And I just wanna hold you all night long. Whenever I'm around you, nothing's wrong. I'm hoping that you'll always be around. You got me on a high, I don't wanna come down, and I love it, I love it (these butterflies)

❀

This entire day has sent my emotions all over the place, but as my head rests against his chest, ears listening to the beating of his heart, I feel content for the first time today.

A shiver runs down my spine from his intoxicating scent, a mere threat to my sanity. His touch almost putting me over the edge, my own emotions on the verge of making an appearance because his embrace was exactly what I've been needing.

I nod my head, the tip of my nose hitting his chest and I push myself off of him feeling relatively overwhelmed by how quick he's able to make me feel everything I'm trying to forget. I wish I could tell him- talk to him- or anybody about what happened but I haven't been able to find the words.

I abruptly end the brutal battle of my overthinking and crawl into his bed, pressing my back flat against his mattress and he joins me, choosing to lie in between my legs, his head resting on my stomach.

My legs are prompted up on either side of him, bending my knees so they're pointed towards the ceiling, his arms wrapped against hips and a fluttery, fiery feeling bursts it's way through my chest.

I look down at him, his head slowly moving up and down from the rise and fall of my chest, his eyes are closed, every perfect feature on his face relaxed and for some reason I find myself reaching my hand out for my fingers to rake through his hair. They graze his scalp, combing through his silky soft strands and an appreciative hum travels up his throat.

He breaks the silence a few minutes later, "I wanted to apologize for last night."

My fingers stop their movements and he repositions his body, his elbows on the sides of my hips holding him up so that he's able to look at me directly.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He says, his voice sounding ashamed, and the way he frowns makes my heart bleed.

"You didn't." I rush out, needing him to hear it and his conflicted eyes study my own, his head then dropping against my stomach with a groan as he hides his face from me, not believing a word I'm saying.

I use my hands to hold his face, pulling it upward so he's able to look at me.

"Mason, how many times am I going to have to tell you that you don't scare me for it to get through to your thick ass skull." He looks away from me, a small faint smirk appearing on his lips, "I was just worried about you. I've never been in that kind of situation before so I didn't know how to handle it. I had know idea what I was doing so I just-"

"Kissed me." He interrupts, his gaze turning back to me and I nervously bite my lip, becoming aware that that might not have been the best thing to do at that moment.

Silence looms over us, the look in his eyes igniting a fire in me from the sheer force of his stare and I decide to speak up.

"How often does that happen?"

"Often enough."

Something burns in my chest as I look at him with an expression on his face I can't read. I wish I could ease the vulnerability that flashed in his eyes right before he looked away from me. I'm still learning when it comes to him, I don't want to seem insensitive or impatient because I would give just about anything to take his blistering pain away.

My eyes watch him as he uses his hands to lift the hem of my shirt up to reveal my entire stomach in front of him. His fingers graze my skin, planting kisses in random areas and my body tingles, heightening when his eyes snap to my own, seeing the dark, gluttonous look in them.

Those eyes.

Those glinting, smoldering, knowing green eyes fully aware of its effect on me.

He continues his drunken affectionate kisses, and I go on, needing to change the subject before both of us end up with our clothes on the ground.

"When did they start?" I ask cautiously, my fingers going back to his hair to try and soothe the troubled emotions I know is coming.

Mason lets out a deep sigh, pausing as if he's thinking before he speaks, "When he started locking me away in things, I think I had just turned eleven."

I have to force myself to not show any change in my facial expression. I've never seen him so calm to answer my questions before, normally he'd tense up and try to conjure up some way so shut me out, but this time he answered me like I had asked him the most simple question in the world- like he trusts me.

Every time I learn something new about what his father did it makes me hate him even more for doing something so cruel to Mason. He's had to keep this to himself for years, the burdens heavy on his shoulders and I couldn't bear to see him hurt that way ever again.

"Is that why you never wanted to sleep with me? Because of your nightmares?" I pick my questions carefully, my fingers continuing their motions as he plants a kiss right on top of my belly button.

My heart nearly gives out on me seeing him react this way talking about something so personal with me.

"I'm not aware of my actions when I'm..." He thinks of the words to say, "Like that. I didn't want to risk hurting you. I thought it had it under control but I don't think I ever fucking will." A small frown is placed on my lips and his eyes catch it. "Nothing has been able to bring me out of it before. You uh," His index finger draws a random pattern around my navel and I noticed how embarrassed he looks about what he's going to say next. "You helped me."

My insides melt buttery soft, more sparks than I possibly know what to do with enveloping my entire body as his piercing green eyes look directly into mine, "You brought me back to you."

