“Don’t even think about it,” Mason warned.
I turned to him, giving him my sad puppy dog eyes that I knew he couldn’t resist. “But I really need to find my wedding dress.”
He refused to look in my eyes to avoid being swayed. “It’s not a good time right now. We have the shop opening up in a few days. I can’t go to California.”
“Dane’s going with us. Plus, we will be in the apartment most of the time anyway,” Alissa added on.
Alissa gave him her puppy dog eyes too, but I knew they wouldn’t work like mine did.
“It’s too dangerous with Chris out there still watching our every move.” He was pleading for me to understand.
“Didn’t you just say this morning that we can’t let him control our lives anymore? Plus, no way Chris is in LA. He’s avoiding the spotlight right now, trying to figure out how to clear his name. That’s all he’s ever cared about anyway.”
“We’ll talk about this later. Let’s go check on the shop.”
Alissa looked defeated but I knew I would win. Mason just didn’t want everyone to see him give in. I understood how dangerous it could be, but I wanted to go. It had been months since I had been back to California and I was craving the city. I loved my small town, but I was beginning to feel trapped. I couldn’t go anywhere alone; I needed to feel free, even if it was only for one weekend.
“We’ll see you guys later,” I told Alissa and Dane as I stood.
“Call me.” Alissa’s eyes were wide. I knew she wanted to make sure I was going to be able to go.
Mason and I walked hand in hand to the shop. I couldn’t believe how good it looked. My eyes landed on the forest green, metal roof and fell down to the building that looked like a large log cabin. There was an awning over the front door, held up by cedar pillars with stone work around the bottom.
He opened the screen door and I walked in ahead of him.
The inside looked great too. The store section was in the front of the building. Off to the left, toward the ocean side, was sectioned off for the rental area while the right side was Mason’s office. The bathrooms and the store checkout area were in-between. I looked up to see that it was wide open. There were large wooden beams that ran the length of the roof. The walls were painted a sage green and all the trim was done in the same cedar color. It was the perfect country shop.
“So what do you think so far?” Dave, the owner of the construction company, asked as he came up and shook Mason’s hand.
“It looks great. I can’t believe it’s almost done.”
“It looks like we will be done ahead of schedule and it’s a good thing too. Your office is packed full of stuff that got delivered today.”
“Damn it, I thought they were going to wait. I’m sorry if it’s been in your way,” Mason reached out and pulled me to his side. I looked up and offered him a smile.
“It’s no problem. They shoved it all in there since we’re already done with the office. Have a look around and let me know what you think.” Dave shook Mason’s hand one last time before walking away to help one of the guys on his crew.
“Let’s check out the office.” Mason turned to lead me in the right direction, but his hand stayed on my lower back, guiding me.
I walked in and weaved through the stacked-up boxes. I found his new desk in the center of the room. It matched the same cedar color scheme, but the desk had a glossy finish.
“I love this desk,” I said running my hand across the top.
“Me too, but I’d love it even more if you were on top of it.”
The next thing I knew, I was in his arms. He turned me around and placed me on the desk before moving his lips to mine.
I felt that familiar yearning form in the pit of my stomach. He had done nothing but kiss me, but already, my body wanted him.
He used his hips to spread my legs wider as they hung off the desk. When he was settled between them, his hand ran up the inside of my thigh, beneath the thin fabric of my sundress.
He trailed his finger along the line of my panties. I was breathless with anticipation, needing to feel his touch. I kept waiting for him to slide his fingers beneath the lace, but instead, he rubbed his thumb over my sensitive nub.
The pressure alone was enough to have me soaking through my panties. When I let out a quiet whimper, Mason’s hand disappeared. He pulled away quickly before grabbing me by my thighs and pulling me to the edge of the desk. His urgency turned me on more than anything.
He yanked my thin lace panties down my legs before removing himself from his jeans. With my dress bunched up around my waist, he slid into me. The moment we connected, I wanted to explode.
Lying flat on my back, he moved in and out of me with quick movements, going deeper with each thrust. Just when I was about to let my orgasm go, I was in his arms again. Without leaving me, he had me pinned to the wall.
He continued with his movements while his hands roamed my body and his lips trailed up my neck until he found my lips.
“You feel so fucking good,” he whispered against my lips before thrusting into me even harder.
I let out a loud moan as I felt myself tighten around him. He knew I was about to fall apart. He squeezed my ass and pounded harder until I shattered around him. I bit my bottom lip to keep from calling out.
There was only one wall separating us from a room full of men. I held on to him while I rode out my orgasm as quietly as I could. Just as I came back from the edge of the earth, Mason jerked, filling me. He softly bit my shoulder while he twitched inside of me, slowing to a stop.
When we could process thoughts again, he sat me on my feet. “What was that about?” I asked while fixing my dress.
He gave me a small grin. “Had to break in the new desk.”
When we walked out of the office, it felt like all eyes were on us. I felt my face heat up. Mason didn’t seem to be bothered at all, instead he was smiling from ear to ear.
