by Linzi Basset
“Is this some kind of joke, Andre,” Mason wheezed when he finally managed to get his breath back.
Andre’s eyes were as wide as saucers. He curbed the desire to look toward the kitchen. He raised his hands in a defenseless gesture.
“My apologies, sir. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Get me the person who prepared this . . . this crap you served me,” Mason ordered. He chucked back another glass of water. “And bring me some milk while you’re at it.”
His mouth was on fire. Chilies in eggs Benedict? And they had been damn hot!
“You summoned, sir?”
Mason forgot to breathe when Rachel’s sultry voice cooed next to him. He surged upright so fast that she took a cautious step back. His eyes devoured her. He soaked in her beauty, like a sponge devoid of water for days. He examined every line of her face, making sure that she was okay.
“Your milk, sir,” Andre said adroitly next to them. Mason downed the glass in one gulp as he sat down again. His initial shock slowly receded to relief of finally finding Rachel.
“Was there a problem with your hollandaise sauce, Mr. Walker?” Rachel asked with an innocent smile. She deliberately avoided looking at the tall brunette by Mason’s side.
“It seems that you overdid the spices, yes.”
Rachel’s eyebrows arched upward. “But I was under the impression that you preferred a little spice to your mornings. Or was I mistaken?”
Mason narrowed his eyes in warning. “You know very well when I said that I wasn’t referring to my eggs.”
“No? I’m surprised. I took special care to prepare my own ‘ghost pepper’ hollandaise for you this morning. Didn’t you enjoy it?”
“Ghost pepper hollandaise! Are you crazy, woman. You know I don’t eat spicy food,” Mason exploded and filled another glass of water.
Rachel forced back her smile when her eyes clashed with his over the rim of the glass.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” He said, not bothering to hide his annoyance. This was not how he’d intended to make up for the Wednesday fiasco.
“I have to admit, Mr. Walker, it’s giving me a twinge of pleasure.”
“You should fire her, darling. She could’ve caused you serious harm. Ghost peppers are dangerous,” July Davenport cooed in a voice dripping with poisonous honey while she glared at Rachel.
“Oh, please. It wasn’t even a whole chili.”
Rachel’s eyes turned colder than a wintry sky when July slithered closer to Mason and draped her arm around his shoulders. She leaned in with the intention to kiss him. Rachel’s hiss stopped her.
“Plant those Botox lips anywhere near his face and I will rearrange them for you. And, while we’re at it, remove your hand from him.”
“Well, I never,” July huffed.
“No, I guess you haven’t. Last warning, Ms. Celebrity. I promise you, I wouldn’t think twice before dragging you by your fake hair out of this restaurant.”
“Who do you think you are, you little bitch,” July sneered as she straightened.
“July,” Mason warned, his glare had a sign of censure. “Now, ladies, let’s not—”
“Mason is going to marry me, so get your hands off him. Now!”
July snorted. “Well, now that’s a matter of opinion, especially seeing as he’s been spending the last two days with me—all hours,” she cooed into his ear. Her fingers curled around his neck as she leaned closer to him.
“Enough, July,” Mason snapped and untangled himself from her claws. “I don’t appreciate your blatant lies. You know as well as I do that I’ve not seen you since you barged uninvited into my office until this morning when you once again forced your presence on me. Rachel, come with―”
July batted her eyes at him. “But darling, you haven’t finished your breakfast and we haven’t finished our discussion,” she insisted. She stroked his thigh seductively, when he tried to step back. When her fingers inched closer to his crown jewels, Rachel saw red.
“That fucking does it.”
Rachel had heard enough to know that Mason hadn’t betrayed the commitment he’d made to her. She skirted past Mason, who tried to catch her when he noticed the murderous look in her eyes. Her fingers fisted around July’s hair and she yanked.
“Owww! Stop. Let go!” July shrieked but was forced to rise from her chair due to the pressure of Rachel’s grip on her hair. She trotted on her high heels after the much smaller women, who blithely dragged her by the hair to the exit.
