Breathless

LAUREN

When I arrived back at the mansion, I stood at the door for a minute. I needed to make sure my emotions were in check before I spoke to Mason. Taking a deep breath, I turned the key and walked into our home.

I expected the Mason to be in his study, but when the door swung open, I saw him sitting on the couch with a book in his hands.

“Don’t look so surprised,” he said. “Although, maybe you’ve never seen a book before.”

“Oh, shut up,” I said.

I walked over to him and stood over him. He arched an eyebrow at me and set his book on the coffee table, his eyes locked on mine. As he stood, I felt the warmth of his presence wash over me. At his full height, he towered over me. I barely held back a gulp.

Now was not the time to lose my nerve.

Now was the time to do what I had been wanting to do for so long.

I stretched myself up onto my tiptoes and ran my hands through his closely cropped, silky hair. I pulled his face close to mine and pressed our lips together.

Immediately, I felt a fire ignite inside me. Mason pulled me closer to his body, our kiss morphing into one of passionate hunger. He held the back of my neck with one hand as the other wrapped around my waist. I didn’t want it to ever end, I was completely caught up in him and in the moment.

He pulled away from the kiss, but still held me close as he pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

“That was pleasantly unlike you, Lauren,” he said softly. “What prompted that?”

“I wanted to try something different,” I said. “And I wanted to apologize for how I spoke to you at the hospital.”

Mason searched my eyes, looking deeply into my soul. I felt as though he was seeing something in me that even I wasn’t aware of. He looked at me for a brief moment like I was the answer to a question that he’s been asking his entire life.

“I did what you wanted.”

The low sound of his voice skimmed along my senses as I struggled to respond. My stomach tightened, my palms felt sweaty, and my heart was pounding a hard rhythm against my chest.

“What?”

Under his gaze, my heart skipped a beat as he studied me with an intense look that sent a shiver down my spine.

“I fired her from the company.”

As much as I wanted not to, it was impossible to keep the heat from flooding my entire body and I stared at him, amazed.

“You did that for me?” I struggled to believe that he would fire Ginny when not long ago, he was adamant about keeping her on board despite my pleas.

He had been very clear it wasn’t going to happen. He had made it sound as if it was an impossible task, so what changed?

His lips tilted up at the corners, and the spark of humor in his eyes made him look more human. More like the Mason I was getting to know.

“No, I did it for Martha.”

I had a chilling sense he was being sarcastic and I grinned.

“Who is Martha? She must be a lucky woman for you to do that.”

He released a soft laugh that drifted across my skin like sinful velvet but didn’t attempt to say anything again.

“Are you regretting it?”

“Yes.”

Despite his answer, I knew he was still trying to maintain the air of toughness he worked so hard to cultivate.

I nodded. “I appreciate your honesty.”

“Ask me another question.”

“If you could turn back time, would you still do it again? Fire her?”

He answered quickly. “Over and over again.”

My eyes widened, but I quickly forced myself to make my face a blank slate in order to cover up the sense of stunned reaction I was feeling. I was shocked.

I blinked at him slowly, taking in his darkly handsome features as if I had never seen him before.

“Why?” I pushed to know the reason, to get the answers that I wanted, to know if he loved me as much as I loved him. If it wasn’t love, why would he go against himself to please me?

Why would his guard not be up?

Why was he letting me see all of him? The good and the bad? The cold and warm?

“You know why.”

“Sorry, buddy, but if you were told I could read minds, I’m afraid that is not true,” I replied coolly.

“You’re still annoying, I see.”

“And you’re still mean.”

His fingers slipped around the back of my neck once more, weaving through the hair at my nape, while his other hand traced the contour of my jaw.

His thumb brushed lightly over my lower lip, and I blinked up at him.

His warmth and scent enveloped me, making it hard to breathe.

“Do you forgive me?” He asked earnestly.

A primal rhythm pulsed in my veins, and my mouth was so parched I thought it would never be moist again.

I struggled to regain my composure.

