Mr. Hernandez agreed to put the estate on hold for a little longer. And Mason agreed to think about talking to his mother.
Mason left the attorney’s office, dreading the four hour drive back to New Orleans. Before he hit the long stretch of interstate out of Beaumont, Kendall invaded his thoughts. Needing to hear her voice, he dug his cell phone out of his pocket, turned on the hands-free, and dialed.
She answered on the second ring. Her timid, “Hello,” tugged at his heart.
“Ken, what’s wrong?”
“Oh Mason. You should’ve been here. Someone bashed up my Rogue while I was at the mall.”
“Dammit. What happened?” She relayed the details of the incident at the mall, his gut tightening at every word. By the time she finished, his knuckles were white against the black steering wheel.
“Sweetie, I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Are you okay?” Silence stretched between them. “I just left Beaumont and am still a few hours away, but I’ll stop by your place when I get back.” Anger boiled inside his head. Whoever did this to her would pay, dearly.
He blamed himself for screwing things up between them once already. He didn’t want her to blame him a second time. If only he were the man she deserved, maybe their relationship could move forward and she would welcome his help.
“I’m fine. Mandy just left. All I want to do now is soak in a hot bath and get some sleep.” She sounded like a truck had run over her.
“Ken, it’s no problem for me to come by. Really.”
“No, Mason. I’ll probably be sleeping by the time you get back anyway. I’ll call you in the morning.” She sounded so alone, just as loneliness ate at his insides.
****
“Ken, I’m really sorry I wasn’t there this afternoon. I was already in Beaumont when you called. And I turned my phone was off.”
“Don’t worry about it. Marks and Bobby made an appointment to drop my Rogue at the body shop later this week. Thankfully I can still drive it until then. They practically handled everything for me.”
“Yeah, but I should’ve been there for you. How are you holding up?” Tension laced his words.
“The whole situation rattled me quite a bit at first. But I’m okay now. I’ll be so glad whenever y’all catch whoever is responsible for this.”
“Trust me, sweetheart, we’re getting closer. He’s starting to get sloppy in cleaning up his trail. We’ll get him.”
“I know. Be patient.” She had heard that more than once from Mason in the past several weeks. She was beginning to lose all patience though. “I hope everything went okay at your meeting.” She poured herself a glass of red wine while talking. All she wanted was to relax and get some much-needed sleep. “Are you on your way back now?”
“Yeah, still several hours away, but getting closer.” His words were clipped as he recounted his visit with Julia’s attorney. “I just don’t get what her angle is. She’s never been around for me before. Why is she suddenly trying to plant herself in the middle of my life?”
Kendall chose her words carefully, knowing the pain he endured growing up without his mother. “Mason, sometimes it takes time for people to realize what they’ve missed out on. Give her a chance to prove herself, and earn your trust.”
“That’s pretty much what Mr. Hernandez said too. But she’s had a lifetime to prove herself, and hasn’t done it yet.”
Kendall winced at the hopelessness in his voice. “There’s still time. If you allow it.”
“I just wish—”
His wistful sigh revealed more to her about his wish for a mother than he could know.
She felt his pain.
Chapter Nine
After arriving home, Mason berated himself for not following his gut and driving to Kendall’s house anyway. It was the least he could’ve done since he hadn’t been there for her that afternoon. His nerves would have unwound a little bit if he could’ve seen for himself she was okay. Exasperated, he tried drowning his shortcomings with whiskey. Only that wasn’t helping. The more he drank, the more irritable he became. The irritation passed only to be replaced with loneliness for the one woman who gave his life a ray of hope. Kendall Reed.
Pacing around the house was not taking the edge off. He poured himself another whiskey and continued, back and forth, from the kitchen to the living room. Every nerve in his body was on edge. This had been one hell of a day, and the night was not any better.
He knew he was in deep trouble whenever Kendall’s face took over all of his thoughts. Her warmth, caring, and softness could get him through this night. Silky skin against his body. Fire hot kisses from her soft lips. Whispered murmurs in his ears. Chocolate brown eyes begging him to fill her. His groin tightened. Hell, the woman could destroy all his sanity without realizing her power.
