“I sometimes think you’ve yet to adjust to this life. You always seem so forlorn, when instead you should be enjoying all this life has to offer.” He gave her hand a squeeze, comforting her.
Perhaps he was right. She knew she should make the most of what she had, but her heart and head were still elsewhere. How could she not think of the life she left behind? The husband she’d never have. The child she’d never know.
“Did you love him, Lilly?”
She turned back to face Mason, knowing it was best to be honest with him. “Jack? As much as he let me, although I cannot say our problems were entirely his fault.” She had hoped she could find a fresh start with Jack, and for a little while, she had found comfort and happiness.
Mason scoffed with a shake of his head. “He didn’t deserve you.”
“Once again, you’re thinking with your head rather than your heart.” As always the case with Mason.
“Did he even think about making you his One?” A reaper’s marriage. When she looked away, he said, “I’m telling you, Jack was nothing but a fool, gifted or not.”
She looked at him in question. “I thought that was just a rumor.”
“No, love. He had the potential to go far, aye? Picked up skills in a fraction of the time it took others. But in the end, he wanted no part of working closely with the Elders.”
She was annoyed Jack had never mentioned it. “Can you blame him? This life is hard enough without constant scrutiny from the Elders.”
“It has its perks, my dear.”
“Maybe for you.” She shook her head, the images of the slaying haunting her. “Still, what we saw back there—that poor woman—that cannot be Jack’s doing. He’d been a physician in life, sworn to help people.”
“Then how do you explain his essence left at the scene? On the woman? I know it’s hard for you to think of him as a murderer, but there are few other explanations. I only wish we’d gotten there sooner—we’d be able to recreate the scene using his energy.”
“Thank you, but I’d rather not see the actual murder, Mason.” She shuddered to think of it.
“Of course not, but at the very least, you could see Jack’s role in it and stop questioning the facts.” Mason shifted to face her, their legs brushing as he bent his head towards hers. “Let’s not forget, he’s also gone missing. Only the guilty run.”
“He was only just summoned. Surely…” A bump in the road landed her in his arms, but when she tried to sit back, he held on to her, desire sparking behind his intelligent eyes. Doing her best to ignore him, she continued, hoping to distract herself from the warmth of his body—a body she knew all too well. “Surely he’ll answer the Elders’ call before long.”
“Perhaps.” When the carriage pulled to a stop outside her house, Mason helped her down and took her arm in his as he walked her to her door. “For his sake, I hope there’s a logical explanation.”
“There has to be. For the alternative is unthinkable.”
Chapter Two
“Will you not invite me in?” Mason stood before Lilly with just inches between them. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, and then kissed her slow and sweet. Memories of their couplings flooded her head and sent a tingling warmth through her body, raising a need in her that refused to be ignored.
She forced herself to pull away from his kiss, her breath shallow as her heart pounded. He made her lightheaded, dizzy, and after such a long and trying day, the last thing she wanted was to be alone. The image of that unfortunate woman was there every time she closed her eyes, and Lilly was desperate for a distraction.
“I don’t know, Mason. It wouldn’t be terribly appropriate.” Her protests were nothing but a poor attempt, and her defenses weakened further when he brought her hand to his lips. Too often she gave into the physical pleasures he could offer, for Mason was the one man who could make her forget the life she left behind—even if it was for just a few hours.
He tilted his head in question, his gaze soft, luring her into their depths. “You know we no longer abide by society’s norms. But if you’d rather I go, I’ll understand and try not to be too heartbroken.”
A small laugh escaped her, despite everything that had occurred. “I don’t know what it is about you, Mason. You may as well come in for a drink. I know I could certainly use one.”
She let herself in, not wanting to alert Daniel that she had company for the evening, even if he was used to her ways. Her domestic help, all souls who’d passed beyond the veil, were generously cared for even though they were not reapers. To hire the living would be too great a risk.
The moment the door closed behind them, Mason wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, his lips on hers in a passionate kiss. When he spoke, it was between kisses, his voice thick with need. “By the gods, it’s been too long, Lilly. I’ve missed you.”
It had been a couple months since their last encounter, though each time they came together, it was better than the last. She found him irresistible—from his charming good looks and intelligence, to his flirtatious humor and the tenderness he tried to keep hidden.
She needed him tonight more than ever before, and it was clear he understood that when he took her hand and lead her up the stairs to her sleeping chamber. He closed the door behind them, and wrapped her in his arms, his mouth hard on hers. Each kiss pulled her further away from the atrocities she’d witnessed and into the shelter of their passion.
With one kiss leading into another, they made their way to the bed. He tore away her clothing with little care, she no more careful with his. His hands ran over her now naked body, his touch hot against her cool skin. Despite being dead, their hearts still beat and blood still coursed through their veins to fuel their passions and spur them on.
