Page 7 of Grateful for You
He shrugged and nonchalantly added, “There’s really not much there to pry about. I had a girlfriend who I thought I would marry… but … we didn’t. It was for the best.”
Unlike some people, I actually believed him when he said that it was for the best. He seemed fine. And it gave me hope that I would be fine, too.
* * *
Once I was alone in the room, I submerged myself into a hot bubble bath. Hell, he said to make myself at home, and I was going to take Mason as a man of his word.
After all, tomorrow I’d have to face the real world yet again. Find a way to pay for a tow truck and to fix my car—
Except, I wouldn’t be doing that tomorrow. Because tomorrow was Thanksgiving. What the hell did that mean for me? Was I spending Thanksgiving with Mason and his family? It was so kind of him to offer, but he’d already been more than hospitable. I couldn’t possibly impose even more than I already had… could I?
Then again, where the hell was I going to go? With two hundred dollars in my bank account and the only inn in town refusing to take Athena, I wasn’t left with much choice. John used to always fix my car for me… he was surprisingly good at mechanics and it saved us money that he could usually get my old car running.
Maybe my sister could wire me some money? But again, that wouldn’t happen until Friday at the earliest.
I sighed and sank deeper into the steaming hot bubbles surrounding me. Through the open door of the bathroom, I could see my purse, haphazardly tossed on the bed. Inside that purse was the joint credit card I shared with John.
If I used that, how long would it take him to track me down here? Could I fix the car and get out of dodge fast enough? And would I be putting Mason in danger by doing so?
Mason seemed more than capable, even up against John. John was a bully. He exerted power over those weaker than him to make himself feel bigger and stronger. But the second someone his own size tried to alpha over him, what would he do? Would he shrink down in the face of a Sheriff threatening him back?
There’s no reason to worry about this now.There was literally nothing to be done but lay here in the tub and relax. I crawled my feet up the porcelain edge and with my toes, I turned the water off and on as the jets bubbled around me, massaging my lower back.
I scrubbed my hair, my body, rinsing the soap and grime of the day off, and climbed out, toweling off. God, that felt good. How long had it been since I’d had a bubble bath? Something more than a quick soap and rinse in the shower? How long since I had indulged in anything?
I hugged the towel close to me and inhaled the soft linen. It smelled like Mason. Earthy and spicy with a hint of something sweet… cinnamon?
Still naked, I tossed the towel aside and fell into bed. High thread count cotton enveloped me like a hug, caressing my skin and welcoming me into the plush comfort.
I closed my eyes, dragged my fingers up my breasts and plucked at the tense nubs of my nipples. My breath hitched at the surprising heat that bloomed between my legs and the shock of sensation that jolted down my legs, curling my toes against the sheets.
My breasts had always been sensitive. Too sensitive, John had complained. He was always annoyed that he couldn’t be too rough with them and said that I was a pussy for not being able to take it.
I squeezed my eyes shut tighter.No, don’t think of him. Think of something soft. Something sexy. Mason’s face popped into my mind, and my sex pulsed at the thought of him somewhere just outside this door as I touched myself to thoughts of his eyes—his lips—his body.
I slid my finger lower, trailing down my torso, across my abdomen, before finally landing at the throbbing mass of nerves between my legs. I bucked, my back arching off the bed. My breath quickened to shallow, little pants as I circled my clit faster, my skin slick, though I wasn’t sure if it was residual moisture from the bath or my own arousal offering a slippery buffer between the pads of my fingers and my hard nub.
I lifted my hips and slid a finger deep inside my body.
My eyes snapped open and a cry of pleasure—so loud, so utterly beyond my control—escaped through my lips. As my legs jerked straight, my foot hit the edge of my luggage at the foot of the bed, sending it toppling over onto the floor with a loud crash. I clapped a hand across my face to quiet myself, biting my lip, on one hand mortified that Mason may have heard me and on the other hand, desperately praying that hedid.
With one finger pulsing deep inside myself, I used my thumb to stroke my clit in quick, little movements, working my body hotter. I rocked my hips, churning them in and around my touch. Sweet, blissful release was so close within reach, and once again, Mason’s face appeared in my mind. This time, I didn’t bother trying to censor my thoughts—my fantasies. I let them consume me, rock me, while I imagined his fingers between my legs as I sank a second finger deep within myself.
There was a knock at the bedroom door and then, Mason’s deep resonating voice on the other side called out my name.
“Piper?” he asked. “Are you all right?”
Piper. My name. My fucking name on his lips in that deep, sexy voice was too much. I reached back, grasping the headboard and with gritted teeth tried to answer him. “I’m … I’m—”
I’m coming.
Another cry escaped my lips as I managed a word that I hoped sounded likefine.
Colors exploded behind my eyes, a kaleidoscope of bright, fractured pinks, yellows, and blues as my body tightened around my fingers, releasing the sweetest orgasm. “Fine,” I called out again as the tremors reduced, slipping away. I launched to my feet, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around my body.
I yanked the door open, panting, flushed, and still so incredibly aroused as I stood there in front of Mason at the threshhold. “Are you okay?” he asked, his gaze scanning me and halting when he reached my hand, clenching the towel closed at my breasts. “I, uh… I heard, um, a crash.”
I was still panting… God, why was I still flushed and panting? Why did I open the damn door? “I knocked my bag off the bed,” I answered, impressed with myself that it wasn’t even a lie.
