Incineration (Heart of Stone)

by Sidebottom, D H

  His eyes moved from the lock of hair to my face “Breath-taking” he whispered huskily and my lips parted to let a wisp of hot air out. His gaze dropped to my mouth again and he leant a little closer to me “The way you made me feel yesterday was…was mind blowing” he was getting closer and his voice was getting lower and huskier “The way you felt around me, the way you tasted on my tongue” he breathed as his mouth hovered over mine.

  Panting heavily I was desperately trying to take control of my dangerous reactions to him “Kade please don…” I never finished the sentence as his lips softly kissed the words away, softly and tenderly moved over mine. His hands slid round to frame my face as he unhurriedly nibbled and sucked my bottom lip.

  My body lit up at his touch, like it was already trained for him and his hands slid softly down my neck as he took me in a firmer kiss, his arousal and need making him hungry for more. He moaned into my mouth when his hand brushed my hard nipples, ready for him and I groaned back when he pinched them over my t-shirt “Jesus Ava, I want to be inside you so bad. I need to feel your heat around me” I whimpered as his words fired up my arousal and I slid my hands into his hair, pulling him aggressively tighter into me “Yes Ava, you own me” he rasped and I bit his lower lip, fiercely. He growled loudly and lifted me onto his lap, pulling me closer, devouring me and claiming me.

  “Shit!!” I heard laughing and voices getting closer and shot off Kades knee and onto the bench as Mason and Kerrie entered the garden

  “Hey, there you are” Mason beamed and I nodded, hoping they didn’t notice my flushed face “I came to see if the fountain was working and Kade was in here nursing his hangover” I laughed. Kerrie rolled her eyes at me and looked at Kade “Feeling better?” she asked and smiled at him “Yeah, sorry. Just one of those days, you know” he murmured and Mason grabbed my waist, lifted me up and took my seat, pulling me down onto his lap.

  I tensed when he nuzzled my neck “God, you smell good” he breathed and I saw Kades face shut down again. I jumped up quickly, noticing Masons frown “Dishes” I said to him, gesturing to the house with my head “Oh no you don’t” Kerrie said as she sat on the other bench, nowhere near Kade I noticed. I scowled at her “You cooked, we clean” I grinned and pulled Mason up “Come on, you can help” he grumbled something illegible and strode off. I rolled my eyes behind his back “I saw that” he grunted and Kerrie laughed “I’ll be up in a bit, I need to have a word with Kade” she said and I nodded “No rush” I stole a quick glance towards Kade and caught his sly smile and I secretly winked at him, inwardly smiling that he seemed to have recovered from Masons words to me.

  Mason and I were sat on the sofa, drinking coffee as Kerrie and Kade came back in. They took the sofa opposite us and I saw the flash of something in Kades eyes.

  “Kade and I have decided to separate” Kerrie said bluntly and I flicked my eyes between them, trying to gauge their feelings “Kades going to look for an apartment tomorrow” she said softly and he placed his hand in hers, squeezing gently and smiling gently at her

  “Is it what you both want?” Mason asked and they both nodded “I’m still gonna stop over when she has her chemo sessions but only if she needs me” Kade said and in that moment my heart swelled out of admiration.

  He was willing to put parts of his life on hold and still care for his estranged wife when she needed him, to me that showed me how unselfish, caring and compassionate he was and I smiled widely at him. I saw the glitter in his eyes of what my smile meant to him

  “I can always take over for a while, if it ever gets too much or you have work or something” I offered and Kerrie tipped her head affectionately at me “You’d do that Ava?” I frowned “Of course I would. You’re like the sister I never had. I would be thrilled to help” the need to explain surged through me “Kerrie; since I was eight I have never had any family of my own. I was shipped from one foster home to another and then I lived on the streets for a few years” I could feel Kades eyes on me and his emotions crackled through the air like electricity “The only family I really had after my parents was my friend Katie” I sighed and Mason grasped my hand and pulled me into him, kissing the top of my head tenderly and I continued “ever since the night of Katie’s…Katie’s death, when George found me I have been blessed with good friends and a surrogate family and I hope…to me you are like a…” I couldn’t get the words out over the damn lump in my throat.