We said goodbye to Dave before making our way to the truck.
He was quiet on the ride home so I thought it would be a good time to bring California back up.
“You know nothing is going to happen to me, right?”
He knew exactly what I was talking about. “You don’t know Chris isn’t in California.”
“Yes, I do. Do you know why Chris wanted to marry me, or even the reason he wanted to date me?”
Mason didn’t reply so I continued. “All Chris cares about is his image. At the time, I was the shiny new thing in town. He wants everyone to think that he has the perfect life. When I left, he wasn’t angry because he lost me, he was worried about what the press would say. Then when I revealed why I left, the world knew he wasn’t the perfect guy he was trying to make himself out to be. There is no way he is in California. He’s trying to find a way to clear his name or redeem himself. He can’t do that under constant spotlight. Plus, if he’s in California, how does he know about the engagement?”
I saw his Adam’s Apple bob in his throat, his jaw was flexed, and his eyes were trained on the road ahead. He let out a long breath. “I just,” he shook his head like he was trying to clear out his thoughts. “I can’t let him hurt you again.”
I rubbed his hand that was resting on the console between us. “Everything will be okay. I promise.”
I saw him look out the driver’s side window quickly before looking at me. “One condition.”
I knew what that condition was but asked anyway. “What?”
“You let me hire that bodyguard to go with you.”
I had been adamant about not wanting a bodyguard. I had already lived that part of my life and I wasn’t ready for that again. But I knew it would make Mason feel better, not to mention, I didn’t know exactly what I would be walking into by going back to California. Everyone could’ve forgotten about me or I could’ve been taken out by a large crowd trying to leave the airport.
When I finally agreed, all the tension seemed to leave his body. His ice-blue eyes lit up even brig
hter while he tried hiding the smile that kept threatening to appear.
Chapter Three
Mason
When we walked into that shop full of men, my jealousy may have spiked. Every guy that walked by, looked Lennox up and down. Who could blame them, you could practically see right through the sundress she was wearing. It was so thin, you could see every outline underneath it.
I pulled her to my side and made sure I was always touching her in some way. It didn’t stop the looks though. The quickie in my office wasn’t planned, but when I saw all those men checking out my fiancée, I needed to claim her. She was mine.
I pushed those assholes from my thoughts as I pulled into the driveway and led Lennox into the house. While she went to change, I started dinner. My phone rang and I put it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Is this Mason Reynolds?”
“Yeah, who is this?”
“This is Ray Chaplin. You contacted me a few days ago about wanting to set up an interview for a bodyguard.”
I peeked around the corner to make sure Lennox wasn’t listening. I had only just gotten her to agree to the bodyguard, if she knew I had already been seriously looking, she would’ve had my manhood.
“Yes, how are you doing?” I kept my voice low.
“Good, thanks for asking. I was wondering when you wanted to set up that interview you mentioned in your email. I actually have another interview set up for Friday morning.”
Lennox was going to be leaving Friday morning, if I wanted her to have a bodyguard for the trip, I needed to talk to him as soon as possible. “How does tomorrow morning sound?”
“That would be great. Where would you like to meet?”
I thought it over. There was no way I could meet him at the bar, then I would’ve had to leave Lennox at home alone and I was not about to do that. If I wanted to interview him, I had to do it at home, preferably before Lennox woke up. “Can you come to my house tomorrow morning? Say around seven?”
“Yeah, that’s not a problem.”
I had just finished giving him the address as Lennox came into the kitchen. “I will see you tomorrow.” I hung up and slid the phone back into my pocket. I could tell from the look on her face that she was going to ask me who I was talking to, so I distracted her. “Can you make the salad and open a bottle of wine?”
“Sure,” she answered, turning around for the fridge.
We had dinner on the balcony overlooking the back yard and she never thought to ask. The stars were shining bright, reflecting against the pond as the cicadas chirped, filling the night. I held Lennox’s hand as we let the chirping lull us into relaxation. Just touching her relaxed me, I didn’t need to hear her heartbeat because I could feel it pounding in my chest like it was my own.
I woke bright and early the next day, ready to meet with Ray. I brewed the coffee and did a little research on the guy. I wanted to call his past employers but it was too early. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered if he could’ve had any ties connecting him to Chris. I wouldn’t put it past him to send someone into our lives that we thought we could trust.
I heard his car pull up the driveway. I rushed to the door before he could make it out of his car. I didn’t want him ringing the doorbell and waking up Lennox.
The large man stepped out of his Impala and started walking my way. I took in his size, he had to weigh at least two-hundred pounds and was every bit of seven feet tall. He could’ve been a linebacker. When he stood directly in front of me, I had to look up to meet his eyes.
“Mr. Reynolds?” The man held out his hand.
I took his hand in mine and put all my strength into the handshake, he didn’t even notice. “Yes. Ray, I presume?”
He nodded. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too, please come in.” I held the door open and closed it behind him before leading him toward the kitchen. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“No, thank you. I’m not much of a coffee drinker.” He took off his dark sunglasses and placed them inside his suit jacket.