“Stay away from Mason. He’s mine. You had your chance. I won’t stand back and allow you to destroy our chance at happiness. Do you hear me?” Rachel snarled into her face.
“You will regret this. Mason will never chase me away,” July said. She began to sniffle when she noticed Mason standing behind Rachel.
The expression on his face was one of comic disbelief as he stared at the petite woman who had turned into a raging bull, protecting her own.
“Wouldn’t he?” Rachel asked succinctly. She had regained her confidence and trust in Mason’s love; even though she had yet to hear the words. For the first time, Rachel was secure in the knowledge that she was loved. She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she pivoted. Her steps faltered when she encountered Mason’s enigmatic stare. He was leaning against the doorframe. She squared her shoulders and tilted back her chin.
“And you, my luscious lover, have a fig tart and honey waiting to be served. Don’t make me wait too long.”
Mason was too stumped to respond. The promise of fig tart and honey caused a flush of heat to surge though his body. He felt his cock grow taut at the vision that her veiled promise elicited in his mind.
“Mason, do something. You can’t let her get away with this. I’ve never been treated with such disrespect,” July wailed as she pressed her body against his.
Mason was unimpressed by the tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Then you finally know what it feels like, don’t you, July? No, I’m not interested, so close the water taps. I indulged you when you walked into my office because of the history we have, not because I have some feelings for you. It’s time for you to leave.”
“But—”
“You heard the man,” Logan drawled as he pulled the clinging woman from Mason’s body. “I’ll accompany you to your room and help you pack.”
He winked at Mason. “You better get to that fig tart, or I’m going to take her up on the offer.”
“Like hell you will,” Mason growled. He turned and stalked toward the kitchen. His tread was determined, just like his heart beating against his chest.
Chapter Twelve
“Where the devil is she?” Mason’s voice boomed down the hallway into the kitchen. The kitchen staff hurried back to their stations and was hard at work when he stormed into the kitchen.
“I believe she mentioned that she was in dire need of a disinfectant shower,” Andre said dryly while he inspected the next order on the pass.
“Where?” Mason’s eyes narrowed. “So, help me Andre, you better tell me—”
“Her cottage, Mr. Walker. Wherever else would she be?” He responded with an innocent look.
“You’re all wrapped around her little finger, aren’t you,” Mason growled as he stormed toward the door.
“As are you, sir,” Andre said in the midst of amused twitter from the sous-chefs.
It was a good thing the front door of Rachel’s cottage was unlocked; otherwise Mason would’ve kicked it open.
“Rachel!” His voice boomed through the spacious interior. “You better be here, sweetheart, otherwise that cute ass of yours is in for serious punishment,” he growled as he stormed toward her room.
The sight that met his eyes humbled him. His eyes were glued to the enticing picture in front of him. The buttons from his shirt clattered to the floor as he tore it open.
Rachel was sprawled naked on her back on the bed, with her legs spread wide. His eyes devoured her mouth
watering curves and he dragged his gaze over the lines of her stomach, to the roundness of her hips. Her eyes twinkled as she drizzled his favorite Killer Bee honey over the mound between her legs. He watched the golden liquid flow over her clit to disappear between the folds of her labia while he wrestled to get his pants off.
“You’re slow, old-timer. I suppose I better start without you,” she said in a husky voice. Mason froze; he was half way out of his annoying pants. He watched Rachel’s finger dip into the oozing honey covering her most intimate parts and pop it into her mouth.
“Hmm, sweeter than . . . ooh! Mason, hmmmm,” her protest ended in a throaty moan when suddenly he was there, between her legs. His lips and tongue took over, licking, sucking and nibbling at her soft skin until she was writhing with desire under his ministrations.
“This is the best dessert I’ve ever tasted, luv. God, how I’ve missed you these past three days,” his voice vibrated against her skin, awakening all the nerves that had been tingling from the moment their eyes had met in the restaurant. He crawled higher until he was looming over her, resting his weight on his elbows. “Don’t ever do that to me again, Rachel. Do you hear me? Never hide from me.”
