My hesitation was apparent, even to me. It had been years since I’d had sex, and Masyn was a virgin. She was offering me a gift that I needed to make sure she was ready to give. I couldn’t return it, and if she regretted giving me her virginity, my ego wouldn’t survive her remorse, and neither would my heart.
She crooked her finger at me. I dropped the towel that covered my arousal and joined her on the mattress. Once we started, it would only take one kiss to fuel the fire that burned inside us both. I tangled my fingers in her hair, gave it a gentle squeeze, and then slowly let them drift to her slender neck. Holding her close to me, our tongues spoke a language our hearts had refused to translate for so many years.
As much as I wanted to feel her heated flesh against every naked inch of my own, I tried to put a little space between us. Her thigh hung lazily over my hip. We lay face-to-face, so close our breaths mingled, and I could see her eyes dilate even just slightly. Each time the head of my dick touched her hot, slick center, I pulled back to keep things at a pace she could handle. Yet every time I moved away, she flexed her leg muscles to bring me back.
“Masyn…” I tipped my forehead to hers, breathless. My heart hammered in my chest, my cock ached between my legs, and I wanted nothing more than to sink inside the only girl I’d ever loved and claim the one thing she’d saved for me. It wasn’t even about sex; it was knowing that she surrendered to me the way I did her.
“Lee, I’ve waited my entire life to do this with you.”
“It’s going to hurt.” I didn’t have any experience taking a girl’s virginity. Cynthia Green had given hers up long before she met me. But I’d spent enough time listening to guys brag about how badly they’d slayed some girl, ripping away her hymen, to know that Masyn’s first time around wouldn’t be pleasant. Causing her pain was the last thing I wanted to do.
A laugh rolled through her chest, and her eyes glittered with happiness. She cupped my cheeks as I hovered over her, now nestled between her thighs and dipping into her moisture. “Just because I haven’t had sex with a guy doesn’t mean there’s still a barrier there.”
My brow furrowed while I tried to figure out what she meant. And then it occurred to me, and I was almost as uninterested in how Masyn pleasured herself as I was thinking about another guy touching her. As selfish as it was, I wanted to believe nothing had ever breached her wall before me. It didn’t matter if it was rubber or real, although the latter was far worse. Nevertheless, knowing I wouldn’t cause her pain eased my anxiety enough to let the stress leave my body. Or most of it.
When I still didn’t move, she watched my face, waiting. “What’s wrong?”
Here was the part where I had to admit the only other thing Masyn didn’t know about me. I wasn’t ashamed; I was worried I wouldn’t be able to please her. No man wanted to admit he wouldn’t be able to satisfy his woman before he erupted prematurely.
I dropped my forehead to her chest and closed my eyes. When I dug my fingers into my scalp, she asked the same question again. “I’m nervous.”
She lifted my chin. “Why?” Hurt lingered in her expression, and I refused to allow her to think I didn’t want this.
My Adam’s apple bobbed and scratched the inside of my throat when I swallowed. “It’s been a really long time, so I’m afraid I’m not going to last long.” It was the truth, just not all of it.
I could tell by her long silence that she knew I had more to say but I just wasn’t coming out with it.
“I haven’t done this since tenth grade.” I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the disbelief on her face. The pulse on either side of my neck beat painfully, nearly choking me with suspense.
More time dragged by.
She finally shifted beneath me. “What?” Her laughter mimicked the nervousness that clawed at my insides. “Look at me, Lee.”
I opened my eyes to see Masyn Porter staring at me in awe, maybe wonder, and definitely love. “What about all those girls at Sadler’s?”
“Never had sex with any of them.” Oral sex didn’t count; she knew about that. And she knew what I was talking about without me getting graphic.
“None?”
I clenched my jaw and shook my head. “Not one.” And then I waited. I’d only thought the previous spell of silence was the longest I’d ever endured. This one seemed to span days instead of the mere minutes that actually passed.
“Thank you,” she said with her lips on mine.
Confused by her acceptance and lack of interrogation, I asked, “For what?”
“Waiting for me,” she whispered. Masyn didn’t question me, she didn’t doubt me, she simply acknowledged the gesture for what it was.
That was all I needed to go forward.
Neither of us moved our eyes away from the other as I slowly slid into her heat. It took her some time to adjust to my size, and regardless of what she said, it was obvious this wasn’t the same as any toy she’d played with. When she finally relaxed, our hips began to rock together, and eventually, we found a rhythm. Our rhythm.
The push.
The pull.
The heat.
The passion.
And then the explosion.
It wasn’t wild, it wasn’t crazy, it wasn’t anything like my fantasies of her had been.
It was perfect and better than I could have imagined, even with all its flaws.
I’d finally laid claim to the girl who stole my heart.
Lying next to her, both of us still naked on top of the blankets, she looked over at me as her smile lit up the otherwise dim room. “We might have a problem.” The gleam in her eyes indicated it wasn’t something I needed to be concerned over.
“Yeah, what’s that?”
Masyn rolled onto her side and propped her head on her hand with her elbow in the mattress. “We have a lot of years to make up for. And I liked that far more than I probably should after one try.”
