Page 27 of Born Reckless
It’s like a gallery of wealth. There is so much cool artwork on the walls, I’m having a hard time keeping up. All I want to do is take a minute or two with each piece. But I can see it in Mason’s shoulders, his slowed walk, he’s tired. And he can’t go to bed until I’m squared away.
There are half a dozen doors down this hallway. One is open, revealing an office. Another, a way over-the-top laundry room. Another reveals an entire gym with every piece of workout equipment imaginable. At the end, I see a bedroom.
But Mason stops at the door just before it and pushes it open.
The walls of this room look like they’re made of marble. They’re an exceptionally dark color, blue or green, it’s hard to tell. But there are veins of gold running along every wall, connected, some finding their own course. This room was painted by someone exceptionally talented.
A massive bed dominates the center of the room. I always wanted a four-poster bed as a little girl, and now I’ve got one. The frame is gold, a rectangular cube that has black curtains hanging from it, pushed open at the moment.
“The room gets pitch dark,” Elena says as she walks in behind me. “The blinds are automatic, I had them programmed for you to come down when the sun goes up. The curtains around the bed will make it even darker, if you want. You like?”
I turn around. This room is every bit as lavish as the rest of the penthouse. “It’s incredible.”
Mason walks across the room and slides a door open, revealing a balcony. I follow him outside, and my breath is taken away.
The view is incredible. The lights, the buildings, the water.
“The balcony is shared, it connects with my suite,” Mason says. “You’re welcome to use the pool.”
I didn’t even notice it at first. But to the left, an infinity lap pool stretches along the balcony. The entire front of it is glass.
It’s too much. Just…too much.
I grew up in bedrooms where I could touch the walls on either side with both hands. That is, if I had a room and not just a couch.
“I have to get on a conference call with Tokyo,” Elena says, drawing my eyes back. “I’ll come find you later, okay? I’m hoping you can get some sleep.”
“Yeah,” I say, following her and Mason back into my bedroom. I notice then that there are dozens of bags, all from expensive labels, sitting at the foot of the bed. Leave it to Elena to go so overboard. “Thank you, again. You’ve… you’ve probably saved my life.”
She gives a suppressed smile and steps forward, wrapping her arms around me. “It’s my fault. If I had handled it differently… Well. Besides, you’re my favorite person in the world, Juliet. This move was also selfish.”
“I’m right here,” Mason says, and over Elena’s shoulder, I see him raise an eyebrow, a smirk on his face. “We literally lived in the same womb for nine months, and I’m not your favorite person?”
Elena just shrugs as she lets me go and turns for the door. “I speak no lies. I’ll leave you two to get to know each other.”
And I watch her walk out, leaving me alone with her human brother, in my bedroom.
Mason and I glance up at each other, and he gives a little chuckle and an awkward laugh.
Just a few days ago, we were flirting in New York. “Guess you got your wish,” I say, fighting the smile that pulls in one corner of my mouth. “I came to Chicago. This is some first date, moving me right into your house.”
He laughs, and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. It’s the kind of laugh that lights his eyes up and fills his entire face. “I guess we don’t do anything half-assed in this city.”
I press my lips together and my eyes fall to the floor. “Look, I don’t know all the ways yet, but I know that me being what I am now changes things. We had one surprising, amazing night. But…”
Mason takes a step forward and shakes his head. My eyes meet his once more, and I’m taken aback by the intensity in them. “You being a vampire doesn’t change anything for me, Juliet,” he says softly. He brings his hand to the side of my neck. “What happened in New York between us?” He shakes his head once more. “I didn’t expect it either. But I have no interest in cutting it off just because you’re a vampire now.”
My eyes fall to his lips, and it’s really, really hard to look away. “This sounds complicated.”
He shrugs. “Maybe. But complicated doesn’t equal bad all the time.”
I take in a deep breath, wondering just how reckless I’m feeling tonight. But at the inhale, the scent of him sends my brain spinning. My mouth feels dry and the heat in the back of my throat doubles.
I shake my head and push him back a step by placing a hand on his chest. “I… Maybe. Mason, this is dangerous. Because getting close… You have no idea how good you smell.”
Instead of being freaked out, a smirk forms on his face. “You’re going to inflate my ego, Juliet.”
“Inflate or kill you, one of the two,” I say as I turn and head to the fridge. I take one of the bags from it and don’t hesitate in chugging it down.