Part 19 (1/2)

She nodded, unable to verbally respond.

”Do you agree that we are in bed right now and you have in fact broken the rule?”

His long fingers gripped her hip and pulled her body closer to his. Her pendulum of need swung from warm and comfortable to scalding and needy.

When she didn't respond, he asked again. ”Kevan, do you agree?”

She finally nodded and felt his smile against her forehead as his exhale rustled her hair. He lifted his hand from her hip and stroked her hair. Softly, at first, then adding more pressure, until his big hand tangled in her hair at the nape of her neck. He moved her face to look at him.

”Open your eyes, darlin',” he said, and she shook her head from side to side.

”I'm afraid.” She swallowed the nervousness threatening to take over her brain, expecting him to placate her with words of comfort and soft, gentle caresses like he had before.

Instead, he whispered, ”You should be, my beautiful girl. You should be.” His chest rose with a long pull of breath before he continued. ”I don't know what this is, this thing between us. I know I've never, and I mean never, felt this strong a pull to anyone. You confound me. You're beautiful and so insecure. You're creative and intelligent and so inexperienced. You're compa.s.sionate, and you're cruel. You're a s.e.x bomb, and you're a compliant, generous lover. You're all these maddening contradictions that don't make any sense, yet make perfect sense.” He sighed again. ”And I can't get enough of your special f.u.c.king brand of beautiful crazy.”

He danced his fingers up and down her spine, sending quakes of l.u.s.t through her torso like jolts of electricity bringing her body to life. ”So yeah, you should be afraid. I'm f.u.c.king terrified, and I'm never afraid of anything. The only thing that has ever scared the f.u.c.k out of me is the s.e.xy brunette lying in my arms and looking up at me with those stunning gray eyes.”

”Mason?” She could hear the quiver in her voice.

”Yeah, darlin'.”

She opened her eyes to gaze into his. ”I agree.”

His gorgeous mouth slowly curled upward, and his eyes took on a predatory gleam. Her rational mind knew she should fear his dangerous evil-s.e.xy smile. But instead, her nipples hardened under her soft nights.h.i.+rt, and her core tingled, flooding with arousal.

He raised one eyebrow. ”To your punishment or to more?”

”Both.”

The words were barely out before his mouth slammed down on hers and his hand moved from her back to her bottom. He pulled her body into his as he licked the seam of her lips. She opened for him eagerly as he explored her mouth and held her head angled in his other hand. It seemed as if she'd waited for this kiss for her entire life. He captured her moan with his mouth and tangled his fingers in her hair. Gripping the long strands in his fist, he angled her head into a position that gave him more control over the kiss. As suddenly as it had started, the kiss ended.

When he pulled his mouth away and tucked her into his side, dragging her leg over his thigh, Kevan expected him to grab her and get busy. ”I don't think you have any idea the dirty things I want to do to your bombsh.e.l.l body.”

His dark promise sent tremors to her c.l.i.t, making it throb. She squirmed with overwhelming need under his hands, but then his hands stopped moving, and he sighed deeply.

After several minutes, she asked, ”Well?”

Mason chuckled but didn't move. ”Well what?”

Was he really going to make her say it? ”Where's my...my...you know.”

”Punishment?”

”Yeah.” Was he purposely being coy? What the h.e.l.l? She needed him to take her, brand her as his. And right now.

”Oh, you'll get it. Just not now. Not when you expect it.”

”What the-”

He stopped her from finis.h.i.+ng by placing his fingers to her mouth. ”We're both exhausted. I have your consent. That's enough for now. Fall asleep in my arms.”

Kevan wanted to yell and slap at him. If he were any other man, she'd accuse him of being a player. But Mason didn't play games like that. Besides, he was right-d.a.m.n him. Sleep would be good. And she felt so safe, so comfortable in his bed. She turned her head and placed a kiss on his lightly hair-dusted chest. Her lips tingled from the brief contact, but she tamped down her fierce arousal. They'd said and done enough for one night.

