by Linzi Basset
“Damn you,” she cursed. “Please.” Rachel gasped as a surge of ecstasy washed over her at the primal expression in his eyes when the word left her lips. She squeezed her pussy around his tumescence. “Please-please-please.”
His lust exploded in a violent passion that threatened to drown them. His hand was hard and rough as he held her hips in place while the other kept her hands pinned above her head. He pulled back slowly and with a growl of pleasure, he began to pound into her.
He plundered her harder, now lost in the tentacles of desire that had taken control of his body and mind. Her cries echoed through the cavernous kitchen. She spurred him on, bucking and thrashing wildly against him. She wanted to be possessed as much as she needed to conquer. His groans were the tenor to her soprano, as their cries wed in a cacophonous duet of euphoria—as wild and temerarious as their copulation.
It was over as quickly as it had started. Their climax ripped through them violently, entrenching the emotions deep in their cores.
“You’re mine now, Rachel. To protect, care and love. Don’t forget that, luv.”
Chapter Nine
Rachel felt the angst overwhelm her. She’d been in the maze for hours. Every path she’d tried had taken her right back to where she’d started. Her brow furrowed in confusion. How was it possible? Why couldn’t she find the way out? It had been hours already and she couldn’t figure the route to the exit. It was the same maze she’d been trapped in many times before. She’d always managed to find a way out but this time, it was like green walls were closing in on her, choking her.
“You will drive this car, Rachel. I will not allow you to have us appear like fools. It’s a sign of our status in the community.”
“I don’t live with you, Father. What does it matter what I drive? I prefer my VW bug. It’s ―”
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Rachel swallowed hard and held back the tears. She’d hardly seen her parents since she’d moved in with Nana and when she did, all she got was more of the same.
“Just look at you, girl. You—”
“Rachel! My fucking name is Rachel. Not child. Not girl. RACHEL. Do you hear me? I have an identity. I’m me. Rachel Melinda Cooper.”
She could feel herself hyperventilating. She forced deep, gulping breaths through her lips, filling her lungs with much needed oxygen.
“Rachel,” the deep, soothing tones reached her. It calmed her immediately.
Then he was there, walking toward her with his easy swagger, his tall, muscled frame, taut. The smile he gave her invited trust. It was so genuinely sweet that unexpected warmth rushed through her.
Rachel could just stare at him as he came closer. His long strides carried him through the maze into the sunlit path, where she stood quivering. His smile widened.
He beckoned her. “Come to me,” he said with a seductive grin. She wrapped her fingers into his loose silk shirt, her heart flooded with relief as she felt his warmth penetrate her chilled body. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel alone. He was there. Her savior, her guide into the light.
“Rachel? Sweetie, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”
Mason’s voice penetrated her sleep riddled mind. Her eyes fluttered open to find him leaning over her. He was watching her with concern in his eyes. His fingers tenderly brushed the hair from her face. He was wearing the same sweet smile she’d just seen in her dreams.
“How many people are awake, Mason? Really awake? How many people sleep through their entire lives? Like I have, albeit unconsciously, up to this point.”
“Sweetie, I don’t know what’s bothering you but I’m here. I’ll always be here for you. All you need to do is reach out and I’ll be there; whenever you may need me.”
Rachel brushed her fingers over his brow, gently tracing the strong lines of his face, the curve of his full lips.
“It’s what fear does to people. It’s easier to hide in the arms of Morpheus than to face the emotional demons that keep pushing you into the ground, time and again,” she sighed in thought.
She molded her supple body against Mason’s taut frame. After the explosive encounter in the kitchen, he’d helped her dress and brought her home with him. There had been no need to ask, she’d been acquiescent since the first please had fallen from her lips. The night had been more than she’d ever expected. He’d twisted her body like a limp noodle for hours at end, until she’d begged for mercy. She was amazed by his zealous passion that seemed to increase with every passing hour.
“I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So, I used to believe in fairies, myths, and dragons. Sometimes I would lose myself in imaginary tales to find happiness. I believed that it’s the only place it will ever exist—in my mind.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as here and now? It certainly has been in my life.”
“I have no intention of being a dream in your life, Rachel. I’m real. My feelings are real and however much you find it difficult to trust them, yours are too. It’s up to us to keep them alive and growing.”
“I’m scared, Mason. I don’t want to mess this up. For the first time in my life it feels like I’ve taken control. I have a job that I love. I’m making a success of it. And you. You’re the first man to make me feel wanted, desired and . . . loved. I don’t want to lose that.”
“You’re not going to, luv. We’re in this together. Remember, a combined force has a much better chance of survival. Nothing is going to change that.”
“They might.”
Mason kept quiet, aware of the struggle inside her. It was there in the drawn look on her face and the tears gathering in her eyes.
Then the she began to talk. Haltingly at first as the years of neglect, emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her parents fell from her lips. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. Not even when she was sobbing and swallowing half of her words.
Mason let her. He held her against his chest, rubbing her back, listening with growing resentment and fury.
By the time she finished, he found it difficult to suppress the rage quivering through his body.
