Whatever It Takes (20 page)

Smiling to herself, Laurie stared across the room at the
lovely chest of drawers that matched the bed she was lying on. She wasn’t sure
what time it was but she had a feeling it was late.

Mason was still asleep, spooning her. His steady breathing
was a comforting sound after her close call the night before. He’d been so
angry and so had she. She’d yelled at him on the drive back to his house. She
understood his reasons for speaking for her but she wasn’t happy about it and
she wasn’t about to let it become a habit. He stayed strangely quiet, letting
her say everything she wanted to say without even trying to defend himself.

When they arrived back at the house, she had expected an
argument. Figured he’d state his side of things in an angry tirade, maybe call
her an ungrateful bitch for her complaints, but he didn’t.

Instead, he’d pulled her to him in a nearly crushing
embrace. She could hear his heart pounding wildly and had realized he was still
upset. She’d whispered soothingly and allowed him to hold and caress her until
his heartbeat was a slow, steady rhythm again.

When he was calm, he’d tilted up her chin until she looked at
him and then lowered his lips to hers in a deep, possessive kiss. She’d kissed
him back and had felt the heat rise between them again. He’d taken control and
in only a moment, he’d stripped her down and then had desperate, frantic sex
with her right there on the couch. Afterward, he’d carried her to the bed where
they’d continued for most of the night.

She’d lost track of how many times they’d made love but he’d
wakened her several times, telling her he just needed to feel her again. She’d
happily submitted each time, letting him love her with his body as she loved
him right back. She woke up feeling sore but fully worshiped by the man she
loved.

Her stomach grumbled and she decided to get up in search of
food. She began to slide out of bed but his arms tightened around her.

“I thought you were asleep.” She laughed when he nibbled on
her neck.

“How can I sleep when the sexiest woman on the planet is
lying naked beside me?”

She rolled over until she could see his face. “Babe, if the
bullshit gets any deeper in here, I’m going to need some boots.”

He pinned her hands. “No bullshit. No woman has ever got to
me like you do. You knock me on my ass, Angel.”

She stretched her body seductively, making sure to rub
against him, and the evidence of his attraction poked her thigh.

“Uh-oh, now you’re in trouble,” he murmured as he kissed her
neck.

Her stomach rumbled again and she pulled away, laughing.

“No way, mister. Not until you feed me.”

Mason sighed and nodded, not even bothering to put up a
fight, probably because he was just as hungry as she was. He kissed her once
more and then rolled out of bed.

Grinning at his bare backside as he headed for the bathroom,
Laurie bounced off the bed and tried to remember where her clothes had ended
up.

After searching for some time, she finally found them behind
the couch. She held up her ruined shirt and panties, and glared at Mason. He
snickered and didn’t look the least bit sorry. She narrowed her eyes at him but
couldn’t hide her smile. Her bra was missing and her jeans were the only
article of clothing in one piece.

“Real funny. At this rate, I won’t have anything left to
wear. It’s going to be hard to get anything done if I have to run around naked.”
She planted her hands on her hips, feeling completely unabashed at being naked
from the waist up in from of him.

Mason leered at her. “I don’t know. It could be fun.”

She threw the clothes at him but couldn’t keep from
laughing. He caught the panties and grinned at them, before stuffing them into
his pocket.

He pulled off his overshirt and held it up for her to slip
on. When she had it on, she stood still while he dropped to his knees and
buttoned it up for her. It was becoming sort of a ritual with them. He seemed
to enjoy dressing her. Although she had never heard of such a thing, she
discovered she enjoyed it too. It made her feel pampered and safe.

“We’ve got to stop at James’s place. He’s having trouble
with his fridge and I promised I’d take a look at it. He’ll have lunch waiting
for us. After that, we’ll swing by and get your stuff from your dorm. Are you
going to have to sign any papers to give up your room or anything?”

Laurie froze and gave him a questioning look.

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re moving in today.”

“When did we decide that?” she asked, her heart beginning to
race.

