Sometimes Never (21 page)

“Yeah. Why not?” I say. He opens his mouth to say something, probably to list the many reasons why not, but I don’t want to hear them right now. I lift my head, his fingers sliding over my face and into my hair, and I trail
my tongue over his lip. He accepts the invitation eagerly, nipping my tongue and pulling it into his mouth to meet his.

My toes curl. Literally.

A sound, somewhere between a moan and a cry bubbles up from my throat. Mason responds to this by deepening the kiss until I want to scream with pleasure. Nobody has ever kissed me like this. I didn’t even know anybody
could
kiss like this. But oh, dear Buddha, I know right at this moment, Mason was wrong. He does possess me. He owns me in every sense of the word. I am his. As much of me for as long as he wants.

A tortured sound escapes from Mason as he pulls away gasping. I stare at him, panting. “I want to be a good guy with you,” he says, his voice is
deep and husky, and I shiver. Even the way he sounds makes my body want in a way I’ve never experienced. “But Hope, you are making it so hard for me.”

We both explode with laughter. “No pun intended?”

He nuzzles into my neck, burying his face in my hair. “Ahh. I want you so bad.”

I sigh. The feeling is mutual. I run my fingers through his dark hair, loving how the soft strands feel
. “Maybe we should go to class,” I say reluctantly.

“Nooo,” Mason whines. “I’ll be good. I promise.” He kisses my cheek and pushes himself up so he’s sitting on the driver’s side.
“So, where are we going?”

“I thought you wanted to stay right here?” I tease, batting my lashes.

“Don’t make me come back over there,” he says, slitting his eyes and raising one brow. Oh, cheese and rice. He is so freaking sexy. I pull my hair over my shoulder to get the heat off my neck.

“That’s a terrible th
reat. It’s like telling me you’ll give me extra candy if I don’t eat my dinner.”

A devious smile spreads his lips and he lunges sideways, grasping me around the waist, and lugging me against him. “I’m your extra candy?” He skims his nose down my neck and I
can’t seem to answer him yet. Instead, I tilt my head, giving him free reign. His lips brush my shoulder as he inhales deeply.

“Sweet like candy to my soul. Sweet you rock and sweet you roll,”
I whisper.

Mason’s arms tighten around me. “Good song,” he utters.

“Mm-hm.”

“I love
when I discover something new about you.”

“What did you learn about me now?” I ask.

He clenches me to his chest and clears his throat. “This is the second time you’ve talked to me through song lyrics. I like it.”

“Hmm. But lyrics mean different things to different people. What if you’re interpreting my meaning incorrectly?
” I shift so I can see his reaction.

He starts my car and puts his seatbelt on, gesturing at me to do the same. “
Okay. Then why don’t you just tell me what you meant?”

“I like candy. I like you,” I say
, smiling innocently.

He glances at me as he backs out of the parking space. “Some would say you have a candy obsession.”

I scrunch my brows. “It’s a healthy addiction. I am not obsessed with you. Or candy. Candy for me is, like, comfort. It makes me happy. Makes me feel good. It’s been my friend through some shitty times. I love candy—” What. The. Hell. Did. I. Just. Say?

The space between us
feels smothering. I see Mason turn his head to look at me from my peripheral, but I can’t bring myself to look back. How could I say that? How could I compare him to candy and then say
I love candy
?

I can’t breathe.

Mason places his fingers in between mine and squeezes. “I love M&M’s. Hard outer shell, sweet and soft inside. They’re a vulnerable candy. I mean, they have that protective casing, but they’re still capable of melting so easily.”

“But only in your mouth, not in your hand,” I say, my voice raspy.

“So they claim,” he says.

I finally look at him and he smiles at me. “You’re always smiling.”

He shakes his head. “Only when I’m with you.”

I turn to my window, putting my hand out and catching the wind until it forces my arm back. “So, where are you taking us?”

“I’m just driving. Any suggestions?”

I think about
it as I kick off my flip flops and prop my feet on the dashboard. We pass over the bridge taking us out of town and an idea pops into my head. “Keep going straight,” I say. “When you hit the first stop light, take a right.”

“All right. Are you going to tell me?”

“Nope.”

~***~

              Mason puts the gear into park and looks out at the water. He shifts his attention to me as I open the door. “What is this place?”

             
“It’s The Pond.” I slam the door and walk toward the water.

             
“I see it’s a pond, but who owns it? Are we trespassing?” He catches up to me easily.

             
I glance at him and arch my eyebrow. “It’s not
a
pond. It’s
The Pond
. And I have no idea who owns it. Are you scared?”

             
He gives me a look. “I don’t scare easily,” he grunts.
That’s the truth
. “Just curious.”

             
I smile, letting my eyes blink slowly. “You know what they say about curiosity?”

             
“I’m not a cat. I think I’m safe.”

             
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I trill as I lift my tank top over my head and drop it onto the grass, not breaking my stride. I don’t stop until I get to the muddy edge of the water.

Normally
I wouldn’t be willing to wear a swimsuit, let alone my underwear in front of anybody, but this is Mason. He’s the only one I can be like this with. The only one that can look at me like I’m a buffet set up just for him.

I unbutton my shorts
and slide them down my legs before I realize he isn’t with me. Turning around, I find him standing a few feet back, his hands interlocked atop his head, staring at me. I feel my face warm under his intense gaze.

             
“What are you doing?” I ask quietly.

             
He clears his throat and swallows, his Adam’s apple moving slowly. “Just watching you. Wondering how much you plan on taking off.”

