“That kind of conjecture only leads to frustration. We have to play the cards we’re holding, not speculate on what’s already come and gone. Right now, I can tell you, I’ll stand by you. I’ll go with you to confront your parents, to tell them what’s happened–because, Stacey, honey, you’re going to have to tell them. You should tell them all of it. They need to share some of the pain their demands caused.”
Leaning into him, she relaxed. “I know.” She sighed. “Logically, I know this, have always known it, but it doesn’t change the trepidation I feel.”
Mason stroked a strand of hair from her face, making Stacey smile. He was tidying her without any regard to the fact his hair, which he normally kept so neatly confined at the nape of his neck, now hung in tangles around his shoulders.
“You make me feel so special,” she whispered, holding his dark gaze.
“You are special. I want you to know that. Come back with me to my place here in town tonight. If you want to go back to the bay tomorrow, we can do that, but tonight, I need to hold you, Stacey, need to feel you against me and know you’re safe.”
She took a deep breath. “As long as we both know where we’re at. I can’t…”
He cupped her cheek. “I know. All we can do is take it one day at a time.”
The knot of tension still coiled deep in her stomach eased, and she nodded.
* * * *
Mason was nervous as he settled her in his car. Stupid. He’d already had her in his home at the beach, so why should he be nervous bringing her to his brownstone? He knew the answer. The beach house had only glimpses of him in it, but this was his home. He’d decorated it. He’d picked the artwork. The home was the truest reflection of him. One glimpse of her townhouse, and her decorating hand had been obvious. It pissed him off to think a house she’d so lovingly furnished now held such horrendous memories–like her sailboat did. Jason Winchester had a hell of a lot to answer for.
As he slipped behind the wheel, Mason glanced her way. Judging by her expression, some of her thoughts must be following the same lines. She looked sad, wistful.
“I tried to make it a home, Mason, but it never really was–not when Jace could betray me the way he did.”
Her words were little more than a whisper, but he was relieved to hear she no longer sounded as broken as she first had. He touched her arm to get her attention, waiting to speak until she met his gaze in the darkness.
“I am so damn proud of you and the way you stood up to him.”
“Thanks. It’s taken me some time to get there, but I think I finally understand how wrong it was to try to live my life solely in an effort to please other people. I mean, I don’t want to be selfish, but I’ve always tried to please my parents, and it’s led to nothing but heartache.” She sighed. “I want to put this behind us. Is it even possible?”
“I’m not sure, but I do know I’d like for us to move forward together.” He started the car and put it into gear, pulling out into the lighter nighttime traffic. “Is that possible?”
As she hesitated, the throbbing in his cheek grew more insistent.
“Mason, I can’t imagine any place I’d rather be. I made such a mistake…”
“Shh… It’s behind us, Stacey.” Relief poured through him. “Come home with me. Let me show you how it can be. We had the sex right off the bat. Now let’s see if we can have a relationship.”
Stacey huffed out a heavy breath. “Maybe down the road, I’ll be able to view Jace as just an unpleasant intermission in what should have been all along.”
Mason took his hand off the shift and rubbed her shoulder. “It will be. Eventually we’ll replace it with new memories.”
“Then let’s start now.”
He pulled into the garage, accessible from the alley behind, and led her up the stairs into his spacious kitchen. With a flick of his wrist, he activated the overhead recessed lighting, then adjusted the dimmer.
“Let me how you your room.” He started to move past her, but she laid her slender fingers on his arm. Mason stopped and raised his brows.
“Put me in your room, Mason.” She was so nervous she vibrated.
He shook his head. “I won’t push. I won’t have you in my bed scared.”
She squeezed his arm. “Not scared. Protected. I know I’m asking a lot, but until this is settled, I just… I would feel better if I knew you were right there. Is it too much?”
Yes. “No. I’ll keep you safe.” He covered her fingers with his, noting the contrast between her creamy skin and his darker complexion. An angel and a demon. “I’ve done a lot of things in my life, Stacey, that weren’t always my proudest moments, but I’ve never…” He had to stop and take a deep breath. “I’ve never mistreated a woman, and I’ll never mistreat you. I know those are just words right now, but time will show you.”
He broke her gaze and glanced around the kitchen. “Would you like something to eat?”
She shook her head. “What I’d like is a hot bath and a bed.”
He smiled, relaxing once more. “I can do that.”
She feathered her fingertips over his swollen cheek. “First, let me clean your face. God, Mason. Will the pain Jace has caused never end?”
“It will. Sooner now.” He grabbed her hand. “Come on. I’ll get the first aid kit.”
He set it on the wide wooden table, hooked a couple of the chairs and sat. “Do me.”
Stacey gaped at him, then to his relief she laughed. He grinned at her. “Oh, Mason. I needed that. I need a washcloth.”
“There are clean dishcloths in the drawer to the left of the sink.”
He watched her as she found the cloth and started the water running. When the temperature suited her, she held the rag beneath it, wrung it out and turned off the faucet. She sat across from him and leaned forward, putting the fingers of one hand beneath his chin. She was gentle, but he still couldn’t help the wince as she dabbed at the blood on his cheek.