  Kerrie rose and crouched in front of me “I would be privileged and proud for us to be family” she grinned and I grinned back “Thank you” I whispered, feeling a little self-conscious about my feelings “You promise to ring me though if you need me Kerrie” I said and then I turned to Kade “and you Kade” I told him, meaning if he needed a break through Kerries recovery.

  He smiled slyly “Oh don’t worry Ava, I promise to ring you if I need you” he said and Masons hand tightened a smidgen around mine. I shivered at his words and I hoped Mason thought Kade had repulsed me; I wasn’t going to tell him otherwise

  “Kade” Kerrie scolded “That sounded really wrong” she stared at him wide eyed. He seemed to clear his head “Did it? I’m sorry; I just meant I would let Ava know if it got too much, you know too hard” he said as he didn’t bat an eyelid but I read the innuendo in his words and I looked away.

  Mason barked out a laugh “That didn’t sound too innocent either Kade” Kade feigned a frown and then pretended comprehension. His gaze quickly flicked to me and a chuckle left his mouth “Can’t seem to get my tongue round things today” he grinned again. Oh God!! I was going to kill him.

  “Words Kade” Kerrie grinned and he frowned at her “What?” he asked slyly “Words! You said ‘get your tongue round things’ I think you mean ‘get your tongue round words’” she laughed and he pursed his lips “Yeah that too” he laughed but stood “anyway guys. I’m gonna go sort out an apartment”

  He walked over to Mason and patted his back and came to me, bent down and softly kissed my cheek “Thanks for the offer of your services Ava” he said with a twinkle in his eye “Anytime” I said nonchalantly and I noticed his lips twitch. He tipped his head and left the room.

  “Well he seems a bit brighter now” Mason said to Kerrie and she nodded “It’s better this way. It was too hard on both of us, living together but separately” she shrugged but I understood her.

  She leant towards us “To be honest, it’s a relief” she confessed and the little bit of guilt I held about was me and Kade were doing to her lessened a fraction, only a small amount though as the guilt I felt for what I was doing to Mason outweighed everything.

  “You ring me Sis, if you need anything. I was thinking, and don’t take this the wrong way. How about when the chemo kicks in and you start to get really ill, well…why don’t you let me hire a private nurse for you” Kerrie blinked at him “Oh Erm, well I suppose that would solve a lot of problems to be honest” we all nodded, the thought of how her body would react to the poison in her system is not something you want anybody to witness, even those that love you.

  I stretched and rolled my head around my neck “We better get going. I have some paperwork to finish before work tomorrow” I said and stood up and hugged Kerrie “You take care and I mean it, you need anything, you ring me” I made her promise and as Mason hugged and kissed her I caught Kade leaning over the bannister above me.

  He winked and blew me a kiss and I returned the sentiment with a salute against my temple; it was amazing what you could achieve when you weren’t intoxicated. He clapped silently and grinned and I turned and left.

  CHAPTER 45

  The next week flew by and by Friday I was lagging, exhausted and emotionally shattered by my thoughts, guilt and feelings for Kade and as I exited the NSC building at 6pm Friday night I grinned happily at Mason as I climbed in his car.

  He had been driving me to and from work all week, not allowing me anywhere on my own “Hey Baby” I breathed in the smell of him, the simple scent of his familiarity relaxed me
and at the same time lit me up.

  He slid his hand round the back of my head to hold me close to him, not allowing me to escape him and kissed me passionately and hungrily. I kissed him back, my fingers grabbing his hair in need and want. We eventually parted and I had to gasp in a breath “Wow, I missed you too” I smiled and he winked.

  He laughed and pulled out of the car park “Sam wants to talk, he’s coming round later” he said with a quick glance “God, I hope he’s found something” I said optimistically

  “I need to talk to you too” he said with a little tremble in his voice and I frowned “That doesn’t sound good” I laughed nervously “No, well it’s not great news but you asked for honesty in our relationship so I think you ought to know” I was worried now and his expression was telling me he was nervous about his news

  “Okay, tell me” I said, needing to hear what was worrying him “It’s Erm, well Erm…Oh God” he sighed, checking his mirrors to pull into the traffic “Mason, just tell me. You’re worrying me now” I said anxiously. He quickly glanced at me “Okay, I’m just gonna say it” he took a deep breath “Rebecca has a scan on Monday and she wants me to go with her” he winced and my stomach clenched but I was glad that he had told me. I would have been hurt if he hadn’t told me and I found out from someone else, especially Rebecca herself; wouldn’t she have loved that!!

