“So, you only call people you fuck by nicknames?” I raise an eyebrow.
The only other girl he calls by a nickname is Lottie. It’s not strange. They have known each other since childhood. But I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t bother me.
He chuckles, then he reaches for my face. I smack his hand away. He’s not getting away with his one-sided possessiveness.
“Gretchen told me she saw you with Lottie,” he sighs.
Just the sound of her name in his voice makes me want to kick him. The thought of him with anyone drives me crazy. I bite the insides of my cheeks as my eyes sting with the realization of how much this man owns me, and how readily disposable I might be to him. He reaches for me again, stroking my cheek with a gloved finger, the leather warm against my cold skin as his eyes bore into mine.
We stare at each other in silence for a long moment before he says, “This is your fault, you know.”
“Really?” I snort. “Enlighten me. I would love to see how you turn this on me.”
“You refuse to be seen with me.”
“That was for both of us. You’re telling me there won’t be a backlash if people knew.”
“I’m not denying there will be. Only that I have zero fucks to give for such sorry souls.” He leans down to kiss me.
His lips touch mine, and I melt. I can’t resist. His taste still hits my brain like it did the first time, taking over my senses. And I already know I’ve lost.
I pull away when I catch him working his phone behind my back.
“Are you multitasking me?” I complain.
“Hugo’s being a dick,” Mason grumbles. “If you are done with your tantrum, can we go?”
“Well, since you’ve abducted my friends already.” I shrug. “But if I see any women swarming around you, I might have to borrow your gun.”
I hold on to Mason, my arms wrapped around his waist, as he rides us to The Barrel. My nerves are a wreck. The excitement of finally seeing his place mixed with the fear of coming face-to-face with his friends. Not sure which one of them hates me more, Kane or Hugo. Though I’m guessing it will be a close call. At least Thea will be there. And Caden—the traitor who is about to get his arse kicked for abandoning me.
The dirt road to his home is dark and muddy. Usually, Mason takes us to that private hilltop spot, where we are alone and he can do what he likes with me. I never thought I would like the buzz of a motorbike, but Mason rides with so much finesse, like it’s an extended limb of hisbody. He is in total control, and that makes me feel safe enough to reach my arms out wide or kiss his neck.
His gloved hand grazes my knuckles when we near a bend, the road ahead thinning into a single stretch of countryside. My cue to close my eyes before the hedgerows appear. I still can’t look at them at night. I tighten my grip around him and press my helmet against his back.
A few minutes later, we come to a halt in front of what looks like an old abandoned pub, with a thatched roof overhang and ivy clawing its way up the sides.
The old sign readsThe Barrel.It stands alone in the middle of green fields that run for miles.I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’tthis. There is an eerie, haunted aura to the place that makes my skin crawl. Especially the blood-red metal door that stares at me like a warning.
“Wow, this actually looks like the devil’s habitat,” I mutter.
Mason chuckles and grabs my hand, leading me in. I would ask him to let me go first, but he won’t listen. So, I wait until he opens the door, then slip away from his hold.
The crowd inside is so loud and drunk, no one notices us. There must be at least fifty people crammed here, some more flowing outside, and into the side room. The large, main hall that’s bigger than our entire flat, looks like a modified lounge. A booth next to the window, a pool table, a television, sofa, recliners, and an ancient wooden bar that’s definitely been there a hundred years.
I sneak away, peeking in the adjoining room, looking for my friends. But the person walking toward me is not mine.
Kane barges in through the back door, pausing a foot away to give me a piercing glare, then edges past me to join the rowdy crowd behind me. My eyes follow him and find Mason, who stands at the bar with one of his other friends, James. The Fort guy who looks like a ring fighter and is always glued to his phone.
I motion toward Kane and raise my chin in question. Mason shakes his head at me, then flips Kane off.
“You!” A familiar voice startles me off the floor. Penny storms toward me, closely followed by Thea. “Were youevergoing to tell me?”
“Tell you what?” I look between both of them.
Penny looks mad. Thea mouths something incoherent at me.
“This.” Penny shoves her phone in my face.
