by Zoe Chant
Even though the sun had set hours ago, Mason had had so much paperwork to get done as a result of the arrest that he’d been stuck at his desk until Heath had shown up about half an hour ago. Stretching, he felt like he was about ready to head home – anything else that needed doing could wait until tomorrow. Jessup wasn’t going anywhere, after all.
He laughed and joked with Heath during their drive back to Lincoln’s ranch. Heath would have to return to the base in the morning, and Mason was determined to make the most of their time together. Pulling up outside the ranch house, the smell of cooking food wafted out to him, and his stomach growled. Between one thing and another, he hadn’t even realized how hungry he was. His lion raised its head, sniffing the air, and it liked what it smelled.
Grinning, Mason swung his legs out of the car, before walking with Heath to the front door of the house. This place had been his home since his parents’ death, no matter how much time he’d spent roaming around. He’d always come back here, back to his pride. And now, his mate was here too. Mason could sense Charity’s presence in the house, along with the other comforting presences of his uncle and cousins.
She was here. And she was his.
Opening the door, the full scent of whatever was cooking finally hit him. His mouth started to water – man, it had been hours since he’d eaten. His stomach gurgled again. Next to him, Heath had his head in the air, as if he was smelling his way to Heaven.
“Is this your mate’s doing?” he asked as they walked toward the living and kitchen area. “How the hell did you get so lucky, Mason?”
Mason only laughed. “I have no idea, Heath. None at all.”
Dinner was already spread out on the table when they came in. Mason could scarcely believe his eyes: it was a feast. Barbecued ribs and chicken, grilled corn dripping with butter, green beans, home fries, corn bread, and pots of chili covered the table. As Mason stood staring in mild awe, Charity walked by him from the kitchen, carrying a crockpot.
“You better move out of the way,” she said breezily as she leaned past him to put the pot down on the table. “This is heavy.”
“My God, Charity,” Mason said, waiting until she’d unloaded the pot and straightened up before putting his arm around her shoulders. “Did you do all this yourself?”
“Not a chance,” Charity said, laughing. “But it turns out Casey’s a pretty decent sous chef. He can chop a mean vegetable.”
Mason turned to look into the kitchen area, where Casey, looking a little sheepish and wearing an old kitchen apron, was standing.
“I thought it was the least I could do,” he said, voice quiet. “You know, after –”
“Don’t remind me about that now.” Lincoln’s voice rumbled from the hallway as he emerged. “Just let me eat my meal in peace, and we’ll talk about it later. But don’t you for one second think you’re off the hook. I just haven't figured out what best to do with you yet.”
Casey ducked his head, remorse writ large over his features. Despite his contrition, Mason found it a little hard to feel too sorry for him, and he was only too happy to see the end of Casey’s days as the spoiled baby of the pride. It was high time he started growing up, and finding his own way in the world.
“Well, let’s eat,” Charity said, in the slightly awkward moment of silence that followed. “I figured we could all do with a celebration. A little victory feast.”
“This looks amazing,” Mason said as he looked down at the table. “I knew you could cook, but this… I didn’t even know we had some of this stuff in the house.”
Charity grinned. “You don’t work in a diner as long as I have without learning how to make something out of nothing. You’d be surprised how far you can make things stretch sometimes, or what you can substitute in or out. In fact, you’re my first taste-testers for some of these recipes. If you like them, I’ll add them to the menu when we have our grand reopening.”
Mason returned her smile. Her enthusiasm was infectious. “Well, naturally,” he said. “Though I might get jealous of you making all this amazing food for everyone in the county!”
“Well, you’ll just have to deal with it,” Charity said, laughing. “Sit there and smolder in the corner and keep your jealous thoughts to yourself.”
Dipping his finger into one of the dips – which earned him a light tap on the back of the hand from Charity – Mason tested it, letting the flavor settle over his tongue. It was rich and creamy, with an onion tang. “Wow,” he said. “That’s delicious. That’s definitely going on the menu when you re-open.”
“It’s even better when you eat it with bread instead of sucking it off your finger,” Charity said.
“You're right there,” Mason agreed heartily, grabbing a hunk of bread and scooping up another mouthful of dip. “And besides which, I’m starving.”
It seemed like all of them were: the food disappeared quickly, into the hungry bellies of five big lion shifters.
Well, Mason thought as he scooped up the last of the chili into his mouth, Five hungry lion shifters, and one amazing woman.
It was true, he thought, as he watched Charity purse her lips slightly to blow on some hot posole. She was amazing. In every single way. She was beautiful, brave, smart and independent. She’d saved him. He owed her his life, most likely.
