A Little Bit Naughty (7 page)

“You know what kills me?” Mason asked. “The fact that you use such an innocent-looking bag to carry around all of those kinky toys.” He looked over at her and his face broke out in a smile. That’s when she realized he’d been teasing—not judging—her. Mason Coleman was actually trying to make her feel better.

Jada returned his grin. “What do you suggest I use? Something made out of red and black lace?”

He shook his head. “Nah, stick with the polka dots. The shock factor you’ll get when you open it up and start pulling out all those toys is that much better.” He looked over, his eyes glittering with mischief. “I know it shocked the hell out of me.”

Jada choked out a laugh as Mason closed the door, started the car, and pulled out onto the roadway.

***

As his tires ate up the miles of the highway, all Mason could think about was Jada being stranded on the side of the road if it were not for him leaving the office much later than usual tonight. She probably wouldn’t have been stranded for long—she’d told him that she was just about to call Kiera when he’d pulled up behind her—but the fact that she’d been on the highway alone, in the dark, sent a tremor of unease down his spine.

She sat with her chin in her hand, looking out the passenger-side window. Mason debated whether or not to engage her in small talk. He wasn’t sure engaging Jada in any way was good for his peace of mind.

Confusion over the moment that had passed between them when she’d cleaned the cut on his arm had plagued him since yesterday. He had resigned himself years ago to the fact that his long-held attraction to her just wasn’t going away. He’d decided to view it as a nuisance; something that was easy to ignore because of the toxicity of their relationship.

But something had changed yesterday. The biting sarcasm and cynical quips that had always been the hallmark of their interactions had taken a backseat to Jada’s thoughtful, tender consideration for his well-being. Having her treat him with something other than scorn enticed those barely submerged feelings of attraction, beckoning them to the surface.

But the fact that she’d run like she was being chased by a pack of wild dogs when things had gotten too intense was a good indication that she wasn’t interested in exploring what could have happened if they had not been interrupted. He needed to remember that.

“So,” Mason asked, deciding that small talk was necessary to break through the awkward silence. “Is the gas gauge on your car broken?”

She turned to him and swiped at her cheek, and he realized she’d had her head averted to block her tears from his view.

Shit.

He really didn’t want to know what had caused them. He was in deep enough as it was.

“No,” she said. “I just have a bad habit of running on empty.” She choked out a teary laugh. “Don’t tell Kiera about this. She and Callie harp on me constantly, with good reason.”

“Your secret’s safe,” he said as he pulled up to the first traffic light at the edge of Maplesville proper. The light turned green and he switched to the right lane so that he could turn at the next light. Then he remembered that she no longer lived in the huge white house on Dogwood Drive that she’d shared with Eric.

“Uh, Jada, where exactly are you living now?”

She hesitated for a moment before saying, “The apartment building at the corner of Willow and Fir.”

Mason shot her a quick glance. There wasn’t necessarily any part of Maplesville that was unsavory, but some parts were definitely less desirable than others. To go from living in one of Maplesville’s most established neighborhoods to the part of town where she now lived must have taken some major mental adjusting.

When they pulled into the parking lot of her building, Jada didn’t give him a chance to turn the car off before she was out the door. She had the back door open and was pulling out her travel case by the time he rounded the car.

“I’ve got it,” she said when he went for the case.

Mason ignored her, plucking the handle from her fingers. “Lead the way,” he said.

“You don’t have to do this. The fact that you brought me home is enough.”

Mason pitched his head back and sighed. “Damn, woman, do you get some twisted pleasure out of being this stubborn?”

Her bottom lip trembled with a tremulous smile. She hunched her shoulders, as if to say “Fine, have it your way” and led the way to her second floor apartment. Once they arrived at the door, she turned and reached for the bag. This time he let her take it.

“Thanks again for doing this,” she said.

“You keep thanking me as if I would have left you on the side of the road.”

“I know, I know,” she said. “It’s just that you’re being so nice…and you…you don’t even like me.”

