Chapter 23

 

Rufus was asleep in my bed. He’d made hopeful noises about me joining him, but I used his concussion as an excuse not to. At some point, I had to tell him we were not getting back together and that I was leaving with Mason. It seemed hard to find the right time. I was not so much of a bastard that I would embarrass Rufus by dumping him on his arse in front of Killigan and Marcie, and by the time they’d gone to bed and we were alone, he was already half asleep.

I sat on the side of the bed, talking to him about everything and anything except what I really had to tell him, until his eyes closed and his breathing evened out. Yes, I felt like a total rat for not saying anything, but I still cared about him enough not to want to hurt him. If I was honest, I was hoping my knight on shining chrome would roar up and carry me away before I had to say anything at all.

As if on cue, my phone pinged with a message. I smiled, even before I opened it, knowing it meant Mason was back on British soil.

I miss you. I haven’t seen you in forever.

I text him back immediately. I’m at the address I sent you earlier. Where are you?

I’m outside. Are you coming or what?

I grinned as I tucked my phone into my pocket and grabbed my packed overnight bag. I turned, heading for the door, when Rufus’ sleepy voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Where are you going?”

“I… um…” I turned back to face him with a resigned sigh. “Mason’s here. I’m going with him.”

“Mason?” Rufus sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I thought that was over.”

“No, I had to say that so Liam wouldn’t shoot us. I didn’t know the gun was a fake. But Mason and I are very much together. I’m going to America with him, Rufus.”

“America? How long for?”

“I don’t know. A few months. Maybe longer, depending on how it goes.”

“What about me?”

There was a petulant tone to his voice now, which actually made me smile. Most likely, he thought he could change my mind by sulking, the way he had done so many times before. But all he was doing was showing me that the old, selfish Rufus was alive and well. He would survive without me. He might want me to stay, but he didn’t need me.

“You’ll be okay,” I said.

I walked away, not waiting to hear if he had anything else to say. He was my past now. Mason was my future and he was waiting for me…

…in a huge, black limousine. A uniformed chauffeur, complete with peaked cap, stood beside the rear door. The guy all but saluted as I approached the car. He opened the car door and took my bag from me as I slipped into the cool, dark interior. Before the door was closed behind me, Mason pulled me into a bear hug, raining kisses down upon my face.

Embarrassed, I made a futile attempt to wriggle out of his arms as the chauffeur climbed in to the driver’s seat. Mason refused to let me go, tugging me into his lap and holding me there.

“Have you ever made love in a limousine?” Mason whispered wickedly, his breath tickling my neck.

“No, and I don’t intend to change that right now!” I hissed back furiously, slapping his wandering hands away. “Especially not with James watching in the rear-view mirror.”

Mason tipped his head back and stared at me. “James?”

“You know…” I tilted my head toward the chauffeur. “…home, James, and don’t spare the horses.”

“Actually, I think his name’s John, but if he’s all that you’re worried about…” Mason laughed, and released his hold on me long enough to press a button on a panel next to the wide leather seat and a privacy panel glided smoothly up, sealing us off from the driver. “There you go. Now he can’t see us.”

“But he can still hear us.”

“Nope. Sound proof.”

“Sorry, big fella. I love you, but it ain’t gonna happen.”

We stilled, staring at each other in shock as we both realised what I had just said. Mason was the first to react, a big, shit-eating grin spreading across his stupidly handsome face.

“You love me?”

I nodded, feeling suddenly shy. Part of me still didn’t want to admit that this was love, but what else was I supposed to call it when being in his arms felt like coming home? When the sound of his voice sent my heart racing, and the sight of him had my stomach doing somersaults? When I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I wanted this beautiful man in my life for the rest of my life? What was all of that if not love?

“Well, it’s about fucking time,” Mason said, with a self-satisfied smirk.

“Even so, I’m not doing it in the back of a limo with what’s-his-face listening in.” I finally wriggled free of his octopus arms and plopped down onto the leather seat beside him. “Shouldn’t we be wearing seat belts?”

“Eric, you’re about to go on tour with a heavy rock group,” Mason said, pouting because I’d managed to escape his clutches. “You seriously need to chill, man, not be worrying about seat belts and shit.”

