by K. C. Crowne
I turned on the hot water in the shower and closed my eyes, letting the spray rush over my body.
Staying in Liberty had been a good choice. I felt at home here. The people were nice, and we could make a real difference in the town after the devastation caused by the flooding. My brothers and I had military backgrounds, we were strong and hard workers. I had medical training from my time in the military, while my other brothers had their talents.
So yes, it was a good thing we stayed.
And even better now since I met Danielle, I thought to myself. What a fine woman she is…
Stop it, Mason. You don’t even know if she’s married or what her deal is. Stop that right now.
The more I tried to stop thinking about her, however, the harder it was. I could see her clearly in my mind’s eyes. Her natural blonde hair likely fell down to her mid-back when she let it down. Those eyes - so blue and innocent with thick, black lashes. Her creamy skin with a dusting of freckles on her nose.
And moving down… that woman had a body that would make any man weak in the knees. Thick in all the right places. I’d never seen someone with such a perfect, natural hourglass shape in all my life. She reminded me of a statue you’d see in Paris or Milan - round breasts and hips that stretched the very limits of her jeans.
Ahh, thinking of her jeans, and the way her plump ass wiggled with every step…
I didn’t even realize it, but my hand had moved down my body, stroking myself as I visually imagined every curve of her body. I imagined we were alone in that adorable house of hers. And she beckoned me toward her bedroom with her finger, a seductive grin on her beautiful face.
How could I resist? I wouldn’t be able to tell her no, not if she asked me to follow her. Hell, I’d follow her off a cliff if I wasn’t careful - I’d be too busy watching her hips and ass that I’d walk right off.
I pictured what she would look like naked, and damn, that got me close. I had to slow down on the stroking as I undressed her in my mind, wanting to savor every moment.
Her breasts fell free from their bra, and they fit into my large hands, nearly overflowing them. Her nipples were pink and hard. I gently teased them, bringing a gasp from her sweet lips. And I knew, if I ever had her like that, I would drop to my knees and bury my face between those thick thighs of hers. She had to taste as good as she looked.
A soft groan escaped my lips as I pictured bringing her to orgasm again and against, sucking on her clit and fucking her with my tongue.
I nearly lost it just thinking about tasting her, but even in my fantasy, I knew I needed to be inside her. My throbbing member ached as I pictured placing her up on her countertop and burying myself deep inside her core.
It’s a good thing it wasn’t reality, because in that moment, imagining her wetness encasing me, I lost all control. Warm cum exploded out of the head of my cock, and my knees momentarily went weak. I leaned against the back of the shower, my pulsating rod in my hand as I pictured emptying myself inside Danielle.
Damn. Even for a fantasy, that might have been the best sex I’d ever had. After a few moments, I steadied myself and came back to reality, rinsing myself off with the warm water and some soap.
If masturbating to her got me off so fast, I’d hate to imagine what would happen if we were really together. I thought I had some stamina, but damn, she was enough to test my limits.
I turned off the shower and dried off, trying to push any thought of Danielle out of my mind. I didn’t know the first thing about her, whether she was married or not. She also didn’t seem like the type to sleep with a client, not after the whole I’m not a prostitute talk, so even if she was single, that complicated things. Besides, I wasn’t ready to move on… Even if she was available, I wasn’t a worthy partner for her. I couldn’t properly care for her and her daughter. I could hardly care for— I stopped myself before I headed down that dark path.
Nah, I needed to forget about Danielle. At least stop thinking of how hot she was.
I stepped out of the bathroom with just a towel at my waist. My phone was sitting by the bed, and I picked it up as I sat down.
A new message from an unknown number. I opened it and found a message from Danielle.
Hi Mason, it’s Danielle. Sorry to bother you, but I think I’ve found the perfect dog.
My heart skipped a beat as I noticed the photo she’d attached. My eyes went directly to her smile and those sparkling eyes. It took me a moment to realize that she wasn’t meant to be the subject of the photo.
A large dog. One of the dogs at her house. Beautiful grey fur and large, sweet eyes. He was sitting with his head on her lap. A dirty thought tugged at the back of my mind - lucky dog - but I pushed it aside.
Another message popped up as I was busy staring at Danielle.
Sorry, if the photo has more of me than the dog. I had Skyler take it. But I wanted to show you how sweet he is. He’s such a snuggler and knows when I’m feeling sad or anxious, and he’s always there to offer comfort when I need him to. I think he’d be perfect for your friend.
Again, the intended message was missed. All I could think about was that she was feeling sad or anxious after I left? Why? Had I done something wrong? Was it the phone call that caused her tension? Whatever it was, I wanted to fix it for her.
My hands hovered over the keys on my phone. I had no idea what to say to her that wouldn’t make her more concerned about my motives. She was willing to give up her dog - a dog that lived with her and her daughter - to help a man she didn’t even know. To me, that said so much about her character, but I couldn’t go overboard with the praise.
He looks very sweet, but you don’t have to give up your dog. I’m sure we can find another one for my friend.
Her response was lightning fast, as if she was prepared for my argument.
