by Brook Wilder
I looked at the dead bodies still on my lawn and I couldn’t control the tears.
I was glad he was gone. But he had taken everything from me, and now he was on his way to find Mason and Cassie.
There was no way I could warn them. I could only pray for the best and hope that they’d make it.
Chapter 9
Cassie
Moving from one safehouse to another quickly became our lifestyle.
I had to stay at the safehouse while Mason and the other men met to discuss their war plans. I didn’t like being left out of the loop, but Mason kept telling me it was all for the best and the least I knew about everything the better. I’d sit up all hours of the night to wait for him to return.
We had learned that Ruiz was also harming other crime families and that those families were considering joining the GRMC’s war against the Cartel. That led to many hours of meetings for Mason and the other men.
I myself became a strong asset to the club. That was something I didn’t anticipate happening. I was integrating nicely into club life. Mason and I were growing closer, providing strength to each other. I supported him and, in return, he opened up more to me.
Dana was no longer a topic off limits. I’d listen while he talked. And he gradually grew more and more comfortable talking about her.
When he told me it was time to make the first hit on the warehouse, I was ready to do whatever he needed me to do to help out. After they made the first hit, it became my job to look after the women who’d been kidnapped. It was good to have them freed and in the safehouse with us.
They had all been abused, and it disgusted me to learn what they’d had to endure. I helped to get them cleaned up and made sure they felt refreshed, but I was appalled that anyone had had to go through what most of them had gone through. Mason noticed my sadness and was quick to tell me that freeing them was really something to be glad about. He did his best to assure me that those women would never have to go through something like that again.
I appreciated him trying, but I still felt it was outrageous that anyone had had to endure such suffering in the first place. My only consolation was that we were indeed saving the women.
But that didn’t mean that Mason and I didn’t need to have a serious conversation. One night, I pulled him aside, getting him alone to myself for at least a few minutes.
“These women endured such hard conditions,” I said.
He nodded. “I know, but they’ve been freed with your help. So, that’s something.”
I snickered.
“Well, yeah… But they wouldn’t have been in these conditions if it wasn’t for the Cartel. And I can’t help thinking I couldn’t be happy in any kind of relationship with you.”
“What are you saying?” he asked.
“I’m saying that you had a hand in getting these women into this position.”
“Cassie…” he started.
It hurt me to say it, because I didn’t want to give up the easiness between us. But I also didn’t want to get caught up in being with the wrong man.
His eyes held a hint that he understood. He slowly nodded.
I knew I needed to push him away, as it was the only way to protect my heart. But it hurt too much to let him go.
“Forget it,” I said. “Just ignore me. I’m just emotional, that’s all.”
He sighed and reached and rubbed my lower lip with his thumb. So much passion had built up between us that I thought he’d want to kiss me then, but the moment had been lost. We were amazing together, when neither of us was thinking about the situation we were in, but it would have been foolish to believe we could keep those thoughts at bay.
It was way too difficult to just let it pass.
Chapter 10
Mason
The easiest thing to do would have been to push her away. After all, the last thing I wanted was for Cassie to become a casualty in all of this, leaving her with a gash in her heart. Yet, every time I considered pulling back or pushing her away, I found myself switching. I would tell myself that she didn’t want to end this anymore than I did, and that would be the excuse I would give myself to not pull back.
I’d told her not to get too close to me, but that advice had already been lost. We were both head over heels. There was no denying it.
A few days later, I found her in the living room when I got back to the house. It occurred to me that I had given her a gun for protection, but never taught her how to shoot.
“Hey, grab your gun and meet me out back.”
She seemed reluctant and dragged her heels. When she finally fetched up out back, she stated her objections loud and clear.
“This is crazy,” she said. “I don’t want to shoot the thing.”
“You’ll change your mind when you are lying on the ground dead!”
She narrowed her eyes at me and I gave a long sigh.
“I don’t anticipate that happening, but we have to be prepared. Better safe than sorry. So, point the gun at those targets I’ve set up.”
It was an order she didn’t want to obey, but she reluctantly complied.
She moved forward to a line I’d drawn in the dust, then held the gun up. She shot at each target in turn, missing every one of them.
I laughed, then cleared my throat and looked at her.
“How was that?” she asked.
“Well, fine… if you’re goal is to shoot for air,” I said. “Now, let’s try again.”
This time I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her chest as she aimed the gun. We were so close. It was everything I wanted. I held her hands as we cocked the gun together. We aimed and fired. The bullet punched a hole in the target.
“See?” I said. “That’s how you do it.”
