Spicy with a Side of Cranberry Sauce (12 page)

He clenched and unclenched his fists and stood up. He grabbed a shirt from the floor and pulled the soft fabric over his head. If he wanted to have any hope of doing something other than having sex with her again, he had to go down the hallway fully armed. Clothing was like armor where Amy was concerned. He needed it to remind them both to stay on task. Though the thought of her ripping off his clothes to have her silent way with him heated his blood.

He’d had her just four hours before. How could he want her again so soon?

He crept on bare feet to his door and opened it as slowly and quietly as he could. He slipped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. He turned to make his way down the hall and practically ran into James.

“Uh, sorry, Mason,” James stammered. “I was…just headed to the bathroom.”

“Me too,” Mason lied. “You go ahead. I’ll run downstairs and go.” He kept his voice low, aware of his mother’s room at the end of the hall. And of Amy in the room right next to the one her father had just come out of.

“Right, of course.” James nodded, and his dark gaze darted to the side. The man looked guilty as hell. Mason imagined he had a similar look on his face. God, would James tell Mom that Mason had been sneaking out of his room in the middle of the night? If Mason asked for his silence, it would only confirm that he was doing something wrong with Amy.

He turned, trying to save them both from this horribly awkward midnight hallway meeting. “Good night,” he called back quietly over his shoulder as he headed left toward the stairs. He took his time going down them carefully and couldn’t help grinning as he passed the bottom few steps, his mind flashing back to the visceral image of Amy straddling him. He walked to the bathroom off the living room and twiddled his thumbs for a minute, then flushed the toilet and ran the water.

Hopefully he’d given James enough time to sneak into his mother’s room. He cringed at the thought of his mother having silent sex right down the hall. And then he stifled a laugh, because James had probably thought the same thing about Mason. But he wanted to get into Amy’s room to talk. Just to talk. He would have to stick to his guns this time, no matter how delectable she looked. He climbed the stairs, and the bathroom door was open, the hallway deserted. Could he risk it now? If James had gone back to the room right next to hers, he was certainly still awake. No doubt he’d hear Mason’s late-night prowl. Mason would have to wait to make sure James was down the hall or asleep.

He turned back to his room, disappointment clenching his gut. He opened the door…and laughed.

“Shh,” Amy whispered.

He closed the door quietly behind him and stared at the incredibly daring woman lounging on his bed. Already he felt his resolve weakening.

“Imagine my surprise when I snuck in here and the room was empty.”

“I bet it wasn’t nearly as much as my surprise when I snuck out into the hallway to come visit you and found your father sneaking around too.”

Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth to stifle her laugh.

“Except he was on his way to visit my mother. Jeez, how did this get so complicated?”

She was surrounded by his stuff, by his life, and he shook his head in wonder. She looked good there. He could take a moment to admire the view, now that he figured their parents were busy…er, getting busy. He forced his mind away from that horror and took in the sight of Amy’s smile as she pulled her hands away from her mouth. Her hazel eyes sparkled even in the dim light from his bedside lamp, but he wouldn’t let them distract him.

“Look, Amy, much as I wanted to visit you and let you seduce me all over again, I can’t keep lying to my mom. She’s had enough of that in her life, and I feel like shit.”

She sat up straighter, all hint of playfulness gone. He ached to take back what he said, but he couldn’t.

“She really did tell you to stay the hell away from me, didn’t she?” Amy’s voice was so small and hurt he had to fight himself to stop from rushing to her side. She spoke as if Mom had warned him away from her because she was no good for him, when it was the opposite.

“It’s not you, honest, honey. It’s me. She’s afraid I’ll…um…”

“Take my innocence?” she said. At least she didn’t sound so distraught this time. “Well, you can tell her that ship has long since sailed.” She smiled a bit.

“Not your innocence, exactly. She just knows you’ve had kind of a rough life with your mom gone and taking care of your dad. That’s all. She doesn’t want me to make you my next conquest, I guess.” Saying it aloud made his cheeks burn with shame. He wasn’t pleased that his mom thought he had conquests and not lovers. But he’d never corrected her, because deep down he knew the truth. He couldn’t be faithful. He couldn’t be more than a good time. Not for anyone. Even Amy. Maybe especially Amy. She seemed to unravel him at every turn, making him burn in ways he hadn’t known were possible. Making him long, for the first time in his life, that he was different.

