This is Love

by Foster, Melissa

  Remi blushed, and Mason had to once again squelch the urge to put his arm around her or show his affection in any other intimate way.

  Flossie turned to Mason and said warmly, “And my faraway girl brought us a lovely gift: Mason, her brawny protector and probably the only man on the planet she doesn’t want to run from.”

  All eyes turned to Mason, including Remi’s, and holy hell, she was looking at him like he’d hung the moon. He curled his fingers into fists to keep from reaching for her and showing everyone just how glad he was that she was no longer running.

  The curious looks around the table compelled him to say, “I think Remi understands the seriousness of her situation.”

  Flossie held his gaze as if she weren’t buying a word of it as she said, “I for one am very glad that you’re taking care of our girl. Every strong woman deserves to have a good man watching over her. Remember what I said, Mason. Everyone deserves time to breathe.”

  When she winked, Mason was sure she was onto his and Remi’s secret relationship, but he didn’t have more than a second to think about that before the celebration continued.

  “Here, here.” Alisha held up her wineglass and said, “To the wisest woman I know. Happy birthday, Flossie.”

  Everyone lifted their glasses, clinking them to those around them, and then Louie began singing “Happy Birthday.”

  Remi touched Mason’s pinkie beneath the table, and though he knew he shouldn’t take the risk, he covered her hand with his. He never knew one look could be so powerful, but the way Remi was looking at him bored so deep, he felt it coursing through his veins.

  Surrounded by joyous voices and the warmth of family, Mason was once again swamped with emotions. When they sang the last words and Flossie blew out her candles, Mason made a wish right along with her, one for not only Remi’s safety, but their future.

  What was it about witnessing the love between others that stirred a strange mix of happiness and melancholy? Remi pondered that question on the drive home. Mason had been quieter than usual tonight, which said a lot since he wasn’t a very talkative guy in general. He’d taken a few calls while they were out, and she wondered if he had received news about the stalker. She also worried that when she’d touched him under the table, she’d made him uncomfortable, but she’d spent all evening watching her friends love up their significant others, and she wanted that, too. She wanted the world to know how she felt about him, and it infuriated her that one crazy person had the power to stop her from doing that.

  Mason’s thumb brushed absently over her hand as he parked in front of the house. When he cut the engine, ending the video feed from the security cameras on the dashboard, he climbed from the SUV. Remi watched him scanning the yard as he helped her out. He was in full protective mode, muscles flexed, ready to spring into action at any second. It had to be hard to live like that, but she was sure glad he could, because she felt perfectly safe with him.

  As Mason did his nightly check of the house, Remi’s thoughts turned to Aiden. He’d ensured her fortress was equipped to keep people out, and he’d unknowingly brought in the one man who made her feel so much more than safe.

  “All clear,” Mason said as he came up from the lower level.

  She reached for his hand. “Why don’t we relax in the hot tub tonight?”

  “I’d love to, Princess, but when we’re outdoors I like to keep an eye on things. If we’re in a hot tub, I won’t be able to keep my eyes off you, much less my hands or mouth.” He drew her into his arms and said, “It was hard enough pretending I didn’t want to do this tonight.”

  He lowered his lips to hers, and she went up on her toes, wanting more. He crushed her to him, deepening the kiss. “But I promise you,” he said between long, steamy kisses, “when the stalker is behind bars, we’ll make up for all the hot-tub time we missed.”

  “I’m holding you to that.” She was elated that she didn’t seem to be the reason he’d been quiet earlier. “Forget the hot tub. I have a better idea. Now that we’re locked up safe and secure, give me ten minutes, then meet me in my bathroom.”

  Remi rushed upstairs. She’d never taken a bath with a man before, and while their showers always ended up with them slipping and sliding in each other’s arms, she was excited to surprise him with a little romance. She gathered candles and set them around the luxurious master bathroom as she filled the tub with bubbles. Her mind drifted to their joint showers. She’d always imagined shower sex would take serious thought to work out the logistics, but the minute they were naked, they were drawn to each other like metal to magnet and they never thought at all.