             
I peek down at my plain, black underwear. “That’s it.” I force an eye roll, feigning nonchalance. “It’s no different than wearing a swimsuit.” It is.

             
He takes several slow steps until he’s standing right in front of me. “It’s different. Trust me.” He takes a breath and blows it out through his mouth. “It’s painful how beautiful you are.”

             
I take a step back and into the pond. “Take your clothes off, Mason,” I say, my voice soft as I continue to back into the water. It’s warmer than I expected. My toes stick into the mucky bottom and I pause. Or maybe it’s because Mason lifts his shirt up over his head and I get my first look at his naked chest. His skin is golden and smooth. I stifle a sigh at the sight of him. Normal people shouldn’t have abs like this. Park has a nice six-pack, but this… Mason is… Am I still breathing?

             
Unhooking his belt draws my attention from his chest. My eyes focus on the way his hands move expertly over the buckle before trailing up. His eyes are trained on me, taking in my observation of his unclothed gloriousness.
Damn
. When did I become one of these people? I’m ogling my boyfriend. Openly. And I am not ashamed.

             
I give him a grin and continue into the water. Mason drops his pants, revealing white boxers with tiny four leaf clovers all over them. “Cute,” I call. “I can’t wait to see those after they’re wet.”

             
He takes a step into the water and grins back at me. “I feel so violated. I’m not a piece of meat, ya know.”

             
“Damn it. I was ready to take a bite of you.”

             
He lifts his brows. “I’m lying. I am absolutely loving this.” He wades out to me, wrapping his hands around my waist. “You can sink your teeth into me anytime you want. I’m all yours.”

             
My heart beats in double time. I can’t explain how much I like the sound of that. Mason is mine. I inhale a deep breath, attempting to regain control over myself and take another peek at the boxers. “Feeling lucky?” His eyes widen, but I grasp for something else to say before he can answer that question. “So, this is all right? No pantsing flashbacks?”

             
He shakes his head slowly, one side of his mouth lifting. “Nah, no pool, no chlorine, no diving board. I’m good.”

             
“Okay. That’s, um, good.” The last word comes out a little breathless and I bite my lip.

             
“Are you nervous, Hope?” Mason’s voice drips with a sexy gruffness. His hands snake around my back, locking me in place. The muscles in his arms flex with the movement. He has
great
arms.

             
I peer up at him, meeting his eyes. “Yes,” I admit.

             
“Don’t be.” His hands run up to tuck my hair behind my ears, water trickles down my neck sending a chill through me. “I don’t want anything you aren’t ready for. I promised I’d be good.”

             
I hold his gaze and breathe my next words out. “I never asked you to be good.”

25

Mason

             
Well, hell
. How am I supposed to respond to that? I’m pretty sure not with words. So I kiss her. I kiss Hope like I need her lips to breathe. And it’s true, in a way. I need this girl. I want her. I love her. And she loves me. Or candy. I’m still debating that one. But when she looks at me like she has today, when she kisses me like she is now, it feels like love.

             
Hope’s fingers work their way into my hair and she pulls as if she’s afraid I’ll break away. Yeah, not happening. I teased her about being obsessed, but that’s me. She’s my first thought when I wake up every morning. I fall asleep each night with her on my mind. My day consists of the time I’m with Hope and the shitty minutes until I will see her again. I consider her when I get dressed, wondering if she’ll like a specific shirt. I’ve even contemplated buying something purple just so I can wear her favorite color. Every time I’m at the store I stop in the candy aisle. I’ll stand there for ten minutes mulling over which to choose based on her mood, what candy she already ate that day, and which candy she’s mentioned. The girl’s turning me into a freak. And I have zero problems with that.

             
This is real.

             
I feel so good right now. Swimming and kissing. Everything feels right. I’m happy. And I don’t stop to think. All I know is I need to tell her. I need her to know what’s inside of me. Separating from the kiss is agonizing, but necessary. Keeping my arms around her, I let my lips graze her ear. “I love you,” I say softly.

             
Hope’s whole body goes rigid as she ducks her head. And then I realize my mistake. Why am I always fucking this up? The one thing I want more than anything else in the world and I can’t stop destroying it. This has to be some kind of Karma. What did I possibly do in my past lives that was so bad?

             
“I didn’t say that,” I stumble over my words. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean it—” And then I stop, because I did mean it. I don’t want to freak her out or cause her to run away from me. Or, hell, make her want to cut herself again. Who tells someone they love them after a couple weeks? But I don’t want to hide it. Yes, it happened quickly. And, yeah, some people may not understand it, but she does. I know she does. She’s just scared.

             
I shake my head and tighten my grasp on her. “Shit. I probably shouldn’t have said that yet, but I did mean it. I love you, Hope. I don’t expect you to say it back. And...just...don’t flip out. It doesn’t change anything. I won’t repeat it, I swear. Just look at me, please.”

             
Hope tilts her head up, squinting against the sun. I hold my breath, waiting. She will either make me or break me with her next words. If she pushes me away again… Are my legs shaking? If I wasn’t waiting execution I would be appalled with myself.

             
“I’m hungry,” she says at last.

             
Okay. Okay. Okay. I can work with this. I slap my thighs. “I have candy...” Twisting around, I rush out of the water for my pants. I put a pack of Rollos in my pocket before I left the house this morning. She told me last night on the phone that caramel was one of her favorite “non-fruity flavors”. Snatching up my pants, I turn around just as my fingers close around the candy.