Hard To Love (5 page)

When I was alone in the garden, I exhaled and leaned against
the railing of the veranda, staring down at the man-made pond
below. I was not alone for long.

“Hello
, darling.” Matt appeared. I gasped, surprised. Then
someone else spoke.
“Little stuffy in there, huh?” Daniel said, sneaking up behind
me.
I glanced around. Matt was gone. “Yeah.”
“Did you enjoy your meal, at least?” he asked, leaning next to
me.
“Yes.” I smiled. “Did you?”
“Yes. The lamb is always exquisite,” he said with a smile, his
shoulder lightly brushing against mine. Before I was able to
respond, we were interrupted.
“There you are, darling.” A red-headed woman walked out onto
the veranda. “Maxwell was looking for you.” She stood separating
us, forcing me to step back to avoid her hips hitting me.
“I needed a moment.” He straightened and there was a look of
annoyance on his face.
“Well, hurry up.” She scowled at me as she turned to walk
away.
When she was out of earshot I asked, “Wife?” chewing the
inside of my cheek, waiting for an answer. Should I have expected
anything less?
“Yes,” he replied, disappointed that he was caught, no less.
“Lucky girl.” I rolled my eyes and walked away.
“Lauren, wait.” He grabbed my arm. “I didn’t mean to offend
you.”
“Oh, you didn’t. You just made me realize why I stopped
coming here in the first place.” I shrugged free of his grasp and
walked back towards the doors to the dining room. Luckily,
everyone was getting ready to leave.
“There you are,” Cassie said, waving at me. “We’re going back
to Charlie’s place for a bit,” she suggested.
“Uh—that’s okay. I’m not feeling well,” I lied, staring at the
ground. Cassie nodded her head.
“Are you sure?” Cassie asked, taking my hand in hers.
“Yes.” I smiled.
“We can give you a lift home.”
“I think the fresh air will do me good.” I shook my. I needed to
be alone.
Cassie screwed her lips, eyeing me. “Will I see you at the club
later?”
“I’ll make an appearance.” I leaned in to hug her. The walk
home would do me good. I had not been alone with my thoughts
since I got back to Portland. I enjoyed being along and away from
all the chaos of Cassie’s life. Cassie was different she like being
busy all the time and always having something to do. I enjoyed
sitting on the couch reading a book, don’t get me wrong I loved
going out with great friends and having a good time too. Just a
little less than Cassie did.

By the time I had made it to the end of the road the clubhouse
was on, Charlie and Cassie drove up honking as he pulled up next
to me. He stopped and tried to convince me to accept a ride home,
but I was pretty adamant in my refusal. He looked disappointed,
but I didn’t care. Eventually, when I wouldn’t budge on my
answer, he slowly pulled away. I shook my head and continued on
my way.

About two blocks from my house, I heard a car pull up behind
me. Then someone whistled. I turned around; spotting the same
red Ferrari that Mason was driving earlier. I grumbled, turned and
kept walking. I heard the car door open and shut.

“Lauren!”
he yelled. I stopped walking, squeezed my eyes shut
and twirled around to face him. “Hey.” He smiled widely.
“Hey.” My head slightly titled, staring at his shirt to avoid
looking into those big, beautiful eyes of his.
“Want a ride?” he asked, thumbing over his shoulder.
“Nope,” I said abruptly.
His eyes looked away a moment, then back at me. His lips
parted and his tongue darted out to moisten them. I watched as his
lips pursed slightly, as he stood, silent. “Oh, come on, I don’t bite.
Unless, of course, you want me too.” He smirked.
Ugh. I hated him. Regretfully, I spun around and started
walking away. His sexy little smile was not going to win me over.
Then I felt his hand grasp my arm, stopping me from getting
farther away.
As I turned, I grumbled, “Mason—”
“Would it kill you to say yes to me once?” he asked.
I tried to keep from smiling as I said, “Yes.”
“Touché.” He grinned. “I was actually heading to the beach, if
you wanted to join me.”
“Uh—it’s cold,” I said, tugging at my jacket.
“I’m just walking around.” That damn smile stretched. “I
figured since it’s a walk you seek, maybe we’d do it together. It’s a
better view.”
“I think this is a great view.” I turned and pointed to the bare
shrubs, then pursed my lips as I turned to face him again.
Mason playfully bit his bottom lip. “If anything, you are the one
worth looking at here.” I rolled my eyes, making him chuckle.
“Come on.” He dragged out the words. “It’s a walk, your favourite
activity.”
“Fine,” I huffed, giving in.
His blue eyes practically sparkled at my response. I forced my
legs toward his car. He opened the door for me, helping me in then
he got in, looking over at me as he started the engine and pulled
out onto the road, smiling the entire time.

