Page 28 of Forever Your Touch (Manwhore #4)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The phone ringing woke her up. She yawned and went to reach for her cell, only to be brought up short by a burst of pain. Groaning, she remembered she wasn’t home. She was in the hospital. And she didn’t have her cell phone.

It was the phone beside her bed ringing and she gingerly reached out to snatch it up.

“Hello?” she asked, sleepily.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” She smiled despite the throbbing in her leg. “What time is it?”

“A little after three in the morning. Keith said he didn’t have the heart to wake me up when he got done. Fucker passed out on my roommate’s bed or we’d have been back to the hospital. He’s still snoring like a freight train.”

“Mason, you don’t need to spend every second here with me. You need sleep just as much as I do.”

“I don’t want you to be by yourself.”

“I’m not. Your family has been in and out of here all day. Angel left about an hour ago to sit with Becca while Dimitri got some sleep or she’d have been here with me.”

“They know I consider you family and therefore you’re family to them. Same with Keith. You’ll never be alone again, Jojo. I promise.”

“Ray came by,” she whispered, rubbing her chest where the pain ached.

“I know, baby. He showed up here as we were loading the last of your stuff into my truck.”

“You didn’t do anything stupid, did you?”

“I’m not in jail, am I?”

She knew Ray and his family. They’d have pressed charges against Mason and Keith faster than she could blink.

“That doesn’t really tell me anything, but I’m going to count it as a positive that no one had to bail you guys out.”

Mason laughed and she heard the mattress shift.

“You good, Josephine? I know it had to be hard to talk to him.”

“No, I’m not okay, but I know deep down I did the right thing. I just need to convince myself to live with the decision.”

“I’m here, Josephine. Whatever you need, your FIBB is here.”

She took a deep breath. “Mason, I need to talk to you about…I can’t…”

“Shh,” he hushed her. “All I want from you is to be your friend, sugar. Nothing else. I’m here when you need me. My only goal is to get you walking again and to hear you laugh every single day.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Thank you, Mason. I couldn’t’ handle anything else right now.”

“ Moye dragotsennyy , all I want is for you to be safe and happy. Right now, we need to get you better. Don’t worry about feelings. Just know I’m your FIBB and I am going to get you through this.”

“Ray was so mad, Mason. He thought I broke up with him for you.”

“That’s his own stupidity talking. Pay it no mind.”

“Then he got all sad and it almost broke my heart to tell him to leave and not come back. It hurt so much.”

“I know, baby. It’s going to be okay. Not tonight, not tomorrow, hell maybe not until next year, but it will get better.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Jo was silent for a heartbeat. “Mason?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t ever leave me.”

“Never gonna happen sugar. You’re stuck with your FIBB for life.”

“I am, huh?”

“You know you can’t go without the awesomeness that is Mason Xavier Kincaid.”

God, she was so thankful for him, his larger than life ego and all.

“Did you eat?”

“No. Keith and I were gonna pick up food and bring it back and eat with you, but we both passed the fuck out. I’ll swing by Mae’s and pick up breakfast when it opens. Then we’ll come spend the day with you. Keith has some news he wants to tell you about himself.”

“News?”

“He wants to tell you in person, Josephine.”

“Fine. You know how much I hate surprises though.”

“Then you’re going to be a Grumpy Gus for the next few weeks, because I have a surprise a day planned out for you.”

“Oh boy.”

“Just you wait, sugar. You’ll be anticipating what each new day will bring.”

“I don’t think so.”

Mason gasped. “You doubt your FIBB?”

“I sure do.”

“Pfft, woman. Just you wait and see. I’ll prove you wrong.” She heard him get out of bed. “I’m starved, but I need to be quiet going down the stairs. People are asleep. So give me a second.”

She heard the door creak open and then the quick jog he did going down the stairs.

“Made it,” he said. “Ben gets pissed if we interrupt his sleep.”

“Those guys party all hours of the night, Mason.”

“Only on the weekends. Most of us take school seriously. We have to keep a certain GPA to stay in the frat.”

She’d forgotten about that. Her own sorority had a GPA requirement.

“Damn, why is there no food in this fridge?”