But he wasn’t. He was no good for her, and it was about time he made her realize it.

“I promised her I would stay away from you, and I broke that promise. It’s been killing me. I’m sorry, Amy. I can’t do this anymore.” Maybe if he made it about the promise and not about himself, she would pull back to try to save his relationship with his mom. She was just that kind of a person. Selfless. What kind of kid didn’t blame her dad when she wasn’t allowed to celebrate Thanksgiving or have birthday parties and Christmas presents?

Her eyes didn’t even widen at his declaration. She just nodded and stood up.

“I’ve definitely caused enough trouble around here. The last thing I need to do is come between you and your mother. But that’s it, Mason. No more yo-yoing. I’m not going to keep trying to entice you into changing your mind. If I walk out the door, I’m not coming back.”

The statement was like a knee to the balls. He couldn’t get enough air.

Amy hated giving him an ultimatum, but her self-preservation demanded it. She ached to live in the moment with him like she did in every other part of her life, but he already held too much sway over her. She had to be smart about this. He stood in front of the door. He had to make the decision for himself. No persuasion from her, no attempts at seduction. If he was going to be with her, then he had to be with her. If they were going to keep it a secret, that was fine.

She honestly didn’t want to cause him heartache, and it was clear that was what she was doing. Maybe she shouldn’t have left the decision in his hands. She should just bow out gracefully and do the right thing for him. But the words already hung in the air between them. She couldn’t take them back now.

He stood immobile, watching her, his eyes assessing her. Was he trying to decide if she was bluffing? He ought to know enough about her now to know she didn’t bluff. Ever. It was an important principle in the classroom. Never threaten what you were unwilling or unable to follow through with.

“Do you think your dad will say anything to my mom about seeing me in the hallway?” he asked. Still, he didn’t move.

“I don’t think so. He’s pretty private. He was probably embarrassed as hell when he saw you.” She’d known from the first time she’d kissed him that she wanted him. But she also knew they could only have a few days. She’d reconciled herself to that fact. So why did the thought of cutting things so short leave her with a gaping ache in the middle of her chest?

“Mom’s just trying to protect you.”

“From having sex.”

“From getting hurt when you realize I can’t do anything more than that.” His voice was so full of shame it took her breath away.

“Did I give you the impression I wanted more? Was it the thirty seconds of cuddling that did it?”

He said nothing.

“That was a joke. You were supposed to laugh.”

“Sorry. It was funny. Cute, even. I just… I’m still trying to figure all this out, that’s all.”

“How many times am I going to have to tell you to stop thinking?”

She took a step closer. So much for not trying to tempt him. She didn’t want to damage his bond with his mom, because it was important. But Martha didn’t know Amy. She didn’t do relationships any more than Mason did, and she was going into this with both eyes wide open. She wasn’t going to get hurt. It was just sex, for crying out loud. When Amy reached out and ran a hand down his thinly covered chest, he gasped, his eyes going a liquid midnight.

“See. Right there. That look in your eyes tells me you’ve shut off most of your brain. You’ve kept only the most basic, the most important part working. Now get over here.”

He didn’t hesitate but wrapped his arms around her and pushed his lips tightly against hers. His kiss was rough, demanding. And she relished it. He pulled back, breathing heavily.

“So I’m not going to have to seduce you this time around?” Amy said.

He shook his head.

MASON KNEW IT was wrong. He knew he should have stuck to his guns and moved aside so she could walk out of his room, and his bed, forever. But despite the danger, the guilt, and his reservations, he couldn’t deny his desire for her was stronger. Like a primal force driving him to do things he’d never thought he could.

She pouted. “And I was so looking forward to it.”

Well, he had other plans. But he couldn’t form the words to speak. He lifted her in his arms and laid her back on the bed. She slid up the length of the bed, her head resting on his pillows.

