Graham laughs wholeheartedly, " A girl after my own heart, and she made coffee too. I'm looking forward to seeing what other skills she has," He chuckles as he makes his way towards the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee.
When I look back up at Mason, I see him huff and puff, his perfectly chiselled jaw clenching, and his eyes roam over my face trying to find a trace of dishonesty.
He has always been able to read me better than anyone I've ever known, and his relief is palpable when he finds what he is looking for, mostly given away by the fact that I smile back at him, and turn to look elsewhere.
He is too much, a sight for sore eyes. Or better yet a feast for the eyes considering that I know what he hides under that crisp white shirt, and oh dear lord, in those fancy pressed trousers.
Heat creeps up in my cheeks once again, and I find him smirking down on me when I meet his eyes. Stupid Cupid.
Graham returns with two cups of coffee, and plops himself on the chaise, disregarding the fact that most of him is pretty much out there for everyone to see.
He smirks at me when he catches my eyes roaming over his exposed chest, and feel Mason's fingers pinch my chin to turn my head to look at him again.
I'm slightly surprised by the gesture because he has no reason to be jealous. He is marrying another woman, and I can look wherever I want.
" If you keep looking at him, I'll cut his cock off," Mason squeezes through gritted teeth, and Graham jumps from his seat spilling coffee all over himself in his outrage at the threat. He is infuriated and I'm delighted because I've just found Mason's weak spot.
" Why would you do that?" I ask sweetly and lift the cup to hide the smirk stretching on my lips," After all you're an engaged man to another woman. You have no business telling me where to look," He looks as if I've punched him in the face, and taken his money. The scowl Mason is wearing would rival the most vicious creature known to man.
Graham laughs as he makes his way back into the bedroom, leaving Mason and me alone once more. I'm expecting a scathing retort to my comment but he lets go of my chin, turns around, throws his head back and takes a deep breath.
I watch his back mesmerised by the way his grey wool coat stretches over his broad shoulder, the way it cinches around his waist draping over his fine ass all the way to his knees, paired with a pair of black suit trousers, and matching shoes. Drool worthy, with impeccable taste. And can't believe Ava has her hands all over that at any time she wants. It's my turn to feel jealous and all of a sudden the coffee in my cup loses all its appeal.
Forgoing the cup of coffee, I turn my attention to Shay, mostly to distract myself. He has taken the spot Graham has vacated and placed his snout on my thigh.
" You need to get a handle on your powers," Mason turns around to face me, wearing a more pleasant expression. The scowl has dissipated, replaced by the same boring stern look which he loves to sport.
" I have been training," I say quietly, " But there is only so much I can do on my own," I throw it out there because truth be told I know I won't be able to master whatever I am without his help. It is a rather bitter pill to swallow, but I don't have all the time in the world to figure it out before the bind between us disloves.
Mason takes a minute to think about it, " Meet me at the entrance to Zareen twice a week, on Monday, and Saturday evening. Nine o'clock, sharp" He takes a deep breath as if saying those words to me is painful," We will start with that and see how it goes," As much as I hate to admit it, I need his help and perhaps us bumping into each other randomly has been a blessing in disguise. Because I wouldn't have approached Mason unless I was desperate. And I was far from it.
" Wouldn't be a problem with you being there on the academy grounds? You're not exactly a student there and you don't have any real connections with the academy. And let's not forget about your beloved fiancée. What would she think if she were to find out where you are spending your evenings, " I put that thought forward because I've walked the line for three months now, and didn't want to drown before I even had a chance to actually swim. As much as I hate the idea of him and Ava, I'm not stupid enough to get entangled in that whole mess Mason cropped up for himself.
" I'll deal with it," He says in a matter-of-fact tone and looks over his shoulder when Graham walks back in the room wearing a more appropriate attire.
He picks up his half-empty cup of coffee and walks away while Mason settles in the armchair opposite to us, doing his best not to look directly at me, by keeping his eyes on Shay and the hand I'm using to stroke his head.
Shay has gone to sleep, unable to witness the sheer power of the glare Mason is throwing his way. I never pegged Mason to be the jealous type but I find comfort in that because that means that there is still hope for me, there is still hope for us. Not all is lost until he says 'I do' to Ava in front of a minister and I'll be damned if I let that happen.
Graham plopping next to me jolts me out of my reverie, and I startle awake while Graham takes a lock of my hair and gives it a good sniff.
Eeep! And also ewww, because I've never thought of another man touching me aside from Mason, who at that very moment was about to pop a vein at the gesture.
Slowly a plan began being hatched in my head, and I wanted to beat myself for not thinking of it earlier.
Now, it was time for the war to begin. The real war. So, far I've been on the defensive, and it was time for me to attack. See how he likes it when he is on the other side of the battlefront.
Finally, no longer shackled to the academy grounds, I could put my plan in motion.
I just needed to find an unsuspecting party to make it work.