Beyond the Masks

by Nicky F. Grant

  She shoved his pants off, boxers and all, and his cock sprang forward. She stroked it, listening to the hums of pleasure that fell from his mouth. His lips caressed hers as she continued to gently stroke his thick, heavy column. It flexed in her hand as she sucked his bottom lip. A finger tickled her slit over her panties, causing her to purr.

  “Spread your legs.” Without objection, they fell open. “I need to taste you until you scream.” His fingers moved her panties to the side while stroking the outside of her saturated cleft. “Always ready,” he stated with a wicked grin.

  “Yes.” She closed her eyes, lifting her hips to his finger.

  He could do anything he wanted as long as it was unabashed and raw. He groaned, lowering his mouth to her sex. In one long, leisurely lick, his tongue slid from her pussy to her clit. Bliss ravaged her body as she bloomed, opening fully to his commanding caress.

  Her fingers threaded through his damp roots and pushed him closer. He sucked the swollen, hard nub of nerves. A fierce hum vibrated through hypersensitive tissues.

  “Oh, god, Jacob. Right there.” Her head slammed onto the mattress. Back bowing and hips undulating along his mouth. His warmth and skill leaving her skin feverishly hot.

  Two fingers entered her. They rubbed around the inside walls of her core. Her hips involuntarily shifted to meet his thrusts. His wicked tongue licked her clitoris, circling it in a rhythm made to carry her into the clouds. The echoes of her screams bounced off the walls.

  “Tell me what I want to hear,” he demanded sinfully.

  She managed to mutter through choppy breaths, “I like it…ah…when you eat me.” He groaned and went in for more, eating her with precision, rubbing his fingers over the special spot inside as she was reaching orgasmic bliss. Her heart thundered in her chest, fists gripping the bedding.

  “I’m…I’m coming!”

  As she went over the edge, he pushed harder with his tongue as she came in his mouth. He lapped her come without shame, groaning at each contraction of her muscles. Her bones were rubber as she convulsed through the aftershocks. His fingers curled inside her, dragging along her clenching muscles. After he pulled them out, he licked them clean.

  “Your sweet cunt was meant for me.”

  “Oh, god. You are filthy.”

  He stripped her fully, and her nipples pursed in the chilled air. He rolled them in his fingers.

  “You like me filthy, remember?”

  She gasped. “Yeah, I remember.”

  Gentle kisses peppered her stomach, breasts, and neck as he climbed her body. He kissed her mouth, and she tasted the tanginess of her arousal on his lips. As they rolled on their sides to face each other, their eyes met. She shuddered from the look of adoration he still held for her.

  She closed her eyes, unable to take it. Seeing his face, his hope, stabbed her heart. She couldn’t go forward with trying to forget the anger and pain Gavin caused by using him. She couldn’t betray the love for Jacob still simmering below the surface. She pushed his chest away.

  “Open your eyes,” he said softly. “It’s just me.”

  “I…I can’t.” A tear slipped down her cheek. Her mind ripped in two. She’d never wrestled so much with a choice until she decided to fall for two men. And all because she wanted to be loved.

  “Shhh. It’s okay.” He swiped the wetness spilling down her cheek. “Shane, let me love you. Let me in.”

  She opened her eyes and creased her brow. “But, Jacob…”

  He kissed her again. She saw it coming but didn’t stop him. She needed love. The desire to feel more than an empty soul overcame any reason.

  His fingertips stroked down her neck, breasts, and side. Her body rose as she responded naturally to his touch. Each pass of his tongue caused her sex to ache for him to satisfy her desire and seal the gaping hole in her heart.

  “I want you to love me tonight,” she whispered.

  She threw her leg over his hip, opening herself fully. His control was absolute as he slid the wide crown of his cock teasingly over her entrance.

  “I will give you whatever you need,” he said.

  She opened her eyes and saw a vast ocean of possibilities through clear eyes. He never hid from her. Her heart compressed like a metal vise. How could she do this to him? This was more than a quick and dirty fuck. He knew something lurked beneath her request, but he gave her what she needed, even if it might hurt him. He still loved her.

