The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone (145 page)

Running my fingers through his hair gently I bent down to kiss him then went and sat just outside the door and this is how we remained for the next eight hours; me talking to him, telling him stories from my childhood, escapades Katie and I found ourselves in regularly and sharing happy memories of my parents.

My eyebrows rose as I heard the toilet flush again. “Okay,” he whispered. I clambered off the floor and switched on the shower, helping him in and onto the floor to sit under the gentle flow of the refreshing warmth.

He held his hand out to me. I stripped and joined him on the floor as he curled up and rested his head in my lap as I gently shampooed his hair and washed his poor exhausted body.

“I love you so much, baby,” I whispered into his hair, “And when this is all over, you’re going to marry me and make damn sure you make me happy.”

His face tilted back and his eyes met mine. “You still want to marry me after listening to that onslaught of bodily explosions?” he asked seriously and I smiled.

“Baby, I’m sure there’ll be worse than that in a lifetime of marriage, how many times have I thrown up with you holding my hair back and looking after me? Tons! I want to set a date the first day you get out of this damn garage clean and better.”

He looked at me with a small frown on his face. “You mean that, Ava?” he asked with the first twinkle in his eyes I had seen for a long time.

I nodded firmly, “God Yes, it’s about time we did this,” I told him, smiling tenderly at him. He smiled and cupped my face and shivered. “You want the temperature warming up?” He shook his head and groaned as he skidded off the shower floor and made another dash for the toilet.

I pulled my knees up, hugging them tightly as I listened to his next round of gruelling torment. “You want me to leave?” I asked and he mumbled a yes.

I stood, wrapped a towel around him and then took myself, a towel and clothes into the open garage.

Elijah was stood by the mattress and I gasped as I quickly wrapped the towel round me. “Sorry,” he said quickly as he turned round so his back was to me. I hurriedly dried and pulled on my clothes. “I just came in to take over for an hour cos’ Courtney’s nipped round with George and Katie to see you,” he explained.

Approaching the bathroom, I stood just outside the door as Mason violently pumped his stomach lining. “Baby, I’m going to see the peanuts for half an hour, I won’t be long,” I told him.

“Ava!” he shouted frantically. I walked in and he lifted his head from the bucket.

“Mason, I will be back in half an hour I promise. Elijah’s in the garage if you need anything,” I told him. He looked stricken. I walked over to him and crouched in front of him. “If I don’t take a break, I’m not going to get through this,” I explained and he frowned deeply but nodded.

“Okay but promise me you’ll come back.”

I smiled and palmed his cheek, “I promise, you want anything while I’m out?”

His eyes brightened, “A hit?” he asked cheekily and I smirked.

“Anything else?” He shook his head. “Any particular movie for tonight’s entertainment Mr Fox?”

“How about Courtney’s favourite?” he winked and in that single second I couldn’t have loved him anymore than I did, right there, right then. He was vomiting violently and nastily, his bowels were taking the most severe battering they had ever seen, he was riding an extreme temperature. His body and the hairs that covered it were screaming out in pain as his muscles gripped every single nerve ending in his system but he still looked at me with the most pure rapture I had ever witnessed whilst still being his usual flirty self.

I sucked in my teeth and swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “Mason,” I said quietly. He looked up at me and as soon as our eyes met he nodded.

“And me, you baby,” he whispered as we gazed at each other. “Give the peanuts a kiss from me” he said quietly, his eyes still holding mine. I nodded and smiled tenderly and then walked from the bathroom, closing my eyes in heartache as I heard him start another punishing episode.

“You okay, Ava?” Elijah asked with his brow deeply furrowed.

I smiled and nodded. “I’ll be thirty minutes, he doesn’t like you to be in there with him while he’s being sick,” I told him and he nodded.

“I’ll be right here if he needs me, go and take a break and snuggle those babies,” he said with a gentle smile.

I knocked on the door and it opened. Nate was stood behind it, he took one look at me and opened his arms. I practically fell into them, sobbing and weeping hysterically. Scooping me into his arms he lifted me and carried me into the room, sitting us on the sofa. “Let it out, Sweetheart,” he whispered into my hair as he rubbed gently up and down my back.

