It took me a while to get myself to calm down.

I had grown grateful that I was home alone very quickly, I didn't want anyone to see me in the dismayed state I was in. I felt shocked, angry over what happened and disappointed in myself for letting him have so much power over my own emotions. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me hurt, nor did I want to let it escalate that quickly, but I hated how he made me feel.

Insecure, unworthy, small, weak.

I don't know how much time I spent down on the floor trying to catch my breath. No one has ever lifted a hand at me, and I never thought that if the time ever did come it would be Aiden.

I didn't know how to feel about it, what just happened a few moments ago outside my door was very unsettling. I waited and waited for it to sink in, for it to finally register in my mind but no matter how long I waited it never happened.

I wanted to be in Mason's arms.

For him to hold me, tell me everything was going to be okay, give me those sweet gentle kisses I'm starting to feel lost without.

I had this itching nerve to call him and tell him to come over. But I realized that if I did the chances of Mason reacting in a calm and restful manner was slim. I knew that whenever I decided to tell Mason what happened he'll run off the first chance he got to go find Aiden and pummel his head into a wall.

And even though I knew that was exactly what he deserved, the thought alone was too much at the time.

So after all the tears dried upon my cheeks, the headache rising from the aftershocks of pouring out my emotions and my ass started to hurt from being on the hardwood floor for so long, I finally decided to get up and drag myself upstairs towards my bathroom and into the shower.

I let myself enjoy the time alone, soaking up the hot water as the beads leisurely coaxed my skin. I wasn't aware of how much time I had spent in there until my fingertips became wrinkled and the bathroom was clouded with so much thick steam it had became a sauna.

Feeling the waves of claustrophobia hit me I turned off the shower, wrapped my towel around my waist and returned back to my room. As I applied lotion to my skin, my eyes skimmed over the bruise on my hip from Isaac that was starting to fade, and the marks along my wrists that Aiden's hands created. I quickly looked away, wiped a single tear that fell from my cheek and continued on.

I was so ready to see him.

Ready for him to drown my worries, damaging thoughts and the uneasiness in my stomach in the best way he knows how to.

I shouldn't let what just happened with Aiden get to me as much as it does, I've been through worse- I can handle this.

Once I finish getting ready, pack a small bag for Jessica's and brush my teeth for the third time to dispose of the thought of Aiden kissing me out of my mind I finally walk out the door.

It doesn't take long for her to notice something is off with me, and after sidelining the topic as much as I could I capitulate.

And just when the words of Aiden's wrongdoings are on the tip of my tongue she notices something on my neck and nearly jumps off the bed.

A hickey.

My eyes go wide, mouth gapes open and legs immediately stumble over to the nearest mirror in her room to see her sights are proven correct. There on the side of my neck, about an inch or two below my ear is a fucking hickey.

My mind runs wild on what I'm going to say to her next, but then she's laughing, clapping her hands and telling me how impressed she is of me for finally sleeping with the man and then dumping him the next day. She said and I quote, 'I've never been more proud'.

The spiked nerves in my belly traveled up my throat leaving me speechless and just laughing it off and correcting her that he was never my boyfriend in the first place. As she rambled on about how surprised she was for Aiden doing something so 'freaky' my eyes traveled back to the mirror, brushing aside my hair and giving myself a better view of it.

Images of what happened between the two of us this morning resurfaced; all the touching, kissing, biting.

It made me wonder if he has any marks, and the first smile appears on my face for the first time in hours over the fact that I know damn well that he has nail marks on his back and that bite mark I left on his shoulder.

Then I was snapped back to reality from the sounds of Jessica humming to herself, puckering her lips together, bringing her arms around her back and pretending to kiss someone right in front of me. I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it directly at her, shaking my head and hiding the smile from the mark Mason left me.

Since Aiden and I declared whatever we had over, Jessica insisted we watch comedy movies to lift my spirits up, and after our third, we ended up breaking the comedy rule and watching Mamma Mia for the thousandth time.

We popped popcorn, poured ourselves glasses of wine, munched on chocolate bars and wrapped ourselves with any plush blanket we could find as we sang along to every song that we undoubtedly knew by heart.

