Mikala's Passion (Pulse Series Book 2) (35 page)

Landon smiled as he slipped off his shoes and jumped in. “Thanks, princess.”

“So…talk to me.” She encouraged him.

Landon tucked the blanket on either side of his thighs and blew out a deep breath through puckered lips. Mikala could tell he was uncomfortable and placed her tiny hand on the back of his and stroked her fingers over his battered, callused knuckles waiting patiently for him to start.

“I’m pretty sure I fucked up any chance with Carl last night.”

“What?” Mikala sat up straighter, scooting her back side closer, intrigued by his confession.

“This is fucked, never mind.” Landon sat forward ready to take off, but Mikala grabbed the back of his shirt, stopping him. “Seriously Mik, I’m just going to come off sounding all girly and shit. I’ll see you later.”

“No, Landon, talk to me.” She tugged at his shirt and he sat back. She rearranged the blankets as he had them and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Whatever you say to me stays with me, I wouldn’t break a confidence between us, I promise. This thing is obviously bothering you, let me try and help.”

He placed his chin on the top of her head. “I kissed him.”

“You what? When? Where?” She sat up, smiling into his sad eyes, he looked gutted and she couldn’t help but feel for him. He had the hots for a guy that didn’t feel the same, it had to be tough.

“I don’t know...signals got crossed I suppose. We were having a great time, I thought.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “Carl was acting all attentive. He was…
fussing
over me.”

“Fussing? What do you mean fussing?”

“You know, like guys do when they like you.” He had an awkward look on his face as he waited for her to get a clue. “He laughed at all my jokes and he sat so close our legs were touching and a few times he even touched me. How fucking stupid am I?”

“Landon, you’re not stupid.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “So, when did this kiss happen and what makes you think he didn’t like it?”

“We were waiting at the end of the driveway for our taxi and he was teasing me for losing all my money, he kept nudging me and the more he did, the more I wanted to…I pulled him into me and kissed him.”

“Oh boy, he didn’t hit you did he?”

Landon shook his head as he chewed the inside of his cheek. “Just a love tap and then he took off and headed for the hills, he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”

“Know what I think?” Mikala asked. “You need to talk to him.”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“Want me to talk to him?”

Landon slapped his hand to his forehead and tilted his head back. “Hell no, that’s the last thing I need you to do.” He pulled her into a hug. “Leave it, honestly. The guy needs room to think and I gotta give him that. I just needed a sounding board.”

“Alright, but if you change your mind, I’ll talk to him. We go way back, I’ve known him for years,” she faded off and sat back glaring. “Do you know for a fact that he’s gay? Because I asked him, and he got real pissed when I did.”

“Not a hundred percent, but there are signs and they all point in that direction.”

“Then don’t give up on him, promise me?”

He took her hand and held it over his heart. “I promise. My Dad used to say nothing worth having comes easily. When I set my sights on what I want, I don’t give up until I have it in my greedy little hands. My sights are set on Carl.”

She wanted to ask if he was a greedy or generous lover, but held back her interest. He didn’t need her nosing around that deeply into his personal life. Mikala’s grin was evil as she realized she had the capability to place a certain two men that worked for her, into compromising positions.

“What are you thinking, princess?”

“Nothing,”

“I call bullshit,” he smirked. “Stay out of it. I’ll keep you in the loop, but you have to promise not to interfere.” He jumped from the bed.

Crossing her heart with the fingers of her right hand and smiling, she held her left hand behind her back and crossed her fingers as she feigned innocence.

***

Mumbled conversation from the bedroom assured him that Mikala and Landon were discussing something of a personal nature, and quite frankly Mason didn’t want to know what it was, he had other far more important fish to fry, the most important one, fessing up to Mikala.

Managing in his mind the right moment to tell her about Ross Stiles seemed crazy, there was no
right
moment. And as easy as it would be to just simply sweep it under the rug and never speak of it again, he didn’t want hidden lies and caustic secrets between them. No good came of lies. Mason wanted a clean slate, an untainted start to the last relationship he would ever know. Mikala would be his final relationship, the one that started with I do and ended with, till death us do part.