And, even more than all that, she was his mate.
Heath was right. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten so lucky.
Watching her now, Mason felt his lion stir in his chest. She was delightful. Mason had tuned out pretty much everyone else at the table, simply watching her as she laughed at some dumb joke of Heath’s, or turned, a thoughtful expression on her face, to listen to Joe’s quiet words.
She was perfect.
At last, when all the food was consumed and the last of the dinnertime conversation had lapsed into contented silence, Mason felt like he could finally do what he’d been thinking about all day. Namely, take his mate in his arms, and then take her to his room.
“Well, I don’t know about you guys,” Mason said as he stretched his arms up, “but I’ve had a long day. I’m turning in early.”
“But the dishes –” Casey started to complain, before he was cut off by a warning look from his father.
“That sounds like your problem,” Mason said, relatively good-naturedly. He still had a while to go before he’d fully forgive Casey for the part he’d played in all of this, but it still wasn’t known just how much trouble he’d be in for planting the drugs. Mason supposed he’d wait to see how much more suffering his cousin needed to be put through after that.
As the rest of his pride stood up to clear away the dozens of empty plates and dishes, Mason turned to look at Charity with a smile.
“You coming?” he asked her, softly.
Charity glanced up at him, smiling, before she took his hand, and followed him down the hall to his room.
Chapter Fifteen
Charity
Mason’s mouth on hers was soft when the door of his room finally closed behind them. She’d been thinking about this all day – the first time they would be together without the looming threat of Jessup and the Reapers at the back of her mind. She’d known Mason had a ton of work to finish at the station, but she hadn’t been able to stop herself from clock-watching, counting down the hours until she’d see him again.
But now, all the time they’d spent apart melted from her mind. Mason’s lips, warm and insistent despite their softness, pushed every thought from her mind.
Every thought, except how much she wanted him, and how much they belonged together.
“I missed you,” he whispered in her ear when they finally broke off. His arms were around her, lifting her up so she had to stand on tip-toes. “You have no idea how much I just wanted to blow those FBI guys off, and come back home to you.”
Charity laughed softly. “Believe me, I think I have some idea. It’s at least as much as I wanted to just drive down there, throw you over my shoulder, and drag you back t
o my place…”
Mason’s laugh was loud and long. “Often think about things like that, do you?”
“Only every other second,” Charity said.
“Sounds like fun.”
Charity barely had time to absorb Mason’s words before she found herself swept up off her feet, and carried bridal-style across the room to his bed.
His lips were on hers, hot and fast as soon as she felt his mattress beneath her back. His weight on her sent a delicious thrill down her spine, heat pooling in her belly. She could feel his growing erection against her thigh, and this only sent a new wave of desire over her. Charity arched her back a little, trying to feel him against her, rubbing herself up and down his length.
Mason groaned in response, his fingers laced through her hair as he kissed her. He had grown more urgent by the second, and Charity felt the same hot sense of insistent desire slicing through her.
She was already wet – she could feel herself sliding against her panties, a warm heat against her thighs. She wanted him so much – more than she had ever wanted anything before in her life.
“God, Mason,” she managed to gasp as his fingers went to the buttons of her shirt. He fumbled with them for a moment, before finally deciding they were simply too much trouble, and tearing it open with his bare hands.
His mouth was on her breasts a moment later, mouthing her nipples through the material of her bra, before unclasping it and pushing it away. Charity gasped, arching up, her fingers tightening on the muscle of his shoulder. He teased her with his teeth, darting his tongue over a peaking nipple while his calloused thumb swiped over the other, making her writhe on the bed beneath him.
“I want you so much,” she managed to get out as she arched up again, trying to find some way of pressing her soaked pussy against him. She needed him to touch her – she needed to feel him inside her…
But Mason’s only response was a laugh. “Don’t worry. You’ll get what you want.”
Charity could only groan, throwing her head back on the bed as Mason slowly kissed his way down from her breasts, over her rounded belly, to the waistband of her pants. It was exquisite torture – clearly, Mason was going to make her wait for it. His fingers fluttered, feather-light, over the sensitive skin of her stomach, circling over her hipbones and around her bellybutton.
“You’re going to drive me crazy,” she said, looking down at him, and she honestly believed it was true. Every caress, every touch, was driving her closer and closer to the edge of her sanity.
When he finally unbuttoned her jeans and slowly pulled them down over her thighs, she thought she would scream. Her soaked panties followed quickly after, sliding down her thighs, over her calves and over the tips of her toes. Charity could only moan as she felt Mason’s fingers brush against the wet lips of her pussy, circling slowly.
