Chapter 19

19

Mason

I closed the last of Abby’s storybooks with a soft thump, her eyelids finally giving in to the weight of sleep. She mumbled something about ponies and unicorns, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Tucking the blanket snug around her, I planted a kiss on her forehead, her skin warm and soft beneath my lips. My sweet girl, dreamin’ of horses, just like her old man used to do.

“Night, kiddo,” I whispered, my voice barely above the sound of the crickets outside.

I lingered for a moment, watching her chest rise and fall, her face serene. This was what life was all about—these moments of peace. But as I stood there, the warmth from earlier that evening crept back up my neck, spreading heat across my cheeks.

Chloe.

Lord, that woman had me twisted up inside in ways I hadn’t felt since . . . well, ever.

I eased out of Abby’s room, leaving the door cracked the standard inch. Chloe waited for me in the hall. I grabbed her hand and led her to my room, a mix of nerves and excitement making each step feel like the first drop off a roller coaster.

When we got to my room, I closed the door, locking it behind us. Turning to her, I took her face in my hands, admiring her beauty for a minute before dipping down to press my lips to hers.

When she moaned into the kiss, I deepened it, but only for a moment. We needed to talk first. Begrudgingly, I broke the kiss, and pulled back, but took her hands in mine.

“Look, I know things have been movin’ faster between us than you originally wanted,” I said, suddenly feeling nervous. “But I ain’t never felt anything quite like this before. And I want you, Chloe. More than I’ve wanted anyone in a long time. No, more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.”

She bit her lip, a small gesture that sent another wave of desire coursing through me. “Mason, I?—“

“Shhh,” I cut her off, stepping closer, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from her body. “Don’t say anything yet. Just know that every laugh, every glance . . . I know it’s complicated. I know it’s not what either of us planned. But you’re under my skin, Chlo. I want you.”

Her hand reached up, her fingers tracing the stubble along my jawline, sending shivers down my spine. “I’m scared,” she admitted, her honesty hitting me square in the chest. “I’m scared because I want you too, and it feels like jumping without knowing if there’s ground below.”

“Hey,” I said softly, cupping her face in my hands, needing her to see the truth in my eyes. “We’ll jump together, alright? I got you.”

A smile toyed at the corners of her mouth, brave and vulnerable. “You promise?”

“Cross my heart,” I vowed, my thumb brushing over her scar, a reminder of the battles she’d fought alone. But she wouldn’t have to fight any more of them by herself—not if I had anything to say about it.

“Okay,” she breathed out, her resolve setting in. “Okay, let’s jump.”

I pulled her left hand up to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “Thanks for agreeing to stay over.”

She squeezed my hand, blue eyes reflecting the moonlight that spilled through the window. “I want to be here, Mason. With you.” Her voice was a whisper, but it held volumes of courage.

“Good.” A smile spread across my face. “Because I’m pretty sure I’d find any excuse just to keep you a little longer.” My words seemed to hang in the air between us, laced with the promise of shared moments yet to come.

“Is that so?” she teased, her tone showing me she was more at ease now. A spark of her feisty spirit shone through, and man, did I love that spark.

“Absolutely,” I replied, my heart thumping a wild rhythm only she could inspire. The space between us was charged with an energy I couldn’t ignore, didn’t want to ignore. I leaned in, slowly, giving her time to pull back if she wanted to. But she didn’t.

Our lips met, and the world faded away to nothing but the taste of her, sweet and intoxicating. The kiss deepened, and I poured every ounce of my longing into it, telling her without words how much she stirred me up inside. How much I craved this closeness.

Her hands found their way into my hair, pulling me closer as if she couldn’t get enough. And damn if I didn’t feel the same—like a man who’d been wandering the desert and finally found his oasis.

“Chloe,” I breathed against her lips, the need in my voice raw and unguarded. She responded with a soft moan that sent a surge of heat straight through me. This woman had me tied up in knots, and I didn’t ever want to untangle them.

“More,” she whispered, her plea sending a thrill down my spine.

“Anything for you,” I promised, knowing full well I’d give her the world on a silver platter if she asked for it. Because when Chloe Beecham looked at me like I was the only man in existence, hell, it made me feel like maybe I could be somebody’s hero after all.

I slid my hands beneath the hem of her shirt, fingers finding the warm silk of her skin. Her breath hitched, eyes locked on mine, glinting with a mix of anticipation and vulnerability. I peeled the fabric upward, slow, reverent—like unwrapping a gift that’d been given just to me.

“Are you sure?” I asked, my voice huskier than I intended.

“Never been more sure,” she replied, her fingers deftly working the buttons of my shirt, popping them one by one with a quiet focus.

There was no rush, only the moment stretching out as we shed our layers, each piece discarded like whispers of the lives we’d led up until then. I watched her scars come into view, tracing the lines with a touch I hoped felt like healing. She shuddered under my fingertips, but not from cold—no, this was heat, connection igniting between us.

“Beautiful,” I murmured, and her cheeks flushed a shade that rivaled the setting sun I’d seen from the porch of the ranch.

“Look who’s talking,” Chloe quipped, a playful glint in her eye as she pushed my shirt off my shoulders. It fell away, and her gaze roamed across my chest, making me feel like a stallion at auction, proud and a little showy .

She reached for me then, and I caught her hands, pressing a kiss to her knuckles before guiding her toward the bed. The backs of her knees hit the mattress, and she sat, pulling me down with her. Our lips met again, and it was like striking a match—heat flaring up fast and fierce.