“I’m sorry. The cut’s not bad, but you’re going to have a bruise.”
“It was worth it.” He held her gaze for an instant. “Get it bandaged, then I’ll put some ice on it.”
* * * *
Stacey was as gentle as she could be, but the blood had dried. She held the cloth in place and let the moisture soften it so she could wipe it clean. After daubing on antibiotic ointment, she covered it with a bandage and began cleaning. Mason rubbed his forehead.
“Head hurting?”
“A bit. I’m sure it’s the stress as well as the punch.”
“I’ll get you some ice.” She collected the first aid kit, dumped the trash in the compactor and stowed the kit in the pantry closet. “Do you have a cold pack or do I need to bag some ice?”
“There’s a pack in the freezer.”
She handed it to him, then paced restlessly around the kitchen. “I have this nervous energy. I-I don’t know what to do with it.”
“You could soak in the tub in the master bath. I’ll bring you some wine.”
She held his dark gaze, knowing she would be giving him permission to come in while she was vulnerable. “Okay. I’d like that.”
She ran the bath, even found bubble bath to add to the water, then stripped off her clothes and slid into the fragrant bubbles. She smiled at the idea of Mason sitting amidst the suds. He knocked briefly on the door as though he’d somehow known how long it would before she settled neck deep in the water.
“Come in.”
He had his hair pulled back and had changed into a t-shirt and some cotton sleep pants, his feet bare. In one hand he carried a glass of wine, in the other a dress shirt and some silky boxers. “I thought this would do you until we can get back to your place to get the rest of your belongings.”
Stacey took the glass of chilled white wine. She hadn’t given much thought to having to return to the home she’d shared with Jace. The idea of going in there again made her stomach twist in knots.
“I’ll go with you, Stacey,” Mason ass
ured her. “You won’t be alone.”
“I can do it,” she tried to assure him, but he cut her off.
“I don’t trust him, honey. Until I’m sure he’s going to leave you alone, I don’t want you to go anywhere without either me or someone else with you.”
She stared at him. “He’s screwed up, Mason, but I don’t think he’ll try anything.”
Mason set the clothing down and perched on the edge of the tub. “It’s not just him. It’s your parents. Until we have everything cleared, until they understand the truth and accept it, I don’t trust them not to try something like an involuntary commitment either.”
She rested her head against the back of the tub and sighed. “It’s so complicated, and I just want it to be over with.”
“It will be.” He stood. “I’m going to call my assistant and let her know what’s going on. As much as I’d like to keep this completely private, I want everyone at the gallery to understand they are to give out no information about either one of us. When you’re through in here, come to bed. I want to hold you in my arms.”
The door shut softly behind him, leaving Stacey alone in the subdued lighting of the large master bath. She sipped her wine and set it on the tile ledge next to the tub. She let her mind go back to her first time with Mason. He’d been rough and fast, trying to prove a point, but never had he done anything against her will. She had known even then his sole focus was in giving her pleasure.
And after the first time, they had never seemed to be able to get enough of each other. Stacey grabbed the washcloth, dunked it in the water then slowly drew it along her arm. It brought back a memory she’d pushed to the back of her mind after she’d broken things off with him. Late one afternoon, she was scheduled to meet a client at a house they were looking at for possible purchase. The current owners were out of the country, posted to an embassy in Central America, but they had left everything on–power, electricity–and all their furniture. Once the job appeared to be long term, they’d put the house on the market.
Stacey had arrived, but her clients were nowhere in sight. That was when Mason had walked around the block, grinning at her like a kid caught in a prank…
“What are you doing here?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Mason! I have clients who’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“No they won’t. I told them you had to reschedule.”
She arched a brow. “A bit high-handed, don’t you think?”
He grabbed her hand. “Come with me. Once you see what I have in store for you, I don’t think you’ll mind.”
He led her inside, up the stairs and down the long hall to the master suite at the back of the house. Soft music played through the built-in speakers. When he shut the bedroom door, he led her to a small table near the window. Champagne and chocolate fondue greeted her. Stacey laughed.
“You’re incorrigible.”
He stepped behind her. “It will taste much better if we’re naked.”
She spun to look at him. “You’re crazy!”
“Mmm. Maybe, but I’d like to lick the champagne from your breasts and the chocolate from…” He leaned in to whisper in her ear and Stacey’s cheeks went instantly hot. Before she could say anything else, he began to strip her suit and blouse from her, then kneeled in front of her to tug her stockings down her legs, his lips touching the inside of each thigh. Stacey braced herself on his shoulders. He tilted his head to look at her. “Take your bra off, honey.”
She had done it, cupping her breasts in her hands for an instant before letting the lacy undergarment fall. Mason hissed, put out his hands and ripped the panties off her. The sound of the tearing fabric followed by the flick of his tongue between her legs nearly had her falling to the floor.
“I want to see you,” she’d gasped. “I want you naked.”
“Whatever you wish.” He had stripped for her. When he’d at last dropped his silky shorts to bare his hard ass, Stacey couldn’t stand it any longer. She’d stepped forward, pressing along his backside while her arms wrapped around his front, teasing his chest, then sliding lower over his stomach to his rock hard erection. Her fingers had circled him, stroked. Mason had exhaled on a long groan. “That’s it. Sweet, sweet Stacey.”
