CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I had no idea what they did, but Mason smelled like smoke when he passed through our room to the bathroom. The shower turned on a second later. Getting out of bed and padding barefoot behind him, he was already under the spray when I got there. His clothes were in a pile on the floor so I put them into the laundry bin. Then I leaned against the counter, and our eyes met through the glass door. He didn’t smile or say hello. He stared at me, and I stared back as he continued bathing. Lifting his arms, the water cascaded over his shoulders and down his chest. I could see every inch of him, not that any of it was a surprise anymore, but the hunger was there. Always there.

He smirked, still watching me. I licked my lips.

The wait for him took forever. I was burning up by the time he turned the water off and stepped out. The towels were behind me and he reached past me, leaning into me at the same time. His chest touched mine and he paused. His arm was stretched behind me, but as I turned to meet his gaze, he was looking right at me. Just there. Within reach. I closed my eyes and inhaled when his breath coated my skin. It was a caress of its own. Then a throaty murmur escaped me, “Mason …”

He pulled away and dried himself off.

My eyelids opened, but I was caught and held by his gaze again.

My chest lifted as I inhaled another deep breath. My br**sts grew heavy under my thin top. They wanted his touch. Without a bra, he could see their reaction. It took one more second as he finished drying off before he dropped the towel again and stepped close to me.

His hands found my hips.

My eyes closed. My head went down.

Home. Finally.

“Sam,” he murmured from an inch away. His lips were there, right there for me to taste.

“What?” I could barely talk.

“She won’t hurt you.” His hand lifted.

When it touched my neck, my heart jumped into my throat, and my blood began pumping.

He moved it around my neck and cupped the back of my head. I was held, anchored in his hand. It was strong, so sure. My heart was racing now and my chest was heaving up and down. I was struggling to breathe. The knot in me started to loosen. It always did when he made me feel like this. Safe. Then a lump formed in my throat, and I had to bite down on my lip. I would either become a sobbing mess or I’d throw myself at him. I wasn’t sure which one I wanted.

He decided for me.

Mason pulled me into his chest. His arms wrapped around me, and I felt his head bend down. He rested his forehead on my shoulder, so I did the same. My hands lifted to his hips, but then with a sob, I wrapped them around his waist.

I’d been so damn worried.

He was safe. They were both safe. My heart kept pounding as the relief washed over me, replacing the desire from moments ago.

Then I peeled myself from him, just enough so I could get answers. “What did you guys do?”

“Nothing bad.”

“Mason.”

He flashed me a grin, took my hand in his and led me to the bedroom. I checked the door and saw it was locked, but then he bent down and lifted me in his arms. I was upright in his arms as he walked us the remaining few steps to the bed. He placed me onto it so that I remained standing while his hands kept me upright. They gripped my hips, and he tipped his head back. A soft smile gracing his features.

My hand lifted on its own volition and went through his wet hair. He closed his eyes, and I could tell he savored the small caress. My fingers grabbed a fistful of his hair and I pulled with enough force so he’d open them. When he did, I asked again, “What did you guys do?”

A slow grin appeared, and his arms tightened around my legs. That was all the warning I got before he flipped me in the air and caught me again. One hand cradled between my shoulders, and the other gripped my ass. He lowered me to the bed and then climbed on top of me in one fluid movement. It was as if he didn’t even move and he was above me, holding himself up with his arms and legs.

His eyes roamed over me as he answered, “We went to Kate’s.” He dropped a small kiss on my throat. “Everything was still there, so we took it.” Another kiss an inch higher. “Then I stuck around and watched the fireworks.” The hand on my hip slid around my waist.

My heart started pounding again, and I held my breath.

The hand moved down and pushed underneath my shorts. There was no restriction. They were made of soft fabric and clung to me. As his fingers moved even further down, he slid two fingers deep into me. He moved further up until he was directly above me. His lips were so close to mine again. Watching mine, he murmured, “Kate almost spilled her plans, but her friends were too stupid to let her.”

“And then?”

His fingers began moving. Oh god. He pressed another kiss to the underside of my chin.

My heart spiked, and a burst of pleasure rushed over me. I was tempted to say, “To hell with the questioning” and pull him down to me, but I couldn’t. This was important. “And then?” I asked again, almost panting now.

“And then.” His other hand moved to hold mine. Our fingers slid against each other as he linked our hands together. Then he lowered his body slowly, inch by inch, until he was resting on top of me. He fit between my legs, in just the right spot as his fingers kept thrusting in and out.

I bit my lip, trying to stop myself from moving down. My lips fell open and I gasped, but I kept it silent. I had to. My heart was beating so loud now. “Mason,” I groaned, “just tell me.”

“Tell you?”

“You like torturing me.”