”Good night, cowboy.”

”Good night, Bettie.”

Tomorrow was another day.

Chapter 20.

Bright light seeped in through a crack in the blackout shades, blinding Kevan with a searing laser beam directed into her left eye. They must not have made it from San Francisco to LA yet, because the RV still rocked gently. She stretched and lifted a hand to her face, turning to peer at the sleeping giant with his arms around her. It was a rare moment when she was able to observe Mason without his intense focus on her.

Kevan traced her finger from the crown of his head, across his cheek, and down his long neck, enjoying the contrast of her pale skin against his golden, rougher skin.

Yes, he was pretty, but his body was a man's body, one mapped with the various evidence of an active life. It bore his history as explicitly as any book described a person's story. She traced the tiny visible scars and marks dotting his broad shoulders, arms, and legs. He s.h.i.+fted suddenly and grabbed her fingers as they outlined the thin, jagged scars sprinkled across his forearms and hands. He pulled her in for a sweet kiss, gently caressing her lips with his.

”Where did you get these?” she asked, feathering her index finger along his wrist and arm, enjoying the feel of his coa.r.s.e hair under her softer skin. He smiled, his eyes filled with sleep and his hair mussed from her fingers. ”I was ten. I wanted a new skateboard. You know, a cool one, not a little kid's plastic toy. But my parents didn't think it was practical or educational, so I had to buy it myself.”

He pulled her body against his, the smell of his naturally woodsy scent sent signals of l.u.s.t and contentment to her brain.

”I did everything I could to get that stupid board, including mowing lawns and returning bottles. So one day I was riding my c.r.a.ppy toy skateboard, the one I wanted to replace, to the store with a box full of gla.s.s soda bottles on the front. I hit a b.u.mp and followed the shattered bottles hands first.”

She gasped, cringing at the image of a young kamikaze Mason flying through the air seconds after a dozen gla.s.s bottles shattered on the hot summer sidewalk. Choosing to ignore the poor battered and b.l.o.o.d.y ten-year-old, she focused on the idea of Mason as a child, bringing a smile to her lips. He must have been such an intense, stunning child.

What will his children look like?

Better not go there.

”Did you get the skateboard?”

He shook his head. ”Not until high school.”

Kevan kissed each little mark on his arms and then continued down his hands.

She pulled the tangled sheet off Mason's waist and pushed it down his legs. d.a.m.n, he was fine. And, looky there, he's happy to see me. When she looked into his face, the expression in his eyes had turned serious. She smiled and pushed his shoulder back against the bed, eliciting a protesting grunt from him. She caressed the light smattering of hair on his chest and continued her exploration down to his hard abs and hips. Her hand wrapped firmly around his manhood, and his warmth infused her fingers. Slowly, she began to stroke up and down. She scooted down and licked the shaft with the flat of her tongue up to the notched head. Hard, but with a velvety texture.

She circled the head and licked the tip, and the small prec.u.m pooled there. Kevan loved the tangy saltiness of Mason. She'd never taken much pleasure in giving a man head. Always felt it was a means to an end, or an exchange for what she really wanted. But with him, she thoroughly relished the pleasure she knew she gave him. She craved the power that came with understanding that this successful, gorgeous man was in her mouth, chose to be with her, and she was the one making him growl and cry out her name when he came.

When he moaned again, more loudly, she glanced up to his face before she took him entirely into her mouth and hollowed her cheeks. His eyes were firmly locked on her. He brought his hand to rest on the back of her head as he arched into her and his c.o.c.k hit the back of her throat. Wanting to please him, she dragged her tongue against his erection.

His hand tangled in her hair as she moved her warm mouth up and down on him. Her nipples tightened with his firm grasp, sending moisture to her p.u.s.s.y. She wanted him to direct her. She wanted him to take his pleasure and show her how to please him.

”Kevan, if you keep going, I don't think I'll be able to stop,” he growled, his voice low and dark.