London
“Get your fucking hands off her.”
My eyes fly open, and it takes a few seconds for me to rub the sleep away. Frowning, I look at Mason and find him flat on his back, his hands clenched into fists, and his eyes squeezed shut. There’s a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead and a pained expression on his face. He’s breathing heavily.
I push myself up and reach for him. “Mason?”
“No.” He thrashes, and one hand darts out. “This isn’t happening.”
I inch closer and touch his face. “Wake up. You’re dreaming.”
His head whips back and forth, and he says something else, but I can tell he’s still in the throes of his nightmare. I throw the covers back and cradle his head in my hands. “Open your eyes.”
My heart is pounding as I throw one leg over him, then the other, so I’m straddling him. I lace my fingers through his and press my forehead to his. “Come back to me.”
Mason stills, and nothing happens for a long moment.
I move my mouth to his ear and inhale. “I’m here. Come back to me.”
Mason’s eyes fly open, wild and unfocused. His body is rigid until he sees me. Abruptly, he pries his fingers away and grips my hips. Something about the desperate gleam in his eyes makes my stomach clench further. I rock gently, and a low, startled sound falls from my lips when he raises his hips and rubs himself against me.
I exhale. “Tell me what you need.”
In one quick move, Mason shifts, so I’m pinned beneath him. He lifts my arms over my head and lowers his mouth to mine. This kiss is different; it’s tender and vulnerable, and it steals anylast bit of resistance I have and drives sleep away. A rush of heat pools in the pit of my stomach as I sigh and lock my fingers behind his waist.
Mason growls and wrenches his lips away. “I need you.”
“You have me,” I murmur thickly. “I’m here.”
Mason peppers my neck with hot, open-mouthed kisses that send waves of desire through me. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” My breath comes in short gasps as one hand holds mine tightly and the other traces a path down to my underwear. He spreads his fingers over me, and my pulse skitters.
“You’re mine,” Mason growls into my skin. “I won’t let anybody take you away.”
When he releases my hands, I thread my fingers through his hair and press my forehead to his. Slowly, I lift my other hand and place it on his chest, over his pounding heart. He releases a deep, shaky breath when I reach for his hand and place it over my chest.
A long moment passes in silence.
Mason’s gaze softens as he drops his head and draws my bottom lip between his teeth.
I whimper when he shifts and settles between my legs.
“I’m yours,” I say into the shell of his ear, another jolt going through me when he shivers. “We’re together.”
Mason moans into my mouth.
My fingers trace a path down his back, and I stop at his behind.
He pins my arm over my head and rubs himself against me.
I throw my head back and mewl.
Mason grins lustily. “You have no idea how fucking sexy you are when you make sounds like that.”
I stare at him through hooded eyes as he pauses to lift my shirt and kiss a path along my ribcage. His touch is feather lightas he reaches behind my back and pulls the shirt over my head. Once he tosses it over his shoulders, he gets up, and I catch a glimpse of his taut, muscled body, bathed in the soft glow of the moon, before he leaves his clothes in a pile on the floor.
My throat is dry, and a thick and heavy fog of desire settles over me as he lowers himself back onto the bed. Mason’s legs come up around me, and he buries his face in my neck. I press a kiss to the side of his neck and link my fingers over his waist. When he angles himself and thrusts into me, I throw my head back and sigh.
