MASON (Second Chance Novels Book 2) (34 page)

She needed only that one look between us before she could complete our project. I nod to myself and head home, ready to deal with whatever emotions Sofia has after today. The conclusion of this investigation stands as a victory over so many injustices. However, this investigation stands as the reason and reminder of so much loss. She was beaten, raped, and taken from herself. Completing this project will force her to move on, but she may not know how. I will stand strong for my phoenix, whether she comes to me in full flight or in ashes.
 

Several hours later I'm waiting for Sofia to return from the precinct. Finally, I hear her car door. She comes in walking tall in her royal blue button-down and those black pants. She looks even better in person than she did on camera.
Che bella
.

"Hey, Mase," she greets like it's any other day when she walks in and drops her keys on the table beside the door.
 

"Hey, Sofe," I grin. My phoenix flies.
 

She walks straight to me and into my arms. We hold on so tightly, hanging on with the strength we both spent a lifetime claiming. Now it's ours and we stand strong together.
 

"He's in lock-up," she says against my shoulder. "No back-alley arraignment this time around. He'll be put through the system now that everyone is watching. He's done."

"Hell of an arrest, Sergeant."

"Hell of a mission, Soldier."

She eases her way from my arms far enough to kiss me. We kiss as strongly as we hold on, reveling in our win and our connection. Moving forward is natural now. I will start my business. Sofia will continue up the ladder of the police department. The two of us will be married, bonding us more strongly yet. I'm humbled to think of myself as part of the DiGiacamo clan.
 

This is one perfect fucking day.

EPILOGUE

A week after Bennett's arrest, things fall into place. The initial flurry of activity and opinion over the arrest of the mayor has settled. As more and more aspects of his corruption come to official light, the public outrage is palpable. The task force and the DA are happy to deal with the public side of the fall-out. They want their moment in the sun, which is fine with us. We were never in this for the notoriety, simply for the justice.
 

Bash hasn't come around, but he's kept in touch. He and Evelyn have moved out of the bar, but we have no idea where. They told us enough so we know they're ok, but we don't need to know more than that. If Bash wants me to find him, he'll be easy to find.
 

In the mean time, I am ready to celebrate our win this weekend. I smile the minute I hear Sofia's car pull into the driveway.
 

She walks into the front door looking every-so-sexy in those black pants again. I walk over to her and push her strongly against the door with a heated smile. I want her to know just how fucking much I want her, but I also need to tell her exactly why. "You rescued me, you know that, right?" I say with heat, my lips only millimeters from hers.
 

"Yes," she says, looking me strongly in the eye with surprise in her gaze.

"I broke, and you rebuilt me," I breath, my lips skimming her chin, my nose grazing along hers. "You amaze me."

I kiss her hard and grip her skin. I pull her leg around me and push my hips into her.
 

"This weekend, we take what's ours," I say against her neck. I graze her jugular with my teeth. "What do you say we break each other again, just to rebuild stronger."

She pushes me away, but smiles with heat. "Wait," she says with a triumphant glint. Sofia takes the chain from around her neck and carefully removes the ring. With strong smile, she hands it to me. She kisses the dog tags and returns them to their station over her heart.

With a wide smile, I kneel on one knee before her. "You finally get your proper proposal."

"It's about time," she grins with amusement. She smiles so naturally as I take her hand.

"Sofia Cianni DiGiacamo, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she says as she smiles widely. I move the ring down her finger and stand to kiss her deeply. She returns my kiss with love and a depth of passion I never knew was possible before I had her in my life.
 

Still smiling and still so fucking beautiful, Sofia pulls me to our bedroom with a provocative lick along her lips. She stands before the bed like a seductress and slowly removes every bit of her clothing. I watch, leaning against the wall behind me, enjoying the view and allowing myself to be drawn into the heat in her eyes. Finally naked in front of me, she steps back to rest herself on the bed, lying flat on her back. The intensity in her gaze is beyond measure. I break again.

"Not like that," I breathe, unable to keep my smile.

"Yes like this," she says smiling softly, resting her hands on the pillow beside her head. Her eyes show love, triumph, and a nervous tension I hate to see. "I want visions of
you
on top of me."

I breathe in slowly and exhale quietly through my teeth before sitting next to her on the bed. She tugs at my shirt, but I gently push her hands away. "Not like that," I insist.

She sits up and kisses me deeply, pulling at my shirt again. "Yes," she whispers. "Why are you scared?"

A moment passes before I can answer. "I hate the thought of reminding you. Of scaring you," I say with more pain in my voice than I intended to sound. My smile has taken leave completely.

"You'd never scare me," she promises as she rests her head on my shoulder. After a quiet moment she pulls at my shirt again, and this time I let her. I have no intention of holding her down, but when she finally has me naked, she pulls me strongly to rest on top of her, her determination obvious. I kiss her softly, but I feel her tension before I even find my way inside her.
 

"Not like this," I say again.