“When I told you I wasn’t going to let you get away again.”

“Mason, that’s a big step. I don’t know.”

He took her by the shoulders, turned her toward the front
door and guided her toward it.

“What’s not to know, Angel? I love you and you love me. I
don’t want to see you only on our days off. I want to see you as soon as I wake
up in the mornings; I want to roll over and feel you next to me at night.”

Her body had a definite reaction to his words but she was
still apprehensive.

“Besides, how are you going to pay for your room now? You
quit your job last night, remember?”

“Oh,
I
quit my job. Is that how it went down?”

She laughed sarcastically and tried to turn around to look
at him but he kept a firm grip on her shoulders as he walked her to the car.

“That’s how I remember it.” He chuckled and poked her in the
ribs as he opened her car door. “And it’s all for the best. That was so fucking
close last night. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I
hadn’t been there. I’m not taking any more chances. I want you close so I’ll
know you’re safe. Plus, if you move in here, you can focus totally on school
instead of trying to find a job that will work with your class schedule.”

He closed her door, jogged to the driver’s side and slipped
behind the wheel. Laurie waited patiently until he had the car started and
slipped his seat belt on before she continued the argument.

“Mason, I just don’t think I’m comfortable with this. I mean,
without me working you would be paying for everything.”

He glanced at her and laughed. “Why would you be
uncomfortable? I can afford to pay for everything.”

“But that would make me a moocher.”

“No, that would make you my woman. I take care of us; you
take care of me. That’s the way it’s supposed to work.”

Laurie frowned.
I take care of us; you take care of me?
She felt as if that statement should piss her off. The notion went against
everything she had ever learned about being a strong, independent woman. The
feminist in her protested once again but that slut was a strong bitch and she
slapped that protest down. Laurie couldn’t deny that Mason’s dominant attitude
turned her on and he made her feel safer and more loved than she had ever felt
in her life.

“If it makes you feel better, when you’re a rich lawyer you
can support me. I’ll lie around the pool and buy sports cars and shit.”

Laurie rolled her eyes and laughed but felt her pulse race
as it began to sink in that he was serious about wanting a future with her.

* * * * *

Mason carried all of Laurie’s belongings into the house and
then she started dinner. She had finally given up arguing with him about moving
in during lunch, when she realized he wasn’t going to give up.

James, of course, had provided back up for him. The old guy
insisted they were meant for each other and since he was older and wiser, his
advice should be followed. His advice was to quit worrying about making a
mistake and get to enjoying their time together because life was too short.
James had a fatherly way about him and she found herself swayed by his words.
She was already genuinely fond of him.

In the end, she decided to move in with Mason permanently.
They’d stopped at her dorm so she could pack up her few belongings and give
Olivia her new address with an open invitation to visit anytime. Lastly, they’d
stopped at the housing office where she turned in her key, and that was that.
She and Mason were now living together. She was still afraid that they were
moving too fast but, deep down, she knew she’d never feel about anyone else the
way she felt about Mason. They belonged together, so there was no reason to
drag things out just because tradition dictated it. They were already in love.
Maybe they’d taken an unconventional path to get where they were but there was
no denying that Mason was the one.

When dinner was ready, they ate at the ridiculously large
dining room table. When they cleaned up, he couldn’t keep his hands off her the
whole time they were busy. She held him at bay for as long as she could but
when his patience ran out, he grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder,
ignoring her protests.

“Enough cleaning. I need some attention.” He dropped her onto
the couch, yanked off his shirt and lowered himself on top of her.

She giggled and squirmed, inspiring him to pin her hands
over her head with one hand and tickle her with the other. She thrashed and
screamed and begged him to stop between fits of laughter.

Mason grinned mischievously at her. “Surrender to me, woman,
and get your ass in my bed or I’ll— What the fuck?”

Two police officers stood in the entryway, one with a gun in
his hand.

“Get off of the woman now,” one of the police officers,
whose nametag said Saunders, barked.

