Wasted (5 page)

My heart pounded. “I’m not trying to tell
you what to do. By all means, if you want to spend your life
chasing meaningless relationships, that’s your prerogative. All I’m
asking is that you keep the naked ladies in your room.”

“
You want me to fix you a
drink? If you bow up any tighter, your spine’s going to crack.” He
walked past me, his jeans low on his hips. He opened the
refrigerator door and gazed at its contents before pulling out a
carton of orange juice.

“
N-no,” I stammered. “I
don’t want a drink.”

“
A little tequila might do
wonders for your prudery.”

Fury flooded my body. “I’m not a prude. I
just don’t want to stare at naked ladies while I’m making
oatmeal.”

He poured some orange juice in a glass and
added a splash of liquor. “Point taken. Prudes wouldn’t stare at
naked ladies. They would look the other way.”

I felt my face turn red. I tried to think of
something clever to say to put him in his place, but I failed
miserably. I pointed at him as he turned and leaned against the
counter, sipping his drink. “There’s something seriously wrong with
you.” I spun around and marched down the hall.

“
Don’t be mad,” he called.
“I’s just messing with ya. I promise the only naked lady allowed in
the kitchen will be you.”

I stepped into the safe haven of my bedroom
and closed the door a little harder than necessary, hoping that he
had some idea of what a jerk he was.

Holing myself up in my room, I grabbed the
book that I’d bought at a drugstore on my way home from work the
previous evening and began to read. And it might have actually
taken my mind off the fiasco of the morning, except I couldn’t get
Mason out of my head.

A soft knock sounded on my door.

“
Come on, Lex. I’m
sorry.”

I pulled the door open wide. I wanted to be
angry, but he stood there with his lovable grin, dimples shining.
How did his mother ever discipline him as a child?

He was freshly showered, although he still
hadn’t found his shirt. I wondered if that had been intentional on
his part. My eyes dropped to his V lines as they disappeared into
his jeans, and I silently scolded myself, jerking my eyes back to
his face.

He rubbed his bare chest. “Come on,” he
drawled. “We’re both off today, so how about we make today Official
Bond-with-your-Roommate Day?”

I stood silently, a little surprised by his
gesture.

“
I would’ve cooked you a
nice lunch, but I don’t have Hawk here to put out the fire. And I
don’t have many groceries.” His grin widened. “So I made you a
sammich,” he said, lowering his voice and stringing all the words
together.

“
A sammich,
huh?”

“
Best sammich you’ll ever
eat.”

I could feel the corners of my mouth tilting
upward despite my attempt to make this hard for him. “Fine. I am
hungry since I never made my oatmeal this morning.”

Trailing behind him as he strode back to the
kitchen, my eyes roamed his body from his wide shoulders to his
tapered waist at the edge of his jeans. I felt guilty ogling him,
so I tried to concentrate on his silky hair that just covered the
nape of his neck. Having the overwhelming urge to run my fingers
through it, I dropped my eyes to his pant legs, but not before I
spotted his fine ass.

I groaned. Living with him was going to be
harder than I’d anticipated and not for the same reasons.

He turned and looked at me. “You okay?”

Did I just do that out loud? I started
clearing my throat. “Yeah, just got a tickle.”

When we reached the bar, he pulled my stool
out for me. “Have a seat, my lady.” He dropped into a deep bow.

“
Wow, the royal treatment.”
My sandwich, piled high with ham and lettuce, was already waiting
for me.

“
I live to serve.” He
walked around to the kitchen side of the bar. “What do you want to
drink?”

“
Orange juice is fine.” He
pulled out two glasses and poured the juice. “You want a shot of
liquor?”

“
No, thanks.”

He set the glasses on the bar. “That’s
right. You’re the bartender who doesn’t drink.”

I had no intentions of being a bartender,
but I didn’t correct him.

He sauntered around the bar and took a seat
beside me. “So who is Lexi Swafford?”