"Don't give up on me," she whispers. I remain over her, but I can't fall into the moment with her. I try to move away, but she asks again, "Stay…"

She's trembling and I try to move from her again. I can't stand this. She grips my shoulders, keeping me with her. "You promised we'd break each other again," she breathes, pushing her body to mine, still shaking. "So we break."

God, this woman. I soak in some of her determination, trying to give her what she needs. She's still trembling, but she holds me tightly. Her eyes close, but I need them focused on me. If she's determined to break us both, then we need that connection to rebuild. "Sofia," I whisper. "Look at me." Her eyes flutter open, strong but frightened. I break again when I see fear, but I know better than to back away. "Promise not to close your eyes."

She nods as she clenches her jaw and takes a deep breath. With a final moment in her eyes, I find my way inside of her, moving as slowly and gently as I can. I make love to her softly. I don't allow my weight to hold her down, and I don't lock her hands in mine. She asked that I break her, but I have no desire to shatter her.

"I'll never give up on you," I promise. I push my hips into hers again, whispering another "I love you" as I do. Another push, another declaration. Every motion and every word proves that love is taking her body…no…love is
sharing
her body. Still trembling and hanging on tightly, Sofia keeps my eyes. I promise my love again so she can see, feel, and hear how safe and protected she is. I kiss her so she can taste my promises, as well.
 

When we finally reach the brink, exactly together, another tear rolls down her temple, accompanied by a delicate smile. I can't find any words, so I lean down and catch her tear on my lips. Rolling to her side, I pull her with me so she can rest on my chest. She kisses my muscle once before she settles in against me for a long time. Quietly we keep ourselves tangled up until she holds her hand up to look at her ring. We look together, imagining our future.

"I'll find my way back," she says. Then she turns to me with her keen intelligence shining behind her beautiful brown eyes. "And I'll bring you with me."

A Letter from Kemmie Michaels

What can I say about MASON? This is another book I hadn't intended to write…twice. I never planned for LEDGER, so there would be no character named Mason to explore. In addition, I assumed LEDGER would be a stand-alone until Sarah Ratliff (yes, you) convinced me that Mason deserved his own book. Several people after that asked, as well. So now we have both LEDGER and MASON…and soon we will have CALLEN. I'm looking forward to his story. The first line of his book is a smug, "Aces and Eights" from our new leading man.
 

CALLEN will begin with the phone call from Mason asking for his help with a project. The two books overlap in time, so we will see Callen "Bash" Reed's side of taking Mayor John Bennett down. Evelyn in that scenario never knew what hit her, and we'll see exactly how she was charmed.

In addition to the Second Chance Novels starring Ledger, Mason, and Callen, I have a hot, sexy, flirty stand-alone novella in the works, as well three other projects in the early stages. Working on several projects at a time serves me well. When I get stuck on one, I can play with another. I wrote half of another book while I wrote LEDGER, and about a third of yet another book as I worked on MASON. I wonder what I'll do when I'm stuck on CALLEN which will inevitably happen.
 

To introduce myself, I'm a stay-at-home mom to two very amazing autistic children, and the wife of an accountant/football coach. He's an interesting guy, and has been my rock for seventeen years now. I'm sure you can imagine, my life is never dull, but is so amazingly blessed and diverse.
 

Thank you again for downloading MASON.
 

Reviews appreciated, and can be left at
 

Amazon here:
review MASON
.

~Kemmie Michaels

I have also published the Atlanta Series, which takes the reader into a world of deep emotions and personal connections. Marcus, Erin, Scott, Cassie, Luke, and Jenna find their way through rage and fear, emptiness and hurt, guilt and insecurity.
 

Deep connections may have the ability to heal each one of them. I've included an excerpt in the pages after this letter.
 

For more information on my books as well as updated news, you can visit www.kemmiemichaels.com

An Excerpt from
Unlikely Hero
 

Book one of the Atlanta Series

Marcus left Erin's apartment and drove straight to the gym. He said a silent thank you to Bill for giving him a key those years ago. The sound of the deadbolt clacking open relieved Marcus. Nothing stood between him and the outlet for his frustration.
 

Without bothering to change into his gym clothes, Marcus went straight for the heavy bag and pounded into the canvas with the force of a battering ram. Every punch released a tiny piece of anger with himself over pushing Erin too far. He threw his knee up into the bag for every tear she cried. He side-kicked painfully for the look on her face while she cried so far away from his arms.
 

He let loose like an animal. He grunted and let the primal screams rip freely from his chest. He had to exhaust himself in order to calm the sexual tension from being so close to her and not having her.
 

He pounded his way through his disgust with himself. He hit even harder at the realization that Erin could never see him like this. She would be terrified of him if she ever saw the rage he kept so carefully hidden from her.
 

He loved her, he knew that now. How else besides love could she affect him this way?
 

The bag continued to take the brunt of his emotions. Anger, love, frustration, guilt, and fear pounded into the canvas. When his stress finally played out, he looked up at the ceiling with his hands on his head. He breathed heavily from the workout and looked around.