When we got to the beach, Mason was a gentleman and helped
me out of his car. We walked down the dock towards the dam.
The lake was a beautiful sight. The clouds hung low enough that it
almost looked as if they were touching the water.

“This is pretty.” I turned my head to look at him.
Another
couple walked past where we had stopped. I looked over the
cement wall of the dam at the rushing water below. “Thank you
for convincing me to join you.”

“Nope problem,” He said glancing
over at me. “I come here
sometimes, to think.” He leaned on the cement wall, looking out at
the water. “It’s even more beautiful at night, with all the lights
from the city across the water.”

I cocked my head slightly to get a look at him, and said,
“I can’t
figure you out, Mason.”
“What’s there to figure out?” he asked, smiling and craning his
neck to look at me.
I shook my head, glancing away. “You’re a mystery to me.”
“I’m an open book.” He shrugged, looking back at the water.
“Obviously not,” I scoffed then turned around leaned back on
the wall looking up at him.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I wouldn’t have said that if I thought you were an
open book,” I scoffed. “I don’t understand why you are here with
me,” I said, turning my entire body, facing him.
“Why?”
“Would you like me to list off a few things?” I shook my head,
folding my arms across my chest.
“Yes.” He turned towards me with his arms crossed.
“What?” I laughed, feeling my cheeks burn a little. His brows
rose and he waited to hear what I had to say. “Okay. When we’re
in a crowd, you are rude to me, but when we are alone—for
instance, right now—you are a completely different person,
someone tolerable.”
“That’s not true,” he scoffed, shaking his head.
“Yes, it is, and you know it,” I said
“Prove it.”
“Okay, you have yet to be honest,” I replied.
“When have I not been honest?” He scowled.
“Earlier, when I saw you with that woman who acted as though
she was your girlfriend,” I added.
“She is
not
my girlfriend,” he said, turning away scowling.
“Who is she, then?” I asked.
“Someone my mother wants to set me up with.” He paused.
“She thinks I need to settle down and change my wild ways,” he
said, air-quoting “wild ways” and chuckling.
Biting my bottom lip, I replied, “Maybe she is right.” I turned
to face the water.
“No, she isn’t,” he snapped, and then walked away. It would
appear that I had struck a nerve. I had to run a little to catch up to
him.
“Well, you do have a reputation around town—”
“I’m well aware of the name I have given myself, Lauren.” He
stopped and turned so unexpected that I almost walked into him.
He stood close that I felt his warm breath upon my face. I gulped,
taking a step back.
“Are you proud of it?” I asked.
His brow furrowed. “No.”
“Then change it,” I replied.
“Why bother?” He shrugged, and then turned away from me.
Shaking my head in disbelief I followed. “Well for starters you
should let people see this side of you. This side is actually
likable.” Mason stopped short; his head turned slightly. From his
profile I saw his clenched jaw. Then as I approached him, my arm
stretching to touch him, he started talking.
“What’s the point?” His tone was dark, angry. I pulled back my
arm. “No one will see me as anything but the screw-up, who beds
women like it’s a career.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets,
head hung back.
I stood next to him, appalled. “Wow—I didn’t need to know
that,” I replied.
“Why not? You believe it,” he spat and marched away from me.
I tried to keep his pace. “The perception of your character is
how you play it out, Mason,” I retorted. “What is it you expect
others to think?” He kept walking ignoring me.
I grabbed his arm before he could get too far ahead of me and
said, “Mason—”
“Let’s go,” he said spinning around to face me. Then he quickly
walked down the cement stairs of the bridge.
“Hey—wait.” I was practically running now and the heels
didn’t help. I walked around him, placing my hand on his chest,
and he stopped, stepping away from my touch. I retracted my hand.
“Why wouldn’t you want to change that perception of you?”
Mason scoffed, “Are you done?” He stared at me with a scowl.
I averted my eyes from his stare and nodded. It irritated me and I
wanted to get to the bottom of this but I decided to let it go. For
now. As we walked to the car, he turned off the alarm and got in.
I definitely had hit a nerve because he went from charming to
asshole in less than sixty. I cursed under my breath as I opened the
passenger door and climbed in. Mason was staring out the
windshield, his rubbing his thumb across his lips. I remained silent,
not wanting to upset him further, but when he didn’t start the car, I
felt the need to apologize.
“I’m sorry, Mason—”
“Just—don’t talk anymore,” he replied so sharply that I choked
back a breath, holding it for a moment before letting it go. Then he
started the car. He drove out on the main road, squealing his tires.
I had to hold the door handle as he took corners. The roads were
slick from the occasional rainfall that day. His driving made me
terrified to be in a car for the second time in my life.
“Could you slow down, please?” I gasped. Mason ignored me.
“Mason.” My voice shook. His eyes were so focused on the road
and on shifting gears that he didn’t hear me begging for him to
stop. “Stop the car!” I screamed loud enough that he slammed on
the brakes, and we skidded down the road for what felt like forever
before the car came to a complete stop. Tears flooded my eyes as I
scrambled to get out of the car. My legs were so weak that I fell as
I got out of the car.
“What are you doing, Lauren?” Mason called out. I crawled
away from the car, crying. My body shook so bad I thought I was
going to pass out. “Lauren?” Mason knelt in front of me.
“Get away from me,” I growled and shoved him back.
He caught his balance before falling back. “What’s your
problem?” He asked.
“I almost died in a car crash, you idiot!” I shouted tears were
streaming down my cheeks now.
“I—I didn’t know,” Mason stuttered.
“How could you? You are such a self-absorbed asshole,” I
cried, stumbling to my feet, brushing off the dirt and gravel from
my pants.
“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” he scoffed. I
screamed in frustration and walked away. “Hey—stop. I’m sorry.
Okay. I’m sorry.” Mason tried to help me, but I shoved him away
again. I looked around once I had my wits about me again. My
house wasn’t that far from where we had stopped. A few blocks,
maybe more. I started walking away from Mason and his car.
“Lauren—where are you going? Lauren?” He called out. I
quickened my pace, hopping up the curb to the sidewalk, and made
my way home. Mason got back in his car, but he followed me
down the street, pulling up, parking and getting out. “If you won’t
get back in my car, then I will walk with you.”
“No!” I snarled.
“I’m sorry.” He jogged around me, blocking my path, but I
walked out to the road to get around him. He grabbed me and
pulled me in. “I said I was sorry.” I let him hold me, waiting for
the moment that he let go. “I didn’t know.” He held me at arm’s
length. “I swear.” His hand caressed my cheek. I closed my eyes,
concentrating on my breathing, the way my therapist suggested.
“It’s not okay,” I replied, opening my eyes as a tear trickled
down my cheek. His lips became a thin line across his handsome
face, his eyes on mine as he agreed.

