Third Time Lucky (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Rosemary J. Anderson

  Relieved, Holly breathed deeply, the air leaving her lungs in a deep whoosh. She rose from her seat, stretching aching limbs, and made a pot of tea. Switching on the kitchen light, she looked out at the gathering gloom and shivered, but taking a deep breath she made a concerted effort to cheer up. All was well now! She ignored the shadow of doubt and niggling worry at the back of her mind, and she ignored the terrible churning feeling in her stomach. Of course it would be all right. She would send off the money, Alex would be freed, and then he’d pay off the loan shark and they would get married and live happily ever after. Of course it would be all right.

  * * * *

  Jules De Verne read the message from Holly through narrowed eyes. Another five grand it was like taking candy from a baby. His lips twisted into a semblance of a smile and he turned to his colleagues, rattling off some instructions in Portuguese, then turned back to the screen. Linking his fingers, he flexed his hands, the knuckles cracking satisfactorily. Now to go in for the kill!

  Staring at the screen, a cruel smile played around his thick lips as his fingers flew over the keys.

  Hello, my dear, what a good girl you are.

  The pirates were very pleased to get the money you sent. However, it is still not enough. They demand that you give another five thousand for me to be free. I know you won’t let me down, my angel, our love and future depends on you doing exactly as you are told. My little motherless daughter is waiting for me to return and so she relies on your good sense as well. So please be good enough to forward the money tomorrow. Think of our love and happy future together. Regards, Alex. x

  * * * *

  Holly stared at the screen in horror, feeling the blood draining from her face. She couldn’t take it in, it was like living in a continuous nightmare. More money!

  How could she hope to find more? She had nothing left. All her savings had gone, Adam’s pension was gone, and she was in debt to loan sharks. Where else could she turn? Beginning to cry, she dropped her head in her hands as waves of despair washed over her. Why had this happened? Was she never to be happy again? Was it too much to ask for her to finally be happy, to find a man that wanted to look after her, and to allow her to be what she always wanted to be, a wife and a mother? And what of Alex? If she didn’t find the money could she live with herself knowing she had let a man die just because she didn’t have the funds to secure his life? It would be like she’d murdered him herself!

  It grew darker as twilight gave way to night. The glow from the moon shone through the living room window and stretched across the floor to the open door where its radiance met the harsher light of the kitchen. Holly, exhausted from worry and her crying jag, fell asleep in front of the computer, her head on her arms. The time ticked by and the air grew damp and chilly but still she slept on until…

  A loud knocking at the door had Holly lifting her head in dazed surprise. It was dark and cold and, she looked at the clock. Ten thirty. Who could be calling at this time? Rising slowly because of the cramp in her cold toes, she hobbled to the door switching on lights as she went.

  “Who is it?” she asked a trifle fearfully.

  “Holly, it’s Mason, Mason Black.”

  Shock held Holly immobile. Mason! God she must look a sight.

  “J–Just a minute.”

  Quickly scrubbing at her cheeks with cold hands, she finger-combed her hair and hurriedly straightened her clothes.

  Flinging the door open, she plastered a wide smile on her face.

  “Oh hi, emm, this is a surprise.”

  “Apologies for calling at such a late hour, Holly, but I was in the area and saw the kitchen lights, so I thought I would just see how you are doing. May I come in?”

  “What? Oh sorry yes, please do.” She stepped back, indicating that he should enter.

  Mason turned to look at Holly. She was decidedly ruffled, maybe by his unexpected arrival or, he frowned, something else, and he would bet a month’s wages it was the something else. He searched her features. Red-rimmed eyes, tearstained face, and a slight tremble to her lips all indicated a recent crying jag. He sighed. What was it with this woman? She was obviously hurting, but she never called, even though he’d told her he would help.

  “Err, can I get you something to drink, tea or coffee?”

  “Coffee would be great.” Mason’s eyes softened as he watched her scurry into the kitchen.

