MASON (Second Chance Novels Book 2) (20 page)

Even digging dirt on the mayor's boyfriend offers little actionable intel. From what we can tell, this boy is a young, sweet, trusting soul who is shy. The mayor spends little time with him other than the occasionally scratch of his homosexual itch. This toy of the mayor's isn't enjoying the luxuries of a paid-for apartment or nights of partying and pillow-talk. If he weren't having an affair with a married man, I'd almost feel sorry for the guy.
 

As for our purposes, the young man offers little to help our investigation. Under average circumstances, he'd be a blackmail tool against the mayor, but aside from pictures of the mayor entering his apartment, there is no connection between the two. The mayor is careful, I'll give him that. Running a city the size of ours gives him a false sense of importance, however. He's a fucking flea and I'm ready to play exterminator. Our investigation has been too public for me to take him out unprovoked, though. Murder is not something I would get away with at this point, and I won't allow myself to get arrested; I won't allow Sofia in danger without backup.
 

Two more times, Sofia gets threats on her phone. One promises again how much fun she'll have when they have a chance to
play together
, and the message makes me violently angry along with physically sick. The second assures my beautiful phoenix that he's been given permission from his boss to do what he wants, when he wants.
I'm just waiting for the right moment
, the fucker threatened. The mind games are starting to work on both of us, no matter how much focus we maintain. I want to be next to her nonstop, but she insists on keeping her job as she always has.
 

"Spend your time on the mayor," she insists with determined grit. "Let's just get this done."

Not only is the investigation, the threats and thoughts of my past marring my days, but my time at Second Chance is adding to the angst. Shelby hasn't shown up once since the break up. She has no desire to see me, which I understand. Still, her isolation from her friends isn't fair to her at all. I don't blame her for wanting to avoid me, but the reality that I took from her not only the Mason she thought was hers, I took her favorite place to hang out.
 

I think I should quit, but this place is my refuge, too. I could find another job, but the selfish bastard in me wants this one. Having a mundane career is difficult, but having good people around me eases the sting. With the exception of the cool reception from Cam, my fellow bartenders and the smiles from the regulars make my job there worth the boring nature of the work. How can I leave that? Like I said, selfish bastard. Sofia tells me not to make any decisions until my thinking clears. She also says Shelby's happiness isn't my responsibility, nor is her absence from Second Chance. That may be true, but doesn't ease my guilt.
 

What's saving my sanity at this point is the moment every night in which Sofia and I damn-near push each other to our bedroom. She turns to me and kisses me hard, or jumps onto my body, ready to help me ease my tensions. Every night she demands I take her hard. She's with me every desperate second, pulling my hips into her body with unwavering strength. I get so fucking hot every night, and Sofia fans the flames. She growls and grunts with equal desperation as we straight-up fuck each other. I grip her wrists and pin her down, holding her captive and fucking her how she wants it. Sometimes she takes control and rides me fast and strong, nearly screaming out her satisfaction.
 

Every time we're satisfied, every fucking time, she asks me to stay. The sex can end, but she won't allow the connection to end with it. She never wants me to pull out of her body.

"I hate feeling you leave," she said so simply to me when I asked. "That's new to me. Only with you…I need you to stay."

I will stay forever. She is my perfect match, and in some ways my opposite complement. Every time I stay in her, I'm reminded she's safe, she's mine, and when this entire investigation is over, we'll have everything. This is pure and it's real. I don't understand how I earned the privilege of having Sofia in my life, but I will never take for granted the force with which we collide.
 

For nearly another entire week, our routine remains one of nonstop work and growing tension. The higher the tension, the hotter the sex…but the corruption we continue to uncover is disgusting. With so much negativity swirling around us all the time, I decide to take a break and remove myself from surveillance for a day. I take care of mundane errands and chores, then plan an evening just for me and my woman. She doesn't need flowers and romance, but simply a reason to take a deep breath.
 

I've got the music blaring in my apartment for much of the afternoon, but I switch the playlist the moment I see her car pull into the driveway. She walks to our door in low heels, her classy black pants and pale green button down. She is the best-looking cop on the planet. The moment she's through the door I pull her to me and arch her body into mine. With one arm I hold her up, and with my left, I hold her hand gently out. With a deliberately-smoldering look, I smile at her.

"What…" she says suspiciously.

I brush her nose softly with mine and breathe across her cheek "Dance with me," I whisper in her ear as I sway her slowly to one side.
 

She actually laughs as I start to move her with the slow, sexy music. I knew she'd laugh, so her amusement doesn't bother me. This impromptu dance is not like me at all.

I use my hand behind her back to move up and pull a few large pins from her classic knot. She has truly magnificent hair, and even though the tight bun she wears gives her the professional appearance her post requires, there's nothing more I love than lacing my fingers in. Today is no exception. I sway her body gently with mine as I massage the back of her neck, my hand still surrounded.

"What's going on with you?" she asks, still with a strong stance against me. Her amusement hasn't changed, but neither has her instinct as an investigator.

"I'm being romantic," I smile as I spin her around once, only to pull her tight against me again. I let my hand slowly brush along her lower back as I arch her in.

"Why?" she grins, still eyeing me suspiciously but finally relaxing her frame.
 

"A fortune cookie told me to," I whisper into her ear.
 

"Jackass," she shakes her head. "Seriously, though."

"Because you're beautiful. Because I want to," I say simply but still softly. "Because there's more to life than all the shit."

