by Kaylea Cross
The front windows appeared to be the only damage to the upstairs as she walked through to her bedroom and grabbed her service weapon. Moving fast, she hurried back to the kitchen and the stairs leading into the suite, her body tense, leg muscles coiled and ready to spring if Mason was in any kind of danger.
He’d flipped on the light, revealing the changes he’d made since moving in. It was tidy. The living room walls were studded with various swords and other bladed weapons, all arranged neatly on their mounts. Some he’d told her he’d made himself.
He’d set out a few framed photos on the table and mantel as well. She noticed one of him and some buddies standing armed in full combat gear, and one of him and a gray-haired woman who she guessed must be his foster mom.
Upon initial inspection the suite didn’t appear to have suffered any damage, and he confirmed it when he finished his sweep and came back a minute later. “It’s clear.” He holstered his weapon and she did the same. “Wanna head back up?”
“Yes.” She spun and jogged back up the stairs to confront the damage to her living room as she filed the report with Bill, then called Tate. In the meantime, Avery took pictures of everything and made voice notes on her phone.
Tate arrived several minutes later, his face grim as he took it all in. She worked with him on looking for more evidence, then he left to go talk to her neighbors.
Avery paused to crouch down next to one of the four bricks the vandal had used to bust the windows lying on the hardwood floor. This one had a small piece of paper tied around it.
Avery put on the latex gloves the officer gave her and untied the paper, aware of Mason standing at her shoulder. A handwritten note in red ink covered the page.
You ruined everything. Now I’m going to ruin you.
If she’d been upset before, now she was shaken. Someone was out to get her. Someone who had violated the sanctuary of Avery’s home.
Trevor, or one of his friends? Ray? Mr. Zinke? Someone else?
She handed over the note and bricks as evidence, then saw the officer out. Shutting the door, she confronted the mess in her living room, exhaustion and a trickle of fear running through her.
A strong hand landed on her shoulder. “I’ve got this. You go call your insurance company.”
His offer was sweet, and meant a lot to her, as did his willingness to help. “No, I’ll clean up first.” She went out to the shed to get her wide broom and shovel. Together they worked to scoop all the broken glass and other debris onto a tarp.
Tate came back just as they were finishing up. “Bev and Pat across the street confirmed their story. Pat made it to their front window just in time to see someone in a black hoodie throw a brick through your last one, then jump into a black Jetta and take off. You wanna run the plate while I grab some plywood for your windows?”
“Sure, thanks.”
While she called someone to run the plates, Mason finished sweeping up, then dragged the tarp down the steps and outside. Turned out the black Jetta had been reported stolen a few hours earlier. And the first vehicle Pat had noticed earlier today belonged to a Shannon Torbert out of Billings.
Avery called her contact there to alert him to the new developments, who promised to inform her if he found anything of interest. And she would start looking into this woman personally first thing in the morning.
Tate arrived with the plywood. He and Mason boarded up the broken windows while Avery called her insurance adjuster, then Tate promised to pick her up first thing in the morning to take her into the office.
“Find anything?” Mason asked her once Tate had gone.
“Possible suspect to look into.”
He set his hands on her hips and turned her to face him, his gaze intent. “How are you, really?”
“Getting pissed.”
He cracked a grin. “That’s good.” Then his expression sobered, his thumbs stroking the sensitive hollows just above her hipbones.
Heat pooled low in her gut. Latent sexual energy hung in the air between them, but there was a tenderness in his gaze along with the heat that turned her inside out. When he cupped the side of her face in his hand and kissed her, she allowed herself to melt into it. Allowed herself to cling to him, absorbing his strength, the distraction he offered.
Too soon he ended the kiss and tucked her face into his chest. “I’m here for you, okay? No matter what.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her heart squeezing. That scared her even more. She couldn’t resist this tenderness from him.
“I’m sleeping in your guest room,” he told her. “Until this is over.”
