She could see.
When she opened her eyes, it was to find Mason’s gaze latched onto her face, his baby blues blazing with unquenched desire. The insistent pulse of him against her hip was proof positive she was the only one to have floated upon the blessed tides of release.
Undoubtedly, that was because she was new at this. She’d yet to learn how to stave off the inevitable.
She couldn’t make herself regret it, though. Especially because she was still a little drunk from it. Her bones liquid. Her brain a snarl of fried synapses. Her womb a shivery mass of remembered bliss.
In her drunkenness, she decided the world looked different from her current position, loomed over, caged by, overwhelmed with a man who was so close she felt as if they might be sharing the same skin. It was darker there. More mysterious. And yet more exiting.
Strangely enough, instead of feeling vulnerable, she felt powerful. Powerful because he wanted her.
As he held her gaze with lethal steadiness, a muscle twitched beside his eye, and his voice was hoarse when he said, “You came.”
“Yeah. Uh.” She made a face. “That probably screamed virgin, huh? I probably wasn’t supposed to do that. But I can assure you, I’m a quick learner. With a little practice, I know I’ll be able to hold off until—”
“For fuck’s sake, Alex. Be quiet.”
Her jaw snapped shut so quickly her teeth clacked together. She searched his eyes, looking for… She wasn’t exactly sure what.
When he pulled away an inch, it felt like a mile. Desperation had her grabbing his hand.
She recognized a flight risk when it was staring at her. Especially this flight risk whose expression was grim and whose lips—those wonderful lips that’d been taking her to the highest peaks such a short time ago—were now set in a straight line.
His breaths came hard and fast. If he clenched his jaw any harder, she feared his molars might shatter.
“Mason?” She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, feeling the muscles tense at her touch. “Should I not have—”
“Hush, woman.” He pressed a finger over her lips. She was tempted to kiss it, but didn’t know if he’d welcome the gesture.
“You were…” His voice was guttural. She’d never really thought about what guttural sounded like. But now she knew it was a mix between a groan and a growl. It was low, rough words gritted out between clenched teeth. “You were the most beautiful fucking thing I’ve ever seen. But you needa be quiet now. And stay very still so I can catch my breath. So I can think. So I don’t rip that fucking robe off and—”
Mention of the robe had his gaze sliding south. He squeezed his eyes shut and cursed a blue streak so hot and filthy it blistered Alex’s ears.
When she glanced down, she saw her breast was still exposed. Not only was her nipple hard, but it was wet and shiny from his mouth. A new warmth spread through her belly.
“So you don’t rip my fucking robe off and what, Mason?”
Whoa. Was that low, sultry, come-and-get-me-big-boy voice really hers? If so, she was going to like postorgasm Alex. Postorgasm Alex sounded like a temptress from those old black-and-white films.
His eyes blinked open, and he quickly pulled her robe back onto her shoulder. She couldn’t tell if regret or relief flashed across his face once her breast was covered.
“And toss you onto that bed and fuck you ’til you scream,” he snarled.
She knew he was trying to shock her. Good thing she didn’t shock easily.
In fact, his words titillated her. Excited her. Those telltale prickles of arousal were making very specific places on her body tingle anew.
“Please explain to me again why I wouldn’t want you to do that?” She cocked her head, gratified when his eyes followed one curl as it slipped over her shoulder and fell into the valley between her breasts.
“Fuckin’ A, Alex!”
He wrenched out of her grasp so quickly she stumbled. Chills erupted up her arms. But they weren’t the good kind of chills, the ones brought on by intense pleasure. These were the kind of chills that occurred when the most delightful heat source she’d ever encountered suddenly put five feet of distance between them.
“Gotta go,” he declared with an adamant dip of his square jaw.
“Wait.” She crossed her arms in an attempt to hold in some of his heat. “Wha—”
That’s all she managed before he picked her up and set her aside as if she weighed no more than one of her favorite history books. He threw open the door and was through it before she could blink.
Running into the hall, she whispered his name. Not loud enough for him to hear. But somehow he did.
He swung around and was back to her in three determined strides. Gazing up into his face, she felt her bottom lip tremble. She hated it for doing that.
She also hated that she was the reason for the tortured look on his face.
What have I done? she thought desperately. Because in all the time she’d known him, she’d never known him to look like this. The stark pain in his face found an echo in her heart.
He’d kissed her. She’d come. And now he regretted the whole thing.
She should never have insisted on that kiss, even if she had assumed he would choose confessing instead. In fact, she’d thought it the perfect plan. A way to force him to reveal a bit of the mystery that was Mason McCarthy.
But apparently, he was willing to do almost anything to keep from exposing the truths about himself.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I can’t be what you want me to be. And I’m sorry I can’t do what you want me to do.”
Then, with one last regretful look, he turned on his heel and disappeared down the hall.
Alex’s heart grew so heavy she was surprised it didn’t sink down to her soles and bust a hole through the floor. She had no idea how long she stood there. It could’ve been ten seconds or ten minutes. But eventually, she turned and slunk back into her empty hotel room.
She’d just sat down at the desk, watching the grease from her burger congeal into an unappetizing blob on the wax paper, when a hard knock sounded at the door.
She was across the room in a flash. A hiccup of happiness lodged in her throat, because… He came back!
His name was on her lips when she threw the door wide. But her smile melted when, instead of Mason, she saw Romeo standing on the threshold.
“Mason told me you could use a little company tonight, eh?” His East LA accent sounded thicker than usual.