2 Hours and 37 Minutes

Chapter 19

Cassidy's POV 

        I really hated to leave Mason alone with Jack. What if Jack killed him, he would probably be hiding the body by now. He wouldn’t be able to get very far because if doesn’t have an extra key to Mom’s car. What if he stuffed the body in a maid’s cart and rolled it out into the highway.

            I had made it back up to the room. The plan was to change clothes, but all I could think about was me never seeing Mason again because Jack killed him. I continued to pace the floor in front of the window. I abandoned my flip-flops and let my black lacquered toes come into contact with the cool tile. All these different thoughts were running through my mind; I would have been biting my nails if they hadn’t been painted. My sheer white cover up swayed around my thighs as I walked, and my hair was bouncing along my shoulders. I was anxious.

            I love my brother dearly, but he’s never been tested like this. He’s only ever seen guys talking to me or checking me out and that one time where Wyatt almost kissed me; he never been subjected to something like this. He threatened those guys who were talking to me or checking me out and punched Wyatt for almost kissing. Jack probably snapped when he saw Mason on top of me. I can’t begin to imagine what was going through his mind. When I saw him, he was livid, but when Mason stepped in front of me, he did soften a little, right? He had said that he hated him a little less? He is so dead.  

            I care for Mason; I really do. I know we just met, but I have a feeling that we’re going to be friends with a possibility of more. I would go down to check on them, but they have to come back up here eventually, right? Unless Jack killed him. Oh my goodness Jack killed him, didn’t he?  

            “Cass?” I was pulled from my thoughts when the door opened, someone called my name. When I looked up, I saw Jack and Mason standing in the entrance. My eyes searched over Mason detecting damage or any signs of duress. He didn’t look any different from when I last saw him: hair a mess, rumpled skinny jeans and blue t shirt, adorable dimpled smile, lip ring looped around his bottom lip, and a slowly forming black eye. When my gaze flickered to Jack, I noticed he was smirking. I quickly looked him over as well more specifically hands: the knuckles on his right hand were lightly dusted with a light bruise from punching Mason, but there was no further harm done.

            “You’re still alive,” I shouted as I ran around the bed and launched myself at Mason. He caught me in an instant. My arms went around his neck while my legs went around his waist. His hands gripped my thighs to keep me from falling. Mason and Jack laughed when I shouted, but at our current position Jack cleared his throat.

            “Oh…sorry” I said blushing as I disentangled myself from his person. He waved it off with a slight pink tinge upon his cheeks.

            “Mason, why don’t you go over to your room and see your mom? We’ll meet y’all in the lobby, okay?” Jack suggested. Mason nodded, flashed me a smile, and then left. Jack turned his attention on me. He came over and wrapped his arms around my shoulders in a hug. My arms instinctively went around his waist.

            “I’m glad you’re okay,” he murmured, “I was so worried.”

            “I’m perfectly fine, see?” I asked as I pulled back for him to get a good look at me. I even gave a little hand motion gesturing to my body. He gave me a once over and frowned.

            “What happened there?” he motioned towards my face.

            “What? Where?” my hands went to face feeling around for abnormalities.

            “Your lip,” he pointed to his own lip for clarification of what he was saying. I frowned, confused. I walked over to the mirror on the wall. First of all my reflection shocked me: my hair was a frizzy ball, I’m telling you it was almost in afro territory, and my mascara was smudging. When I got over how horrendous I looked, I noticed I had a small cut on my bottom lip.

            “Must have been Mason’s lip ring,” I piped up still looking in the mirror. Jack grunted from behind me in response. He could be such a caveman sometimes.

            “Well I’m going to go get myself together,” I said while I walked to the bathroom. The bathroom was just as beautiful as a remembered it. I closed the door and made a beeline for the shower. Peeling off my unused swimsuit and tossing it on the floor, I started the shower. Steam filled the room as I climbed in. The hot water hit my skin, and I immediately relaxed. My skin was lathered in lavender body wash complements of the hotel. It smelt divine. When the body wash was rinsed, my hair soon became drenched in a matching lavender shampoo. Then I took the conditioner from the set and conditioned my ends. Picking up a coconut face scrub, I scrubbed my face. I’m pretty sure that stuff took off more than just my makeup like my epidermis. Well when I was done, my face was softer than a bag of feathers. I turned off the water and opened the door to the walled in shower. When I opened the door, steam rolled out in billows. I caught a draft as the cool air came in from under the closed door. Quickly I grabbed one of those soft white plush towels and wrapped it around my body and made my exit.

            The cool air hit me in waves. It felt so good on my heated skin. Jack must have gone over to Mom and Dad’s room because he wasn’t in our room. I made my way to my pink and white polka dotted suitcase that still remained opened on the bed that I claimed. Rifling through it, I tried to find the perfect outfit that would knock Mason’s socks off. I settled on some black shinny jeans, a loose white flowy top, and some taupe lace up wedge booties.

            Making my way back to the back, I was prepared to do my hair and makeup. Snatching up my make up bag on the way, I positioned myself in front of the mirror. Dusting champagne shadow over my lids, applying a deep brown shadow to the corners, lining the tops of my lids with black liquid liner, coating my lashes in jet black mascara, and smoothing red lipstick over my lips, my make up was done; now time for hair. Blowing drying it slightly to get the majority of the wetness out, I still left it a little damp. Taking mousse and hairspray, I tamed my curls into sexy voluptuous waves the fell over my shoulders and framed my face. Poking my gold ball stud earring in my earlobes, letting my long chain necklace with a gold heart on the end hang around my neck, and spritzing on some Pink Chiffon perfume, I did a once over in the mirror.

            “Shut the front door,” I muttered as I took in my reflection. I’m not sure I ever quite looked like this before. I mean don’t get me wrong I look good at least seventy-five percent of the time, but right now I look different somehow. More vibrant. Happier.

            Scooping up my Michael Kors bag on my way out the door, I found myself in the hallway. Mason was coming out of his room. I saw him before he saw me. He was wearing the same dark faded skinny jeans, but he now was wearing a green button up shirt. That shirt stood out against his tanned skin and curved around in toned arms in such a state of perfection that my mouth was almost watering. I noticed that he had traded in his purple Vans for black one. I could’ve rolled my eyes if I hadn’t found it so attractive. It was so Spencer Reid-esque. His unruly dark brown hair was once again gelled to perfection. He must have felt somebody staring because he looked up. As soon as all eyes met, his jaw practically dropped to the floor. I couldn’t even begin to restrain the blush I knew was forming on my cheeks. He slowly approached as if testing to make sure I wasn’t going to disappear.

            “Wow,” he muttered.