Page 16 of Protected by the Sheriff (Magnolia Falls #2)

Olivia

I ’m so thankful that Mason came in and took care of everything at the shop when it was vandalized. It was nice to have someone make all the decisions and take the weight off my shoulders for once. I’ve never had that in my adult life.

Sure, I’ve had a few short-lived relationships, but none of the men took charge enough, and it was exhausting making all the decisions.

When I saw my life savings ruined, I could barely keep my head up and just knew Mason was the person to call.

In that moment, I needed HIM. In my moment of weakness, I called him and let him do what I couldn’t, but now that I’ve regained my bearings, I know that was a mistake.

A night of sleep has helped me rebuild the wall I have around my heart, and I’m determined once again to stay strong. Granted, I feel mercurial, but I have to remember not to be selfish.

Savannah and the kids are more important than my own feelings and wants. Declan has been so good to my best friend and taken her daughter on as his own. Neither of them deserves me causing drama when things go tits up, which they inevitably will.

Yes, I feel like a yo-yo wavering back and forth, but I’ve never claimed to be stable.

Resolved to ignoring him, I get up and get myself ready for work, noticing he’s put one of my favorite outfits back in the closet for me to wear.

It has bright yellow top, and the bottom is a skirt covered in multicolored neon smudges.

I see a hot-pink pair of high heels sitting in front of the outfit.

Thank you, Mason. After everything that happened yesterday, I get to feel like me again. I don’t think I could experience another day in gray and white clothes.

Relief floods my veins, and I can’t wipe the smile off my face as I decide to go extra heavy on the makeup today using bright colors that make my green eyes pop.

Deciding all my crew deserve a special treat, I drive downtown and stop at the local coffee shop. I load up on their favorite pastries and sweets, a coffee for each of us, and drive to the parlor.

When I arrive, Knox is waiting for me and gets out of his truck, walking over to my Subaru with his hands out, taking some of the load. I’m grateful he’s here to help me carry everything in. I may have gone overboard, but I’m just so thankful they all showed up and helped yesterday.

Knox follows me into the shop and sits everything down on the reception counter.

“Breakfast is my thank you for yesterday. You have no idea how much you guys helped yesterday. Just you being here with me was a relief.”

Knox’s now empty hands land on my hips, and he faces me with his eyes locked onto mine. “I’ll always be here for you, Liv, no matter what.”

A shudder runs down my spine, but not a good one. I’m getting weird vibes from Knox. I mean, I’m his boss.

“Thanks,” I say awkwardly, turning away from him.

This—his hands on me—just feels wrong. Knox and I are friends, but I suspect he thinks of me as more than a boss or a friend, and it’s making me uncomfortable.

The exact same vibe I got last night when he tried to kiss me after taking me home.

I don’t want any awkwardness between us; it would make working together difficult.

Maybe if I ignore things, they will go back to normal.

Clearing my throat, I grab my coffee and walk over to my station, where I set up for my first tattoo. Knox goes to his own station and gets to work. Soon Piper and Hadley come in and get their breakfast while starting their own tasks. Customers stream in, and we all work in tandem.

Tattooing is soothing to me. Drawing art on someone’s body is my joy. The fact they trust me enough to do something so permanent is a privilege, and I’m proud of the work I do. Plus, I’m damn good at it.

The worry I have about money and how to pay Mason back is niggling at the back of my mind.

When I’ve finished all my appointments, I realize I haven’t checked my phone all day. Mason has texted me again, and there are several missed calls. I’ve already told Hadley to tell him I’m not in the shop if he tries that number. She just gave me a knowing look but did as I asked.

Mason: You are avoiding me and I’m going to spank your ass. You can’t avoid me forever.

Mason: Why aren’t you answering?

Mason: Olivia, don’t make me come down there, dammit.

Mason: We are going to talk.

Knowing that Mason will be at my house tonight makes me not want to go home.

As we clean up the shop, an idea comes to mind. “Piper. Hadley, do you guys want to go out with me tonight? I don’t feel like going home.”

Knox walks out of the back room and looks me directly in the eye as I try to avoid his stare. “Am I not invited?”

Giving an awkward smile, I say, “Sorry, everyone is welcome. I just didn’t imagine you wanted to come to a girls’ night.”

Knox places his hand over his heart and motions like he’s been shot. “Me, not coming to girls’ night? Of course I want to come.” He chuckles.

Not wanting to be rude, I give him a polite smile. “Okay then.”

Once the shop’s all clean and locked up, we all decide to take one car to The Lucky Horseshoe.

