“I can’t believe you’re the girl Mason was talking about all these years,” Jay said.

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. But I took it as a compliment. He was infatuated with me and I found it attractive.

I didn’t know how I felt about Jay’s interest in me. It seemed like no matter what I said or did, he still wanted me. I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out what his intentions were. Plus, I was too wrapped up in watching my life unravel right before my eyes.

After my fight with Mason I was still angry. But the bond that Mason and I shared would never go away. I still cared for him very much. I could never hate him; he was the only one always by my side. He was going through the same thing I was and we handled our stress in different ways. I needed to be more understanding and deal with Mason in a better way.

Mason wasn’t the first person to ever make me feel horrible. And I knew he wasn’t going to be the last. It was no wonder I had no self-esteem left with the amount of people who’d flown in and out of my life. Mason was the one constant, so it made no sense to stay mad at him.

“I have a big surprise for you,” Jay said. He dropped his napkin on his plate and left a generous tip on the table.

I took his hand and we left the restaurant.

We were by the water, just the two of us. I hadn’t caught sight of another person and I was glad. Jay wrapped an arm around me as we walked the pier.

I wondered what he saw in such a stupid country girl.

“Are you cold?” he asked, removing his jacket.

I nodded and accepted his jacket, impressed with his nice manners. I didn’t think he had it in him.

I watched the water move lazily with the moon’s reflection dancing on the surface. Jay pulled my hair away from my face and planted a kiss on my cheek and then sat down next to me.

“Can I ask you something, Jay?” I leaned back against the wooden post.

“You can ask me anything,” Jay said, taking my hand. He squeezed it, waiting for me to ask what was on my mind.

“What do you want from me?”

His beautiful blues didn’t flutter and he didn’t have to think before giving me his answer. “Nothing. I just want to be near you.” He kissed me.

I enjoyed his kisses and the way his hands playfully slid through my hair.

“But I won’t be here for long. We do have to leave sooner or later,” I said, giving his lips another try.

Jay pulled away. He traced my bottom lip with his finger. “I wish you would stay with me. I could take care of everything. I just want to know you more.” His mouth found mine and I smiled at the soft nibble of my bottom lip. He grinned, waiting for me to say I felt the same way.

My mind was blank, I had nothing to say.

“Just tell me you feel the same way, Kendall, and I can make all your problems go away for you,” he said, his expression turning serious. He wasn’t joking.

I looked away, inhaling the fresh air. My heart was racing. Jay wanted to know me more. He thought I was beautiful and liked having me around.

The problem with what Jay wanted was none of it included Mason. And I wasn’t willing to hang Mason out to dry. I wasn’t selfish. I wouldn’t leave Mason to fend for himself. I could never be that cruel and heartless.

I tugged on the collar of his shirt and smiled at him.

“Why don’t you show me this surprise,” I asked. Surely this was enough to forget the conversation I didn’t want to have with him.

He took my hand, accepting defeat, and we headed further down the pier to one of the biggest boats I’d ever seen. The moonlight bounced off it as it bobbed around in the water. It was the kind of boat you would imagine celebrities rode in.

He helped me climb aboard.

Once I was seated, he opened a bottle of champagne. The sound of the popping cork echoed in the night.

“This is the surprise? To show me how disgustingly rich you are?” I laughed.

Jay sat down next to me, amused. “No, I was thinking the boat would be romantic. And if that didn’t work, I’d have to come up with some other way to persuade you to never leave me.”

I shook my head. He was certainly confident. “You’re really cocky. Sex can’t convince someone to want to be with somebody else. It’s just simply an added bonus,” I told him.

“It’s one of the best parts if you know what you’re doing.” He took my glass of champagne and set it down. With his eyes glued to mine, he started unbuttoning his shirt, one glorious button at a time. I watched carefully, nervous at what was to come next.

“Jay, I appreciate everything you’ve done for Mason and me…” I started.

He shushed me and pulled me to my feet.

“I don’t want to talk about Mason right now,” he said, his hand finding my neck. I closed my eyes at the feel of his lips against my neck. He was hard to resist.

“I don’t want to talk about him either. What I’m trying to say is…”

His mouth collided with mine. He backed me up and pushed me down on the bench, climbing on top of me.

I ran my hands down his chest. Jay carefully undressed me, taking his time.

“What were you trying to say?” he asked, his hands taking hold of my thighs. He pulled me closer, staring down at me.

“I don’t want to lead you on,” I said as he freed me from my dress. He let it fall to the floor.

“I think you’re incredible and I want you right now,” he insisted.

I smiled, undoing his belt. Who was I to say whether or not his feelings were genuine?

“Do you want me?” Jay asked, stepping out of his pants.

Staring at his flawless skin and perfectly toned and muscular body, I knew exactly what I wanted at that moment.

I nodded in agreement, enjoying this amazing guy, every part of him.

And he was right, sex with him was impressive.

But even the great sex couldn’t stop me from thinking about Mason.

JULY 19

TH

I CLICKED OFF THE WEBSITE I was on just as Mason came up behind me. He handed over an iced tea with a lemon wedge garnishing the glass.

I gave a small smile and took a sip. The coolness quenched my parched mouth.

We were still at Jay’s and I was trying to avoid him. He was constantly trying to persuade me to stay in Jersey with him.

It wasn’t going to happen.

“What’s so interesting?” Mason asked, eying the computer behind me.

I shrugged.

“Nothing—just celebrity gossip,” I lied. I wasn’t about to tell him that a google search had revealed that Aunt Wanda and Payton had been arrested on their way into Canada. I knew it would do to him what it had done to me—create a hole in the pit of my stomach.

I was sure Aunt Wanda and Payton would rat us out in a heartbeat if it kept them from going down. The fun and games for them was over and I could only imagine what the two of them were thinking right about now.

I appreciated my freedom.

Mason’s expression fell as he’d seen right through my lie. He walked over to the bed and sat.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” I said, taking a seat next to him. Mason groaned, getting up and taking off out the door. I hurried after him. “Mason, I didn’t want to upset you.”

Mason kept right on down the stairs not giving me a chance to explain.

Jay snagged my arm as I rounded the corner trying to catch up to Mason. “Upset who?”

I bit my lip, not wanting anyone but Mason. Now was not the time to play cutesy with Jay. We had a big problem on our hands.

“It’s nothing. I just need to talk to Mason.”

Jay nodded that he understood and kissed my forehead, letting me finish my mad dash out the door to Mason.