“It’s time to end this, Mason, and the only way I’d be able to put them, my insecurities and fears behind me, is to face them.”
She looked at him, smiling sweetly when he brushed the tears from her cheeks.
“Will you come with me? I need your strength to guide me through this. I don’t think I have what it takes to stand up to them on my own.”
“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, luv. There’s a glow inside you. It’s more than the empathy you have for others, it’s the beauty of your soul. You have so much strength and love inside you, Rachel; it humbles me to be in your presence. It’s time, yes, to finally acknowledge all that for yourself.”
Mason was an excellent listener. He listened without judgment, he didn’t make assumptions. Her eyes teared up once again.
Was she finally breaking free from the chains of the past?
“I still need you to go with me. Will you, honey? Please?”
Mason kissed her. A sweet, drawn-out caress that filled her mind with wonder; how much emotion he conveyed with the brush of his lips against hers.
“Of course, I’ll go with you.”
* * * * * * * *
Rachel’s mouth ran dry and her stomach churned. It felt like her brain was full of static, either firing off a million unhelpful thoughts at once or offering nothing at all.
She cursed silently.
Why do I feel like a helpless child whenever I come face to face with them?
Her mouth opened and closed but no words came out. Her heart was racing. For the first time she was apprehensive, as her fifth grade English teacher loved to say. It had been his favorite word. It wasn’t hers though. She’d banned it early on in her life and yet, the fear of losing Mason kept her mute, unable to articulate the thoughts that swirled through her mind.
Rachel crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture. Her eyes locked on them.
Her father was sitting upright, dressed in his usual, perfectly tailored dark blue suit, white shirt and gray tie. His hair was still thick and the silver wave shone in the overhead lights. He hadn’t changed since the last time she’d seen him. Even the sharpness of his searing blue eyes was the same.
“I’ve warned you before about arriving without an appointment,” Roy Cooper grated. The annoyance in his voice chiseled further at Rachel’s courage.
“Like always, she has no sense of decorum, my dear,” Amory sneered. Her black hair made her appear harsh and unapproachable. Rachel remembered the time when her mother’s blonde hair had been her pride and joy. Obviously, she’d given into Father’s demands.
“I’m your daughter, not a business associate,” she defended herself.
“You’re still an uninvited guest.” His gaze swept past her to rest on Mason. His lips curled in a sneer. “Or have you brought another weakling who’s after my money?”
Mason had been appalled by what Rachel had told him but witnessing how little regard and respect they showed for their own flesh and blood, flabbergasted him. The anger that had been lying dormant inside him, slowly rose to a burning fury.
Roy noticed the flare in Mason’s eyes but before either could say anything, Rachel exploded.
“I don’t want or need your money,” she snapped.
“Of course, you don’t. You’re waiting for your grandmother to die. Do you really think she’ll give you everything? Wake up, girl, everything she owns will go to your mother,” Roy barked.
“It’s always about money, isn’t it? That’s why you paid Justin to date me. So that you can fill up your coffers even more.”
“Don’t be absurd.”
“I’m not even going to argue with you, Father. Do you know why?” She waved him quiet when he opened his mouth. “Because I don’t think you have the capacity to look beyond money; you’re petty. You’re also shallow, both of you are.”
“How dare you!” Amory sputtered.
“I dare because it’s the truth. All I ever wanted was your love. I never asked for anything. Nothing. Not even a doll or the expensive car you bought me when I turned seventeen.”
“Oh please, child. You loved all those gifts your father bestowed upon you.”
“Newsflash, Mother, I hated them. But, I realize now that it’s worthless to try and make you see sense. You don’t know how to love. Not even each other. All the degrading remarks, the neglect; it was all your way to try and destroy that very emotion that guided me through life. You wanted me to be like you and when I didn’t—”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. She reached for Mason’s hand. His fingers folded around hers. Calm descended over her. A brief touch was all it took to confirm what he’d told her before. That he was there to love, care and protect her. She smiled at him. He returned her gaze enigmatically. It gave her the strength to continue.
“When I didn’t, you started hitting me,” she finished in a rush.
Amory turned pale and wrung her hands on her lap, avoiding Roy’s gaze.
“What nonsense are you spurting about? Your mother doesn’t have the disposition to do that,” Roy sneered. His lips curled in a sign of distaste as he glanced at his wife.
“Why? Because you didn’t tell her to? Well, Father, she did. Since my tenth birthday until that day Nana found me half beaten to death and took me away.”
She clenched Mason’s hand so tightly that her fingers turned white.
“Did you never wonder why she insisted I go and live with her so suddenly? Stupid question. I guess you didn’t care because you never wanted me in the first place, isn’t that correct, Father?”
“What do you want, girl?” Roy snapped. The annoyance sat shallow in his gaze as he glanced at his watch.
“RACHEL! My name is Rachel Melinda Cooper. You gave it to me yet, you have never, not once in my entire life, called me anything else but girl, or child.”
Roy didn’t react to the accusation. He didn’t flinch, move a muscle or even blink. Rachel realized it was a moot point and to belabor it wouldn’t change anything in her life. The bottom line was—he didn’t care. Neither one of them did.