“Okay.” Badass cop or not, having him across the hall would make her feel better tonight. “Thank you.”
She went to her room alone, conflicted about what she wanted. She’d seen so many sides of Mason tonight. A surprisingly vulnerable one, as well as protector and comforter.
If she wasn’t careful, Mason would steal her heart and she might never get it back.
****
Shannon smiled to herself, imagining Avery’s reaction when she got home. She’d left the note just to fuck with her.
Avery thought she was a do-gooder, doing her duty and protecting others by locking up people. But Mike was only a threat to his enemies, no one else. And his enemies deserved to suffer.
She drove to an empty parking lot along the downtown strip and parked behind a building to eat her takeout dinner, waiting. Plotting. Working out exactly how she was going to pull this next part off.
She glanced in the rearview mirror at the can of gasoline in the back, her heart beating faster. In a few hours she would put it to good use.
Chapter Fifteen
Mason lay flat on his back in Avery’s guest room, staring up at the ceiling. It was almost midnight now. She was asleep in her room, and he’d give just about anything to be in there with her. This entire stalker situation was weighing on his mind. He needed to make sure she was safe.
Lying across the foot of the bed, Ric snorted and rolled onto his side, then dropped right off into doggy dreamland again. Mason gingerly shifted his legs under the covers so as not to disturb him, thinking about Avery and their conversation earlier.
Talking about his past with her had actually been a relief. That terrible event was always with him, even on the good days. The horror of it built and built inside him, and then invariably he’d have an episode. They weren’t as bad or as frequent as they’d been before he got Ric, thankfully. He no longer had nightmares every night, and the panic attacks were rare now.
It was a relief that Avery knew his secrets. He was already falling for her, and refused to let her distance herself now. His previous relationships had never worked out because he’d never clicked with anyone before. Until Avery.
Ric lifted his head and perked his ears. Mason sat up to stroke his head. “Go back to sleep, buddy,” he whispered.
But Ric rolled to his belly and lay there, head cocked as he stared at the door. Then let out a low woof and jumped down to stand in front of it.
Mason’s stomach muscles grabbed. He snatched his pistol from the bedside table and got up, yanking his jeans on. Ric was still poised by the door, ears up. “What did you hear, buddy?” Wasn’t Avery. Ric wouldn’t have been concerned if it was.
He passed a reassuring hand down the dog’s back, then turned the doorknob and stepped out into the hallway. It was dark, the only light coming from the moonlight spilling through the kitchen windows. Ric scampered ahead, running into the kitchen to stand by the door leading to the back deck.
Mason raked his gaze over every corner of the room before turning his attention outside. As soon as he opened the door to the deck, Ric ran out and began sniffing around it.
Mason made his way down the stairs from the deck, weapon ready. The entrance to his suite was undisturbed. He swept around the perimeter of the house next, then came back to check the backyard. Ric was sniffing around the fence line. Mason watched him closely, but the dog didn’t
bark or show other signs of agitation.
“Mason?”
He spun to find Avery coming onto the deck, a pistol in her hands. “Everything’s fine,” he said. She didn’t look scared, she looked ready to kick ass. Her being able to handle herself was one of the sexiest things about her. “Ric heard something, but whatever or whoever it was is gone now.”
She stood at the deck railing and looked around. “You sure?”
“Positive. I’ve checked everything.” But according to Ric, something or someone had definitely been moving around out here.
“Okay.” She lowered the weapon to her side.
He crossed the yard and loped up the steps with Ric bounding after him. Mason stroked the dog’s head. “Good boy.” Then he faced Avery. She looked like an avenging angel standing there with her fiery hair and creamy skin glowing in the moonlight. “I’m going to install some cameras tomorrow,” he said quietly.
“You don’t have to do that. I can hire—”
“I’ll take care of it.”
She nodded slowly. “All right. Thank you.” She sighed and gestured at the open doorway behind her. “Feel like a root beer?’
