Professor Cline: Redeemed (Professor #2) (20 page)

Mason

The week dragged on, and Luke was there for most of it. Every day, he'd come over to check on my wound and every day, he'd stay and hang out with me. I think he felt obligated even though I told him numerous times I didn't need a babysitter. It aggravated me, but I appreciated it at the same time. The week had been hard. I was plagued by memories of Sophia and all the evil things I'd done in my past. I couldn't let them go. I tried to bury them and think of other things, but they always seemed to find their way to the forefront of my mind.

When Luke was over, I acted as normal as possible, but I knew he could sense that I wasn't all there. He could tell I was off in my own little world, but he kept it to himself, which I was thankful for. I knew he was waiting for me to make the decision to call someone, but I was waiting.

On Wednesday, I received a phone call from Victor telling me he was going to have someone look in on all the finances at Slone & Cline, and he would let me know if they came up with any discrepancies. I was glad he'd called me to let me know, even though Donicko had already told me as much. Part of me wanted to tell Victor to watch what he discussed in his own office due to the bugs I was told were planted, but I left it alone. Hopefully, Donicko would be put away soon enough, and no one would have to worry about it.

After taking a brief shower, I headed down the stairs, hobbling as I went, and made my way to the kitchen. My staff was back, so my fridge was again stored with ready-made foods, a luxury I'd missed while Lexi was away. I grabbed a container of chicken salad and a bottle of water and slowly walked to a bar stool at the island.

I took a few bites and thought about my classes. I'd missed a whole week, something I'd never done before. The substitute was good, but nowhere near as good as me. I knew that was one of the reasons Emma had texted me on Monday. I'd wanted to reply to her, but I didn't know what to say. All the beautiful things that had happened Friday night were washed away by the darkness of my past. It was a hole I didn't know how to dig myself out of. Every time she'd call or text, it was like a reminder of why she shouldn't be with me. I was no good for her, no matter how much I wanted her. Once my plan was set into motion, she wouldn't want anything to do with me, anyway. It was better I ended things before I let it get too far.

Leaning forward, I reached across the island, grabbed my cell and pulled up the last text she'd sent me the day before.

Emma: Mason, please respond to me.

I'd wanted to, but I didn't know what to say. I had so many other things occupying my mind.

I set my phone down and continued to eat. After a few minutes, I heard the front door open and footsteps heading my way.

"How's it going?" Luke asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

I placed my fork down and pushed the container away.

"You know, you should just move in. It'd save you on gas."

"Aww, Mase." He smiled. "Are you grouchy today?"

"Don't patronize me."

"I'm not." He chuckled. "Just pointing out the facts."

I turned on the bar stool and slowly stood up. "You know, I can take care of the bandage on my own. You don't need to keep coming over to check on it."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I know that, but no matter what you say, I'm still going to keep checking on you."

I sighed and let it go. There was nothing more I could say. He was still waiting for me to make a move to get help.

"Drop your pants," he ordered as he came to stand next to me.

I did as he asked and pulled my sweats down. The stitches weren't the best, but they looked to be doing their job. I stood and waited as he leaned down to look over them.

"They look good."

"I know. I could have just told you that. Unless you
wanted
to see me with my pants down." I smirked as I pulled my sweats back up.

Luke scoffed. "Don't be a dick."

I laughed and was about to ask him if he wanted something to eat when the doorbell rang.

I turned my head in the direction of the door then looked at Luke.

"You expecting anyone?"

I shook my head, not knowing who it could possibly be. It wouldn't be Rachel. I'd received a voicemail from John the other day letting me know she had moved out and the wedding was off.

"You want me to see who it is?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

Luke walked off, and I stayed in my seat and waited. After a few moments, I heard muffled talking. I could tell it was a feminine voice, and I hoped like hell it wasn't Rachel. I knew if it were, I'd lose my shit. That was the last thing I needed.

I grabbed my water bottle and took a drink just as Luke walked back into the kitchen with a smile.

I raised a brow at his expression.

“Someone by the name of Emma is here to see you.”

I furrowed my brow in confusion then stood up to walk to the door.
Emma’s here. Now.
Of all the people who could’ve showed up at my door, I wouldn’t have thought it’d be her.

“You know,” Luke started as he followed me down the hall. “You’re lucky she didn’t see me first. You should have seen the look she gave me when I opened the door.”

I approached the door and stopped to turn to Luke. “I think it’s time you left now,” I told him with a smile as I reached for the knob and opened it.

He laughed and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” he asked, switching back to concerned mode.

I nodded and watched as he walked out the door before my eyes finally drifted to Emma’s. Just seeing her standing there made everything I knew I had to do that much harder.

I smiled and moved aside so she could walk through.

“I really hope you don’t mind that I stopped by. I hadn’t heard from you in a couple of days and figured you might be sick, so I brought you a ‘get well’ basket,” she rambled as she lifted the basket to show me.

I smiled at her gesture and guided her into the sitting room to the right.

“I appreciate the thought,” I told her as I took the basket from her and placed it on the table, then walked slowly toward the couch and sat down. She followed close behind and sat next to me.

I gazed at her and we sat there, not saying a word. She was so fucking beautiful and all I wanted to do was dominate that mouth of hers, but I knew I couldn’t do it. I needed to end things and get it over with, no matter how much I didn’t want to.

Everything changed for me that night at Donicko’s. If the plan I have in play ends up working, I don’t want Emma anywhere near me.
Although, I was sure once she knew the truth, she’d leave on her own.

My eyes drifted from hers down to the lip she was nibbling on, and I had to look away.

