Chapter 19

Charlotte

I wake the next morning,Mason still asleep in the bed next to me. My heart gives a painful throb as I try to remember why my chest is hurting…

And then I remember.

Mason had me followed for actual years. It’s the invasion of privacy, I think at first. Then again, if I could have had him followed, I probably would have.

But then the second deeper reason his actions upset me… I was barely surviving. He saw all of it and did…nothing.

What had changed? Why had he suddenly intervened?

I mean, besides me almost getting killed. Maybe that’s what forced him to come to my defense. But I’d been living in a slum and I was being harassed by my professor and he’d remained out of sight.

I slide back the covers and creep from the bed, getting my camera. I don’t know why, but I need it now to understand what is bothering me. Sitting back on my side, I point the lens, getting a picture of his knee and powerful thigh bent into a relaxed position as it sticks out of the sheet.

Then, his elbow above his head.

Peeling back the covers, I take a picture of his bare hip, the way it juts out, surrounded by muscle.

“What are you doing?”

I’m now kneeling over him, camera to my eye, completely naked. I drop the camera down a few inches, wincing in guilt. “Sorry.”

He smiles at me, that sexy grin and I lift the camera, taking a picture of his mouth before I point the camera lower, capturing the space just below his belly button and then I go higher to his biceps.

I’m not methodical with art. The light catches my eye or a movement or a shape. I feel my pictures, I don’t think about them.

When I’m done snapping, I hand Mason the camera. I know he wants to see. I climb off the bed, and head to the shower in my room.

“Where are you going?”

“To the shower,” I call over my shoulder.

“I want you in my shower.”

I look back at him, wrinkling my nose. I usually heed the command I hear in his voice. I’m not one for arguing but I’m still trying to figure out what’s bothering me, besides the obvious, he spied on me. It’s deeper but I can’t quite articulate it yet. “I like my shampoo better.”

Later, I’ll look at the pictures and see what they make me feel.

I hear him get up and follow, but I cross into my room and into my smaller bathroom. I nearly snort, remembering how my entire apartment could fit into the smaller bathroom.

Mason is still behind me. He sets my camera on the vanity, I hear it on the surface, before he comes into the bathroom.

I turn on the water, wondering how I’m going to handle this. I haven’t been this cautious with Mason since that first night and I don’t know how to keep my feelings to myself.

He steps in behind me, picking up the shampoo bottle on the shelf.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking note of the brand,” he says eyeing the bottle. “If this is the thing that keeps you out of my shower…”

“What?”

“I’ll have to stock the other room.”

That makes me smile. But it quickly slips off my face. “How long do you think I’ll be here?”

He steps up behind me, nosing my hair as his arms snake around my waist. “I’m close to closing the permits for the tunnels. After that, the Italians are going to start striking out for revenge. I’m about to really piss them off, not that I care.”

“But the Italians are the ones I saw getting murdered, right?” Why would they want to hurt me? I’m their witness.

“Right,” he says sliding his hands up my skin. Despite the warm water, my skin pebbles with goosepimples at his touch. He always feels good.

And when he cups my breast in both hands, I gasp. He tweaks one of my nipples, his lips sucking at my neck. I could lose myself in his embrace.

“Does that mean they are not a danger to me?”

His hands still. “Considering they killed my father, I can assure you that they are a danger to everyone.”

I spin in his arms, my gasp lost in the heavy steam of the air. “Oh, Mason. I didn’t know…”

He pulls me close, his body wrapped around mine. “I know you didn’t.”

There is so much more I want to ask. What happened with his father? What are his plans for me? Now and later…

I wrap my arms about his neck. Knowing they killed his father has pushed my concerns to the back of my thoughts, my focus now on what’s happened to him. “I don’t understand your world. How can you do business with those men if they did that to you?”

“I don’t do business with them. Not really. And this tunnel will allow me to finally repay them for all they’ve done.”

I’m still not sure how I fit into that, but I lean back, searching his face. This is about revenge for him. And I’m part of that…I see it now.

My stomach sinks deeper. Does he just not want me to help the Italians? Or is there something more? It would make sense that he wouldn’t want me to be a witness for his Italian rivals to use to strike out against the Dukes. Is that why he’s suddenly protecting me?

He’s kissing my neck even as he reaches back and gets the soap. “I’d like to stay in this shower all day, but I’ve got a long day pushing the building permits through.”

Part of me aches to lose his touch but the other part is relieved.

In the last twenty-four hours, things have gotten so complicated. Then I shake my head. They were always complicated. The change is that I no longer see this as just an exchange.

My body, it belongs to Mason. Even now, it aches under his large hands as they soap up every inch of my body.

“A day with the zoning department,” I wrinkle my nose. “The only thing more boring might be staying here alone all day.”

He’s bending down, washing each of my legs. “It won’t be forever. Today is a big step forward.”

“And then you’ll get your revenge and I’ll…” I leave it blank. Waiting to hear what he’ll fill in.

His hands slow. “We’ll figure that out after you’re not in danger.”

That does not make me feel any better. But he turns on the other shower head and begins soaping his own body. He’s all business now, a model of cold efficiency, and I watch him having that feeling again that I’d jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

Mason might just burn me alive.

“Mason?”

