After a few moments Lexa cleared her throat and looked at me, her cheeks flushed. “Because she likes BDSM. In their eyes that makes her the more likely suspect.”
“What? I don’t understand. BDSM, like bondage and shit?” The thought of tying her up while her ass stuck in the air as I spanked it hit me. I leaned over onto my knees, hiding the woody that sprung to life at that thought. Fuck, I was well and truly under her spell. I shook my head, focusing on Quinn and Lexa as she started speaking again.
“Yeah, she likes bondage and stuff, but because of it, the cops are after her. Kurt told them that they were acting out a scene from a bondage perspective and Amber took it the wrong way. He told them that she was jealous and had been coming onto him for the weeks that she’d lived with them. Which was why he didn’t want her there and she’d flipped out when she found them playing around.”
My stomach dropped like a lead weight. It sounded entirely plausible, and although I doubted Amber would ever do something like that, it did make me wonder. I didn’t know her well at all and she was in my house with my kids. I played with my coffee cup for a moment, before I stood suddenly. Everyone stared in my direction. “I need to get back.” My face was tight as I placed the cup on the table. Lexa stood and moved towards me.
“Mason, it isn’t true. Amber would never hurt Ellis. And it’s not the first time she’s had a visit to the ER while she’s been with him. A few months ago, while Amber was away at college, Ellis had a broken arm. She claimed she’d fallen down the stairs. She brushed it off when I asked her about it. And another time, just around Christmas, she had a black eye and a cut forehead, after a night out with me and Kitty. She told me she’d fallen over her shoes when she was drunk and he’d taken her to the ER. Now I’m wondering if he’s been beating her the whole time and she’s been covering it up?” She paced around the room while she spoke and every eye was on her. Lewis was twiddling his pen around, Harris was standing at the piano, tapping on his watch and Quinn was standing beside where Lexa was pacing.
I thought about it for a moment and remembered my aunt coming to dinner a few times with bumps and bruises that she’d brushed off as her being clumsy. Eventually she tried to leave her husband and he put her in a coma, leaving Cody and Rhiann without their mom for a few months. They’d stayed with us. Cody had told my dad about all the beatings his mom had taken. He was fourteen at the time and turned to drink to numb the pain. Five years later he overdosed and was found in his flat by his mom and his sister.
I wouldn’t let that happen to Amber. For whatever reason I had to protect her, but I still needed to get back to the kids. I glanced around, taking in Harris’s grey walls, his piano at the window, his cream love seat with music notes on it and his black armchair. The floor was a grey hardwood and the walls were covered in lyrics to our songs. He’d had a designer in recently so the place looked different from when I’d been over a few months ago.
“What time is it?” I asked the room, looking between everyone.
Harris glanced over my shoulder, before answering “it’s ten after four.” I nodded at him and took out my cell, dialing Amber’s number. It went straight to answerphone so I clicked off, feeling pissed.
Later, as I arrived home, I looked around for Amber and the kids, but I couldn’t see them. I needed to clean myself up so I went into the shower room next to the kitchen and had a quick shower, before going looking for Amber and my babies. I strolled around, and heard voices coming from the nursery. For a moment I stood in the doorway, watching as Amber read to Sophia. As Sophia laughed Amber did too. Then she caught me watching them.
Her eyes shifted from mine straight away and she stood, putting Sophia in her crib. I moved into the room, placing my hand of the small of her back, almost without thinking. I looked down to the face of my daughter. Amber shrugged out of my grip and I wondered what had happened to the warm, gorgeous girl I’d left that morning.
I watched as she walked from the room. I wanted to go after her, but I stayed with Sophia for a few moments. I walked into my room and grabbed my lucky guitar pick. I had a feeling I was going to need it. I rushed downstairs, finding Amber and Lucca in the family room. I sat down watching her for a few moments and then stood when she refused to look at me. I put my lucky pick down beside her and headed into the downstairs bathroom where I found her cell in a sink of water.
