23. CAMI

23

CAMI

“ D o you want to come inside?” I asked. “We can join the festivities again later, I just want to take a moment to breathe.”

“Of course.”

Mason stepped in behind me and his presence filled the space, making everything feel safe, like the walls could hold out the world’s dangers as long as he was here.

He’d saved my life, coming for me when I’d thought everything was over between us. The lingering fear from the day’s events melted away the moment he closed the door behind us. The storm outside had passed, but the warmth between us had only just begun.

I slipped off my coat and boots, grateful to be home. Mason shrugged out of the Santa suit, normal clothes underneath.

“You make a good Santa,” I said with a smirk.

“It was necessary,” he said with a scowl.

“You saved me,” I added, more serious. “Thank you.”

Mason pulled me closer. “I’ll always come for you, Cami. You’ll never be in danger again.”

I shivered at the words, and Mason brushed his lips against mine. When I looked at him, his eyes were dark and filled with affection, and the look on his face was completely open and vulnerable.

“Let me make us something to drink,” I said.

“That sounds like a good idea.”

I headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll make us some hot cocoa.” I glanced over my shoulder at Mason, who stood there like a watchful sentinel.

His gaze softened, and he nodded, but his eyes never left me. Even after everything that had happened, I could see the protectiveness in his posture, the way he stayed alert, always on guard.

I busied myself with making the cocoa, pouring milk into a pot and heating it on the stove. The rich scent of chocolate filled the room, mixing with the faint smell of pine from the Christmas tree in the corner. The weight of the past was finally lifted and it left space for something new, something beautiful.

When the cocoa was ready, I poured it into two mugs and brought them over to the couch. Mason already sat there, leaning back against the cushions with a look that was a mixture of exhaustion and relief. I handed him the mug, our fingers brushing as he took it, sending a jolt of electricity through me.

“Thanks,” he murmured, taking a sip.

I sat down beside him, close enough that our knees touched, and curled up on the couch. I tucked my legs underneath me and shifted a little closer. The warmth of his body radiated through the space between us. We sipped our cocoa in silence for a few moments, the weight of everything that had happened still hanging in the air.

Finally, I took a deep breath and broke the silence. “Apparently, everything about my past life was a lie.”

“I know how that can be,” Mason said.

“Dylan was a part of his smuggling ring. Viktor said a couple of things about what he was involved in… and I think he must have gone into hiding or something because Viktor thought I could lead him to Dylan.”

“Getting involved with Viktor is a death sentence,” Mason said slowly. “But he might not have known he was doing it. Viktor is cunning as fuck, and he draws people into his poisonous orbit without their knowledge. By the time they realize what’s going on, it’s too late.”

I nodded. It sounded plausible. Dylan was good at what he did, his business had done really well, but he could be very trusting, too. Of course, he had a bad side to him, too, since he’d cheated on me. But it was very possible he’d been drawn into bad business without knowing it.

“It’s just difficult to think my past could have stuff like that in it. I feel like the rug has been pulled out from under me all over again.”

Mason’s jaw tightened, and he set his mug down on the coffee table before turning to face me. “It sounds to me like your ex might’ve been caught in the middle of something he didn’t fully understand.”

I nodded, my fingers gripping the mug a little tighter. “It’s just… it feels like karma, you know? After what he did to me—cheating on me with my best friend, lying to me—it’s like… I don’t know, maybe this is the universe’s way of punishing him.” I swallowed hard, feeling guilty. “Is that a terrible thing to say?”

Mason shook his head, his expression serious. “I understand what you feel, and I understand. But karma or not, it’s not your burden to carry anymore. Dylan’s choices were his own, and whatever mess he’s in now? It’s not your responsibility. You’ve moved on. You’ve built a life here, Cami—a life that’s yours. He doesn’t get to take that from you.”

His words hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting—a surge of warmth and relief washing over me. He was right. None of it mattered anymore.

Not Dylan, not the betrayal, not the shadows of my past. That was behind me now, and all that lay ahead was a future I wanted to embrace. A future that included Silver Ridge.

And Mason.

I set my mug down beside his and turned to face him fully. “You’re right,” I whispered. “None of that matters anymore. Because I have a life here. I have friends. I have you.”

Mason’s eyes softened, and for a moment, the rough exterior he always wore like armor cracked and I saw the man underneath. The gentle, caring, wonderful Mason I’d fallen in love with.

