"Kimberly?" he said questioningly.
Damn, he wasn't sleeping and he had caught my whole wanton act. I wasn't exactly a newbie to sex. I had caved this past spring and let Mitch, my senior year boyfriend, talk me into getting a room after prom, but the actual act was over before it really started. Missing what all the fuss was about, I instantly regretted my impulsive decision. I wished I had waited like my mom had always coaxed me to do. At the time, I wasn't keen on the idea of going to college a virgin, so it didn't take much for Mitch to get me to agree. We'd had our heavy-petting sessions leading up to it, so I felt I was ready for the deed, but once it started, it felt wrong and I'd broken up with Mitch shortly after prom. I used the excuse that we were going to different colleges and a clean break was for the best. He didn't put up much of a fight, so I concluded he'd gotten what he wanted.
Lying in Mason's arms was as different as night and day. Way different than anything I had ever experienced with Mitch.
"Kimberly," he said after several minutes had passed.
"Yes," I said in a high-pitched voice I didn't recognize.
"Will you do me a favor?" he asked.
"Uh, sure," I said, expecting him to tell me to control my raging hormones.
"Will you look at me?" he asked.
I lifted my gaze, expecting to see humor on his face for busting me in my most embarrassing predicament yet. "Uh sorry, I was dreaming," I said lamely, finally looking into his eyes.
"I figured that," he said huskily.
"Swell," I said, going for sarcasm as I started to pull back.
"I don't think so," he said, dragging me close so I was sprawled over his chest with my face inches from his.
My eyes darted to his lips as the sensations from the dream resurfaced.
"You are literally killing me," he said, threading his hand through my hair and pulling me even closer.
"I am?" I squeaked.
Without answering, he propelled me the remaining distance and fastened his lips onto mine. I moaned against his mouth, giving his tongue the access it needed. I leaned in closer, shifting my body against his, trying to quench the fire that had flared back up in me. When he moaned against my lips, I thought his passion matched mine, until I felt his lips release.
"Mason?" I asked, pulling back.
Sweat had beaded up on his forehead and his complexion was ashen.
"Mason?" I asked again, more urgently. "Are you okay?"
"It's my goddamn leg," he mumbled.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry," I said, realizing I had jarred his leg.
"Not your fault, beach bunny. Believe me, I wanted you that close. My leg just decided it needed to be the ultimate wet blanket," he said, obviously in pain.
I pulled out of his arms. "I should have been more careful," I said, switching the flashlight on so I could see his leg better in the dim light.
"Not your fault," he repeated, opening his eyes. "How does it look?"
"Not good. The wound is still oozing and the skin around it looks more red than yesterday," I said, leaning in so I could get a better look at it. "We definitely need to cover it."
He nodded.
I was busy cleaning the vinyl raincoat with one of the alcohol wipes when a sudden thought hit me. "Um, Mason, I don't know why I haven't thought of it until now, but do you have to go to the bathroom?" I asked, turning slightly pink.
He coughed, looking equally embarrassed. "I went last night," he said sheepishly, pulling the newly filled water bottle from its hiding place between him and the wall.
"Ahhh, I see. Here, give it to me so I can dump it so you have it for next time," I said, trying not to laugh as he flushed bright red this time.
"This f…ing leg is seriously screwing up my coolness factor," he said, reluctantly handing the bottle to me.
I laughed at how uncomfortable he looked and headed outside to dump it and relieve my own bladder. "This definitely pushes our relationship to a whole new level," I mumbled to myself, still smirking at how uncomfortable he had looked. It was nice for the shoe to be on the other foot for once.
Chapter 12
Mason still looked grumpy when I returned and I worked to hide my smirk. I tore open a second wipe and cleaned the angry looking skin surrounding his wound. His language took on a whole new colorful level, and I couldn't help laughing as he strung them together into phrases.
"Sorry," I said, shooting him a sheepish look. "It's just kind funny how you can make swear words sound like a dialogue."
"It's a gift," he said with his eyes closed, but I saw his mouth pull up slightly into a smile.
While he was still smiling, I lifted his leg and placed it on my lap. I draped the clean side of the raincoat over his leg and used the rest of that gauze tape to wrap around it to hold it lightly into place. I set his leg back down when I was done and let out a wheezing cough I had been holding in.
"Wow, just in the nick of time. I'm sure you would have appreciated my germs on you," I joked, crawling up beside him.
"Yeah, because you're not helping me at all," he said sarcastically, making me smile.
"So, what do you and Rick do when camp's not in session?" I asked, deciding a change in subject was in order.
"We have a house in Golden and I go to Red Rocks Community College while Rick schmoozes rich people for funding for the camp."
"How does he get income to live on?" I asked curiously.
"He has some trust his grandfather set up for him. Over the years, I've gathered through things he's said, that his family wasn't happy he didn't follow in the family footsteps of being a lawyer. They pretty much disowned him when he told him his idea for a summer camp, but they couldn't touch the trust fund his grandfather set up."
"Rick, as a lawyer?" I said snorting. "Have they met Rick?"
"I know, right? The ironic thing is I Googled the family once and they're loaded, but they won't give Rick a dime for the camp."
"I guess that whole 'blood is thicker than water' analogy doesn't apply to them," I said, disgusted with the blood relatives I had never met.
"To each their own, I guess," Mason said, pulling me snugly up against his body.
His sudden move distracted me and I momentarily lost my train of thought as the heat of his body warmed mine.
"So, um, what are you studying?" I asked, pulling my thoughts away from how good he felt.
"An assortment. I haven't picked a major yet, so I'm taking classes that interest me, mostly biology and science classes. I'm happy working at the camp and Rick has been grooming me on fundraising, so it's all good. What about you?"
"Well, I haven't really decided either. I know I want to do something in art. For years, I figured I'd open up a small studio in one of the beach communities near me, but I've been rethinking that plan lately."
"Really?"
"Yeah, as much as I rejected the idea of teaching this summer, I actually like it better than I ever thought I would. Sure, some of the kids are complete smartasses, but the ones that get art are complete sponges. I can't think of anything better than helping them discover their passion."