MASON (Second Chance Novels Book 2) (31 page)

"Mason," she breathes, her forehead against mine. She slowly pushes her hips into mine again, and she feels so fucking good. She grabs my face, and we're holding on to each other so tightly, trying to find our way through this. "I don't want to stop…"

I clench my jaw, wanting to fill her body and her heart, yet part of me wants to let her go, to protect her from the memories of her attack. But because she asks, I lock my arms loosely around her and huddle her into my torso. She makes no attempt to free herself, and I feel her face beside mine. A tiny smile gently touches my cheek from hers with such complexity.

Slowly, with shaking force, we grind in subtle movements, and I'm dying from the overwhelming emotion coupled with the strength of our bodies together. In explosive, shaking slow motion, we hold each other tightly and make love. Her eyes meet mine with an intensity new to me.

We keep each other in balance as we move together, our bodies interlocking and pushing in perfect rhythm. So slowly we grind and press, rise and fall, breathe and kiss, embrace and caress. I've never known this kind of pleasure, and I had no idea this kind of connection could exist. She is not solely my phoenix…she's my oxygen, my gravity, and my energy. We are rebuilding each other into a force stronger than we've ever been.
 

In a miraculous moment of liberation, my beautiful phoenix reaches her peak, shuddering in a beautiful display of strength, pleasure, and triumph. Her body and her emotions claim their freedom and expel the tension and pain of weeks. Proving her victory, she gives me everything I need, too. She continues to move on me freely until I come. This is a moment like no other. This is inspiration.

"Sofia," I breathe as I lock her against me tightly.

"Look at me," she says. I easily comply. I return my hands to her cheeks and wipe two final tears from her eyes. I hold her up so I can kiss her softly.
 

"Will you tell me why you're crying?" I ask softly. There is no fear or sadness in her eyes.

She smiles softly. "I'm letting go."

I run my hand down her hair and along the smooth skin of her arm as I kiss her again. She is so goddamn beautiful. Her hips remain on mine, keeping us connected again. My phoenix is soaring higher than she ever has, reborn from the darkest of ashes. God, how I love her.

I see Sofia, her hair sex-tousled and beautiful, and I'm astounded again. When I finally rest on my back in my bed, with Sofia beside me, I'm fully sated and emotionally exhausted. Physically, however, I want to give her more. I want her to revel in the quiet evening, enjoying soft, loving caresses and tender words spoken from love. There is more to regaining intimacy than sex. I don't want any chance for her to sink immediately back to where she was before.

I begin tasting her from her earlobe down to her sexy toes. Every press of my lips is gentle, every word from my mouth speaks beauty, and every touch of my fingers offers pure connection. Still hesitantly, at first, she accepts my caresses, then relaxes into my touch, healing and trusting. I smile so softly. "
La mia fenice
.
Che bella
."

I continue my intimate worshipping of her body from my place beside her. When I finally move my lips from her form, I take her face into my hand and I look her directly in her eyes in wonder.
 

"I love you," I whisper before I cover her mouth with mine and dedicate my lips to her kisses. Our mouths play together sweetly until one moment overtakes my phoenix. She gently pulls herself away from me. Her eyes well up and one final time I brush the tears away. She takes a deep breath before she smiles so gently.
 

Seeing her determined to let go gives me the will and motivation to fight harder. I fall asleep with her in my arms, feeling genuinely happy. Tomorrow I fight again, but tonight I simply love her.
 

"
Ti amo, fenice
," I whisper my love as her body melts against mine. "So much."

This morning after watching Sofia get ready for work, I'm in continued awe. Today I see a stronger return to herself, as well. I kiss Sofia goodbye, thrilled to also see the return of softness in her eyes to complement the raw determination she carries.
 

My burner rings suddenly with a call from Bash.
 

"Hey."

"I have a very-public date with Evelyn today at their city club," he starts with no greeting at all. He's in full mission focus. "Bennett will be there with a few of his self-important asshole friends. Shit's about to hit the fan. You ready?"

"More than ever," I say, still riding the high of last night. "How'd you convince her?"

"Come on, Junior. I got her to convince me. I worked the romance angle and apologized on her husband's behalf for being such an inadequate piece of shit. I told her she was worth more than he ever knew."

I can hear his voice drop at the end of his sentence, again surprised to hear him speak of a target like he is. I won't ask. I don't want him to lose focus at this point in the game, but I'm curious about his last two years. That's going to be an interesting conversation when I finally have a chance to broach the subject.

"What do you need from me?" I ask, ready to support his play.
 

"Nothing from my end, but I have a feeling Bennett will be plenty raw by about twelve thirty today. Enjoy poking the bear. As for me, I'll be with Evvie picking up the pieces."

I spend the next few hours readying myself for Bennett's fall from social grace. I gather my video equipment and set up outside of the club by noon. Sure enough, Bennett exits soon after in a state of extreme agitation. Having planned the camera angle and my entrance specifically, I approach him on the sidewalk as if I've just happened by, taking care not to block the camera's vantage point. A discrete flick of a remote control starts the video, and I'm ready to go.

"How's your day, Mr. Mayor?" I grin, reaching to shake his hand in a polite greeting. "The wife doing well?"

"Out of my way," he grits out, trying to move me physically.
Oh, please take a swing.
 

"I hear she's positively glowing," I congratulate, "and I'm glad she's happy now that she has a real man in her life and is getting away from your sorry ass. An affair can do wonders for the mood, don't you agree?"

Score
. John Bennett pulls his arm back and I allow him to land a punch directly across my jaw. Fuck. Yes. I drop to the ground, feigning pain. He stares at me wide-eyed, understanding exactly what has transpired.
 