There were so many times where I wanted to tell her what really happened between Aiden and I, but I knew that when I decided to, the mood would switch and I'd have to spend the night guarding the door to make sure Jess didn't sneak out and kill him with the heel of her shoe.

As the movies played in front of us I kept compulsively checking my phone to see if his name popped up on the screen. Each hour that went by I got this odd feeling in my stomach, remembering what happened last night.

I hoped he was okay, and every time I opened up our text thread and typed a quick message, my thumb would hover over the send button, heart hammering in my chest before my mind reels me back in telling me that it's all in my head.

I could hear Jessica sleeping soundly beside me, heavy puffs of air escaping from her nose as snores left her lips. My eyes remained drilling into the ceiling above me, my despairing thoughts consuming my mind after I tapped onto the screen of my phone and checked the time.

3:05 a.m

A sigh escapes my lips as I turn over in bed, my eyes focusing on the window right in front of me. This nagging, tentative thought telling me that everything between us is just as it was before won't leave my mind.

I toss and turn, trying to untangle the mess knotting in my gut but they still never settle.

Confusion, anger, frustration and worry weigh down on my stomach.

As my paranoia persists I mentally shame myself, wondering at what point this summer did his presence infiltrate my life in such a way that without him it felt... foreign- incomplete.

Setting my phone under my pillow, I let out a small groan. My teeth nibbling on the side of my cheek- a nervous habit- before I shook my head, relaxed my tense body and closed my eyes to sleep.

Minutes ticked by until I heard a clatter outside the door, followed by uneven footsteps. I sit up, my body going still while I question if I had only just imagined things until I hear the noises again accompanied by a string of whispered profanities.

Another sigh exits my lips as I hesitantly get out of bed, the comforting warmth I felt from Jessica's blankets immediately leaving my body and I wrap my arms protectively over my chest.

My feet slowly tiptoe over to her bedroom door, I open it, peek my head through the available gap and see a silhouette figure stumbling in the hallway. I squeeze my body through the empty space and close her door quietly behind me.

"Mason?" I whisper over to him and he turns around.

I can barely see him through the darkness surrounding us, only the contoured outline of his figure but still I know it's him. My eyes adjust to the lack of light as I watch him show off his perfect pearly white teeth, flashing me a smile.

"Baby!" He says a little too enthusiastically, and when his feet shift themselves towards me his body leans over a bit, shoulder colliding against the wall with a thud and the framed art nailed into it shifts crookedly.

I instantly press my index finger against my lips, "Shh, Jessica is asleep." I whisper yell, walking closer to him and he only laughs it off.

Ever since hearing the noise outside Jessica's door I had known that it was most likely going to be Mason drunk yet again. But as my eyes warily try to take in the figure in front of me I remember what she told me last night.

'He comes home like this almost every night'

My heart continues to thump in my ears, stomach turning over and over again as anxiety- a physical pain- shoots through my chest.

When he's right in front of me I slowly look up at him, "Did you drive?"
His eyebrows knit together for a quick moment before his face relaxes. Something changes in his features that I can't make out through the dark.

"Freddie."

He looks at me and I look at him, my eyes trying to detect if he's lying or not but after the night we had last night I don't think Mason would do that to me.

"Come on," I begin, hoping the disappointment I feel that he's like this again isn't too obvious, "Let's get you to bed."

The corners of his lips tug upwards and within the instant I feel his hands circle around my waist. My skin feels warmer, heart beating quicker as he pulls me closer to him. His mouth skims across my cheek, lips tickling my ear.

"Are you trying to take advantage of me Miss Davis? Because if you are, at least buy me dinner first, what kind of man do you take me for?"

I give his shoulder a thwack and he laughs, the sound vibrating through my ears.

"Just kidding baby, couldn't resist you even if I tried. And trust me," He leans in a bit closer, "I have. Can never get enough of you."

He kisses my cheek, giving my waist a little squeeze and I bite down on my lip to keep myself from smiling.

I know I shouldn't have a reason to be even the slightest bit irritated with him because we aren't together. He's free to come home at three in the morning whenever he wants to. He's a grown man capable of making his own decisions, but still my imagination is running wild over all the possibilities of what he could have been doing.

He said Freddie drove him home, but that doesn't mean he was with him all day.

