That was the type of man I could rely on when I needed to. It was so comforting. I knew that the entire Scarlucci family was looking for me with orders to kill, but somehow I felt totally safe and at peace right then with Mason.
He moved a little lower on my back, pulling the robe down even more until it refused to give anymore, and then he slipped his hand into the back of it. The whole thing was seamless and logical. But the awareness that this had just become much more erotic was not lost on me. Mason was moving his hands in a circular motion now, spreading out to the surrounding areas of the primary sore muscle, areas I didn’t even know were sore until he touched them. He had a sense for it, a gift of knowing where to touch me and where I needed the most relief.
I hung my head then and breathed in and out slowly, deeply. As I inhaled my body rose into the movement, against the path that Mason was taking with his massage. It added just that little extra bit of tension to it. That was the perfect thing. I loved it. I didn’t want it to end.
But before I knew it Mason was removing his hands and rubbing them together. He was very close to me still, his voice soft and soothing behind me.
“There,” he said. His voice was barely above a whisper. I thought at first that he might be right behind my ear, but upon checking he was actually a few feet from me. He was leaning over slightly, his eyes fixed on mine, so that when I turned my head to look at him we were staring into each other’s eyes.
“How is that?” Mason asked. “Better?”
It took me a moment to process what he was actually asking about. The massage was great, but the extra tension that had just occurred between us---that was phenomenal. I knew right then that I wanted Mason. I’d known for a while, but it was just so hard to let myself open up again, especially after my last few relationships had gone sour. And then I had my sickness, and now a twisted mob family wanted me dead—I’d been a bit preoccupied. And it was hard for me to let someone get close to me anyway. That was just the way I’d always been. My heart has stayed guarded and I intended on keeping it that way; if it was guarded then I was not going to get hurt. That was how I’d always looked at it.
And Mason’s reputation… Was it really that? Or was that something I deluded myself into believing so I wouldn’t have to deal with some real feelings that he’d stirred up in me? When did my life get so complicated, I wondered.
“Yeah,” I mumbled trying to straighten myself back up and snap out of the headspace I’d just gone into. “Thanks.”
“Sure,” Mason said. “Just let me know if you need anything else. Make yourself feel at home.”
“I will,” I said. “Thanks again.”
Mason headed for the door and then paused in the doorway. He looked at me for a moment. I thought he was going to say something, but then he just nodded and stepped out into the hallway. The door closed behind him.
I watched the door for several seconds before I allowed myself to breathe again. What had just happened? Several things, I believed. Mason…the way he was looking at me… and I knew he had something he wanted to tell me, but why wouldn’t he just say it?
I didn’t think of Mason as being the kind of guy to play games. There was something else happening. Was he being shy? Keeping me guessing? Did he think that it was inappropriate to have feelings for his son’s teacher?
Somehow none of these things made any sense to me.
I took off the robe and laid down in the bed. Wow… it was the most comfortable bed I’d probably ever been in. It really felt like I was floating in mid-air and that the entire sky had wrapped me up in some sweet layer of warmth.
I felt myself falling into sleep almost immediately. But my mind was still wandering, mostly about Mason and how I was starting to feel towards him. I knew all the rumors about him, and so far nothing I thought I knew about Mason was real.
He could have just taken advantage of my weakened state right then and it would have been fine. I wanted him and if he wanted me then it would have been a fun, beautiful experience. I had no idea if I’d still want to pursue it later, but for the moment it was great.
But he didn’t. He was holding back.
What I couldn’t figure out was why. What did Mason have in his life that he didn’t want me to find out about?