“Chloe,” I whispered against her lips, the name feeling like a prayer.

“Mason,” she breathed back, her hands roaming over my back, mapping out the muscles earned from years of hard work.

And then we were moving together, a dance as old as time, each step, each touch an echo of longing. Urgency spiked through the tenderness, a current running wild and untamed beneath the surface of our skin. We weren’t just two people anymore—we were a single entity fueled by desire, by the need to be closer, to become something inseparable.

As I laid her back onto the pillows, her blue eyes shimmered with unspoken promises and secrets we’d yet to uncover. But this wasn’t about words—it was about action, about giving and taking, about the silent language spoken only by hearts and bodies entwined.

“Baby,” I said, feeling the spark between us ignite. “I need to be inside you.”

Her response was a whisper that filled the entire room, echoing off the walls and settling deep within my chest. “Take me.”

I couldn’t slow down now. I pulled her skirt and thong off, then stood back up to get my jeans the hell off me. By the time I joined her back on the bed, she’d taken off her bra and I finally got a look at her laid out for me.

“God, you’re so fucking perfect.”

Chloe blushed a deep red as she shifted under my gaze, but it only made her more irresistible. Her body was a masterpiece, painted with every curve and scar telling a story I ached to know. But that was for another day—tonight, I wanted to worship every inch of her, erase the ghosts of the past and replace them with something better—us.

“Mason,” she breathed, her voice like a siren’s call as she reached for me. I couldn’t deny her anything in that moment; I didn’t want to. I crawled over her, positioning myself between her legs, my knees bracketing her thighs.

“I’ve wanted this so bad,” I confessed, my eyes locked on hers as I guided myself to her core. “You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about this, Chloe.” I couldn’t tear my gaze away from hers, the intensity of the moment overwhelming me.

Her fingers curled into the sheets, her chest heaving as she breathed out a shaky laugh. “Well, I’ve been holding out for the right time,” she teased, her bravado returning in the face of our shared desire.

A grin tugged at my lips. “Good thing you have impeccable timing, then.” Slowly, so damn slowly, I pressed into her tight cunt, her heat enveloping me in a velvet grip that threatened to make my world explode right then and there.

Chloe’s eyes fluttered shut, a soft moan escaping her lips as we connected.

The first touch of her was like coming home. She was warm, soft, perfect as she wrapped around me. A gasp caught in her throat when I began to move, slow and steady. I wanted to savor this, make it last.

Her fingers curled into my back, holding on tight as our bodies found their rhythm. I brushed her hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear so I could look into those endless blue eyes. Eyes that saw me, really saw me, and didn’t look away.

“You feel so good, baby,” I murmured, dropping kisses along her jaw, her neck, anywhere I could reach. She let out a soft moan in response that drove me wild.

I increased the pace, unable to hold back. Her hips rose to meet mine and it was heaven, pure heaven being joined with her this way.

As our gazes locked, I took a deep breath, feeling like I was on the precipice of something monumental. “I’ve wanted this too,” Chloe whispered, her voice a soft tremble that sent goosebumps down my spine. Each word was punctuated by my thrusts. “I’ve thought about this too. So much. But it was never . . . ah . . . never this good.”

“You were made for me, baby. This pussy was made for me. Nothing has ever felt this good.”

Her nails dug into my back as we rocked together, finding a rhythm that was at once foreign and yet as familiar as the beat of my own heart. Her eyes never left mine, and I knew in that moment that I’d never tire of looking into them.

Chloe’s sounds were like a symphony, each gasp, moan, and whimper pushing me closer to the edge. Her nails dug into my back as her orgasm approached, and I knew she was close. I couldn’t help myself; I had to taste her. I lowered my head, capturing a swollen nipple between my lips, sucking gently as I continued to thrust into her tight cunt.

“Mason!” she cried out, her body arching beneath mine as she came apart in my arms, her walls clenching around me in an exquisite squeeze. My own climax followed hot on its heels, blinding white-hot pleasure coursing through my veins as I pulled out and spilled myself all over her stomach.

We lay there, panting, our bodies still intertwined as we tried to catch our breaths.

“That was . . . ,” Chloe started, her voice still raspy with passion .

“Amazing,” I finished for her, brushing a strand of hair off her damp forehead.

“Yeah, that,” she said with a shy smile, her cheeks flushing a pretty shade of pink.

We lay there for a while longer, our pulses slowing down and our breaths evening out. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so contented. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I ever had. There was something about Chloe—something special that drew me in like a moth to a flame.

After a trip to the bathroom to grab a washcloth, I cleaned up the mess I made and pulled the covers up over us. Our legs tangled together, her head rested on my shoulder, and I let out a content sigh. This was more than lust or fleeting attraction; it was a foundation we were building, strong and sure.

We lay there, wrapped up in each other, letting the silence speak for us. It wasn’t awkward; it was comfortable, a testament to how deep our connection had grown. I felt it then—something shifting inside me, a door opening to a future I wanted more than anything.

“Goodnight, Mason,” she breathed out, almost inaudible.

“Night, Chlo.” I closed my eyes, feeling her heartbeat against my side. Somehow, despite the odds, we had found each other and let ourselves be open enough to try.

Together, we drifted, her presence a promise of tomorrow, my embrace, her shelter. In the silence of the night, we found our peace.