  She traced the outline of his slanted brow, moving the hair clinging to his temple. She was the center of his world, and even though he’d wronged her in the past, he wanted to prove he deserved a second chance.

  When she opened her mouth to speak, he pushed his cock in. Every thick, hard inch stretched her vagina, forcing her to relax to accommodate his size, their connection complete. Last time was all fun and games. This was love. He slid in and out. The divine friction of their connection was like an electrical storm around them.

  He rolled on his back, allowing her to take the lead. She sat up, regarding the man who’d originally stolen her heart. She rolled her hips forward then back, and her body shook.

  “Shane…fuck…amazing,” he murmured.

  He gripped her hips, guiding her ascent to orgasm. She circled in a figure eight, and he threw his head back onto the pillow. The veins strained along his neck in obvious ecstasy. There it was. She could still cause him to lose his mind, their sexual synergy unmatched by any other.

  “I love it when you ride me, beautiful.” His throaty voice spurred her on.

  He caressed her breasts firmly as she leaned back with her hands on his thighs. His hips met her forward thrusts, hitting her spot over and over. Their rhythm.

  “Ah, Jacob. Your cock…” she cried, gyrating harder. Her muscles rippled greedily around him. “Oh…right there…”

  “Yes, baby...fuck…you’re so wet. So good,” he said in choppy breaths. Sweat glistened on the cut of his abs and chest. Spicy and sultry scents permeated the air.

  She rode him, feeling him swell in her core. She tensed all over from the orgasms they tried holding back. His thumb circled her clit and her hips bucked forward, his breathing heavy, and sweat shimmered on his forehead. He was ready.

  “Let go with me, Jake,” she whispered.

  And he did, both leaping off the edge in a storm of passion. Rapid expletives fell from his lips as his body tensed. Hot spurts of semen filled her, muscles pulsing relentlessly as wave after wave of ecstasy tightened her body to extreme pleasure. When her body weakened, she fell on top of him, tremors overtaking their muscles in unison. His hands soothed down her back aimlessly. She could feel his heart rate slow against her cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed.

  “My Lovely.” He kissed the crown of her head. The warm embrace stopped time. She didn’t want anything to break the bubble. She slid off his chest and nuzzled into the crook of his arm, running her fingers lightly through the soft smattering of hair on his chest.

  “Do you remember Austin?” he asked.

  “Of course.” She propped her head on her hand, meeting the relaxed mossy gaze of her past love. “Which part?”

  “The night we met.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes. I was a complete mess over you.”

  “Over me?” His sexy arrogance slipped through the sound of laughter.

  “Yeah, you were all hot in your ridiculous Ramones t-shirt, acting too cool with your boys. I thought there is no way you would want someone like me. But there you were. Standing in front of me. I couldn’t even speak.”

  The memory washed over her. His chin length hair and a soul patch on his face. He had been dressed in cargo shorts and said shirt, which she later claimed as her own.

  He tucked a hair behind her ear. “I happened to love that shirt.”

  She pushed his shoulder. “You would get that from what I said.”

  “Do you remember our first date?”

  She narrowed her eyes. A trek down memory lane could only
lead to problems. “Let’s see…” She tapped her chin. “I remember Billy.”

  He flipped her on her back so fast the room spun. “My friend who tried to steal you from me?” His lips twitched, and a gleam of amusement flickered behind his eyes. Billy didn’t stand a chance; she’d only had eyes for him.

  “Oh, yeah. He had the tall, dark, and handsome thing going for him.”

  Tickling her, she laughed. “Stop!”

  “Only if you take it back.” He dug his fingers into her ribs, her laughter taking the air from her lungs.

  “Fine! Fine…I take it back!” she squealed.

  “You better.” He kissed her neck, a smile lingering there. His warm lips sucked delicately as her hands came around his neck. The rush of joy from laugher relaxed her. He felt like home. A shiver ran through her as his mouth landed on a nipple.

