“Or we could just go together. Seems silly to take two cars,” Xeni said. So chill. So cool. Not clingy at all. She had no business interacting with other humans.
“Okay, new plan. I find my pants. You put on shoes. No need for pants, Just wear that towel. We swing by my place so I can shower and change, and then we get our day started.”
“Let’s do it.” Xeni started for her suitcase, but Mason’s fingers lightly touching her forearm stopped her in her tracks. She looked up at him just as he swept her up in his arms and kissed her senseless. She didn’t realize he actually lifted off the floor until her toes touched back down on the hardwood. Another light brush of his lips against hers and then he released her from his grasp.
“Good morning,” Mason said quietly before leaving her alone in the guest room with a molten heat building between her legs.
She was still trembling a bit when she climbed in the passenger seat of his oversized SUV. She hadn’t planned on spending the whole day soaking wet, but if he kept kissing her like that, she didn’t have much of a choice.
“So, last night,” Mason said as they pulled back on to the main road. Her aunt really lived in the middle of fucking nowhere. They passed a large wooded area and then an open field before the crumbling stone wall that surrounded her closest neighbor’s property. It was the shit horror movies were made of. Xeni shook off the thought of herself running through the woods, trying to get help, and turned to Mason.
“Which part? A lot happened last night.” Like how I cried on you just as you started having fun with my tits, she almost added.
“You’re looking for more trust and freedom with your intimacy.”
“Yes,” she said, letting out a reluctant breath. She usually confessed her feelings on her own terms, like blurting them out randomly, but she felt like she could talk to Mason. Damn this whole vulnerability thing. “I—with my ex, there was sex, but I always felt like I was having sex with myself.”
“Elaborate please.”
“I don’t know if he was bad, so much as he was just uninformed. Or lazy—actually no. He was bad.” Xeni thought of the times she’d tried to explain to Patrick what her body wanted and how he would just ignore her and do whatever he could to get off. “I’ve had a couple flings here and there, but that became too much work and then I just didn’t feel like going through with emotionless hook ups.”
“And with Daryl, things will be more routine.”
Xeni laughed, “Exactly. I don’t know what I want or like beyond the standard because I’ve never been with anyone that I feel like I could explore those things with. I want to feel comfortable enough to try some real freaky shit with a partner or just spend all day laying around, making out. I want to actually enjoy myself and not feel like sex is something I’msupposedto do.”
“That sounds more than reasonable to me.”
“What about you?”
“When I look forward to the future, I think of my neighbor Darlene. She’s a widow, who’s vowed never to remarry. I’ve been married once, of course, to a beautiful woman from California, but after she left me, I couldn’t bear to love again,” Mason said.
“Mmmhmm.”
“Darlene and I strike a deal. We meet every Tuesday and take turns doing each other up the bum.”
“I like that. Peak equality.” Xeni watched the side of Mason’s face. She waited for at least a trace of a smile to appear, but when it didn’t after a few seconds, she realized she wasn’t the only person in the car who hadn’t exactly been sexually satisfied over the years.
“Listen, I’ve never pegged a guy before, but if you’re willing to teach, I’m willing to learn.”
Mason was quiet for a few more seconds before he said, “I don’t think they have what we need at Home Depot.”
Xeni pulled out her phone and went to a website that might have equipment that was more Mason’s speed.
14
By the time Xeni ordered everything they needed, she was very much into the idea of pegging Mason. He made a simple “good morning” sensual as fuck. She was sure he could handle giving her a few pointers. The more she thought about it, the more the idea turned her on. When they pulled into Mason’s parking space behind the cafe, she couldn’t help but wonder how much packing they would actually get done.
All of it, the responsible part of her brain said. Right. Adult now. Have reward sex later. They hopped out of his car, then Mason nodded toward the wooden steps that led up to his apartment.
“Do you want to come up or hang out down here while I get ready?” he asked.
“I’ll wait down here,” Xeni replied. Her voice did that weird squeaky thing. Being in close range of a naked Mason wasn’t the best idea at the moment. He definitely noticed, but he just smirked a bit instead of giving her a hard time.
“The cannery is open. You should say hi to Maya and Ginny. Try some of the samples.”
“Oh, good idea.” She could ply her mom with regional honeys and jams while she explained that, even though she had gotten married without telling her parents, they still weren’t even for a lifetime of secrets. Mason gave her hand a little squeeze, then bounded up the stairs, two at a time. Xeni walked around to the front entrance and noticed the red dog and the pit bull that were napping under a nearby tree. She remembered what Liz had said about the dogs following her everywhere. She was probably inside.
The bell above the door rang out when she stepped into the cannery.
