by K. C. Crowne
Mason never let up, keeping up the rhythm and drawing out my orgasm. My toes literally curled, and I’d never come so hard in my life. And it wasn’t just the one orgasm, but several in a row. I lost count and eventually had to nudge on his head for relief. My body jerked; my clit extra sensitive.
I thought we were finished, as I couldn’t imagine a position that would be safe for Mason. But he had other plans.
He dropped his pants and ripped off his shirt, and I saw the bandage on his side. The gash underneath it was stitched, and I hated that he’d been injured while helping me. I sat up and kissed the bandage gently.
“I’m so sorry you were hurt,” I whispered as I looked up at him.
He climbed into bed with me and kissed me deeply, holding my face in his hands. “No apologies necessary.” He smiled at me, then murmured, “Roll over. On your side.”
I did as he told me, and he spooned me from behind, his strong, warm body pressed against mine. I pushed my ass against him, and he guided me into position, sliding his hard cock between my thighs. The tip pressed at my opening, and I groaned in need. Even with the exhaustion of my previous climax, my body still craved him.
He pressed into me, stretching me wide with his thick member until he was sheathed inside. His hips rocked slowly, gently. He moved in and out while his hands held onto my hips.
Feeling him so close to me filled me with a sense of peace. His hand brushed my hair aside, and his lips caressed my neck. I could hear his breathing in my ear, his moans as his movements became more desperate.
Knowing he was close turned me on so much. I loved knowing that I could give him pleasure, and the very idea of him filling me with his seed pushed me over the edge. My pussy spasmed around his cock just as I felt him throbbing inside me.
I cried out as we came together, our bodies writhing in unison. He held onto me until the very end, and even then, after we were spent, he held me close and whispered into my ear.
“Danielle, I love you so much.”
When I could finally speak, I said, “I love you too, Mason.”
Ooo000ooo
I sighed as I hung up the phone. A few weeks had passed since the fire, and Greg was still trying to tell me that he was coming after Skyler. He’d initially said, “Since you’re homeless…” but I told him we were far from homeless, that we were living in a nice place and his daughter was being well taken care of. He was desperate, though, trying to find every angle in which to steal Skyler away from me.
“I think he’s going to try and find another threat now,” I said, resting my head against Mason’s cheek. “Because there’s no way he can prove Skyler isn’t in a safe house.”
We were still in the rental, settling in rather nicely. Skyler had been sad about losing her stuff, but the Harveys were doing a fabulous job of spoiling her, especially Mason. No one could possibly think she was being neglected.
Mason frowned as he checked his phone.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Got an email from Teddy. They’ve searched every inch of the property and haven’t found a single camera. They must have all been destroyed in the fire.”
“No leads on the guy you saw either, huh?”
“Nope,” he said.
He had worked with a sketch artist, but little came from it. So far, we were no closer to discovering who had started the fire than we were on day one. I had my suspicions, of course, but Greg had alibis out the wazoo, as did Jim King. One of those guys that Skyler mentioned at her dad's house had, in fact, been Jim. They were apparently discussing a business deal, or so they said. Normally, I wouldn’t believe any of them, but other investors had been there too. They had also been seen going to dinner and drinks that evening, around the time of the fire. Mason also said that the man he’d seen didn’t look like Jim or Greg, which made me think if they were involved, they had hired someone. Which was incredibly hard to prove.
I sighed, the weight of everything heavy on my chest.
Mason stroked my hair gently. “But today is going to be a good day.”
“It is,” I agreed, turning to meet his gaze. “We get to see our little bean sprout. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re having a giant. I so big!.”
Things had been going well the last few weeks between Mason and me. I’d really started to trust him, and he stepped up and took care of Sky and me when we needed it the most. I could tell he loved the baby already and that he would be a good father.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, kissing the top of my head.
“Thank you, but if we’re going to get there on time, I need to make myself presentable.”
I slipped from the sheets and started getting ready for the big day. Skyler was at her dad’s, which always made me nervous. But since the day he’d taken her without asking, he’d been on his best behavior - always making sure she was home exactly when we’d agreed to and everything. Almost like he knew he’d fucked up and the law would likely side with me. Or maybe he was just scared of Mason. Whatever caused the change in his behavior, I’d take it. My tummy was filled with butterflies every time he took my daughter for the weekend, though, and I wasn’t sure it would ever get better.
One of these days, I’d have the resources and the evidence to fight him for full custody, but only if I had to. If he kept being a good dad to our daughter, I felt like it would be wrong to take her away from him. She often looked forward to the visits, and she had family on his side that she loved and that loved her.
Just please, let him keep this up. Don’t let the old Greg return, I thought.
I finished getting ready, and Mason was already dressed.
“Ready to go?” I asked.
“I am.”
Mason was quieter than normal. The drive across town to the OB was mostly quiet. I knew he was nervous.
We were the first appointment of the day, and thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long. A friendly blonde woman with a nice smile called us back within a few minutes of us sitting down. She introduced herself as Rebecca and said she was the ultrasound technician who would be helping us today.