“You have me,” he echoed, his voice rough. “I just… I’m not good at this, Cami. I’ve been alone for so long. I don’t know how to be the man you need.”

I shook my head, reaching out to cup his face, my thumbs brushing over his beard. “You don’t have to be anything but who you are,” I whispered. “That’s all I need. I love you, Mason. Just the way you are.”

His breath hitched, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second. Then, slowly, his hands came up to cover mine, holding them against his face as he leaned into my touch. “I love you, too,” he murmured, his voice thick. “I didn’t think I’d ever say that. But with you… You’ve changed everything.”

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes but this had nothing to do with fear or sadness.

For so long, I’d been searching for this—for a love that was real, that was true, that didn’t come with conditions or betrayals. And now, sitting here with Mason, I’d found it.

“I want to be with you,” he continued, his voice low but firm. “I want to try. I’m going to fuck it up, I’m telling you that now. But I want to make it work. As long as you know that, know that I love you, we can figure it out. Right?”

My heart swelled with love for this man who had been through so much and still found it in himself to open up and let me in. “We’ll figure it out together,” I whispered. “Whatever it takes. If that means living in the mountains with you, then that’s what I’ll do.”

Mason’s eyes darkened with emotion, and in an instant, his lips were on mine. The kiss was soft at first, filled with tenderness and gratitude, but it quickly deepened, the heat between us rising as his hands moved to my waist, pulling me closer. My heart hammered against my ribs, my body responding to him, and the same heat I always felt with him washed over me.

This was what I’d been searching for. A life filled with love, with someone who saw me, who understood me, and who stood by my side no matter what. And as Mason’s kiss turned more heated, more urgent, I knew with every fiber of my being that this was where I belonged.

His hands roamed over my back, tugging me closer until I was practically in his lap. My fingers tangled in his hair, and I felt a surge of warmth spread through me—an intense need for him blossoming at my core as his lips crashed down on mine.

I let out a whimper when he lifted me and turned me to straddle his lap, but then his hands were under my sweater, his fingers splaying against my skin. His touch sent shivers of pleasure through me, and my head fell back, breaking our kiss. He trailed kisses down my throat and over my shoulder. He tugged the neckline of my sweater aside and kissed my collarbone.

“I want you so fucking badly, baby,” he murmured against my skin, his breath warm and sending tingles through me. “So badly it hurts.”

He pressed his lips to mine again, and his hands slid up to the clasp of my bra. I held my breath as he unhooked the hooks and tugged the cups down. He cupped my breasts, his thumbs brushing over my nipples, and I let out a gasp.

“You are so fucking gorgeous,” he whispered.

He worked my sweater and my top up my body, and I lifted my arms so he could pull it over my head. He tossed it aside, and I sat on his lap, topless. Mason stared at my breasts, pure hunger in his eyes before he leaned forward and closed his mouth over my nipple.

The heat of his mouth, the gentle suction and the brush of his tongue sent shockwaves of pleasure straight to my pussy.

I shifted closer, and the friction between my legs as I ground against him had me moaning softly.

“Fuck, baby,” Mason said, lifting his head. He looked dazed, and I smiled.

I liked knowing that I had the power to affect him. To make him feel as crazy as I felt.

“Mason,” I murmured.

His mouth returned to my breast, and he pulled me closer, one hand around my waist, the other cupping me as he kissed, licked, and sucked on my nipples.

“Mason,” I breathed again. “I want you.”

He growled and stood, cupping my ass, and carried me through my cottage and toward my bed. He dropped me on the mattress, and I yelped.

Mason undid my jeans and tugged them down my legs, taking my panties with them. He stared at my body as he slowly undressed me like he was unwrapping a present of his own. He licked his lips, and his eyes met mine.

“I need you,” he said.

“I need you too.”

He crawled on the bed next to me, and his lips crashed down on mine with a kiss full of hunger and desire.

His tongue parted my lips, and his hand snaked down my belly to the junction between my thighs. He pushed his fingers into my wetness, and we groaned in unison. His fingers found my clit, and I trembled. Mason’s mouth covered mine, his tongue slipping between my lips. He rubbed my clit, and I bucked my hips against his hand.