  “Okay, thank you for telling me” I said with my chin high in my determination not to let my pain show.

  He glanced at me again “You okay about it?” he asked and I shrugged “Well, I can’t say I’m happy but it’s your child, so you deserve to be there too” I said, trying to hold back the heartache that ripped through me at the thought of him seeing his first child for the first time, it should have been me and him, not the fuck whore and him.

  As if he sensed my thoughts he settled his hand over mine and grasped it tightly, expertly driving with one hand “I love you Baby and I promise it’ll be us soon” he said tenderly and I nodded but turned to look through the window, batting back the tears and refusing to set them free.

  Sam arrived a little after 8 O’clock and as he walked in I couldn’t ascertain from his expression whether he had good news or not. He gestured for us to sit, so we did. He held a manila file in his hand but didn’t hand it over and he looked at Mason

  “Alex McDowell” he said simply and Mason stiffened and screwed his face up as though in agony. I sat looking between them. Sam sighed and nodded “You better update Ava about Alex” he said and Mason frowned but turned to me

  “A couple of months before I met you, Alex worked for me at the club, he was a doorman. We’d had some complaints about him but to be honest he seemed like an okay sort of bloke at first; Did his job properly, was polite to the customers and never had time off. We had a tip off from someone that Alex was selling coke and E’s to some of the club goers. I had the others keep an eye on him and it came to my attention that he was giving entrance to underage drinkers and supplying the underage girls coke in exchange for…” he glanced at Sam and then looked back at me “For sexual favours” he finished and I sighed but nodded for him to continue “before I had the chance to have a word with him he…” Mason looked away and took a deep breath.

  He seemed torn up by something and I looked at Sam who just shook his head slightly. I waited for Mason to carry on and he looked me in the eye and held me there as he tried again “one night Alex was pretty stoked up on coke and god knows what else, he let a 14 year old girl in and sold her some coke for the usual payment. Alex ended up brutally raping her and strangling her” he closed his eyes with his last words “Oh God!” I breathed. He looked back at me “She was a good friend’s daughter” he revealed, the pain and guilt on his face stole my breath and I grasped his hand tightly “It’s my fault she died” he whispered, agony tearing through him.

  I slid on my knees in front of him “Baby No!” I expressed, my heart breaking for him “Yes Ava. That club and the staff are my responsibility. I was told what he was up to and if I had took it more seriously and ended it…” he swallowed heavily, his eyes were dull and the life in them had burnt out. “I finished him personally; slowly and as fucking painfully as possible” he divulged, the anger and memory of it bringing back the rage and he slammed his fist forcefully on the table

  “Mason! Stop!” he looked away from me, not wanting me to see the disgust and self-loathing in him “Mason, listen to me” he wouldn’t look at me so I placed my hands on his face and turned him to look at me “Did you sell her coke?” I asked and he sat staring at me “Answer me! Did you sell her the coke?” I demanded again “Well no but…” he started but I cut him off “Did you rape her?” I asked, my voice rising with each question “No” he breathed as his eyes bore into my soul “Did you tell Alex to strangle her?” he shook his head this time “Did you know what was happening as he was doing it?” I asked more quietly “No” he choked out and I knelt up and pulled him close, embracing him to me “It wasn’t your fault Mason. Does your friend blame you?” I asked warily and he shook his head “No” he whispered and I tipped his head back to look at me “Then you shouldn’t. You took revenge for his parents, and believe me Mason when I say this. Taking revenge for someone’s death does help to heal the guilt, pain and anger that are trapped inside, and you did that for her parents and for the girl, Baby” he smiled sadly and cupped my face “Thank you” he whispered and I leant forward, brushing my lips over his in a tender kiss that showed him just how much I loved him.

