Chapter 39

Mason

Following my first stint in rehab, I had rocked the music scene. Back then, being a rock star had been my ultimate dream, and I’d foolishly believed that only then would my life be complete.

But the joke had been on me. Now that I was no longer part of that scene, my life felt more complete than it had ever been.

Five weeks after leaving Pushing Limits to begin my life anew and to start a life with Nicole, I still felt sure I had done the right thing. Yes, I missed the guys and performing with them live, but there wasn’t a single moment when I regretted my decision to walk away from the band, from the media, from the pressures of being on the road.

The waiter placed a slice of chocolate cake on the table between us. Nicole and I were celebrating our one-month anniversary. For the past four weeks, we had been dating like a regular couple—including the part where I had gotten Zack’s permission to date his little sister. Not that it would have made a difference, but it was nice to have his approval. We had also taken Bernie on a few walks for old times’ sake. Nicole and I had done lots of things together since that night at Mike’s Bar, but the one thing we hadn’t done yet was make love.

I was waiting for the right time.

That didn’t mean we hadn’t done some serious making out in the meantime. We had. And Christ knew I deserved a medal for the level of restraint I’d shown when it came to not touching her the way I wanted to.

Nicole dug her fork into the rich dessert and slipped it between her parted lips. She closed her mouth, and the erotic moan vibrating at the back of her throat had my dick wanting me to say screw it and make love to her again.

“Good, huh?” I asked, laughing. It was her favorite dessert. We got it every time we came here. Which meant I had a hard-on every time we came here. Let’s just say this wasn’t the first time she had moaned that way while eating a slice of the cake—nor would it be the last.

“Absolutely.” She winked at me and took another bite…and moaned yet again.

I groaned roughly. “Nicole, you can’t keep making those noises. You’re gonna kill me.”

A devilish smile curved onto her face. The tip of her tongue slowly traced her lower lip, and my dick jerked in my jeans.

“Maybe I’m after something else.” Her gaze fell to my mouth. “Maybe I’m tired of taking things slow.” Her voice was low and heated. It required every ounce of willpower I had—and then some—not to take her right here on the table, dessert be damned.

I indicated to the waiter we needed the check, stat. “And we’ll take the dessert to go,” I added. Nicole laughed.

We returned to her house. I was currently renting an apartment near the music store, not that I spent much time at my place. It was just somewhere to sleep, nothing more. Plus I was still busy with renovations around her house. We had already discussed updating the kitchen. It needed it, even after we had torn down the tacky 1970s wallpaper last fall and repainted the walls.

I opened her front door, entered, and flipped on the hallway light. I set the dessert box on the side table, then my mouth found Nicole’s and I kissed her until we were both breathless.

“Oh God, Mason,” she murmured against my ear. “I want you so badly.”

She didn’t have to say it twice. I hoisted her up, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I carried her upstairs to her bedroom, turned on the light, and laid her on the bed. Then I stepped away and just watched her for a heartbeat. With her blond hair messy from my fingers roaming through it and her kiss-swollen lips, she looked goddamn sexy. “So beautiful,” I said huskily, climbing onto the bed with her. I kissed her again while my fingers crept under her tank top.

My thumb found her nipple, hidden under her lacy bra, and I brushed it against the tight bud. Nicole groaned into my mouth, which made me harder. My cock pressed against my zipper, begging to finally feel Nicole’s soft heat around it once more.

I continued to tease her. She arched her body, pressing her stomach against my junk. The desire to sink inside her grew in intensity. It had been almost nine months since I’d last made love to her. Nine months of jacking off to memories of her on the bed. In the shower. On the kitchen counter.

I shifted away from her and helped her remove her tank top. That and the bra ended up somewhere on the floor, along with her skirt. I bent down and kissed the tattoo above the elastic waistband of her panties. It was one of Nicole’s designs, but it wasn’t on anything she had created to be sold. She had gotten it months ago, shortly before Hailey had visited her.

“Christ, I love this.” I kissed the tattoo again.

“I love yours too.” She stroked the one on my right shoulder. Like the tattoos I’d gotten after my first time in rehab, this one was also in Sanskrit. All the new tattoos were. And like my previous ones, all were messages of affirmation: “One life, one chance,” “Strength comes from an indomitable will,” and “Action defines us.”

All of my tattoos were a reminder of what I had gone through, a reminder that with hard work and determination I would never sink back to my previous life. The life in which I’d almost destroyed everything I had and the people I loved.

The words from one of the earlier tattoos, “Without music life shall be a mistake,” were also stenciled on a wall in the music store, thanks to Nicole. She’d created the design to represent the shift in my career. A career that now included teaching and writing music and occasionally performing—but not touring.

I gently tugged on Nicole’s panties and slid them down her legs. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to taste you again?”

She didn’t answer, but her heated gaze told me everything I needed to know. I wasn’t the only one who had felt the same way. I spread her legs open and planted small kisses up the inside of her thigh…until I found the spot wet dreams and morning wood were made from. I tasted her, my tongue running along one side of her sex and then the other. She wiggled under my worshipping touch.

I grabbed hold of her hips, keeping her steady while I ate her out. My tongue stroked her clit and she let out a moan, telling me she was getting close. And a moment later, with the help of my thumb and my tongue, she cried out her release, leaving me smiling at the power I had over her—the same power she had over me.

While she recovered from the aftershocks, I ripped open the foil package and rolled the condom down my length. I positioned the head of my cock at her entrance and slowly pushed my way in. Her heat hugged every inch of me, turning my brain numb with desire. My balls tightened and I groaned. Right here, with the woman I loved, was the only place I wanted to be.

Nicole wrapped her legs around my hips, my cock seated deeper inside her. I pulled back so just my tip remained inside, then I plunged deep into her once more. I kept repeating the motion until Nicole called out my name, her warmth clutching me tightly. At the sound of her erotic cries and the feel of her grasping my length, I came hard with another groan.

With sweat covering our bodies, our breath ragged, I collapsed onto the bed. Once my brain was able to function again, I got up and disposed of the condom in the trash.

I returned to the bed and pulled Nicole against me. She rested her head on my chest, listening to my heart tell her how much I loved her.

“Are you still planning to have two-point-four kids, a dog, and a cat one day?” I asked her, caressing her lower back and grinning down at her.

She pushed herself up on her elbow. “I would like to have all of that.” Her gaze dropped to my lips. “But it depends.”

“On what?”

“On if the man of my dreams wants them too.” Her gaze flicked up, her light brown eyes meeting mine.

I kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, then her lips. “I want it too. All of it. The kids. The dog. The cat. You as my wife.” I kissed her again. “But how about we get a dog who’s not quite as big as Bernie?”

Nicole laughed. “Deal.”