He closed his eyes on a groan. The glass in his hand soared across the room and shattered against the wall. The liquid trailed down, pooling on the hardwood floor.
If he picked up the phone and called, she would answer. Only, hearing her sweet voice would make him want her more. “No,” he muttered to himself, “don’t call.” Stalking through the darkened living room to the kitchen for another glass, he poured himself a double shot as he reached for his cell phone.
Her sleepy voice filled the line after the second ring. “Hello.”
“Ken.” That one word was like honey on his lips.
“Mason, is something wrong?” Her voice rose a notch. She suddenly sounded wide-awake.
“Kendall,” he slurred. “It’s a quarter after one. I told myself I wouldn’t call. But...”
When he didn’t continue, Kendall gently broke the silence. “But what, Mason?” Her soft whisper floated over the phone line. Somehow, he sensed that she knew what was coming next. It could’ve been the way her voice turned sultry and seductive. Or, the sigh that escaped her lips and drifted through the phone.
“I said I wouldn’t call, but, I... I need you. Now.” There, he said it. He admitted his weakness. He needed someone. No. He needed Kendall.
****
Kendall hung up the phone and took a minute to catch her thoughts, and her breath. Her hand rubbed at her neck as she tried to calm her jittery nerves. The raw emotion in Mason’s voice touched somewhere deep inside her. His urgent need pulled at her heartstrings.
Where had that need come from? Needing her? Or needing to release his pent up frustration over his visit concerning his mother?
And where did that leave her? Running to him because of his confused feelings for his mother? Or, because deep down, she needed him, regardless of his feelings for her? She could give him this one night and walk away after that. He didn’t say it in so many words, but she wasn’t an idiot. She knew what his late night phone call was all about. Just as he knew she wouldn’t demand any type of commitment from him. Just one night. No matter how painful it will be to walk away afterward.
Less than twenty minutes after hanging up the phone, the door jerked open before she had the chance to raise her hand to knock. Deep blue eyes full of desire and hunger fixed her with a stare. Silence filled the air as she took a tentative step into his house.
Kendall found herself backed against the wall, drowning in the raw emotion in his eyes. Eyes that slowly roamed from her head to her toes, then back up to linger on her lips. Instinctively, her tongue ran across her bottom lip. Her pulse increased a notch when Mason’s thumb came up to rub the moisture her tongue left behind. Then he planted his arms next to her, against the wall.
He didn’t touch her. Just stared down into her eyes, his warm, whiskey tainted breath inches away from her skin. “Ah, Kendall.” Her name barely escaped his lips. His head turned, his next words tickling her ears. “I want you.”
Tension and relief soared through her in anticipation of his touch. When it didn’t come, she thought she would lose her mind. His husky voice and warm breath were the only contact he made. She closed her eyes briefly, wanting his touch, needing his touch.
One last look into her eyes, and then he slowly bent his head to nibble at her earlobe. Kendall could no longer stand on her own. Her arms circled his neck, tugging him closer. Parts of her body she thought abandoned her years ago began to flutter.
Butterflies were supposed to be in your stomach, not lower
. Not where she was feeling tingles.
Whatever his reasons for wanting her here tonight, she was willing. To prove that to him, she slid one hand down his taut back, around to the front of his jeans. She locked her gaze on his as she slowly undid the top button before lowering her hand to the bulge barely contained behind the button-fly denim. To her satisfaction, he shuddered and a low guttural sound burst from his throat. She stroked him firmly, smiling when her name escaped through his lips as his mouth claimed hers in a kiss that spoke of pure male possession.
Mason pulled back from her long enough to frame her face with his hands and capture her gaze with his. “Just so we’re clear, this has nothing to do with anything, or anybody, except me and you. It’s most definitely
personal
.” Then he lifted her into his arms and strode to his bedroom, kicking the door closed behind them.
****
Kendall. Couldn’t. Breathe.