A moan escaped her when he pinched her nipple and nipped his way down her neck to her shoulder. She fought the shudder of passion as it threaten to consume her, his hand now dipping to the slick heat between her legs, her hips and hands searching him out. Already, the energy started to build within, her last coupling only a distant memory.
Humor tainted his voice. “Not yet, love.”
She moaned in protest when he shifted away from her. He flipped her onto her front, his hands rough on her hips while he brushed his hard length against her quim. With a fistful of hair, he gently pulled her upright onto her knees as his hands dipped between her legs to tease her once more, her back pressed against his chest, her hips searching him out.
“Have you missed me, Lilly?” His question was but a whisper spoken against bare skin in a kiss of words.
“Yes.” She could barely get the word out, her world spinning as she tried to hold on. Indeed, had it not been for him clasping her body to his, she’d have slipped down onto the bed and been nothing more than a quivering heap. She was beyond desperation, her need erasing all other thoughts.
He bent her forward just enough to plunge into her, and like a match to a dry field, her passions were set aflame. He took her rough and quick, as he toyed with the throbbing pearl between her legs. But again, just as she prepared to fall off that delicious edge, he pulled away.
Her protests were no more than an anguished cry, her need now one of desperation. She turned to plead with him for release, but looking at him did nothing but increase her need—his dark hair fell disheveled over sultry eyes, his full lips curled lazily, and his muscular form gave way to his erect cock. She wanted him, needed him, and could take little more of his teasing.
“Damn you, Mason, enough of your games.” She could have strangled him when he laughed. No longer willing to wait, she kissed him hungrily as her hand stroked his hard length.
Laying her back, he gripped her arse and sheathed himself in her tight warmth once more, while his mouth found hers in a hard kiss, taking and teasing. However, instead of giving her what she so desired, he held her there, her hips pinned steady under his strong grip so she could do little more than shift and grind against him.
Another cry of frustration.
He was like a lion toying with its prey before devouring it. He pulled away just enough to look at her. “What is it you want, my love? For you know, you need only to ask, and I’ll fulfill your wish.”
She could have screamed, but with her hips still in his tight grasp, she’d say just about anything. “Mason, I cannot take much more.” When he cocked an eyebrow in question, she felt ready to strangle him. “Bloody hell! Would you please just finish me?”
And with that he laughed and obliged her.
***
Lilly watched Mason’s naked form pad across the floor, his body bathed in golden shadows from the dying fire. There was an unearthly quality about him, and she thought he looked like a god of old that had come amongst the mortals to seduce her. Perhaps he wasn’t a reaper at all, she thought.
He poured them each a brandy before settling back in bed by her side. The delicious tension she felt whenever he was near pulled at her insides so they felt a tangled mess—not too unlike her emotions. It would be too easy to fall for him—not that he showed any interest in furthering their relationship. Tonight, however, none of it mattered, desperate as she’d been for a distraction. He had served his purpose and served it well.
Truth be told, she had no real interest in something so serious. To fall for him would be a tragic mistake, for he was the one man who could shatter her already fragile heart. It was not a risk she was willing to take, and was happy enough to keep their encounters as nothing more than a casual affair.
“Thank you.” She took the offered glass, and let him gather her in his arms. They drank their brandy in amiable silence, the warmth of the drink seeping through to her very core. She nestled against him, the solid feel of him reassuring, even if it made her miss having a constant companion in her life.
He took her hand and then turned it face up so he could kiss the crescent shaped birthmark on her forearm. “I’ve always loved that spot. You’re one of a kind, my dear.”
A small part of her past, the mark had remained through her death and transformation—a transformation that altered her appearance just enough so she would not be recognized if she came across someone she’d known in life. “I’m glad it did not vanish when I became a reaper. It would have saddened me to lose it.”
“Indeed, it would have been a pity.” He ran a finger over it and gave her a kiss before taking another sip of his drink. He then looked at her. “Tell me more about Jack.”
It felt like she’d been slapped, the breath gone out of her. “Is this why you came in? To find out more about Jack? I cannot believe you, Mason.” She pulled the covers up around her, suddenly feeling all too naked and nothing but a fool.
“Believe me when I tell you, love, what we just did had not a thing to do with Jack.”
“And yet, I don’t believe you. Do you ever leave your work behind or does it take precedence above all else?” She shook her head, disgusted, then hopped out of bed and grabbed her dressing gown. “I think it’s best if you go now.”