We all pile into Knox’s truck, and the girls automatically get into the back, leaving only the front passenger side empty for me.

As much as I want to avoid giving Knox the wrong idea about us, I want to avoid Mason more.

If I go home extra late, Mason will already be in bed, and I will have bought myself another night of not having to face him.

I feel a warm hand on my knee and look down to see Knox has placed his hand on me.

The gesture reinforces that I must have a conversation with him soon, and I hate that it’s going to ruin our friendship and possibly our work relationship, but what else can I do? It’s important he knows where I stand.

Although if I think about it, maybe this is what I should be doing. Hanging out with Knox is going to help me avoid spending time with Mason, who I know I have trouble resisting. He’s like my kryptonite. My legs seem to spread wide open at the thought of him, and I can’t allow myself to give in.

Not only do I owe it to Savannah to keep my whore pussy on a leash, but I also know Mason could ruin me if I allow him behind my walls.

I’ve dated over the years but always kept my relationships surface deep and safe, knowing it wouldn’t hurt as much when they ended if I held something back.

Don’t get me wrong, I grew up in a stable home with loving parents. They always made sure I had everything I needed. The thing is, when my dad died two years ago, my mom became a zombie. She barely answers my calls and when I visit, she’s pale and thin.

Losing my father has hurt her so deeply that she doesn’t want to live life anymore. I’ve invited her to Magnolia Falls to see my new shop, to visit; hell, I’ve even told her she’s welcome to come live with me, but she has no interest in life anymore.

Now I’m faced with a choice: Allow Mason behind my walls, knowing it will ruin our family if things don’t work out. Or let him in and live the rest of my life in fear of losing him, knowing that if I did, it would destroy me. I don’t want to become my mother.

Not only that, look at Mason and Declan’s mother.

Their father betrayed her in the worst way, and now she’s shut herself off from dating forever.

Kate is a beautiful woman and looks years younger than she is.

She’s a sweetheart, but when you look into her eyes, you can see something so painful behind them it hurts to look at her for too long.

Mason and Declan were so hurt by their father’s indiscretions with Declan’s ex-fiancée that they both struggled to let people into their lives.

Declan finally saw that Savannah was an amazing woman who deserved to be treated like a queen, but Mason dealt with the stress by fucking his way through most of Magnolia Falls.

Yeah, I hear all the rumors, especially when I’m at the local bar.

The town sheriff is known for going to bars and picking up one-night stands.

He sleeps with them and never wants to see them again.

When it comes to the opposite sex, Mason’s attention span is woefully short, and the women he’s fucked look nothing like me.

They certainly don’t act like me. No, I can’t see him wanting me long term.

He’s a fuck’ em and chuck ’em kind of guy and the sad part is, he’s not a young man anymore.

You could understand a teenager or a man in his twenties being a man whore, but Declan is in his thirties, and he’s still emotionally unable to commit.

I will not force him, and I am damn sure I will not share him with a local flavor of the week.

Knox interrupts my thoughts. “Liv? You ready to go in?”

Looking around, I realize we’re already at the bar. “Oh yeah, I’m ready.”

I open the truck door and jump out. My feet touch the gravel parking lot, and I move as far out of Knox’s reach as I can.

Piper and Hadley walk in together, chatting and in their own little world.

They don’t even notice how uncomfortable I am when Knox walks around the truck and catches up before I get to the door of the bar, throwing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me in as he places a kiss on my temple.

“Sail,” by Awolnation is playing as we walk in.

My eyes scan the room, packed with locals, before locking onto a pair of enraged brown eyes.

He’s sitting with Declan at the bar, and I can see the anger coming off him in waves.

His jaw tightens, and his eyes burn a hole through us.

There is something dangerous there—something I’ve never seen or felt coming from Mason before.

The way his gaze burns through me makes me feel like I’m on fire.

My cheeks heat, and I feel shame slither its way through my veins.

I feel like I am betraying him, cheating on him, even though I know we aren’t in a committed relationship.

Hell, we aren’t in any kind of relationship.

Not knowing what else to do, I turn away from him and walk to the other side of the room like he’s a stranger. I don’t even acknowledge Declan, and it kills me to be rude to my best friend’s man, but I’m in survival mode tonight.

That includes lots of alcohol and dancing, and since Knox is so touchy-feely, it works in my favor. Though, every time he touches me, my discomfort grows. If I’m honest, I only allow it because I’m hoping it will get the hint across to Mason that yesterday was a mistake.

In a moment of weakness, I allowed him to get close to me.

Never again.