“Do you want me to?” I murmured, my eyes fluttering open and shut, my cheek rubbing against his palm.

“Of course, I do,” he said. “But I’m not going to beg for it.”

I rolled my eyes. He was the kind of guy who would hurt you and then kiss it better. It was messed up, but that was just him.

“Keep this up and I won’t forgive you.”

“Fine. You can go then.”

“Really?” My voice hardened. His behavior towards me had swung from openly hostile to intensely confusing. Being with him was like riding a rollercoaster you couldn’t get off of. The highs were so incredible, but the lows left a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

His sharp features were serious, his eyebrows furrowed as he held my gaze. “Yes, really. Get out.”

He meant it to be funny, but it wasn’t.

Every time I thought I’d seen a new side of him, he reminded me it was the same old Mason.

Harsh. Gentle.

Cold. Warm.

“I don’t want you to regret it later. I don’t like being dared.”

His response coaxed a half-smile onto his lips.

“The door is right there.” When I didn’t move, he jerked his chin towards it. “Anytime now, Lauren.”

I wasn’t sure if he was messing with me. With Mason, you never knew if he was serious or not.

His cheerful tone made me grit my teeth. I clenched my jaw and pushed myself from his arms.

“You’re an asshole,” I said through gritted teeth.

“The better man.”

I shot a glare at his grinning face before I turned around and took my first steps towards the front door. I came here to apologize and make things right, but I didn’t need to take this from him. I ~wouldn’t~ take this from him, not anymore. I hadn’t gotten far when a rough hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.

In two steps, he closed the gap between us and his lips crashed into mine.

Hard.

***

His hands were on me.

Exploring me.

His fingers traced my jawline, brushed my lips, and stirred a knot in my stomach.

His index finger gently roamed my face, his touch as soft as a whisper. It felt like he was trying to memorize me.

To see all of me.

Each time he did, my breath hitched.

His fingers now combed through my hair, a soothing touch that made me pant with closed eyes as a rush of feelings flooded me.

His fingers were rough, yet gentle.

It was overwhelming. And yet, I craved more.

Each time he exhaled, I breathed in his air, filling my lungs like it was my lifeline.

I was a mess of emotions, flushed and trembling.

His hand left my hair and slid down to my arm, lightly caressing it, torturing me with his touch.

And torture me he did.

His lips grazed my shoulder, pushing my hair aside to feast on my neck. I knew I was making noises, but the pounding of my heart drowned them out.

I wanted to touch him, but my body seemed to have a mind of its own.

Mason nuzzled my cheek, my nose, my forehead. He inhaled my scent like I was his drug of choice, a high he couldn’t resist.

Then he pulled away, and I found myself lost in his eyes, seeing my own reflection and the same heat I felt mirrored in them.

A small smile graced his lips, so breathtaking that I was mesmerized.

Mason brushed my hair aside, wrapping it around his wrist, tugging it just enough to elicit a gasp from me.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

His voice was raspy, stirring a flurry of butterflies in my stomach. They were wild, just like him.

Mason could be gentle, wild, even terrifying. He unsettled me in every possible way.

From the way he was looking at me now, like he was deciding which part of me to claim, we both knew he owned me.

The question was, how would he handle me now that I was his?

“Like what?” I echoed his question.

Then he said, his voice deep and sensual, meant only for me.

“Like you can’t believe I’m real,” he murmured, his gaze intense enough to steal my breath.

“Are you?”

A hint of amusement crossed his face as he kissed the back of my ear, his breath on my neck making me shiver.

Before I knew it, he was kissing me fiercely, his tongue claiming my mouth.

His hands held me close, and I slid my hands over his shoulders.

His tongue plunged into my mouth, then withdrew, then plunged again, driving me to the brink of madness.

It was a heady, intoxicating kiss, his hands moving ceaselessly over my back, then possessively cupping my cheek before he broke the kiss and took a shaky breath.

“Is that real enough for you?” he growled, his voice low and deep, the way he sounded when he was angry.

