He thought about it. He put it away. What choice did he have? There was a warm, understanding woman with him who appeared to want to help him. The what could wait. The now couldn’t.
“I guess I’ll have to talk to her.”
It was Carol’s turn to blink. “Just like that?”
He shrugged. “I want answers.” He looked at his watch. “It’s too late now. I’ll have to talk to her tomorrow.”
As he let his gaze travel over the still waters of the Gulf, his thumb made slow, lazy circles on the inside of Carol’s wrist. Her hand twitched but he didn’t let go.
“What are you doing?” she finally asked.
They both looked at their linked hands and Mason’s thumb on her wrist.
“Sorry. Was it bothering you?”
“Um, no. I was just wondering why…”
“I like the feel of your skin, Carol. I like the feel of you.” He moved his hand up her forearm and touched the inside of her elbow. She stiffened up.
“No, don’t do that.” He got to his feet and came around in front of her. Crouching at her feet, he put both hands on her arms. “Do you know how I feel about you?”
“I’ve been a little confused about that recently.”
He chuckled. “I’ve been a little stupid lately. I was too focused on other things to concentrate. I should have known you’d be the one with the answers.”
“I don’t have answers for you, Mason.”
“Not about my—family issues. About us.”
“Us?”
He nodded. “Come here.” He stood up and gently pulled her to her feet. Her eyes were locked on his as he guided her closer. “I have feelings for you, Carol. Despite how I acted. I took things out on you because I’m so comfortable around you. You’re easy to talk to. I tell you things I never thought I could, or would, talk about.”
“That’s…nice. And very quick, um, us-wise.”
He agreed but wasn’t about to stop and discuss it. His hands traveled up her arms to her shoulders. His fingers swirled across her skin making his blood rush south. The erection would soon be visible. “You’re nice. And beautiful.” He grinned. “And hot as sin.” He went for the kiss and was met half way.
They came together in warmth and ignited. She clutched him about the waist as he wrapped his arms around her. He tipped her to one side and licked her lips. She opened to him and charged into the fray firing on all points. His standard was raised high. He pressed against her and had the satisfaction of feeling her body move against him in a very provocative way.
She groaned and moved a hand around to his front. Without breaking the kiss, she cupped his erection and slid her hand up and down measuring his response.
He broke the kiss. “Oh, God.” He went back to kissing her instead of applauding.
She stroked him again and his hands dropped to cup her ass. Squeezing a very fit handful, he groaned deep in his throat. He was going to have to get horizontal soon or he’d embarrass himself.
“Bed. Where’s the bed?”
She started backwards pulling him along. They stumbled through the doorway, across what seemed like an acre of hardwood floor and toppled onto the bed. She took advantage of his distraction to climb on top of him and press her warmth against him. He pulled her shirt up and over her head. Reaching behind her he unclasped her bra and felt her breasts on his chest. Leaving the bra hanging off her arms, he filled his hands with soft, malleable breasts. Thumbs caressed nipples in a parody of him soothing her with thumb circles on her wrists.
Her hands traveled down his body to his zipper. Tugging it down, she slipped a hand inside his pants and grabbed his wildly enthusiastic hard-on. Suddenly, she changed her mind.
“I want you on top of me,” she mumbled between sucking and licking his lips.
They rolled over. She was under him, pinned down with him cradled between her thighs. She clamped them around him.
“No. Let me…” He slid to the side and got her zipper down. Together they pushed her clothes off and he shucked his jeans. He remembered the condom at the last minute. Then he was between her thighs. He measured himself this time, moving in her wet heat and shaking with need.
“Please…”
And at that, he plunged deep as she lifted her knees. She let out a lusty grunt and started to move. Pulling her hips up he moved with accuracy. She tensed and moaned and he backed off.
“Now.”
“No,” he said as he took a breast in his mouth. He sucked and licked and moved carefully inside her. “I want this to last.”
She groaned and tried to hook her feet to his shoulders but he held them down and pressed her knees open. Getting to his own knees, he kept up the kissing and moving while she slowly went wild under him. Just before he thought she would buck him off, he plunged hard, deep and fast. Sounds of love-making filled the musky air as they raced to the finish line.
She came first. She stilled as he stroked in and out. With a shout, she burst into an orgasm. The pulsing and clutching of his erection brought on his own climax. He thrust and stilled, tensed like a board, until slowly relaxing. He lay on top of her, head to foot.
Their greedy lungs sucked in air. Sweat dried and thundering hearts slowed to a mere hundred beats a minute.
“So, was it good for you?” she asked.
He lifted his head and laughed out loud. “Better than good. How about you?”
“Better than.”
“Am I too heavy?”
She took in a deep breath lifting him as she filled her lungs.
