Redemption Crash Series Book Three

Turbulence

Mason

“Do you realize how selfish you’re being,” Aria asks throwing me for a loop.

“Selfish? Crash there isn’t any part of me that wants to lose you!” Tracing my finger along the line of her jaw I keep her eyes locked on mine not wanting to lose the intimacy even though the hard emotions keep us both locked in place.

“Not even the part that’s interested in Trisha,” she spits out.

“I don’t want anything to do with her.” I knew she was upset over Trisha, feeling some sort of jealousy, she never expressed as much with words but I’m not blind, still, I hate knowing she doubts that I want her and only her. “If she wasn’t the best PR agent around, I would have fired her already.

“If I wanted her, I could have had her years ago. I certainly wouldn’t ruin what we have for her, you have to know that.”

“I do know that. You’re too honorable to cheat on me but you have to admit how much better she is for you. What she said earlier…she wasn’t wrong. Like you weren’t when you said she’s beautiful.”

“Sweetheart, objectively she is beautiful, but she isn’t always right. She was out of line earlier. Everything she said was based on her own jealousy and her own selfish needs. If you stayed, you would have heard what I told her.” I ripped into her, my anger had boiled over, my day started horrible and got progressively worse and Trisha surely took the brunt of that anger. How dare she make Aria walk away looking dejected and betrayed.

I let her know in no uncertain terms if she doesn’t stop flirting and making moves she’s going to be fired by tomorrow. She was under no misunderstanding where Aria stood in my life and my future. She was there to do a job and meddling in my personal affairs was never a part of that job.

“If you wanted me there you would have called me…” She flinches away from my touch, her back bumping into the bath table, water splashing over the rim of the tub.

“I didn’t want you there not because I don’t love you or want you but because I wanted you far away from any sign of danger. I needed Trisha’s advice which I asked for over the phone but of course, she needed to take the chance to come in person. She loves any camera opportunity, she certainly got that today.”

“Fine, she’s an attention w***e I get it but that changes nothing. She was right Mason. You would be better off with someone better than me, someone that grew up in your circles or whose at least been trained better on how to handle news and press and the endless questions and photo opportunities.

“Someone that will shout your name from the rooftops with nothing but amazing things to say instead of freezing up and shutting down. Someone that will make you look better that doesn’t have a murderous past.” Sighing she lets her head fall back before she looks at me once more.

“You have so much riding on your shoulders right now I don’t want to be the reason you lose it all. I won’t be the reason you lose it all. Just like it’s selfish of you to ask me to lose everything I have here and go into witness protection.”

“I’m not being selfish by wanting you safe,” I demand my stomach rolling in anger, in uncertainty.

“I want you safe too! They’re escalating their game, the trial is getting closer and I’m positive they know how important next week is! They’re going to strike again and we have no idea what they’ll do this time. I need your mind clear and ready not worried about me!” She rises from the tub, water and foam dripping down her curvy body in all the places I love to caress and kiss.

I can’t help but pause on the new scars that are still pink, puffy, and raw. She says she barely feels them but it’s hard to believe while looking at the evidence of their brutality. A reminder of how close I came to once more losing her. Another encouragement as to why she needs to leave, why she needs to be safe even if it breaks my heart.

“You know I can’t leave,” I whisper biting my lip and drawing my hand down my face as she wraps a towel around her body.

“I know and I don’t blame you. But look at what your asking of me, you want me gone for my ‘safety’. You’re asking me to leave everyone and everything behind for your peace of mind. That is selfish.” She points at my chest her voice rising as her face begins to fall into panic, her emotions overriding her sense of control as she begins to shatter under everything surrounding us.

Standing I get a towel of my own before I stand beside her my voice even. “When you say it like that it sounds worse than it is. You’re right they are escalating their violence if today is any indicator. I am under a lot of pressure, but my number one concern will always be you, always. I can’t shut that off but if I knew you were somewhere safe…”

“You aren’t listening to me. I’m not leaving, you can be a silent partner in Shirley’s until I pay you back for your initial investment. Which will take no time since you refused to let me pay for anything these last eight months. I’ll leave here but I’m not leaving Boston.” She stands there ramrod straight her body tense and waiting while her face tells the real story of how broken she is saying the words out loud.

“What are you saying?” I ask tentatively.

“I’m giving you a choice. You either want to marry me in three weeks’ time or you want to mutually break off the engagement so you can focus on Dixie and yourself as Trisha recommended. Either way, I won’t be joining witness protection.” With that, the topic is closed her decision is made and there won’t be any talking her out of it. She’s beyond serious, she's willing to walk away from me completely but she won’t walk away from the life she's built here.

Which really is the worst-case scenario, I can understand her, I get it. She’s had her dreams come true in the past eight months and now I’m asking her to walk away from it all. I’m forcing her to make a decision she doesn’t want to make and now it’s my turn. Now I have to agree to spend the rest of my life with the one woman that makes me feel anything at all or I agree to let her go on her way. Either way, she’ll be in danger but there's only one option where we’re both happy but neither makes either of us safe.

Cradling the back of her head I place my lips on hers, taking my time, tasting her, feeling her, being with her. Only when we’re both panting and needy do I finally pull away. “I want you Aria. I don’t want you to walk away or to live your dreams without me. I don’t want to live mine without you. Marry me, marry me and take me on that damn honeymoon and I’ll shut up about witness protection. But we still need to figure something out.”

“As long as we’re working together we’ve got this.” Rising up on her toes she kisses me before pulling back and dropping her towel. She looks over her shoulder as she walks away her eyes playful and warning me I better come get her.

So I do.