she's okay with it."
"Not the way you make it sound."
"Hey, people come and go all the time," he said. "But hell if I'm gonna spend the next few months watching her wonder what she did to make you leave ahead of schedule."
I made a sound of frustration. "But I wouldn't be leaving because of her."
"Right," he said. "You'd be leaving because of me. And why?" He moved a fraction closer. "Because, like a selfish prick, I couldn't keep my fucking hands off you."
His words startled me. It wasn't just the profanity. It was the raw emotion I heard in his voice.
And then, there was the gist of what he was saying, along with all those memories his words conjured up. It wasn't just his hands that were the problem. It was his lips and his tongue. And so much more.
As the memories swirled, I stifled a warm shiver.
In a near whisper, Mason continued, "…although fuck knows I tried."
I knew the feeling. In a near whisper of my own, I replied, "Yeah, well I tried, too."
"I know."
Did he? I highly doubted it, considering that I'd been putty in his oh-so capable hands. "But you're missing the point," I said. "We both tried, but I was the only one who was threatened."
"And yet, it didn't stop you."
"Exactly!" I said. "See, that's where the ice cream comes in. I knew I should've stopped. But I didn't. And hey, I'll be honest. The 'ice cream' was probably the best I'd ever had, okay?"
His lips curved into a knowing smile. "Only probably?"
God, he was so cocky, and with good reason, too. But that didn't change anything.
"Alright, fine," I said. "It was the best. But so what? I mean, you don't blame the ice cream if you can't resist. You blame yourself."
"So you're angry at yourself? That's what you're saying."
"More or less."
"Sorry but I'm not buying it."
He didn't look sorry. He looked way too sure of himself, as usual, which prompted me to say, "Listen, there's something you need to hear, for your sake, not mine."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Definitely," I said. "When it comes to women, you've been playing on easy mode for way too long. You think just because you're rich and famous, and yes, obnoxiously hot, that anyone would just love to sleep with you, no matter how you act outside the bedroom."
Or the pantry.
But that was beside the point.
Mason gave me an inscrutable look. "Good thing you're immune, huh?"
"No. I'm not immune," I said. "But I have come to my senses. I mean, seriously, there's such a thing as dignity, you know."
The words had barely left my lips when I heard a sultry female voice call out from somewhere in the distance, "Mason?"
I stiffened. That voice – it sounded eerily familiar.
But no, it couldn’t be.
"Oh, my God!" the voice squealed. "It is you!"
With growing dread, I looked toward the sound. Unless I was mistaken, it was coming from the other side of the river.
Sure enough, someone I knew all too well was standing on the back patio of the mansion directly opposite us.
At the sight of her, I stifled a curse – and not a kid-friendly curse either, but a real curse, the kind that sailors make when their ships collide with sea monsters.
I heard myself say, "Livia?"
Chapter 36
Cami
Oh yeah. It was Livia alright. She was standing on the back patio of the same mansion where that unfortunate nanny had been forced to crawl through the window, however many weeks ago.
But it was definitely Livia.
She was wearing a short black skirt, black ankle boots, and a tight white blouse with a very high neckline.
I watched in growing confusion as she gave us a big smile and a friendly wave.
When I gave her a tentative wave back, she called out, "Cami? Is that you?"
Before I could even think to answer, she strode toward us, stopping only when she reached the edge of the river.
With a laugh, she called out over the darkened water. "Funny seeing you here!"
Yes.
It was.
And I couldn't help but notice that she'd called out to Mason first. When I turned and gave him a perplexed look, he appeared to be just as delighted as I was.
Under his breath, he said, "Fuck."
No kidding.
But I didn't say it, because I'd been cursing far too much already. And yet, I did feel like it.
The last time I'd seen Livia had been in Petoskey.
After that night at the club, we hadn't parted on the best of terms. Afterward, we'd played telephone tag for maybe a week until