She dissolved into a mess of tears again, dropping the bag and covering her face with both hands.

Mason cursed.

He snatched the keys from her fingers and tried out three before he was able to unlock the front door. He shoved the travel case inside, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders, ushering her into the apartment. As he guided her to the sofa, he looked around, astounded at how damn tiny this place was. A claustrophobic would go insane after two minutes in here.

Once Jada was seated, Mason stooped in front of her and used his thumbs to wipe the moisture from her face.

“Hey, hey,” he whispered, smoothing her hair back. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you there’s no crying in G-Swirl Vibrator sales?”

She choked out a laugh, brushing at her damp cheeks.

Mason tipped her chin up and looked her in the eyes. “You okay?”

“No.” She sniffed, shaking her head. “I hate admitting it, but I’m so not okay.”

His chest tightened with sympathy. He’d never seen her like this before. The Jada Dangerfield he knew was spunky and spirited. To see her lose it like this made him ache for her.

She held her palms up and hunched her shoulders. “I just don’t understand how someone who hates me can be so nice, while someone I was married to just a year ago treats me like dirt.”

Mason grimaced. “I don’t hate you, Jada. Please, stop saying that.”

“But, you do,” she insisted. “We hate each other; always have. That’s just how we roll.” She said it so matter-of-factly Mason couldn’t help but laugh.

“Do you want some water?” he asked.

She nodded.

He walked two steps into her kitchen—it was literally two steps away—and poured a glass of water from one of those water-filtration pitchers. He brought her the glass, then went into the bathroom in search of a washcloth.

 He grabbed one from a wire shelf that stood over the toilet and soaked it with warm water. As he rung out the washcloth, Mason caught sight of something black and lacy sitting on top of the heap of laundry in the clothes hamper.

“Holy shit,” he choked out.

He braced his hands against the sides of the sink and sucked in a deep breath. How in the hell did he end up in Jada Dangerfield’s bathroom, just inches from her black lace panties? How in the hell was he supposed to go back out there and not picture her wearing something similar? Maybe in blue? Hot pink?

Damn
, but he didn’t need this right now. Neither did Jada. Something had happened to her tonight that had rubbed her emotions raw. What she needed from him was that same tender care she’d given his injured arm yesterday. She did
not
need him obsessing over her underwear. Her possibly hot pink underwear.

Mason squeezed his eyes tight and did his best to pull himself together, despite the lust that continued to rush through his veins like a runaway freight train.

He re-wet the washcloth and rung it out again before heading back to the living room.

Jada sat with her feet tucked underneath her, both hands wrapped around the glass of water. Mason handed her the washcloth. He’d had all intentions of wiping the tears from her face for her, but now every instinct advised he maintain his distance.

Well, as much distance as possible in this tiny ass apartment.

One part of him—the reasonable, practical part—was telling him to get out now. He’d done his good deed for the day, going above and beyond what could be expected. But when he caught sight of her, looking so vulnerable, her emotions so exposed, his reasonable side took a backseat to the man who had been tasked since boyhood with protecting the women in his life.

Mason sat next to her on the sofa. He fought the impulse to reach for her.

“So,” he started. “Do you want to talk about what had you crying your eyes out on the side of the highway? It can’t be because you ran out of gas.”

She shook her head.

“Then what is it, Jada? Did your asshole of an ex-husband do something to you?”

She tipped her head to the side, her brows arching with curiosity. “Why have you always hated Eric so much?”

“Because he’s always been an asshole and a bully,” Mason answered. “What did he do to you?”

Her bottom lip trembled. “He got his wife pregnant,” she said, before dissolving into tears again.

Mason wasn’t sure what to do with that one. It would have been a lot easier to defend her if Eric had called her a bad name or made some other asshole-like move.

“Uh, okay,” he said.

Jada put her hand up, staving off further comment, which was a good thing because he had nothing.