Mason slowly rose to his feet and hesitantly put his hands
over his head. He held as still as possible, attempting to calm the cop’s
uneasiness.

“What’s going on?” Laurie asked, sounding bewildered as she
rose from the couch and stared at the police officers.

“Ma’am, was this man attacking you?”

Laurie looked at Mason then back at the police. “No, we were
just goofing around.”

“We received a call that a woman was attacked on the
sidewalk and dragged in here.” The other officer, whose nametag said Davis,
told her, motioning for Mason to put his arms down. “Was that you, ma’am?
Perhaps the two of you were playing and someone misunderstood?”

Laurie shook her head. “No, I held the door open while he
carried my things inside. Nobody was dragged anywhere.”

Davis nodded, looking embarrassed now. “Okay, folks. We are
sorry for bothering you and we are going to be leaving now.”

Saunders protested but Davis shook his head. “Man, don’t you
get it? We walked in on a couple in the middle of foreplay.”

Laurie blushed and Mason snickered.

“Then why did we get a call about a woman being dragged in
here, screaming? We should at least take a look around,” Saunders insisted.

Davis sighed heavily then looked at Mason.

“Sir, do you mind if we have a look around your house?”

Mason shrugged as he snagged his shirt off the coffee table
and slipped it back on. “Sure. You guys want some coffee?”

“That would be great.” Davis smiled.

“Angel, would you take care of that?” Mason asked Laurie.

She nodded and he smacked her on the ass as she headed for
the kitchen. Davis motioned for Saunders to follow Laurie and Davis allowed
Mason to lead him on a tour of the house. The officer seemed more interested in
the architecture and woodwork than in actually searching for a kidnap victim.

In the basement, Davis shot Mason a knowing smile. “I live
up the street. I heard you’re the one who opened up that old garage. Mr. Fix-It
Auto Repair, huh?”

Mason nodded. Davis rubbed his jaw.

“You know, there used to be a Mr. Fix-It around here who
dealt in something different. Not too long ago, either…”

Mason tensed but tried to appear relaxed and uninterested. “That
so?”

“He dropped off the map a little over a month ago. So, how
long have you been in business?”

Mason’s pulse began to race but he kept his voice calm. “A
little over a month.”

Davis nodded, pacing in front of Mason. “You know, I never
met the other Mr. Fix-It but I heard about him. He was supposed to be a big-ass
white guy with some killer ink. Some kind of half-human, half-machine,
biomechanical shit.” His gaze fell to Mason’s exposed arm where the tattoo Davis
had just described was depicted.

Mason’s heart sank. There weren’t too many people running
around with tattoos like his. He thought of how everything he ever wanted had
finally dropped into his hands and now, because of one observant cop, he was
about to lose it all. He supposed he deserved it. A man couldn’t live the life
he had for the last twelve years without eventually having to answer for his
sins.

Davis stepped toward Mason, looking him hard in the eyes. “What
made you give up the life, man? The woman?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Mason said without even
attempting to sound convincing, knowing the jig was up. He could practically
feel the handcuffs. Davis broke into a grin and took a step back. He opened his
shirt and pulled it back to reveal a faded gang tattoo.

“I ain’t trying to bust you. Well, as long as you’re really
out of the life. I can’t have bad business going on in my neighborhood, you
know. I know what it’s like to be a bad man, to live on the bottom and not give
a shit about anyone or anything. I also know what it’s like to find someone who’s
worth walking through the hell of leaving that life behind for, just on the
hope of one day being good enough.”

Mason looked hard into Davis’s eyes and saw truth. Mason
believed the man was completely earnest and he decided to take a chance and
show a little trust. He sighed and rubbed his hands over his hair.

“Yeah, it was her—she’s my Angel. I’d cut my own damn heart
out for her.”

“It’s always a woman.” Davis grinned and slapped Mason on
the arm. “You poor, pussy-whipped bastard. Welcome to the club.” He turned back
to survey the basement one last time. “You know, this would make a killer man
cave—big-screen TV over there, bar over here. It’d be awesome for football
season.”