The next few hours passed too quickly. Me going off on one at her, and her showing me what she thought about me sleeping with the bar fly. Her face, when she said it, caused my heart to splinter painfully. I knew I’d made a huge fucking mistake. As she threw her thumb over her shoulder, I glanced up and stared horrified as the images of me pounding the skirt appeared on TV.
I had to leave the room. Not only did I feel sick about what I’d done, I felt guilty as hell about going off on her. It wasn’t her fault my day had sucked, but I wished she’d told me about everything. I went to the store and grabbed Amber a new cell, making sure it was top of the line and that I could Face call her to see the kids. After I got home, I went into her room and found her sleeping soundly.
The sight of her relaxed face warmed me and I moved towards her. I placed her cell on the tabletop along with a note telling her how sorry I was and what a massive dick I felt. I didn’t apologise for the skank, but I hoped she would understand that fucking women was second nature to me. I always did it when I got scared.
I brushed her hair away from her forehead and pressed my lips to her soft silky skin. I wanted nothing more than to climb into bed with her and pull her to me. I knew she’d kill me if I even tried, so I left. As hard as it was to do, I left her and tried to go to sleep in my own bed.
I rolled over in bed and tried to get comfortable, but I couldn’t get my mind to switch off. When Lucca fussed at three am, I got up to get him, since I was awake anyway.
As I made my way back upstairs I met Amber in the hallway. I wanted to take her back to my bed and fuck her all night long in so many different ways. My eyes roamed over her and I took in her fire red bra, poking out over her tank and her shorts that showed off her sexy legs that went on for miles. I wanted to sink between her thighs and taste her creamy centre, but the look on her face stopped my erotic thoughts. Her eyes were narrowed and she moved towards me. I leaned down whispering to her, “it’s ok Amber, go back to bed. I got this.” My tongue darted out and licked her ear, and I about came in my pants. She didn’t say a word, just turned and went back to bed.
Amber
As I walked away from him I could feel his eyes burning into me. I wanted to go back to him, but my pride wouldn’t let me. I knew he was trouble. If I went back to him I was going to get more than my heart broken. I forced myself back to my room and closed the door, leaning on it. I heard him walk into the room and speak to Lucca.
His voice was calm and soothing, and it did something to me. I wasn’t sure if he knew I had a monitor in the room with me. I was about to switch it off when I heard Mason mention my name.
“What do you think of Amber, Lucca?” He paused and then spoke again. “Yeah, I like her too. Probably more than I should as her employer.” All was quiet for a minute and my heart hammered on my chest. I sat down on my bed and put my head in my hands. Running my fingers through my hair as I loosened my braid. I just needed something to do with my fingers.
Mason started speaking again and my breath caught at the emotion in his voice. “I miss your mommy little man. She would have stopped me today. I’d never have fucked up as badly as I did if your mommy was around. I think I succeeded in pushing Amber away, which is what I thought I wanted. But if it was, why do I feel like such a shit about it?”
He took a ragged breath and I heard him shift. “I think I really fucked up and the way I treated her when I came home wasn’t gonna fix shit.” He patted Lucca on the back and began humming softly to him before he started singing.
I’m just a man
And I know I am
I’m just a screw up
I’m just a mess
And I’m gonna fess
I’m crazy, I’m drunk,
I’m a loser, I’m lost,
But beneath it all,
I’m a man obsessed,
I’m a man in love
And I don’t know what to do about you.
It was a song I’d never heard. I wanted to go and speak to Mason, to reassure him that I didn’t hate him. I heard his soft footsteps, and after a moment the door to the room closed gently. I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes before I heard a soft knocking at my door. I could have pretended to be asleep and ignore it, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to.
I padded over to the door and opened it softly. Mason fell inwards and landed in my arms. His huff of surprise as he collided with my body matched my own. “Mason, what are you doing?” He slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me in tighter to his body. My whole body thrummed where we touched. He ran his finger slowly up and down my neck, before he tilted my chin up towards his face.