This was a side of Masyn I couldn’t wait to explore. “You think that’s a problem, huh?” I leaned in to kiss her, loving the taste of her lips and having the freedom to take them anytime I wanted to. It was like I’d been held captive for years, and having Masyn was not just getting parole, but a full pardon.
“It could certainly pr—”
“Lee! You here?” Before I could respond, the bedroom door flew open, and Beau stood frozen in the opening.
Masyn scrambled to get under the covers and hide, and I saw red.
“Dude, don’t you knock?” I hollered, still fully exposed.
Peyton appeared over Beau’s shoulder, and her smile quickly faded and then she disappeared.
“I did. You didn’t answer. Your truck was parked out front, so I assumed you were asleep.”
I plucked a pillow from behind my head and lobbed it as his melon-sized noggin. “Get the fuck out.”
He dodged the grenade and quickly closed the door, where he continued to talk from the other side. “I see you two managed to work things out.” It was hard to be mad at someone who was so clearly happy I’d finally gotten laid. “We’ll be in the living room when you’re done.”
I listened to his steps retreat down the hall as I turned the lamp on, and then I lifted the comforter to find Masyn every shade of red imaginable. “Guess we don’t have to worry about how we’re going to tell Beau.” Teasing her made me grin, or maybe it was the incredible orgasm I’d just received, courtesy of her soft pussy. Either way, she got the credit.
She snatched at the blanket and yanked it back over her. “He saw everything, Lee.”
I crawled under the comforter and uncovered our heads. “I’m just thankful I saw it first.”
Her hand snaked out to grab another pillow to hit me with. “You better be glad I love you.”
With an arm slung over her hip, I pulled her body flush with mine. “Sweetheart, you have no idea.”
Chapter Sixteen
Once we’d finally gotten rid of Beau and Peyton—who’d shown up with nothing to do, looking for enterta
inment—Masyn and I spent the evening and the better part of the night wrapped up in each other. There were so many things we’d never experienced, and I loved having the pleasuring of being her first. And as much as I’d already fallen in love with being inside her, having my face between her legs came in a close second—tied with having her go down on me. Masyn was as much fun in bed as she was playing pool, arguing about music, or hanging out on the lake. And when she said we had a lot of years to make up for, she committed to righting that wrong and gave it her undivided attention.
I struggled when the alarm clock went off at five thirty. Neither one of us had had much sleep to speak of this week, yet where I was groggy and the fog lingered in my mind, Masyn was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
“You know we have to go over to your house before we go in?” I muttered with my arm draped across my face.
“Why?”
I uncovered my eyes to meet her stare. “You have to stay over, remember?”
Her upper lip lifted in irritation. “Ugh. Thanks for reminding me.” She flopped onto her back with a humph. “Can you come pick me up whenever I get off?” She needed a little cheese to go with that whine.
I turned to my side and propped my head in my hand. “Any other time I would, but I promised Beau I’d have a drink with him and Peyton before she left. That’s how I got them to leave last night.” I smirked, knowing she recalled what getting rid of them had meant for the two of us—and she’d loved every minute. “It was a small sacrifice to make.”
“What time is she leaving?” Masyn trailed her finger down my sternum without looking at me. She probably knew that if she peered up, her eyes would give away the trepidation she tried to hide in her voice.
“I think Beau said she had to take off at five to have time to return the rental car and make her flight.”
“And you promise there’s no chance of you hopping on a plane to go visit the big city with her?”
I tilted her chin up so she could see the truth in my eyes. “Is that what you’re worried about?”
Masyn barely nodded, yet it was enough for me to realize how little faith she had in me when it came to relationships.
“Sweetheart, I’ve never told anyone else I love them. And I don’t plan to ever do so. You’ve seen how Peyton and Beau are together. I don’t know why you’re so worried about her.”
“Because I saw how she was with you at the rehearsal dinner, and it was you that she spent all day with Saturday, and it was you she called on Sunday afternoon, and it was you she asked to come spend a few days with her in New York. Beau’s a consolation prize. You’re the one she wants.”
I couldn’t deny or confirm that. And if Masyn knew she’d kissed me on Saturday night, she’d lose her mind. Peyton and Beau just both needed attention. It wasn’t me she was after, just my time. Beau was hurting whether he was ready to admit it or not, and Peyton bathing him in affection soothed that wound, even if it was only temporary.
Reaching out, I stroked her cheek with my thumb and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Sweetheart, you have nothing to worry about. I’m not racing off to New York. I’ll be here waiting for you when you get off this afternoon. And I’ll leave it up to you just how much time we spend with Beau before he goes back to Atlanta.”
Masyn gave me a weak smile and a meager nod. She needed time to see that what she thought was true about me and women, wasn’t true at all. The only other time she’d ever trusted a guy, he’d burned her publicly. Deep inside, Masyn knew I wasn’t Alex, nor was I capable of decimating anyone the way he had, but I’d sure as hell never intentionally hurt her. Even if we hadn’t slept together and had never bothered to tell the other one how we felt, I wouldn’t get on a plane with Peyton Holstein.
“Come on. We need to get going, or we’ll be late.”