We walked the rest of the way to my house. As we approached
the front lawn of my mother’s house, I didn’t rush to get away as I
should have. I found myself waiting for him to do or say
something despite what he had done.

“
It was the least I could do,” he replied, folding his arms across
his chest.
“Good night,” I said.
He nodded. Slowly, I turned on one heel just as he caught my
hand. I turned back but pulled my hand away.
“I want to apologize again. If I’d known—”
I interjected, “Just stop apologizing. I don’t have to like who
you are, Mason. It’s clear you have issues,” I replied, turning and
walking up the path to the front porch. It was a little harsh, I
know, but he deserved it. He needed to know that I wasn’t
someone he could walk all over, and despite what I felt for him, I
wouldn’t let him either.
When I turned around before going in the front door, I saw that
Mason was still standing there at the edge of the lawn, watching
me. I waved him off, and then slipped in through the front door.

Getting ready for the club was more of a hassle than I thought. I
had never before changed my outfits so many times in one day.
And for what or who I should say. I hated that I was drawn to
Mason’s and as much as I would hate to admit it, there were many
reasons to be attracted to Mason. His eyes were a mesmerizing
crystal blue with a hint of green that I could stare into for hours.
He had this sexy crooked smirk that made my heart skip. I was
foolish to think I had his attention and would be able to keep it.
Just thinking about him made my heart flutter and my breath catch
in my throat. I forced Mason out of my mind and turned to my
closet. I grabbed a new dress that I had not worn yet, a red midsleeve tunic pencil mini. It was cute, and I could wear my new redand-black skyscraper heels with it, and wear them in a little before
the masquerade next weekend. After my shower, I dried my hair,
left it curly and clipped up the sides. Then I applied a dark, smoky
look to my eyes, a touch of lengthening mascara to bring out my
eyes and a hint of rouge gloss before getting in my dress. Once my
ensemble was complete, I grabbed my purse and left.

When I arrived at the club, Gravity, I parked my car a block
away because valet was out of my price range. I made my way to
the club, avoiding a few creepy stares along the way. What put a
damper on my night was the bouncer. He kept telling me to get in
line. Cassie was not answering her phone either.

As I dialed her again, I tried to talk the bouncer into letting me
in. “Look, my best friend is Cassie Harper. I’m supposed to meet
her here tonight. Her boyfriend is Charlie, the owner.” I
emphasized
owner
.

“
Your name is not on the list, so back it up, lady. You think I
haven’t heard that excuse before?” He chuckled and crossed his
arms, ignoring me again. I cursed under my breath and turned
around to find Mason Foster walking towards me. I made a last
attempt to reach Cassie before deciding to leave, and unfortunately
she didn’t answer. Mason strolled towards me, with two
voluptuous women on each arm. He grinned at me when he noticed
I was standing there.

“Ugh, creep
,” I muttered, stepping out of his way. Then I
realized he was my ticket in. “Mason.” I reached out to grab his
arm. He let the woman walk ahead of him before actually turning
around to face me.