“You’re wasting my time. Say what you have to say and leave. I have work to do.”
“I don’t know why it took me so long to realize just how little you really cared for me; maybe because it’s supposed to be human nature to love and nurture your children. But you never did. I was always a nuisance to you.” Rachel smiled sadly as she looked between her parents. “I came here to tell you that I’m done living in your shadows. For years, I tried my best. I worked god awful hours in an attempt to show you what I can do. That I’m not useless. That I’m clever and have made a successful life, irrespective of you bringing me down all the time.”
“How much longer are you going to keep fooling yourself like that, girl? If it wasn’t for me, you would never have gotten that executive chef position,” Roy said with a sneer.
“No. You got me the interview—and let me make this clear—I didn't ask for it—but I got the job. Me, on my own merit. They would never have appointed me if they didn’t believe in me as a chef and I’ve proven how good I am. Many times over. I don’t even recall how many offers I’ve had to run my own kitchen.” She took a calming breath. “Do you even know that I have been awarded two Michelin stars?”
Their expressions told her they didn’t. It shouldn’t, but it still hurt.
“I’m not surprised. But you know what, it doesn’t matter anymore. From this moment on you no longer factor in my life.”
“It’s about time you woke up to the truth. You should never have been born. Finally, I can wipe my hands―
“I’ve heard enough,” Mason growled. He rose and pulled Rachel up with him. “You don't deserve to be called a father. Fuck, neither of you should ever have been parents, for that matter. You have no idea what a wonderful daughter you have. She’s the most compassionate woman I’ve ever met. It’s a wonder she is what she is after how you’ve treated her.”
“Who do you think you are? You insolent man! Do you know who I am?” Roy stood up and took an intimidating step closer.
Mason wasn’t cowered and stood nose to nose with the imposing man. Roy took his measure and retreated quickly.
“As a matter of fact, I do know who you are, but I don’t give a fuck about that. I can easily destroy your fucking business. Money does have its benefits, but also its downfalls. Remember that and be warned, Roy Cooper, stay away from Rachel. From now on, she’s my responsibility and my future wife.”
Roy snorted. “Good luck with that. She’s likely to be a huge disappointment—”
“You know, I actually pity you. Does it alleviate your failure by saying that? Because you did fail, as a parent. Parenting is the one job you can never quit. Every day is a new challenge to get things right, to sow the seeds of love. You were given the task to guide and nourish, allowing your child to develop into the woman she was born to be—a life you made. You were supposed to help her search for what she loved, what her amazing talents led her to. And then to let go, proud in the role you played in her achievements. How does it feel to know you had no hand in that? That she rose above your failures to become a success and a wonderful human being in her own right?”
Roy had grown ghastly pale under the light as Mason spoke. He leaned closer and spat into the older man’s face.
“And no, it's not going to fail because I know what it is to love with your heart and soul. Something neither of you have the ability to do. You’ll die never having felt the joy of being the recipient of your own daughter’s love.” He walked Rachel toward the door. “We’re leaving, luv. You don’t belong here. You never have.”
Rachel could only stare at him. He had seen deep inside her soul. The apprehension she’d felt since their arrival, disappeared like mist before the sun. It was with a
clear mind that she followed Mason, her heart clear of her parent’s cruel taunts for the first time in her life.
The emotional shackles that had kept her bound to a past, loosened and disintegrated.
Her tingling laugh caught Mason off guard. She looped her arms around his neck and hugged him.
“I’m free. Thank you, Mason. I can’t tell you how relieved I feel.”
“You did it, luv. You only needed a little nudge.”
“Did I happen to tell you how much I love you?”
Mason quieted and looked into her eyes. The realization he saw there, cemented the truth of her claim.
Mason had believed himself to be untouchable, unreachable. He’d built a wall around his emotions over time, but she’d managed to break it down, brick by brick by being who she was.
He caught her cheeks between his palms, his mouth sought hers, fusing them together as he plundered her lips.
Rachel was lost in the kiss, drugged on an ecstasy that thrilled through her veins. Yet, she couldn’t shake the disappointment that he didn’t reciprocate with his own declaration of love.
Chapter Ten
“Fig tarts again, Chef?” Andre asked. He yanked his hand back when Rachel sharply rapped him on the knuckles when he tried to sneak one off. “It’s not fair that only Mr. Walker gets to taste these delicacies,” he complained as he licked the sticky syrup from his fingers.
Rachel wasn’t fazed. Mason had been adamant about not hiding their relationship from the staff. Not that it had been a secret anyway. Everyone had witnessed the sparks flying since the first day.
She cocked her head as she drizzled more honey over the little tartlets that Mason preferred; especially when he got to eat them off her belly.
“Is there anything better than taking a fruit as tasty as figs, dicing them, spicing them and then baking them in buttery pastry? Mmm, yes,” she cooed as she bit into one. With an indulgent smile, she handed one to Andre, who immediately popped the entire tart into his mouth.
“Ah, delicious. Damn, Chef, you can bake, I’ll give you that.” He chuckled at her snort. “And cook.”