This was a new and exciting experience for her. The few sexual encounters she had in the past paled in comparison to the heat and fire exploding between her and Mason. The accidental touches over the last several weeks, the quick glances, pounding hearts. There was something to all of that. Only she was too afraid to explore those feelings, too afraid to let her heart open and take the chance of getting hurt by this man.
He gently set her on her feet, standing next to her at the end of the bed. He toyed with a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. His hesitation warmed her.
“Ken, I want you in my bed. I need you. Tonight. If that’s not what you want, you have to stop me now before it’s too late.”
She trusted him and knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t go any further if she told him no. She could walk away now and never look back.
But he needed her, and on some level she knew this was not only about sex. The pleading in his eyes went much deeper than that. And right now she wanted to do whatever it took to wash the anguished expression off his face.
Her stomach tightened on a surge of longing that left her wet and throbbing. She couldn’t deny him this night even if she wanted to. She placed her hands on either side of his face. “I want to make love with you Mason.”
Triumphant joy lit his features, and his lips swept down on hers in a kiss that was reckless and blissful at the same time. Their tongues tangled in a fevered rush to experience the taste of the other. The faint smell of whiskey lingering on his lips, mixed with that unique spicy scent that was Mason’s alone, delighted her nose. His fingers splayed at her hips, clutching her soft flesh. Kendall’s hands slid under his shirt, caressing his skin. Her fingers blazed a trail from his shoulders down to the top of his jeans.
She sucked at his lips when they pulled apart from hers. He growled low in his throat while running his hands down her arms, stroking her skin and lighting it on fire. His eyes captured hers and held them mesmerized before he gently tugged her shirt over her head. Taking a step back, his eyes widened in satisfaction at the sight of her hardened nipples straining against the black lace of her bra. His knuckles grazed her breast as he undid the front closure and released her softness into his waiting hands. Kendall shifted, feeling a little self-conscious at his intense perusal. But his gentle touch tightened every fiber in her body. He took her arms and settled them on his waist before he worked at the button on her jeans.
The soft rasp of the zipper sent thrills coursing through her. She caught her breath as he unhurriedly worked the material down her legs, lifting one foot at a time so she could step out of them. The rough denim mixed with the hardened calluses of his hands was a heady aphrodisiac. Ever so slowly, he stood in front of her, holding her hands out to her sides. “My God, you are so beautiful.”
Hearing those words from this man gave her boldness. It fueled her inner goddess. She bit down on her bottom lip and smiled when he grunted. Just as he slowly undressed her, she returned the favor. She grasped the hem of his shirt. For every inch she lifted the shirt, she followed with a trail of kisses. His low groans were the only encouragement she needed to continue her recklessness. She paused at his hardened nipples to suck them, causing them to pull into tighter peaks. Brazenly she rubbed her nipples against the soft hairs on his chest. Back and forth, desire surging lower in her body. Pulling the shirt over his head and tossing it on the floor next to her clothes, she reached down to remove his jeans.
His hands on hers halted her progress. She turned her head to look into his face and froze at the thunder and passion resonating from him. “Mason.”
“Let me love you,” he murmured as he gently backed her up until the backs of her knees were against the mattress. Quickly and efficiently, he removed his jeans and boxers before swooping to pick her up and lay her in the center of the bed, following her down. He eased alongside her until their bodies were completely naked, skin-to-skin.
He stroked her cheek then blazed a trail of kisses from her forehead to the hollow of her throat. She tipped her head to the side, allowing him access to plant soft, tender kisses at the base of her neck. Her eyes drifted closed. Fireworks burst behind her eyelids when Mason took one of her breasts into his mouth. She sucked in a deep breath, then released it in the same instant he moved to the other breast. His warm mouth toyed with her nipples, bringing them to a hardness that sent shivers straight down to her sex.
She squirmed beneath his touch, wanting more. Wanting release now. But he was not to be rushed. This was not the quick roll in the hay she thought it would be when he called her earlier. No, he wasn’t just making love to her, he was worshipping her body, leaving his mark on her. His journey over her body made her feel entirely feminine, completely wanted. And their bodies molded together perfectly. A natural fit.