Mason was standing with his feet slightly apart, his arms crossed in front of his chest, and his lips pressed together in a firm line. He sort of looked like a bouncer guarding entrance to the bar stool behind him. I walked straight up to him and looked into his charcoal eyes, everyone at the table was silent and focused in on the two of us. I had thought he wasn’t upset since he had been smiling and clapping, but all of a sudden, I was nervous that he was mad at me. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he said something.

“That was the fucking sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Mason growled. He grabbed both sides of my face in his hands and attacked my mouth and neck right there in front of everyone. Everyone started hooting and hollering and yelling lewd comments, and I couldn’t have cared in the least bit. When Mason’s lips were anywhere on my body, it was as if all brain functions except those centered around physical pleasure were temporarily paralyzed.

“I’m ready to go,” I whispered up into Mason’s ear between my panting breaths.

He chuckled and pressed his lips against my forehead, “We just got here, angel. You know what everyone would think?”

I looked around at the people near us. Everyone had resumed their conversations or making out or listening to the next guy up on stage. “I don’t care what they think. I don’t want to be here if he’s going to be. I’m really angry right now and I need you to help bring me back down… relieve some tension,” I looked up at him through my thick eyelashes. “Please.”

“I could never deny you anything, Angel,” he said shaking his head at himself. “Especially if it involves me and you and relieving tension.”

I kissed him. “Thank you, Rat.”

He threw his head back in a hearty laugh. “What am I going to do with you, you little musical, virtuous, angel?”

I scrunched my nose at his description of me. “I sound like I should be on top of a Christmas tree. Do I light up, too?”

He grabbed my hips and spun me around so I was facing the exit and my back was against his chest. “I made you light up on Tuesday and I plan on doing it again as soon as we get back to my place.” He kissed the center of the back of my neck and shivers ran down my body. I couldn’t wait.

Chapter 26

Saturday morning brought with it stormy weather, which I thought was ominous for the “talk” that Dylan and I were going to have later in the day. The night before with Mason had been just about perfect, minus the Ash hiccup. Back at his apartment, we spent hours exploring each other’s bodies and after my third orgasm, I passed out in his bed. I had no idea that someone touching the back of my knee and the palm of my hand could be such a turn-on. Waking up with him had been a little strange since the only guy I had shared a bed with was Ash… and Ash and I didn’t sleep together naked. So when I woke up in a foreign room, draped in heavy limbs, and looked down to see myself and a male body completely in the buff, I had a more-than-a-minor freak out until I recalled the events of the prior evening.

I wiggled out from under Mason’s body and went to the bathroom to get cleaned up and dressed. When I returned to his room, he was still dead asleep. I didn’t want to wake him, he looked so peaceful and innocent. Against my better judgment, I stripped out of the clothes that I had just put on and rejoined him in bed. The next time I woke up, it was to Mason’s tongue teasing the most sensitive parts of my body while his hand lightly traced patterns on the inside of my upper thighs.

One more orgasm each later, Mason took me back to my dorm with a promise to see each other again soon. I knew that at any time Mason could decide he didn’t want to continue to play along with this game that I was making the rules for. I had told myself to just enjoy any time that I did get with him, and after just our first three lessons, I had gained quite a bit of confidence while in bed with him. Mason had not once eluded or attempted to go all the way with me. He was respecting my wish to not go there, even though I could’ve easily been persuaded in the heat of the moment.

Saturday afternoon passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to take a shower and get ready for Dylan’s arrival. Where part of me thought I should get all dolled up so that Dylan could see what he would be missing, but in the end I threw on a gray camisole and some yoga pants. I was too tired to care. I did at least blow dry my hair and put a little mascara and lip gloss on so that I didn’t look completely awful. I wished that Evie would have been there to help calm my nerves with her always insightful advice, but she was spending the entire weekend at Max’s because he was going to be out of town the following week.

At five ‘til five, a knock on the door alerted me of Dylan’s arrival. I wiped my clammy palms on my cotton pants and went to let him in. Dylan looked as handsomely GQ as ever in his khakis and forest green golf shirt, even with the uncommon dark circles under his gloomy eyes. Despite what had happened or what was going to happen between the two of us, I hated seeing him so obviously stressed and strained. I immediately stepped towards him and we wrapped our arms around one another, neither of us saying a word. He squeezed me so tight that I thought he may have bruised a rib, but I didn’t dare complain.

After several minutes, we finally pulled apart and I led him to the sofa in the living area. I grabbed us both a bottle of water and then sat down on the couch, facing him with my legs tucked up underneath me.