He stops scrubbing his hair to turn to me. “Yes?”

“Can I have groceries delivered?” I need to keep my hands busy today. It’ll help me to sort through my feelings.

“You don’t have enough food?”

“No. I…” I grab the shampoo, squirting some into my hand and lifting my hand over my head to scrub my hair.

Without warning, he’s back in front of me, his hand around my waist, his mouth sucking in one of my nipples.

I toss my head back, arching into his mouth as I gasp out. “I wanted to cook.”

“That’s fine,” he says between sucks. “As long as you promise I get you for dessert.”

“Promise,” I gasp. At this rate, I’m never going to figure out a thing. He’s a distraction that has my senses all addled.

Slowly, he pulls away again with a sigh. “I’ve got to go, princess. But I’m holding you to your promise.”

“Princess?” My brows lift as I finish washing out the shampoo, applying conditioner. “That’s a new one.” Roman had called me that the first night. I wonder what it means…

“I guess it is,” he says with one last kiss before he turns back to his shower. I finish too and then we both climb out, Mason wrapping me in a fluffy white towel.

We leave the bathroom as he starts for his bedroom. He stops, looking at my vanity, a brow quirking. “Do you see what I’m seeing?”

I scrunch my brow. “What?”

He walks over to the vanity, picking up my gloss. “You left this out of place.”

I blink in surprise. I haven’t been able to do that in years. Walking to the vanity, I take the lip gloss from his hand and slide it into the proper slot on the tray.

“What does that mean?” he asks.

I shake my head. Is it good or bad that I’m relaxing in his home? I don’t know, so I use his favorite line, “We’ll talk more tonight. Someone has to go to work.”

He kisses me then, long and slow and full of promise. “Tonight.”

I look down at the ring shining back up at me. Twisting it on my finger, I wonder what it all means. The fake engagement, the real feelings, the mysterious motivations. Mason is not an easy man, that’s for sure.

My phone lights up as Mason sends me an app for groceries.

I nip at my lip even as I cross to my closet and dig out my crappy old phone. It’s run out of charge, and I plug it in before I go into the bathroom to dry my hair.

When I come out, I quickly dress, skipping the makeup for now as I fire up my old phone.

Gus has called asking me when I’m coming in and Kim has left me like nine messages.

I told her that I wouldn’t be in that first day, but I can see why she’s worried. We usually talk every day.

Not even thinking I dial her number.

“Where the hell have you been?” She asks by way of greeting.

It actually makes me smile. She’s worried. I’ve missed her. “It’s such a long story. How are you?”

“Crappy.” But I hear her smile. “Gus has me working doubles so I can barely get into the studio.”

“Where are you now?”

“Getting ready to head into Rebel’s. I can only assume that since you don’t care about work, you’re actually graduating.”

“I am.”

“Good for you,” she gushes and I know she means it. We’re planning to go to New York together, though she has a summer course to take. Time at the dance studio has put her behind schedule. “One more piece of our plan is in place.”

“Working extra will help you too,” I offer weakly. As much as she needs money, she also needs rehearsal time if she’s going to get into a reputable dance company.

“You know I love you, but since you left, Gus has us working doubles every day to cover for you and he is not happy about it, either.”

My smile grows. This conversation is just so…normal. “Gus is going to be so disappointed when I quit.”

“Charlotte, I know how quiet you can be, but I don’t have time to draw it out of you. Spill now.”

With a deep breath, I try to think about what I’m going to say. I can’t tell her everything. It’s too dangerous. “I started seeing a guy.”

“You’re ditching your life for a guy? You? Are you changing your mind about New York?”

I shake my head. She’s not wrong. “It’s a long story, and I can’t tell you all of it now, but I am not changing my mind about New York, though it might be a moot point because, while I really like him, I’m not sure if he feels the same about me.”

Kim sucks her teeth, the sound filling the phone line. “I wish I could come see you.”

I can’t tell her that’s not even possible. “Me too.”

“But you can start by pressing him for information. I know you and you haven’t.” She is totally right. “If he’s shady in his answers, he’s not legit.”

“He’s too alpha to be a liar, but he is a high roller and used to getting his way.” Mason won’t lie, but he might really avoid a question to suit his purposes. Sort of like the shower this morning where he didn’t answer direct questions.

“That’s great advice. Thanks, Kim.”

“And I’m glad to hear your graduating. That was kind of touch and go with Professor Burke.”

“Me too. Now we need to get you situated.”

Kim lets out a long breath. It hasn’t been easy for her either. “Listen, I have to go, but first, I just need to know. Are you okay?”

I nod, realize she can’t see me, and then say. “Yeah. I’m good. I’m working on a few more of those bucket list items.”

Kim laughs. “We’ve got our whole lives for a bucket list.”

“True.” I swallow down a lump. Some days, I wonder if that’s true for me.

“Call me tomorrow?” she says in a rush, clearly racing out the door.

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you too,” she says, keys jingling, before she hangs up.

I sit at the vanity, staring at the gloss. I’d been feeling more relaxed yesterday then I had in years. I felt safe with Mason these past few days and I’d let down my guard.

I’d always known that Mason was a predator. What I’d always wondered, the question I couldn’t allow myself to forget…was I his prey?