I was never normally the jealous type. With Aiden I didn't feel the need to be, our relationship was the complete opposite of what Mason and I have going on. The moment Mason walks into any room all the women in there immediately stare him down like he's some kind of Greek God.

On any other day I would push my jealousy and irritability aside, but after the words Aiden had forcefully shoved down my throat I'm left wondering how honorable he'll remain during our arrangement.

Right when we step inside his room I immediately turn on the lights. Mason's body trudges over to the other side of his room and with the darkness gone I'm now fully able to take him in.

"Why are you carrying a lamp?" I question, eyes zeroing in on the bronze colored table lamp in his hands.

He continues to walk towards what I assume is the side of his bed and my eyes shift over to the opposite side where a completely different colored lamp remains perfectly intact on top of the nightstand.

"Took it from Freddie's house, but shhh," He whispers, "Don't tell him."

My lips roll into my mouth, hiding another smile threatening to break through. I highly doubt Freddie drove Mason home without seeing the large lamp in his hands, and my heart warms over the entire situation.

He pulls me out of my thoughts, "Our secret, 'kay?"

I nod, "My lips are sealed."

A smile thrusts itself onto his face for a few seconds, his eyes never leaving mine until he turns back around and walks toward the empty space where his nightstand used to be. Right when his gaze lands on the spot his shoulders drop, eyes narrow and smile turns to a frown.

"You still don't have a nightstand." I speak the obvious and he drops his head back, groaning dramatically.

"Forgot that part."

I walk over to him, taking notice that the glass shards that were here this morning from yesterday are now gone. The broken mirror that hung on his wall is nowhere to be found, it's almost like nothing ever happened. He must have come back earlier to clean up the mess, and I'm pleased that I don't have to watch where my feet are stepping anymore.

He bends down to place the lamp onto the floor, and his drunken body jerks, causing the object in his hands slips out of his grasp. The sound of it hitting the ground rattles through the room and my shush him for the second time for being so loud.

He places his finger against his lips just like me and turns back around to face the lamp lying sideways right below him.

"Shhhh." He shushes it and I rub my temples at his childish acts, ignoring the way it sends warmth down my spine.

I place my arm around his back, turning him over to me to guide him over to his bed, "Come on."

He reacts to my touch, humming in response while he places his coarse hand on the small of my back, bare beneath his fingers, sweeping through the inside of my shirt. I feel the tickle on my ear from his breath, his forehead pressed against my temple, a smirk I know is displayed on those lips of his.

"You're so beautiful." He whispers to me, his voice gruff and I nearly stop in my tracks towards his bed, my heart skipping a beat. "Have I ever told you that, that you're beautiful?"

Despite the faint sense of aggravation from how he decided to show up tonight, I find my cheeks darkening another shade or two, lips pulling into a smile, body almost melting in his grasp.

He looks down at me, humming again for me to respond to his question and I shake my head because Mason has in fact, never told me that.

When we reach his bed I move my hands up to his shoulders, pushing down slightly for him to sit and he obliges, his eyes looking up to study me, perfect lips tilted up wickedly at one corner.

"How foolish of me." His arms find my body again, wrapping around my waist and tugging me towards him with one quick motion. A strangled, surprised gasp leaves my lips and he keeps me pressed flush against him. "Gimme a kiss."

Something unfamiliar courses through my blood, tingling a sparkling path down each and every one of my bones and I bite my lip, shaking my head and stifling a laugh.

"Oh God, you are going to be absolutely mortified you said all of this in the morning."

He shrugs his shoulders, and I'm quick to place my arms around his neck, "Most likely, yes." He honestly admits, his eyes never leaving mine, "But do it anyways."

Our bodies are so close together I can feel his heavy breaths hit my jaw, a sensation causing goosebumps erupting all over my skin. His words make me tilt my head and look down at him, my own emotions conflicting each other.

"And if I don't?" I whisper to him and he smirks at me, an evil quirk to his brows.

He thinks for a moment, taking longer than I know he should be just to add the dramatic effect of this whole situation and my heart beats even faster with each second that passes.

"I'll scream."

His words surprise me but I don't let it show. That was just about the last response I expected him to give me, but the longer I stare down at him I realize he's only saying this after I've been making a big deal out of him being quiet.

