Listening for Mason’s breathing, I was sure he wasn’t sleeping either. Our plans to have sex tonight had fallen through because of my stupid comment that I found Jonah attractive as a man.
Maybe it was my hope for a reaction from Mason that made me release a deep sigh. I wanted him to know that I wasn’t sleeping. I got nothing.
Why did I mention Jonah when Freya and I talked about men?
The answer was obvious. Someone like Jonah was the rational choice for Freya. He was kind, handsome, intelligent, and most of all safe. I hadn’t mentioned Jonah because I was in love with him. Never had my being around Jonah made my stomach tickle or my breath turn shallow from a speeding heart. Only one man had that effect on me, and he lay brooding behind me like a wall of heat and frustration.
I curled into a fetal position with my knees to my chest and felt like crying, but tears were a private matter and I would never burden others with my sensitivity.
The irony of that, though, wasn’t lost on me. As if my tears would be a bigger burden for Mason than to crawl under a mountain of snow to save me from dying!
With my eyes closed, I was instantly transported back to the moment yesterday when the loud crack sounded that made me look up to see a wall of snow falling toward me. My instinctual reaction had been to press myself back against the cliff. I already knew that I would have nightmares for years to come, reliving the horror of opening my eyes to find complete darkness surrounding me and not being able to move my feet. I had screamed for help and tried to dig my feet free of the snow, but it hadn’t taken me long to realize that I’d been buried alive.
A new wave of gratitude washed over me as I remembered the moment that I’d heard Mason’s voice call out to me. At first, I’d thought my mind was betraying me, but I’d still screamed for him, and then he broke through the wall of my tomb and saved me.
It was like my heart was aching from growing in size. Even before arriving in the Northlands this week, my rib cage was already hard pressed to contain the feelings for Mason that I’d kept so carefully hidden since I was too young to understand what they were.
I’d been twelve when we first met and each year my gratitude and admiration toward Mason had accumulated. He was my hero for telling Victor and the others from my delegation not to be jerks to me when he didn’t have to. Not to mention the times he offered to team up with me when we had to choose a partner. Mason had lost competitions he could have easily won if he’d had a different partner, and yet, he never blamed me or made me feel bad about myself for being dead weight.
The more my ribcage hurt from thinking about my feelings for Mason, the more unbearable it became to be this close to him and have him be angry with me.
Turning my head, I whispered, “Mason.”
“What?” He still sounded pissed.
“Can we be friends again?” While asking my question I turned my entire body to face his broad back and short auburn-colored hair.
“Why? It’s not like you care what I think. You said so yourself.”
“Mason.”
He groaned before turning around to face me with a frown. “Belle.”
“I don’t like it when you’re angry with me.”
“Then stop telling people you like Jonah. That was fucking rude.”
“Okay. Next time the subject comes up, I’ll tell them that if marriage was an option for me, I’d want to marry you. How about that?”
“I’m not asking you to lie,” he said with his brow furrowed again.
I had to break eye contact with him and revert to the strategy of distraction that I’d perfected since I was fourteen and realized I was crushing on Mason. “Did you want to have sex or not?”
My distraction worked and made him widen his eyes in surprise. “But I thought…”
“You were the one who wanted to have sex, Mason. Did you change your mind?” I kept my tone as level and unemotional as I could.
His hand tore through his hair. “Yeah, I want to have sex, but not if you don’t.”
“It’s fine with me. Yesterday was…” My heart brought up words that I couldn’t possibly say so I toned it down by a thousand percent and went with “nice.”
“Nice. Hmm.”
“If you want to do it again, we can.” It was a wonder that the speed of my racing heart didn’t affect my voice enough for him to notice.
Mason looked thoughtful but his gaze lowered to my lips.
I had never been interested in sex at home because no one aroused me. How could they when I compared them to a giant with soulful blue eyes and vibrant red hair who lived across the world? In a few days I would be back to working with babies and my time with Mason in the Northlands would become nothing but memories that I’d cherish.
It was likely that I’d never get a chance to sleep with him again. By next summer, he could be married.
Lowering the duvet, I pulled off the tank top I had on and let it drop to the floor.
With Mason’s gaze glued to my breasts, his Adam’s apple bobbed twice and then he reached out to touch me. My nipples were already hard but the way he looked at me like I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen made my stomach flip. The sudden tickle I felt running up and down my spine made me suck in a breath.
His gaze lifted to meet mine. “What is it?”
Placing a hand on my belly, I shook my head. “It’s nothing. Everything is fine.”
“Did I squeeze your nipple too hard?”
“No.”
Mason pushed the cover off me and kissed my body all the way down between my legs.
My fingers weaved into his thick hair and I spread my legs wider, watching Mason eat me like I was a delicious dessert.
“Oh, oui, Mason,” I breathed before pressing my lips together to stay quiet.
He groaned and licked with wide slow movements that made my legs shake.
“Relax.” His hand pressed at my hip and for a moment our gazes met. “Don’t think, Belle. Just relax.”
I wasn’t thinking. I couldn’t think.
All I could do was experience the sensations of what felt like a thousand nerve cells doing a happy dance.
Mason was patient and kept finding new ways to tease my little knob until my eyes rolled back and I felt like screaming.
“Mason… yes, ohhh, oui, oui.” A mix of English and French spilled out of me as my fingers tightened my hold on his hair and my body arched.
He kept licking me with a relentless appetite. When it became too much for me and I tried to move away, he hooked his arms around my thighs and pulled me back in place.
“I can’t… Mason… oh wow… you need to stop, or I’ll scream.”
He growled low but didn’t stop.
My moans deepened and when I couldn’t hold back any longer, I turned my head and bit down on the duvet, which swallowed my orgasmic scream.
After I came, my body felt like I’d been tapped for energy.
Pushing the duvet away, I released the one hand I still had in Mason’s hair.
He moved up my body, kissing my skin along my hipbone, belly, and breasts. I lay with a dazed smile and caressed his face when he came close enough for me to reach him.
“Where did you learn to do that?” I asked in awe. It was something I’d been wondering since our sex last night.