“But this certainly doesn’t suck,” she whispered as he pulled her right leg onto his lap and started a slow assault on her calf. “Ooh, that’s wonderful.” He pushed his fingers deeper into her skin, and she moaned. He savored the sound.

He still couldn’t speak, couldn’t put into words that he needed her more than he needed to be careful. So he continued his massage up the back of her leg to the back of her thigh and then down to her foot. When he pressed his fingers into the arch of her foot, she squirmed against him.

“Oh, you’re not ticklish, are you?” he said, an evil idea taking root.

“Don’t. You. Dare. If you think I have a hard time staying quiet while your body’s pounding into mine, you do
not
want to see what happens when I get tickled.”

Yes, he did. He ran the top of his short fingernail against the sole of her foot, and she squealed, then clamped her mouth shut. He could have so much fun with this. A soft, sensual assault. That was what he needed. What they both needed. She tried to yank her foot from his grasp.

“Shh,” he said.

“Oh, God. You’re going to get us both killed.”

He grinned, and she bit her lower lip, her whole body tensing. He waited, holding her on the edge of anticipation. She nodded, and he turned his attention back to her foot, amazed by her trust in him even after he’d shown her he didn’t deserve it. But he was committed now. As much as he could be. No matter what happened with his mother, he wouldn’t push Amy away again. He couldn’t. And he didn’t want to examine his consuming need to be with her too closely, because she was right. The more he thought, the more conflicted he would get.

He circled the bottom of her big toe with his pinkie, and she jerked against his hold. But she remained silent. Her eyes rolled back as he released her foot and slid his fingers around and around her legs, just above her knees. She wriggled and groaned, her breasts swaying with each movement. Desire coursed through him. He didn’t know how long he’d be able to tease her before he was ripping her clothes off and sinking himself deep.

He lifted her legs, caressing the backs of her knees, and she whimpered. She reached her hands above her head and grabbed on to the post she’d held earlier while he slammed into her from behind. With each squirm and delightful whispered squeal, his erection grew. Blood rushed to her face, flushing her skin as he moved his fingers from her legs to her hips.

He lifted the fabric of the tank top so it only covered her breasts, leaving her sides and belly bare to his roving fingers. He traced the edges of her belly button with his index finger, and her skin jumped as the breath slammed from her lungs.

“You’re evil. You know that, right?” She panted between each word as he glided the tips of his middle fingers up either side of her rib cage.

“Yes, and you’re enjoying every minute of it.”

Her mouth stayed open as she breathed in and out hard. Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated. Her skin pebbled with goose bumps, a light sheen of sweat covering her as she strained to keep still and quiet beneath his touch. He’d never felt so dominating and so out of control at the same time. It left him panting and exhilarated.

She moaned as he brushed along the front of her breasts.

“You’re going to have to stop soon,” she said.

He could tell she was close. So was he. He’d need to make them both cool down again before he slid into her, or it would be over much too quickly.

“Lift your hips,” he said. When she complied, he dipped his fingers into the waistband of her shorts and underwear, slid them over her hips and down her legs, and tossed them off the bed. He gazed down at her flushed body, and she stilled. She was beautiful like this. Lost to the passion between them, held on the edge of release. Trusting him to give her what she needed in the end and embracing the moment. Her light hair fanned out around her head against his pillows, falling across her arms with every toss of her head. Her hazel eyes were dark with passion.

When he bent his head and blew soft air against her belly button, she moaned. God, how he needed this. Turning her head to the side, she buried her face in her bicep. But she let him spread her thighs wider.

He couldn’t give her what she deserved—a man to be open with her. A man to celebrate holidays with and give her everything. But this—this he could do. He could drive them both so wild with passion that tomorrow really didn’t matter. And that would have to be enough.

Amy wriggled in his grasp until he slid his fingers against her folds and spread them as well. Her body tensed as he tickled her with his breath, and she arched off the bed when he licked her clit. A muffled scream broke through the seal she had on her mouth. He kissed her folds gently, opening his mouth against her and sucking. She squirmed and cried out. He stopped until her body stilled once more beneath his, then looked up to see her biting her arm.