Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Mason

I slide Eleanor right back into her parking spot. It looks as if no one had ever taken it and washed it. Who knew I'd be more concerned about making her happy than working?

Some days, nothing else matters—only Ainsley.

So much that I've stayed a few extra days. Delegating has been a key element with my business in the past weeks. However, tonight I'm leaving. Not even her hypnotic green eyes will keep me home. At least I'm doing one good deed before leaving town.

The car wash idea was easy, the execution not so much. Entering the music school, breaking into her office, and finding her car keys, using what she calls my ninja skills, was a difficult task with so many busybodies going back and forth inside the school. I finish just in time.

Her last class is almost over. My watch reads seven o'clock. The sun is about to go down, and I have a surprise for her. After dinner, I plan to take her to the movies to watch some action film that'll bore her to tears so we can make out like a couple of teenagers blowing off curfew.

I make my way to the academy, and as I scan the street, I detect a guy wearing a leather jacket leaning on the tree right outside the entrance to the music school. My body tenses when I make him. It's Porter Kendrick. He stares at the door and then turns my way. My gut tells me that he believes Ainse was the one who drove Eleanor, and he's waiting for her to enter the building.

His body stiffens the moment I come into view.

"Off-limits." I repeat the same two words I did the last time I beat the shit out of him. "Do you need me to remind you what'll happen if you come close to her?"

"She's mine." He tilts his head and lets out a small chuckle. "You can be around her as a little lap dog for as long as you want, but she belongs to me. Me ."

"For your own good, stay away, Kendrick," I warn him and turn around.

"Our connection is profound and unique—Ainsley's and mine," he continues, and now he's pissing me off. "We shared years together. She was mine first. Then there's James—my son—a link you can't break."

That does it. He touched a sore point. James.

"I forbid you to ever bring up James's memory, Kendrick." My fists grab the flaps of his leather jacket, and I pull him close to me. "I have that fucking link. Ainse called me when she found out about the pregnancy and feared the outcome, including how the jerk she lived with would react to his own child."

"It was me who was there when she met James."

I point at my head. "His heartbeat will forever be recorded here. A beat you'll never know. Who do you think was with her after she lost him? Me, fucker."

The rage I harbor makes me push him against the wall. I slide my open hand up to his throat, pinching it. Then press him harder into the wall with my leg and the other hand.

"Never speak of him again. He is off-limits, too," I say with a low voice. "It hurts her. I hate when she hurts. Stay the fuck away or I swear, next time, my hand will press into your voice box, and it'll snap like a piece of glass. There'll be no more singing or talking. And if I push harder, you're a dead man."

The look of panic on his face, those bulging eyes, blood drained and mouth agape, doesn't soften me. God, I want to press as hard as I can to see him suffer part of what she suffered.

"Son, take it easy." I hear a calm voice and a palm softly squeezes the back of my neck. The world around me is no longer red. Chris Decker takes my hands and loosens the grasp I have on Porter.

The fucker takes a few steps back, rubbing his neck. This is the part where I want to shout that if I see him again, I'll kill him; when, in fact, I know that I won't. The desire is there, to avenge Ainse and James. But that won't bring him back or erase those painful memories from her mind.

"Porter, leave now," Chris orders.

"I need to talk to her, Chris." Porter's desperate plea reminds me of a child asking for one last chance or five more minutes at the playground. "About a property I own… I need the money."

Chris scratches his chin, looks at him, then at me, and finally speaks, "Call me tomorrow. Leave my daughter alone, Porter."

Porter closes his eyes for a meager second and walks away without a word. I regain control of my breathing, shake my head, and finally pay attention to Ainsley's dad.

"You're scarier than your father." Chris's attention is back on me. His green eyes are so similar to his daughter's, yet they don't have that sweetness hers emanate. "And don't forget, I've known him since before you were born, and he beat the shit out of many to save my ass several times."

I give him a shrug.

"Are you planning tokill him, Papa?" Ainse's sweet voice comes from behind me, and I pivot to witness her sway her hips to where we stand. The long, pale green dress she wears with the heels distracts me, erasing the thoughts of me wanting to annihilate Porter. I instantly want to know what's under it. "Someone mentioned there was a fight out here."

"No, not yet," Chris responds, intercepting her and giving her a hug. "I promised your fatherI wouldn't kill him while you're around."

She tosses her head back and laughs, "Play nice, Papa."

Nine angles her head and scans me from head to toe, her eyes analyzing every inch of my face and body. She releases herself from the protective hold her father has on her.

Does he think I would harm her?

"You okay, Ten?" She places a palm on my jaw and strokes it with the softness of a cloud. My lip curls, and I nod. "Good, I have a mission for you. My car keys disappeared from my purse… or I lost them."

She nibbles on her lip, and I pull her into me, absorbing that carefree spirit she has today. As if there are no ghosts or bad memories inside her.

Brave.

"That's a nice hug. Thank you, Ten." She stays in the embrace, and I hold onto her for my own selfish benefit in hopes that I can find my balance again.

"So, what do I get if I find your car keys?" Finally, I find my footing.

She looks around the area and wiggles herself out of my embrace, then fixates her gaze on me. "A lot."

"Get your stuff, Nine." I kiss her cheek. "With my ninja skills, I might have those keys in hand by the time you're back."

She narrows her gaze then looks at her dad.

"No, come with me." She entwines our fingers. "I need to show you something in my office."

Ainse kisses his cheek and waves at Chris. "Love you, Papa. See you around."

"Give us a minute, Ainsley Janine." Nine freezes and, releasing my hand, walks away. Chris never calls her that unless he means business. I've seen it through the years.

"Never lose your fucking temper in front of her, Bradley." His voice is low but rough. "I noticedshe calmed you. Still, make sure you learn how to level yourself when she's close by."

I give him a firm nod, and then he hugs me. "Thank you for being there for her when we weren't, and I'm sorry for your loss. I didn't know how close you were to her or James."

Pain… I salute him without uttering a word and dart inside the school. The automatic doors slide open, and as I cross the threshold, I spot her.

"That didn't take long." She points at the door. "What happened?"

I shake my head.

She twists her mouth from one side to the other and appears to be solving some puzzling enigma inside her head. "We tell each other everything, always," she reminds me.

"Porter was outside, Ainse. Can we not talk about it?"

She steps closer to me and kisses my chin. "Thank you, Ten. I… thank you."

I forget where we are and capture her inside my arms, absorbing her citrusy aroma, her softness, herself. That combination controls the pain that surged through my veins while I confronted Porter and the memory of those days when I couldn't do anything to bring the baby back to her.

"Everything okay?" she mumbles against my chest.

As I snap out of my trance, my arms loosen their hold on her. I snatch her keys out of the pocket of my jeans, and she smirks. "Eleanor's clean now."

"That's enough points for an invitation to dinner at home and a make out session," she suggests. "It's not a date."

"Some days, I think you're cheating the system." I kiss the nape of her neck, and she shivers. "Extending our dates to avoid the next step."

"Anticipation has its rewards," she gushes, kissing my neck. "Think when it happens how great it'll be."

Anticipation is making my balls hurt. One more night, one more day, I can wait if that's what makes her happy. I like happy Ainse even when I'm experiencing the worst case of blue balls.

"I was thinking about taking you to the movies tonight?" I suggest before heading outside. "The last chance for you to cheat since I'm heading out of town."

"Can we go home instead?" She squashes my plans with just one innocent question and a mischievous smile. "Promise to make it worth your time."

I grab her hand, and we head to our cars. Across the street, her parents wave at her. It surprises me that she waves back but continues her way to the car without stopping to chat with them. Maybe today is my lucky day.