“Amber, I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t sleep. Can I sleep with you?” I wanted to say yes. My body was saying yes. His eyes pleaded with me to say yes as he lowered his mouth to kiss me, but the image of the skank he’d been with slipped into my mind and I pulled back.
“Amber, please. Don’t pull away from me.” He pleaded and his eyes glossed over, but I couldn’t give in, as much as I wanted to, I knew I couldn’t give in.
“No, Mase. You made your choice and it wasn’t me.” I turned away from him and started to walk towards my bed, when he pulled me against him. I could feel his erection pressing into my back as he leaned down and kissed my neck. His arms slipped around my waist and he ran his fingers inside my tank, right up until they touched my breasts.
He gently ran his fingers over my nipples, while kissing me on the neck. I almost melted. He walked me over to the bed and dropped to his knees when we reached it, taking my shorts with him. I stood there for a moment, facing away from him as he started kissing up my thighs. He pushed my back down so my ass was in the air.
He kissed between my legs and ran his fingers up and down my thighs. One of his hands then moved and he began pressing, running it through my folds. He licked and sucked me, pressing his finger onto my clit until I had almost reached the crest. He then stopped and flipped me over so my bottom was hanging off the bed. He lifted my legs up and placed them over his shoulders, opening my mound to him.
He glanced up at me then licked his lips before licking me with a hunger that took me right to the edge. Just before I fell over the cliff, he drew back again and waited a few moments. He began licking me softly, and as he inserted two fingers into me, I mewled loudly. He finger fucked me hard and fast, all the while sucking my clit into his mouth, before releasing it and licking it hard. He bit down on it gently, then sucked it into his mouth again, before licking once more until I finally crested.
My toes curled and the warmth spread out from my stomach. Right down my legs and up to my chest. My breath came in short sharp pants. He kissed my thighs before sitting back. He smiled up at me from between my still open legs. “Mase, I can’t even…” I lay my head back and groaned as an aftershock washed over me.
“Sweetheart, I’m not good at some stuff, but that I am good at.” His cheerful voice reminded me that I was pissed with him. I threw a pillow at him and heard him huff in surprise as it hit him. “What the fuck was that for?” I glanced down at him. He looked abashed, sitting there on the floor.
I laughed as I answered him. “For being cocky and arrogant.”
He hit me in the stomach with the pillow and I grabbed another one, hitting him on the arm. I rolled over onto my stomach. He snatched the pillow from under me, hitting me on the back with it. He then dropped the pillow and started to tickle me. I was awfully ticklish and I started giggling. He climbed onto my back and whispered into my ear, after kissing me on the neck, “ask for mercy, go on.” I giggled loudly and he tickled harder, I bucked and he spanked my ass before resuming his tickling.
He kissed my neck and ran his fingers around my body. “Mason, stop it.” I said through a laugh.
“No chance. Not until you say MERCY!”
I was crying with laughter. “Please, Mason.” I could feel his erection pressing into my back. He kept on kissing my neck from side to side as I thrashed about on the bed, giggling.
After another minute, he moved off of me. I almost sighed with relief, until he spanked me once on the ass then flipped me onto my back. He climbed over me and started kissing me again on the neck, running his hands all over me.
He pulled my top down and sucked on my nipple while I half moaned, half laughed. As he dragged his teeth over my nipple I forgot why it was a bad idea. I forgot about pretty much everything, except I needed to feel him inside me. I held his head onto my nipple and moaned as his fingers pushed inside me again. He moved upwards and kissed me hard on the neck, before bringing his lips just away hairs width from my own. “Mason, please.” I moaned into his open mouth as he ground his erection into my core, and I moved with him. I pressed my lips to his, kissing him with a frenzy of need and desire.
“Amber. Are. You. Sure. You. Want. This?” He asked.
Every word was punctuated with a breath as he thrust against me. “Yes, Mase. I want you, right now.” He breathed out and kissed me so hard I saw stars. I moved my hands down over his back and pulled his ass into me. He groaned. I slipped my hands into his shorts, pushing them down and moaning his name as I felt his naked cock hit me where I wanted it most. He moved into position and thrust in once. Hard. My body shook. I kissed his neck as he thrust again, his muscled arms taking his weight as he moved over me.