“I guess not. But I don’t want to take advantage.” He slid off slowly to avoid landing hard on the stitches. Standing up, he went to dispose of the condom, got back in bed and pulled her against his side. Her head rested on his shoulder.
Nestled comfortably, he allowed himself to drift on a sea of satisfaction. Here he was, Carol at his side, at a seaside resort. The guys at the garage weren’t going to believe it. Nope. None of them will hear about this.
“We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“What?” he asked. “Doing what?”
She gestured with one hand. “Snuggling here. Having sex. Letting the dog watch.”
He snorted a laugh and lifted his head. “Harry is on his bed sound asleep.”
“Sure he is. We tired him out.”
He chuckled and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “And what’s wrong with snuggling?”
She stayed quiet for a moment. “It’s not the snuggling, it’s the having sex part.”
“A good sex life is important to a healthy life.”
“You must have read that in a woman’s magazine.”
“Of course I did. You’re trying to weasel out of having sex with me again.”
She scoffed. “I have somewhere to be in the morning.”
He cupped the hand that rested on his chest and slowly pulled it down to prove he was already ready.
“Oh!” She gave a teasing tug and rub. “Can I be on top this time?”
“Anything you want, babe.”
She wriggled free and came up on her knees. “I thought you didn’t do cutesy nicknames.”
“Babe is cutesy?”
She thought about it. “No, I guess not.” She mounted him from the side and proceeded to insure his erection could take the strain of making love twice in one evening by slowly rolling on another condom. He proceeded to make sure of an easy entry to paradise and his stitches were up to it. Lifting herself up, she guided him while he opened the doors. She slowly slid down, lower and lower, as he clenched his teeth. All he wanted was one upward thrust. He wanted to flex his hips and drive homeward. But she all but held him down with her gaze. She challenged him to let her set the pace.
“Are you up for this?” she asked coyly.
“I am if you are.” His voice was a little rough. Probably from holding still while she tortured him by moving agonizingly slowly as she sank down to sit on his hips. He twitched.
“Nah ah,” she said waving a no-you-don’t finger in his face.
“Muscle spasm,” he croaked as she began her ascent.
He reached up and cupped her breasts which were not—damn it—bouncing. But they would be soon if he had anything to say about it. She lowered and raised herself while he entertained them both with her breasts. When he detected the first increase in speed, he increased the pressure and friction on her nipples. She proceeded from a walk to a race-walk to a slow jog. By the time she came she was drenched and Mason had had enough.
He flipped her to her back and drove into her. He surged and plundered and watched her breasts bounce in counterpoint to his thrusts. He slipped a hand between them and slicked over that hard bundle of nerves. He came and this time she followed. They were groaning for air and ended up on their sides, facing each other.
“God, you’re very good at this,” she admitted.
He grunted in response. It was the best he could do.
“I guess I got greedy, huh.”
“S’okay.”
“I’ll bet.” She flopped onto her back throwing her arms and legs wide.
“You’re the picture of a loose-limbed, greedy sexpot and as soon as I can, I’m going to take advantage of you.”
She smiled lazily. “I’ll be asleep by then.”
He scoffed, rolled over and slid between her legs. She looked down at him as he set his fingers and mouth to work on her. She was groaning and clutching his head with her thighs as she lifted herself to his tongue.
God, I love this woman. Now more than ever.
* * *
She woke up the minute he got out of bed. Listening to him search for his clothes in the dark, she reached for the lamp. She turned it on.
“Yow!” Mason said covering his eyes. And since that meant both of his hands were busy, she took a long gander at him. He was built, all right. But he didn’t go overboard with freakishly large muscles. He just looked like a good, solid, strong man.
“You should’ve turned the light on yourself.”
“I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Obviously. Tell me. Do you always sneak out in the dead of night when you have sex with a woman?”
“That’s two questions. No, I don’t sneak out of anywhere and, yes, I have sex with women.”
“You’re such a funny guy.” She was up on her elbows when he turned to look at her while he tugged up his jeans. His gaze zeroed in on her chest. Men are so wonderfully predictable.
“No fair,” he said as he gingerly zipped up over the semi-erection that was trying to climb out of his pants.
She grinned. “Where are you off to?”
He looked chagrinned. “Dixie’s. I have to talk to her.”
“I thought it was too late to go over.”
“You don’t think I should talk to her?”
“That’s not it at all.”
“Okay. Good.” He finished getting dressed. She watched him walk around the bed to her side. He leaned in and gave her a soft, quick kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
She smiled and nodded not wanting to reveal that she was upset. Which was crazy. He had a great many questions that needed answers. But why did he have to get them answered just now? She was darn sure he’d left so he wouldn’t wake up next to her. Which was why she made sure he was gone before turning out the light and crying into her pillow.
Harry came to her when the tears started. After all, she was upset about a guy not about Afghanistan or wartime. But she welcomed the dog and fell asleep with her hand on his head.