“Fine, in that case, I’m going to have to appoint myself as your Health and Safety Officer as well as your Medic.” I pushed myself back in the seat and slapped at the hand snaking its way up my thigh. “Where are we going?”

“My place over the club.”

“Is it safe?” I asked, feeling an unexpected surge of panic. “What about Liam?”

“Isn’t he still in custody?”

“I don’t know. Probably. But what if they let him go?”

Mason shook his head, as if he thought I was worrying about nothing. But he hadn’t been there. He hadn’t seen the damage that Liam had done to Rufus, and he didn’t seem to realise how delusional his ex really was. Hearing about it might be shocking, but it wasn’t the same as looking into the eyes of madness and not knowing for sure if you were going to live to tell the tale. My anxiety was well founded. Once Liam was released, he would come after me again, especially if he learned Mason was back in the country and I was with him. If Mason didn’t understand that, then he wasn’t the man I thought he was. I turned to stare out of the window, trying to hide my sudden disappointment.

“Don’t do that, Eric,” Mason said softly.

“Do what?” What the Hell was he on about? Don’t look out of the window? Quickly, I blinked away the unexpected sting of tears. I wished we were back in France, because, as seemed to be our way whenever we were together on British soil, things were heading South fast.

“We promised, remember? No more running away from each other.”

“I’m not,” I protested, half-heartedly. I was doing exactly that, though, in my head if not bodily. “I’m just tired.” That much was true. I hadn’t had any sleep and it had been a long and exhausting day.

Mason pulled me into his arms, and what little resistance I offered up was futile in the wake of his superior size and strength. This time, however, he wasn’t all handsy like before. He’d swapped his sexual predator act for that of concerned lover, and he held me against him, petting my hair while I cried into his shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” Mason soothed, once I began to calm a little. “We can go to a hotel instead of my place. Wherever you want. Have you ever stayed at the Ritz? How about The Lanesborough?”

“Thanks,” I said, “but you don’t have to waste your money on some expensive hotel just to make me feel better. You know that’s not what I want from you.”

“We need to go somewhere. Does it really matter where?” Mason argued. “It’s only for a couple of nights, and then we leave for America.”

“Oh, shit, I can’t believe I forgot!” I sat bolt upright, abruptly breaking the circle of Mason’s arms. He stared at me, surprised by my outburst. “I have to go and see my mum! I can’t go to America without going there first.”

“Okay, that’s settled then.” Mason flicked the switch to lower the partition between us and the chauffeur. “Change of plan, John. Can you head for Abingdon in Oxfordshire? I’ll give you the address when we get closer.”

“Of course, Sir,” John replied stoically. Obviously, the man was quite accustomed to dealing with the demands of celebrities, because he never batted an eyelid as he switched lanes and put us on a route that would take us out of the city.

I wished I could feel as relaxed. When I’d said I had to go to my mother’s, I’d meant later that day. On my own. I hadn’t expected Mason to insist on going straight there, although in retrospect, I should have known better. This was Mason, after all. It would never enter his head that my mother could do anything but love him on sight. He was lucky. His family accepted him for who he was. Mine thought being gay was a choice, and something not to be talked about in public. Mum had never liked Rufus on the rare occasion they were obliged to be in each other’s company. I hadn’t even told her about splitting up with him yet, and here I was, about to turn up on her doorstep with a new boyfriend.

“Wait a minute,” I said, turning to face Mason with a frown. “How do you know where my mum lives? I’m sure I never told you.”

“No, but I told you,” Mason replied casually, “I had my people look into you when we first got together.”

“What? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Checking into your background was all part of it.” Mason looked at me with a butter-wouldn’t-melt expression. “I’m sure I mentioned it.”

I was sure he hadn’t, but I was too tired to argue about it. After all, I’d known from the start that Mason seemed to have no concept of personal boundaries. I’d talk to Lizzie, and we could gang up on Mason and make him understand I needed space to breathe every now and again. Later, though. I closed my eyes and rested my head on Mason’s shoulder. For now, I just wanted to sleep.