“Must be exciting,” Rebecca cooed. “Seeing your baby for the first time.”
“Yes, very much so,” I said with a smile. I clutched Mason’s hand. He still seemed much too quiet, and I was beginning to worry about him.
They situated us in a room, and I changed into the hospital gown and climbed on the table with Mason’s help. As we waited for Rebecca to return, I decided to pose the question, “Are you okay, Mason?”
“I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“You just seem quieter than normal, that’s all.”
He opened his mouth to answer just as there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
Rebecca bounced into the room. “Alright, let’s get this party started, shall we? I’m sure you’re anxious to see your baby.”
She exposed my belly and applied the cold gel to it. I tried to relax, but my heart was racing. What if something was wrong with the baby? What if they couldn’t detect a heartbeat? I hadn’t planned for this blessing, but it didn’t matter. I loved that little bean so much already.
”Well, look at that. Both babies have very strong heartbeats.”
“Both?” Mason and I croaked at the same time. I was certain my expression mimicked his wide-eyed fear.
“Yes, you’re going to have twins,” Rebecca said. She pointed on the screen. “And see, right there? You can see both babies. This one here looks to be a girl.” She moved the wand around on my belly. “Oh and there he is - this one is a boy. Congratulations, you two.”
A boy and a girl.
Two babies.
I stared at the screen as if maybe the tech had made a mistake, but she seemed fairly confident there were, indeed, two babies, one of each.
I looked at Mason, whose jaw was on the floor. He stared at the screen as if he couldn’t believe it either.
“I know it’s a lot to take,” Rebecca said, her voice so
othing. “I’ll have the doctor come in and verify everything I told you, as well as talk to you about what this means for your pregnancy.”
“Thank you,” I squeaked, my voice not sounding like my own.
Twins. We were having twins. I was going from a single mom with a daughter to having three kids. I wasn’t sure how I would manage. Then again, this time, I wouldn’t be alone.
I looked to Mason for some reassurance, for anything. He was still staring at the screen even though it was currently black.
“Mason?”
He shook himself but didn’t look at me. “Yes?”
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to ask him. “Say something, please.”
“I don’t know what to say. I think I need to sit down,” he mumbled. He backed toward the nearest chair, fell into it, and placed his head in his hands.
Another knock on the door.
Mason seemed speechless, so I answered. “Come in.”
Ooo000ooo
The ride back to the rental was just as quiet as the ride to the doctor’s office. I knew Mason was processing the news and kept reminding myself that I trusted him - he was a good guy; he wouldn’t leave me and his children.
Still, the silence was weighing on me.
When we got back to the house, I noticed the guys weren’t there. It was just him and me. And I decided we needed to have a talk.
“I need to know what this means for us,” I stammered as soon as we were inside the house.
“What do you mean?”
My eyes stung, but I held back the tears. I trust Mason, I kept repeating to myself.
“If you can’t handle this, Mason, you need to let me know now so I can make plans for myself and my kids—”
Mason closed the distance between us and wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling my face into his chest. “Danielle don’t even think like that. I'm not going anywhere, I promise you.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, clinging to him. “You’ve just been weird today, and that scares me.”
“It’s a lot to take in,” he said, lifting my face in his hands to look me in the eye. “It scares me a bit. The thought that I am responsible for not just you and Skyler, but two babies as well? I’m terrified I won’t be able to do that - that I won’t be a good father.”
“Oh Mason…” I stroked his face, and he leaned into my hand, kissing the palm. “I see the way you are with Skyler. You’re going to be an amazing father.”
“I hope so. It’s just—“ He stopped and pressed his lips together.
“What?” I urged.
He closed his eyes, and at first, I thought he might be shutting me out. But the words spilled out of his mouth. He told me about his ex, how she died and blamed himself for it. How he didn’t trust himself to be there when I or his children needed him.
My heart ached as he told me his secrets, but I was also grateful. It was clear this man hadn’t talked to many people about this, that he was confiding in me in ways he hadn’t anyone else. And when he opened his eyes, I swear I saw tears in them.
“You won’t let us down, Mason,” I told him, clenching his hand tightly. “I know you won’t. What happened with Katie was tragic, but it was not your fault.”
“That’s what Calvin tells me too.”
“Calvin is a smart man. He’s been to war too; he knows more than most of us will ever know. Trust him, Mason. Believe him.”
“I’m trying,” he said softly.
Mason
Every day, Danielle checked the mail for the insurance check. She let me make the first payment to Jim, though it took some fighting. Now with the balance coming due, she was still fighting me - insisting the check would arrive any day.
She was very pregnant, and I tried not to stress her out too much. We were coming up on five months, and according to doctors, multiples were often born early. We were doing everything we could to keep the babies in her belly for as long as possible,
“I can’t believe I have to let her stay with him for an entire week,” Danielle griped, nibbling on her fingernail. She was laying on the couch, her round belly poking out from her maternity shirt.