“Yes
?” He smirked. As hard as it was, I refrained from rolling
my eyes at him.
“Can you get me in?” I pressed my hands together, begging. “I
have been trying to reach Cassie, but she isn’t picking—”
He interjected, “not my problem.” He craned his neck looking
back at the girls he arrived with.
I continued to beg. “Mason, come on, please.” My shoulders
slumped. It took all my willpower to not smack that smirk off his
face. Then he had the gall to point to his cheek as if I should give
him a kiss. My head jerked back and I crossed my arms, glaring at
him. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want me to slap you in front of
everyone?”
He leaned in close and whispered, “I guess you’re not that
desperate to get in here, are you?” His grin disappeared. “Offer
expires in three…two—” With all my energy and strength I held
back the anger and slowly leaned in to kiss his cheek. Then at the
last second he turned his head and our lips connected. I gasped
and backed up.
“Jerk,” I said under my breath, feeling ashamed, our eyes still
locked. He smirked and licked his bottom lip seductively, biting
down as he continued to stare me down. I was startled by the voice
that came up behind me.
“Still trying to pay for affection, Mason,” said a man in a black
suit, as he approached us.
My eyes blinked. Then I watched as he handed the bouncer
money, then glanced over at Mason. The first thing I noticed was
his amazing blue eyes. I couldn’t believe the genetics in this town.
Did anyone in this town have any other colour eyes, other than
blue?
“Nick.” Mason spun around on his heel. This Nick guy glanced
over Mason’s shoulder at me. “Alone again?” He sneered.
“She’s with me,” Nick told the bouncer, then held out his hand.
Nervously, I walked around Mason and took Nick’s hand. He
smirked and wagged his brow at Mason, then opened the door for
me. The two bimbos waiting for Mason stood there watching. I
couldn’t help but giggle to myself. As soon as we were through
the doors, Nick walked ahead of me. I tried to keep his pace.
“I don’t understand why you would degrade yourself like that.”
He looked down at me, frowning.
“Excuse me!” I gulped, feeling stupid. We walked down the
stairs to the main floor he caught the attention of George, the
bartender.
“Mason isn’t influential enough to pull that shit off. Why
would you do that?” He shook his head in disgust.
“I—I—” I was at a loss for words. As much as Mason made me
feel insignificant, this guy made me feel worthless. I choked back
my tears and tried to defend my actions. “The bouncer didn’t
remember me, and Cassie, my friend, was not answering her
phone.”
“So you resort to sexual favours just to get into a club,” he
scoffed shaking his head.
“Wow, I’m sorry—who the hell are you?” I shouted, getting in
his face.
“Oh, so you do have a backbone. Good to know,” he said with a
wink followed with a smirk, an awfully familiar smirk. As I glared
at him, I suddenly realized who he reminded me of—Mason.
“You must be Mason’s brother.” I scoffed and stepped back,
folding my arms across my chest.
“In the flesh.” he grinned, holding out his hand, but I didn’t take
it. “But let’s keep that between us, wouldn’t want that getting
out.” He grinned again. My eyes fluttered in anger. Nick grabbed
his drink, leaving a fifty-dollar bill on the bar. “Take care now,” he
said, walking away. Feeling the sting in my cheeks, I turned away
embarrassed, catching George’s eye. He winked and lifted a pink
bracelet up for me. With a shake of my head, I declined and
ordered a martini that I would have to nurse for most of the night.
What surprised me most was the cost of the martini. With my
expensive glass of vodka in hand, I slithered my way through the
bouncing bodies to the VIP staircase and made my way up, only to
receive a hard time again.
“Seriously,” I huffed, glancing over the bouncers shoulder,
giving me a clear view of Cassie sitting with Charlie. “That is my
girlfriend right there.” I pointed, but he wouldn’t turn to look. “Just
get her, please.” The bouncer continued to ignore me. Then I
noticed Cassie get up and head in my direction. I waved anxiously.
She was pulling her phone out of her purse when she glanced up
and finally spotted me, waving as she opened the door.
“There you are.” She let out a sigh, relieved.
“I was given a hard time,” I snarled and glared at the bouncer,
who just shrugged it off. “I have been trying to call you for a half
hour.” Complaining was not something I did often, but it was a
little annoying being the outsider.
“Sorry, babe, but it is hard to hear my phone ringing in here.”
She tugged my arm, pulling me through the door.
“Oh, careful, this drink cost me an arm and a leg.” I joked.
“Didn’t George remember you from last night?”
