Page 18 of Mason

“It does. I love being with the children, but I’m tired.” He guided me to his office. “I’m not used to all the security and being watched even when I sleep. It’s creepy.”

He sat in his chair, gathered me to him and stroked my hair. It was a calming notion, but with the little sleep I’d had, it was kind of irritating. I batted at his hand and wiggled off him.

“Bear, I know you’re not sleeping.” He tried to pull me back to him, but I avoided his advances. “I awake to your screaming. I rub your back and talk nonsense to sooth you. Alexa . . . ” He groaned and I let him draw me back to him onto his lap. His lips brushed my cheek and his index finger turned my head and he kissed me.

I let myself go, the kiss consuming me. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I ran my fingers up his neck and through his hair. I loved his hair. It was just the right length and so soft. I felt his body flex and harden against me. In his gym shorts it was hard to miss the large erection. Trailing my hand down I rubbed his member.

When he moaned and slowly eased away from my lips, I knew we wouldn’t go any further. “Why do we have to stop?”

“You know why.’

“No. I don’t.” I did, but I wanted him to tell me. He was holding back and his only argument was that I wasn’t ready.

“You’re not ready for the next move. Your nightmares prove this.”

Pushing at his chest I growled in frustration. “I only started getting the nightmares again when I learned of Dustan being taken. They got worse when we got Sam. I love that dog, but it’s bloody creepy having him watch me twenty-four-seven.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I don’t like being watched like that. I don’t feel free. I’m trapped. I think that’s why the nightmares are worse.”

His sigh was long and loud. “I know, and I wish we could put our guard down, but . . . ” He rolled his eyes up and leaned back in his chair. “I’ve been putting off telling you, especially with your nightmares getting worse, but I think I can’t hold off any longer. I was hoping to get some more therapy sessions in and wait until you’re more comfortable with Sam, but time is running out.” He sat forward and stared at me. “Some of The Devil’s Queens have been arrested and the information you have will help to prosecute them. In a little less than three months you’ll be required at court to testify.”

The more he spoke, the colder my body felt. My nightmares were of those men in jackets, taking girls away. I’d run into The Devil’s Queens before I’d seen what I had that night and I was damn lucky to get away, let alone untouched. It was because of my great hiding skills and my fight that I would rather die than let anyone touch and take my body that I’d gotten away. Another time, I’d seen them kill men and even a young boy, for not doing what they asked. There were many other things, but they were locked behind my doors. I figured out that they may hurt girls and women, but I hadn’t seen them shoot one pointblank like I had with men. With what I knew about the Devil’s Queens, it would have them going after me if they’d known my hiding spots, but now they knew where I lived, and if they knew I was testifying they would kill me, female or not.

“Shhh, bear, no one will get to you. I promise you. You’re safe. We have a lot of security and this is why you have Sam.” He rubbed my back and I hated to admit it, but he was right. I looked down and saw Sam sitting guard, and as everything I’d just learned settled in, I realized I was a very lucky girl to have found and been accepted by the Silverman family. I had love and people around me to protect me.

THE MOVIE SUCKED. ALEXA SQUEEZED my hand and was utterly captivated by the sappy mess we were watching. I gazed around the cinema and saw I was one of three guys watching this painful movie. I bet they were suckered into this by their girlfriends, too. Alexa had looked at me with such hope and when she nibbled on her lip and begged please, I’d caved like a pussy.

I looked at Alexa and sighed. Even though I hated this movie, for her I’d sit through it and suffer in silence. Her eyes were alit with an almost wonder as she watched the guy on screen dip the woman he loved and kiss her, after he’d just danced with her and everyone around them clapped. The flowery words he gave her before his lips met hers had all the women in the cinema sighing.

It was close to the end of the move, thank God, and the huge smile on Alexa’s face was undeniable. I looked down at Sam to see if he thought the experience had been as awful as I thought it was, but he was currently doing his job of surveying the room. The credits rolled and I spotted Tom and Darren come in, and the fuckers had huge smirks on their faces like they knew the torture I’d just endured and thought it was hilarious.

Darren masked his face before he turned to us, but it was too late, I’d seen his smirk. “Mason. Alexa. The restaurant is ready. Did you enjoy the movie?” The twitch of his lips betrayed how he felt about what we saw.

I shot him my best glare, which only made his lips twitch again. Standing, I held my hand out for Alexa. She took it and I pulled her up. “You ready for dinner?”

“Not really. I ate too much popcorn. I figure by the time we get in and order and dinner comes, I’ll be hungry. So, let’s go.” She tugged on my hand to get us moving and Sam squeezed in so he was walking a little before Alexa.

Sam was alert and ready, but the people around us weren’t giving him much room to do his job. Our security flanked us as we walked to the car. I could see the SUV waiting for us on the curb. The closer we got, the faster we walked. Since the kidnapping we hadn’t been out much. Our biggest outing had been to get the puppies and Sam. I knew Alexa had been going stir crazy so I’d organized this night, and even though we’d watched that shit, I was glad we were out of the house.

DINNER HAD BEEN AMAZING AND as we walked into the house I tried not to watch her arse in the pink skirt as she made her way to our room. My cock was so hard it was painful. I had permanent blue balls. I was going to be awarded sainthood. She had two weeks until her eighteenth birthday and I didn’t think I was going to hold out that long. My excuse for so long had been that Alexa wasn’t ready for sex and the steps that followed, but for a while now I’d known that excuse was bullshit.

One, I was trying to wait until she was eighteen. My brothers and even Divinity reminded me that the legal age for sex was sixteen.

Two, I’d watched my brother, cousin and uncle find their soulmate and I’d seen their struggles and watched their mistakes and I was determined not to make the same ones they did. I wanted our relationship to be solid and built on trust, not just sex.

Three, once I had sex with Alexa, I would want her tied to me in every way. Marriage, kids, the house with the big white fence. I was holding back. The number of times I’d barely stopped myself from picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder, letting myself go like the caveman I was craving to be, was in the hundreds. Controlling my urges was exhausting. I wasn’t stupid. We were young, but Alexa was my one, my soulmate, and we were meant to be.

Four, with what Alexa had been through, I didn’t want to scare her away. I couldn’t be the caveman I was craving to be. Working at my gym was my haven. It was keeping me sane. Some of my men were refusing to spar with me because I was so sexually frustrated I was using my fighting to keep myself from jumping Alexa’s bones.

“I can feel you staring at my arse.” Her giggle had my cock straining in my pants. God, this woman turned me on with just her giggle. She shook her arse and I clung to the wall. It was getting so damn hard not to ravish her and Alexa wasn’t making it easy.

“Let’s play a game. Catch me.”

The little minx threw her shirt and slipped her skirt down and off before I had the chance to realize what she was doing. In a lacy blue bra and underwear set, she ran from me. Frozen for a moment, I tried to calm down and remind myself of my four reasons, but when Alexa was at our bedroom door, she turned and did a shimmy my way before she opened the door, entering with teasing laughter.

Giving up my own fight, I let go and chased my woman.

I WAS BEING NAUGHTY. TEASING Mason wasn’t nice, but it was so good to be wanted. I loved seeing the lust in his eyes as I ate my cheesecake at dinner. I absolutely loved the power I felt flow through my body as I watched him shift on the seat and swiftly adjust himself.

Tonight, I was going to get more from Mason. Sure, we’d made-out, masturbated each other and a couple of times we’d even given oral, but I wanted more. We didn’t have to go the whole way, but showing Mason I was ready to take the next step was my goal.

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