  She began stripping off her clothes, remembering how Mason’s slippery hands had felt that morning as he’d slid down to his knees in the shower, pleasuring her so thoroughly, she’d had to cling to the wall and door just to remain standing. She’d wanted to repay the favor, but he’d been too desperate for her, and he’d lifted her into his arms and lowered her onto his shaft.

  A streak of heat shuddered through her as she stepped out of her capris. She was vaguely aware of the scent of warm apricots, but it was overpowered by the memory-induced smell, and taste, of Mason. She squeezed her thighs together to try to quell the needy ache the memories brought. Before she could slip into the tub, Mason appeared in the doorway, further rousing her passion with the lecherous look in his eyes. She turned off the faucet, getting more turned on by the second as he openly watched her, his gaze lingering on her breasts, then skating lower, to the juncture of her thighs. He took off his shirt, and chills danced along her skin as she reached for the button on his jeans.

  “Help me get these off,” she said, emboldened by her naughty thoughts.

  “In a hurry?” He grabbed the wall as she yanked his jeans down and he kicked them off.

  She wanted to say so many things, to tell him how badly she wanted him, how she hoped that he wasn’t kidding about spending time together after the stalker was arrested. But she was too hungry for him to form a single word. She didn’t even try to hide what she wanted as she went down on her knees, her heart beating wildly. She wanted this with him more than she wanted her next breath, and even though she wasn’t quite sure of exactly what she should do or what he liked, she wasn’t going to chicken out.

  She looked up at him, and he must have seen uncertainty in her eyes, because he stroked her jaw and said, “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I want to, I just . . . I want to make you feel good.”

  “Anything you do will feel good because it’s you, Princess.”

  He was such a burly guy, when his tender side came out like that, her heart stumbled. She pressed her hands to his muscular thighs and dragged her tongue along his hard length. His cock jerked, and she stole a glance at Mason’s face. He was watching her intently, his eyes an erotic mix of protective and animalistic. His whole body seemed to rise up and inflate as she wrapped her hand around his shaft, guiding it into her mouth. She sucked slowly at first, taking him deeper with each pass, stroking tightly with her hand.

  “Fuck, Remi.” He grabbed the sides of her head, threading his fingers into her hair and guiding her a little faster. “That’s it. Squeeze tighter. Damn, that’s it. You okay?”

  He stopped guiding her head and she nodded. Wanting him to continue showing her, she put her hand over his and took him in deeper. He got the hint.

  He closed his eyes, and a rumbling moan fell from his lips as she followed his lead, squeezing tighter, sucking harder, driven by the tensing of his muscles. She slowed to catch her breath, teasing the head, and he hissed out a breath. She took him deep again, and a sexy, guttural noise accompanied nearly every thrust of his hips. She loved the power that came from the control, and she sucked harder, moved faster. The appreciative sounds streaming from his lips emboldened her, but the tensing of his muscles and his short thrusts told her he was holding back. She clung to his thighs, giving full control over to him, but he continued with measured movements.

  H
e was being careful, and she didn’t want careful. She wanted wild and passionate. She wanted Mason to lose control. She dug her fingernails into his thighs.

  He withdrew from her mouth with one fast jerk backward. “Did I hurt you?”

  The panic in his voice touched her deeply. She pushed to her feet. She hadn’t realized she was shaking until she stood on wobbling legs. “No, and I know you never will. Let go, Mason. I want to cross every line with you, including this one. Make me yours.”

  He crushed his mouth to hers in a possessive, rough kiss. God, she loved his kisses. He didn’t just kiss her. He explored her mouth like he wanted to live inside it, consumed it like it was his.

  She tore her mouth away, knowing exactly what she wanted, and said, “I want you to take my mouth like you do when you kiss me. Don’t hold back.”