“Can I interest you in something else?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
I shrugged. “Okay, let’s get down to business then.” I took my seat across from him and grilled him with questions for the next half hour.
I was almost done when I felt Lennox behind me. I looked up to Ray, his eyes were wide. His bulging eyes told me something wasn’t right. I turned and looked over my shoulder to see her standing behind me, only wearing a bed sheet.
My eyes may have been as big as Ray’s. I cleared my throat. “Um, why don’t you go put on some clothes and come back down to meet Ray? I’m interviewing him to be your bodyguard.”
Her cheeks were bright pink. She quickly nodded before turning and walking up the stairs as quickly as possible.
I turned back to Ray. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t tell her about this interview.”
He let out a short laugh. “It’s okay, I understand. Does she not approve of hiring a bodyguard?”
“Not exactly. She doesn’t like the invasion of privacy.” I was going to go on but she came back into the room and poured herself a cup of coffee.
With her cup in hand, she came to stand next to me. She held out her hand to Ray. “Hi, I’m Lennox.”
Ray’s eyes flashed to mine and back. He held out his hand. “I’m Ray Chaplin.”
Lennox looked back and forth between me and Ray. “If you two don’t mind, I have a few questions of my own I would like to ask.”
I took a long breath, preparing myself. “Sure. I don’t mind if Ray doesn’t.”
We both looked at him. He sat up a little straighter, like he knew it was her he needed to impress. “Shoot.”
She didn’t hesitate. “Have you ever killed anyone?”
“Lennox!” Her question surprised me. I mean, who asks something like that?
“What? I think if he is going to be my bodyguard, we need to make sure he is willing to do what needs to be done.” Her eyebrows raised while waiting for his response.
“It’s okay.” Ray assured me. “I have shot people. Never a lethal shot, just enough to stop the threat.”
Lennox nodded. “And you are willing to travel?” She leaned on the island, resting her elbows on top while keeping her eyes on Ray.
“Yes, Mr. Reynolds has already informed me on the current situation and I am completely willing to go where needed.”
“How long have you been a bodyguard?”
“I’ve been in this field for the past twelve years. I have guarded celebrities, politicians, and even priceless artifacts during transportation. I have no doubt in my mind that I can keep you safe.”
She almost looked pleased.
“Do you have any more questions?” I asked her.
She took a sip of coffee and thought it over. “Have you contacted his former employers and ran a background check?”
I felt my lips turn up in a smile. I didn’t realize she would be so precise about it all. “I have run the background check and he came back clean. I haven’t called the employers yet because it’s too early, but I will call this afternoon,” I promised.
Lennox nodded and I turned my attention back to Ray. “I will give you a call this afternoon after I’ve talked to your past employers and let you know.”
Ray stood and held out his hand. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
I showed him out the door and returned to the kitchen to find her leaning over the island, giving me the death glare.
“I know I should have told you about this, but there really wasn’t any time.”
“How long have you had this set up?”
“I just set it up last night, I promise. But I have been looking for a couple weeks now. I knew we would eventually need someone with the shop re-opening and I wanted to be prepared.” I crossed the room and brought her into my arms. “I just want you safe.” I pressed my lips to hers. I felt her waver just a bit.
She pulled away.
“I know you want me safe, but we have to talk about these things. I don’t want to be left out of any decisions, especially if they involve me.” Her green eyes were trained on me, they weren’t the shimmering green I was used to; they were darker than usual. Her eyes were always so expressive. I could tell what she was thinking by the shade of them and I knew when they looked dark, it was because she was angry or feeling betrayed.
“I promise.” I pulled her lips back to mine for a long kiss.
I spent the afternoon making calls to check on Ray’s past work. He came highly recommended and only positive things were said. I called him back and offered him the job after telling Lennox the good news. She still wasn’t happy about it, but she understood the need for him.
We didn’t bother leaving the house the rest of the day. We spent our time enjoying one another’s company by cuddling on the couch and having a quiet dinner in our favorite spot. I helped her pack for the weekend before we took a long bubble bath and fell asleep in each other’s arms. It felt like the calm before the storm.
I wasn’t in any hurry driving Lennox to the airport the next morning. I loaded up her Jeep before jumping in. We had to stop and pick up Dane and Alissa on the way. Ray was set to meet us there.
As the morning sun rose and shone through my window, I let my eyes drift over to Lennox. Every time I looked at her, she took my breath away. We had been together for months and had known each other for years, but knowing that she was mine and that she always would be, created this feeling inside of me that I couldn’t put into words.
I watched as she took a sip of her coffee before catching me staring. She looked hot as hell wearing my red flannel and baseball cap with her hair in a long braid over one shoulder.
“What is going through that head of yours?” She eyed me while giving me a teasing grin.
“I was just thinking about pulling over and having a quickie. What do ya say?”
She let out a laugh. “You have got to be kidding me. We just had sex not even thirty minutes ago.”
Our Last Chance at Forever (The Chance Series Book 3) Page 2