She looks at me with her detective's eye and finds nothing but sincerity. Her keen stare is slowly replaced by mild confusion. I also see a hint of emotion in her eyes, but she conceals it quickly. She gazes at me for a few moments while we move together. She's still trying to understand this. I don't mind. I lean and kiss her forehead before I resume my time in her eyes.
 

Finally accepting there's nothing going on but a dance, Sofia pulls herself against me and rests her cheek on my chest. My heart rate increases, if for no other reason than the fact that she's against me. The rush may also be a reaction to this softer side of her. I love her badass self, but when her shields are down, I see a side of her no one else ever sees. Sofia is mine, truly. The intimacy of these moments knocks me over every time. Any way she touches me, body or soul, hard or loving, she feels so fucking good.

"You don't have to do this," she says, looking up at me again. "I don't need this kind of thing."

"I know," I say sincerely. Then I can't help myself. With a tiny, ornery grin I say, "Which is probably why I want to."

I pull her upright and dance with her again, in silence now. I drop the formal pose and simply wrap my arms around her. With quiet attention, I twist my fingers in her hair again and I gently rub her back as we sway. In a perfect response mirroring my mood, Sofia keeps her head against my chest and wraps both arms up around my neck and shoulders. Her nails gently scratch along my neck and up into my hair.
 

I simply love to feel her. We dance two more songs this way. We touch softly and move slowly, all in silence. I'm fairly certain she's living in this moment the same way I am: in quiet appreciation. We fit together in every way, but rarely do we stop following every lead we can find. Tonight, we halt the chase and simply let the world live without us for a few hours.
 

Inevitably, our slow dancing turns into slow stripping, which easily moves into slow love-making. Slow
anything
isn't our usual style, but Sofia is pure power at any pace. When her leg glides slowly along mine, I take the time to appreciate the silky feel of her skin. When my fingertips skim across her lips, she sighs so beautifully and lets herself experience every subtle nuance of our physical connection. I find every way I can to truly be with her. My lips on her chin cause her to breathe out, just as I breathe in. There's power in breath, even more when I experience hers.

I lace my fingers into hers and hold her hands against the pillow softly. Her eyes meet mine, and the smoldering emotion in them is overwhelming. She loves me, down to my
true
core, the part of me only she knows. I love her to the same depth.

And though we move together at this reserved pace, the pleasure increases strongly. Still, I refuse to rush this moment with her, even though keeping myself restrained is physically difficult. The look in her eyes, however, inspires my soft, slow drive. She doesn't break the gaze between us, and I'm so damn lucky to experience her. I'll hold on as long as I can.
 

"Mason," she breathes.
 

"
Mia bella fenice
," I murmur in return before I kiss her gently again.
My beautiful phoenix.
We continue to push in tantalizingly slow motion for a few more mind-expanding moments until the tension finally claims our motions.

I can see from her expression she's getting lost in the pleasure, too. She grips my fingers tighter and closes her eyes. Her body is nearly trembling, trying to hold on to the moment as much as I am. There's no more denying the need to drive ourselves to the brink, though. Sofia looks at me again and keeps my eyes locked with hers, but our pace doesn't increase. The strength, however, builds. Her legs lock me tight against her and we both grip harder against each other's fingers.
 

"I don't want this to stop," she breathes, trying to keep herself still, but slowly rolling her hips to mine anyway. She lets out a sharp sigh as I push against her again. We hold still for a painful moment, on the edge of shattering, but refusing to give in. One small grip of her fingers inspires my body to move one final press into hers. Her need couldn't be denied any longer. Sofia's head drops back and I kiss her throat as we finally give in, riding out the high quietly.
 

"
Non lasciare il mio corpo
," she whispers.
Don't leave my body
.

"I won't leave you," I assure her. I hope she understands the totality of that statement. "
Sei mio
."

The following morning, I'm ready to dive back into our project. We can have as many evening dances as we want once we finish. With the continued work of the DA and our relentless pursuit of the higher-ups, we have a realistic hope that all the major players will be taken down soon.
 

The minute I'm back in front of the board, however, I'm frustrated all over again. Seeing people using their positions as a means for personal gain shows such a lack of character. What I see hanging on my wall is genuinely disgusting. By evening I'm finishing my computer research, ready to make dinner then spend a night bartending and letting our few new facts filter through my brain. My thoughts are interrupted by my door opening, and I see Sofia walking in again, her face showing a genuine smile. My mood, which had been growing darker all day, suddenly lifts.

"Hey," I say, smiling with her, simply happy to know something good has happened at work.
 

"Miller's out," she announces with a satisfied tone. "Hanover and his crew showed up with an arrest warrant and wiped the smug look right off his face."

"Are you serious?" I ask, standing up.

"I fucking applauded as they dragged him out. While we've been working at the top of the pyramid, Hanover's been working his end as promised. Between his office and Internal Affairs, they found enough to take him down," she nods with satisfaction. "They dragged my precinct chief out next, and one other officer from another department. They fucking cleaned house."

"Holy shit!" I walk to pick her up and hold her tight in celebration. "Dominos are finally falling."

"Put me down," she smiles. "I want to introduce myself."

"Huh?"

"Sergeant Sofia DiGiacamo," she shakes my hand. "Nice to meet you."

"My God," I smile and grab her face in my hands. I kiss her so strongly. I have no words to express what I'm feeling. She's finally getting the recognition she deserves. She will be one hell of a sergeant, and I'm certain this step is only the beginning of her rising-star career, especially with the DA and other solid citizens who understand her skill and character. Hot damn, this is the best news.