Queen In Play (The Manhattan Tales Book 2)

by Thorne, Willa

  My love simply stood there by the door with a half-empty iced coffee in one hand, gawking. Then a slow smile crept up her face and she was beaming.

  “Oh my God, I want to play. I can kick both your asses with this!” Allie immediately jumped into the scene, oblivious about the animosity that existed between Travis and me for the last five years. Travis handed his little cousin the guitar and then he received a work-related call and had to step outside to answer.

  Jillian wrapped an arm around me and stood on her toes to kiss my lips. Her eyes were sparkling. “I’m so happy,” she whispered into my ear.

  I leaned over and whispered, “How happy?” My tone was suggestive as I winked.

  She sucked on her lower lip and then smiled again. Her face radiated with light. “I’ll show you tonight.”

  “Mm. I hope so-”

  “Jilly will you help me put these things away?” Her mother interrupted our moment, gesturing to the groceries they’d brought home. My wicked thoughts would have to be put on hold. Instead, I pretended to be a gentleman and helped the ladies unload the groceries.

  ****

  The afternoon drifted into a perfect Summer evening. After dinner, Jillian’s uncle lit a fire pit and some of their new family friends stopped by to roast marshmallows, which they sandwiched between Graham crackers with chocolate. That sounds sickeningly sweet. Jillian had a very big sweet tooth and ate about three of those disgusting concoctions. Melted marshmallow on top of chocolate is much too sweet for my tastes, but it was fucking hot to watch her suck the melted chocolate off her fingers and lick those pouty lips. She was completely ignorant to how badly she was tormenting me in that moment.

  As she fed her cousin advice about girl problems, I looked around toward the small gathering. Jillian’s aunt and uncle were laughing and talking with her mum, and a few of their friends. Travis sat on the other side of the fire pit, strumming a classic guitar.

  Jillian licked the last of the chocolate from her fingers just before she glanced over to me from an adjacent bench across the fire. Her face glowed from the kindle, and there was a sparkle there that I hadn’t seen in a long time. There was such love in her eyes, and it sent me reeling. Sure, I sound like a pussy. I don’t give a fuck.

  “Mason, honey, I’m going into the house. Do you want anything to drink?” Mrs. Pryor interrupted my thoughts.

  “No, thank you, Mrs. Pryor.”

  I had been on-edge about visiting Ohio to see Jillian’s family. I’d spent so many years harboring anger and bitterness. The methods I’ve used to get what I want in life have not been the most wholesome. All of it was forgotten that evening. I’d forgotten how the Pryors and their family had treated me. With them, I was never the heir to a large-scale empire. I was never drilled with questions about business or life’s pressures. I was treated like one of their own, and they’d all but forgotten about the falling-out I’d had with Travis years ago. These people are my family. She is my family. That thought only prompted me…

  I took several deep breaths, trying to gain my composure before I stood. I crossed the small area surrounding the fire pit and sat on the bench beside Jill.

  Bloody hell. Why am I sitting? Beside me, she giggled as she listened to something Allie was saying. Then, Jill turned to me with light in her dark eyes.

  “Are you having a good time?” She asked this with concern.

  “Of course,” I grinned. I cleared my throat and stood.

  “May I have a word, Jill?”

  That sounded much too stiff and rigid as I offered my hand to her. Her eyes flared with worry.

  “Is everything okay?” She asked, taking my hand.

  “It’s fine.” I clasped her hand firmly and began walking away from the fire. I didn’t intend to drag her along, but I was nervous as fuck. With tunnel vision, I walked straight toward the shed.

  “Mason, slow down. I can’t walk that fast.” Jill was sprinting behind me, and I slowed. This was not the ideal, romantic start I’d planned. I knew in that instant that I was acting distant and strange and it was making her nervous. Fuck.

  “You’re scaring me. What’s wrong?” She asked and pulled her hand away from my grasp.

  My head was spinning. There was no doubt that I wanted to do this. She is my everything… but there was a small intrusive thought that plagued the back of my mind. What if she says no? And I’ve already screwed up the romantic walk.

