Page 23 of Forbidden Cravings

Tears welled, but I kept my eyes closed to hold them at bay. I didn’t want to admit how stupid, vulnerable, and embarrassed I felt over what had happened.

“You know, when you invited me to come fuck you, this wasn’t what I had in mind.”

I laughed, which only stirred my stomach, sending the remaining contents of it spilling as I grasped onto the toilet. His hands never left me, his presence steady and comforting. Reaching up, I flushed the toilet, and collapsed back against him, wiping my mouth with the back of my arm.

“Done?” he asked, and I nodded, too exhausted to move.

He reached down and scooped me up, the gentleness of it a dichotomy to the way he’d tossed me over his shoulder hours earlier. I rested my head on his chest, the strength of it comforting until he laid me on the bed, pulling the blankets up over my rumpled dress. His green eyes held concern and an emotion I couldn’t pinpoint.

I turned from his gaze, hating how weak I looked. He walked away and the tears I’d been fighting released, a few slipping quietly down my cheek. I heard the water running, then his footsteps returning. The mattress moved as he sat next to me,laying a damp cloth on my forehead. His thumb brushed a tear from my cheek, and I glanced back at him.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“I know. Get some rest.” He went to rise, but I grabbed his wrist.

“Stay, please.”

His brow creased.

“I’m not in any condition to seduce you,” I joked. “I just…”

His eyes searched mine, and he rose from the bed, turning his back on me. Sighing, I rolled to my side, taking the rag and holding it like it was a piece of him. But the door didn’t open. The bed shifted, and he turned me into his chest. His clothes were still on, but I didn’t complain, loving how perfectly I fit against him. His arm wrapped around me, and I rested my head and hand on his chest.

“They put something in your drink, Case,” he said so softly I almost didn’t hear him. “They were predators, ones Krill had on his radar. His men dealt with them, and I dealt with my men for letting them near you.”

I tried to raise my head, but he held me tighter. “Your men didn’t do anything?—”

“They left you vulnerable and let…” His muscles tensed. “Go back to sleep, Casey.”

I let it go, knowing he’d needed to reprimand his men. This business was a deadly one, and they’d let me dictate the night. Mason was right to be angry at them and at me. I’d been stupid and his reaction was the same as Tyson’s would have been. Leaning further into his hold, I closed my eyes, listening to Mason’s steady heartbeat and loving the strength of his arms, the way his fingers softly caressed my shoulder. I vaguely wondered if he’d been here the entire time, watching over me as I slept. Worried about me.

I drifted off to Mason’s touch and the fleeting thought that this night had changed the seductive flirting we’d been doing into something more, something real.

When I woke,Mason was gone, but what I’d thought was a hangover before had compounded. I rolled over with a groan, squinting my eyes at the sun that was blinding me through the crack in the curtains. Curtains that had been open when I’d crawled into my bed. Mason must have closed them to let me sleep longer. The act was a sweet one, but then everything about what he’d done last night had been sweet.

There was a light tap at the door and my belly flipped in anticipation before it reminded me it was still queasy. Riley peeked in.

“Wow, you look like death,” she joked, coming into the room.

“Says the woman who hadn’t showered in days when I first saw her.”

“Touche.” She pulled the curtains open, and I hissed, shielding my eyes from the glare.

“It’s after eleven. Get up. Mason had one of his guys run to get bagels this morning to soak up the alcohol.”

My stomach churned violently, and I shivered at the thought of food. Riley pulled my blankets off, shaking her head when she saw I was still in my dress.

“You’re a mess,” she teased.

“I feel like a mess. Is Mason here?” I asked, trying to sit up and hoping it wasn’t obvious that I really wanted him to be.

“No. He took me out to the club and a few other places this morning to get a feel for the business.”

“Which club?” I asked, raising my brow. I knew about the risqué one my brother preferred to oversee, but I wasn’t sure if Mason would bring Riley in on that aspect yet.

“The one we went to last night. Although he told me about the other one. Yuck.” She flopped next to me, the movement of the mattress turning my stomach. “You don’t think Greyson has one of those, do you?” She bit her bottom lip, her expression reflecting the worry the thought had caused her.

“You know he’s a lot older than us, right? I mean, what is he? Forty something?”

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