I gasped for air, and I moaned, a shudder passing through me. Mason’s lips moved to my throat, and he flicked his tongue over the sensitive flesh. He slipped a finger into my entrance and curled it, hitting a spot inside me that made me cry out. He chuckled softly and pushed a second finger in. I rocked my hips, riding his hand.

“Mason,” I breathed. “Mason, yes, oh God…”

He thrust his fingers in and out of me, and his thumb rubbed my clit. The combined sensations were too much. I cried out as an orgasm hit me. I shook with pleasure, and Mason’s mouth covered mine again, swallowing my cries.

When the shudders had subsided, he withdrew his fingers. He unbuttoned his pants, and I helped him get them down his legs, rolling over to help him. He pulled off his shirt in one swift movement; he was naked, too. His cock stood erect and thick between his legs. I wrapped my hand around his shaft, and his eyes rolled back in his head. I stroked his length a few times, and he moaned, a look of bliss on his face.

“Fuck, that feels good,” he groaned.

I stroked his cock harder, pumping faster.

“God, baby,” he moaned.

I scooted closer, and I lowered my head to his dick, licking his tip.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” I raised my eyebrows.

He opened his mouth, and I wrapped my lips around his cock. He groaned.

“Oh, God, baby.”

I took him as deep into my throat as I could and bobbed my head up and down. I wrapped my hand around his length, stroking what didn’t fit in my mouth. Mason groaned louder, his hands in my hair.

I moved faster, and Mason moaned. His body stiffened. “Baby, if you don’t stop, I’m going to come.”

I lifted my head and smiled. I didn’t want this to end just yet. I wanted to be with him, to consummate how we felt about each other. I wanted the rest of my life with Mason, and this was the start, the proof.

I rolled onto my back, tugging Mason toward me, and he rolled onto me. His weight was heavy on me, his body large and covering me, but he didn’t hurt me. He would never hurt me.

He positioned himself between my legs, and I guided his cock to my entrance. I gasped and wrapped my legs around his waist, holding my breath in anticipation.

He pushed into me slowly, inch by glorious inch, filling me until his hips pressed against mine. I let out a soft moan, and he began moving, thrusting slowly. He pushed into me, his cock rubbing my insides, and I gasped, pleasure rippling through my body.

“God, baby,” he murmured. “You’re so tight.”

“Mason,” I moaned.

He moved a little faster, and I moved with him, rocking my hips, our bodies sliding against each other. His cock pushed in and out of me, and the pleasure was indescribable.

“Baby,” he moaned. “Oh, baby.”

I moved a little faster, and so did Mason. He pushed into me deeper, harder, faster, and my eyes rolled back. The friction between us made sparks dance on my skin, and the pleasure grew until it was almost unbearable.

I clung to him, my fingers digging into his skin.

“Yes, yes, yes,” I chanted.

Mason moved harder and faster, and soon we were a frenzy of tangled limbs and groans and grunts.

The orgasm rolled through me, making me gasp for air. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Pleasure like molten lava flooded through me, and my body shuddered.

Mason grunted before he slid out, and I straddled his hips. I sank down on his cock, and we both cried out. It took me a moment to adjust to his size, his angle. When I adjusted to him, I rocked back and forth.

Mason gripped my hips, holding onto me, and he gritted his teeth as I slid up and down his cock. I started slow, moaning, feeling every inch of him, and moved faster and faster.

He held onto me and pulled me forward, and pushed me back, helping me fuck him. I rode him hard and fast, and he moved with me. We were both desperate, chasing our releases. Another orgasm built inside me as my clit rubbed against his pubic bone, and the angle of his cock hit exactly the right spots.

“I’m going to come again,” I said, gasping.

“I’m right there with you, babe,” Mason growled through gritted teeth.

We moved together, the rhythm of our bodies perfectly synchronized, and an orgasm hit me, making me cry out. My pussy walls contracted, and Mason growled, thrusting into me as his orgasm rolled over him, too. My pussy milked him until we were both spent and sweaty, exhausted and completely satisfied.

I climbed off him and fell onto the bed beside him. Mason wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him, and we lay like that, our breathing slowly returning to normal.

After a while, he rolled to the side, and I turned toward him, pressing myself against him.

“That was amazing,” I said.

“You are amazing,” Mason said, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

“I could do this for the rest of my life,” I said, smiling at him.

He nodded. “So could I.” He pressed his lips against me, and I was lost to him forever.