Suddenly there was a loud knocking at the door. Mason pulled out. I tried to pull him back. He laughed as he pulled his shorts back on. “This better be fucking good,” he muttered as he left the room. When he left, he let back in my inhibitions. I shivered and pulled my shorts on, going to the bathroom to splash some water over my face.
After a few minutes Mason was back. He stood in the door way staring at his hands. His face was chalk white. “Mase, what is it?” I asked him. I wondered if the police had found me and had come to arrest me? What else could have put this look on his face? I moved towards him, putting my hand on his cheek. He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my palm. He moved with me towards the bed and he sat down heavily.
“Amber, it’s Ellis.” I spun towards him and glared at him. “What about her?” I sneered.
He took a deep breath, before turning to me and putting his hands on my arms. “She’s dead honey.”
I shook my head, sure I’d heard him wrong. “No, you’re wrong. She can’t be. She’s in hospital.”
Mason gazed down at me in sorrow as I sat there, numb. “She got out today. Kurt’s on the run. They found his prints at the scene.” He swallowed and took another breath. “There’s something else.” I couldn’t move towards him. Couldn’t see. How could Ellis be dead? Sure I was angry with her, mega pissed in fact, but I didn’t want her dead. I wanted her away from him.
“What…?” My voice cracked. “What else?”
He held onto my shoulders tightly. “They found a computer and it cleared you. Their guys got in, and found videos of you, running and hanging out with Ellis. And videos of him beating Ellis. The last one was tonight. He went off on her because he couldn’t find you. She didn’t know where you were so she couldn’t tell him. He killed her because he couldn’t find you. Then he took off.”
My head went into a spin. I knew he had a thing for me, but Ellis, oh my god. Nausea rose within me and I shrugged out of his hands, standing and running for the bathroom. Halfway there I collapsed onto my knees as his words hit me again. Ellis was dead. Because of me. “If I’d just told him where I was she’d still be alive.” I didn’t realise I’d said those words out loud until Mason wrapped his arms around me, pulling me onto his knee
s.
“Shush. It’s not your fault, Amber. She stayed with him and it’s on him. This is completely his fault.”
He stood up with me in his arms and carried me back to my bed. He held me tightly as I fell apart. I wasn’t sure how long he held me, but after a while, another voice spoke from the door. I turned my head and saw Quinn standing there. Another thought hit me hard. “Lexa?” I asked in a broken voice, feeling guilty all over again as I raised my eyes to Quinn.
He smiled sadly at me before speaking. “She’s sleeping downstairs. Don’t worry. She’ll be okay.”
I nodded and snuggled into Mason’s side. Quinn left with an odd look on his face as he took us in on my bed. I thought about Ellis. We’d been friends for so long but I couldn’t separate my feelings for her from my betrayal over what she’d done. Mason lay there and held me. Lost in his own thoughts, but I appreciated him being there.
Eventually my eyes closed. I was nodding off to sleep when I felt Mason shift under me. He rolled onto his back and then moved me from where I was lying, kissing me softly on the hair. “Sleep tight, Amber.”
“Mason,” I muttered, “can you stay with me?” I asked, hating that I sounded weak.
He leaned down and kissed my head again. “I’m just going to get a drink and then I’ll come back.” I knew he was lying to me to placate me. As he turned away, he seemed colder, further away, as though hidden behind a wall.
He closed the door softly after him and I began crying again. I fell asleep at around five thirty. I woke up at nine am with the door slamming and the sound of Sophia giggling.
Mason
I left Amber’s room, and considered how much I’d nearly fucked up. I’d nearly let her in. Her small voice as she asked me to stay almost undid me. I couldn’t give her control like that over me. I had to mean it this time when I said I was staying away from her.
Black Mercy (San Francisco Rock Romance Book 1) Page 16