He says it in such a soft whisper that I barely even hear it and then he goes back to my stomach, kissing different areas of my skin as if his words hadn't almost put me in cardiac arrest.

He heard me.

I look at him completely at a loss for words, starstruck and mesmerized by the man before me and when he peers up at me, a smile forming on his lips I clear my throat, snapping out of it.

"There isn't anything else that helps you?"

He shrugs, "Some things." I watch his fingers draw an imaginary picture on my belly as he continues, "None as intoxicating as you."

I put the pieces of his words together, grasping onto what exactly he's talking about.

Drugs.

Flashbacks of cocaine- a strong stimulant I found on his dresser earlier this summer resurface and I can't help but squirm uncomfortably in his grasp, a pit in my gut forming over this new information I've been given.

Before I have any time to react to what he said he interrupts my thoughts by placing his lips on my skin and blowing onto my stomach, creating a loud rippling sound and within seconds I'm shrieking, trying to push him off of me.

His arms pin me down as he continues blowing until my throat feels dry and itchy from laughing so hard. I'm squirming, panting underneath him as my laughter roars throughout the room along with the sounds of his obnoxious sucking.

My arm raises as my frame shifts to the side to try and force him off me. I don't have a single chance of succeeding my attempt since my body is too weak to move him an inch from all the laughter pouring out of me but I still try. He moves to keep me in place and right when his arm lifts toward me I react, immediately freezing in place.

Instantaneously, he stops what he's doing, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion over what I had just done.

I flinched.

Mason was tickling me and I flinched.

I try to catch my breath, my chest heaving up and down and mentally pray that Mason is too drunk to comprehend what I just did. But then he lifts his body up, moving closer to me and hovering over mine so that our faces are only inches apart from each other, and as his eyes look down at me, studying my face I realize that he's fully aware of it.

"What's wrong, baby?"

Guilt sinks into me as I look into his eyes and see concern written all over them. What's wrong? The only thing I can think of is Aiden.

Aiden.

Aiden.

Aiden tried to hit me.

The words in my throat are fighting to stay hidden and I grow angry with myself for even flinching in front of Mason in the first place. I know he would never hurt me, I feel the safest when I'm with him; wrapped in his arms, kissing his lips. There's no doubt in my mind that this man would do anything to protect me, but still I'm left tongue-tied over what to say.

I place my hands on his cheeks, shooting him a reassuring smile, "Nothing."

He opens his mouth to speak but my arms wrap around his neck to bring him towards me. My lips find his, giving him a few kisses, his tongue chasing my own until we're gasping into each other's mouths. I take his bottom lip between my teeth, giving it a gentle tug and his moan vibrates right through me.

But when I pull back he rests his forehead against mine, eyes searching for something I can't make sense of.

"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" He whispers to me and I nod my head, culpability piercing my through my body like a sword.

"I'm just tired." I answer, leaning in to give him one last kiss and he does the same to me, seeming convinced.

Against my lips he breathlessly whispers, "I know something that'll wake you up."

I scoff, a laugh leaving my lips at the end of it. "You're drunk, Mason."

"Not that drunk." He mumbles against me, kissing down my neck and my lips part with each skim. My legs stay pressed up against his sides as he tightens his grip against me, lowering and rocking his body further enough for me to feel his covered erection tempting my core and my breath hitches in my throat. His soft, full lips pulled up into a smirk brushes against my jaw, "See? Not that drunk."

I let out a small chuckle against him and he pushes his body back up so he's able to fully look at me. I reach my hand out and sweep my thumb against his lips, touching him again, oh so gently and admiring the man in front of me, wholeheartedly.

He's looking at me with a glint of fondness in his eyes and I just know he's waiting for me to kiss him.

But my skin is crawling, even with him so close to me there's this deep pit in my belly full of the negativity I have tried so hard to push back.

'He only wants you for sex, Elle and you're stupid to think otherwise.'

I drop my finger from his lips, averting my gaze from him suddenly feeling ashamed at my unexpected termination of continuing any further. I wait for him to say something, yell, scream- react- but after pausing for a few seconds, he lowers himself onto me once more and peppers kisses all over my face; both of my cheeks, my forehead, corners of my lips, my chin and the tip of my nose before falling onto the mattress beside me.

"My turn to ask a question." He says to me, his arms wrapping under his pillow, nuzzling his head deeper into it to make himself comfortable and my body turns over so I can face him.

I smile sheepishly at him, thankful that he didn't push it. "Go for it."

"Did you mean what you said to me last night?" Confusion flashes across my face, "That... That I'm strong."

My heart constricts, "Of course I meant it, Mason. You're the strongest person I know." His lips curve upwards, gaze looking at me dead in the eyes.

