by Haley Travis
“You don’t mind that I dress like a finger painting, and always wear animals?”
He picked up my tiny silver seagull necklace, making an extremely lame attempt at imitating the bird’s cry while I giggled.
“I love that you’re playful,” he said softly. “I don’t know how to do that. But I want to learn,” he looked into my eyes, and I melted, “for you.”
It was too soon. There was so much more to learn about Mason. But love was already creeping in the back door of my heart, tiptoeing around, and looking for a place to get comfortable.
“I never knew what I wanted in a boyfriend before,” I confessed. “But I can’t believe the way I feel around you.”
He placed my necklace back against my throat, then trailed his fingers down to cup my breast again. “Emily, I’ve never had a woman I wanted to spoil before. You’re going to tell me if I go too far, right?”
“I don’t care about material things,” I said, snuggling closer against him. “It’s the other things that I think I want.”
Mason stared into my eyes, then nodded slowly. “I want that too, as soon as you’re ready.”
The only thing preventing me from answering at once was the giant lump in my throat.
“I think I am.”
10
_____
Mason
My head was spinning. I craved Emily more than I craved coffee. Having such a stunning woman under my roof and in my arms was incredible, but I had to make sure that she understood this wasn’t simply physical urges.
Taking her hand, I led my lovely girl slowly upstairs, allowing her to take a good look at my home on the way up to the master bedroom.
“You know when you mentioned something about those psychological studies, and planting the seed of likability before you need it?” I asked.
“Yes, why?”
“I’d like you to think about what changes you’ll make to this house when you live here,” I said softly, opening my bedroom door. “Unlimited budget to redecorate and rearrange things however you like when it’s your home too.”
“Mason, I don’t know if–”
Standing in the center of the room, I put my finger to her lips as I faced her. “Planting the seed,” I murmured. “Something to think about for the future.”
She looked up at me, blinking those lovely eyes slowly as she pondered. “Is it strange that you’re thinking about our future already?”
I shook my head. “Not to me. I’ve always planned ahead. But I never had any idea what sort of relationship I wanted, so that part was never planned at all. Now that I know precisely what I want, I can start planning everything else.”
Her gaze traveled around the room slowly. “You don’t seem to like bright colors, but maybe a bit of blue in here,” she said.
I unfastened the top three buttons of my shirt, watching her eyes as she stared. Watching her contemplate adapting my space to her liking was encouraging.
“Emily, I don’t want to do anything you’re not ready for. But I would absolutely love to make you feel incredible. May I do that?”
She nodded, as her teeth sunk into her bottom lip.
“If you only knew how sexy you are,” I murmured, bending down to grip the bottom of her dress. I pulled it up slowly, lifting her arms toward the ceiling. I took in each section of her body slowly, starting with her blue-tipped toes that were adorably pointing inward a little bit. As she stood before me in her light pink bra and panties, my loud exhale left me empty.
That pale, silky skin. Her lush, soft curves.
Before I realized I was touching her, my hands were gripping her hips, skimming up her sides to cup her breasts. The satisfying weight in my hands sent a wave of lust through me, stiffening my shaft until it strained against the front of my pants.
“You’re so hot, angel,” I muttered, pulling her against me for a deep kiss. “Too sweet and precious for me, but I’m a greedy man.”
Unfastening her bra, I slipped the straps down her shoulders then tossed it aside. I laid her across the bed, her peachy skin light and fresh against the dark gray duvet.
“I can’t believe that you’re greedy for me,” she whispered, reaching out to take my arm as I lay down beside her.
Her luscious breasts were absolutely incredible. Soft, but firm, with small dark nipples. Pulling one into my mouth, her moan turned into a gasp as I carefully raked my teeth across the surface.
“The problem with you, angel,” I rasped, kissing across to the other side, “Is that you’re both sexy and cute. It’s just too much for me to take.”
After licking and sucking both breasts until she was quivering, I kissed lower, circling her stomach. For a split second, I imagined what she would look like someday, round with my child, picking crayon-colored furniture for our nursery.
As I moved lower, her thighs trembled and her hips shifted. Kissing my way back up to her lips, I forced myself to lean back so that my much larger body wasn’t looming over her.
I tilted her head back, staring into her eyes. “Emily, do you want me to stop?”
She shook her head. “No. I want…” I loved the way she would laugh for just a few seconds. “I don’t even know what I want, except…everything. You.”
My mouth crashed down on hers, stealing her laughter, stealing her breath.
Her hands wrapped around my shoulders as she gasped. Her little noise liquefied my insides, making my lust spread throughout my body. My hand slid around the side of her breast, then down her side to glide against the outside of her panties.
