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He sent back a thumbs up as was typical, and I wasted the following minutes folding the laundry that had been sitting in a basket for a week. Washing clothes had been fifty times easier at Jasper’s. He had the appliances in an actual laundry room instead of a musty basement that no one respected.
Being separated from Jasper made me antsy, but the initial anxiety that attempted to swallow me whole after the attack had lessened to the point I could at least function without having to hold his hand. But going out into public by myself? I wasn’t yet ready for that step.
Kellen showed up with the subs and gave me a bro hug, which I enjoyed while it lasted. He was one of my—if not only—friends, and as usual, he dressed in all black and always looked so damn put together.
While a lot of the EEMM guys hung out when not on the clock, I’d never felt as though I fit in enough to bullshit with my façade for any length of time. Especially if booze got involved. I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep my confident, daddy silver fox mask in place.
We weren’t sitting at my cleared table for two minutes before he asked if I’d talked to Micah about the hotel shooting. Answering that question led to the truth that I hadn’t actually escaped unscathed and had been assaulted.
“Why didn’t you call me from the hospital?” he asked, his lips thinning immediately after.
“You were leaving for Maine.”
“I would have cancelled to help you out, Mason.”
My face heated, and I didn’t bother trying to hide my feelings. “Jasper stayed with me.”
“The guy who stopped the attack?”
“Yeah.”
Kellen’s gaze narrowed, but his lips quirked. “You’re smiling.”
I cleared my throat and shrugged. “We’ve been together every day since.”
“As in he’s been watching over you? Taking care of you?”
“Well, that too, but—together, together.”
One of his eyebrows popped up. “What about Elite?”
I fiddled with my sub’s paper wrapper. “I…uh talked to Micah. He told me to take some time off. I didn’t plan on making a decision about staying on as an escort until I figured out if Jasper and I might have a future or not.”
“And?”
I glanced up to find Kellen studying my face. He’d been my friend for years, and I’d never once truly opened up to him, shared about my childhood, or how it had impacted my adult life. He’d only ever seen the fake Mason, the persona I put on for strangers.
“I owe you an apology.”
His brows furrowed as he sat back in his chair. “What for?”
“Being a lousy friend. There’s a lot I haven’t told you about myself, Kellen.”
“You don’t need to uncover any secrets you have, Mason. Some shit is private. I’ve seen you anxious and unsettled even though you try to hide your emotions, but I don’t need to know the why.”
“You have?”
“I’ve been involved in your life long enough that I can read past that front you put on around other people.”
I let out a steady exhale, relaxing in my seat. “I need to tell you everything so you can give me some advice.”
Kellen nodded, and I proceeded to explain about Joseph Delaney, the truth of who had attacked me Friday night, and the fact I hadn’t yet shared with Jasper what I’d done for work since January.
He rubbed along his scruff, nodding as though he understood what I faced. “That’s a tough situation you’re in, my friend.”
“Jasper says there’s nothing that will veer us off the path we’re on, but being an Elite isn’t a small matter. And yeah, I have every intention of giving up my job for a future with him, but…”
“You’re afraid he’s going to leave you if he finds out.”
