Page 30 of Mason

I shovel a mouthful of egg into my mouth, chewing slowly.

“Turns out, she didn’t really have answers either,” he says, and then takes a bite of his omelet. A ghost of a grin crosses his handsome features. “Shit. This isn’t bad.”

As we finish our meal, Mason shares some of his memories about Mrs. Kratky, and with each story, the ice around my heart continues to melt. I’m touched that he’s opening up to me, but more than that, that he’s allowed me to see this side of him.

He swallows his last bite and pushes his plate aside. “Did you get enough to eat?”

“Plenty,” I say, and then rub my stomach. “Completely satisfied.”

Mason quirks an eyebrow, deftly shifting the tone of our conversation. “Excellent,” he says, standing. He holds out his hand. “I’m still hungry.” His eyes darken with lust and burn into my skin. A shiver rolls along my back. “Starved, actually. And I know exactly how I want to satiate my appetite.”

Chapter 17

Mason scoops me into his arms and carries me down the hall. I wrap my arms around his neck, clinging to him like I might fall. But the truth is, I’ve already fallen. His muscles tighten under my pliant body.

A nervous flutter hovers around my heart. “I’m too heavy for this.”

“You’re perfect,” he says.

It’s the sweetest thing any man has ever said to me, and I squeeze my eyes shut to stop from crying. When I open them, Mason’s eyes search my face and I lick my lips, giving him the permission I know he hasn’t asked for.

His strides are urgent, and when we approach the bedroom, we’re almost sprinting. He half tosses me on the bed and then straddles me, pinning my wrists to the mattress. My breath comes in short gasps, vibrating with anticipation.

Jesus fuck. It’s ridiculous how much I want this man.

Mason leans close, runs his tongue along the curve of my throat, and then flicks the sensitive flesh at the tip of my earlobe. My body yields to his touch. I melt into the mattress, enjoying this way more than anyone should. I pretend that I’m the only woman he’s ever touched.

“I was going to make you strip for me,” he says, pawing at my blouse. “But I’m not a patient man.” The buttons open and Mason stares at my chest, licking his lips like an animal poised to devour his prey.

My heartbeat stutters.

He slides his thumb under my bra and grazes the tip of my fully erect nipple. It always amazes me how responsive my body is to his touch, the way his fingers seem to awaken a side of me I never realized existed.

Never knew I wanted to explore.

Sex wasn’t something I thought of before I met Mason. Now, it’s all that’s on my mind. I want him to take my virginity, to control me, to make me feel things I’ve never before wanted to feel.

“You have the most beautiful nipples,” he says. He moves his mouth in close and gently pushes my bra aside with his teeth to reveal the swell of my breast. His tongue flicks across my skin. The heat from his breath is cooled when he blows on my nipple, making it impossibly harder.

His lips move from between my breasts to my stomach, where his tongue circles my belly button once, and then again, before plunging just under the waistband of my skirt. I suck in my stomach, allowing more access, but he doesn’t go any further. Instead, he presses his mouth up against my crotch, breathing on my pussy through my clothes. I writhe under the pressure, desperate to feel his wet lips on my skin.

“I can smell you,” he says, his voice a low drawl of lust.

My toes curl. My clit throbs. Fuck me, I’m on the verge of begging.

Slow down, Liv.

I’m so tired of following the rules. I’ve always been the good girl—the virgin, the scholastic, the responsible. But inch by inch, Mason is drawing me out of my bubble, and awakening newfound desires. I’m a bad girl, itching to be let loose.

“Taste me,” I say, with brazen confidence.

With expert hands, Mason slides my skirt over my hips. I arch to give him better access, and he gently removes my panties, drawing them to his nose before tossing them over his shoulder onto the floor. His mouth twists into a smirk. “You’re wet, Liv.”

Soaked, actually.

Our chemistry is undeniable, but I’m still surprised by the ease with which he can turn me on—a whispered compliment, a featherlike touch, a smoldering glance with those ocean blue eyes. Simply being in the same room with Mason makes me feel sexy. Alive.

“I’m going to eat you,” he says.