I’m nothing in his strong arms while he turns me slowly, walking back to the mattress on the floor. Along the way, his hands slide around my hips, and up my ribs, my legs squeezing him tighter to hold myself up, and his thumbs rub softly over the thin fabric of my cotton bra until they find the peaks of my ni**les. He rests them there for only a few seconds, and I feel his touch run right through the center of me.

Mason kneels down until my back rests on the mattress and his body is hovering over mine, his lips yet to fully take mine in. I know it’s coming, and for a second I have a flash of panic that he’s going to back away from me and leave me there alone, embarrassed and rejected. But he doesn’t. Instead, his forehead rests along mine again as he pulls my leg up high around him, his fingers teasing to go further, but always staying just along the line of my panties.

Just as I feel I may pass out from all of the near touches, Mason lowers his lips to mine, his kiss at first soft, but growing with need every second, until my top lip is trapped between his teeth. His tongue grazes along my bottom lip, and I reciprocate until Mason can no longer handle it, and he kisses me hard.

His tongue explores every bit of my mouth, tasting me and urging me to do the same. As his hands slide up my leg, his fingers wrap around the band of my panties, and in that moment, my mind is actually begging him to rip them away. Instead, he continues to trail his touch along my body, stopping to feel me just long enough and threaten to take our kiss a little further. He slides every finger up and over the hardness of my nipple until I let out a small cry of pleasure, and only then does he break away, lifting himself just enough to look down at me…breathless.

“I want you, Avery. I want every bit of you—you’re so goddamned sexy and beautiful and amazing,” he says, his tongue held between his teeth while his eyes follow the movement of his hands as they push my hair away from my face and behind my ear. “But I only wanted a kiss tonight. And I know you said you were ready…”

“Mason, I want this. I want you…” I start only to have him stop my lips now with his hand.

“God, I want you to want me. And I think a part of you does…and maybe a month ago…hell, a couple weeks ago? Yeah, that would have been fine. I would have taken that sign, and torn the rest of your clothes away to take you completely…not giving a damn about what it meant tomorrow. But here’s the thing. I kinda give a shit about what this means tomorrow, Avery. And I know…I know in here,” he says, gripping my hand, and holding it to his chest. “I know tonight isn’t the night for anything more than kissing. But holy f**k, was that some kiss.”

My entire body is pulsing with need, but my mind is washed with relief, because I know Mason is right. And the more it sets in, the more his words sink in. Tomorrow. Mason is worried about tomorrow—with me. All I can do is smile, softly and genuinely, as I lift my head to kiss his lips one last time, this time gently.

I don’t even ask if I can stay, and instead, reach my arms around his body until he’s on his back, letting my head rest in the crook of his arm. Mason strokes my hair slowly, tucking it constantly behind my ear—I think in many ways, keeping his hands occupied until he can calm down himself. And I let him, his lips kissing the top of my head every few minutes, reminding me where I am, until I drift to sleep.

Chapter 11: Tomorrow

Mason

His Tahoe was easy to spot. There’s only one decent hotel this far north, so I took a guess this is where he’d be. I was right. I already walked the perimeter of his SUV—no car seats or girly shit lying on the seat. Not that it means he’s alone for sure, but I have a pretty good idea he made this trip by himself if he’s so concerned about keeping Avery and Max a secret.

I got here at about five in the morning, just as the sun was starting to show over the peaks. Cave Creek is eerily quiet this time of day—most of the drunks from the bars have long passed out and are off the road; the rich ass**les up the hill are not yet out for their jogs. I used to like to sit out on Ray’s porch at this time. Things were always…still.

This would have been easier if Adam’s parents still lived in town. I would have just driven over there and drug his pathetic self out into the street the moment I arrived. Instead, I’ve been sitting here in the hotel parking lot for the last hour, spitting sunflower seeds out my window. I hate sunflower seeds—you have to work too damn hard just to get to anything worth eating. And they don’t even taste very good. I chuck the rest of the bag out the window, deciding I’ll be long gone and don’t really care if Adam looks like a littering ass**le.