“Uh, because you live in a house full of guys who probably have never had to shop for food in their lives?”

“Shit.” He slammed the fridge door shut and went rummaging in cabinets. “Well, this is some fucking shit. Coffee can’s empty. Who the fuck made the last pot of coffee and didn’t bother replacing it? House rules state you have to buy a new container. I’m going to roll heads come morning.”

Him and his coffee.

“Did you find someplace safe for all my computer equipment?”

“Sure did. Amber let us put it in the basement room that has a lock on it. Only she has the key. She said if you wanted to use it as your new studio you could. I’ll help you set it up as soon as you’re ready.”

“Mason?”

“Yeah, sugar?” She heard him rummaging around and smiled. God, he was so good for her. “Thanks for everything and for…”

“For?” he prompted when she didn’t finish.

“For not pushing.”

“What’s your FIBB for, sweetheart? I’m here for whatever you need me to be. Enough with the thank yous, though. How are you feeling? I probably shouldn’t have woken you up, but I wanted to hear your voice.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.”

A door opened and shut and she heard a squeak. “Where are you?”

“Front porch swing.”

“Why are you outside? It’s cold! You’ll get sick.”

He laughed. “It’s not cold out Josephine.”

“It is too,” she argued. “It’s got to be in the low sixties.”

“That’s not cold.”

“It is too,” she insisted stubbornly.

“Baby, don’t forget I grew up in Russia. This feels like a summer day to me.”

“I grew up in California and this feels like the dead of winter to me.”

“I can’t wait until it snows. I want to watch you as you watch the snowflakes fall from the heavens. The first snow of the season is always the most special.”

“Snow leads to ice, Mason. I could potentially fall and injure myself further.”

“Nope, not gonna happen, sugar. Your FIBB will make sure of it. You’ll be safe as a babe in the arms of her mother when you step outside your door and into the winter wonderland the city becomes.”

“You and I are gonna have to disagree on this.”

“We’ll see.” He shifted and the porch swing squeaked. “So, back to you. How are you feeling? Is the pain okay?”

“It’s better today than it was yesterday. If this fever would go away, I’d feel a lot better. Then I could get out of here.”

“It’s better you’re there right now, Josephine. You’re sick and they can get your infection under control. Imagine if you’d gone home without antibiotics right away. You could be seriously worse off than you are.”

One thing she’d always say for Mason. Her safety, and in this instance, her health meant a lot to him. He constantly looked out for her. He’s the reason she was able to realize she deserved more than she had. Thank God for him. He was turning into her grace.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” he asked when she grew quiet.

“Have you ever heard that song Grace by Callum Scott?”

“Can’t say that I have. Is it a good song?”

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorites and it reminds me of you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You saved me in more ways than I can ever tell you, Mason.”

“No more thank yous.” She could just imagine him holding his hand up to stop her. “You deserve to be happy, Jojo.”

He only ever used that nickname when he was serious.

“Fuck, this thing is uncomfortable to lay on. I’m going to have to invest in some cushions or some shit.”

“You’re not sleeping outside are you?”

“It’s quiet and it’s cool. Perfect sleeping weather.”

“Mason, you can’t sleep on the porch!”

“Why not?”

“Because…because you can’t. You’ll get sick.”

“Nope, moye dragotsennyy. I’m immune to the cold.”

“You’re crazy, you know that?”

“All part of my charm.”

The nurse came in just then to poke and prod her. The lab technician was right behind her.

“I have to go, Mason. They’re here to torture me. Promise me you’ll go inside. You can’t sleep on the porch swing.”

“I promise. Keith and I’ll be there in a couple of hours with decent food for you. Goodnight, Josephine.”

“Goodnight,” she whispered, tears suddenly choking. There was no reason for them but hearing him speak so softly and so full of warmth and care, made her want to cry. She didn’t deserve him.

The nurse smiled when she hung up the phone. “Boyfriend?”

“No, just the best friend a girl could ever ask for.”

And he was. Maybe one day he’d be more, but like he said, for right now, all she could deal with was her FIBB and that’s what he was being.

Thank God for Mason Kincaid.