My fingers float lightly across his bare bicep, tracing the dark black ink tattooed on the planes of his muscles. The pads of my fingers start from the bottom and work their way up to the top as heat ripples in waves off his golden skin.

He watches my movements and I go on, "I know you think I'm trying to fix you, but I'm not. I don't want to, and it's not my job to. I wouldn't change, or fix anything about you. But if you did want that, you're the only one with the power to make it happen, and I'll be here for you every step of the way."

His face softens as he looks at me, mouth slightly parted, eyes focusing on every inch of my face and I match his expression after it occurs to me that what I just said might have been too much for him. I can hear my heart thundering in my chest when he presses his lips together in a firm line, looking overcome with emotion.

In seconds he's on top of me and I yelp, laughs spilling out of me in relief as he goes back to attacking my face with kisses. His lips touch almost every single feature, swelling my own emotions in my throat.

His lips come at me more rough and messier than before, hands cupping my face in order to hold me still and my heart skips a beat under him. He's so gentle, so sweet and utterly unaware of it. All he sees himself as is everything less than what he is.

Once he's finished he captures my lips with his own and kisses me softly, slowly pulling himself back over to hover in the empty space between my legs and I hum against him, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him with everything I have.

The passion in my veins, burning desire in my core wreaking havoc inside me and I'm in way too deep to stop it now.

And between my clothes, muscles and ribs something inside me aches, contracts and twitches in his direction.

He pulls his mouth away, looking at me for a split second before placing another chaste kiss on my lips and shuffling back off of me. My laughs die down, and I watch him make himself comfortable yet again in front of me, closing his eyes while I smile lingers on his lips.

"Who knew you could be such an affectionate drunk." I point out and he groans, his eyes still closed and I wonder what time it must be now.

"It's the tequila." I can't help but laugh and he joins me, opening his tired eyes to tuck a few strands of hair behind my ear. I notice how his gaze catches something while he looks at me, and he hums to himself, the smirk on his lips growing. "I marked you."

His gruff, sleepy voice sends jitters through me and I mistakenly nod my head, not taking into account that his eyes are shut again.

"Yes. Yes you did." He doesn't say anything and I ask the question that's been swarming my mind since I saw it. "Why?"

"So every man that looks at you knows." He answers me slowly, his voice sounding like he's on the verge of sleep as his arm wraps around my waist and pulls me closer to him.

My heart jumps at each word, stomach tightening while my mind races to finish his sentence, "Knows what?"

"That you're mine."

❀

At some point in the middle of the night I woke up with Mason's head buried into the crook of my neck, arm slumped over me, and legs tangled with my own. His humid breaths puff out evenly against my neck and I rub my eyes with my index finger, head groggy and woozy from drowsiness.

I silently curse myself for falling asleep, I have to go back to Jessica's room before she wakes up and realizes I'm gone. I turn around in his arms so I'm able to be face to face with him, and look at the sleeping man in awe.

Right after he said those three little words he fell asleep, leaving me all alone with my bewildered thoughts. I wonder if he'll remember what he said in the morning, and even if he doesn't I hope that eventually when he's ready he'll say the words to me over and over again.

My fingers trail lightly on his serene face, palming his cheek as I lean in and do exactly what he had done to me a few hours ago. I kiss his cheek, his forehead, nose, corner of his lips until planting a final kiss on his mouth.

He kisses me back, arms tightening around me to secure me in place and I sigh.

"I have to go, Mason."

He grumbles in his sleep in disagreement, nuzzling his head into my chest and I fight my own smile, reminding myself that the first thing Jessica will notice when she wakes up is that I'm not there.

"Mason, I have to go." I say a little more firmly and he groans even louder, his eyes still closed shut.

His lips hover against my skin, nose nudging against my jaw, "Stay." He pleads, still half asleep, his voice husky and slow and something about how thick and hoarse he sounds sends me spine tingling.

"I can't. Jessica will notice I'm gone."

"Fuck Jessica."

"Be nice."

He does one last over dramatic groan, mumbling something under his breath and I shake my head, ignoring the feelings him wanting me to stay is giving me.

"Goodnight, Mason." I whisper to him, my chest weighed down with dread over the fact that in a few moments I'll have to leave him.

He never opens his eyes as he opens his mouth to speak, "Goodnight, baby."

And just when I think he couldn't strangulate my heart any more tonight, he puckers his lips out for me to kiss him.

And I know I am absolutely, posi-fucking-tively done for.

❀❀❀

A.N

me after writing these last two chapters: 

They are so cute when they're actually getting along. 

Don't get used to it though :)

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