First Choice, Second Chance, page 12
He could feel the grin tugging at his lips. "Hi. Have we met before?"
She laughed and slapped playfully at his shoulder. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, desire flashing in her eyes as he brushed them over her knuckles. It sparked his own reaction. He took a deep breath. It couldn't just be about sex. They needed more. "Let's get a table and something to eat."
He tucked her hand through his arm as they headed for the hostess's podium. The woman smiled at them, her eyes twinkling. He imagined she'd seen their greeting. "Just the two of you tonight?" she asked, reaching for a couple menus.
"Yes, Ma'am." It usually was, although occasionally Brian and Ashley joined them.
She nodded and pulled out two menus then led the way through the dining room. Mason kept Lila close to his side as they wove through the tables, finally stopping next to a small booth in a corner. It was probably supposed to be romantic. He didn't worry about that. He'd be happy with a blanket spread out in the middle of the floor. As long as she sat across from him. He had to close his eyes for a moment. No woman had ever accused him of being romantic or sensitive. Why is that all he thought about when it came to her? Okay, not all, and even those thoughts held the tint of romance. What was happening to him?
Lila's hand touched his arm from across the table. He opened his eyes and saw the concern in hers. "What's the matter, Mason? Is your dad okay?"
Her concern warmed even more places in his heart. "He's okay. Feeling better the past days. My mind was somewhere else for a minute."
Her eyes clouded over, and he wanted to erase all the doubt he could see in them. Doubt in herself, doubt in them. Then, she blinked, and it was hidden. "I know you've been pretty busy with the farm." She touched his arm again then withdrew her hand, like she wasn't sure if he'd want the contact or not. "I'm glad you could still meet me."
He reached over now and took both of her hands. "No field of hay or corn would have stopped me. It doesn't really matter anyway. It looks like it will be our last harvest."
She squeezed one of his hands. "Your dad's really serious about selling?"
He tried to pull his hand back, afraid he would lose it if she kept touching him, offering her sympathy. She held on tight, though. "Seems to be. He's talked to Brian again. He's not listing it yet, but he's moving forward with the idea."
"How much does he need to cover the farm and his-his care?" She stumbled over the words, and he figured the thought hurt her as much as it did him.
Mason shook his head. "I don't know. I never really followed the books." He did pull his hands away this time and dropped his head into them. "Kyle got the business brain, not me."
He didn't see her flinch, but he could feel it across the table and winced. "I'm sorry," he said, raising his gaze. "I know we agreed not to bring his name up."
"It's okay, Mason. He's your brother no matter how much that pains both of us. He's had a place in your life, in both of our lives. We can't erase that."
"No matter how much I'd like to," he muttered.
A smile flickered, and she reached for his hand again. "Things will work out. If I still had all my money, I'd-"
He stopped that line of talk by leaning over the table and covering her lips with his. "I don't want your money, Lila," he said as he pulled away. "I want you."
He had to break away when the waitress came to take their order, but his eyes came right back to hers when the woman left for the kitchen. "Speaking of the farm, Mom wanted me to invite you to dinner Saturday night."
Panic flared in her eyes, and he wanted to curse. She would pull away from him now. He'd been moving slow, not wanting to do just this. Now, because his mother couldn't help but meddle, he would lose her before he really had her again.
"Dinner?" she asked, her voice wavering.
"Yeah. Just dinner, Lila, like we're having now."
"But, with your parents."
"Yep." He kept his voice light, but he was sure he was on the edge of shattering. "You've had dinner with them before."
"Then, I chose the son who destroys everyone he touches."
He winced at the reminder. "They don't blame you, Lila. My mom extended the invitation. You know her. She'd only do that because she wants you there."
Lila expelled a long breath. "I know. Your mom doesn't operate under agendas." She reached over to squeeze his hand again. "I'll be there, Mason."
It surprised him how much relief washed over him. "I'll pick you up. I'm sure Mom will insist on it."
He could see nerves dancing in her eyes and was sure the same reflected in his. It sounded a little too much like a date, but a smile spread slowly across her face. "Sounds good."
Chapter 18
Lila ushered the last of the second-graders out of her classroom. Then, she spun back toward the room, letting the smile spread across her face again. When she had come back here, she hadn't expected it to bring her so much happiness. Mason would be here, and she'd hoped they could at least get along again. She didn't know they would still have this intense chemistry. That they could get over what had happened.
Last night was definitely them more than getting along. She spun again and barely held in a giggle. When was the last time she had giggled? Certainly not in the last year. Probably not in the last seven years, either. The last time she could remember feeling like this was when she'd written that song, the one that had gotten her the first recording contract. That had been about Mason, too.
She brought her hand up to her heart, which raced in her chest. Suddenly the airy feeling left, replaced by the thunderous pound of the blood in her ears. Why was she letting this happen?
Lila moved over to the window and cranked it open, leaning close. The air didn't do much to dispel the heavy weight on her chest. She wanted to get back the feeling making her want to dance and sing. Not this panic that she was making the worst mistake of her life.