Skyler was in bed, so she could talk freely after the call with Greg. She hid her emotions so well around her daughter, but now she could reveal her true feelings. Pregnancy hormones likely didn’t make it easier on her.
I sat beside her, with her feet in my lap. I rubbed them, trying to help with the aching and swelling.
“But at least we will get her for Christmas,” I attempted.
“Yeah, I guess. Just an entire week without her,” she said, her voice sad. “It’s going to kill me, especially after what he tried.”
I agreed with her. We had talked about taking it to court, to try and fight him for custody, but every lawyer we spoke to said that as of right now, with no proof of the cameras or abuse, it would be unlikely that they’d revoke his rights to see his daughter. We weren’t giving up, but our latest lawyer said it would make us look bad to go against the custody agreement that allowed Greg to have Skyler for a week at Thanksgiving in return for not seeing her at Christmas. They alternated holidays, and everything was fair, according to our lawyer. I thought it was bullshit, but I didn’t want to hurt Danielle’s chances at custody, so I did my best to stay out of it. Last time I got involved, it could have caused problems. Greg hadn’t pressed charges for me punching him - likely because it would have led to a lot more questions - but I could have messed things up.
The front door opened, and Graham entered. “Good news,” he said. “I stopped by your place, Danielle, and checked the mail. You got something from the insurance company, and it looks like it might be a check.”
“Oh, thank God,” Danielle gushed, trying to sit up. Her round belly made it hard, but I helped her.
Graham handed the check to her, and Danielle ripped open the envelope. “Yes, finally,” she said, pushing herself up to her feet with a little groan.
“Where are you going?” I stood up as well.
“To pay that asshole so he can stop sending me notices. I’ll be free from him, finally. Stay with Skyler, please?” She slipped her feet into her flats.
I looked at Graham as Danielle headed for the door.
“I can stay with her, go on,” my brother said, waving for me to follow Danielle.
“Thanks, man.”
I didn’t want her going over to that man’s place alone. It was eight in the evening, so she would likely have to find him at home. I would have argued it could wait until the morning, but she was already getting into her car.
No talking her out of this. She had waited too long for this day. And as much as I hated her not letting me help her, at least now we could be free of him and I could help her rebuild her home and business.
I knocked on her car window, and she gave me a look as if she expected me to argue. She lowered the window and a blast of heat from inside the car felt nice compared to freezing temperatures outside.
“Let’s take the truck. The snow is coming down hard and I’d feel safer with four-wheel drive,” I said.
She smiled and turned off the engine. “Thanks, Mason. I appreciate you agreeing that it’s a good idea to do this now.”
I scoffed. “I don’t know about agree. I figured there was no talking you out of it. You’d do what you want, might as well make sure you’re not doing it alone.”
She got out of the car, and I helped her walk along the slippery driveway to my truck. I also helped lift her up into the seat before hurrying to the driver’s side.
“What’s the plan?” I asked as I got in the truck. “Are we going to deposit the check first?”
“No need to,” she sighed, staring down at the check in her hands. “I’m just going to sign it over to him. He and I discussed that, and I owe more than the amount here anyway. I won’t be totally free. Stupid interest.”
“Let me pay the rest then.”
“No, Mason.”
“I need to make sure yo
u, Skyler, and my babies have a roof over your head, so yes, I’m going to do this. You can’t stop me from doing this one little thing.”
She sighed but stopped arguing with me.
We pulled up to Jim’s place, and I parked out front. I’d wanted to tell her to let me handle it, but he wouldn’t accept payment from me before. I helped her from the truck and we walked up to the house.
She rang the doorbell and we waited. Of course, Frank answered the door. When he saw me, he almost closed the door without a word, but I stopped him by putting my foot in the way.
“She’s here to pay off her debt to Mr. King. I’m only accompanying her.”
“She can pay in the morning at his office.”
“No, she’s paying now,” I said, unwavering.
Frank met my gaze, and there must have been something in my eyes, because he stood down. “Let me talk to Mr. King. Wait here.”
I didn’t let him close the door. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Frank sighed and seemed torn, but eventually stepped away from the door. He didn’t go far. He pushed a button on an intercom and spoke into it. “Mr. King? Danielle Baker and Mason Harvey are here to see you. They say they’re ready to pay off her debt.”
Frank never took his eyes off us.
“Bring them to my office.”
“You’re lucky he’s being gracious enough to see you at this hour,” Frank sniffed snootily. He let us enter and walked us to the office I’d been in before.
Danielle took my hand in hers for support. I gave it a firm squeeze as we stepped into the office. Frank left, closing the door behind us. Jim was sitting at the desk, typing at his computer, acting as if he didn’t even see us enter.
Danielle cleared her throat. “Mr. King, I got the insurance check, and I can pay—”
“It’s too late, Ms. Baker,” Jim said, swiveling in his chair to finally look at us.
“Too late? What do you mean? I have until December first to pay everything off.”