Courtney and Greg came over with George and Katie and their happy little chuckles brought me back from my self-pity. I sat up and held my arms out to them. They kicked and wiggled until they were in my arms and they both snuggled into me, their innocent sixth sense telling them what Mummy needed and I remained there for the next twenty minutes just nuzzling and inhaling their delicious scent.

“You can do this, Ava,” Nate said eventually and I nodded.

“I can but he’s struggling and to see him like that is . . . is . . . well it’s breaking my fucking heart,” I admitted and he nodded.

“He’s strong, Ava and with your relentless passion you will both get past this I promise.”

I smiled and nodded. “I better get back in there, he wasn’t happy about me leaving him as it was.” I kissed my babies and handed them back as a tear slipped free when they grumbled.

“Come on peanuts, Aunty Courtney and Uncle Greg are taking you to the park,” Courtney encouraged but they still whinged. “They’ll be fine once they’re both in a swing,” she reassured me and I nodded, knowing her words were true.

She hugged me and Greg kissed the top of my head. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours if you need me. Sam and Elijah are here,” he said and I nodded and smiled.

“You want me to take a shift with him, Ava?” Nate asked but I shook my head.

“No, he needs me Nate.” He sighed but nodded.

“I’ll give you five minutes alone and I’ll be back tomorrow,” he said softly as he crouched in front of me and took my hands. “I love you, Sweetheart.”

“And I love you, thank you for everything Nate, I don’t know if I’d . . .” I gulped the lump away, determined to not cry again. He smiled and nodded and then stood and left.

I closed my eyes, appreciating the peace for a moment. I was really struggling to see Mason in so much pain, exhausted and resigned, ready to give up at any moment.

This was pure torture and I wasn’t sure what would come next or if I would get through it in one piece never mind how Mason would get through the other side.

CHAPTER 25

MASON’S SICKNESS EASED a little within the next twelve hours but then came the mental torture with the cold sweats and hot flushes, his body flipping from one temperature extreme to the other.

We were both currently snuggled in bed watching some lame film that wasn’t grabbing Mason’s attention as he shivered relentlessly even though I had entwined my body around his, desperately trying to get some warmth into him.

“Fuck baby, I can’t do this anymore,” he sobbed as his tears flowed and he curled up into himself. Trying to roll him over and him stubbornly refusing, I climbed over the top of him so I was in front of him and shrouded him with my arms and legs.

“Look at me, Mason.” I tried to prise his arms from the front of his face as he cried into himself. “Baby, please look at me,” I urged and he removed one arm, revealing half of his face. “Tell me what you need Mason and I’ll do it,” I said as I wiped some of the tears off his face.

“You know what I need, Ava,” he hissed angrily and I tipped my head.

“Mason you can’t baby, you’re nearly through this. You’re doing so fucking well and I’m proud of you. You are doing this for your babies, Mason, because they need their loving, fun and gentle Daddy back. You’re doing this for me because I want my lover, my soul mate and my tender and passionate man back.”

He removed his other arm, his face contorted in agony and longing. “But Ava, just a small score and I’ll be back to normal baby, isn’t that what you want, me back to normal and happy?”

I swallowed. “Mason, that wasn’t you, you haven’t been you for a while now because of that stuff,” I told him and he scoffed.

“Oh fuck off Ava; it didn’t make me any different to how I am normally.”

I sighed, “Mason, you fucking raped me!” He froze then, his face full of anguish and torment. “You tore chunks out of my neck so bad that I had to have stitches. Is that what you want our relationship to be about? Me being terrified of what you’ll do to me next, how much of a tantrum you’re going to have next when I say no to something? Or just because you need a hit?”

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply but shook his head, “No.”

Taking his hands in mine, we lay facing each other side by side. “I love you so much, Mason but if you don’t do this then I can’t be with you, I won’t let you do this to us.”

We lay in silence, simply gazing at each other for a long time; our souls trying to comfort each other until another raging shiver rocked Mason’s body. “God Fuck!” he groaned and I cupped his face.

“Look at me,” I whispered to him as he started shaking. I huddled him up and planted little kisses along his jaw, up and over the edge of his face, stroking my tongue along the edge of his ear and then over his eyes as I made my way to his mouth.