  “I’ve missed this, Shane.” He moved to nibble her collarbone, and she sank into the mattress. His face met hers, and he placed a lingering kiss on her lips. “I missed you.” Lacing their fingers, he stared into her soul. Something he could always do. “You made me so happy.”

  “Why did you leave?” she asked. “The truth this time.”

  He frowned, moving to lie beside her. “At the time, I thought you needed space to heal...”

  “I’m sorry. I was lost in grief. It was my fault.”

  “No, baby. It wasn’t. I couldn’t see past my own career and ego to help you.” He cupped her hand and kissed each finger. “Seeing you in pain for months was too much for me. Anything I tried didn’t work. We stopped having sex. You shut me out. I couldn’t even touch you without you cringing. And I thought…” He exhaled, swallowing.

  “What did you think?” Her anxiety ticked up.

  “I thought you’d fallen out of love with me.”

  Her mouth dropped open, and a tear tracked from her eye to the pillow. The pain covered his features from the burden he’d carried around for years. Her heart broke, and she covered her face. She had recoiled at his touch. Not because she loved him any less, but because the depression had overcome any other emotion.

  “Don’t hide.”

  “Why are you here now? Why did you agree to come?”

  His fingers traced a path from her cheek to her mouth.

  “Before we officially met in Austin, I’d watched you for weeks.”

  “Where?” She’d assumed their meeting was by chance.

  “Different concerts where you did the promotional gig for a while.” He smiled, causing her skin to warm as he twirled her hair in his fingers. “But the night we officially met, I had to know who you were. I was the mess.” He lay on his back and stared at the ceiling.

  “You?” Someone as cool and collected as Jacob Andrews? She found it hard to believe he even knew the meaning of the word nervous.

  “Yes.” His chest rose and fell. “And I still am. I can’t help it. I’m here to prove to you I will be there no matter what.”

  “But…”

  He faced her. “Shhh. I get it. This is troubled water. I need to earn your trust again.” The words came in a rush, slight desperation backed by determination. “But you need to know, I think I still love you.”

  “Oh, Jacob. There are things you don’t know.” He abruptly stopped his casual touches and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

  “What?”

  “Nothing I can discuss with you.”

  “Be honest with me.” He tensed.

  “There’s more outside of this arrangement.” Her eyebrows creased as she bit her bottom lip.

  The room suddenly went from hot to freezing. “Is there someone else, Shane? As in someone else?”

  The question sent dread through her bones. A special moment broken by her selfishness.

  She stared blankly, hoping the silence would hold enough truth.

  “Okay, there is someone else.” Rolling on his back, he slung his arm over his face. “I should’ve known.” He groaned in agony.

  “I’m sorry. I never meant for this to happen.” She reached to touch his forearm.

  He jerked away. “It’s okay, believe me. I fucking get it. We’re not in a relationship, and you can do whatever you want.”

  He whipped the comforter aside, anger contracting the muscles in his back as he dressed his sculpted body in the dim light.

  “It’s not like that,” she whispered.

  He glared as he tugged his pants around his hips. “How is it then?” he asked, raising his voice. “You get upset over whatever happened with him and find me to bury your fantasies in? What the fuck, Shane? I admitted… Fuck it. Never mind.”

  She drew her knees to her chest, not knowing what to say. That was exactly what it was like.

  “I…I thought you knew,” she said between shaking breaths. “What you said…” Her clogged throat made words difficult to labor through.

  He flexed his hands at his sides. “Knowing and wondering are too very different things.” He sat on the edge of the bed and bent forward, elbows meeting knees, his fingers running through his hair. “You threw me off when you called me Jake. Fuck.” He breathed out.

  He put on his shoes. He was leaving. Again. And this time it was her fault.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He snatched his jacket from the chair. Tears streamed down her face as she willed him to yell. She would rather see him release his frustration than hold the look of disappointment on his face.

  “When you figure this all out, Shane, let me know.”

  “Jacob, I’m sorry I hurt you.”

