A Game of COURAGE

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A Game of COURAGE Page 6

by Lena Hart


  Eventually, he pulled away and cupped her cheek. She held his penetrating gaze as he stroked the pads of his thumb along her jaw.

  “Thank you.”

  Jules tilted her head slightly. There were several ways she could interpret that, but she decided to just let it be, and gave him another quick kiss on the lips.

  “Hurry back.”

  6

  Mason turned the page of the book and read out the final passage.

  “‘At the foot of the hill, Mowgli waved to Mother and Father Wolf. Though he never saw his wolf parents again, he did not forget the jungle he came from and the animals he first loved.’” Mason closed the dense picture book on his lap. “The end.”

  Madison shifted where she lay nestled at his side. “Daddy, I don’t like this story.”

  He stared down at his daughter’s large hazel eyes, her expression grave. “What part didn’t you like?”

  “The last part. Why does Mowgli need to find another family in the human village? Why can’t he live with his jungle family forever and ever?”

  She had a point. He wouldn’t have chosen such a bittersweet ending for a children’s story, but tried to help his daughter understand.

  “Because he’s a human, sweetie. It’s okay for people to have two families.”

  “But his wolf mommy and daddy will miss him. That makes me sad.”

  Mason leaned down and kissed the worry from her brow. “Don’t be sad. Mowgli just wants to find a family who is just like him.”

  But instead of comforting her, his words only brought tears to her eyes. “Does that mean Jeremy will find another family like him?”

  “Of course not. Jeremy is special in his own way. Just like you’re special in your own way. But that is what makes our family special and perfect for each other.”

  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and smiled. “Like the Incredibles?”

  “Exactly,” he said, not certain who she was referring to, but it seemed to make her happy.

  Her smile widened before she turned and began to pull the book open. “Can we read another story, Daddy?”

  Mason glanced at the time and shook his head. “Sorry, sweetie. It’s already past your bedtime.”

  “Please!”

  She pouted, and he couldn’t resist that face. He turned the pages to one of her favorite princess stories and began to read. He was halfway through the story before he realized she had fallen fast asleep.

  He placed the book on the nightstand, then carefully extracted himself from the narrow bed. She settled onto her side as he tucked the covers around her. Strands of her thick auburn curls escaped her plaits, and he brushed them behind her ear, marveling at how much she was starting to resemble Jules.

  It was jolting to think that not too long ago they had brought their tiny bundle of a daughter home from the hospital. Now she was about to enter preschool. Before he knew it, there wouldn’t be any more bedtime stories.

  Mason left her bedroom, leaving the soft night-light glowing. Though Jules had put Jeremy to bed, Mason still went across to his son’s room to check in on him. He’d had a meltdown earlier that had unnerved them all. Luckily, Mason had gotten home in time to help Jules and Carrie calm him down. After, Jeremy had retreated into his room and had remained under his blanket for the rest of the day.

  Mason entered his room, and as he suspected, his son was under his covers, a soft glow of light shining through. He walked around a clutter of toy cars and action figures to get to the bed. Mason tugged at the canopy of sheets and found Jeremy with his tablet, his earbuds firmly in place.

  “Time for bed, Jeremy,” Mason said, tugging off the earbuds.

  Jeremy grabbed them and stuffed them back into his ears. “Panda babies,” he said, pointing at his tablet.

  From what Mason could tell, it looked like a documentary about the black-and-white bears.

  “You can finish watching it tomorrow.”

  “Giant panda.” Jeremy pointed at the screen again.

  “I see,” Mason said, reaching for the device. “But it’s getting late.”

  Jeremy tightened his hold around it. “Finish!”

  Instead of getting into a tug of war over the thing, Mason let it go. “You want to finish watching?”

  Jeremy nodded enthusiastically.

  “All right, if I let you finish it, you have to promise to go right to bed. No complaints. Okay?”

  Jeremy returned his attention to the tablet. Undeterred, Mason cupped his chin and turned him back to face him.

  “Jeremy, you’re going to finish the program and then go right to bed. Okay?”

  He nodded, then quickly pulled away. Suddenly, he laughed at something on the screen.

  “Bamboo!” He began flicking his fingers with excitement and repeated the word with emphasis. “Bammmbooo.”

  Usually, anything panda related excited him. Mason couldn’t pinpoint when the fixation had started, but he would never forget what his son had told him when he had asked about his deep passion for the endangered animals.

  “They’re shy,” Jeremy had said. “Like me.”

  Mason retreated from his son’s bedroom, knowing there was a fifty-fifty chance Jeremy would follow his directive and go right to bed afterward. But it was hard for him to deny his kids the things that made them happy.

  Besides, he enjoyed spoiling them. They were his everything, and when it came down to it, his family was more important than anything. He just did a poor job of showing that.

  Unthinking, he made his way to his bedroom. Though he had already moved his things into the guest room, the action was instinctive. It wasn’t until he neared the door that he remembered his vow to give his wife space. Even if that meant sleeping in separate beds for a while—a decision he was beginning to regret.