“Oh, he did, surprisingly”—my brow arched—“but I declined
the offer.” After taking a tiny sip, I explained, “I drove tonight. I
have to nurse this drink for as long as I can.” My tone went up in
annoyance.
“What’s wrong,” she asked, stopping and turning to face me.
“Nothing.” I let out a tired sigh. “I just want to get on with the
night.”
“Okay, want to dance in a bit?” she asked, and I nodded. “Grab
that seat by the wall.” She pointed.
“It’s glass, hardly a wall.” I chuckled.
“Drink if you want to drink, babe, because getting you home
won’t be a problem. I’ll arrange a pickup for your car tomorrow,”
Cassie said, sitting on the arm of the chair that I was in.
“I’m fine,” I replied, crossing my legs. I leaned over the arm of
the chair, watching the crowd below move to the beat of the music.
Watching the people dance made me thing of Matt and all the
places we used to go to. Places where I was recognized at the door.
Thinking of him filled me with sadness. I blinked the tears away
before anyone noticed.
Cassie then pulled me out of my thoughts with her comments.
“I love your dress, by the way. Very sexy.” She flipped my hair
over my shoulder to get a better look. “The black belt is a classy
touch, makes you look thinner than you already are.” Her lips
pursed.
“I don’t feel sexy.” I shrugged and sighed.
“Oh, stop—” She stopped mid-sentence and stood. “Oh, my
God!” She screeched, stood and started toward the door. My head
slowly turned as I watched her run down the stairs gracefully, not
even tripping once. I lost her in the crowd for a moment, and then
found her when I saw two people hugging. As I focused, I realized
she was hugging Nick. The jerk I met tonight. Then she grabbed
him by the hand and dragged him through the crowd. My heart
started to race. What if he was as callous as Mason was and told
everyone about how we had met earlier? Panic rose in my chest. I
quickly gulped my drink down.
“Charlie!” She practically ran across the room to him. “I want
you to meet my cousin Nick.” She gave Nick a side hug. Charlie
stood, holding out his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Nick.” He smiled, and then sat down again.
Nick nodded at everyone, stopping when his eyes fell on me and
then he smiled.
“Oh, Nick, this is my best friend, Lauren,” Cassie said, smiling.
“I told you about her.” Cassie put her hand on my shoulder.
“Yes, I remember.” He smirked and held out his hand. With a
shaky hand, I reached over, taking his hand in mine. “Pleasure, I’m
sure.” He smirked. I sunk in the chair, turning away. If I didn’t talk
and avoided unwanted stares, the night might go by faster. “I
actually met Lauren outside,” he stated. My head spun around so
fast it could have detached. His eyes remained on my widening
and pleading eyes. “She failed to mention she was your friend.”
His stare was now directed at Cassie.
I got up from the chair and walked over to the bar. “Martini,
please,” I said, breathy. When I turned around, Nick was standing
behind me. “Boundaries dude?” I scoffed.
“I understand his fascination with you,” he said, leaning against
the wooden bar top.
I gulped. “I beg your pardon.” Nick’s dragged his tongue along
the top of his lip.
“Mason . . . I see why he likes you.”
I stammered, “I—I doubt that, and besides, I wouldn’t care.”
Looking away, I cursed under my breath. The bartender handed
over my drink.
“Oh, you care,” he said and then stole the olive from my drink. I
stared as he popped it in his mouth. I watched as the muscles in
his jaw tightened as he chewed. “You make it too easy, though.”
I cleared my throat, pulling my eyes away from his perfectly set
jaw. “You know, there’s only room for one asshole in Portland,” I
said, biting my tongue afterwards.
His lips stretched wide; then he leaned in close. “Sweetheart,
we’re all assholes here. You’re the one that doesn’t fit in,” he
snidely replied.
My cheeks flared red. “Wow,” I gasped, watching him walk
away. My jaw remained unhinged. He returned to mingling with
Cassie and her friends as if they had known each other for years.
Maybe he was right; I didn’t fit in here.
At that moment, I hoped he felt the burn of my stare on the back
of his head. My anger had taken over, and I was already on my
third martini. I didn’t even notice Cassie walk up and stand next to
me.
“I thought you said you were driving,” she asked, laughing.
“I needed another.” I shrugged, gulping the remainder of my
drink. “It’s a bit stuffy in here. I need to dance,” I said, hopping off
the bar stool. “I’ll take a shot of tequila too, please,” I said turning
to the bartender.
“Slow down.” Cassie laughed. “Charlie babe, we’re going to
dance,” she hollered. Charlie waved her off.
Nick watched us leave.