  She kissed her way down his body, and this time when she took him in her hand, she was confident. She let him lead, and he was careful at first, despite her plea. But she’d expected that. This was Mason after all. He didn’t take chances with her. But soon his body took over, and he loved her mouth the way he ravaged her body. His thick shaft pushed fast and hard through her lips. She felt tension mounting in his legs. He tightened his grip on her hair, creating a scintillating sting of pain and pleasure. His breathing became choppy.

  “Remi—” The harsh warning flew from his lungs.

  She gripped his thighs harder, letting him know she wasn’t backing off. When the first warm jet hit the back of her tongue, her throat constricted, and she thought she was going to gag, but she quickly regained control, opening to him as “Princess, Princess, Princess . . .” fell from his lips.

  Her body was on fire. He was breathing hard when he pulled her to her feet and gathered her against his heaving chest. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and finally, his hot mouth covered hers, his tongue sweeping deeply and sensuously without hesitation. That was a total turn-on. She’d never realized she could become so aroused from pleasuring a man, and she knew it had everything to do with this particular man, who was brushing his lips over hers and gazing into her eyes.

  “You obliterate everything else around us, Remi. That’s as incredible as it is dangerous.”

  “Should I fire you as my bodyguard?”

  He kissed her softly. “No, Princess. I’ll never let anything happen to you. But I’ve never experienced anything like this. I just need to be aware, that’s all. I’m not used to letting my guard down, but when we’re alone like this, it’s easy for me to get lost in you.”

  “But we’re safe inside, so that’s a good thing, right?” She loved when he couldn’t hold back what he was thinking and spoke directly from his heart. She knew he’d keep her safe, but she really loved knowing how lost he got in them. She felt it, but hearing him say it made it even more real.

  “A very good thing.” He took her hand, leading her to the tub and helping her in. As he climbed in behind her, he said, “Now it’s my turn to make all your troubles disappear.”

  His arms circled her body as he kissed her neck. She closed her eyes, relaxing against his chest as he caressed her breasts. Her nipples tingled from his touch, and she bent her neck to the side, giving him better access.

  “You’re so beautiful, Remi,” he whispered between spine-tingling kisses. “So soft and feminine, you’re all I can think about.”

  One hand teased her breast as the other moved down her belly and between her legs, expertly homing in on the spots that made her legs go numb. The air left her lungs in one long sigh, and she closed her eyes, her hips pulsing in a slow rhythm.

  He slicked his tongue along the shell of her ear and whispered, “Kiss me, Princess.”

  She angled her face to the side, and his mouth came down hungrily over hers. His tongue and fingers moved in tandem. Tingling sensations skated up her limbs, and lust coiled tight and low in her belly like a snake readying to strike. Her entire being flooded with desire, and she felt like she was speeding toward a cliff, chasing her release. He stroked over that magical spot, and the world tilted on its axis. She cried out in long surrendering moans, her body bucking and clenching until she collapsed, boneless and sated, in his arms.

  He lavished her with tender kisses as her erratic heartbeat calmed. She wanted to lie right there forever, nestled in his arms, surrounded by warm water, romantic candles, and the scent of sweet apricot.

  When he began lovingly bathing her with a washcloth, she said, “We are dangerous together. A woman could die from this much pleasure.”

  As he bathed along her thigh, he said, “Death is nothing to joke about, but it would be an incredible way to go.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I wish we could be this close all the time, not just in private. It was hell not being able to reach for you tonight at the party.”

  “Is that why you were so quiet?” She rolled onto her side so she could see his face. He pressed his lips to hers, but he didn’t answer, so she said, “Did you get news about the stalker?” The muscles in his jaw tensed, giving her the answer. “I can take it, Mason.”

  “That’s not why I was quiet, but I did get an update. We thought we’d tracked down the fan who tried to grab you the first day I was on set with you. Remember, I mentioned that we found a picture that looked like him? It wasn’t the same guy. That kid’s been out of state all summer. It was another dead end, but don’t worry. We’ll find him. I just found you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  “I know you won’t, but aren’t you worried he’ll go after you?”

