“You told her?” I accuse, my gaze bouncing between them, my simmering fury coming to a boil. “You were barely together an hour. What the fuck, Kai?”
“Mason…” Jenna grabs my arm but I shake her off.
“I can’t do this now.” Jesus Christ.I can’t do this ever.
Pressure builds in my chest and I storm away, ignoring the waves as I pass my dad’s crew, their faces blurry in my blind rage.
“Mason, wait!” Jenna’s faint panic enters my mind, but I can’t stop. If I don’t get out of here, I’ll never be able to breathe.
I’m vaguely aware of footsteps behind me, yet it’s not until I reach my bike that I bother to slow down. Why the fuck do I do this to myself? And why is it worse now that Jenna’s here?
After pulling my keys from my pocket, I pause and curse myself for leaving my helmet in the truck. I can’t stay here. I’ll ride slow, take the back streets and—
“What the hell are you doing?” Jenna grabs my shoulders, pulling me away from my bike, and the warmth of her hands soaks through my skin. “I get it. I do. But I can’t let you go. Iwon’t.”
The emotion of her voice works to calm me, but still, I shake my head. “Youdon’tget it. You can’t.” My breathing picks up again and she steps closer, squeezing my arm almost painfully.
“Breathe for a second, Mase. Please. Forget what happened back there and breathe.” My eyes focus and her expression sharpens, her flushed cheeks coming into view. I do as she asks, my eyes locked on hers, my heartbeat slowly returning to normal.
“Thank you,” she whispers softly, her voice shaky. “I’m sorry about Kai. I didn’t know he was going to do that. I should have told you he mentioned it.”
“It’s not your fault. He’s not the only reason I had to get away.”
“Am I the reason?”
“No.”Not exactly.“I…” I trail off, unsure what I was going to admit, and her face drops.
Letting out a long sigh, I close my eyes, hiding from her sympathetic gaze. Only it lingers in my mind. I overreacted. My thoughts are so fucked right now, I can’t see straight. I know she cares. I can feel it. “Kai wanted me to play,” I admit, glancing back at her again, finding her dark eyes full of my pain. “I used to play at this event. Before my parents died. Kai mentioned he’d seen a change in me lately, and I guess he thought I was ready.”
“But you’re not?” Jenna’s response comes as a question, but her fiery gaze tells me she knows the answer, and she’s angry on my behalf.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. Though I can’t blame him for trying.”
“Why?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters tome.” She steps closer, backing me into the alley behind us. “You think your thoughts are fucked up; you should spend a day in my head. We only just met and yet I feel like you know me. Isn’t it only fair that I know you in return? Iwantto… I’ll take anything you’re willing to give me, but it needs to bereal.”
She’s trying to make me feel good about myself, only it has the opposite effect, her words highlighting the asshole I truly am.
Idoknowher. Deeply. And I really fucking shouldn’t.
Only I’m done doing the right thing. I always do the rightfuckingthing. If she wantsreal, I’ll give it to her.
Spinning her around, I walk her backward until we’re away from the road, the party we deserted no more than a distant rumble filtering through the air.
“I want you, Jenna.” I cup her face, staring into her wide, wistful eyes. “Just this once, I want to be someone else, someone with passion, ambition,life. I want to be the one to fuck the girl who refuses to leave my mind.”
Jenna blinks a few times before a blaze takes over and her hands curl into my tee, her knuckles white from the tightness of her grip. She feels the same. But I want to hear her say it. I need to hear her breath hitch as she whispers my name.
“I want you too, Mason. God only knows why. I want you to take menow.”
Fuuuck.My skin prickles with need and I pause, considering how crazy that is for all of two seconds before checking for voyeurs and dropping to my knees. Pain shoots through me when I hit the concrete, and I welcome the sting, popping open the button on her jeans, lowering the zipper until her red lace panties come into view. “Christ, you’re stunning.” I peel the denim slowly down her legs, pausing when I reach her shoes.
Shit.
As desperate as I am to see her face when she comes apart, I’d much rather she enjoyed it. And this position isn’t going to work.