  “Mason…?”

  The automatic lights of the garage were triggered as we neared the shed. I could see that her face was slightly panicked, staring up at me with wide, questioning eyes.

  I hoped my smile would ease her, and I took her hand in mine. I clasped it firmly, and cupped it with my other.

  My heart was thundering in my chest. Was this the right move? Here? Perhaps I should have taken her to an island or some romantic getaway. Fuck if I know how to do these things the right way...

  I felt like a Goddamned idiot. Get it together, Woodward. I can manage two large enterprises, but this woman has me nervous as bloody hell.

  After exhaling deeply to calm my nerves, I gently squeezed her hands and cupped them both within mine. A gentle Summer breeze blew a few stray tresses of her wild waves into her face.

  “You know I love you…” I began stiffly. Fuck, that didn’t come out right.

  She nodded, looking up at me with questioning eyes. “I love you, too, Mason.”

  I licked my lips, because my mouth was suddenly quite dry. “You and I have been… dating for only a few months, but you know me better than any other person in this world.”

  I dug into the pocket of my denim, but the small velvet box was lodged in there quite tightly.

  “One moment,” I held up a single finger, while she waited patiently. I had to dig the damn thing out of my pocket. Christ.

  “Are you trying to give me another overpriced keychain?” She joked. Her voice quivered slightly.

  I smiled stiffly, and finally pulled the box out.

  She suddenly sucked in a sharp breath, and cupped her hands over her mouth.

  I knelt to one knee. My heart was officially in my throat. I don’t recall having any of these anxieties when I proposed to Ella so many years ago… I shook those memories from my mind, and looked up at the woman I adored more than anything else in the world. I’d give my life for this woman. She brought light back into my life when I knew only darkness.

  “Jillian Katherine Pryor, will you marry me?” I blurted those words out. I had a whole speech planned, and while I normally prided myself on my excellent public speaking skills, it all left me. I’d already botched the romance out of it.

  Her hands were shaking as they remained cupped over her mouth, and I saw tears pool in her eyes.

  “Oh my G- Oh my… Are you serious?” She was at a loss for words.

  What the fuck? I was hoping for a different reaction.

  “Of course I’m serious. Why would I play around with my Grandmother’s ring?” Please don’t keep me on my fucking knee like this…

  She simply stood there, staring down at me, with a hand cupped over her mouth.

  The wait was killing me. “Christ, Jillian. Say something.” Just don’t say no…

  “Yes. Yes, please… yes!”

  A sense of euphoria and relief washed over me in that moment. I exhaled, realizing that I’d been holding most of my breath. I took her hand possessively and felt how it was still visibly trembling even as I slid the princess cut yellow diamond onto her small finger. I’d have to get it resized because her fingers were so tiny.

  “I’ll have it resized in the morning,” I whispered against her ear.

  “It’s beautiful,” She breathed; her voice was slightly choked. A single tear slipped down her cheek. “You gave me your grandmother’s ring?” Her mind was buzzing with shock. I knew she was still processing what had just happened.

  “I never thought I would give this to anyone else. It’s remained locked away for years, but I want y
ou to have a piece of … something very special from my childhood. My grandmother.”

  She watched as I wrapped my hands around hers. Her eyes were bright and filled with such love. Instinctively, a part of me wanted to shield away from it, but I caught myself.

  “You never spoke of her before. You loved her very much?” Her voice was no more than a soft whisper.

  “Yes. She died when I was eleven, too soon.” My hands remained cupped around hers.

  “I’d love to hear more about her.”

  “I will have all the time in the world to tell you,” I bent forward and kissed the nape her neck. “In the meantime, I’ll take the ring back before it falls off that tiny finger of yours.”

  I removed the ring from her finger and returned it to the velvet box for safe keeping. Without a word, I cupped her face in both hands and enveloped her lips with mine.

  I felt her damp cheek against mine. Her lips still tasted of chocolate and I had the sudden primal desire to take her. Own her. Ravage her.