My stomach clenched at his words, and I whispered a reply.

He bit my lower lip, and I could almost taste the metallic tang of blood.

“I didn’t quite hear you. Speak up.”

“Y-yes.” I stared into his hypnotic eyes, watching as they shifted from dark to their usual enigmatic light silver.

“You want more convincing?” he rasped, his breath hot against my ear. “No?”

His voice was thick with emotion, and I found myself shaking my head.

“No.” Yes was what I wanted to say. Not because I needed more convincing, but because I loved the feel of his lips on mine. How soft and intoxicating they were.

Mason grinned as if he knew I didn’t mean to say that word.

“But that’s not what your body says, Lauren. And I’m not exactly sure your mouth wanted to say that. Maybe I haven’t kissed you enough to make you forget the word no.”

He blew a minty breath on my face, his lips hovering above mine, just teasing me.

I stared at his lips, transfixed.

“Mason.”

He drew his lips even closer, but his eyes were on my face as he squeezed my waist, making me catch my breath. “Yeah?” As he spoke, he brushed my hair out of the way.

“I feel…I feel…”

Loved. Alive. Drugged. All these things I couldn’t say to him.

~I love you. I need you. You’re making me feel alive.~

~What are you doing to me?~

I felt out of breath and overcome with desire for him. I had cracked through his tough exterior after all. He still held me closely, his hands roaming my body as he stared deeply into my eyes.

“Did your dad talk some sense into you?”

He had a wicked smile on his face as I scrunched my brows in mock annoyance.

“He may have given me some advice,” I said with a smirk.

“You’ll have to remind me to thank him in that case,” Mason said. “In fact, I have the perfect idea for how to repay him for putting you on the right track.”

I looked into his gray eyes, searching for a clue. I wondered what he could possibly mean, Mason was a man of few words in most situations and now he seemed intent on making me guess.

“What crazy plans do you have in mind now, Mason?” I asked.

Mason pulled back from me slightly and placed his hands on either side of my face. He held me there, staring at me with an intensity that begged me to look away, but I couldn’t.

I felt pulled into him. He was quickly becoming one of the most important people in my life, even though I knew we had less than a year together now, part of me hoped more than anything time would stand still.

Mason leaned in closer. I could feel the warmth of his breath as it danced across my face.

I lay against his chest, feeling his heartbeat steady beneath me, but the tension from earlier still buzzed in the back of my mind.

Mason smirked, his voice low and teasing. “I think it’s about time we celebrated our union. What do you think about finally going on our honeymoon, Mrs. Campbell?”

The playful words hung in the air, but instead of easing the tension, they brought everything rushing back. Our argument, the harsh words exchanged before. I couldn’t just pretend they didn’t happen.

I pulled back slightly, my gaze meeting his.

“Mason, we never really talked about what happened earlier.”

His smirk faded, replaced by something more serious.

“I thought…” He paused, eyes searching mine. “I thought we moved past that.”

My voice wavered, the weight of everything we hadn’t said pressing down on me.

“We can’t just pretend it didn’t happen.”

Mason sighed, running a hand through his hair, his playful demeanor completely gone.

“I didn’t mean to brush it off, Lauren," His jaw clenched. "I don’t want to lose you over something that’s in the past.”

“But we can’t ignore it, either,” I whispered, feeling the sting of unresolved emotions between us. “I need to know where we stand, not just distract ourselves.”

“We’ve been through hell, Lauren,” he said, his voice softening. “But this is our chance to start fresh.”

I raised an eyebrow, still wary.

“And you think a honeymoon is going to fix everything?”

He took my hand, his fingers warm and strong around mine, but there was something unspoken behind his eyes.

“I’m not trying to fix everything in one trip, but I think it’s time we get away from all this.”

Part of me couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this than he was letting on, but I wanted more than anything to get back on track with Mason.

“And where exactly are we going, Mr. Campbell?”

“That’s the fun part,” he said as his lips curled into a teasing smile. “You’ll know when we get there. But trust me, you’ll love it.”