No. Marrying Kyle, choosing him over Mason, had been her worst mistake. Nothing she did could be as bad.
Yet, this feeling still lingered. In two more days she'd be having dinner with his family. Oh, God. She sank to the floor. Why had she agreed to this? It wasn't like they were dating, and he took her home to meet the parents. She'd known them since she was a little girl. She'd gone to dinner there when they had dated before. Of course, her father had tried to do everything he could to keep her from even seeing him. She could still remember the things she had done to sneak some time with him.
"Lila?"
Her head jerked up as one of her accomplices to those times stepped into the room. She let out a laugh that sounded hysterical even to her. "Ashley."
"Are you okay, Lila?" the other woman asked, stepping farther into the room.
She forced herself to take a deep breath before she got to her feet. Her friend had already hurried over to her. "Are you sick? Do you need me to take you to a doctor or something?"
Lila couldn't stop the laugh bubbling out. "No, Ashley, I'm fine. Just having a little panic attack, I think."
"Shit. You scared me."
Lila had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep another laugh from escaping. "You probably shouldn't say that in the school," she said between gasps as she fought against the laugh.
Ashley's face pinked then a smile spread across her face. "It slipped, but it's not like they have cameras in here."
That only caused Lila to laugh harder until she finally had to hold onto her sides and draw in a few deep breaths. Finally the laughter subsided. "Did you need something?" she asked, still trying to get her breath back. "Or were you coming by to check on me?"
"Actually, I wanted to see if you and Mason would want to go out with us Saturday night. My parents are watching Alyssa, and we thought it would be a good chance for us all to get out."
She wanted to utter her own curse then. "I can't, Ashley."
"Why not? You and Mason didn't get into a fight already, did you?"
She laughed at that, a more controlled laugh than before. "No. Fighting isn't something we've really done much of. Being stupid, making the wrong decisions, not talking to each other. That's what we do, but we don't fight."
"Are you doing any of that?"
She shook her head. "Well, maybe making wrong decisions, but no, we're not having problems."
"Then, why can't you come?"
"His mom invited me for dinner Saturday night."
"Oh." Her face brightened. "Well, that's good. I mean it's not like you're meeting the parents for the first time. You've had dinner with them before."
"I know. This feels different. What if I'm totally screwing things up? Maybe we really aren't meant to be together."
"Now, that's stupid, Lila, and you aren't. If you weren't meant to be together, you wouldn't keep coming back to each other. I know Kyle really screwed with you, but you can't let him keep doing it."
She drew in a breath and pushed her shoulders back. "You're right. I've spoken to Mary once. She doesn't seem to hold it against me. I just-I chose wrong the last time. I can't stop myself from thinking I'm making a mistake again. I don't see how he can forgive me. What if he walks away this time?"
Ashely shook her head, a smile curving the corners of her mouth. "I watched that boy nearly waste away for seven years. I think the only thing that kept him hanging on was being there for his father. He's changed since you came back. He's not going to walk away from you."
Lila wished she could be as sure. She pasted a smile on her face and slipped her arm through her friend's. "Why don't we go get some lunch? We still haven't caught up as much as I'd like."
#
Lila paced from window to window. She should have insisted she'd meet Mason at his parents' place. She didn't see how any good could come from him picking her up. Luca had been insistent. Seven years ago, she would have stood up to him, would have defied his wishes. Because she'd believed he'd stand behind her no matter what she did. Now, she didn't know anymore. Her parents hadn't abandoned her to Kyle. She'd made all her own choices then. Now it felt like they were the only thing she had left, and she didn't want to do anything to lose that, too.
Her mother's hand came down on her shoulder and stopped her pacing. "It's going to be fine, Lila. You know your father. He may bluster a bit, but he's only trying to protect you."
"He hates Mason."
She turned in time to see her mother's soft smile. "No, baby, he doesn't. He loves you, and he worries. You're his only little girl. He wants what's best for you."
"He never believed that was Mason. He made me think it wasn't, too."
"I know, sweetie. He thought your dream for you was the same as his. Why didn't you ever tell us how you felt about getting up on stage?"
"I loved to sing. I thought it was a bit of stage fright, something I needed to get over. I really did love the singing. Just not the performing so much."
"I wish you would have told us," her father's gruff voice came from the doorway. "I never would have pushed Nashville. We could have stayed here. It would have been okay."
Tears gathered in her eyes, and she blinked them away. She didn't want to mess up her make-up now, but she did go to him. "Oh, Daddy. I did want to go. It was just so much more than what I expected. It doesn't matter, anyway. We're all back here now."
His hand stroked down her back once, like it had when she'd been younger and had a nightmare. Then, it tightened into a fist, and his arms tensed around her a moment before she heard the truck. "Daddy," she said, a warning in her voice.
"I can't believe you went back to an Akeley boy." He used the term as if for a slimy, slithering animal. "I want to tear the other one apart for what he did to you."
"Dad." The affectionate, childish term dropped in her concern. "Mason isn't Kyle. He didn't hurt me. I hurt him. You won't touch him. If you're going to be like this, you won't even talk to him."