Twenty Three

“You’re acting weird.” Mikala grimaced as Mason turned in her direction, with a look of guilt written all over his face. “I’m detecting a confession or some kind of bad news coming on and I’m not going to be any too thrilled, am I?”

“Probably not.”

“Is this going to ruin my day? This is going to ruin my day isn’t it?” She pouted and sat.

The moment he reached out and took her hand in his, she felt like throwing up, her stomach churned and that uneasy feeling of doom hung over her. She was finished with drama, had put drama behind her when Ross Stiles had been locked up and looked forward to a life filled with boring trash and simplicity.

Unlike the reality TV shows that cluttered the airways with drama, she wanted nothing more than complete unadulterated bullshit, packed with impracticality, romanticism and a large dash of rubbish tossed on top.

From the first day of kindergarten, when little Ricky Spears called her pumpkin head while he pulled her hair and told her she was ugly, drama had a way of following her. Each foster home, after her parent’s death came with less than loving atmospheres and a torment of disruption and cruel reality that haunted her soul to this very day. Groping men who told her to call them daddy and the foster mothers who looked the other way, and horny teenage boys that shared the foster system with Mikala, all gave her that take no shit attitude that she was strangely thankful for. Children had a knack for cruelty, but adults had a strategy of fucking with you that seeped into your very being and soldered itself in the recesses of one’s subconscious, making a home there. Nearly impossible to shake abuse once locked into place, Mikala forced herself to commit to a goal, to place it foremost and strive towards it while pounding any obstacles out of her way. Her life saving goal was Pulse, and as she stood and walked over to the bar, she reminded herself that no matter what he said, she would always have her ‘Passion & Pulse’.

Offering up a beer and grabbing herself bottled water, Mikala motioned Mason to follow her into the office where they could speak privately, and she could openly rant if need be.

“Should you be opening that mouth of yours to tell me your leaving, don’t bother, just take your ass and haul it. Better yet, stay right there and I’ll have Landon come in here and break your fucking legs, better still, I’ll have him teach me how and I’ll break them.”

Mason’s forehead wrinkled into a debatable glare as he twisted the top off his beer and took a long draw. “Not going anywhere.”

“So?”

“So,” he mimed and circled her desk, dragging her to her feet and planting his ass in her chair after depositing her on the desktop.

He rested his cheek on her knee, stroking his palm lazily up and down her calf. For a moment she was convinced that whatever demon was eating away at him was not worth disturbing and then as the heat from his touch began to cause a familiar smolder to ignite, she needed to know, needed him to tell her.

“Mason, I’m about to speed dial Landon, you better speak.” Her hand combed through his hair as she softened up. “I won’t bite, I promise.”

“I’ve been keeping secrets.” His head stayed glued to her lap as she continued stroking his hair. “Secrets about Ross Stiles, and his escape.”

Mikala’s fingers tangled in his hair and she yanked his head back until their eyes met. She was unreadable as she stared into his eyes and let out a sigh. “You lied to me?”

“I didn’t exactly lie.”

“You didn’t exactly tell me the truth either did you?” she said, sadly.

He explained in detail what he had hidden from her. Expecting her to go off into a rage, he stabled himself for the worst, but when she released her grasp stroking her hand over his scalp, his mouth dropped open and he flinched when she raised her hand and stroked again.

“Why?” she tilted her head and his hand started smoothing over her calf.

“I was scared of what the truth would do to you. I didn’t want you feeling like you had to hide anymore, it was destroying you and it was killing me to see that happening. I just wanted to see you smile again.”

Chewing over his words, she seemed happy with what he said, happy to bring it to an end and move forward. Mikala stopped worrying the inside of her cheek and pushed the side of Mason’s face back onto her knee as she continued to stroke his hair. “I love you, Mason.”

