Mountain Man Next Door

by Ava Grace

  After a while, it became impossible to ignore the dizzying current that arced between us.

  And so I didn’t ignore it.

  My pulse pounded as I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.

  Something in the pit of my stomach jolted and a ripple of excitement tore through me when Mason opened his mouth and kissed me back.

  And it was no chaste kiss.

  His mouth descended on mine with an almost desperate enthusiasm and as I got lost in his heady, drugging kisses, my body cried out for his touch. When he pushed his tongue into my mouth, it was game over.

  I slid my hands around the back of his head and threaded my fingers into his hair, holding him to me as his tongue acquainted itself with the depths of my mouth. I felt the kiss through my entire body and every inch became super sensitive, aching for more. My cheeks were hot and tingly from the scrape of his beard, but it was a pleasant heat and one I craved more of.

  “Please,” I breathed against his lips. “Please, touch me.”

  Mason did as I asked, his hands skirting down my sides, his fingertips briefly making contact with my nipples before he snaked his arms around my back and dragged me up against his body with a possessive tug.

  He fell backward on the couch, taking me down on top of him. I was breathless and in needed to stop for air, but I was afraid to break the contact of our lips in case the spell between us was broken also. And it felt so good to be kissed with such burning passion that I didn’t want it to end so soon. In fact, I never wanted it to end.

  Mason slid his hands up the backs of my thighs then up under my nightgown to squeeze the bare cheeks of my ass. A low, needy groan slipped from his throat and as he kneaded my flesh, I pressed my hips against his groin. He was hard, his dick straining at the material of his jeans. And just like that, I wanted him inside of me more than I’d ever wanted anything before.

  I reached between our bodies to press the palm of my hand against his hardness. Mason hissed at the contact, thrusting his hips upwards into my touch. Encouraged by the action, I reached for the buckle of his belt, but after a moment of fumbling and not seeming to get anywhere, Mason helped me out, opening the belt with ease.

  I pulled at the material of his jeans, tugging roughly at the button until I got it open, then I dragged down the zipper and slid my hand inside, gripping his length through his briefs.

  Mason shouted out at the touch and his kiss grew frantic, all teeth and tongue and tantalizing desire. I took everything he gave me and returned it tenfold. No longer satisfied with the barrier between us, I pulled at the material of his briefs, dragging it down and freeing his hard cock. It sprang up to meet my hand as if it had a mind and will of its own.

  Wrapping a fist around the thick shaft, I rubbed my thumb in circles over the sensitive nerve endings on the head.

  Mason cried out.

  “God, yes. Don’t stop.”

  Precum had beaded on the tip so I massaged it into his hot flesh. I was needy and aching to feel him thrusting inside me.

  Mason arched his back. “God, I want you so badly, Libby,” he moaned.

  I needed no further encouragement.

  I scrambled up his body to straddle his hips and reached between us, needing this more desperately than I needed air and it appeared that I wasn’t the only one. Mason grabbed hold of his dick and held it up for me in invitation. He pressed it to my entrance.

  “Is this okay?” he asked breathlessly. “I’m clean, but if you want me to—“

  All it took was a small adjustment then I raised my hips and slipped him inside me before sinking down the length of his cock with a shout of pure pleasure. Despite how thick his dick was, I was so wet that it slid inside me with ease.

  “Libby!” he shouted, his hands gripping my hips with bruising strength.

  I leaned over him and met his gaze. “It’s okay,” I said belatedly. “I’m clean too and I’m on the pill.”

  I lifted myself up then sank back down on him so that we both cried out. I was desperate for release so I rode him as if my life depended on it, fucking him with hard, shallow thrusts.

  “That’s it,” he said through gritted teeth. “Fuck me, baby. God, you feel so damn good.”

  His words of encouragement lit a fire inside me and I rode him harder, my back arched and my face raised to the heavens. It was wild and intense and unexpected and everything that I needed at that moment in time. The look on Mason’s face told me that it was exactly what he needed too and I was good with that.

  For once, I didn’t want to think about the future, I just wanted to have this rare moment of intimacy and fully embrace it.

  It felt like heaven grinding myself down on him and he met each movement of my hips with a powerful thrust of his own. His eyes were wide and unfocused as he gazed up at me, lost in the moment.

  His cock was perfect. Long and thick, it stretched the walls of my pussy beautifully, each pass hitting nerve endings inside me I hadn’t even realized were there. Mason’s grunts became animalistic and just when I thought he couldn’t fuck me any harder or any deeper, he did, slamming up into me with abandon.

  He was so handsome and seeing his face so relaxed, his features twisted in pleasure caused a tug of emotion inside my chest. Mason stared into my eyes as he fucked me and it made me realize what I’d been missing all these years—this connection and intimacy. It felt like more than just fucking and now that I’d experienced it once, I didn’t want to never experience it again. I prayed that this would be more than just a crazy, onetime thing that he might regret in the morning.

  Because I needed more of this.

  I needed more of him.

  Mason grabbed the hem of my nightshirt then pulled it up and over my head. I was worried at first that the scars on my chest might put him off, but the reverent look in his eyes took care of my nerves and inhibition.