  He sighed heavily and rested his forehead against mine “I love you Baby” he said softly “And me, you”

  He eventually pulled back and looked back at Sam “So what does the fucker who’s after Ava have to do with Alex?” he questioned and Sam looked at me “Sit back down Ava” he said and I frowned but sat back down on the sofa and Sam sat opposite, his forearms resting on his thighs as he leant towards us “Five months before you finished him, Alex was reunited with a brother he didn’t know he had. They shared the same father, who apparently hadn’t known about him and after his mother had him she gave him up for adoption. However things didn’t go great for him and he ended up being fostered throughout his life until he was 18” I stiffened at the words, my heart was beating loudly in my chest and Mason frowned “So what has this got to do with Ava?” he asked, puzzled.

  Sam sighed and slapped the file on the table “Alex’s brother is Lee Benedict” he said to me.

  My eyes widened and I stood up “Holy Fuck” I gasped. Mason turned to me “Ava?” I paced over to the wall and leaning on it, took a few deep breaths and then turned to Mason “Lee was the lad that lived in the foster house. The one who violently raped me every night for six months until I ran away” Masons eyebrows hit his hairline “Jesus Christ” he hissed “Yep” said Sam “and it looks like the bloke wants revenge for his brother’s death and what better an opportunity for him than with Ava, the woman you love and the girl he spent part of his life cruelly tormenting and torturing”

  Mason walked over to me and pulled me into his arms “We’ll get him Ava, I promise” he said into my hair “I’ve got people looking for him” Sam said and I smiled at him “Thank you Sam” I said sincerely and he smiled “No problem Ava, I’ll just be glad when we get the bastard” he said as he walked towards the door.

  “Right I’m off to watch Ava’s school rendition of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ ” he winked and my eyes widened and my jaw dropped “Where the hell did you get that?” I asked gobsmacked. He laughed loudly “Hey, you gave me permission…remember?” he laughed again as I picked up a scatter cushion and threw it at him “You dare show that to Mason and I will never speak to you again” I snarled. He laughed wickedly

  “What part did you play Baby?” Mason chuckled and Sam snorted “Isn’t it obvious Mase?” he chuckled and I scowled at him “The wicked witch” he howled as he shot through the door “You bastard” I shouted after him as Mason laughed and picked me up, slung me over his shoulder and c
arried me upstairs “Come and show me just how fucking wicked you are baby” he said, giving me his Sex God smile.

  The next morning Mason woke me early with a tray of coffee, freshly squeezed juice, toast and croissants. I shuffled back against the headboard “Wow, what have I done to deserve this?” I asked, yawning “Because I love you and you love me” he said softly, stretching out beside me.

  Something seemed different about this morning, the twinkle and life in his eyes had dulled and his shoulders seemed tenser.

  I kissed him and then took a gulp of coffee, shuddering at the taste, Mason wasn’t kidding when he told me he couldn’t make it as well as me but I smiled appreciatively. He chuckled “You don’t have to pretend it’s good coffee Ava” he climbed off the bed and walked towards the bathroom, stripping out of his jogging bottoms and shorts as he went. I drooled, and not from the smell of the breakfast

  “You have a mighty fine ass Mr Fox” I groaned “Hurry up and eat your breakfast Miss Stone, I have a surprise for you” he shouted as he switched on the shower “Oh?” I shouted around a mouthful of buttery croissant “Uh huh” he mumbled and I jumped up from the bed and stood in the bathroom doorway “Tell me” I said excitedly.

  He shook his head slowly, a twinkle lit his eyes and I strolled towards him slowly “Mason” I purred as I placed my hands on his chest, and my eyes strolled there too. God, he was so hot! I licked my lips and saw his cock twitch to life. I trailed a finger across to his nipple and circled it gently, it puckered under my touch “Tell me Baby” I pouted, looking up at him through my eyelashes “Ava, don’t be naughty” he hissed as my tongue swept across the other nipple and my hand slid down to grasp his erection. I stroked my finger along the length of him and swirled it over the head as I bit gently on his nipple “Jesus” he groaned and my mouth planted little kisses over his pecs, down his strong defined abdomen and through his man trail.