I remainedwhere I stood, still a little shell-shocked. “Your smile…it’s…Jesus, Mason, you have got to bethe most beautiful person on the planet,” I told him,honestly.
Mason rolledhis eyes. “Come here,” hereplied. I walked into his arms and as he wrapped his arms aroundme, he said, “It’s just looks, Shane, and they’re nothing comparedto yours.” I straight up snorted into his chest at that. His armstightened. “It’s true. When I look at you, all I see is the rest ofmy life. And it looks fucking perfect, baby.” A knock on the frontdoor stopped me from bawling like an emotional fool.
I turned tohead towards the door, butMason pulled me back. “You’re not answering the door for my brothernaked underneath that robe, Shane,” he explained casually, as if hewere discussing the weather. A small smile touched my lips at hispossessiveness. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get used to the feelingof belonging to someone.
When Masonopened the door, it wasn’t Aiden standing there; it was Viola standing on the other sideand she was on a mission. She walked right past him, forcing him tostep back or be trampled. She was deep into my personal space whenshe asked, “Are you okay?”
Before I couldanswer, Mason’s phone chimed.He took a quick glance at it and said, “That’s Aiden. He’s here.”He walked back over towards me and kissed my temple. “I gotta go,but I’ll call you later.”
“Call me?”
He kissed mytemple again, like hecouldn’thelp himself. “I programmed our phones with our numbers while youwere sleeping.” And before I could even comment, he nodded at Violaand walked out of my apartment, locking and shutting the doorbehind him.
Viola’s screechsnapped me out of my stupor. “What in the hell, Shane?”
“I needto sit down,” I uttered, andblessedly, Viola followed suit and dropped onto the couch with me.Actually, what I needed was probably to get dressed, but I was soexhausted.
“I’m dyinghere, Shane,” she exaggerated. “Did you sleep with him last night?Is he really your boyfriend? How did you guys meet? How do you knowhis brothers? How, what, when, where, why, Shane?” she asked, alldramatically.
I had tolaughat her theatrics. “Okay,okay…calm down, Vi,” I said, lowering my hands flat in a calmingdown gesture.
She huffed. “Iwill not calmdown,” sheretorted. “You are theonlygirl to ever fallinto the folds of the Buchanan brothers, Shane. Whether you realizeit or not, this is a big deal.Youare, now, abig deal.” Viola kicked off her flip-flops and cuddled her legsunderneath her body, as she got comfortable on the couch. “So,what’s going on?”
I took a deepbreath and told her everything, from the first time I ever saw Mason to when he walked outof the door this morning, and her face conveyed every shock and aweI was feeling from the entire ordeal. I kept the details about oursexapades to just telling her that we slept together last night,but Viola knew I was a virgin, so she knew last night was prettysignificant. I also left out Mason’s speech about belonging to himand how he said no one would love me as much as he would, because Ifelt that was private and I wasn’t about to share Mason’s businesswithanyone.
Viola let me talkuninterrupted and when I finally finished, she asked forclarification. “So you’re dating Mason Buchanan? You’re hisofficial girlfriend?”
I nodded. “It seemsso, Vi.”
She took amoment to absorbthis and thenher face lit up with one of her captivating smiles. “Oh my God,Shane, I’m so happy for you,” she gushed out.
Isnorted. “Why? Because Ifinally got a boyfriend after 22 years?”
Her smiledipped and her face was all compassion when she said,“No. Because you’re the best person Iknow, and you deserve someone like Mason Buchanan.”
“Someone like Mason?Meaning?”
“Oh,Shane, babe,” she breathed.“Mason Buchanan is going to give you everything you’ve ever dreamedof.”
It was my worstfearhoping for that. “How doyou know?”
“Thatmanhas reputedly gone 22years without a girlfriend bychoice.Now thathe’s finally named one, that makes you more special than you couldeven imagine, in that man’s eyes.”
I wanted tobelieve her, but what happens whenhe realizes that I’m not all that special?
Chapter 16
Mason~
I heard a long,low whistle as I walked into the kitchen shirtlessand barefoot from the shower.“Goddamn, Mase, what d’you do to the poor girl that she had tofight for her life?” Gabriel quipped.
“Fuck you,Gabe,”I replied, as I grabbeda bottled water from the fridge. I knew he was referring to thescratches on my back, but it couldn’t be helped. The wounds weredeep, and I needed to air them out, so they’d dry andheal.
“Seriously,Mason, those look fuckingbrutal,” he added, now joining me in the kitchen.
I didn’t feelcomfortable telling Gabriel Shane’s business before she had a chance to fully comprehend what itmeant to be with me, but I trusted my brother-allmy brothers-with everything I had. “She was a virgin,” Ireplied, explaining the gouge marks.
His browspulled together. “What? She didn’t tell youbefore…well,before?”