“You’re so wet,” he murmured, as if he were marveling at the fact – but Charity honestly didn’t know what he expected. He’d always done this to her effortlessly, right from the first time they’d been together – and, she hoped, for every time after this.
She didn’t think there’d be any problem with that, however, bucking up off the bed as Mason slipped two fingers inside of her.
“Mason,” she whispered. “Oh God…”
He didn’t let up, his fingers stroking inside her, finding the right spot over and over again. Charity felt dizzy at the sensations that washed over her body, as if the world was spinning away from her.
When Mason leaned forward and slid his tongue over her clit, Charity writhed up, every muscle taut, a desperate groan leaving her lips. She wanted to squirm on the bed, but Mason’s strong hand on her hip held her still, leaving her completely at the mercy of his fingers and tongue.
And clearly, he wasn’t in an especially merciful mood tonight.
Charity felt her body spinning beyond her control, hurtling toward orgasm. Raising her head slightly from the bed, she looked down at where Mason’s head was buried between her legs, eyes hooded with lust as he looked back up at her.
It was the sight of him there, tasting her and enjoying every last drop of it that finally made Charity come, her back arching, toes curling, Mason’s tongue on her clit and his fingers buried inside her.
When she came back to herself, breathless and dazed from the force of her orgasm, Charity found Mason lying on the bed next to her, his eyes resting on her face, his fingers playing with a strand of her hair.
“Holy… holy fuck…” Charity finally managed to stutter. “That was… I mean…”
Mason growled low in his throat, before leaning forward to kiss her, hard and hungry.
“You’re amazing,” he muttered when he pulled away. “Do you have any idea how sexy you look right now?”
Charity couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across her face. “Speak for yourself,” she said, and it was true. She supposed she’d always been partial to a man in a uniform – and now, looking at Mason, his sheriff’s uniform rumpled, her slickness on his chin and lips, she never thought she’d seen anything hotter. “But having said that, you’re wearing way too many clothes.”
Mason grinned, before pushing himself up off the bed and quickly taking off his shirt. When he pushed his pants down from his hips, his cock sprang free, hard and massive, jutting out from between his thighs. Charity groaned at the sight of it – not that she had long to look, because as soon as his clothes were off, Mason was back on the bed with her, his hips between her thighs, the heavy head of his cock brushing her entrance.
Charity wrapped her legs around him, trying to draw him closer – and then he was inside of her, slipping into her easily, stretching her open. Charity cried out, her fingers clutching at his back, her legs clamped around his hips. She felt so good – so full and complete. For a moment, Mason seemed happy just to rest within her, letting her feel him there without making any move. Her pussy throbbed around him, and Charity, unable to wait any longer, squeezed her inner walls, trying to drive him to some kind of movement.
Mason groaned, loud and long. “You feel so good,” he said, voice strained. “God, I want to stay here forever…”
When he made his first thrust, Charity’s head fell back, a moan escaping her lips. Digging her fingernails into his back, she spurred him on, rocking her hips in time with his thrusts.
“Mason,” she whispered again, and as she felt her orgasm building inside her, she wondered if she’d ever be able to say anything else in her life again.
Every thrust brought her closer and closer to the edge, his hips pumping, biceps bunched, his fingers finding purchase on the blanket to pull himself into her again and again and again.
Her orgasm was a white-hot burst of ecstasy when it finally overtook her, blooming along her veins, blocking out everything but pleasure – everything but the two of them, here, joined as one.
Charity shook as she came a second time, feeling pleasure unwinding into every corner of her body. Tiny aftershocks coursed through her as Mason slowed his movements, the sweat from his chest and neck making his skin shine in the light of the room.
His skin looked golden, and Charity couldn’t resist running her hands over it as he groaned, rolling slowly away from her, languid in the aftermath of his own climax.
They lay together, breathing heavily. Charity snuggled herself against Mason’s chest, feeling his arm encircle her shoulders. They didn’t have to say anything – they each knew what the other was thinking. Charity shivered as Mason’s lips pressed against her forehead, lingering there for a long moment.
“I love you,” he finally whispered, and Charity squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of his voice. She’d already known it – she’d known it from their first date, out under the stars. They were partners. Lovers. Mates.
“I love you too,” she said, wriggling up on the bed to press her lips to his.
In the end, it was all that needed to be said before they drifted into sleep, the first night of the rest of their lives.
&nb
sp; A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please click here to be added to my mailing list.
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The cover of Lawman Lion was designed by Isabelle Arden.
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