He’d fed her fruit, dribbled chocolate and champagne on her, on him, and they’d laughed as they licked it off, and then he’d carried her into the bathroom, and while the tub filled, he’d slowly thrust into her where they’d landed on the thick bathroom rug…
Stacey shook her head, realized the water was cooling, and rose from Mason’s tub. She had no idea how long she’d sat there daydreaming. That had been a beautiful afternoon, but she’d had to hurry away so she could get to a dinner with her parents, a dinner where Jace had been invited without her knowledge.
She dried off hurriedly and donned the clothing Mason had brought her. When she entered the bedroom, he’d brought in a tray of food and set it in the middle of the king-sized bed. He glanced at her entrance.
“I thought we could relax in here. There’s TV…”
She shook her head. “Could we talk?”
Mason smiled. “Let’s think of it like a first date. I can find out the important stuff, like your favorite color and what kind of dog you’d like to have.”
“Blue.” Stacey laughed. “And how did you know I’d like a dog?”
Mason took her hand and led her over to one side of the bed. After she sat, he handed her a glass. “Just iced tea,” he assured her. “As to the dog, it’s something I’ve always wanted so I hope you do too.”
She eased back against the thick stack of pillows at the head of the huge bed. Tears stung her eyes. When one slipped from the corner of her eye, he brushed it away.
“Why are you crying?”
She shook her head. “It’s stupid, but I guess until now, none of this seemed real to me. But somehow, the idea of getting a dog…”
He sat next to her. “We don’t have to have one.”
“No…I mean yes. I want one. Something that could come sailing with us…on your boat.” She scooted over. “Sit with me. I think I’d like to feel your arms around me.”
He eased onto the bed next to her, shifting the tray so they wouldn’t spill it. “You sure?”
She nodded. “While I was soaking, I was remembering the day you surprised me at the house that was on the market.”
Mason chuckled. “I remember that afternoon. Did it bother you to remember?”
Stacey sucked in a deep breath. “No. It makes me feel safer…saner.” She set her tea glass on the nightstand and forced herself to meet his gaze. “I need to know, Mason. Does what happened make a difference to you?”
“Jesus, Stacey. No. If I thought for one moment you would even give me the opportunity to show you how little it does matter…”
“I’m giving you the opportunity.”
Chapter 12
Everything inside Mason went utterly still. She wanted to make love? He took her hand, massaging the back with his thumb. This was something he’d wanted, more than anything, but he needed to know where her head was. He wouldn’t be vengeance sex. He wanted her too much, loved her too much.
She was so serious, but she’d always been that. It had taken him some time to get her to loosen up with him and cast off the strictures drilled into her since childhood. Then when she’d broken it off, he’d seen, from a distance, how her social veneer fell back into place, even thicker and harder than before.
“Mason?” she prompted. “Say something here. You’re making me nervous.”
“I’m making me nervous,” he admitted. “I don’t want to scare you. I don’t think I could stand that.”
She smiled and leaned toward him. “Then start with a kiss.”
Was it really so simple?
He framed her face with his hands and closed the distance between them. As gently as he could, he brushed his mouth on hers, nibbled at her lips and leaned back a bit to gauge her reaction. Her
eyes were closed, her face relaxed. Oh yes. So far so good.
“I won’t break.” She opened her golden eyes and gave him a smile that was just a slight curving of her soft lips.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “Then I’ll be happy to accelerate this a bit.”
Mason moved the tray, setting it on the floor next to the bed. He stripped off his t-shirt, but left the sleep pants in place for the time being. He was already hard. While his body might be clamoring for him to rush this as fast as possible, he didn’t want to go there at the moment. He wanted to give her time, woo her, as he’d never really done before. When he sat again, he pulled her into his arms.
“Lie down with me. I want to get closer,” he murmured.
Her golden gaze locked with his. “I love you, Mason. I can’t promise everything will go smoothly, but I want this. I want you.”
“I love you. I won’t scare you. So if you get to that point, you tell me. Is it a deal?”
“Yes.”
Maybe it should have felt mechanical, but admitting what they were thinking made it feel like they’d put everything out there. For the first time, they were being completely honest about where they were and what was going on.
Mason ran his hands over the silky material of the shirt he’d loaned her, then gently back until he cupped her breasts with only the thin fabric separating his flesh from hers. Her nipples had hardened and he smiled.
“That’s it,” he whispered. “Just like that.” Leaning in, he kissed her again, pleased to note she met him halfway, her mouth opening so their tongues could touch. Mason moaned. Man he’d missed this, missed her. Slow, slow, slow. But he wasn’t listening. He pulled her hips into him, feeling her stiffen for an instant as her belly came in contact with his erection. There was scarcely anything he could do to hide his body’s reaction. He was having a difficult enough time harnessing his need so he wouldn’t rush or scare her.
She tangled her hands in his hair, obviously being careful to avoid the bruise on his cheek. Mason licked along the edge of her ear to her collarbone. When she arched toward him, he groaned.
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