“I want every inch of you, my angel,” I murmured. “Tell me you’re mine.”
Dragging my fingertips through her crease, the fabric was soaked straight through.
Emily’s breath caught in her throat as she nodded up at me desperately. “I’m yours.”
As I stripped off her last item of clothing, she lifted her hips to help me, then parted her thighs so my hand could caress her softest skin.
Gliding her lips against mine, my fingertips slowly lingered along her most delicate skin, tracing every little dip and fold. Her moans against my lips became louder as I parted her flesh, dipping my middle finger into her entrance very slightly.
Even though I was certain, I needed to hear it. “Emily, has any man ever touched you here?”
Her eyes squeezed shut as she blushed faintly. “No.”
“Is my beautiful girl going to come for me?”
Her mouth fell open, as she nodded.
Moving down, I settled between her legs, spreading her thighs wide. Jesus Christ. I knew she was perfect, but this was almost too much to take. Every peachy pink curve was a work of art.
Staring at her in wonder, I leaned down, hooking her legs over my shoulders as I breathed her in. Flattening my tongue against her skin, I lapped straight through her center, her soft wails echoing around us.
Just when I thought the moment couldn’t be any more thrilling, Emily spread her legs even wider, shifting her hips up, clearly begging for my touch.
“Are you mine, angel?”
“Yes,” she said quickly.
“Tell me what you want.”
She looked down at me with that saucy fire in her eyes. “More.”
11
_____
Emily
Finally feeling like an adult was nothing compared to feeling like a woman.
The way Mason touched me, it felt like he was worshiping my skin. The searing heat as his eyes locked with mine sent spikes of desire through every nerve.
With my knees around his ears and his tongue dipping through my sex, I was absolutely helpless – at the mercy of all the wild new feelings overtaking me.
Watching a man who was usually nothing but chilly and businesslike suddenly lose his mind as he tasted my body was incredibly powerful.
“Mine.” His deep growl made me whimper. Dragging his tongue through my folds, I quivered around him. “You taste like heaven,” he murmured, twisting his head to
nibble along my inner thigh.
“Oh!” I squealed, gripping the back of his head.
“Good girl,” he muttered. “You pull my lips where you want them, angel.”
The devilish light in his eyes was absolutely hypnotizing. Swimming in desire, I’d have happily drowned in his raw lust.
My pulse was icy fire, pounding through my veins as the tip of his tongue swirled around my tiny button. His huge hand slipped underneath me, gripping my ass roughly to hold me in place.
“Mason,” I whispered, feeling a strange power from his adoration, “I’ve never felt this much before.”
“Relax, gorgeous,” he said more gently, as his thick middle finger teased my entrance. “I just want to make you come, angel. That’s all. Can you do that for me?”
The desire to do absolutely anything he wanted was a magnetic pull centered in my chest. “Yes,” I whispered.
Staring into his eyes as his finger slipped inside me was the most intimate moment of my life, and I wanted it to go on forever. But then he began circling his tongue around and across my sensitive little nub again, and I realized I was about to explode.
Gripping his hair tightly, my hips rolled, grinding shamelessly against his mouth. I couldn’t stop. I wanted him to control me. He was such an expert at controlling so much, but having Mason center all of his attention on me was somehow deviant.
The heat tightening my core began circling, growing, as if it were going to consume me from the inside out.
As my heart thundered and danced, I stared into Mason’s unusual eyes. The gold streak across the green reminded me that perhaps we were inevitable.
I didn’t need that sign to point out that he was already the love of my life.
As his finger slipped in and out with incredible gentleness, I could feel that he loved me. Such care, such attention, with only the slightest bit of playful aggression. This man was a beast, behaving like a kitten so that he didn’t make me nervous.
Somehow Mason seemed to know precisely what I needed, holding his tongue flat against my clit, moving up and down in a slow grind.
“Yes,” I moaned, as my belly began to tremble. “Mason…”
He responded with a soft growl, the vibration hurtling me over the edge. My whining squeal filled the air around us as the climax hit me hard and deep, shaking me from head to toe. Blind with pleasure, I moaned his name over and over, losing myself in my overwhelming need for him.
Blinking wildly, I caught my breath as Mason kissed his way up my body to capture my lips. Somehow, I felt bonded to him. Complete.
“Wow,” I whispered.
Mason looked even more pleased than when he’d won those new clients. “Mmm. You’re absolutely delicious, angel,” he murmured, kissing across my forehead.
Standing up, he stripped off his shirt and pants, as I stared in disbelief.