  He started to turn back, but caught a glimpse of her inside, through the small opening of the door. She sat on the edge of the wide bed, her face clear of makeup and her hair tied in a bun at the top of her head. With her thin nightgown hiked up and her leg bent high, she applied a generous amount of cream along her smooth brown skin. She continued to run her hands up to her toned, shapely thighs, completely oblivious of him watching.

  He had seen her do this countless times, and every time it did something to him. Even now his body responded to the erotic sight of her bare, sleek legs. He had felt the same heat earlier, after their deeply passionate kiss in his car. It may have been her taste or the way she had responded to him, but something about that kiss had felt unrestrained and generous.

  And he had loved every moment of it.

  Suddenly, she glanced up and caught his eye. Mason cleared this throat, trying to mask his embarrassment at being caught gawking at his wife.

  “The kids are all in bed now,” he said, pushing the door open further.

  “Good.” She dipped her fingers into the jar again and moved on to the next leg. “They almost never go down this easy.”

  Her hands moved down her other bare leg, and his gaze followed her every movement. Watching her like this set fire to his senses, and his cock twitched in his pants.

  Before he could stop himself, Mason found himself walking fully into the bedroom. The fragrance from her body wash held a hint of honey, and as he neared the foot of the bed, her warm, sweet scent reached his nostrils. He breathed in deeply. Standing this close did nothing to ease his erection.

  “How did your meeting with Steven go today?”

  “Fine. I explained what happened and that was that.”

  Steven had also taken the time to chew him out for slugging the journalist, but it wasn’t anything Mason couldn’t handle. They anticipated the league slapping him with a hefty fine over it, too. That was something Mason was prepared to pay and be done with it.

  “I’m glad that’s handled. Now we can get back to that date we were planning.”

  “Already on it,” he said. “I was able to get us a seven o’clock reservation for tomorrow night at La Bouff�
��s seafood grill.”

  She reached for the skin cream, her smile wide and captivating. “Then that just leaves me to find a place for us to burn off those calories.”

  The corner of his lips lifted. “I can think of some other ways we can burn calories.”

  He meant for it to be teasing, but when she stilled and looked up at him, her lips slightly parted, he recognized the mounting desire in her. He didn’t tear his gaze from hers when he moved closer to the bed and sat beside her.

  Mason took the jar from her hand and dipped his fingers into it. “Here. Let me.”

  He rubbed the light cream between his palms before spreading them over her bent knee and down her smooth thigh. She braced her hands on the bed as he continued to slowly glide his hands along her smooth leg. He let one hand drift higher until his fingers brushed against her bare crotch.

  She gasped, her fingers clutching at the sheets beneath her, but still she didn’t pull away. Holding her gaze, he inched his fingers deeper until he pressed against her swollen nub. She inhaled sharply and bit down on her lip. Mason shifted closer and began to lightly rub her clit in slow, deliberate circles.

  Her hips thrust forward, as if seeking more of his touch. Giving in to her silent demand, he pressed his finger firmly against her delicate flesh and continued his tortuously slow caress. The feel of her was enough to drive him crazy. His cock strained against his pants as her slick warmth began to pool around his finger.

  The subtle roll of her hips became insistent, and her soft bud continued to bloom under his finger. He applied more pressure to her taut flesh, his strokes becoming swift and demanding. She let her head fall back and released another low moan.

  Leaning forward, Mason pressed a kiss against her exposed throat. She brought her hand to his head, her fingers gripping his hair and holding him to her. He sucked on her delicate skin, until a series of soft whimpers escaped her.

  Suddenly, her head flew forward and her hand moved to clutch at his shoulder. Her thighs trembled then clamped around his hand, and he knew she neared her peak. But he continued with his relentless caress, not letting up until she had completed melted.

  With one final stroke, she released a sharp gasp and fell apart in his arms. Mason captured her lips with his, swallowing her soft moans of pleasure until she began to slowly ease against him. Her hand curved around his neck as he continued to move his mouth over hers hungrily, his need for her becoming unbearable.

  “Mommy?”

  That small voice was like a dash of cold water. Mason jerked his hand from between her legs, and Jules instantly pushed away from him.

  “I had another accident,” Madison said, standing nervously by the door.

  Jules jerked down her nightgown and scrambled out of bed. Mason glanced down at their daughter and saw the wetness that spread down the front of her pajamas.

  “It’s okay, sweetie.” Jules pulled on her robe and started toward Madison. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  “She’s wetting the bed?”

  Jules took Madison’s hand and nodded briskly. Why was he only now learning about this?

  “When did this start?”

  “A few weeks ago. It’s not every day.”

  “I’m sorry, Daddy,” Madison whispered.

  “Don’t be sorry, baby. You did nothing wrong.”

  “Mason, can you grab me some fresh sheets?” Jules asked over her shoulder as she led Madison to the bathroom.

  While Jules got their daughter cleaned up, he flipped the mattress and changed the sheets. He knew he had nothing to worry about. Kids wet the bed all the time. And if it had been serious enough, Jules would have told him about it.

  Or had she mentioned this before?

  Mason tightened his lips as he gathered the soiled sheets, accepting that he was more oblivious to what was going on in his home than he cared to admit.

  7

  “Your table is ready, Mr. Courage. Please follow me.”