The closer to the dance floor, the louder the music got. The
pulse in the bass shook the floor. Darkness filled the open space.
Strobes lights and lasers danced across the sweaty, moving bodies.
A popular song that was on the top ten of every radio station
began, and the crowd stopped and cheered. I laughed and wiggled
my way through the crowd. Cassie was in front of me, and we both
started singing and dancing. Arms waving in the air, hips bouncing
back and forth, the R&B beats taking over. The floor was so
crowded that everyone had no choice but to bump into each other.
Heat from all the bodies made me hot, beads of sweat sliding down
my skin. Another song mixed in, matching the beat of the previous
song, and the crowd bounced with their arms in the air. When the
chorus hit, the DJ turned the volume down and the crowd all sang.
I laughed, remembering how fun this was. As I turned around
dancing, the girls in front of me parted, revealing Nick made his
way towards me. I stopped short his seductive eyes locked on
mine. The style of song changed, as did the dancing. It was the
kind of song that demanded seduction. Arms strung around necks
and legs wrapped around waists. It was sex on the dance floor, and
the one guy heading towards me made me utterly nervous. He
smiled as he slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me tight
against his hard body. Our bodies melted together as we danced
rhythmically. His expensive cologne filled my senses, forcing my
eyes shut, and I released a gasp. His sensual touch and arousing
scent was doing something to my insides. I wasn’t sure I’d stay in
control. Even the words in the song were enough to set the mood.
His eyes burned through mine, his stare taking me away, his face
so close that his lips hovered over mine. I wanted to kiss him,
desperately. Then he leaned in and I felt his lips caress my neck
sending chills through me as his made his way to my ear. He
caught me off guard with his directness.

“You’re so fuckin’ hot.”
I felt his fingers tickle the nape of my
neck. Now, normally, cursing didn’t turn me on, but with his
touch and the way he was devouring me with his eyes, I would
have stripped for him right there on the dance floor. Instead, in the
heat of the moment, I opted for a kiss. The passion in his lips was
enough to spike my arousal. I think I surprised him, but he didn’t
pull away. “Wanna get out of here?” he whispered through our
lips. I broke free, cutting all connection with him.