His eyes met hers. "I didn't mean him. He always treated you good. I still don't think he's right for you. He's not good enough."
One corner of her mouth tipped up in a smile. "Daddy, you know no one would ever be good enough for me in your eyes."
He squeezed her shoulder and stepped back. "That's because no one is. I don't want you to be hurt."
Her smiled bloomed fully at the knock on the door. "Mason won't hurt me."
"We all thought that about Kyle, too."
Her smile faded, but she turned and went to the door. Heat flooded her as she looked at Mason. They'd been going to dinner nearly every night the last two weeks, and he cleaned up from his day in the field. He usually still had his work clothes on. If he'd changed, it was still jeans and a t-shirt. She was sure his mother had instructed him to dress up for today. He wouldn't have even thought about it. He always looked good to her, even in those jeans and t-shirts or dirty work clothes. Now, in his pressed black jeans and dressy button-up shirt, he was nearly delicious. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and she could see the muscles in his chest with little swirls of hair covering them. Even with her parents right there, she wanted to put her mouth on them.
She realized she still stood in the doorway, gawking at him. She stepped back. "Come in, Mason."
His face had been serious when she answered the door. Now it cracked with a smile. "Your father doesn't have a gun, right? He knows we're going to my parents'."
"He doesn't want to shoot you, Mason, just talk to you." He had mostly been joking, but it still made her smile strained. "Please come inside."
Mason stepped into the house beside her and slipped his arm around his waist as they moved into the living room. He tensed when Luca stepped forward. "Mr. Corelli." Lila couldn't help but feel they were teenagers again. They weren't, though. They were adults, and it didn't matter what her father thought. That's what she told herself, but it did matter. To her, it would always matter.
"Mr. Akeley," Luca responded. "I thought maybe this time you'd actually stay away from my daughter."
"Sorry, sir, but she keeps drawing me in."
She smiled, but Luca's frown deepened. "I don't like you," he said. "I never did."
"Don't worry, you've made that perfectly clear. I'm not asking you to like me. I like your daughter. I always have. Maybe if you had worried less about who you liked instead of who Lila liked, we wouldn't be having this conversation now. Because I never would have left her side."
Luca stared at him for a moment then nodded. "You be good to her. I won't let another man hurt her."
"Trust me. That's the last thing on my mind. I'll take care of her."
Luca nodded and turned away. Mason turned her toward the door. She pushed away from him. "I don't need anyone to take care of me. I can do that myself."
She barely caught Mason's grin before he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to his side. His mouth ran along the edge of her ear, his breath tickling the sensitive skin there. "You didn't mind me taking care of you the other night," he murmured before nipping at the tip of her ear.
Probably a good thing he had a grip on her or she would have melted into a puddle at his feet. "Maybe I'll let you do it again tonight. If you're good," she murmured as they headed out the door.
She could hear the breath nearly strangle him, and knew he was getting as turned on as her. "Well, I'll have to try extra hard to be good then, won't I?"
They were at his truck now, and she thought they may have different definitions of good as he pressed her against the passenger-side door, his hands moving down her legs. "Mason." She was going to tell him they should go, his parents would be waiting. Those all flew away when his hand brushed back up over her knee. "Oh, God." Her vision went blurry for a moment. When it focused again, he grinned at her.
"You were saying about me being good."
She had to take a minute to catch her breath, then she straightened up and smoothed out her skirt. "Yes, good. Which means we should be going."
His grin got wider, but he opened the door for her. Lila sighed when he had closed it again. She saw she would be in for an entertaining night. She couldn't wait to get it started.
Chapter 19
Mason held Lila's hand as they walked out onto the porch. Dinner with his parents had seemed like torture. Nothing bad had happened. No, it had been perfectly enjoyable. His mother wasn't really known to make a meal people wouldn't enjoy. The conversation had been fine. They had both been polite and even friendly to Lila, which had eased a weight off his chest. They had seemed fine with what was happening. She was their other son's ex-wife. That could have led to quite a bit of tension at the kitchen table. It hadn't been present, though. They had just accepted. He shouldn't have expected anything else. It's the way they'd always been.
No, it had been torture for other reasons. One of those was walking beside him now, holding his hand. For the whole meal, he had only been able to think about getting her alone. Their little interlude beside his truck at her parents' had only gotten things started. The whole way back to his parents', she'd had her hand on his knee. She hadn't moved her hand at all, but her fingers would stroke the inside of his thigh and behind his knee. He had been throbbing by the time he pulled up at the house.
He'd had to wait to get her alone. His mother had set them next to each other at the table. He'd returned the favor and got in a few strokes of his own. That spot by her knee was particularly sensitive. Her breath had caught every time he touched it. His parents had either not noticed or were good at hiding it. He wanted to get his hands all the way under her skirt. He needed her alone for that.
"When are your parents expecting you home?" God, he couldn't wait until she was out of there. He wanted to ask her to stay with him. He figured it was too soon for that. She needed to be on her own first.
"I told them not to wait up for me. I don't want to go home tonight, Mason. I want to be with you."
"Are you sure? You don't think your father will be upset?"