  Mason placed his hand on the small of Jules’ back and followed the host to a private section of the restaurant. He could feel the eyes following them as they walked past. The lighting was low in the restaurant, so he could only hope that the undue attention was because his wife looked stunning in her mustard-yellow dress—and not because their divorce announcement was all the local media could seem to focus on.

  The host sat them at their table and slid two menus in front of them. “Your waitress will be right with you. Enjoy,” he said before hurrying away.

  “This place is beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Mason glanced around the upscale restaurant, admiring the rich and vibrant colors of the classic yet trendy French-Creole décor. They were certainly given the privacy he had requested when he’d made the reservation, and some of his initial tension began to fade. They hadn’t been out in public together since the divorce announcement. Thankfully, it appeared to have become old news.

  He returned his gaze back to his beautiful wife and smiled at the delight on her face. There was no question she was beautiful tonight. The dress appeared new, and it hugged her lithe curves, making her smooth brown skin glow under the dim lighting. Her long, dark hair fell down her back, and her face had only a hint of makeup.

  He found her beautiful whether she was glamorously made up or lounging in her pajamas. Tonight, however, she was breathtaking.

  “What?”

  He shook his head and grinned. “You look very beautiful tonight. I guess I can’t seem to focus on anything else.”

  She playfully batted her lashes and smiled bashfully. “Stop it. You’re making me blush.”

  “Good. You’re even prettier when you do.”

  “All right, sweet talker. Save some of that for later.”

  There was a teasing glint in her gold-brown eyes, and he couldn’t be sure if she was thinking what he was. Did “later” mean they would continue where they had left off last night? They hadn’t discussed it after—or what it meant for their temporary sleeping arrangements—but he was ready to revive that part of their marriage whenever she was.

  Reaching across the table, he took her hand and laced their fingers together. “About last night—”

  “Welcome to La Bouff’s. I’m Tamie. I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

  After putting in their drink orders, their waitress returned to take their orders, and just as quickly she was gone again. An awkward silence fell between them as Jules kept her eyes averted. She busied herself, carefully placing the cloth napkin on her lap, and it suddenly dawned on him that she was nervous. It didn’t take much for him to realize why.

  She didn’t want to talk about last night.

  “So,” he began, reaching for his glass, “how’s the planning for the Family Fun Day coming along?”

  If she didn’t want to talk about it, they wouldn’t talk about it.

  “Pretty good,” she said, her shoulders visibly relaxing. “Actually, better than good. I’m really surprised at how well things are going, considering this is our first year planning something like this.”

  “I’m not surprised. You’re great at this stuff.”

  “Yeah, but I’m used to just sitting on a board. I’ve never put together anything this large-scale. I’m thinking of all the things that could go wrong, and it freaks me out.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s going to be great.”

  For all the years he had known her, community service had been a big part of her life. Before the sashes and crowns, she had been involved in fundraising and other charitable activities. Now, she sat on the board of several local nonprofit organizations. Though she had stepped away from the pageant industry, she still continued to use her platform to make a difference in people’s lives. That included arranging a day of fun for children with autism and their families.

  “Besides,” he added, “it sounds like that program director you hired has a lot of experience in putting together these kinds of events.”

 
She arched a brow. “How do you know what kind of experience Whitney has?”

  He grinned. “I listen.”

  “And I’m impressed,” she teased, taking a sip of her cocktail. “Will you be able to come to it?”

  “Of course,” he said, trying not to take offense. Had she honestly expected him to miss out on being with his kids? “It’s for the family, so why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I just thought you might have training camp starting then,” she rushed out, appearing duly contrite.

  “Training doesn’t start until mid-September, and this is happening on Labor Day weekend, right?”

  She nodded. “Yes. It’s on that Saturday.”

  “Then I’ll be there. I believe the Cup will be delivered to me that day, but I’ll confirm.”

  Her eyes widened. “The actual championship Cup?”

  “Yeah. It’s tradition for everyone on the team to spend a day with it.”

  “What are we supposed to do with it?”

  “Whatever we want.”

  “We’ll think of something special. And I’m sure the kids will love having it around.” With a soft smile, she reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “You must be excited. I know how much you’ve wanted this.”

  Jules was his wife, and she knew how much he had wanted to win the trophy that had been just out of his grasp twice before. But he wasn’t simply excited. He was honored. He was now part of this extraordinary moment where a team of underdogs—those many had written off as too inexperienced and unruly to ever win—had shocked the country and taken home the prize. It no longer mattered that he hadn’t won it as a player. The deep satisfaction he felt was still the same.

  They had made their city proud.

  He could only hope he had made his father proud, too.

  “I thought you said this place was a nightclub?”

  “I thought it was too,” Jules said, leaning against her husband’s side. “I guess we came too early?”

  She glanced around the dark club, taking another sip of her cocktail. The venue was more of a place to drink and lounge then dance, but the atmosphere was still sultry and sexy enough for her to want to stay. She would have been content to dance to the slow, mellow music playing from the speakers, if there had been space to do so. Then again, with Mason’s arm wrapped behind her and his hard body pressed against hers, she was happy right where she was.

 

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