several insatiable kisses, Nikki pushed her hands under Mason’s shirt, cupping her breasts in her hands. Ignoring the tightening of Mason’s body, she licked the edge of her ear until she shivered. “I don’t bite…too hard.”

Mason’s breath caught in her chest. It was as if all her dreams of being irresistible were coming true. She leaned back into Nikki’s caress and almost lost herself to her touch. Somehow, Mason managed to pull herself together. She leapt from the chair so quickly that the contents of her glass splashed across the room
and Nikki fell to the floor. “Damn it.” Mason walked in a wide arc, just out of Nikki’s reach. “I…I…have to go.”

Nikki watched Mason bolt from the room then shook her head in disgust. Her worst fears were confirmed. She’d lost her touch with women. The one and only redeeming quality in herself, at least in her opinion, was gone. She was left with nothing but an aging, uninteresting former beauty queen. Unable to accept the harsh truth of that, she sagged down into a chair and threw the contents of her glass back in one gulp. She stared into the fire, watching the flames lick the dry wood and shuddered when she realized that her life amounted to little more than a sorry has been. Or worse yet, a never was. Either way, Nikki hated who she had become, knowing that the time had come to take a good, hard look at who she was.

Chapter 6

 

Mason squinted against the sun streaming through the half-closed blinds. She leaned up and eyed the flashing red numbers of her alarm. 7:58. She groaned and let her head fall back on the pillow. Not only did her head feel like lead, but her tongue felt like she swallowed a handful of sand. “Whiskey.” She slapped the alarm clock then forced herself to sit up. She touched her fingers to her lips as the next realization dawned on her. “Oh shit. Nikki.”

Memories of last night flooded
into her aching head. She pictured Nikki’s hands on her body, and her stomach fluttered with excitement. Mason shook her head and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Son of a bitch. You were this close to a one-night stand." Putting her hands on her knees, Mason pushed her six-foot frame up and stretched her arms over her head. She felt a cocky smirk touch the corner of her mouth. “A one-night stand. Who does that?”

Mason mulled over the question as she brushed the stale remains of bad booze off her tongue. Mason rarely drank, so even a small amount affected her. She studied her reflection in the mirror, pushing the corners of her eyes up where her age had started to show. “Besides, aren’t you a bit old for a
one-night stand?" She looked for signs of self-recrimination and saw none. Too late, she realized the telltale signs of a woman slightly besotted with the enigmatic Nikki. Her face hinted at a smile as Mason went about her morning routine.

It occurred to Mason that she should worry about her crush on Nikki, but she couldn’t make herself the slightest bit concerned, no matter how many times she told herself that she almost slept with Nikki. Finally, she took one last look in the mirror and winked conspiratorially. “You are a bad, bad girl, Mason Durant.” Mason smiled slyly as she made her way to her closet. “And you love it.”

It took Mason half her normal time to get dressed and eat. Everything seemed better this morning. Some of the intense sadness she felt at losing Anne didn’t ache as badly, or maybe Nikki was just filling the spots that were empty before. Mason couldn’t remember the last time she’d been interested in a woman, aside from Joanna. She chalked that up to temporary insanity. Honestly, she didn’t have the time or the inclination to let someone in that way. Her life was her art and until now, it had been enough.

Mason paused on the porch and inhaled the morning air. The scent of blossoming trees filled her nostrils. The flowering crab apple, Amur chokecherry and
Pagoda dogwoods that filled her yard seemed to smell better, even the blooms seemed brighter in the early morning sun. She bounded down the steps with light footsteps and threw open the door to the garage. She had an idea for a new piece, and the crisp spring morning lent itself to new beginnings.

Mason sorted through pieces of rusted rebar, selecting several longer pieces. She set them on her workbench and turned to open the acetylene tank when Marly materialized at the door.

“Morning, Coyote.” Marly leaned against the open door and eyed Mason expectantly. “Working on a new piece?”

Mason smiled involuntarily at her new nickname. “Hi.” She motioned Marly inside the garage and pointed at the longer pieces of rebar. “I was thinking of trying something completely different. I had this picture in my head of a woman. Tall and willowy, sort of the keeper of the garden.”

“Like the women in the front yard?”

“Sort of, but more feminine.” Mason imagined what Nikki might look like
naked, and she felt her face start to burn.

Marly noticed the slight blush in Mason’s cheeks as she described the new piece. She wondered immediately who had turned her friend’s head. “What’s her name?”

