Page 3 of Magnetic Temptations

CHAPTER

ONE

MASON

Packing up my life for the second time is easier than it was the first time I did it. Even though I have more things with me than I did back then, I’m excited to get out of here so putting my belongings into bags and boxes is done with a breeze. Before, leaving my entire family behind was hard on my heart, and even though I’ve decided not to go back to my hometown, my shoulders are lighter because I know that they’re no longer on my can’t contact list. It dawns on me that while I was hidden away under a false identity, it wasn’t too long in the big picture. People who are in federal witness protection leave their old lives behind forever. I don’t think I could do that, but until Julia was eradicated, I didn’t have much choice in order to keep others from dying because of her crazy obsession with me.

The second I got off the phone with Mane, the woman who now owns me heart and soul, my mother was the first call I made. She cried for the first half hour we were on the phone, but afterward, when I explained my sudden departure and the reason behind the lack of communication, she was irate. I never hid the fact that Julia was a lunatic from them, I told them everything she did down to sporking my yard. They knew how dire my situation was in regard to her, so by the time we hung up, and she was told that the threat to me and anyone in my life had been neutralized, she was relieved and the tears dried up.

I can’t wait to see my family, reconnect with them, and start living my life again. Hopefully, Mane will be onboard with what I see our future becoming. I know it’s going to be a challenge, especially with her family, but it’s one I will willingly accept.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting nine tenths of her family, not all of them share the same blood as she does, but are her family, nonetheless. Gunner, her very protective father, has come to see me more than the rest. At first, I was caught off guard with his sudden appearance on my front porch, but when he explained who he was and asked what he could do to help me adjust to my new path, he won me over. Mane doesn’t know that he’s made a trip here several times to visit with me, he asked me to keep that between us, and as a man who hopes to one day be accepted into their family, I obliged.

He’s made it crystal clear that if I pursue his daughter, I better do so with honorable intentions. That day required more than a six pack of beer to be drunk as I laid down my intentions without holding anything back. When I said my peace, I was expecting to face the firing squad, but instead, Gunner patted me on the back and wished me luck. I didn’t ask him to further explain that because I got the meaning and read between the lines. Mane comes with a lot of cousins, uncles, and aunts that would rather see me six feet under than a single tear slip free from her ducts. Meeting the majority of the men already, I know that while they’re rough and tumble, it’s going to be the women I’ll need to win over.

As I tape up the lid of the last box to be packed, I sit back and release a breath of warm air. Tomorrow, the moving van will be here to load up my shit and take it to the DreamCatcher clubhouse where I’ll be staying until I decide if I want to pick up my old life and career, or if I want something different. Ella extended that offer and I accepted without any pause. To outsiders, they’re a scary group of people, but to me, they saved my life and I owe them everything. Mane may be disappointed with my choice of living accommodations, but I don’t want to play house with her, I want to build something special and monumental with her. She’s my future, and she deserves to be taken out on the town and spoiled. Even though we have had several phone conversations, and I feel like I know her better than I would if we were simply dating, she and I need time to solidify the bond we’ve formed.

When my phone rings and I pick it up, the time slaps me in the face. It’s past two in the morning and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why Gunner would be calling me. Unless something’s happened to Mane. In a rush to find out, I hit the answer button and slap my cell phone to my ear. “What’s wrong?” I bark out.

“Your woman is a pain in my ass,” he grumbles. Most people would say ‘hello’ but considering I didn’t, I can’t bitch that he jumped right into a conversation the way he did.

I’m not a therapist, but even I know I need to be cautious when asking, “Why?”

“She was mean to me. The little shit hung up on me,” he mutters. A sigh of relief rushes out of me as it finally clicks that this is a bitch session and that everything is kosher with my woman. “I promise, her mother and I taught her manners, she just forgets to use them when it comes to me. I don’t know why she gets her panties in a twist when she realizes I’m watching over her. So what if I infringed on their security system and used it to see what’s going on with my daughter, niece, and nephews? I need to know that they’re alright when I’m not there to protect them.”

I’m a straight shooter, so I ask him, “You don’t think she’s upset because you invaded her privacy? Gunner, that’s over the top, don’t you think?”

“Just you wait, Mason. One day, you’ll have a daughter and you’ll understand a father’s need to know his baby girl is safe.”

“But Mane has said that all of you have trained them, explicitly, so by watching them in this way, aren’t you telling them you don’t trust they can react appropriately if a situation comes up?” I question.

“We’ll know if we’re needed,” he retorts. “All of them are fully capable of handling anything that comes their way, but sometimes, you need back up.” I don’t bring up that they have a club in their backyard they could utilize if that were to happen. That’d be like ripping a scab off a sore spot for him. He still believes that the kids who’ve taken over Pops’ operation and ingrained it with a secondary branch of the club need him and doesn’t see past his blindness when it comes to the fact that they’re all adults now.

The visual that hits me of Gunner and his club brothers rolling up on their trikes because they’re now senior citizens when something ‘comes up’ they feel they need to help their ‘kids’ who would be middle-aged by that point, has me nearly choking to keep from laughing. Hell, by then, there could even be grandkids old enough to be part of the club.

“You alright, boy?” Gunner asks.

“Yep, all good,” I lie. Knowing that tomorrow will be a busy as hell day, I need to find a viable excuse to get off the line without offending my future in-law. “Gunner, I need to get off soon because the movers will be here bright and early.”

“You coming home, son?”

“I’m not going back to my hometown,” I answer. “I’ve been invited to stay at the clubhouse by Hydro and a few of the others and I decided to take them up on it.”

“Good. That’s good, Mason. What are you doing with your furniture and stuff that won’t fit into your room at the clubhouse?”

“I’ve got them being put into a temperature controlled storage unit,” I inform him.

“Need any help unloading?” he questions, and I know this is a roundabout way for him to get permission to show up at Mane’s homecourt.

“What is going to be your reason for coming around?” I ask, my eyebrows raised because this man may come off as hardnosed and usually he blames the uncles for his antics, but he’s just as mischievous and gets into just as much trouble as they do. He just happens to stand behind them and let them take the fall. Others may not realize that’s what he does, but I’ve got his number.

“A father doesn’t need a reason to visit his kids,” he rationalizes.

“That may be true, but from what you’ve just told me, you aren’t Mane’s favorite person right now,” I remind him.

“She’ll get over it,” he says, blowing it off.

“Damage control? I know you miss your kid, Gunner, but be real with me. You’re going because you can’t stand the thought of your baby girl being upset with you.”

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