She turned to me with a look of exhilaration on her face. She had a wide-toothed smile and I told her to try again. This time she did it by herself and, sure enough, she hit the target.
She was ready. She even looked glad to have had the opportunity to master the art of shooting.
Now, if only she didn’t have to use it...
Chapter 11
Cassie
If there was one thing I hadn’t expected, it was Mason in the confines of the little kitchen.
What surprised me the most was that he seemed so at home there. He leaned against the counter and eyed the pan with such interest that I could not help but be curious too. I tipped up onto my toes and peered over at the pan. The meat sizzled, and the scent of the steaks filled the small kitchen.
“That smells good,” I said softly.
Mason gave me an amused grin.
“You should count yourself lucky. I make a mean steak.”
“I bet you do.”
Despite myself, I grinned. The dark-haired man eyed me with eyes as hungry as my own, but he seemed to have another menu in mind. I cleared my throat to cover the rush of adrenaline through my system at the look in his dark eyes.
“So, how long until we eat?”
Mason’s grin grew devious. I shifted nervously and tugged at the t-shirt I wore. Mason looked me up and down as he pushed away from the counter. I thought he would pull me to him, but instead he turned his attention back on the pan. Disappointment sliced through me keenly.
Mason had been so busy with the club’s plans for the Cartel that I barely saw him. I was kept so busy, running after the girls that the boys brought back from their raids, that I could only imagine how busy Mason was. The very idea that he wanted to take time to cook a meal for me was absurd, but I was thoroughly enjoying the views it afforded me. I lowered my eyes to his ass, which was accentuated nicely in his well-worn jeans.
There was no point in any further denying that Mason turned me on. The doubts that clawed at my mind did nothing to dissuade my stubborn heart. It had staked a claim, and it wanted what it wanted like a petulant child.
Mason contentedly ignored my question as he cooked.
A few minutes later, he shot me a look.
“Get some plates,” he ordered gruffly. “Top cabinet to your left.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll float up there,” I muttered as I looked up at the tall cabinets.
Looking around, I grabbed a stool and pulled it over. It wasn’t the sturdiest thing, but it took my slight weight well enough.
I grabbed the plates. As I put my foot down, it missed the rung of the stool, but before I had the chance to topple a strong arm was around my waist.
“Thanks,” I blushed and whispered.
Once my feet were firmly on the floor, Mason took the plates and began serving up the steaks.
“There are some sides in the fridge.”
I fished out the containers of potato salad and coleslaw.
“Sweet,” I said triumphantly.
It had been ages since I’d had what I’d call a decent meal. My mood grew more playful as I looked forward to the meal ahead.
Mason was already placing the plates on the tiny kitchen table.
“Bring them over here.”
“Nah! I thought I’d drop them down the sink,” I said haughtily.
He ignored my tone, and I took it as a good sign. He must be in a very good mood. I’d been pushing my luck as of late and testing boundaries. However, I was careful not to do anything disrespectful around the boys.
Once we were seated, I wasted no time cutting into my steak. It was juicy. So juicy that it dribbled down my chin much to Mason’s amusement.
It was nice to see him so relaxed. He so often seemed tightly controlled, but then I guess he had to be. I knew it was hard for him to put up a strong front all the time for the men.
“This is really good,” I said in appreciation. “I think you missed your calling.”
“Being a chef?” Mason said as he cut a piece of his own steak. “Sounds boring.”
I shrugged. He would consider it boring, given the life he led.
“There’s something to be said for boring,” I said, biting into another piece of steak.
Mason grunted but did not otherwise reply. He seemed to be giving his food his full attention, and I reckoned that was probably a good thing. The more we talked, the more the doubts swirled in my head. The ‘what-ifs’ sought to bury the happiness that being around Mason created in me. My hair slipped over my shoulder, and I flipped it back over my shoulder to keep it out of my food.
The meal was satisfying and peaceful. It felt nice to just share space with the dark-haired man. I wondered if this was what a normal life with Mason would be like? Was that even a possibility? The man by all rights would be in jail if the world were a perfect place, I reasoned. The world was a far from perfect place though.
After we had finished eating, I took our dishes to the sink and started cleaning up. Mason leaned back in his seat and watched me sedately.
“I need to get you one of those sexy maid outfits,” he said as if he were not suggesting something degrading to me.
I put the dishes in the sink.
“What makes you think that I’d wear that?”
I turned on the water faucet.
“What makes you think you’d have a choice? I still own you, after all.”
Indignation rose up in me.
