Page 13 of Beautiful Disaster

How do I explain to him that I’m curious as fuck about Mason? I don’t know what I plan to do or what decisions I’m going to make until then. I may be nervous, but I’m not scared. Do I trust him? Hell no. But I have this need to know for sure if I’m right. It’s so strong, like an itch I can’t reach, but I’m desperate to scratch because I know this is more than just about sex. I want to know why I gave in to him so easily that day. Or why I chased him in his restaurant. I just can’t put that into words to make Aleks understand, and it doesn’t make me look like I’m uselessly chasing dead ends.

“It’s fine,” I say, brushing past him. “Don’t wait up, Mom.”

“Be careful!” he calls out behind me.

With a sigh, I turn around and give Aleks a wave and a smile I don’t feel. He tried to save me once when we were kids. He’s a good soul, and I need to stop being such a dick to everyone I love.

A man steps out and opens the car door to the back for me. “Evening, Mr. Jinx,” he says.

“Hey.”

It’s not really an appropriate car for the high mountains, which get tons of snow, and we’re getting some this weekend, but it’s fucking fire. Living with Julien and Aleks, I’ve gotten used to wealth and just buying whatever we need without scrimping and saving every single penny. It’s not mine, but Julien pays me tons to help out around here while I take my online college classes, which he also pays for. Not to mention, he filled up my savings account a couple of years back. He didn’t have to, but he’s a fucking saint like that.

We wind through the mountains; trees bare of leaves except for the evergreens. The early evening is cloudy, showing that we’re not getting out of the snowfall. I like snow, so it’s never bothered me.

After driving for nearly thirty minutes, the car pulls up in front of a huge house. It’s modern and rectangular, full of stone, rustic wood, and glass, not unlike his restaurant. Some contemporary homes are ugly, but this one is actually nice. Oddly, it blends against the mountain backdrop despite its sharp lines.

In the distance, I can see huge stables and other structures. Our stables hold six horses, and on top is where I live. His stables look even bigger. There are other structures, but I have no idea what they’re for. Did he ever get his hay?

When the car pulls to a stop, the driver gets out and opens the door for me. As soon as my feet hit the gravel, the driver gets back into the car and drives off.

“Okay, then.”

I walk up to the front door and press the doorbell as knots form in my stomach. The entire place is practically glass, so there’s no privacy, but since no one lives close by and it’s far off from the road, I guess it doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t take long for Mason to open the door.

He looks handsome in a midnight-blue button-up that’s open halfway, exposing groomed chest hair, paired with jeans. Other than that, he’s barefoot, even in this cold. His hair is damp and fingered back, and like the last time I saw him, his scruff is perfectly trimmed. Yep, he’s pretty hot. I guess I could get down with a sexy man fucking me. Usually, the men were average or kind of gross-looking back when I was forced to sell myself.

“I thought you’d have some servant open up for you,” I say, stepping inside.

“The first thing you’ll learn is politeness, Jinx. When you enter someone’s home, you will greet them respectfully.”

“I didn’t say I was gonna do shit.”

He ignores me, walking off somewhere, and says, “And no using expletives.”

I quickly follow him toward the kitchen, where he pours himself a glass of red wine. It’s a huge gourmet kitchen, much like the one we have at home, but his place has cleaner lines, and it’s more contemporary, with dark gray cabinets, clean and without handles. It has pale wood accents along the base of the island and open shelving.

“Why are you here, Jinx?”

My jaw drops, and I toss my hands up in the air. “Because you asked me to, bro!”

He looks completely unfazed. “I’m not your ‘bro.’ You will refrain from calling me that ever again. And no slang. Besides, you know what I meant. Why did you decide to come here? And don’t lie; I’ll know.”

“Answers? Curiosity?”

He simply nods and takes a sip of his wine. “Sit down, Jinx. Please.”

I sit on a stool at the massive kitchen island, covered in some sort of polished stone. It’s white, threaded with gray that looks like marble, but it’s something else. I rub my clammy hands on the cold surface.

Mason sits next to me and stares into my soul, I swear to god. “Can I get you something?”

I shake my head.

“Very well. Before we begin, I’d like you—”

“Begin what?!”