Wasted (29 page)

How long would it last? How long until I
wasn’t enough?

Mason

Doubts still plagued her. I could see it in
her eyes, the way she cast them down towards my chest instead of
looking directly at me. I could tell by her body language, the way
she folded her arms, like she was guarding herself from me.

And this was why I hadn’t wanted to tell
her. Shit, how could I free myself from my mistake? Was it even
possible?

I wanted her to trust me.

Grasping her shoulders, I gave them a gentle
squeeze. How could I make her understand how much she meant to
me?

“
You remember the day you
told me that I drank too much?”

She nodded. “You said it was the only way
you could stand your life.”

“
That’s right.” I took a
deep breath. “But now things have changed. My life got a whole hell
of a lot better the moment you plopped your pretty little tail on
my bar stool. I didn’t know what you were going to do to me…the way
you would make me feel…but now that I’ve had a taste of what my
life could be like with you in it, I’m not going to let you walk
away without a fight.

“
Damn it, Lexi, I know it’s
scary. I know you’re afraid of being hurt.” I rubbed the stubble
along my jawline. “I’m scared, too. I still don’t understand why
you didn’t trust me enough to tell me about buying the
bar.”

“
I’m not sure, either. I’m
sorry.”

My hands slid from her
shoulders, caressing the length of her arms until I captured her
hands in mine. “That’s just it,” I whispered, gently rubbing my
thumbs across her knuckles. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking
during the last few days, and the truth is that it doesn’t really
matter. The most important thing to me is that I don’t lose you.
I
can’t
lose
you.”

Feeling the need to lighten the mood, I shot
her a grin. “You’re the only woman I want cooking my fish.”

I was relieved when I saw her lips curve
into a small smile as she remembered the day that we were in the
cave. “And you’ll let me feed you poisonous berries?” she
asked.

Lifting her hand to my mouth, I pressed a
kiss to the back of it. “I’ll eat as many poisonous berries as
these hands are willing to feed me.”

Our gazes locked, held in place by the
electricity that sizzled between us. “Don’t hurt me, Mason,” she
whispered so softly her words were barely discernible.

“
I’m not going to hurt you,
Lex. I’m just going to love you.”

A lone tear escaped over her lower lashes,
leaving a damp trail in its wake as it glided over the curve of her
cheek. “I’d like that,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms
around my neck.

Wiping away her tear, the implication of her
words exploded in my brain. With the urgent need to kiss her, I
leaned down, touching my lips to hers, my tongue teasing her until
she opened for me. Her mouth was sweet and warm, and I hardened in
response. My palm rested against her lower back, pressing her
against me, and her hand slid beneath the waist of my boxers, her
fingers encircling me.

Breaking the kiss, I tossed my head back,
letting out a heavy breath as I savored the feel of her hands on my
body.

Damn, just knowing that she was mine sent
relief flowing through my veins, heightening the sensations of her
touch. When I’d woken this morning, my only mission was to do
whatever it took to make Lexi mine.

But as her hands stroked me, I knew that she
was the one with the power, a slow seducer who had claimed me
without me even realizing it. I hadn’t made her mine. She had made
me hers.

And I’d do anything to prove to her that her
heart was safe with me.

Chapter
24

Tequila Sunrise

Mason

“
Apparently, sleeping with
the boss has its benefits.” Driving down the interstate, I skimmed
my palm along Lexi’s thigh, enjoying the smoothness of her
skin.

“
Too bad we couldn’t get
away for more than one night.”

“
One night’s all I need to
do what I want to do.”

“
And what’s
that?”

“
Oh, you’re going to find
out.” Sliding my hand beneath her short white skirt to the apex of
her thighs, I rubbed my fingers across the flimsy material that
barely covered her. She widened her legs, thrusting herself against
my fingers.

“
Damn, Lex, what are you
trying to do to me? If you keep that up, I’m going to pull over at
the first rest area, and we may never get there.”

A soft giggle escaped her as my fingers
glided beneath the fabric.

“
Just remember when you’re
eating dinner out of a vending machine and sharing a restroom with
a bunch of weary travelers that I warned you.”

“
Fine,” she murmured,
unfastening her seatbelt and sliding to the seat beside the
passenger window. After buckling herself in, she cocked her head in
my direction, an amused look on her face.

“
I’s just messing with ya.”
I shifted in my seat, trying to accommodate my growing erection.
“We’ve already passed the last rest area. We’ll be there shortly.”
As if to back me up, the GPS on my phone instructed me to exit the
interstate.

A few minutes later, I
pulled into the parking lot of a high-rise condo. We’d driven a
long way for one night, but after the torment of thinking I’d lost
her over the last few days, I wanted to do something special that
neither of us would forget, something that I’d never shared with
anyone else, something that would be
our
experience.

After checking in, we carted our luggage to
our fifteenth floor unit.

Her gasp of surprise upon seeing the glass
walls that gave a clear view of the beach in all directions gave me
a surge of satisfaction.

She strode to the balcony and opened the
sliding glass door. “Look at this view,” she murmured.

I walked up behind her, threading my arms
through hers as I slid my hands around her waist and peered at the
rolling waves below as they crashed onto the beach and burst into
white foam.

“
We’ve got a little bit of
time before the sun sets. You want to change into your swimming
suit and go down to the beach?”

“
I do.” When I started to
release her, she grasped my arms, stopping me. “Before we do, I
wanted to talk to you.” She gazed over her shoulder at me, waiting
for my response.

“
So let’s talk.” I moved
beside her as we both leaned against the railing and breathed in
the ocean air.

“
Actually, I want to show
you something.”

I tugged on her belt loop. “I want you to
show me a lot of things.”