I had no idea how he managed to be sculpted like an athlete. My mouth actually watered as I took in his powerful thighs, rippled abs, and shoulders that looked like he was ready to pull a tree trunk out of the ground.
He left his black boxer briefs on as he came back to bed, pulling me under the covers with him.
Placing my palms on his chest, I slowly glided them across his flesh, feeling every ripple along his ribs and stomach before going lower. Mason grabbed my wrists, placing my hands back up on his shoulders.
“I want you so badly, Emily,” he murmured softly. “But I won’t rush you. I want you for forever, not just for this weekend. I can wait.”
Snuggling against him, I knew that he was being sensible. How strange that his self control, while being admirable and pure, was also frustrating.
He turned off the light, holding me gently in his strong arms. “You feel perfect against me,” he whispered.
The way his lips gravitated to mine felt so natural. How could I have managed to survive so long without this feeling? Now that I had it, I was never going to let it go.
“Mason?” I whispered.
“Yes, angel?”
I hesitated, not sure how to ask such a strange question. “Why me?” I turned slightly to look into his eyes, even though the light was dim. “I mean, I know I asked you this earlier, and I”m really not fishing for compliments, but...you could have any woman you want. What made you notice me?”
Thank goodness I was lying down, because his giant smile would have made my knees buckle.
“Emily, precious, there are so many things. You’re gorgeous beyond belief, obviously, but it’s so much more than that.”
His palm slipped down my side to cup my butt gently. “It’s the way you fit against me so perfectly. The way you kiss exactly the way I want. You’re wickedly smart, but light and playful.”
His hand trailed slowly back up my body to rest against my heart. “You feel this, don’t you?”
“Yes. It’s just so much, so fast. Is that normal?”
His deep chuckle made the bed quiver. “Nothing about the two of us is normal.”
He paused, tenderly brushing the hair back. “I’m going to have to tell your dad that I’m the man in your life now,” he said seriously. “That’s going to be an interesting discussion.”.
“Let’s not think about that right now,” I said quickly.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. Just sleep, and dream of all of the colors that you’re going to bring into this house someday.”
As I drifted off, Mason’s fingers trailed along my cheek, my shoulder, my arm, as if he couldn’t stop touching me. As if he was memorizing every inch of my body. As if he were making me his.
12
_____
Mason
My internal alarm went off at five-thirty like it always did, but for the first time, I didn’t jump out of bed and throw on my gym clothes.
Reaching out for my phone, I turned the ringer off, so that Emily wouldn’t be disturbed. She felt so perfect, her soft body clinging to mine as she breathed deeply. Allowing myself a good twenty minutes to simply enjoy being close to her, I finally slipped out of bed.
Picking up her clothing from where I had tossed it everywhere, I draped it over a chair, smiling to myself at the lavender dress being such a pretty spot of color in my monochromatic room.
Instead of my regular gym clothes, I pulled on a pair of faded black jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Leaving the door open, I figured Emily would find her way back to the kitchen when she smelled coffee.
Normally I had my housekeeper Sheila leave prepared food for me for my next day’s breakfast. But since I didn’t know what Emily liked, I’d sent Sheila a text, requesting that she take the weekend off once she had set out last night’s dinner.
I looked around the space with a critical eye. Most people had brightly-colored kitchens, filled with plants and personal touches like a bowl of lemons or a frog that holds the pot scrubber.
My home looked clinical. Sterile. Like it was ready for a snobby magazine photoshoot. It wasn’t an appropriate place for my lovely, vibrant new girlfriend to hang out, much less live in.
Wanting Emily to be comfortable in this space, I sent a few detailed emails before putting the kettle on.
My life had become uneven. I read extensively on business advancements, investments, managing teams, and growing one’s empire. I’d never sat down to think about my personal life. I hadn’t made any space for it. There had been no reason to, up till now.
I ground the smoky dark roast Colombian beans, then prepared a simple pour over in the large carafe. Pulling out my laptop at the kitchen table, I lost myself in work for a few hours.
It was just past nine when I heard a sweet voice from the doorway. “I knew you could make your own coffee.”
Somehow she’d found the only two colored pieces of clothing I owned – an old pair of greenish gray track pants, and a bright teal t-shirt from my college days. Her wavy hair was slightly askew, giving her an adorable rumpled look.
I darted over to pull Emily into a deep, sultry kiss. Her
lips parted for me so naturally, wanting more, as I held our bodies completely together for every single inch of contact.
“Good morning,” I growled, my first words of the morning sounding scratchy . Her eyes widened at the lower tone. I’d have to remember that.
“It’s a bit early for a Saturday,” she smiled.