He smiled a little. “Sure.”
“Good.”
He followed her into the kitchen and locked the door to the deck behind him. She got two bottles of root beer for them from the fridge and returned to the kitchen table. He liked that she hadn’t turned on any lights. The faint moonlight coming in through the glass gave this a surreal quality, made it more intimate.
She unscrewed the tops of both bottles, handed him one and raised her own. “Cheers.”
He touched the neck of his to hers with a soft clink. “Cheers.”
She took a few sips before speaking again. “Is the root beer thing because of your family history?”
“Sort of. Mostly it’s because I know I could be like her.”
Her golden eyes were illuminated by the moonlight slanting across her face. “Your birth mom?”
He nodded. “And after I was released from the hospital, things got bad. I drank way too much, could feel myself slipping into a place I was never going to be able to climb out of if I got in any deeper. That was when I realized I had to cut the booze off completely, and my meds too.”
“You’re not even taking any antidepressants anymore?”
She sounded surprised. “Just a daily furry one.” He rubbed Ric’s head with a fond smile. “Best antidepressant in the world has four paws and a wagging tail.”
“I can believe that.” She angled her head slightly, her lips tilting upward as she looked at him. “Not to sound trite, but I’m really proud of you for overcoming everything you have.”
Her praise warmed him from the inside out. “Yeah? Well, thanks.”
They finished the pop in comfortable silence, sharing glances and smiles every so often. With each minute that passed, the pull between them magnified. He wanted to gather her into his lap and taste the sweetness of the root beer on her tongue, peel that snug T-shirt and her shorts off so he could taste her all over. The other night at the wedding hadn’t been nearly enough.
Avery stood, watching him with a look he couldn’t decipher, but it made his heart thud and his dick harden. “Mason.”
The need to reach for her was so strong he had to curl his fingers into his palms to stop it. “Yeah?”
“Come to bed with me.”
Every muscle in his body drew taut. Staring at her, he slowly rose to his feet. “Be sure this is what you want,” he said in a low voice. He wanted this more than his next breath, but refused to be something she regretted in the morning. “Because I won’t be able to hold back with you.”
She shook her head, the moonlight making her hair glow like flames. “I don’t want you to hold back.”
Mason pulled her close and brought her flush to the front his body, letting her feel every inch of what she did to him. He searched those unearthly golden eyes, anticipation hummed in his blood. Seeing no sign of hesitation from her, he took her face in his hands and found her mouth with his.
Hunger roared through him, so intense it stole his breath. Avery seemed to melt into him, a soft moan spilling from her as he kissed her. Her hands dug into his shoulders, holding on tight.
Mine. She’s mine, dammit.
Mason banded an arm around her hips and hoisted her off the ground. She immediately wrapped her legs around him, stroking her tongue against his. She tasted of sweet root beer and pure need, one that he was going to satisfy completely.
He carried her down the hall to her room and laid her on the bed, the sheets striped with moonlight coming through the blinds above it. Avery made a sound of protest and held onto him when he stood.
“I want you naked,” he rasped out, reaching for the bottom of her shirt. She helped him peel it off her, and a low, dark groan rumbled out of his chest when her breasts were finally bared to him. He pressed her shoulders down flat and cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over the rigid nipples. Tight and candy pink, begging for his mouth.
He bent and took one into his mouth, stroking his tongue across it as he sucked. Avery mewled and arched her back, her hands sliding into his hair. Loving her uninhibited response and that neither of them had to be quiet this time, he played with her other nipple with his fingers, tracking every restless movement she made.
She let go of his head to reach down and push her shorts over her hips. Mason helped her, dragging them off her long legs, then gripped her knees and applied pressure to the insides. “Open for me,” he said, his voice deep as the hunger inside him.
Avery slowly parted her thighs, allowing him to see the tender, flushed folds between her legs. He groaned deep in his chest and stroked his right hand up her inner thigh, the tips of his fingers brushing the soft flesh between.
