Florida Heat: Book One in the Clearwater Pack Series

Chapter 7: There wasn't another option

Cassandra’s Point of View:

I hear a light knock on my bedroom door, I lightly say, “I’m fine Harp.” She opens the door slightly, “I need you to come out here please.” I huff and pry myself up from the bed and walk out of the room into the living room to meet her. I’m stunned and in complete shock at the man sitting on my couch. The tingling is back. Harper looks at me, “If you are ok, I will go in my room – Scream one time and I’ll come out here and beat the s**t out of him,” she walks away but not winking before doing so.

I look back to Mason and realize I’m just in an oversized T shirt with boy short underwear on. I hold up 1 finger at him and quickly rush back to my room to grab a pair of sweat pants to put on. I couldn’t help but notice the way he looked at me as if he wanted to eat me where I stood. After getting my pants on and flattening out my hair and trying to pray the puffiness under my eyes to disappear I go back into the living room. He hasn’t moved, not even in an inch and part of me wonders if he is human. He is incredibly still.

I walk over toward the couch and sit on the couch not close to him but on the same couch. He looks over at me, “I had to make sure you were okay,” he says sincerely. “How did you find my apartment?” I smile, “My dads the mayor, the officer told me so I could in fact make sure you were ok.” I nod, that makes sense even though I’m not okay with it. “I’m ok, I think. I truly don’t know.” He looks at me, “I’m sorry that he did that to you this evening. Regardless of a relationship status a man should never place his hands on a woman in the way he did this evening. It’s not okay, what he did is not okay, and I really hope you understand that.” I shake my head yes.

“It’s just out of character for him is all, he has never done anything like that before and I don’t know if it was the song you sang – I’ve been thinking about that a bit. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, has a lot of lines as to how we both have been treating each other. Not that its an excuse, but lately we haven’t been ourselves, me too in that scenario.” I look at her, she is allowing him back in without even realizing it. “He’s dangerous,” I spit out. She laughs, “Maybe after tonight he is, but he never was before… or at least I hadn’t seen that.” He shakes his head, “No, Cassandra. You don’t understand, I know things about him, and he is dangerous. I can’t go into further detail, and I know you don’t know me but after seeing you tonight and seeing what he did to you, I wouldn’t be doing you any favors by savings you if I let you go back to him. Every human life is important and worth saving, please understand what I’m saying to you.” She looks at me as if she is confused but deep down, I feel that she understands what I’m saying to her.

“Okay. I will stay away from him if I can make a deal with you,” I smirk at him, thinking of a clever way to get him to work with me on this. “Listen, I know you are going to suggest me looking into the offer with Disney, but with every ounce and bit of possible respect I have, I am not interested in working for the corporation. If I could have it my way – I’d travel and sing at small bars, establishments, parks and what not. I guess my idea of what I want in my life is for it to be low key, but I thoroughly enjoy performing and actually thought about becoming an actor – but, singing on stage and watching you and Harper dance this evening, it changed a bit for me there. I want to bring that type of joy to people and get them to have an out of body experience,” he clearly confesses. I look at him dumbfounded by his candor. I nod because, what a joy it would be to be able to book shows for someone like Mason rather then continue to work for the corporate lords. I sit back in the couch and realize, that is the first time I’ve ever thought about being a manger for a singer/band. I know talent, I too can sing and can help with trouble shooting songs and pitch, why hadn’t I thought of this before?

“I might have another proposition for you. Although, that might require me quitting my job but, let me think through that first. The real question I have for you Mason is how and why did you save me? You were outside the door and I know from experience with that back door its sound proof – I’ve been thinking about it, how on earth did you hear me and please don’t tell me it was a coincidence because we both know that’s bull shit.” He smirks, “Actually, it was. But when I came in and saw what was happening and saw you on the floor. Cassandra, look at me, he had you and was going to hurt you, there wasn’t another option, another play to make. It was to save you.” His words come to me like silk, and I’m electrified once again.

He turns to me, “Love is the most powerful emotion to any human or being, but that is also why it’s the most dangerous. At the end of the day I happened to be in the right place at the right time…and based on what I did in fact hear come from Landen’s mouth, I believe the fact I made about love to be true.” I look at him quizzically, “So, you mean you don’t believe in love, or do you believe that love makes people do stupid things?” He smiles simply, “both. Truthfully, my belief is that pain its inevitable but suffering – that optional. He chose the suffering path, I don’t. I refuse to,” He speaks with such confidence toward me I too am regretting everything thinking I could truly love Landen, or anyone for that matter.

He stands up and I reciprocate being that I believe he is trying to make his exit. He turns to me though and places a hand on my forearm that is dangling at my side, “I’m happy you are ok. I think you are stronger than you realize. Please, understand that the things that were spoken tonight are truth – he is dangerous. I need you to listen to me, I’m dangerous too. I would never hurt you though.” With that he removes his hand and starts making way toward the exit of my apartment. “Wait, Mason. Why do I feel weird tingles and these odd sensations when you touch and or are near me?” To my surprise he looks at me in shock, he must realize his miss there and quickly stammers, “Oh, well you know, it’s all part of the charm I suppose.” He laughs and then exits my door leaving me incredibly anxious in his absence.

I run toward the door and swing it open, “No, No! You don’t get to hunt me down, come into my apartment and tell me these things without giving me some type of explanation,” I yell at him. He quickly returns to the front of my door avoiding hitting the boxes to get to me, “It would be easier if you understood but for now, I cannot tell you, not right now at least. I think I will though, I don’t know.” Seeing this new side of Mason is actually relaxing, the broody confident singer and guitar player we had witnessed earlier this evening has left the stage clearly.

“Tell me what Mason? What Don’t I know?! What aren’t you telling me? If he and you are both so dangerous? I mean come on are you like mafia hit men or something after me and my family with no money? No, that’s not it. Your undercover spies working for another country on a mission to get all of Disney’s secrets and so you closed in on a nobody within the company to make your crack in their network?” With that last one I even laugh but I go to open my mouth and continue on when his hand slips over mine. “Please, Cassandra if you don’t stop I will be forced to kiss you to keep you quiet.” With that statement I take a step back his hand now leaving my mouth and the inevitable tingle that was once there. He smiles realizing the effect it had on me.

“I’ll be seeing you Cassandra, don’t worry. This conversation is long from over.” I take a step closer and put my hands around surprising myself, “Thank you for saving me today, even though I don’t fully understand the motive and or reasoning behind all of this. Never the less, thank you.” He embraces me back and I feel his chest take in a long breath as if he were breathing me in. When I take this next step back and look at him, he is clearly flustered. “f*****g Christ, I don’t know how I am supposed to stay away from you….” He trails off turns and escapes down the hallway toward the stairs and out of my vision.

When I walk back into the apartment I lock the door, deadbolt it and then again, I place the chair underneath the knob – but based on the conversation I had with Mason… I’m not so sure I know what Landen is capable of or what for that matter. I swallow hard at the simple fact that I may not have known who Landen this entire time was, he may have been this entirely different person and for what ever reason the monster in him escaped this evening.

I know I told Mason I’d stay away from him, but I need to understand the truth to fully grasp that the last couple years especially the first ones with Landen were not all a lie. I need to know what I felt was real and not just some fantasy I had laid out… or some underlying safety blanket keeping me from seeing the truth.