  “You’re so damn beautiful,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I’ve wanted you since the moment you stepped out of that goddamn car. And every time I see you I want you more.”

  His confession set me alight, stirring something inside me that hoped this could become something more because I felt the exact same way.

  I rode him harder, chasing the promise of release that I could feel on the edges of my consciousness. Each time I slammed down on his cock, Mason grunted and I got closer and closer to the precipice.

  “Fuck, yes. That’s it, baby. Ride me. You’re so damn wet for me.”

  I was and his words seemed to reach a special part of me which made me wetter still.

  When Mason leaned up and took one of my nipples into his mouth, rolling his tongue around the stiff and sensitive bud, I cried out his name, grinding myself on his cock at the same time.

  Soon I was bouncing up and down on his length, all finesse lost in the heat of the moment. I slammed down on him once, twice and by the third time, I felt my orgasm begin, slowly at first, a slow burn that soon erupted into a volcanic explosion taking my breath and rational mind along with it.

  As I came, I clamped down on Mason’s cock, squeezing it tightly as wave after wave of euphoric release flowed through my body.

  Mason held onto my hips with a bruising strength, holding me in place then he roared out my name, arched his back and came, filling my body with liquid heat. It was altogether the most erotic, sensuous experience I’d ever had and I knew without question that if Mason and I never slept together again, it would always be the best orgasm I’d ever have.

  The thought was too somber to take up space in my mind after such a joyful moment so I didn’t linger on it. Instead, I vowed to ensure that it wouldn’t be our only time together. From the happy, blissed-out expression on Mason’s face, I suspected that he might be on board with that plan too.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I woke to the unwelcome and annoying sound of pounding on the front door, but I was too warm and snuggly to get up and answer it. When the hard bed I was lying on moved beneath my body, my eyes
flew open and I realized that I wasn’t, in fact, lying in bed at all. I was lying on top of Mason. Naked.

  Even more of a shock was the fact that his hard, muscular body was equally as naked with a certain even harder body part digging into my hip.

  Yikes!

  He leaned up and kissed my forehead. “I can get it,” he offered. “Why don’t you go and grab a shower.”

  I nodded against his chest. “Okay. Thanks.”

  I made a move to get off him, but he grabbed my arm then dragged me back down and kissed me on the lips, soft and sweet.

  “Morning, by the way.”

  The heat of a blush spread across my cheeks. “Morning.”

  I climbed off him then reached for my nightgown and put it on over my head. Mason sprang up from the couch and grabbed his jeans, pulling them on and up before crossing to the front door. I started to walk into the bedroom, but I was curious as to who was beating a heavy fist at the door at stupid-o-clock in the morning. Could it be the police? I shivered, despite the heat in the room and wrapped my arms around my middle as if to protect myself from what was coming.

  Mason had zipped up his jeans, but he’d left the button undone. He didn’t seem that bothered about his state of undress however as he pulled open the front door. He wasn’t wearing even wearing a shirt. What would people think? He grunted out a curt greeting then pulled the door wide before Coop strode into the room.

  Coop looked between Mason and me and his jaw got tight. “I heard about what happened last night.” He came to stand in front of me. “I wanted to see if you’re okay.”

  I blinked, momentarily stunned that he could have found out about last night so quickly. What the heck? It had only happened a few hours ago.

  “I’m fine,” I said with a shrug.

  Coop took in my swollen cheek then the bandages on my arm and throat and a muscle ticked in his jaw.

  “Fine? You were nearly murdered last night and that’s the best you can do. Fine?”

  I winced at his choice of words.

  He turned to Mason.

  “How is she?”

  “She’s coping,” Mason said. “She just needs some time to heal then she’ll be okay.”

  Coop nodded, seemingly satisfied with Mason’s answer and I scowled at them both. Why wasn’t my answer good enough? And since when did Coop listen to anything Mason said?

  Coop turned to me again, taking in the little cotton slip I was wearing. The top of it was low cut enough to expose a good portion of the scars on my chest, making me feel suddenly self-conscious. Coop’s eyes cut to the scars and when he met my gaze again there was an angry glint in his eyes. I never showed anyone my scars and in the space of a few short hours, both Mason and Coop had seen them.

  “Um, I’m gonna go and take a shower,” I said, heading for the bedroom. “Can I trust you to be in the same room together without tearing each other apart?”

  Mason shrugged and a grin spread across Coop’s face exposing his dimples. I guess that was as good as I was going to get.

  “Try,” I told them. “For me.”

  In the bedroom, Duke lifted his head to greet me and his tail started wagging, but he didn’t try to get out of his bed. It looked like he’d finally slept off the pain meds that the vet had given him, but was still exhausted from his ordeal. I went over and petted him before going into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

  Afterward, I dressed quickly then went back out into the living room to find Mason and Coop standing across the room from each other, arms folded across their chests. Although their stances mirrored each other’s, the expressions on their faces were as opposite as night and day.

  Coop’s eyebrows were pulled together in a tight frown that might have been better described as a glower. Mason, on the other hand, looked positively chipper. The corners of his mouth were pulled up into the type of smile that might have been called a smirk. He looked, for all intents and purposes, smug.