Jumping to his feet, he wrapped his arms around her. “I love you too, sugar, I’ll never keep another secret or tell another lie as long as I live.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Cause if you do, I’m telling Landon.”

Mason shook his head as he laughed. “I’m serious, I’m sorry, sugar.”

“I know,” she smiled, “and so am I.”

***

“Mase wants you in the apartment,” Carl called, across the room, where Mikala sat handing out paychecks and meticulously recording them into her journal. She gave a harrumph over her shoulder as an answer and smiled at the last employee waiting.

“Next pay will be automatic deposit, if you have any problems let me know right away, okay?” she instructed.

Once finished, and happy she never had to do that again, she filed everything away in her office and walked out to the bar where Carl stood scowling.

“Mr. Reed left instructions to get your butt up those stairs, pronto!”

The past few weeks Mason had been working directly from the club, and in doing so he took every opportunity to distract her from her duties. It was wonderful having him around but exhausting at the same time. His sexual appetite had increased tenfold since moving in and she often found him stalking her like a sex deprived adolescent, she wasn’t complaining in the least, but it did sway her from her appointed rounds. And at times it was exhausting trying to keep up.

Today was no different as she climbed into the elevator and pressed the button. Her heart raced with anticipation as she envisioned Mason stark naked, pulling her from the elevator and having his way with her on the kitchen floor. Not a surface of the apartment or either of the clubs for that matter had not been christened in one way or another, and she was getting so used to having her underpants torn from her that she had a standing lingerie order with her favorite lingerie shop down the block.

Quiet music played in the background of the apartment as she called out for Mason, but he didn’t answer. She noticed a pink envelope leaning against the napkin holder on the counter with her name written on it and tore it open.

Only once you find me will you get your surprise! M

She laughed and walked into the living room, where she found another envelope sitting on the coffee table.

Do you need a clue? The only way to find me is up. M

“What the fuck does that mean?” she yelled, as she walked along the hall to the bathroom, where another envelope hung taped to the mirror.

Not in here, keep trying. M

As she walked to the bedroom she read each clue clutched in her hand, she opened the door and cautiously walked in. This time the envelope sat on her pillow.

Things are looking up in the next room. M

When she opened the door to the fun-room, as Mason referred to it, she saw something she had never noticed before. There was a wooden pull-down ladder hanging open from the ceiling with an envelope taped to it.

Come up and share the view. M

At the top of the stairs she pushed the trap door open and Mason stood there with a huge smile on his face holding out his hand.

“Hi.”

“Hi, this is incredible. I had no idea this was here.”

A pergola had been erected and covered with a plethora of tiny clear lights. Glass jars with lit candles were grouped around the perimeter and sheer fabric was draped over three of the four posts blowing elegantly in the breeze. A king size paillasse with a mass of pillows arranged at one end sat in the center of it all with rose petals scattered over the surface.

Mikala could barely catch her breath as she took it all in. Mason dropped to his knee at her feet and held out a small black velvet box, she grabbed her heart and gasped for air.

“I need to sit,” she said, he guided her over to the bed propping pillows behind her back.

“Wait here.” He rose to his feet, tucked the box into his pocket and dashed off. He returned with two glasses and a bottle of pink champagne.

“Here, drink this.” He poured her a glass and watched as she guzzled it.

“Sugar,” he leaned on his elbow, sweeping her hair behind her ear with his other hand. “I don’t know about you, but there’s no looking back for me. You’re everything I have ever wanted and needed. My heart is bursting I love you that much, and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you what you mean to me.”

“Oh, Mason,” she said, as she cupped his cheek with a shaky hand.

“We’ve had ups and downs, we’ve survived terrible tragedies and had more than our fair share of psychotic moments and if we endured all that, we sure as fuck can survive a marriage.”

He pulled her onto his lap took the little velvet box from his pocket and opened it. Mikala’s mouthed formed an O as he took the pink diamond solitaire and placed it on her finger to join her commitment ring. They looked perfect together.

“Marry me,” he whispered. Tiny beads of perspiration forming on his upper lip, he was so nervous.