“I’ve missed you, Dylan,” I said with a small smile.

“I’ve missed you too, Scarlett,” he returned the sentiment. “I’ve wanted to call so bad, but I just wasn’t sure what to say.”

“Well, let’s start with the truth. What happened last Saturday? Everything was going so good and then you just started acting weird and then you just left? No explanation… nothing.”

He looked around the room, obviously uncomfortable with my direct, to-the-point questions.

“Dylan, look at me,” I scolded. “I’m a big girl, I can handle it. Just tell me the truth.”

“Okay,” he exhaled loudly as he began. “I have been best friends with a girl named Jillian for the last few years. We met at freshman orientation, both non-native Texans, and we hit it off instantly. When we first met we were both in a serious relationship with someone from our respective home towns. The situation was perfect for us to be friends because we could hang out and have fun, and even though we were both attracted to one another, we respected and understood the difficulties of having a long distance relationship, so neither of us ever crossed the line. Well of course, neither of those relationships lasted, and then we each dated other people and somehow, we just never were both single at the same time.” He paused to take a drink. “I realized a long time ago that I was in love with her, but I was always too scared to act on it because I didn’t want lose her as a friend. So, I went on with life as did she.” Dylan ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

“When I met you back in August,” he continued, “I was instantly charmed by your natural beauty and your honest and sincere personality. Then, the more time I spent hanging out with you and talking to you on the phone, the more I realized how much I really liked you. I honestly thought that you might be the one to make my heart forget about Jillian. But a little over a month ago, she and I were out at a bar and we started drunk talking about love and life and all of that… and then before I knew it, we were kissing. Afterwards, I was a wreck. I didn’t know what to think about if or how things changed between her and me; and I felt guilty about what I had done to you and about whether or not I should tell you.” He looked into my face, trying to gage my reaction.

“You didn’t have to tell me Dylan, we weren’t exclusive or anything. You just needed to tell me if y’all were going to get together so that I wasn’t cheating with some other girl’s man. I don’t do that,” I assured him.

He nodded. “Well, Jillian and I didn’t decide to get together after that kiss. We really didn’t even talk about it. But it did change things between us. The way we looked at each other became different… more sensual, more intense, more possessive. I’m not sure exactly how to describe it, but I know you understand the emotions behind it. It’s the same way you and Ash look at each other.”

My eyes shot to his face at his last sentence and he smiled understandingly at me. I didn’t even bother to argue or defend my and Ash’s relationship because it would’ve been no use. Dylan knew how I felt about Ash because he felt the same way about Jillian.

“I’m sorry,” I forced out of my vocal chords, not sure what else to say.

“Don’t be, Scarlett. But just understand why I didn’t tell you about her before, and understand that I did enjoy spending time with you, the same way you did with me… well, at least I hope you did.” He grinned widely at me. I simply nodded in response. I certainly did understand.

“So back to last Saturday,” Dylan wiped the smile off his face and looked solemnly in my eyes. “The night before our date, Jillian and I had a sit down talk to discuss our feelings and we put everything out on the table… including our clothes if you know what I mean.” He closed his eyes and winced at his revelation. I stifled a laugh as I remembered back to the Friday night before and thought that I probably had Mason’s cock in my mouth around the same time that Dylan was balls deep in his bestie. He opened his eyes and saw that I wasn’t even close to upset. “You’re not mad that I had sex with someone else the night before I took you on a date?” He asked incredulously.

“No, Dylan, I’m not. I am actually happy for you and Jillian. I just wish you would have told me. We didn’t have to go out the next day. You could’ve taken her instead.”

“I would never do that to you. I really wanted to tell you that night, but we were having such a good time. And honestly, I knew it would likely be the last time that we ever went out, so I was trying to enjoy it. My getting together with Jillian doesn’t change the fact that I really like you. It’s actually more of a reason that I need to stay away from you. You are a temptation that I find hard to refuse.” Even as he was saying the words, lustful thoughts weighed down his eyelids and his voice dropped. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I was a little bit tempted to crawl over to him, straddle his lap, and kiss him senseless. But sanity and reason prevailed, and I stayed sitting on my cushion. I wasn’t that girl and I didn’t need any more drama in my life.

Instead, I kissed the backs of his hands that were threaded through mine. “Dylan, I wish you and Jillian all the luck in the world. I would love to remain friends with you, possibly even meet her, but I would never want to do anything that would cause a problem in y’all’s relationship in any way. You just let me know, okay?” He nodded and I continued. “I want to thank you for being such a gentleman and a great friend to me when I first got here. I will never forget that.”