I know Oscar. There is no better emotional support dog. None that I’ve met, at least. It could take months to find another dog as good as him. I took him in when he needed a home, but if he can help someone else live a better life, then it’s worth it to me.
I leaned back against the bed and let out a deep breath.
Seriously, why did she have to be so damned perfect?
Danielle
“She’s packing her stuff and will be right out,” I said dryly, my arms crossed in front of my chest in a defensive manner.
My ex-husband, Greg, stood only inches away. He’d always had trouble with personal boundaries. He crowded into my personal bubble, and that was one of many reasons we didn’t make a good match.
“You left her inside alone? Jesus Christ, Danielle,” Greg said, trying to push past me and get into my house.
I placed a hand on his chest to stop him. “She’s not a baby anymore, Greg. She’s starting kindergarten in the fall. She is just fine.”
“With all of those dogs in there with her? The big ones?”
“They’re actually in the backyard right now because I’m not completely stupid,” I snapped, lifting an eyebrow. Mostly I kept them outside in case Greg pushed his way inside. Oscar would be fine, and Griz too - probably. If Greg didn’t push too far. Griz was protective of his mama, after all.
“You really should get rid of them,” he growled under his breath.
“Why? They love Skyler, she loves them, and they’re not dangerous. Besides, I know what I’m doing. I’m not an idiot - I know to never leave them unattended, even though they’ve never even looked at Skyler wrong.”
I stopped short, dropping my hand from Greg’s chest. My gaze fell behind my ex-husband and on the driveway. Mason’s truck pulled in and was headed toward the house.
“Dammit,” I muttered. I should have given him a time to stop by, not leave it as an open invitation.
“Who’s that?” Greg asked, cocking an eyebrow toward Mason’s truck.
“He’s a client. I’m training a dog for a friend of his,” I stated matter-of-factly. “In fact, I’m training one of my dogs for his friend, so I’ll have one less
dog for you to bitch about.”
“Well hallelujah,” Greg muttered sarcastically. His eyes narrowed on Mason’s truck as the other man parked and stepped out. Greg scoffed when he saw Mason. “A client, huh? Bullshit. I don’t know why you lie to me, Dani…”
Mason walked up slowly, looking Greg up and down as if sizing him up. He held his hands up and asked, “Bad timing?”
“Yeah, terrible timing. At least bring your fuck buddies over after our daughter leaves for the weekend,” Greg growled antagonistically.
“He’s not—”
“I’m not—” Mason said at the same time. “Listen, man. I’m just a client. She’s training a dog for a friend of mine, a Vietnam vet with PTSD. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Right, like I’m supposed to believe that shit,” he scoffed, his nastiness boundless. “Looks like you found someone as good at lying as you, Dani. Well done, I must say.”
Greg stepped forward, impeding Mason’s space as he often did to me. Greg wasn’t a small man by any means, but Mason was a giant compared to him. He easily had five inches and fifty pounds on my ex-husband, but Greg always thought himself bigger and badder than he was.
“You know,” Mason said. “I really don’t appreciate you talking about her like that. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you. I don’t want to know. I’m just a client, like I said. But you need to treat the mother of your child with some respect.”
“Mason, Greg—”
I stepped forward and placed myself between the two of them. I knew Greg’s temper, and it wouldn’t end well if I let the two men hash it out. Greg would push Mason to his limits and likely end up in the hospital, and somehow, it would look bad on my part because Mason was a guest on my property.
I placed a hand on both of their chests, pushing backward. Damn bit of good it did, since I was little bitty compared to the two of them.
“Guys, please—”
Greg I couldn’t control. His eyes were narrowed, and I knew that look on his face, one of fierce determination. He wasn’t going to let another man win this argument. So I turned my attention to Mason.
“Mason, with all due respect, please stay out of my personal affairs and back up.”
Mason looked stunned for a moment, but then seemed to shake himself out of the macho tough guy mode and did as I asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds. I just didn’t like the way he talked to you.”
“I appreciate that, but—” My head snapped around. “Ow, Greg, what the—”
Greg grabbed my arm, taking me by surprise. He pulled me over toward him. “We need to talk.”
It was like something had snapped in Mason. The moment Greg placed his hands on me, Mason lunged forward and ripped it away from my arm. Greg stumbled backward but managed to keep his footing. Then he rushed toward Mason.
It was too late for me to tell Mason to stay out of it; he’d already pushed Greg to his limit. I rushed between the two men, putting myself in the path of danger. Anything to stop the fight that was about to go down in my front yard.
“Guys, Skyler is coming out,” I hissed loudly.
Both men froze. If there was one thing I could say about Greg, it was that he would never let his daughter see his bad side. Sometimes I thought it might be because he was a good dad, other times I thought it could be to keep her from talking and telling the courts anything that would reflect poorly upon him.
Whatever it was, he stopped as if someone had flipped the switch to “Good father” instead of “Asshole.”
“Sweetie!” he exclaimed, rushing toward Skyler. “There you are.”
I breathed deeply for a few moments, relief washing over me. I was still shaking from the threat of violence.