I had done some research online before I had attempted to take Mason hostage, and it had informed me that sex was the best diversion against the symptoms of withdrawal, and hey, I was good with that.

Taking his lower lip between my teeth, I nibbled it gently as my tongue stroked across, urging him to play until he groaned and opened up to me and I kissed him softly, gently and tenderly. He wrapped his arms around me pulling me close as he ground his erection into my belly. A moan rumbled in the back of my throat as his hand cupped my breast, squeezing gently.

Rolling him over so I was straddled over him, wanting to take the strain, I licked my way down his neck, sucking and licking him softly as his fingers twirled around my hair, pushing my face against his skin in a silent message and I obliged, pulling in his flesh between my teeth, sucking and biting it to leave my own mark on him.

I made a wet trail down to his nipple and lapped my tongue over the tight bud, causing him to groan as I grazed it gently with my teeth and then blew softly over the wetness. “Baby,” he whispered, “I need you.”

I continued trailing kisses and tender nibbles down over his scrumptious abs and stomach, eliciting a moan from me at the sheer hardness and magnificence of his well-toned body. “God, you’re beautiful and it’s all mine, Mason. You were made for me, to please me, to satisfy me and to give me ultimate pleasure just by looking at you,” I whispered against his skin, now brushing my lips over his hot man trail as I stroked a finger up the underside of his incredible cock.

A loud groan left his mouth as I licked the tip of him and swirled my tongue around the engorged head, relishing in the taste of his unique tangy muskiness. “Fuck,” he hissed.

“Does that feel good baby, do you like my hot mouth around your hard dick?” I asked him knowing my dirty mouth turned him on even more. I swirled him again and then slipped down to take a testicle in my mouth, sucking it gently before moving back up to work his cock harder. He moaned and bucked his hips, pushing himself between my lips.

“Suck me Ava, make me forget and just feel your amazing mouth blowing me,” he growled as his fingers twisted tighter in my hair. I sheathed him with my mouth, slowly plunging down on him, deep throating him to near the base. “Christ!” he rasped as I bared my teeth on the journey back up his long, ribbed erection.

His large hands cupped my head. “Make love to me Ava, I need to be inside you, I need to feel you, baby.”

I licked up the pre-cum and climbed back up him until I was resting over him. He slipped his hand between us, positioning himself at my entrance and I sunk down on him slowly. He tipped his head back and groaned as he lifted his hips; pushing his cock in deeper. “Fuck Ava, you feel so good.”

I leaned over him and took his mouth with mine, sneaking my tongue in and playing with his as his hands settled on my hips holding me still as he started thrusting into me.

“I didn’t think you’d have the energy,” I grinned at him and he smirked.

“I’ve always got the energy to make love to you baby, you make me wild.”

I moaned loudly as he ground into me as he buried in to the hilt. “Yes,” I groaned, my orgasm approaching swiftly.

“Give it me Ava, I need it, baby,” he panted as his drives got deeper and harder.

“God, yes. Fuck, that’s good,” I cried as I sat up and rested my hands on his chest, working him hard and fast.

“Come on, baby,” he cried, pinching one of my nipples between his finger and thumb as I felt him swell inside me. I detonated his orgasm as I came forcefully and tightly, both of us crying out each other’s name loudly as we pushed and ground against each other, forcing every last drop of ecstasy out of us both.

I rested my head on his chest as he enveloped me and held me tight. “God I love you. I can’t breathe when we’re apart and you take my breath when you’re near me. I’d die for you Ava, over and over, painfully and violently,” he whispered as he kissed my head.

“I’m sure you don’t need to do that,” I grinned up at him.

He trailed my cheekbone with his thumb. “I don’t know why you’re doing this for me Ava but fuck me; I love you even more for it. I’m so sorry,” he choked out and his eyes reflected every bit of truth in his words.

“I’m doing this for the exact same reasons you’d do it for me,” I explained and he smiled softly, his eyes gleaming happily.

“New Year’s Day,” I said randomly and he frowned in confusion. I palmed his strong pecs and pushed myself up, still straddling his hips as I stroked across his jaw and then down and over his collarbone. “I want to marry you on New Year’s Day.” His eyes widened.