Page 29 of Scary In Love

Jenna

In Mason’s bathroom, I perch on the edge of the tub, too stunned to speak while he rubs lotion into the spots where his restraints left marks on my wrists. He’s already washed and dried me and woven my hair into a braid.

This isn’t aftercare, it’s the aftermath of something fundamentally life-changing.

He kneels to soothe my ankles next. I’m sure I’ll find more marks and bruises in the coming days, but they’ll be the best kind of souvenirs.

“Do I get a sticker now?” I ask, and he looks up at me.

“What do you mean?”

“I survived the Miller mansion, right?”

His frown softens into a smile, and he kisses my stomach. “If you want a sticker, I’ll get you a sticker. Anything you want.”

Mason stands and slips an oversized t-shirt over my head, gently guiding my arms through the sleeves, before leading me to his bed.

I hadn’t expected to sleep over, but I have no idea where my clothes are, and I’m not sure I’d manage to walk home, anyway. Mason knows it, and holds me the way I help our less mobile residents move around Crowmorne Heights. Which is good because my knees could give out at any second.

His bedroom is still decorated like the rest of the house, but the bed and sheets are thankfully modern, and we sink into the mattress in a tangle of exhausted limbs.

My head finds a comfy spot on his chest, and he reaches behind my knee to hook it up over his leg. From somewhere in the distance, a clock chimes. He counts each one off with a kiss on my temple.

“Is it really five in the morning?”

“Guess we lost track of time down there in the cellars,” he says. “Your sense of time can get a little warped when you’re so deep in pleasure.”

He’s not wrong there. He could have told me I’d been there for a week and I’d have believed him.

“You were perfect, Jenna. You did so well.” His praise is a balm of its own. “How are you feeling? Do you want to talk about any of it?”

I shift to look up at him, and he rubs my back in long, slow strokes.

“The chapel was a little intense. I thought you were tricking me into marriage for a second there.”

“No tricks,” he smiles. “Only treats. I’ve just always thought it would be hot to fuck in a church, and it felt like a better fit than a sacrificial virgin scene.”

My eyes widen, and he taps me on the nose.

“Ohhh, you’re into that.”

Another statement that’s not a question. He just gets me.

“Um, yeah, I think I am.” I stifle a yawn against his chest. “And the round table? All of those figures. How did you pull it off?”

“Come on now,” he teases. “Can’t give away all my secrets, but I can tell you there was some very strong fishwire involved.”

I stroke the cut on his cheek with my thumb because we can’t stop touching each other. “Might not recognise you when this make-up finally comes off. I swear I’m going to wake up tomorrow and this will all have been a dream.”

“Well, Halloween is over. No more haunting, no more demons, but this…” he slips his hand underneath my t-shirt and squeezes my hip. “This feels like it could be an all year round kind of thing. If that’s something you’d be interested in?”

My body freezes. We never talked about what would happen afterwards, and now I’m wide awake. I roll away and sit up, criss-crossing my legs and holding his t-shirt down between them.

“I thought this was a one-night only deal.”

Mason sits up to face me, mirroring my position. He scoots close, covering my knees with his hands, and I feel his thumbs stroke soft, calming circles.

“I love this house, and I want to do everything I can to stay here. And I don’t know what the future holds, but while I’m figuring it out, I’d love to keep buying your morning coffee and walking you to work. Maybe play a goofy boyfriend character for a bit.”

“Boyfriend character?” I laugh, then cover my mouth. This isn’t funny, and I’m not laughing at him, this is all just so unexpected.

“Yeah... but for real, Jenna. Can I ask you out?”

Even in the dim light, I can tell he’s blushing. I’ve seen so many sides of Mason tonight, but the shy, flustered version was the one I met that first night, and it’s the one I like best.

“That’s very formal, considering what you just did to me.”

“If you say no, I’ll lock the doors and put you back in the cellar.”

I uncross my legs and drape one over his, then the other. “Oh, that sounds really healthy.”

He helps me slide into his lap, and my legs wrap around his waist like they’ve always belonged there. He trails kisses up my cheek and whispers in my ear .

“Come on, you’d love to be my sex slave, and you know it.”

God, I really would.

“Tell me what goofy boyfriend stuff involves?” I brush my face against his like a sleepy kitten.

“Holding hands.” He weaves ours together and kisses my knuckles one by one. “Twirling your hair. Date nights.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Do you like scary movies?” His Ghostface impression sends a shiver down my spine, in the best way. I have visions of him chasing me through this house, before remembering that’s literally what he’s just done.

A fucking chainsaw.

It was unhinged, and brilliant, and scary, and sexy, and I’ll never get over it. He tugs on my braid and snaps me out of my stupor.

“Mhmm, I love them.”

“Then I’ll build you a cinema. There’s bound to be a spare room around here somewhere.” He presses his forehead against mine. “We can brush fingers when we reach for the popcorn at the same time. Make out in the back row. Miss every ending.”

Oh, what a life that would be.

“You should add an outdoor cinema next year,” I tell him, stifling a yawn. “On one of the fields. Screen all the classics like an old-school drive-in theatre.”

“That’s genius.” He yawns too, and mine comes back with full force. “What movies?”

“You could show Scream and have actors in Ghostface costumes jump out and bang on the windows. Or 28 Days Later and have zombies walking around in between cars. I think people would love that even if I think they’re—”

He finishes my sentence for me. “Predictable and boring. ”

Mason Miller never misses an opportunity to show me how much he cares. He’s always watching and listening and remembering the little details. Boyfriend Mason? Yeah, I think I do want to spend more time with that guy.

I run my fingers through his hair and kiss him softly. “Nothing predictable or boring about you though, is there?”

He strokes up and down my back, and we bounce more ideas around; for the haunt, for the house, for us. Mason’s words are like a lullaby, and in my exhausted state my body sways backwards. He catches me, pulling me deeper into his lap.

I feel him half-hard through his boxer briefs, so I tip my hips and the friction makes us both moan. His hands sneak up my sides until he’s cupping my breasts and rolling my nipples again.

“I meant what I said earlier, Jenna. That thing about wanting all of you, it wasn’t just for tonight.”

“I meant what I said, too.”

“When?” His mouth hovers over mine, and I whisper against it. “Every time I begged for more. It feels like we’re just getting started.”