Mason James was probably one of the most ruggedly beautiful men I had ever seen. I could see why every girl who crossed his path was completely enamored with him. He was the kind of good-looking you saw in movies, but never real life. Though, to me, looks only got you so far if you had nothing underneath. Mason was complex. Layered. He had been through so much. He let me into just a slice of his past, and I knew it was far more than anyone else got from him. Mason was crawling under my skin, embedding himself into my life, and becoming something he shouldn’t. No matter what, he was still in school and Addison’s crush.
Yet, I couldn’t stop myself from getting up and heading to the kitchen.
“You’re missing the best part,” he called after me.
“I’ll be right back.” I dug through my drawers, finding what I was looking for and grabbing a chocolate chip cookie out of the cupboard.
Stepping back into the dim room, glowing from the Christmas lights, I walked back to him, sitting down on the floor where he was lounging with pillows and blankets.
He watched me curiously as I stuck a candle into the cookie and lit it.
“It’s all I have.” I held it flat in my palm. “And I won’t make your birthday worse by singing to you, but…” I swallowed. “Happy birthday.”
His body jerked, sitting up, looking shocked I did this for him.
“Make a wish.” My voice came out choppier and heavier than I wanted.
His regard went to the candle, then slowly drew up to me, the flame reflecting in his eyes. Dark. Hungry.
My lungs hitched at the intensity of his gaze, as if I could see exactly what he wished for.
Me.
Every night after he left, I pleasured myself to thoughts of him, and I felt he could see his stain on me. That he knew.
He leaned closer, blowing out the candle, his eyes never leaving mine.
“I know it’s not a cake or anything great, but—”
“Emery.” A growl vibrated from him, his tone making it clear what he wanted, forcing air to stick in my throat. He got to his knees. Taking the cookie from me, he set it down, moving over me. His mouth was only inches from mine.
“Mason…” It was a plea. To stop. To not stop. I couldn’t tell.
He shuffled in closer, my legs opening as he moved between them. My back arched, breasts grazing his chest.
“Mas—”
Grabbing the back of my head, he stopped the words in my throat, his mouth crashing down on mine, his fingers digging into my hair as my back hit the floor. He rolled himself into me, making me feel every inch of his massive erection.
Oh. Holy. Shit.
My entire body ignited. Every nerve scorched to ash as his mouth claimed mine brutally, his tongue slipping past my lips, wrapping and sucking so hard, my pussy pulsed. A deep, guttural moan heaved from me, his fingers yanking on my hair as he pushed himself harder against me.
“Oh god,” I groaned, my skin hot, my clothes irritating my skin.
Roughly, his hand gripped my chin, letting out a growl before his lips devoured mine again.
He already had me clenching with the need to have him inside me. Being starved for so long, desire cut through me like a blade. Desperate and vicious.
I pushed down his sweats over his amazing ass. He wasn’t wearing underwear, and his dick popped free, throbbing and glistening with pre-cum. My hand wrapped around it. Holy. Fuck. A twenty-year-old shouldn’t be this massive and thick.
He groaned as I gripped him harder, my thumb rolling over his tip. “Em…”
His mouth, either kissing me or saying my name, had me close to coming. My chest heaved as his fingers pushed under my tank, ripping it over my head, leaving me in my bra.
“Fuck, Emery.” His hips pumped into my hand, his eyes rolling back as his finger slipped under my bra, cupping my breasts, pinching my nipple. “I need to be in you. Now.” His mouth came back down on mine, kissing me so deeply I felt it tug at my core.
“Mason,” I begged. His hands untied my drawstring, slipping under my knickers, sliding through me.
My mouth opened in a deep moan, about to come from only his touch.
RRRIIIINNNGGG!
My phone blared from its spot near us on the blanket, our heads jerking to it.
Everything turned in a moment.
Addison’s name glowed in caps across the screen, as if she could sense what was happening, giving me a last chance to stop this. To turn back before we burned all rules and norms to the ground.
Reality came up and slapped me, dissolving the bubble I was in where this was okay, and tossed me into the icy pits of truth.
“Oh. God.” I scrambled away from him, my hand covering my mouth.
“Emery?”
“No.” I shook my head, getting up. I grabbed my cardigan, wrapping it around me like a shield. “Don’t say anything.”
“We’re not doing anything wrong.”
“We’re not doing anything right either,” I volleyed back at him.
The phone stopped ringing.
He stood up, pulling up his sweats and tucking himself back in. His jaw clenched, his forehead lining with anger and frustration.
“You need to go.”
“What?” he barked.
“Nothing has changed. This was wrong.”
“Wrong?” He moved up to me, taking up all my air and logic again. “It didn’t feel wrong to me. And I know it didn’t feel wrong to you either.” His body pressed into mine. “Tell me your pussy isn’t dripping for me?”
A gasp pitched from the back of my throat, my face burning with the truth of his words.
“No.” I dug in. “I’m sorry, but this can’t happen again.”
“You act as if this were some slipup. That we weren’t heading here from the day we met.” He gritted through his teeth. “Don’t make me feel I’m the only one here. Like I’m some stupid boy with a crush.”
I felt tears building behind my lids because he wasn’t alone at all. I had to be the grown-up. Do the right thing.
My phone rang again, Addison’s name flashing bright, dropping the guillotine down on us, solidifying any choice I had.
His head bowed, knowing what Addison just did.
“Better answer it.” He swiped up his jacket and shoes and slammed out of my house.
Wanting to burst into tears, I dug my nails into my palms, taking deep breaths as I picked up the phone, my face and voice putting on my trained smile.
“Hey, Addy!”
Chapter 19
Emery
Work the next day seemed to go on forever. I couldn’t shake my dark mood, couldn’t stop thinking about him, couldn’t stop feeling him still on my skin like he marked me.
What if Addison hadn’t called?
I knew the answer. Today I would be sitting here knowing what he felt like inside me.
“Emery?” A hand waved in front of my face.
“Oh, sorry.” I shook my head, looking up at Dr. Ramirez standing across the table from me. “Spacing off. Did you need something?”
“No.” A nervous smile wobbled his mouth as he sat down. “Maybe?”
A pinch of terror slithered down into my stomach.
“You’re coming to the Christmas Party on Saturday?”
“Yes.” Why did I sound so hesitant?