  Wandering around the living room, Mason’s eyes missed nothing. Not the disjointed calculation of figures on a scrap of paper left on the coffee table, or the bank book thrown haphazardly beside it, or the MOD pension documents. Adam’s pension documents. He frowned again. He knew money was tight for Holly, but all these things indicated more than that. But what?

  “Coffee’s up, err, can I get you anything to eat, Lieutenant-Colonel? A sandwich or maybe some eggs and bacon or…”

  “I’m fine, Holly, thank you just the same and the name is Mason.”

  “Oh yes, sorry I guess I’m just used to you as, A–Adam’s commanding officer.”

  Drinking his coffee, Mason worked at putting Holly at ease by talking about the weather, chatting about this and that, and drawing her out to talk about herself. Soon Holly was laughing at his anecdotes and curling up in the corner of the couch. She finally felt relaxed.

  “Holly, what’s the matter?” Mason suddenly came to the point.

  Surprise made Holly momentarily silent. “W–What do you mean?”

  “Come on, Holly, you are obviously distressed about something and looking at the evidence…”

  He shot a glance at the documents on the coffee table. “I would say you have money problems?”

  “I–I…”

  “No, don’t lie to me, Holly. I am your friend and I dearly want to help. You’ve carried the burden of Adam’s death, put up with being evicted from the home you shared with him, and gallantly stood on your own two feet when your world was crumbling around you. And now…”

  He sighed as she looked everywhere but at him. “Now it’s time to admit you need help—my help. So come on, Holly, there’s nothing that you can’t tell me.”

  At his words Holly’s tightly held control collapsed and she broke down, sobbing bitterly.

  Concerned at Holly’s anguish, Mason hesitated only seconds before scooping her up onto his knee and cradling her to him. Holding her close, her face buried into his neck, he let her cry out all her stress and pent-up emotions of the last few months. Eventually as she quieted he took a tissue from the box on the table and wiped her wet cheeks.

  “Ready to tell me?” He smiled gently into her swollen eyes.

  Attempting to pull herself together, Holly nodded, and then shook her head feeling unable to fully unburden herself. With Alex’s warning still filling her mind, she just settled with telling Mason what he already suspected, that she was finding life difficult. Finding the financial burden of supporting herself hard to bear, as was the loneliness that engulfed her from time to time. Feeling the gathering of more tears, she caught her breath and buried her head once again against his neck. Now she cried because of another burden she was having to carry, that of lying to the only friend she really had—Mason.

  Chapter Seven

  Mason was uncertain how to handle Holly or why he felt the need to do so. She was not his responsibility, but something, he knew not what, kept bringing him back to her. What he really should do was put her in contact with a grief counsellor and be done with it, but if he did that they would surely lose touch and that was something he didn’t want to contemplate. He’d had some limited dealings with other widows, but Holly was an entirely different matter. She had no family to support her, no friends, and because of Adam’s gambling no financial security. He could move her into his apartment. God knew he hardly spent any time there. But was that the answer? He was away so often she would still be alone and as to finance, well that was easily solved. He could help her out. But how to do it without damaging her pride, something she had in abundance? He s
ighed. It was surely a dilemma.

  The feel of Holly nuzzling against his neck distracted him from his thoughts. She felt soft and utterly feminine and he could feel a tightening in his groin.

  “Holly,” he groaned as she pressed her breasts against him. “Do you know what you’re doing? You’re upset, distressed, and lonely and this isn’t the answer.”

  Holly lifted her head and stared at Mason. Her eyes were beautiful, jade-green, tear-washed sparkling emeralds and he was lost. Her seeking lips found his and he cupped the back of her head with a strong hand and holding her close deepened the kiss. Mason’s heart began to pound and his pulse quickened as he felt the softness of her body pressing against his. Her hands were seeking undoing the buttons down the front of his shirt. He felt a growing hardness in his pants and knew if he didn’t stop her now there would be no going back.

  “Holly…”

  He groaned, catching hold of her arms and easing her away from him.

