Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Mason

Bad idea number… I lost count.

I had to work, and instead of spending the next few hours visiting Ainsley in her house, I thought it'd be fun to be with her in a nightclub.

Wrong.

I should've known she'd start the conversation with, "Where have you been?"

This is why I never told her what I did for a living. I don't want her to worry about me. She's had enough stress to last her a lifetime. What am I supposed to do now? I heard it. The pain in her voice because I didn't tell her I was leaving.

And I can't give her an explanation in the middle of the strobing lights, music, and sea of people filling the place. I want to grab her hand and take her to a place where it's only the two of us.

"What do you want?" I ask as we approach the bar.

"Water," she says.

"Just water?"

She nods. "I need to keep a calorie count, remember?"

"Do you want to dance?"

We do, and in the beginning it's just pop songs. Then a slow song comes over, and I take her into my arms, pressing my forehead to hers. Her emerald eyes stare at mine as if trying to solve an enigma or enter inside my body and possess it.

"It's funny," she whispers.

I continue holding her, pressing her into me. "What's funny?"

"Songs," she says, moving with me. "Their meaning, what one person thinks and what it actually meant for the person who made it. In the past, I've composed mostly when I'm mad. Angry shit, lots of hateful words and emotions. Perhaps one day, I'll create something different, tender, like kisses."

"I never thought about that. So, the lyrics are what you're feeling?"

She nods a couple of times and rests her head on my chest. I press her tight, wanting to become one with her.

"We should go on a real date," I whisper in her ear.

"Practice date," she corrects me. "We should count this as number one, don't you think?"

"So, what happens at number six?"

She tosses her head back and laughs. It's a rich sound that I love.

"I don't know. Some books say"—her eyes move from left to right and she grins— "S-E-X."

"Is that so?"

She gifts me a mischievous grin. "Yep. I'm sure there has to be something in between. You're the expert, aren't you?"

"Get away from my sister." Matt cuts between us.

"What the fuck, Matthew James?" she growls at him.

He glares at me. "Leave space for Jesus."

"Don't you have something else to do?" Ainsley protests.

"Stay the fuck away from her. She's my little sister." He's two inches shorter than my six-foot-four, and though we're almost the same height, he can't intimidate me. Still, I give him points for trying.

Ainsley squeezes herself between us. "You're the youngest of the three. Also, this is my life, not yours."

"He's my best friend."

"And?"

"If this doesn't work, I'm going to lose a friend—and my video game buddy."

Ainsley puts her hands on her waist. "Seriously, you're concerned about your friendship. We're not dating. This is just… a teaching moment. Once he's done giving me a few lessons on how to date, I'll be on my way to better pastures."

That's the deal, but I don't like the second part. Do I want her to move on to another guy? It shouldn't matter. I don't have much to offer. Erase that. I have nothing to give to her.

"Let's go," Ainsley says.

"Are you sure?"

She nods. "Please, take me home. They're going to police me all night, and neither one of us is going to enjoy this moment."

I'm enjoying it, but if that's what she wants… well, that's what she gets.

"Dude, what about the bro-code?"

I shrug.

"If you had a sister, you wouldn't let me date her."

"I totally would," I disagree. "You could even marry her."

Ainsley and I laugh. He stares at me, anger blazing in his eyes. His nostrils flare.Matt is usually pretty chill, but he's not happy with me tonight.

When we're outside, I say, "Your brother hates me."

She shakes her head. "Matt isn't capable of hating anyone," she corrects me. "He'll get over it. So what if you spend the next six months with me? It's not like we haven't shared toys before."

I glare at her. "I'm not his toy."

She smirks. "You know what I mean. Lead the way, my brave warrior."

My car is parked on the other side of the street. I've been here since five o'clock with Harrison and Hawk. And maybe they're right. We need to hire more people for the company, not only The Organization. We're expanding faster than I projected. Dad hinted the other day at merging our companies, but I didn't pay much attention. That's the morning when I got the call. My team was needed in Bangladesh.

"Why is your SUV… so different?"

"That pause makes me believe that you don't like it."

"It's just fine but if you're out of the country ninety percent of the time, why on earth would you have an all-terrain car?"

I shrug, opening the door and helping her climb in. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Sounds like a bad tattoo." She chuckles.

"Where to?"

"Why don't we go to my house? I can prepare some fresh fruit, and we can watch a show or a movie."

I couldn't think of a better thing to do. "Your house it is."