  I narrowed my eyes at them both. “What’s going on?”

  “I want you to take a few days off work,” Coop said, ignoring my question.

  I shook my head. “Thanks, Coop, but I need the money and I really am fine. Really. I’ll be in later today.”

  “It wasn’t a request,” he said stonily. “You show up later and I’ll personally toss your ass back out the door. My customers see you with that shiner on your face and they might think I’ve been knocking you around. You’ve got five days paid leave. After that, we’ll see.”

  I let out a long sigh. “Okay, but I want to make it clear that I’m taking this time off under duress.”

  When the dimples in Coop’s cheeks popped out again, I rolled my eyes. A moment later, Duke came ambling out of my bedroom. He looked a little unsteady on my feet and a couple of times, he swayed from side to side, but otherwise, he looked much better.

  “Hey, buddy.” Mason leaned down to click his fingers. “Come here, boy.”

  Ignoring Mason completely, Duke sauntered up to me then promptly sat on my feet, leaning his large body against my legs as if they could help to keep him upright. I bent down and scratched him behind the ears.

  “Who’s a good boy? Huh? You are.” I said in my best babyish voice. “Should we get you some food? Huh? Should we? Do you want some food?”

  Duke licked his lips and his tail started beating out a tune against the hardwood floor. I grinned down at him then petted him some more. When I straightened and met Mason and Coop’s gaze in turn, they were both wearing the same serene, yet oddly dazed expression.

  Coop cleared his throat. “Right. Well, I’d better get going. Got shit to do. Remember no work for five days,” he said pointing a finger at me before turning and walking out the door.

  I didn’t miss the glare he shot at Mason right before he left. Mason closed the door behind him, a satisfied grin on his face as he came over to where I was standing then leaned in and kissed me soundly.

  I was slightly breathless when we separated and leaning towards him as if my body was unconsciously begging for more.

  “What was that for?” I asked.

  Mason shrugged. “Just because I can.”

  He sure could.

  “How did Coop know what happened here last night?”

  “Probably through one of his biker buddies, they have police scanners that can listen in on emergency calls. Plus, you told Ethan you work for Coop. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went to talk to him after he left here. You know that we all went to school together, right? Well, Ethan and Coop are still pretty tight.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “What did you and Coop talk about when I was in the shower?”

  Mason averted his gaze. “Nothing much,” he hedged.

  My stare became more pointed, willing him to meet my eyes again. “Mason, tell me what you said to Coop.”

  He bent down to scratch Duke behind the ear again. “It was nothing, really. He just asked what I was doing here, half dressed at seven thirty in the morning.”

  I stared at him. “Okay, and how did you reply?”

  “I just told him that it wasn’t against the law to stay the night at my girlfriend’s place, especially after she’d had such a traumatic night.”

  I blinked a couple of times then stared at him open-mouthed. “Excuse me?” I spluttered. “Your girl…”

  I couldn’t even finish the sentence, I was shocked that he would say something like that, but Mason was acting like it was no big deal. He lifted his right shoulder in a half shrug then pretended to be real busy petting on Duke. When I put my hands on my hips, Mason sighed.

  “What’s wrong with that? Do you have anything against Coop thinking we’re together?”

  “I… Wow, where do I even begin,” I said with a frown.

  He stood up to his full height then sighed. “Look. I don’t see the problem here. We’re both attracted to one another, right?”

  I certainly couldn’t argue with that. “Okay.”

  “And you can’t poss
ibly say that the sex we had last night wasn’t off the charts.”

  Alright, so maybe I couldn’t argue with that, either.

  “Okay,” I said again.

  Mason grinned. “So why don’t we agree to see where this thing between us goes?”

  I was still trying to form a reply when Mason pulled me into his arms and placed another kiss on my lips.

  “Good,” he said as he pulled back. “I’m glad you’re not fighting me on this. Don’t worry. I promise we’ll take it slow.”

  I was still standing in the same spot when Mason went to feed Duke, and I couldn’t help but wonder how in the heck he had misinterpreted my silence as an agreement to his proposal. I also wondered if his definition of taking things slow and mine were on two opposite ends of the scale.

  Still, as I watched him move around my kitchen with the ease of a man who had been in it a hundred times before, I had to wonder how much I cared about silly definitions anyway—probably a lot less than I should.

  After all, with the way that my last relationship had ended, should I be so quick to jump into another?

  No, was the sensible answer to that question, but in my heart of hearts, I had to concede that surely no length of time was too short if you were getting into a relationship with the right person.

  I didn’t know enough about Mason yet to know if he was the right person which was another reason for taking it slow. But I did know enough about him to know that I liked him. I also knew that I was attracted to him—seriously attracted. Wasn’t that enough for now?

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mason had thus far been true to his word and had indeed taken things slowly. He’d insisted on staying the nights at my place, but he always slept on the couch, and he’d been the perfect gentleman—even though I hadn’t wanted him to be.

  I hadn’t paid him anymore early morning visits, not that I hadn’t wanted to, but I thought that as I’d been the one to insist we take things slowly, it might be good to take a step back myself which meant no more attacking him when he was sitting on the couch minding his own business.