“Danielle, I’m really sorry,” Mason whispered.
I shot him a look of death. “When I say stay out of it, I mean stay out of it. I have my reasons.”
If Mason looked too attached to me, too protective, it would give Greg ideas. Bad ideas. Dangerous ideas. As thankful as I was for him standing up for me, I had to make it clear - it was way out of line.
“I know, I know. I just don’t take too well to men manhandling women,” he said softly.
I could hear the genuine regret in his voice, and one look at him and his puppy dog eyes, it was hard to stay angry at him for long. His intentions had been honorable, to say the least.
“You ready, punkin?” Greg asked Skyler. “Got everything?”
“He’s a totally different man around her,” Mason murmured, speaking the obvious.
“Yep. Welcome to my life,” I stated flatly.
The way he could turn on and off the anger scared me. I wasn’t sure if the other emotions I saw from him were real. Most days, I was convinced it was all an act.
My entire body was stiff, as it often was when Greg was around. I waited until he loaded Skyler into his car and drove off before I could even breathe again.
I had almost forgotten about Mason as I waved bye to my daughter, my chest tight with anxiety as my little girl rode off with Greg. I hated the weekends she went with him, even though he’d never shown any sign of being abusive to our daughter. For all intents and purposes, he appeared to be a good dad. A doting father who often spoiled her with expensive toys and clothes. The courts loved him, and that’s why we had shared custody. That and he was rich as all hell and could afford the best lawyers money could buy, while I was often stuck with legal aid. I did well for myself, I was successful, but no one went into animal rescue and dog training to get rich.
A few moments after their car disappeared into the distance, Mason cleared his throat beside me. “I mean it, I’m sorry, Danielle.”
“It’s okay,” I said, still looking out toward the road. Greg had never done anything to make me think he’d hurt Skyler. I couldn’t even imagine it. But there was still a knot in my stomach every time she left with him. I plastered a smile on my face, trying to shove away all the bad feelings, and focused on my client.
“So, would you like to meet the dog and see what he can do?”
“Of course,” Mason said. “Whenever you’re ready.”
I motioned for him to follow me. We didn’t go into the house - no need for that since they were in the fenced back yard. I opened the gate and Oscar bounded toward us. Griz was right behind him, and Zeus tried to keep up with the big boys but didn’t stand a chance with his short little legs.
Oscar heeled in front of me without a command.
“I taught him not to jump on people, and to not lean on them unless he’s given permission since Danes tend to lean.”
Mason asked, “May I pet him?”
“Sure, go right ahead,” I said, patting Oscar on the head just behind his ears.
Mason knelt so he was closer in height to the dog. He appeared to be in awe.
“I’ve always loved dogs,” he commented. “And growing up, I wanted a big one like this, but our mom wouldn’t have it. We had a border collie, but that was as big as she’d go.”
“Giant dogs are really special,” I said, feeling the tears well up in my eyes. “They hold a special place in my heart.”
I choked back a sob, and even as I tried to hide the crying, Mason picked up on it. He wasn’t the only one. Oscar nestled his head into my palm, giving it a lick. His big eyes stared up at me as if to ask, “What’s wrong, Mama?”
Mason was standing beside me now, a hand on my shoulder. “I mean it. We can find him another dog.”
“No, Oscar’s perfect. I meant it when I said it might take months, if not longer, to find a dog that’s as natural as him. I’ll be okay, as long as I can continue to visit him?” I glanced at him, my question in my eyes.
“I’m sure that could be arranged,” Mason said. “Calvin isn’t likely to say no to a visit from a beautiful woman.”
My cheeks flushed at the compliment. I hid my face and pretended to wipe at my eyes.
�
�I’m sorry,” Mason said. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, no it's fine. I’m just not used to good guys who give nice compliments.” I really wasn’t. Greg had initially laid it on thick with the compliments, but once he had knocked me up, that all came to an abrupt end. “Anyway, back to the dog. I think Oscar and - what did you say your friend’s name was again?”
“Calvin.”
“Right. I think Oscar and Calvin will be a perfect match,” I told him. “In the rescue world, it can be hard to let an animal go, especially when you’ve cared for them for a long time. I raised Oscar from a tiny runt – hand feeding him for weeks - until he grew into this gigantic monster you see today. But it’s all part of the job, you know? You rescue, find them a good home, and then open your home to another animal in need.”
Mason’s face softened, and it was a beautiful sight.
“You’re amazing, do you know that?”
“Nah,” I chuckled, looking away and waving a hand. “I heard what you did during the flood, how you worked long hours at the clinic, literally saving people.”
“I’m no doctor, just a vet with Navy medic training,” he said, trying to downplay his role.
“You still saved people’s lives, Mason.”
Something shifted in his eyes, a darkness unlike any I’d seen. He looked away, as if uncomfortable.
“Sometimes,” he said softly.
I stared at him for a long second, not sure what to say. It was clear from the way his mood had shifted that there was something he wasn’t talking about, but it really wasn’t my place to ask him about his past.