Mason eyed her quizzically. “I don’t usually name the pieces.”

“Not the art.” Marly laughed easily. There was a certain innocence to Mason that she hadn’t seen in a long time. She felt at ease in her
company, and the banter between them seemed natural. “The woman who inspired this sudden revelation.”

Mason’s cheeks turned red
immediately, and she smiled sheepishly. “We haven’t known each other long enough for you to see right through me, Marly.” She dipped her head shyly, before fixing Marly with a bright smile. “Nikki. She’s a friend of a friend.”

“Ah.” Marly pushed off the doorjamb and stepped inside. “You want to talk about her?”

“Nah.” Mason opened the valve of the acetylene tank and grabbed the blowtorch. “I’d rather work.” She turned quickly, not wanting Marly to see the smile that she couldn’t keep off her face. It didn’t seem nice to talk about women and one-night stands with a woman who was still grieving her mother’s death.

Marly chuckled softly. “Can’t we do both? I’m in need of a distraction.”

Mason studied her face closely. She noticed the dark circles under her eyes, the hollow look Marly hid behind her smile. She looked to Mason like someone who needed a reason to wake up in the morning. “Sure.” Mason pulled gloves on, grabbed a striker and lit the torch. She turned the valve on the oxygen tank, matching it to the acetylene flow. She nodded toward an extra set of gloves and a mask as she pulled the faceplate down on her own. When Marly was ready, Mason handed her a piece of rebar. There was no need for words. The two women worked around each other with the ease of two people who had known each other for years.

Mason communicated with gestures as she and Marly worked together to create the first part of a woman’s body. Before long, they melted and forged four pieces of metal into a shape that resembled the long arms and legs of a dancer. Mason closed the valves on the tanks then turned the needles on the blowtorch head, releasing the remaining gas. She flipped her mask up on her head and ran her finger over the joints. Satisfied, Mason gestured for Marly to remove her mask. “Whaddya think?”

Marly’s face broke into a smile. She didn’t have Mason’s eye for envisioning the finished product, but she felt a swell of pride at what she’d accomplished so far. “It looks good. What else needs to be done?”

Mason set the heavy piece against her work table and pulled her gloves off. “I put her head on then I need to fashion some kind of footing for her. I’m thinking some kind of T-bar for stability. I think I will need that for balance.”

“Hello?”

Marly cocked her head. “Are you expecting company?”

“Not that I know of.” Mason pulled her mask off and set it on the bench next to her gloves. She slipped passed Marly and poked her head out the garage door. “Oh.”

Marly wasn’t sure who caused the reaction, but she could tell from the inflection in Mason’s tone that she was pleasantly surprised by the visitor. She waited
until Mason was a few feet away before she poked her head out of the door.

“Hey, Nikki.” Mason stuck her thumbs in her pack pocket
s and shuffled nervously.

“Hi, Mase.” Nikki leaned over and planted a quick kiss on Mason’s cheek. “Lex told me where to find you.” She pulled Mason’s wallet from behind her back and held it toward Mason. “You left this at my house last night.”

Mason went to grab her wallet, but knocked it out of Nikki’s hand. She bent over quickly to pick it up and slammed her head into Nikki’s, making her stumble. “Oh, shit.” Mason reached forward to grab Nikki’s hand but missed and knocked her to the ground instead.

“Oomph!”
Nikki landed with a thud, the force of the fall knocking the wind out of her. She grabbed Mason’s hand and pulled herself off the ground. “I should have known you’d knock me off my feet.”

“Damn it, Nikki. I’m sorry.” Mason’s cheek
s burned red hot. She reached out to comfort Nikki, but Nikki grabbed her arms and pushed them to her sides.

“I’m okay, honey.” She stooped down and plucked Mason’s wallet off the ground. Stepping closer, she brought her body flush with Mason’s. “Are you always this fidgety or do I just bring out the best in you?”

Mason looked chagrined. “I…I...uh…”

“Relax.” Nikki ran a manicured finger along Mason’s jaw. “I just wanted to return this and thank you for last night. You made me realize a few things about myself that I need to change. For that, I’m grateful. Listen, I’ll let you get back to it.
I just wanted to make sure I brought you this. Good-bye, Mason.” She spun on her heel and walked back out between the houses.

It took several seconds for Mason to collect herself before she jogged after Nikki. “Hey, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to grab some dinner sometime.”