  Holly felt Mason’s withdrawal and panicked. He couldn’t, not now. She needed to be close to someone, wanted to be possessed and made to feel like a woman again.

  “Mason, please, no, don’t stop, I…”

  She pressed closer, struggling against the hard bonds of his hands.

  “Please, Mason, I want this. I need to feel alive again and I need to feel desirable.” She stared into his eyes, his granite-gray eyes and noticed the tiny azure-blue flecks that changed with his emotions. “Unless, you don’t…” She bit her lip, feeling suddenly embarrassed. Maybe he didn’t find her attractive! Oh, what a fool she was, thinking she was still attractive even to the extent of asking a man to make love to her. She drew a deep tremulous breath. “I’m sorry, Mason, I should have realized that you wouldn’t want me, find me a–attractive?” Her words hanging between them like a spectre in the room, she shifted uncomfortably and made to rise from her position on his lap. God, how humiliating to be refused.

  Suddenly being gathered up close and bent over Mason’s arm as he hesitated no further, Holly nearly fainted in bliss as he ravished her mouth with his, his tongue caressing the soft seam of her lips. Opening her mouth, Holly groaned in satisfaction as he deepened the kiss. Scooping her up in his arms, Mason strode over to the bed in the corner of the room and, pulling back the covers, gently placed her down on the soft mattress. Straightening he stared intently into her eyes silently asking the question. Holly’s answer was unmistakeable as she reached up and silently invited him in.

  Stripping off his clothes, Mason placed one knee on the bed beside her and Holly’s slumberous gaze took in his superb physique. He was magnificent, muscular but not beefy, his body perfection for a man in his thirties. His chest was hard and clearly defined with a smattering of hair. His waist was narrow and his hips firm and his stomach was washboard flat. Her gaze was drawn against her will to the arrowing of hair that culminated in the soft nest of curls that cradled his manhood. What a cock he had, her eyes widened. She’d never seen anything so remarkable before. The length! The width! He was truly a magnificent stallion.

  Holly’s breath caught and she chewed her bottom lip. It had been so long, and she had only ever been with Adam and she was uncertain as how to behave.

  “Holly?” Mason asked, his eyes softening in the face of her uncertainty. “You don’t have to continue, you know. We can just forget all this has happened and never mention it again.”

  “No! No,” she cried, scared he was going to change his mind. “No, this is what I want, Mason. It’s just…”

  She took a deep breath. “It’s just it’s been so long and I, well, I…”

  She smiled ruefully. “I’m not sure what to do.” There she’d said it.

  Mason smiled and Holly’s breath caught once again at the tenderness on his face. “No worries, Holly, I’ll start and you join in when you’re ready, mmm?”

  She nodded, her gaze straying once again to his magnificent organ. “K.”

  Lowering himself onto the bed, Mason made short work of Holly’s buttons and soon she was as naked as him.

  Closing her eyes at the feel of him sliding over her, flesh upon flesh, warmth upon warmth, and hardness onto softness she was spellbound. It was amazing. No, more than that, it was superlative. It felt right. It was like coming home.

  Mason’s touch was gentle, caressing, seeking, and exploring, finding all those funny little places that had her writhing with need. Moistness pooled at the apex of her thighs and she could feel the tingling pleasure that was almost a pain, an ache that radiated out from her innermost core to the erogenous zones that were finally reawakened. His lips caressed her neck, nuzzling and arousing, whilst his tongue dipped like a lightning strike inside her ear before his teeth tenderly closed around the lobe and gently pulled. The sensations were magical, tingling, heart-pounding, and breathtaking. She writhed underneath him as his mouth explored her shoulders, her décolletage, and her cleavage before nuzzling his way to her warm, ripe breast, the nipple pink and perky, begging for his attention. She groaned, the sound deep and primal as he suckled at her breast, his hand cupping the underside caressingly as his tongue flicked and twirled around the hard nub before drawing it deeper into his hot, moist mouth. Tentatively caressing his shoulders, Holly traced the defined contours of his back. Trailing her fingers up and down Mason’s spine, exploring, memorising, and kneading she felt a surge of possessiveness.