  “Shed. Now.” My growl was low in her ear.

  “Mason…” She breathed softly, our lips still touching but not kissing.

  In the distance, her family could be heard laughing. Their voices were muffled conversation. The smoky scent of burning charcoal hung in the air, along with the lighter scent of beer. Her family could remain preoccupied for another half hour for all I care… Without warning, I gripped that peach of an ass and lifted her to my level. Fluidly, she wrapped those thighs around my waist.

  We were a tangled mess of intimate passion. My lips never left hers as I walked her towards the shed. A gentle breeze whipped her hair again, while my fingers dug into the globes of her ass, through the cotton fabric of her navy sundress.

  I walked her into the shed and pressed her body against the wood of the wall. My mouth tasted her ravenously while her fingers raked through my hair, digging into my scalp. This aggression only fueled my need for her.

  My cock was raging, swollen and constricted beneath my denim. My hips thrust into her repeatedly as my tongue circled roughly within her mouth. I had her pinned exactly where I wanted her. I kept her pinned against the wall, using my hips and one arm. I used the other to yank the fabric of her dress up and I savored the steaming juices that pooled in her lace.

  “Oh Mason…” Her breath was warm against my neck as I pushed the lace of her panties aside and rubbed her slick clit.

  Two fingers thrust into her warm, wet slit, and she gasped into my ear. Christ. I’ll never get used to how tight she is. I’ve been the only one. I’ll always be the only one. My Jilly Bean.

  Her gasps turned into whimpering moans as I thrust my fingers harder, deeper. Her body began quivering against mine. Her legs were growing weak, losing their strength around my waist.

  “Tonight, I’m going to show you just how much I fucking love you, Jill.” I growled into her ear. I could barely control myself. The throb in my pants was an aching need and I’d lose my mind if I didn’t feel her soon.

  Her breathing was ragged as I supported her weight with my pelvis, and one arm. I continued fingerfucking her at a quick, hard, rhythmic pace. I knew exactly how she needed it, what made her come. I thrust in deeply, and curled two fingers and she sucked in a long, shuddering breath before she clenched fiercely around my fingers.

  Goddamn. I reveled in the feeling of her coming undone. I continued the tempo as her body trembled, releasing around my quickening fingers. I prolonged her orgasm for as long as possible, and when she finally returned from her state of ecstasy, she looked up at me with glazed eyes.

  She inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to catch her breath as she stared up at me.

  I gave her a wicked smirk, still keeping her body sandwiched in place against the wall. Keeping my eyes directly on hers, I sucked on those two fingers. Her eyes widened as I savored her taste, sucking every last drop from my fingers. Then, I placed those fingers on her lips and she knew what to do. I’d given her a silent command. She parted her beautiful, pouty mouth and sucked on both fingers.

  I closed my eyes as her tongue caressed my fingers. I could imagine that tongue around my cock.

  She must have known what I was thinking. My little Jilly Bean suddenly pushed away from me, grabbed the collar of my shirt with both hands and pushed me against the wall. The act was so aggressive, and surprising. It purely caught me off-guard. Her expression was intense as she dropped to her knees and wasted no time unzipping my pants.

  Fuck. Me.

  I watched her bite her lower lip intently as she yanked the denim and boxer briefs down my legs. My cock sprang free, standing straight to attention, raging, solid. There was a positively sinful look etched on her beautiful face as she looked up at me from her position below. She began palming my cock with both hands.

  Spasms of pleasure rushed up my spine and I briefly closed my eyes. Her tongue suddenly caressed my length, running from the base to the tip, where she licked up the bead of precum that had leaked. My hands drove into her wild tresses, as I barely clung to my composure. Her hot mouth drove up and down my cock, taking my length deeply against the back of her throat.

  Oh, fuck. I’m going to lose it…

  My fingers curled around her hair, pulling against the scalp as her lips continued to bob. I grabbed her head and forced her mouth down. I felt the tip slide down her throat, and I lost my control. My release surged in hot waves down her throat. She pulled away, but still palmed my cock as she swallowed some, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

  I never meant to end such a romantic moment with such an intense blowjob. I had intended for this to be about her. She’d gone ahead and turned the tables, and my head was still spinning, overcome with the intensity of that climax... From her saying yes to marrying me.