  He turned to her. “Now I know how it feels.”

  17

  Isolation and emptiness darkened Shane’s soul, curling her shoulders over her chest, a headache pounding her brain. Her shaking hand rang the doorbell at David’s home the next morning. She only had enough strength to toss her hair in a messy bun and put on yoga pants, a large sweater, and boots. The overcast morning was still too bright for her puffy eyes as she moved the sunglasses from her head to shield them. Her blood ran cold as she tightened her coat around her even though it was unseasonably warm for December. Tears blurred her vision at Gavin’s betrayal and how it had driven her to hurt Jacob.

  Jacob didn’t deserve her selfishness. Even though she’d dreamed of causing him pain in the past, she no longer held those feelings. One thing she was sure of: He would never have been so crass and insensitive. She’d become someone she didn’t know, and she was no better than Gavin at the moment.

  A little dog yipped at the door. A few minutes later, the door swung open, and David stood in designer sweats with his hair tousled. All handsome in his black-rimmed glasses and tight gray t-shirt.

  “Doll!” He grabbed her. “Are you okay?”

  The dog barked, jumping and scratching at her legs. He picked up the Chihuahua. “Dickens, hush.” He patted his head as the dog licked his owner’s face.

  She leaned over to pet him. “Pretty fucking far from okay.”

  “From Carrie to Pulp Fiction, huh? Aw, shit, doll. Get in here.”

  She walked into his house. Contemporary lines designed with a homey feel put her immediately at ease. Sean was the handyman of the couple, and the finer details he had created aligned with David’s vision. She removed her coat, tossed the phone on the coffee table, and threw herself on the fluffy beige couch as he disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later, he returned, holding two steaming cups of coffee with Dickens on his heels.

  He handed her one and allowed the dog to snuggle into his seated lap. “Lay it on me, Marsellus Wallace.”

  Perhaps her soul was gone, kidnapped and held in a briefcase somewhere in the world. Removing her sunglasses, she tucked her knees to her chest. “I saw Jacob last night.”

  He sipped the hot java, and his lips thinned. “I figured as much.”

  “I hurt him.” She rested her forehead in her palm. Tears threatened even though she was sure she didn’t have any left. She’d cried herself to sleep and even through the morning. Her chest t
ightened as the evening flashed before her. The hope on Jacob’s face—before she stomped whatever optimism he had of them being together—had evaporated like a candle extinguished in a breeze.

  David’s eyebrows lifted over his black frames. “Is that even possible? Something happen at the bar? What did he do?” He was ready to call in the troops.

  “Jacob didn’t do anything. In fact, he was perfect. He was the innocent in all this,” she said, exhaling. She set the coffee down on the table. “It’s Gavin. He lied to me.”

  “Here we go. What did Mr. Compelling do this time?”

  She played with an imaginary piece of lint on the couch cushion. “He, um… He’s the mystery Dom from The Resort.”

  He choked on his coffee. “What!? No. Fucking. Way. Are you sure?”

  “Pretty sure. This woman, in the bathroom, was talking about a club owner who called her “his little whore” and—”

  “Wait, wait. How in the world did you put two and two together?” She gave him a half smile. “Oh, my. You dirty girl.”

  “Stop trying to make me laugh.” She blushed. “This is serious.” She shrugged in disappointment. “But I guess he uses the term of endearment loosely.” A tinge of jealousy flooded her veins.

  “But she could’ve been talking about any guy in the bar.”

  “Right, but I asked her if she was talking about Gavin Mayne.”

  He covered his mouth to hold in a laugh. “You do realize you admitted you slept with him?”

  “Not at the time I didn’t! Not until she eyed me up and confirmed she was talking about him. I didn’t know what to do. I saw red and got out of there. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” She slapped her hands against her thighs.

  “Okay, okay,” he said calmly as the dog barked from the shift of emotion in the room. “So where does Jacob play into all this?”

  “He knows there’s another guy.” Hearing herself say the words out loud made her sick. How could she have been so stupid?