"You wouldn't dare."

Both his eyebrows shoot up, challenging me while the expression on my face remains hard, unamused and unimpressed. It takes approximately two seconds for him to inhale a sharp intake of breath, his chest rising just before he lets out a deep primal bellow of a scream and my eyes widen, hand clamping over his mouth so fast his body rocks a bit.

"You little shit!" I whisper yell, his eyes glimmering an inch above my hand right before I feel his warm wet tongue swipe against my palm.

I retract my hand, pursing my lips in order to stop the laughter I have the urge to release from my mouth and shake my head.

"Now are you going to come here or am I going to have to scream a little louder?" He threatens with the same boyish smile on his lips.

I sigh, pretending to be the least bit interested in this even though feeling his lips on mine is exactly what I've been craving since I left him this morning. I count for a couple seconds in my head, making him wait patiently for me to give it to him before I lower my head down until my lips press with his.

I can feel him smile against me, his hands gripping onto my waist even tighter in an attempt to pull me closer, my body seemingly at his mercy. I welcome his dominance, even in the state he's in he doesn't give me a single chance to fight for it even if I wanted to. My lips part and he takes full advantage, his tongue sweeping against my own while my fingers tug on the waves of his hair.

His body heat transfers into me, a few slow, passionate kisses already leaving me breathless and dizzy. I pull back, knowing full well that if I didn't stop we'd end up with his head in between my legs sooner or later and after the events with Aiden today I wasn't quite sure if I wanted that tonight.

His forehead presses against mine, leaning in once more to place a small kiss on my lips before fully retracting and grinning against me. When my mouth is no longer invaded by his tongue I taste something semi-sweet and fruity.

"Why do you taste like-"

"Strawberry margaritas?" He answers for me and my lips turn upwards, nodding my head, "Freddie thinks he's funny. Banned me from any of my usual hard liquor for the week."

Whiskey. Scotch. Bourbon.

I smile even harder at the thought of Freddie punishing him for how drunk he got last night by replacing his usual alcoholic choices for tequila- something he would never normally drink.

I can only imagine the look on Mason's face when a strawberry margarita was placed right in front of him.

"But jokes on him." he drunkenly hiccups, "'Cause I'm still fucked up."

I chuckle at his words, shaking my head as I try to wrap my head around his behavior. I've seen Mason drunk before, -many times- but he's never acted like this before while being so. Amusement sparkles in his eyes right before he sticks his neck out slightly to press a chaste kiss to my neck and my hands slowly trail down until their back on his shoulders while his possessive grip remains on my waist.

"I'm going to go get you some water, try to spend your time getting ready for bed while I'm gone." He rolls his eyes, not liking that I had firmly told him what to do, and before I can say anything else he releases his grip on me, his back dropping onto the bed in protest, "Mason. Get. Up."

He crosses his arms over his chest, eyes staring at the ceiling. "And if I don't?"

There's this tone in his voice hidden behind the inebriated slur of his words proving to me just how much he's enjoying this. He's trying to make this difficult for me on purpose, the grin on his face confirms it.

"Then your preferred choice in liquor won't be the only thing you're banned from this week." I snap back and his eyebrows knit together as he props himself using his elbows, a suppressed smile tugging at the ends of his lips, eyes darkening in front of me.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

We stare at each other for a few moments and I try my hardest to keep a straight face, determined to show him how serious I am. His eyes sweep down my pajamas- sweatpants and a crop top- lingering on certain areas. When his gaze finally meets my own I feel heat swarm my entire body and just when I start to question if I'm winning this or not I see the hardness in his face soften, eliciting a chuckle from his mouth.

He pushes himself up fully and steps up and off the bed. My eyes follow his every move as he comes closer to me and my breathing starts to quicken from his slow movements. He stops right in front of me, eyes peering down and I look up at him through my lashes, unwavering.

And my tough, defensive facade is cracked, shattering to pieces when he leans down and kisses the top of my head, trailing kisses further down until he reaches the corner of my lips, and this time I'm unable to fight back the smile and laughs spewing out of me.