“Are you sick?” she asked suddenly.

“No,” I answered honestly.

She furrowed her brow for a brief moment then asked another question.

“Is everything okay?” She sounded concerned.

I sighed and leaned forward, trying not to tighten the muscle on my thigh and pull the stitches.

“No,” I answered again.

I didn’t know what else to say. The mask I’d worn was gone. The guilt and lies felt like they were burned into my flesh, on display for everyone to see. I hadn’t been okay in a very long time, and it would be another very long time before I was okay again.

“Can I be honest with you for a minute?”

I turned to look at her again to see her expression had changed.

“I’ve told you, Emma. I always want you to be honest with me.”

She nodded and looked down at her lap, a trait that reminded me so much of Sophia.

“I’m getting a vibe like you don’t want me here.”

I lifted my hands and rubbed at my eyes, biding my time. I didn’t know what to say. I
did
want her there, but then again, she needed to be as far away from me as possible. My mind was such a jumbled mess that I was giving myself a headache.

Sitting back, I reached a hand out, wrapped it around her neck and pulled her closer to me. She looked surprised at first, but she didn’t pull away. I watched her looking at me, and I could see what she was feeling. All of it. She was unsure of my feelings, but lustful enough not to care.

Bringing her closer, I closed my eyes as our foreheads touched.

“I
do
want you here, Emma. I just have so much going on right now.”

She pulled back slightly and adjusted herself on the couch so she was sitting closer to me. Then she lifted a hand and rested it on my cheek.

“I told you I didn’t want this. I told you I needed to focus on school. You’re the one who said you wanted to do this. I’m here. You changed my mind. I never experienced what I did last Friday with anyone but you. I don’t want to lose that. That’s a ‘once in a lifetime’ feeling. If you can’t succumb to it, then you need to tell me, Mason. Please, don’t string me along. I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

I could hear her voice breaking as she spoke, and I realized I’d already started hurting her. I truly was no good at this.

“I’ve told you before, Emma. I’ve never done this. But even past that point, I’m not good for you.”

She pushed away, putting space between us as her face scrunched up with anger. “Shouldn’t I be the judge of that?”

I shook my head. “No, because you have no idea what you’d be judging.”

“Then tell me.”

“I can’t.”

She stood from the couch and placed her hands on her hips, and fuck me if she didn’t look sexy as hell pissed off.

“You can’t or won’t?”

I closed my eyes for a moment to figure out what the hell I was going to do. My mind kept jumping back and forth. My whole life had been about protecting those close to me. Protecting them like I was unable to protect my mother. I’d spent so much time trying to make up for the mistakes I’d made and the damage it caused. Didn’t I deserve the slightest bit of happiness? I’d told myself no. No one needed to get close to me. It wasn’t just about the scars, although that was one of the main reasons. I knew deep down there was something wrong with me, something I never wanted to admit. I couldn’t share that burden with anyone else, but I didn’t want myself to be deprived.

When I opened my eyes, she was standing in front of me, and I did the one thing I knew felt right. She was the one who filled the darkness when I closed my eyes, the one who awoke me from a long slumber. I’d had a taste and it was something I wanted to savor.

I pulled her close until she was straddling my torso, being sure not to groan as she put weight on my thigh. Then I grabbed the back of her neck and brought her even closer, pressing my lips onto hers. She wasted no time bringing her hands up to cup my face as the kiss deepened. Our tongues danced along one another’s, and we both moaned into each other’s mouths.

The over-powering lust I usually felt with her came rushing forward. Nothing felt as good as her skin touching mine. And if I let it happen, she’d become my new addiction.

She moved her hands up from my face to slide them through my hair. And I lifted the back of her shirt and unsnapped her bra.

I pulled her shirt up over her head, breaking our kiss, and let her bra fall from her shoulders before I leaned forward to suck a nipple into my mouth. She moaned and rocked softly against my cock, and it took everything I had not to groan. Every thrust of her hips against my dick pulled at the stitches, causing a continuous sensation of pain and pleasure. The feeling was something I was all too familiar with, and it made me want to lose control.

I grabbed her ass with both hands and pushed her down on my dick. “Fuck, Emma. I can never get too much of you.”

“I feel the same way,” she breathed as she brought her lips down to mine in another searing kiss. She fucked my mouth with her tongue and rocked her hips in the same rhythm, putting me over the edge. If I didn’t do something quick, I was going to come in my pants.

I cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples, causing a moan to escape her lips. I took advantage of the separation of our lips to reacquaint my mouth with her nipples as I rocked my cock against her.

“You drive me crazy,” I stated as I kissed up to her neck.

Her nails dug into my skin as I bit down on her soft flesh. Then she pulled away from me, and I looked up into her serious eyes as she lightly tugged the hair at the back of my neck.

“Don’t fuck with me, Mason.”

I knew exactly what she was referring to. She knew as well as I did what I would have eventually ended up doing.

“You think you’re the only one who’s scared, but you’re wrong. I have a lot to lose, too,” she admitted. “But I’m here because I feel it and I can’t deny it. Don’t push me away.”

I furrowed my brow and bowed my head, resting it on her chest, absorbing the way she smelled.

She was right. I was scared. I was scared of so many things. Of what the future would bring, mainly. I’d always known what to expect out of my life; she was the unexpected. My world had taken one turn after another, and I felt lost. The control over my life had been stripped away, but I hadn’t had control over anything. It was all an illusion. I couldn’t deny myself the one true thing that had been presented to me after all these years. But that nagging in the back of my mind was still there.