Rachel couldn’t stop her fingers from softly tracing the rigidness of his jaw—the perfectly sculpted cheekbones, ending with a feathered brush over his lips. When his breath caught at the tender caress, she felt a surge of power fill her entire being. She did that to him. She, Rachel Cooper, caused his heart to flutter and his arousal to spike. She humbly accepted the strength love offered her.
“Well, that would depend on how many times I’m going to walk in on you swallowing another woman’s tongue down your throat.”
“I didn’t swallow her tongue,” he protested indignantly.
“Well, from where I stood, it sure as hell looked that way.”
“Sweetie, it’s not—”
“Probably not but I don’t want to talk about it now. You have a lot of lost time to make up for, Mason. I want you inside me. Now!”
Her demand was met with a slow smile from him.
“Oohhh, fuck yes. That feels sooo good,” she wailed, her voice rising with every inch of his cock he pushed inside her.
Mason drank in her beauty, the very essence of her. He’d known that his heart belonged to Rachel for a while already. He’d felt the draw on that first night he’d laid eyes on her. Their first intimate encounter had confirmed it. She had managed to wipe out the emptiness that had been sucking him deeper into an emotionless shell.
“I need you, Rachel. More than you can ever imagine,” he whispered against her lips. He kissed her deeply, commandingly, parting her lips with his tongue, with an eroticism she had no defense against. Delightful shivers ran through her body as he caressed her soft palate with feathered strokes.
Her body softened, melted against his. She wrapped her legs high around his waist. The slow sensual dance of her hips stole his breath. He lifted his head. The look in his eyes filled her with such elation that she couldn’t prevent the shudder of ecstasy that rippled through her body.
“Then show me, honey. Show me how much you need me.”
Her sultry voice ignited his skin. The hormones that were raging through him shut down his brain, allowing the animal inside him to rise. A beast clawing for release. Everything melted into one thing. Passion—zealous and potent. It was like this with Rachel every time. She’d become his release, his escape, his drug, shuddering awake the primal need to copulate.
“You’re so beautiful,” Mason murmured. He rained soft, nibbling kisses along her jaw line, gently tugging on her nipples.
“Mason, please,” she begged in breathless surrender, her hips orbited in a frantic dance of passion against his.
His face was drawn in a mask of sensual torment as he began rocking into her with smooth, easy strokes. “Ah, fuck, sweetie, you’re killing me,” he groaned as he felt himself grow harder and thicker. His movements grew stronger and faster as he thrust deep, their skin slapping loudly.
A wave of bliss rippled through Rachel, leaving her gasping for breath. Her legs entwined with his, as tight as her sheath held him intimately, squeezing and clenching around him. She drowned in the rapture with a wild cry as waves of sensation crashed over her, leaving her adrift in a sea of euphoria.
Mason was a prisoner to the demands of his body. He clasped her hips to hold her firmly in place. His movements turned feverish. He bucked wildly, pounding into her hot sheath, to lose himself in that indubitable rapture she offered whenever he was inside her. A hoarse growl of masculine triumph let loose from his throat. He felt the scalding heat start at the back of his cock. His back went taut and then he pulsed deeply inside her, filling her with his heat with a shout of pleasure.
“Mine. You’re mine, Rachel. Always,” he puffed, his chest heaving from exertion.
“Yes, Mason. Always.” She hesitated, still struggling to find her own breath. “And you? Are you mine?”
Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the insecurity from her voice. July Davenport was a stunningly gorgeous woman. Tall, sultry and a seductive siren. Rachel had felt like a child next to her.
“Yes, my love. I’m yours. Always. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Mason settled next to Rachel and drew her into his arms but she scuttled upright and sat on her legs facing him. He pulled himself up against the headboard. He began to talk, his voice deep and somber.