“Lilly, I think you are overreacting, given the circumstances.” His nonchalant tone only infuriated her further. “We cannot have a reaper killing innocent people, especially when it’s not their time to die. The consequences could be enormous, so you’ll have to excuse me if I do not set aside my work while a killer runs loose.”
“You’re the most exasperating man I’ve ever met.” She gave her head a shake, but knew he had a point, even if she would only admit it begrudgingly. As chancellor it was his job to make sure order was kept. “You have absolutely no sense of timing, Mason. You could have at least waited until morning to question me, rather than when I’m lying in your arms after you’ve spilt your seed.”
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in his tensed muscles. “You may be right, but you forget I’m here on the Elders’ behalf, with business that waits for no one—not even you, my dear.”
Lilly’s eyes narrowed as she cocked her head at him. “So was it the chancellor who just had me or was it you, Mason?”
“They’re one and the same, love.”
“And I’d be wise not to forget it. Is that it?” She turned and started to pace, annoyed with herself.
Had she expected any different? If so, she’d been a fool for doing so. Mason, above all else, was chancellor first—the Elder’s delegate, inspector and enforcer. There was never a time when that role was set aside. He’d made that much clear.
“Lilly…” His voice softened, as he got out of bed and stepped into her path so she’d be forced to stop pacing. He ran a hand down her arm and she felt some of the tension between them melt, making her wonder if it was a skill he’d perfected as a reaper or just his natural charms. “Do you think it’s easy for me? Do you not think I’d like to leave it all behind, even if just for an evening? But I cannot—not right now.”
She sighed and gave her head a shake, cursing herself for letting him melt away her anger. Why she let him into her life and bed, time and again, she knew not. Yet resisting Mason always seemed more difficult than it should be.
“Come back to bed, love.” He ran his fingers down her arm and lifted her hand to his lips.
She removed her hand from his. “No. You wanted to know about Jack? Ask me what you need to know, and then go.”
He tilted his head in acknowledgement. “As you wish.” He found his shirt and threw it on, the length of it covering his nakedness as he took a seat on the bed. “Start with his family, since they seem to be at the source of his discontent and inability to adjust to this life.”
“Don’t you already know all this?”
One brow perked up at her audacity. “Humor me, love.”
She paced a bit, before deciding it was best to get it over with. The faster she answered his questions, the faster she could get him to leave. Taking a seat next to him, she went through her memories, trying to recall the details of Jack’s life.
“He had a wife, a son and a daughter. Unfortunately, the children were quite young when he passed over and became a reaper. The eldest—the boy—couldn’t have been more than ten or eleven, the girl, around eight.”
She let out a ragged sigh at the thought of the children, fatherless at such a young age, and then continued with the information she could recall. “With finances tight, his wife remarried within a year of his death, but Jack knew the man and thought him a right bastard with a mean streak and a temper. Jack worried her new husband would mistreat the children and his wife.”
“It’s never an easy thing to see your wife move on, especially under less than ideal circumstances. Yet there’s naught to be done for it. You need to trust that those you love will find their way.” The gentle tone of Mason’s voice eased the tension between them, so when he took her hand, she let him. “I know how difficult it is to leave a family behind, but he’s been a reaper for more than twenty years.”
Mason had never mentioned his family before, and she now wondered who he’d left behind. If he became a reaper in his early thirties, then he likely had a family. She suddenly saw him in a new light, and the ache in his voice melted away her remaining anger.
“Did you love her? Your wife, I mean.”
He shrugged. “I had a wife and two girls, and they were each my heart. But that was many lifetimes ago.”
“I hadn’t realized.” She looked away from Mason as her throat tightened and she squeezed her eyes shut. Hearing Mason speak of his daughters reminded her of the child she’d given birth to. She’d had but a moment to hold Emma before she was taken away. Lilly died soon after, the child likely going to another family after her death—though Lilly knew not what had become of her.
Corwin MacKenzie, a handsome Scottish sea captain, had been her betrothed. He’d left for a year at sea, their marriage to take place upon his return, unaware that their one night together before his departure had left her with child. With Corwin away, her family refused to let her disgrace their good name, and sent her to stay with an
elderly aunt in a small village. Lilly doubted her letters ever made it to Corwin, and she knew most believed she had died in a tragic carriage accident while in France, the lie her father chose to cover up her indiscretions.
“Are you all right, love?” With a finger under her chin, he gently tilted her head up, his brow creasing in worry.
She looked away, and he let her. He twined his fingers around hers, as if to offer her some comfort should she need it.
“I’m fine.” Pushing her emotions to the side, she managed a smile and looked into his hazel eyes to try and reassure him. It was rare for Mason to open up about anything personal, and she appreciated the intimacy, especially when she felt so alone.
Jack - A Grim Reaper Romance Page 2