"You bastard…" he seethes out at me.
 

His driver pulls up at that point and I grin at them both from the sidewalk, never allowing the camera to see how much I'm enjoying our little interaction. Bennett nearly pushes his driver aside to get in the car. I make a show of rubbing my jaw, then throwing my hands in the air in indignant shock as he drives away. After an obvious shake of my head, I walk down the sidewalk away from my camera. After disappearing from its range, I circle around and enter my truck from the passenger side. I message the footage to myself and drive away with a smug grin. Only a few minutes pass before I walk straight to the police station to press charges.
 

Even if the charges don't stick, even if he claims provocation or extenuating circumstances from my months of 'stalking' surveillance, the assault and arrest record will be public. He'll be more on the defensive now than ever. I fucking love pulling the strings.
 

I walk into Sofia's precinct and sit down with a detective she trusts to give my statement. I show the video that was 'messaged to me by some guy in a truck who caught the whole thing' and filed formal charges within minutes of sitting down.
 

"We'll bring him in for questioning," this detective said gravely, understanding the job he needs to do, and the delicate nature of questioning someone in Bennett's position. "Are you willing to keep the press out of this while we investigate?"

"For now," I say, only to respect Sofia's wishes. She's watching intently from her office, and I offer her a tiny, quick smile while the detective is taking notes on my statement. She returns a triumphant, discreet smile when she sees the victory in my eyes.
 

Waiting for Sofia to get home is torture. I can't wait to hear about the fallout after the mayor is brought in for questioning. I can't wait to find out if she was in on the interrogation. Without a doubt, she'll be late from work after I drop such a bomb on her precinct with an assault charge against the mayor. Waiting to hear from Bash is killing me, too. I would love to hear how things transpired in the club, but I have no idea how long he'll have to stay with Evelyn Bennett. I have far too much restless energy.
 

I spend nearly an hour lifting weights in my garage, but even that can't distract me. I shower. I clean. I scrub the cooking grate of my grill. I fucking wash my kitchen cupboards, and still I haven't heard from either of them.

Of course, I understand that Sofia is dealing with a shit-storm at her precinct. I know that Bash is holding Evelyn's hand through her personal crisis. I don't even have a shift at the bar to look forward to. At nearly seven, I text both Bash and Sofia that I'm going to Second Chance to thank Ledger for all his help.

We may not have won the entire war today, but today represents a win on our toughest front yet. Fuck yes! I'm internally celebrating all the way to Second Chance.
 

"Hey," he greets as I walk in. "How goes the project?"

"Big day," I grin, happy to be able to talk about today's victory, even if I don't have all the details yet. I recount the scene in front of the club and he chuckles, happy the place is nearly empty this evening.
 

"So what are you doing here?"

"Just waiting to hear from either of them. I couldn't sit around, so I figured this was a good place to come."

"Always," he nods. A few regulars come it and after they're served I sit with Ledger, and wave hello as Jackson comes in. It's good to catch up. Telling him how well Sofia is doing makes me feel pretty damn good.
 

I follow Ledger's gaze to the door and I half-freeze in place when I see Shelby and Cam walk in. I haven't seen Shelby since the break up, and I haven't seen Cam since Sofia's attack. I take a deep drink of my ice water and stand up to greet them both. First, I give Cam a warm hug and thank her for helping Sofia at the hospital. She nods solemnly, but I smile softly.

"She's doing really well," I assure her. "It's been tough, but she's tougher. I know she's grateful for your help."

"Anything," Cam nods. I'm reminded again of what good friends I have. I then look to Shelby who's standing very close to Cam.
 

"Hi," I smile cautiously.
 

"Hi," she smiles back awkwardly.
 

Now is as good a time as any to have the post-break-up talk. I hope we can all get past this. "Can I get you a drink?"
 

"Sure," she nods. Ledger already has her drink ready, so she and I walk to one of the booths.

Awkward silence fills the booth for more time than either of us want, but starting a conversation like this is never easy from either side. Unable to stand the silence any more, I try to come up with an opener.
 

"Shelby, I—"

"No, wait," she interrupts, holding up her hand and trying to smile. "Mason, I've had a lot of time to think about things with us, and I've had plenty of chances to chew you to pieces at anyone who would listen, but I've found some peace with it."

"I feel like shit over how things went," I say quietly and contritely.

"I know," she says softly. "It was really hard accepting I wasn't what you needed."

"You were exactly what I was looking for," I try to explain again. "The problem was never you."

Shelby smirks sadly. "Yeah, but that's kind of the point. I know I wasn't the problem, but that also means I wasn't anything to you. That was tough to take. But the Mason you showed me was a good guy. I liked being with him. No regrets, but he's hard to get over."

There's nothing more I can say on the topic. She obviously understands where my head was, and she's come to terms with the reality of our relationship, none of which makes her any less hurt. I nod my understanding.

"No regrets over any of my time with you, either," I say sincerely. We sit rather awkwardly for another moment or so, and she takes a deep breath.

"Look…I'm not ready to be besties," she says with enough humor to ease the tension. "But things don't have to be awkward."

We stand, and I kiss her on the cheek. One friendly hug later and our fences have been mended enough to move on. We'll never be close, but we can be near.

She nods at me with a deep breath in one final show of acceptance. "You don't have to avoid the bar anymore. Not for me, anyway. Dig should come by, too."

I look in her eyes, hoping to find sincerity. I find an abundance. "Thank you," I say.

We walk to the bar and sit with Cam and have a chance to all talk with Ledger. We fall into the happy routine of conversation, and I never interrupt with any fucking knock knock jokes. I'm simply me, sitting with a group of my friends, waiting to hear from my teammates, one of whom I'm desperately in love with.