She sucked in a breath, her legs tensing. Mason pried his eyes from the beautiful place between her thighs and raked his gaze up the length of her naked body to her face. Her cheeks were flushed in the moonlight, her eyes heavy with need.
Holding her gaze, he stroked his fingertips over her folds, his dick throbbing at the way she gasped and bit her lip. Watching. Waiting.
Avery lowered her lashes. He went to his knees beside the bed, ignoring the ache in them as he slid his arms beneath her thighs and lifted her calves over his shoulders. Her abs contracted, drawing his gaze back to the red-gold patch of hair covering her mound, and the succulent, pink flesh he was dying to taste.
Holding her hips, he kissed her stomach, trailing his tongue across that satiny flesh, then licking at the hollow of her hipbone. She squirmed but he held her fast, the need to pin and satisfy her driving him.
Leaning down to kiss that tender, secret place between her legs, he reveled at her liquid moan as he settled his mouth on her and stroked his tongue up the length of her folds. Her fingers dug into his head, urging him on. He licked her, delving deeper, up to tenderly circle the tight bud of her clit. Stroking, caressing, then down to plunge into her warmth.
Avery gasped and clutched him tighter, lifting her hips into his mouth. He wanted her mindless with sensation, drowning in the pleasure he freely gave, while he enjoyed the sweet-tart flavor of her arousal, her shallow breaths.
Over and over he aroused her, licking her clit, then sliding his tongue deep. Lost in her.
“Mason,” she breathed, her thighs trembling on his shoulders. “Please get inside me.”
Yes. This first time he wanted to be buried deep inside her, holding her down so he could stare at her face when he made her shatter.
He closed his lips around her clit, sucked and flicked his tongue tenderly until she was moaning uncontrollably. Wet and swollen and ready.
Shoving his jeans down, he lowered her legs from his shoulders and had just enough blood left in his brain to remember to grab the condom from his wallet before reluctantly lifting his mouth from her core.
Avery was panting, her hands grabbing at his shoulders as she sat up to fuse h
er mouth with his. He plunged his tongue deep, gliding it along hers. Her touch burned like fire as her hands roamed over his chest and down his stomach. The breath exploded from him on a tight hiss when her fist closed around the aching length of his swollen cock.
Ah, God… “Stroke me,” he rasped out, wrapping a hand around hers, caressing himself with her soft palm.
He groaned into her mouth, a shudder ripping through him. Pleasure streaked up his spine, sizzling along every nerve ending. He’d fantasized about this so many times over the past six weeks, but her touch felt even better than he’d imagined.
But he wanted more than her hand around him. He pulled it away and quickly rolled the condom on. She grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him in for a hot, desperate kiss. Mason growled and pressed her down onto the bed, immediately covering her with his weight.
She moaned and wrapped her legs around his, rocking against the ridge of his cock. Mason nipped at the edge of her mouth, her jaw, nibbled and licked his way down her neck and then paused to tease each pointed nipple, his hips rocking slow and sure against her core. Rubbing his length against her swollen clit.
Avery whimpered and brought him even closer, her hips wriggling.
Mason clamped a hand around one to still her, then lifted his head and braced his weight on one forearm. Avery stared up at him in the moonlight, her eyes half-open, heavy with pleasure and need.
His for the taking.
With deliberate slowness he reached up to grab her wrists and pressed them flat on either side of her head, his fingers locking around them. Avery’s eyes opened wider but she didn’t struggle.
“Don’t move,” he grated out. The need for control, the need to possess her, was like a living thing inside him. He held her absolutely still underneath him while he eased into position, the head of his cock nestled against her entrance.
“Mason.” She strained under him. Restless and needy, but not fighting his grip. Making the fire inside him burn hotter.
“Stay still.” He dropped a tender kiss on her parted lips, a thrill running through him as she allowed him to exert his dominance over her.