  I had been a man who spent so many long years living an empty, shallow life. I’d been convinced of one thing: That I was incapable of loving, of being loved, and that such an emotion was sugar-coated and nonexistent. Then Jillian stormed into my life and tore down those walls. This is what it meant to love and be loved.

  23. Jillian Pryor

  He asked me to marry him! My mind was reeling, buzzing with so many thoughts, so much excitement.

  My heart was full to bursting. Mason had given me the ultimate surprise when he knelt down on one knee and asked the ultimate question. I was still trying to wrap my head around it.

  I’d never tell him this, but he was adorably sexy as he struggled to pull that ring from the pocket of his pants. Usually the smooth talker, he struggled with words.

  “Tonight, I’m going to show you just how much I fucking love you, Jill.” His growl was like a velvety caress that sent tingles down my spine to my panties.

  Not before I show you, I thought to myself. I felt him unravel in my mouth and as always, it was exquisite. I wanted to do more with him in that shed, but my mom’s voice interrupted our heated moment.

  We hurried to fix ourselves, and she opened the shed door only seconds after Mason had fastened his pants. She looked between us with a raised eyebrow.

  “What are you two doing?” She asked, ready to lecture us both as though we were only kids in High School. My mom has always had this uncanny tendency to treat Mason like he’s still seventeen. In my mom’s eyes, I am still seventeen.

  I’m twenty-three now. I’m not a starry-eyed kid around Mason, and I think my mom still sees us in that way.

  “Mom,” I bit my lip before continuing. “Mason just asked me to marry him!” I couldn't contain my excitement any longer.

  I really, really hoped she wouldn’t dive into a lecture about how we hadn’t been dating long enough…

  She simply stood there, blinking back and forth between the two of us. Then, she smiled. I felt a sense of relief in that moment.

  “Oh honey.” She pulled me into a hug. Mason stood back, grinning slightly, but mom pulled him into a hug as well.

  “When is the wedding?” She asked, half joking.

&
nbsp; I laughed. “Mom! I don’t know-”

  “Soon.” Mason’s short response answered the question.

  The rest of my family had the same question. Mason pulled the ring out to show my mom, aunt and Allie.

  “Oh wow! Jilly, can I be a bridesmaid?” My cousin was bouncing in her sandals.

  “Allie, you suck the surprise out of everything. You didn’t even give me a chance to ask you.” I laughed. My heart was a hummingbird in my chest and I was flushed from the excitement.

  Allie threw her arms around my neck and hugged fiercely. It almost knocked me over.

  “Where are you having the wedding?” She asked.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t even had the ring sized for my finger yet.” A sudden wave of fatigue washed over me. My cousin had so much energy it was exhausting. Or, maybe I had sugar crash. I shouldn’t have eaten those s’mores earlier.

  Once everyone had cooed over the gorgeous ring, Mason and I returned to our hotel in town. It was a really nice hotel. It was nothing in comparison to his large-scale chain that had recently expanded to Las Vegas, but it was comfortable.

  ****

  Our visit with my family was short, but amazing. Mason never said as much, but I could see how much he was enjoying himself. Times were different, but he and Travis had reconnected. I hadn’t seen Mason so relaxed in such a long time. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed being with my family until that weekend.

  On the last day of our visit in Ohio, Mason insisted on treating the rest of the family to lunch at a sports pub in town. It was Travis’s recommendation, and the two spent the entire lunch outing arguing over whether the New York Yankees would smash the Toronto Blue Jays. Boring. Still, I’d deal with their stupid back-and-forth banter if it meant they were friends again.

  “Don’t be a stranger,” Travis said with a half-grin just before we slid into the rental car.

  “We won’t, and you’re welcome to come back to the city anytime.” Mason responded as he held the passenger door open for me.