Nikki shook her head, her eyes flicking up and down Mason’s overall clad body. “That’s sweet, honey. But you’re really not my type.”

“But last
night…” Mason’s face showed her confusion. “I thought we had a good time.”

Nikki shrugged. “Sure, we did. I had a momentary lapse of judgment. Fortunately, you saved us from a mistake I’m sure we would both be regretting this morning. Let’s just leave it at that, okay?” She winced painfully. In actuality, the fact that Mason had run away from her advances wounded her already bruised ego. There was a time not so long ago that Nikki would not have failed, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have given two shits about it.
However, this time was different. Nikki tried to hide her insecurities behind a façade of disinterest. “I’m not going to give you the whole
it’s not you, it’s me
speech. Actually, I am. I had fun last night. It’s just that I don’t date women like you, honey. Nothing personal. I prefer women who are a little less…earthy.”

“Oh.” Mason’s stomach dropped. She knew she wasn’t girly. She didn’t pretend to be. Her mother had tried to put her
in dresses and pigtails, but she was more content to play in the dirt. Now it seemed she was being punished for that. “This is just what I wear to work. I don’t always look like this.”

Nikki smiled in surprise. “Mason, I’m not sure how long I’m going to be around. Maybe we can just try to be friends while I’m here. I could use some entertainment in this one-horse town.”

“Sure, okay.” Mason forced a smile. She wasn’t the type to fall quickly. She did everything methodically, preferring to think before she jumped. It was different with Nikki. She was beguiled by her almost immediately. Perhaps, she was a little star struck by Nikki. Whatever the reason, Mason ignored the warning bells in her head last night and allowed herself to fall a little for the big-city girl, something she never did. “You like softball?”

“Not especially.”

“Oh?” Mason’s mouth opened in surprise. “Yeah, me neither. Movies? You have to like movies.”

Nikki eyed Mason warily. “Mason…”

“I know.” Mason stammered. “As friends. It would give you something to do.”

“True.” Nikki sighed. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen. She leaned over and pulled Mason’s hand into hers, holding her palm up. “Here’s my number. Call me.”

Mason smiled awkwardly. “Okay, I will.”

Nikki capped the pen and dropped it back in her purse. “Listen, I have to go. I’ll see you around.”

“Okay.” Mason lifted a hand and waved, but Nikki was already half way to her car. She watched her drive away then stared at the numbers on her palm.
Friends, huh? We shall see.
Mason wasn’t normally so self-assured, but she remembered Nikki’s reaction to her last night and knew there was some attraction there. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she spun on her heel and started toward the garage.

“That was interesting.”

Mason looked up and met Marly’s bemused smile. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“That dog and pony show was worth sticking around. You like her.” Marly stated matter-of-fact, rather than asking. “I didn’t see you with someone so…um…liberated.”

Mason cocked her head and thought about Marly’s statement. She supposed she could call Nikki liberated. Or better yet, at ease in her skin. Nikki wasn’t the type to care what people thought about her. She did what she wanted to do, and that free-spirited personality appealed to Mason in an odd way. “I think she’s just comfortable with who she is. Besides, I like the purple hair.”

“Let me guess.” Marly snickered behind her hand then schooled her features to appear very serious. “The new sculpture is going to have purple hair.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Mason ignored the smirk on Marly’s face, slipping around her into the garage, all the while listening to the quick tempo of her beating heart.

Marly decided to let her new friend off the hook. She didn’t know what the first rush felt like at falling in love. She never experienced it. The few relationships she’d had, if you could call them relationships, were devoid of real love. She preferred uncomplicated commitments that ended when the fun was gone. That saved her the emotions and the heartache that came with love. Marly hated messy and in her mind, matters of the heart were messy. Her mom
taught her that much. “I meant to tell you that mom wanted to be cremated. She didn’t want any kind of funeral service, at least that was her wish twenty years ago. I’m going to scatter her ashes on the lake.”

Mason froze. The idea of not having the chance to say
good-bye made her passing all the more real. There were moments she thought she might look up and see her coming around the corner, curious about Mason’s latest piece. But then reality set in, and Mason knew she was gone. The idea that her ashes would be scattered on one of her favorite bodies of water seemed to settle Mason somewhat. She pictured Anne walking along the path adjacent to the lake and the serene smile that was always present. Mason knew she would miss that smile tremendously. When she spoke, Mason’s voice cracked. “She…would… like that.”

BOOK: Made to Love
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