Chapter 11: Chapter Eleven - Jessica

“How was your first night?” Dad asked.

I poured myself a cup of coffee with my phone tucked against my ear and shoulder. “It was…okay. Long. I’m just not used to the place yet and it’s going to take some getting used to. I’m staying in the guest bedroom because I can’t stand the thought of sleeping in Grandmother’s bed.”

Dad moved around on the other end as I poured some sugar into my coffee. I had no creamer or milk and frankly, I was not looking forward to leftover pizza and cake.

“Well that is normal, I think,” he said. “You may feel different after a few months or maybe not.”

There was no denying Dad didn’t want me to stay here. I couldn’t blame him. I was his only family left excluding his extended family. “Yeah, who knows, but I’m fine. I’m hoping to go get some groceries today. I have plenty of money left over from working at the university until I find an online job. I did apply to a few last night, and plan to follow up soon.”

“You’ll do fine, Sweetheart,” he said. “I need to get out of the door. Call me tonight. Why don’t you tell Jacob to show you around this weekend since you have some free time soon?”

I sipped my coffee and smiled. “Yeah, I’ll do that. Love you, Dad.”

“Love you, too.”

I ended the call and noticed a text on my phone. I opened it and my heart pitter-pattered around in my chest. Jacob said Mason was coming over sometime today to take me to the grocery store.

After what he texted me the night before I wasn’t sure I could get through a day with him. It wasn’t just that I felt a tension between Seth and Mason but that I admitted I had dreams about him.

And the soulmate comment had set the teenager inside of me on fire. The girl who still believed in those types of things. I hurried to finish my coffee and enjoyed a cold slice of pizza from the fridge.

The U-Haul was supposed to show up later in the day and I was ready to have some of my belongings to feel more at home. I cleaned the house the best I could with what I had on hand when someone knocked on the front door.

I listened to my heart hammering as I slid my hands down my worn pair of jeans and picked at T-shirt nervously. Mason stood on the other side with his hands shoved down into his jeans’ pockets and a black T-shirt that curved to his impressive biceps.

“Good morning,” I said, swatting a piece of hair from my face. “Jacob mentioned you were coming by.” I couldn’t stop the heated blush on my cheeks. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

He grinned. “Are you okay? You seem a little flushed today.”

I opened the door wider to allow him inside. “Yeah, I’ve been picking up and dusting. This place is so dusty,” I said.

Mason stepped inside and his scent wafted over me. Why were my senses suddenly so heightened around him? Had I walked through a vortex since arriving?

He stopped at the entrance and cleared his throat. When he tilted his head to the side, I watched the sharp curve of his jawline. I was sure someone could cut a stone on it.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable last night,” he said, his emerald-colored eyes shifting toward mine. “With Seth or the text message.”

I sighed heavily and chuckled. “I’m sorry I’m so awkward. I thought my text freaked you out. I don’t normally tell people when I dream about them, but it happened before I even met you. It’s…strange.”

He smiled, showing a perfect row of pearly whites. “That’s ok. I can’t say I minded hearing that, honesty.”

I hid my smile as I stared down at the tips of my sandals. “So, are you going to tell me what’s going on with Seth?”

Mason shifted and pushed his fingers into his hair. “It’s kind of a long story, but Jacob doesn’t want any of us to…come onto you.”

I lifted both brows in shock which was my initial thought, then my stomach turned into tight knots. Did that mean Mason was just being kind to me? Had I fabricated this entire tension between us because I was attracted to him? Now my stomach felt like bricks. “Oh,” I said because I couldn’t think of anything else to say. “I’m…how stupid of him.”

When I looked up at him there was so much emotion on his face.

“I mean…I’m twenty-five years old,” I said. “If I’m interested in someone it’s none of Jacob’s business.”

Mason didn’t move. He stared at my face like he wanted to say something but nothing came out. The silence settled over me and made tears form in the corners of my eyes.

I laughed to shake it off and rocked back on my heels. “So, are we going to the store? I’m out of everything.”

Mason dropped his gaze and nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

I walked around him because I couldn’t take his intense stare for too much longer. His truck was parked behind the fountain and I climbed into the passenger seat, slinging my wallet and keys into my lap.

I couldn’t stop the angry emotions swarming my body. Jacob meant well. He was playing the protective cousin but I didn’t like it.

Mason climbed into the driver’s seat and started his engine. “Any more sightings of wolves after I left?”

“Nah,” I said, straining to keep my voice calm. “I fell asleep after I texted you. Thankfully I slept through the night.”

Mason tightened his fingers on the steering wheel anxiously. I couldn’t pinpoint the reason. Maybe he was feeding off my mood. “I’m sorry for seeming so angry…”

“Why are you?” he asked. “Why are you so mad at Jacob for wanting to protect you?”

I twisted the strap of my wallet in between my fingers. I wanted to tell him the truth. However, I didn’t want to seem so ready to jump on someone I just met.

“I think it’s weird he’s being protective when we haven’t seen each other in years.”

Mason shifted in his seat. “Is that the only reason?”

I screwed my eyes shut briefly and found myself looking over at him. “What if I do find my soulmate here? Is Jacob going to run them off?”

Mason’s tongue snaked out and dampened his bottom lip. My body yearned to taste it and the feeling overpowered me. This was insane. I’d never been pulled to someone so quickly. So intensely.

Mason tore his gaze away from me and stared at the road the rest of the way into town. I felt two inches tall sitting beside him, listening to his old truck drive on the highway.

When he stopped at the four-way, he made a sharp left and drove toward a small Mom and Pop grocery store. When he parked, I reached for the handle but his palm landed on my knee.

The heat zapped up my thighs and hit me square between the legs. I looked at him, waiting for him to make a move, to put me out of my misery but something stopped him,

And I knew who it was. Jacob.

“I...I want to make sure we’re not talking about Seth right now.”

I shook my head slowly back and forth. “I have no interest in him,” I said in a small voice.

Mason nodded, removed his hand, and turned off the engine. “Jacob has been my best friend since we were kids…”

“Which neither of us is anymore,” I said. “I’m not a child and Jacob isn’t my boss.”

Mason closed his eyes. His chest began to lift and lower as he took deep, deliberate breaths as if trying to calm himself. “I’m very aware of that,” he said softly.

I pushed open the truck door. “I just want you to know that I don’t follow Jacob’s rules,” I said. “He’s my cousin, not my best friend.”

Mason stared at me, still sitting in his truck while I shut the passenger door and walked toward the entrance. I felt his heated stare on the back of my head until I rounded the corner and stepped inside the cool, fluorescent-lit store.

Grabbing the shopping cart, I started down the first aisle, absently grabbing things I needed when the front door opened and Mason stepped inside.

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing his heated stare as he stalked down the aisle to get to me.