“July and I were engaged eight years ago. Had been for nearly a year at that time. She always wanted to marry me. I kept pushing it back, worried that we were rushing into it, especially as we hooked up less than two months after she broke off with her childhood boyfriend, whom she’d been planning to marry.”
He sighed. His face looked drawn and tired. Rachel realized that he’d probably not slept much the past three nights.
“She became a huge success as a model and I didn’t want to stand in the way of her success. I was concerned that marriage would stem her ability to achieve what she wanted. Then she fell pregnant. I was elated and started planning our wedding, believing that finally everything was falling into place and the timing was perfect. Her career as a model had peeked. She’d achieved what she’d wanted to. At first she was just as excited . . . until a movie agent found her.”
He swallowed hard. His eyes turned murky and insipid. “We had a huge fight when she accepted the part without discussing it with me.”
“I don’t understand. She was pregnant. How could she accept a lead role in a movie that would take months to film?”
Mason stared ahead. His mind filled with the shock and disappointment that still ruled his sleep. “She had an abortion.”
“She . . . what?”
“Yeah. A child didn’t fall in line with her new plans. All she could see from that point on was fame and fortune. She was completely star struck. She couldn’t even understand my anger. I’ll never forget her words, “But darling, once I’ve made a name as an actress, we can always have another child. I don’t understand how you can be so selfish.”
He sighed heavily. “She didn’t even realize how devastated I was. She had already been twenty weeks along in the pregnancy by that time. It was murder in my eyes. My child had already been formed, his eyes, ears, toes . . . he existed as a little human being and she just . . .”
Rachel fell into his arms and hugged him. She was devastated at the pain and loss that still shone in Mason’s eyes after all the time.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” she whispered against his temple.
“I couldn’t forgive her, so I left. I disappeared into the Himalaya mountains for close to six months until Noah and Logan came to drag me back to civilization. It was too soon. I wasn’t ready to face the world, least of all the women who threw themselves at me. I looked and acted like a caveman, which I suppose, was what enticed them. I drowned myself in work. I worked sixteen to eighteen-hour days. I became known as the Ripper in the corporate world. I didn’t care. All that
mattered was to show everyone, show July, what a success I was. I was worth billions and I didn’t flinch before diluting smaller companies.”
Rachel sat back on her heels. The regret for the man he’d become in those days shone like a lodestar in his eyes.
“Noah warned me to slow down. I didn’t listen. Not until I had a heart attack and nearly died. It took me years to get over what she’d done and what I had done as a result of her actions. Nothing mattered. I was empty inside and I didn’t give a fuck. If it wasn’t for Noah and Logan who forced me to face the destruction that I had wrought, I don’t think I would be sitting here today. I wouldn’t have survived the next heart attack.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Four years. Ever since then I slowed down and I still believe they decided to buy this place to get me out of the city. Away from the challenge of falling back into making another billion, just to show July what she’d lost when she walked out on me and my child.”
Rachel lowered her eyes and looked at how her fingers were tangled together. The question fell unplanned from her lips. “And when she walked back into your office, it all disappeared. You realized you still love her.”
“Rachel—”
“I saw the way you were kissing her, Mason. It wasn’t a friendly hello kiss. It was one of . . . our kisses. Passionate, lustful and filled with need.”
Mason stared at her. He noticed the hurt in her eyes as she relived the scene that had chased her out of his office.
“It was a stupid thing to do. I knew before I kissed her that I didn’t feel anything for her but I had to . . . I wanted to see if she could trigger any desire inside me for her. There was none.”
“The fact that you had to do it in the first place makes me wonder if your feelings for me are real or just a . . . replacement for what you really had with her.”
“Sweetie, don’t ever say or think that. You’re the one that I needed to fill the emptiness in my soul. You have to know by now that my life is empty and aimless without you. I can’t survive one day without seeing your sweet smile, hearing your tinkling laugh and allowing your sultry voice to wash away my tiredness after a day at the office. I need you, Rachel because you’re the one who’s made me whole again.”