“
Well, I already told you
that I just graduated from college. I guess you could say I’m a
girl who’s ready to get a taste of the real world.”

“
The real world sucks.” He
took a huge bite of his sandwich.

I studied his profile a moment as he chewed.
I’d had a taste of the sucky real world, but I refused to allow my
one bad experience to mar my belief that the world was still out
there, waiting for me to conquer it. What had he experienced? “Why
would you say that?”

He took a sip of juice. “Sorry, I shouldn’t
try to taint you with my version of the real world.”

“
You don’t like
bartending?”

“
I love bartending, which
is a good thing because I have no other options.”

“
Options don’t just appear
like some magical portal to our ideal world. We have to pursue
them. Sometimes, we even have to create them.”

“
You sound a lot like my
old roommate.”

“
She created her own
options?”

“
He. And yeah, once he set
his mind to something, it was going to happen.” He turned to face
me. “Anyway, back to you…do you have any brothers or
sisters?”

“
I’m the only child of an
only child.”

He flashed a smile, revealing straight,
white teeth. “So is it safe to say that you’re pretty rotten?”

“
Maybe a little bit.”
Bittersweet memories flooded my thoughts. “My papaw spoiled me the
most. When I was growing up, I used to spend the night with my
grandparents a lot. He would spend hours playing dolls with me.”
Melancholy seeped into my soul as I remembered how much fun I’d had
with him. “One time, we had a tea party. I made this terrible
concoction of milk, grape soda, and pickle juice. I don’t know how
many little pink cupfuls he drank, but he managed to do it with a
smile on his face, promising me the whole time that I made better
tea than Mamaw.”

One side of Mason’s mouth twitched up in a
grin. “You’re lucky to have memories like that.”

“
Yeah, I am. He passed away
a few months ago, so those memories are even more precious now.” I
took a bite of my sandwich as I thought about how much I missed
him.

Mason laid his hand on my shoulder. “I’m
sorry.”

“
I appreciate that.” Before
I lost control of my emotions, I turned the conversation back to
him. “Do you have siblings?”

“
I have a sister named
Haley. She’s four years younger than me.”

“
What about
parents?”

“
My dad died when my mother
was pregnant with Haley. Some kind of freak accident while cutting
down a tree. My mom’s around.”

“
Your mom and your sister
live in Creekview?”

“
My mom travels around
some, but she does have an apartment about an hour from here. My
sister’s away at college.”

“
A college girl,
huh?”

“
Yeah, it’s a great
opportunity for her.”

“
What’s she majoring
in?”

“
Nursing.”

“
Good choice. Nurses are in
high demand.”

“
What did you major in?” he
asked, holding his sandwich in one hand.

“
Business.”

After we finished eating, Mason put our
dishes in the sink, and I followed him into the kitchen and loaded
them in the dishwasher.

Mason leaned against the counter, his arms
crossed over his chest. “You want to walk the perimeter of the
complex? I can show you where the pool is. There’s also a
playground if you get the urge to ride a merry-go-round or
seesaw.”

“
Sure. I’ve been hunting a
good merry-go-round since I hit town.”

“
Then I’ll grab my shoes
and a shirt.” He pushed off the counter and disappeared down the
hall. I waited a moment, trying to avoid being too close to his
half-naked body, and then I went to retrieve my shoes.

We met back in the living room, and I
followed him out of the apartment and down a flight of stairs. It
was a short walk to the sidewalk that meandered around the
manicured complex. Up until now, I hadn’t explored, and I was
delighted when we walked through a mini garden. A stained wooden
bench was centered on pavers, blooming knockout roses in a deep
pink surrounding it. A row of multicolored flowers bloomed at the
edge of the concrete: pink geraniums, purple petunias, and an
assortment of impatiens.

“
This is beautiful,” I said
as we passed through.

“
Yeah, they do a good job
with the landscaping.” Mason continued walking, and as we curved
around the clubhouse, the pool came into view. Even though the
water looked inviting, I imagined it was still cold at this time of
year, and there wasn’t a soul in sight.

