Page 67 of Without Judgment

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Mason

I forced myself to get out of the warm bed with a naked Avery curled up next to me and go jump in the frigid lake. It was either that or fuck her awake. And since I was out of condoms—and the local stores didn’t open for another hour—I opted for the cabin version of a cold shower.

Scrubbing quickly with a bar of soap, I waited for regret to set in. If it did, I knew I couldn’t let her see it. Not after she’d voiced her worry about it last night. But none came. Instead, I was filled with anticipation about exploring her sexy-as-hell body during the daylight hours. Obviously, my conscience was on hiatus about sleeping with my employer’s daughter, who was also by best friend’s sister. It helped that I was comfortable she understood this was temporary and didn’t expect anything beyond these few days together.

After dressing quickly, I hauled up two pails of water to warm on the stove for Avery’s bath. I grinned at the fact I was treating her like a princess. She’d surprised me by not appearing to mind my rustic cabin in the woods. Then again, I didn’t know why I’d be shocked by anything about her. The girl had been throwing me for a loop ever since we’d met.

It wasn’t lost on me that last night was the first time since returning from Iraq that I hadn’t had some kind of a nightmare. In addition to sex, she’d offered comfort. Support. Empathy. Things I hadn’t opened myself up to since my mother’s death. Avery had wanted to learn about Mick and seemed to genuinely care about him despite the fact she’d never met him. It had been a relief for me to finally be able to speak with someone about it.

Unfortunately, I’d also shared my greatest failure in not going to see his family. Maybe Avery was onto something in claiming all his mother would want is a hug from me. But never having met his family, I had no clue what to expect. Guilt clawed at me. I’d survived while Mick hadn’t. And if I ever forgot that, my nightmares served as a daily reminder.

Except they hadn’t last night. Returning to the cabin, I grinned at the vision of her sprawled in the bed. She lay on her back, an arm over her face and one of her breasts peeking out from under the blanket. I checked my watch. Forty more minutes until the store opened.

Thankfully, I’d bought eggs and bacon. Preparing breakfast would not only keep me busy and my hands off of her, but also make the minutes go by faster.

I’d just pulled the bacon from the skillet on the wood stove, when she stirred. I glanced over my shoulder to see her sitting up with the sheet covering her gorgeous body. “Breakfast will be ready in a few. I’ll pour the water in the metal tub for you to wash up with. It’s warm by now.”

“All right. Thanks.”

“We’ll go into town right after.”

“’Kay. Is this the part where the side effects have kicked in?”

I turned to face her, realizing my words had been all wrong. They’d been all about logistics. It occurred to me that I was neither accustomed to nor comfortable with the experience of a morning after. “No. No side effects.” I walked the five steps over to the bed and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “If there were, I wouldn’t be counting the minutes—thirty-two, by the way—until the store opens, so I can go and buy more condoms.”

Blunt but effective if her shiver was any indication. And because I couldn’t resist, I trailed kisses down her neck, loving the sweet taste of her. I was already craving her again. But we needed more condoms before that could happen. Going without one was a line I wouldn’t ever cross.

However, when she reached for the buttons on my jeans, I felt regretful that I had to say, “We need to wait.”

“For sex, but not for what I have in mind.” Her hand slipped into my boxers, causing me to groan.

Even the cold lake hadn’t dampened my desire for her this morning. “What do you have in mind?”

“You. In my mouth.”

I hissed when her warm fingers curled around my shaft.

“Um, Mason?”

“Hm.” I was lost in her strokes.

“Why is your penis so cold?”

It took a moment for her words to sink in. But once they did, my entire body started shaking with laughter. I didn’t know whether I thought it was funny she was calling it a penis or that it was still cold from the lake.

“Are you laughing?”

“I am.” I pulled back and captured her face between my hands. “Call it a cock or dick, but please don’t ever use the word penis again. Okay?”

She nodded, a smile playing at her lips.

“Not ready to try that yet?” The thought of dirty words on her tongue was turning me on.

She pulled away in order to bend down and take the crown between her lips. I assisted by pulling down my jeans and boxers to leave me free in front of her. Once her tongue made a swipe down to my balls, I had to grip the bedpost to keep standing.

“How’s this: why is your cock so cold?” she murmured.

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