When the Music Stops (Mason Brothers Book #2)

Chapter 9

JOLIE

I let it happen again. I let Parker bring me into his vortex and once I was there I couldn’t stop. I was just singing for him and then he took me in his arms and I just melted into him. It wasn’t until his thumb brushed over my breast that I was shocked back into reality and I knew I had to get out of there.

I drove back home as fast as I could and then sat in my car in the parking lot trying to calm my breathing and stop my tears, but nothing was working. I turned my car off and started up the stairs, but instead of going up to the third floor where my apartment was, I  stopped at the second floor and knocked on Toni’s door.

“Jolie?” When she finally opened the door it looked like she had been sleeping. She probably worked the late shift last night and I was such an asshole for waking her up early. I was about ready to turn around and leave when she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into her apartment.

“Oh my god, Jolie, what happened? Why are you crying?”

I didn’t fight her hug anymore, I let her comfort me while I sobbed, “I...I messed it up and I just don’t know what to do. He’s...he’s so great. I’m such...such a mess. I just...I didn’t know where else to go.”

She rubbed my back, trying to calm my tears, “Shhh...shh everything is going to be okay. Let’s sit. Do you want something to drink? Water? Coffee? Bourbon?”

I snort a small laugh out but just shook my head. She walks me into the living room and I sit down on her couch. She pulls the throw off the back of the couch and wraps it around my shoulders before sitting down herself. I try to say something, but I just start sobbing again and can’t make out any words.

“Just take small breaths until you calm down. I’m not going anywhere, I’ll wait.” She took my hand in hers and she sat with me until I calmed down again and could feel some of the stress just release. “You ready to talk now?”

“Yeah, I think so. It’s Parker.”

“Did he do something? I can kick his ass if you need me to.”

“No, nothing like that. Parker is amazing. He’s been right there since I moved here and I’m scared because I really like him.”

“Well, from what I can tell over here, he likes you a lot too. If I’m being honest, the rest of us kind of figured that you two had been hooking up for a while now.”

I shook my head, “We haven’t. I mean, we hooked up once but it was a while ago and I told him it could only be that once.”

“Why just the once?” Toni asked me, with zero judgment in her voice. “If you both really like each other you should explore that feeling.”

“It is just so complicated. The most complicated of the things is that he’s my boss. I hooked up with my boss, who does that?”

Toni laughed, “A lot of people do that, but I get what you’re saying. Let’s be real though, your bosses are young, pretty damn good-looking men. Plus you didn’t sleep with him to get somewhere. Isn’t Cade the one that hired you anyway?”

“Yeah, he did. What if somebody thought that’s how I got my job though? I’d be the whore that slept with two Mason brothers!”

“Who the fuck cares what other people think? Nobody that matters would think that, Jolie. “

“Even if he wasn’t my boss though, I still couldn’t. He’s such a good man.”

“And you’re not a good woman?” I shake my head and Toni moves even closer to me and pulls me in for a hug once again. ‘I’m so sorry you feel that way, Jolie. But sweetheart you’re amazing. You’re funny, caring, supportive, and adorable as hell, any guy would be lucky to have you and I swear I’m not just saying that.”