His nose brushes against the shell of my ear, voice slurred and gruff as he whispers, "Hurry back." Before leaving me and walking straight towards his bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

I do the exact opposite of what he says and take my time to fetch him his glass of water. This isn't precisely how I planned tonight going. I questioned whether I should tell Mason what happened earlier today, but after witnessing the playful, affectionate mood he's in I don't want to do anything to change that.

Plus, it'd be best to do it when he's sober.

I don't entirely know how he'd react to Aiden and I breaking things off, he never really viewed Aiden as a threat- just someone in the way.

I doubt he'd even really care.

A few minutes pass before I have his glass of water in my hands and head back upstairs towards his room. I open the door, my head low and mind preoccupied by apprehension and uncertainty as I close it behind me.

I hear a throat being cleared in front of me and snap my head upwards. My body jolts, spilling a couple drops of water onto the floor below me, eyes wide, mouth opening in shock.

"Mason!" I shriek, immediately turning around to face the door, my free hand covering my mouth to muffle my own laughs. "You're-"

He interrupts me, "Stunning, irresistible," He takes more steps toward me, the heat of him prickling my skin along the way until he's right behind me. "Enormously-"

"Naked." I blurt out, using all my power to will the heat away from my cheeks and catch my breath from the amount of laughter emitting out of me. "You're naked. Not exactly what I meant when I told you to get ready for bed." I huff, pretending to sound disappointed, "You didn't listen."

"And you didn't listen when I told you to hurry back." My breath hitches when he leans down faintly so the tip of his touches the shell of my ear once again before he uses his teeth to bite down on it, his words a low whisper and the hairs on my back begin to rise. "Sounds like we're both liars."

My mouth involuntarily starts watering and I force myself to snap out of it, pushing his body away from my own and walking straight toward his dresser. He watches my movements, and I don't need to look at him to know there's a smirk plastered right on his face while I look through his drawers to try and find something for him to put on.

My hands grab a pair of sweatpants and throw it at his chest without a single glance.

"You alright there, Isabelle? Your face is a little red."

"Oh, shut up." He laughs a short, gruff laugh and I can't help but join him.

It takes longer than it should for him to put on the sweatpants, but once he finally does without losing his balance in the process I walk a little closer towards him, reaching my arm out to hand him the water.

"Drink this."

He looks at me and then at the glass before flicking his eyes back to me once more and huffs. I notice how much he dislikes being told what to do, even when he's drunk. He takes the glass from my hands and brings it up to his plump pink lips, taking the smallest sip of water I have ever seen.

"More." I insist, and he groans like a child being scolded, "You'll thank me in the morning after I've saved your ass from the hangover I know is coming for you."

He brings the cup back to his lips and without realizing what I'm doing I bring my hand to the bottom of the glass and lift it, forcing him to drink more. He groans again, trying to object but I block out the sound until all the water is gone.

There's a smile on my face as I put the emptied glass onto his dresser, and his jaw ticks, a hardened gaze boring into me, "Great. Now I'm going to have to fucking piss again."

"You'll get over it." I pat his bare shoulder to irritate him even more before making my way past him towards Jessica's room.

His hand grabs onto my wrist and he pulls gently, forcing my body to turn back towards his. My chest hits against his bare inked skin while his hands circle around my waist, pulling me tighter against him.

"Where are you going?" He asks me, his voice coming off as a whine and I tilt my head up to look at him.

"Back to Jessica's." He stares into my eyes with the slightest slits, shaking his head in objection.

"Lay with me for a bit." His eyes flicker between mine and my lips before he does something unexpected. Those beautiful green orbs of his shut and I watch as he leans in, his lips giving mine another soft touch.

His head lowers until it rests in the crook of my neck, inhaling my own scent as he grips onto me even tighter and I realize that my hands are still at my sides, not a single finger even on him.

I'm completely stuck in his trance, a total goner when it comes to this man. He's able to do things to me, make me feel things I genuinely don't understand.

My fingers graze on top of his smooth, soft warm skin before securing around him. I relax against his hold, resting my head against his chest as he smiles against me.

"Stay with me, hmm?" He whispers, his head still in the crook of my neck, so close I can feel each puff of breath leaving his lips.

His arms squeeze me even tighter, large muscular body almost completely enveloping my small one. I'm hit with a wave of comfort, warmth, bliss, safety in his arms and it makes me never want to let him go.