“I thought we were beyond that,” I said, turning my head to glare at him.
Mason looked over at me and chuckled.
“You’re so easy to bait, you know that?”
“Funny,” I intoned sarcastically as I began washing up.
“Come here.”
I could tell by his tone that it was not a suggestion. I dried off my hands and walked over to the vexing dark-haired man.
“I’m ready for dessert.”
My brow furrowed in momentary confusion at his words, but his meaning became abundantly clear the moment he pulled me down into his lap.
“Oh,” I exclaimed softly. “That kind of dessert.”
Mason didn’t bother to respond in words. Instead, he caught my mouth in a rough kiss that stole my breath and left me trembling. It had been a while since we’d been able to spend any time alone, and my body ached for him. I kissed him back eagerly, encouraging him to continue.
My encouragement must have worked because his hands slid down and cupped my ass. I felt myself being lifted off the floor. Mason put me up on the table where a few of the dishes still remained, but we paid them no attention. We kissed each other desperately.
When he pulled back out of the kiss, he smirked at me.
“At least you aren’t trying to deny it anymore,” he whispered to me teasingly.
“Shut up and kiss me,” I demanded.
In response, he grabbed a handful of my brown locks and yanked backward so hard that it made me wince.
Mason kissed me bruisingly, and I whimpered against his lips. It felt good, so good. I wanted more of it, and I wrapped my legs around his waist to pull him closer.
“Eager?” Mason growled.
I panted. I had no breath left to answer. I just nodded.
Mason’s hand left my ass and trailed up and over my stomach. The touch was so light and tantalizing that I moaned as he took his sweet time, making me wait. He unsnapped the button of my jeans, and I held onto the table as he stepped back to tug my jeans down. I gasped when he jerked them off in one motion.
Before he stepped back to me, he lifted his shirt and pulled it over his head, revealing the gorgeous body that had attracted me to him in the first place. His muscles rippled under his tattoos and I felt myself get even wetter at the sight of him. Damn! Shouldn’t I be building up an immunity to his body by now? What right did he have to make me feel this way, every single time?
Mason had my full attention as he slipped his hand under my panties. I felt neither embarrassed nor shy. I released another moan and let my head fall back when, at long last, he touched me. He rubbed his thumb tantalizingly over my opening, and I shivered.
“Damn, I’ve missed this,” Mason whispered.
His voice held a husky growl that made me all the wetter.
“Come on, pet,” Mason whispered coaxingly. “Let’s hear some of those moans. You’re such a fucking good lay.”
I should have been incensed at the words, but I had never wanted to please someone so badly in all my life. I found myself nodding eagerly and readily obliged as he pushed his fingers into me. My eyes squeezed shut with the sensation of it.
“Take your shirt off,” Mason demanded.
Sitting up a bit more, I reached down and slowly pulled my t-shirt up over my head. I was still wearing the flimsy bra from the auction block, and my breasts danced as my hair cascaded from the t-shirt as it cleared my head.
All the while, Mason slid his fingers in and out of me.
“Bra,” Mason said huskily as he slipped his fingers in and out of me, teasing me, never quite going deep enough for my liking.
I groaned in frustration but did as I was told. I unclasped the bra and slipped my arms out of it.
I was laid out naked on the table before him. I felt exposed and vulnerable, but I liked it.
Mason drew in deep hiss of appreciation at the sight of me. It gave me a heady feeling that I affected him so. I laid back and gave him a smile. The smile Mason returned was devious.
“Time for dessert.”
He leaned over and pushed my legs wider. My breath caught in my throat as his tongue ran across my nub. Sensations raced through me like electricity, and my hips involuntarily bucked upward.
His tongue slipped into me and swirled around inside. I gasped as he fucked me with his tongue. The sensations came so fast that I could not keep up, and I found myself gasping for breath as my fingers clenched his hair. My legs lifted all by themselves to give him better access to me. I had no modesty. I wanted this.
When Mason pulled back, I made a keen sound of loss which amused him. He chuckled at me as he stepped back and pushed his pants down. His hard length sprang out, eager and waiting. I eyed it with interest and wriggled in anticipation of the joy it would bring me. I
let myself slip down off the table. I wanted to close the distance between us.
Mason, however, grabbed me by the arm. He spun me around and pulled my bare body up against his length. I could feel his hard dick against my lower back. I felt so small next to him, but I had little time to think about that. Mason’s arm snaked around my waist. His hand slipped lower and rubbed me teasingly. I wriggled, but it was no use. I was at his mercy, and he knew it.