“I’m just having a moment,” she said. “I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it.” She twisted toward him on the sofa, putting both feet up and sliding her knees up to her chest. “His new wife showed up at the party I threw in Covington this evening. Can you believe that? I’ve given nearly a dozen Naughty Nights parties in and around Maplesville, yet she shows up to one that’s an hour away.

“Anyway,” she continued with a dismissive wave. “I chalked it up to one of those crazy coincidences, and decided to roll with it. I was doing just fine until she announced that she was pregnant. After that I just lost it. I locked myself in the bathroom and cried like a baby.”

She pressed her balled fist against her trembling lips, but she wasn’t able to stop the two tears that streamed down her face.

He’d known her over seventeen years, and had never come even close to seeing her so vulnerable. Jada was a spitfire. She was bold and brash and she didn’t take shit from anybody.

But right now she was hurting, and it was painful to watch.

Despite his better judgment, Mason palmed her knee, giving it a slight squeeze. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “You’re allowed to go on a crying jag every now and then.”

“It’s just…I don’t know…like a slap in the face.” She sniffed. “I wanted a baby so badly, and we tried so many times to get pregnant.”

Okay, he was not up to hearing about Jada and Eric and their many attempts to procreate.

“I know it’s petty, but I just hate that Eric is getting his baby and I’m not.” She swiped at even more tears. Mason was surprised she had any left. “Oh, God, why am I talking about this with you? You, of all people!” She groaned, wrapping her arms around her legs and dropping her head to her knees.

“Hey,” Mason said, unable to keep the affront from his voice. “What’s that supposed to mean? Me, of all people?”

She lifted her head and shot him one of those sardonic looks he’d come to know so well from her. “You’ve been great tonight, but we both know the real deal. You’ve barely tolerated me from the moment you met me.”

Mason just stared at her for several moments, a small smile tilting up his lips. “You really are clueless, aren’t you?”

“See, that’s what I mean.” She threw her palms up. “You think I’m a dumb, clueless, airhead cheerleader.”

Mason’s brow drew inward with censure. “You beat out Callie for valedictorian of your high school class and finished college and graduate school in five years. I have never thought you were dumb, clueless, or an airhead. As for the cheerleader…well, you wore the uniform.”

And drove him crazy every time he saw her in it.

The corner of her mouth hitched in an impish grin. “I guess I can’t argue with that. I did indeed wear the uniform,” she said.

The easy smile he was able to draw from her made him feel as if he could leap tall buildings, grab clouds from the sky with his hands, do just about anything he desired.

Mason leaned over and captured her chin in his fingers. “And I told you before, I don’t hate you. I’ve never hated you, Jada.”

Her skeptical expression wrung another chuckle from him. “I called you clueless because after all these years, you never figured out that I had the biggest crush on you when you first moved to Maplesville.”

She jerked her chin out of his hold. “
What?
”

Mason shrugged. “I did.”

“You couldn’t stand me when I first moved here. In fact, you said those exact words to me on more than one occasion.”

“I know,” Mason admitted. “What I probably should have said was that I couldn’t stand how quickly you fell for Eric’s bullshit, like every other girl in school. It was so predictable. But when I saw how hard he fell for
you
, it made it even worse, because I knew there had to be something special about you. It irritated the hell out of me that of all the guys you could have chosen, you chose him.”

“You really don’t like him, do you?”

Mason shook his head. “Never did. We got in a fight on the first day of second grade after I found him picking on a couple of kindergarteners. We’ve butted heads ever since.” He peered over at her. “I truly don’t know how you spent all those years with him. It’s as if you’re blind to the type of person he is.”

“
Was
blind,” she corrected. “My eyes are open now.” Jada blew out a tired breath. “You know what really gets to me? The fact that he’s winning. I hate it.”

“He’s winning?”

“Yes!” She pounded her fist with every item she ticked off. “He got all the money, he’s married again, and now he’s getting a baby. And what do I have? I’m unemployed, living in this shoebox, and I haven’t had sex with something that doesn’t require batteries in over a year.”

He couldn’t do anything about the first two, but Mason had to stop himself from offering to change the status on her third issue.