Smiling broadly, she smacked my hand. “I’m
being serious.”

“
So am I.”

She held her finger in the air. “I’ll be
right back.”

Leaning against the railing as I waited on
her to return, I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on
my face. I’d been lost for so long, and it felt good to be here
with Lexi. It felt good that something was finally working out in
my favor.

“
Here it is.”

I turned to see her thrusting a white piece
of paper at me, a slight smile on her face. Something about her
features made her look a little unsure of herself. “What is
it?”

“
Just look.”

Taking the paper from her hand, I steadied
it in my grasp, allowing my eyes to focus on the artwork in the
center. It was a logo, and as I looked at it, surprise and
excitement surged through my chest.

“
You like it?” I could hear
the uncertainty in her voice. “If you don’t, then….”

“
I love it.”

Her smile widened. “You do?”

“
It’s perfect.” And it was.
I’d only told her once, and I’d never told anyone else. So I knew
she was listening when I told her my story. It was a logo for
Whiskey Nights, the name that I would have given the bar if I’d
been able to buy it from Spanky.

“
I had a graphic designer
create it because…I want to use it.”

“
You want to change the
name of the bar to Whiskey Nights?”

She nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it a
long time. I wasn’t sure what you’d think about it.”

What did I think about it? I dreamed of
owning my own bar, but it was pretty clear that it wouldn’t happen
anytime soon.

“
I also want you to buy
half the bar. I want us to be partners.”

My eyes flew to her face. “You do?”

“
My attorney’s drawing up
the papers.”

“
Lex, you know I have no
money.”

“
I know, but I figured we
could take the payments out of your half of the
profits.”

“
Why are you doing
this?”

“
I thought you’d be
happy.”

“
Shit, Lex. I am happy, but
I’m waiting for the catch. I mean I finally got the girl of my
dreams. I guess part of me is thinking that there’s no way this
many good things could possibly be happening to me at
once.”

Approaching me, she wrapped her arms around
my neck. Brushing a soft kiss against my cheek, she said softly, “A
lot of good things are going to be happening to you.”

“
Is that so?”

She tugged at the waistband of my jeans.
“That’s so.”

I stilled her hand. “I want you to answer my
question. Why are you doing this?”

“
Because I need your help.
I can handle the business side of it, the accounting, the
paperwork, but I need someone who can handle the day-to-day
operations. You know the ins and outs of running a bar, Mason. I
don’t. Besides, the customers love you.”

“
You’re sure you want to do
this?”

“
I’m positive.”

“
Then I’m in.” It was an
offer that was too good to pass up, and I wasn’t sure that I could
have no matter what her reasons. But she was right. We each had
something valuable to offer, and our partnership made
sense.

This was my chance to do something for me.
I’d been thinking about my mother often lately, and as much as I
loved her, this was the push I needed to let her know that I could
no longer pay her bills. As soon as I collected enough tips to pay
her rent, I’d wire her landlord the money and call her to let her
know that this would be the last time I’d be able to do it.

“
This is so exciting!” Lexi
squealed, drawing my attention back to her. “Once we ensure that
the Whiskey Nights in Creekview is a success, maybe we could start
expanding, open one in a neighboring town.”

I studied her face to judge her level of
seriousness, and it was evident that she was considering that
option. “I think we could do it,” I agreed. “Maybe expand the menu
options and up the ante on the dining room, too.”

Enthusiasm lit her face. “Good idea.”

“
And as pumped as I am
about all this,” I said, pulling her into my embrace, “we’re going
to put this conversation on hold. Tonight, it’s going to be you and
me and the beach.” I smacked her on the ass. “Go get
changed.”

She scurried off, and I turned toward the
ocean, admiring the view. Smiling to myself, I couldn’t remember
being this happy in a very long time, probably not since I’d held
Madison in my arms.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh ocean air,
I went to change into my swimming trunks.

When we walked out into the pool area, I
spotted a tiki bar. As the sun was just about to hit the horizon, I
ordered us each a Tequila Sunrise and we moseyed by the swimming
pool and along a planked walkway as we made our way to the beach.
To our right, a long pier stretched out over the ocean. The shrill
call of seagulls filled the air, as well as the soft lapping of the
waves as they tumbled onto shore.

I had intentionally picked a condo with a
private area on the quieter end of the beach, and although a few
people milled around, there weren’t many.

Lexi spread a blanket out, and after she
removed her cover-up, she took a seat on its edge and dug her feet
into the cool sand. I handed her the drink.

Sitting beside her, I admired her profile as
she watched a sailboat in the distance. Her bikini was somewhere
between orange and red, and while I knew there was probably some
exact name for that shade, I had no idea what it was and didn’t
really give a damn. She was sexy as hell in it, and my eyes dropped
to her full breasts as they swelled above her strapless top. The
gulf breeze blew her hair over her shoulder, exposing her defined
jawline and her elongated neck.

She was an exquisite creature, and I was
surprised at just how much emotion surged through my veins.

“
I haven’t been to the
beach in forever.” She took a sip of her drink. “I’d forgotten how
relaxing it is.”

“
Are we at the
beach?”

She turned and peered at me over her slender
shoulder, a perplexed look on her face.

“
I hadn’t noticed.” I shot
her a grin. “I can’t take my eyes off you.” And it was true.
Nothing could compare to her beauty. Not the sunset. Not the sand.
Not the ocean.

Her lips curved into a smile. “I think
you’re pretty, too.”

“
Damn it, Lex. I told you
not to call me pretty.”

“
Oh, that’s right,” she
smirked. “You’re not pretty. You’re jaw-dropping gorgeous.” Then to
drive her point home, she opened her mouth in an exaggerated
gape.