  “Let him try. I welcome it. I’ll tear the fucker to pieces.” He grimaced. “I don’t want to scare you. I’m not a killer, Remi. I just—”

  “Stop. I understand. But if that’s not why you were quiet tonight, did something else happen? Was it something I did?”

  He ran the washcloth along her shoulder and down her arm and said, “No.”

  “You’re not a fan of birthday parties?”

  “I don’t have much experience with them. I’m sure I must have celebrated my birthday a time or two, but I honestly can’t remember ever having a birthday party when I was a kid.”

  “When is your birthday?”

  “January fifteenth.”

  She made a mental note of the date. “So tonight’s party made you sad?”

  “No, it made me think. When you grow up the way I did, you forget things, like what normal families do for each other. There was so much love in that house tonight, it was a little overwhelming.”

  “In a bad way?”

  “Not really, just eye-opening. Seeing Bodhi with Bridgette and Louie hit me hard. You get to know guys when you’re in the field, because you never know if you’ll be one of the lucky ones to make it out alive.”

  “I hate thinking about you in those situations. I mean, I know what you did was important for the country, and for yourself, but I wish I had known you then.”

  “Trust me, you don’t. Leaving someone behind is hell for both parties.”

  “But it must have been hard having no one waiting for you back home.” She put her arms around him and hugged him. “I’m glad you made it out alive.”

  “Thanks, Princess,” he said in a strangled voice. He kissed the top of her head as she embraced him. “Bodhi was always a lone wolf, like me and lots of other guys we knew. His father’s death had a huge impact on him. I never imagined him falling in love, much less having a family. But he’s living a normal life, and he’s happy. He’s proof that people can overcome just about anything.” He moved the washcloth absently over her skin. “But at the party, seeing all that love and support, all those families and generations coming together to celebrate, made me think of my childhood and how sucky it was to grow up feeling unimportant, disposable.”

  “It breaks my heart that you felt that way.”

  “I’m not looking for empathy, Princess. I’m thinking about other kids going through the foster-care system. I mean, how hard is it to bake a cake for a kid on the
ir birthday?”

  “If Aiden can do it, anyone can. For as long as I can remember, Aiden has made or ordered my birthday cakes. Even when my parents were alive, he would make or order the funkiest cakes. When I was seven, he ordered this gorgeous cake with a Barbie that had a billowing pink dress made from beautiful rippling pink-icing roses. I got up in the middle of the night and ate half of it. I remember sitting at the table with the box and a huge serving fork. It was so good, and he got so mad. I don’t even remember why I did it. I think all that frosting was calling out to me in my sleep.”

  “So, even back then you were a little rebellious thing. I thought you said you never got in trouble?”

  “I was a pretty good kid in every other way, especially after we lost our parents. It was too hard being in the house where my parents had lived, surrounded by all those memories, so we moved to California, where Aiden lived. He hired a great therapist for me and brought in tutors, so I wouldn’t have to relive our parents’ deaths by explaining it to kids at school. He also hired an acting coach for me. Everything he did was to help me forget what I’d gone through. But probably the best thing he ever did was make me feel like any other kid on my birthdays. We’d invite a few friends over and have cake and ice cream. Even as a teenager when I’d get in a mood and say I didn’t want a party, he’d still bake a cake and invite friends over. It was the one day each year that I could just be normal and not the girl who was trying to forget what she’d lost. There’s something wonderful about being celebrated, wearing silly hats, blowing out candles.”

  “Exactly,” Mason said. “I was thinking about that tonight, wondering what kind of impact that had on me, if any, and if things might have been different if I’d had that one day a year to feel special. That sounds stupid and needy, but moving around as a foster kid was tough. There should be some things every kid can count on, like hearing ‘happy birthday.’”