“
It’s already open,” he
said as he unlatched the gate and held it for me while I entered
the pool area.

I sauntered to the edge of the pool, staring
into the lucid water. Mason approached from behind me, grabbed both
my arms, and faked throwing me in. When he pulled me back, I
stumbled against him, my back pressed against his chest. He held my
arms firmly, attempting to steady me, and my heart raced.

“
Whoa!” He chuckled. “I
wasn’t really going to do it.” His hands were warm against my skin
as his long fingers encircled my biceps. I liked his touch more
than I wanted to admit. My mouth went dry, and I swallowed, trying
to compose myself.

I hadn’t known Mason long, but I was quite
sure he was popular with the ladies. I got it. He was handsome with
a perfectly chiseled face, dimples to make a girl’s heart melt, and
a hot body. He exuded charm and personality. I couldn’t say I’d
been around a lot of guys like Mason, but if I had to pick my type,
it wouldn’t be him.

So why was I holding my breath?

He loosened his grip, but his hands remained
on my arms. “I wasn’t really going to do it today, but once I get
you out here in your bathing suit….” He clicked his tongue. “No
telling what’ll happen then.”

I turned to face him, breaking his hold. “I
just remembered that I need to make a call, but I forgot my phone.
Can I borrow yours?”

Patting his pockets, he said, “Sorry, but
since we were just going on a short walk, I didn’t bring anything
with me. Not even my keys. You didn’t lock the door, did you?”

I maneuvered behind him and shoved with all
my strength.

I watched as he plunged into the pool,
wondering what in the hell had come over me. I never did stuff like
that.

He came up sputtering and splashing, and he
disappeared back under the water. I watched, beaming, pretty darn
proud of myself for besting him. He wasn’t expecting that, and this
could very well mark the first time ever that I’d gotten someone
before they had gotten me.

I waited for him to surface. When he didn’t,
my smile wilted, and victory gave way to worry. Finally, he
appeared, gasping for air.

“
Help me,” he pleaded,
bobbing awkwardly in the water. Submerging again, he quickly
recovered and pulled his head above the water. “I can’t
swim.”

“
Yes, you can.” I put my
hand on my hip, refusing to fall for that.

He didn’t respond, just sank below the
glittering liquid.

“
Shit.” I stared a moment
more. When he didn’t surface, I dove into the water, the frigid
temperature shocking my system. I couldn’t believe I’d pushed him
in. What a foolish thing to do! I thought I was being so careful by
making sure that he didn’t have his phone on him. I never even
considered that he couldn’t swim.

I finally reached him and wrapped my arms
around his torso, kicking to the surface. Once our heads were above
water, I held him firmly with one arm while trying to swim to the
nearest side of the pool.

I heard him laughing, and I stopped
mid-stroke and turned to look at him as my teeth began to
chatter.

It was evident from looking at his face that
he’d never been in distress. “That was mean,” I grumbled.

“
And pushing me in
wasn’t?”

He had a point.

I started for the ladder, and he reached out
and grabbed my wrist, pulling me to him. “Backfired, didn’t
it?”

I stared at him. “You scared me.” My heart
pounded. He’d done worse than scare me. I was terrified, afraid
that he was drowning and it was my fault.

“
I’s just messing with ya.”
He pulled me against him, wrapping an arm around my waist as he
kept both of us upright in the water.

“
I should’ve let you
drown.” Clasping my arms around his neck, I could feel the
displacement of the water as he kicked.

He barked out laughter. “You remember that I
wasn’t really drowning, right?”

I rolled my eyes. “Merely a technicality.
The sentiment’s the same.” My words came out broken and breathy as
I fought the deep chill permeating my body.

“
You’re freezing.” He
nodded toward the ladder. “We should get out, so you can warm up.”
He released me, and relieved to put some distance between us, I
swam to the edge of the pool. Mason swam to the opposite side and
easily lifted himself to the edge.