  Mason moved down her body kissing her ribs and her stomach, absently noting the tiny tremors that rippled across her smooth skin. Moulding the flesh at her tiny waist, he trailed his fingers over the flare of her feminine hips. Her breath caught, and he could feel her tension as he spread her thighs to gaze with sensuous enjoyment as her labia opened like a lotus flower. Bending his head he nuzzled at her pussy, smelling her sex and tasting the honey dew that was forming to ease the way. Her limbs trembled again and as he moved back to kiss her lips, he thrust his hard cock deep into her waiting pussy.

  Holly cried out, clutching at his biceps as he began to move, a slow, sensuous gyrating of his hips that teased and tormented. Mason’s cock was huge, filling her, stretching her, igniting every nerve ending and sending sparks of electricity zinging throughout her body. Panting as the sensations began to rise, her head thrashed from side to side. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she urged him on, her little panting mews of satisfaction sounding loud in the silence of the room. Mason’s hips moved like pistons, his cock thrusting deep into her body urgently seeking out her G-spot.

  Her internal muscles grew tighter, anchoring him inside her and each thrust of his fully engorged cock created a friction that pulsated and throbbed, sending spasms of ecstasy surging into her womb. Her cries grew loud, drowning out Mason’s grunts of satisfaction and as she exploded on an orgasm, lights exploded before her eyes and her blood pounded in her ears. Mason’s primitive groan of completion tumbled her into another orgasm as his hot seed pumped straight and true like an Exocet missile into her waiting womb. And the feeling became one of exquisite pain.

  * * * *

  Mason rolled off Holly, the withdrawal of his cock drawing a small mew of protest from her. Gathering her up into his arms, he pressed her head to his chest and brushed a light kiss over her hair. Gazing up at the yellowing ceiling and feeling her snuggling up against him, his thoughts were not happy ones. This had been a mistake. He had taken advantage of her vulnerability and his actions were inexcusable. Feeling a featherlight brushing of lips on his chest, his arms tightened. He sensed her looking up at him but he couldn’t return her gaze least he give himself away. Holly was vulnerable, unhappy, and lonely and he knew when she snuggled up to him that she was reaching out, wanting to be comforted and he by God had taken advantage and why? Because he was in love with her!

  Silently he groaned. Now what? If he declared his love how would she react? He knew she didn’t love him. Tonight he was an itch she needed to scratch. However, in the morning she may regret her rash actions and want him gone. If he declared his lov
e she would either run scared, be embarrassed, or needing to feel loved and wanted, fall into his arms only to regret it later. This was new territory to him. He was a loner. Yes, he’d had women before, but he’d never allowed himself to get close. The women he’d bedded had known the score. It was sex, just sex. His profession didn’t allow for long term. Holly’s husband was testament to that. He knew he would have to tread carefully with her, shrug off what had happened tonight, and just keep a distant eye on her until she had finished grieving. She could, he knew, meet another man, but in the meantime he had to allow her space to find herself. It was a risk, but what choice did he have. Sex with Holly had caused one unholy mess.

  Chapter Eight

  Holly stared with unseeing eyes at the computer. It was morning and after a tension-filled awkward cup of coffee together, Mason had gone. She bit her lip when she remembered that she had found it hard to look at him and when he’d tried to talk to her she’d all but blanked him. Shame filled her. It was not Mason’s fault she was a slut, only hers. Distractedly she reached out and switched on the computer. What she had done was wrong. She was supposed to be going to marry Alex, so why the hell had she slept with Mason? And not just slept. “Had sex!” Saying the words out loud punished even whilst it shocked. Oh God, what had she been thinking? Nothing, that was what. She’d not thought, just acted and felt. Boy, had she felt. Her gaze became unfocused remembering the touch of Mason’s hands on her flesh, the overwhelming surge of excitement that had filled her and the uncontrollable lust that had overtaken her. Mason had been wonderful, kind, tender, and so very gentle and she had felt…