I hated seeing her so insecure; I just didn’t know how to fix it. In some ways, this had been the best week of my life, and in others…well, let’s just say, I wouldn’t be disappointed to see Peyton leave. And truth be told, Beau had thrown quite a monkey wrench into our everyday lives, as well. I didn’t usually wish away the time I had with him in town, but Sunday couldn’t come soon enough.
When we got to Masyn’s house, I leaned over the console, grabbed her by the nape of the neck, and pulled her face to mine. There I planted a kiss on her lips that I hoped would last her through the day. Every emotion I felt for her poured out, leaving me breathless and craving more. “I love you, sweetheart. Be careful driving to the shop.”
“Love you, too. I’ll see you in a bit.” She did a miserable job of masking the sadness in her voice.
I watched her open the truck door and hop out. Just before she shut it behind her, I said, “Why don’t you run in and grab enough stuff to spend the weekend at my house?” It wasn’t like she didn’t frequently stay at least one of the two nights; I just wanted her to be certain that I longed to have her with me.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded with the first genuine smile I’d seen all morning. And once I knew she was safely inside, I backed out. I hated this neighborhood and couldn’t wait for the day that I no longer had to worry about her being here.
When I got to the shop, I clocked in and got a cup of coffee while I waited for Masyn in the breakroom. She came sliding in with a couple of minutes to spare and threw her stuff in her locker. The flush on her cheeks from racing through the parking lot resulted in a strong desire for me to throw her across the table and take her in front of everyone.
Instead, I caged her in with my hands on the wall close to her face and stole a quick kiss. “I’ll see you at lunch.”
She grinned, and her eyes twinkled beneath the fluorescent lighting. “See ya,” she whispered, and the husky tone of those two words wrapped around my dick just as seductively as her hand had when she’d dragged me into the shower.
I growled, planted one more kiss on her soft lips, and stalked from the room before I lost all control and took her sexy little ass right then and there against the lockers.
Maybe we could get away during our lunch hour…
Unfortunately, when lunch rolled around, Farley pulled Masyn into his office to discuss the needs on line three and show her the defects. They’d shut down the entire production line when the bell rang for break because they were totally unable to machine parts. Masyn’s position was being taken over for the afternoon by the lead on that line to free her up to work on the programming immediately. She wasn’t any happier about having to sacrifice her lunchbreak than she was about working overtime this afternoon, but maybe if she started on it earlier, then she’d be done by three and be able to leave on time.
Nothing ever worked in my favor. I stopped to see Masyn before I cleaned up for the day, and she was knee-deep in blueprints and covered in grease. She had a lathe disassembled with parts scattered around her on the floor. She brushed her hair out of her face with the back of her hand and it left a black mark from the center of her forehead to her ear.
“They don’t need a programmer; they need a maintenance man,” she admitted.
“Then why doesn’t Farley call one in?” It seemed like a simple solution, and it also wasn’t Masyn’s job.
“He tried. They can’t get anyone out here until Monday afternoon, and these parts have to ship Monday morning. He’s hoping I can get it running again so the guys can come in tomorrow and possibly Sunday to get it out.” There was no denying how unhappy she was with the situation.
“And let me guess… He wants you here tomorrow, as well, in case it goes down again.” There went my plans.
“Ding, ding, ding.”
I searched the area around us to see if we had any witnesses before I squatted next to her. Whispering in her ear, I felt the warmth of my breath radiate off her skin and saw her arms prickle with a chill. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I promise to give you my undivided attention when you get home.” I pressed my lips to her neck, just below her ear, to leave her thinking about all I’d do to her
, and with her, once we were alone.
She swatted at my arm and laughed while she spoke, “You need to go before I’m completely useless.”
I stood and backed away, holding her stare until I had to turn around or risk running into a machine, further injuring myself. The smirk that lingered on my mouth was a silent promise of what she could expect. And I loved that a simple glance turned her tomato red—and undoubtedly wet. In true Masyn form, she returned the smart-ass grin and added a greasy middle finger. Laughing, I did an about face and went back across the shop to check in the last truck of the day.
Halfway through the receiving manifests, my cellphone rang in my pocket. Technically, we weren’t allowed to have them on the floor, but since no one ever called me during the day, I didn’t think anything about keeping it in my pocket. Still holding the clipboard, I put the pen in my mouth, expecting to see Beau’s ugly mug and name on the screen. It was a number I didn’t recognize, starting with an Atlanta area code.
I debated answering, but I figured there was little chance of getting caught, and even if I did, I was working with a pen and paper, not a moving machine and metal.
“Hello?” I tucked the phone between my cheek and shoulder to keep working, while I got rid of what I assumed was a sales call for some shit I didn’t need and absolutely didn’t want.
“Mr. Carter?” To my surprise, the woman on the other end wasn’t a voice recording trying to tell me about the wonderful cruise I’d won.
I continued to count the boxes on the pallet so I could check them against the order. “This is Lee.”
“This is Bernice at Atlanta Memorial Hospital. We found your number in George Carter’s cellphone as his emergency contact.”
Label Me Proud Page 20
