Page 24 of Mason

I turned tail and ran, closing and locking the door behind me. I sat on the floor with my back to the door, quietly panicking. My mouth had always gotten me into trouble. It was just like me to push and push and push for information that wasn’t mine to have. I’d always been too curious for my own good.

The part I couldn’t seem to get my head around was why I cared so much about Mason or what he did with his dick. What was it about that man that had me trembling, blushing, and acting like a lioness when other women came near him? I found him fascinating, to be sure. But I was acting just like the club whore who cornered him earlier. She wouldn’t give up until they threw her out, and just now he had to throw me out of the suite’s living room to get me to stop asking him personal questions. That probably made us the same in his mind.

I pushed up off the floor and pulled out my cell phone. Gazing down at it in my hand, I marveled that everyone from Don Diavonte to Nicco and his brothers to Storm and Mason had access. Everyone would be aware of every single call I made and what was said. They would even be able to read my e-mails and text messages. With a shaking hand, I called Nicco. It took a dozen rings for him to pick up.

His smooth voice came on the line, sounding like he always did. “Good evening, princess. How’s your visit with Sophia going?”

Princesswas the code word indicating he wanted an update. “I got stuck in traffic on the freeway, but it was only a minor inconvenience. Sophia and I had dinner together this evening at the Slayer’s clubhouse. Their clubhouse seems more like a fancy pub than a biker’s hangout. Your sister seems happy as a clam with her biker.”

“I’m glad to hear the bastard isn’t torturing her on a daily basis.”

“Torturing her? Where do you get such crazy ideas? It’s kind of cute how he still fawns over her. We’re having breakfast with their club president, Storm, in the morning.”

Trafficwas the code word for important intel.Freewaywas the code word for him to expect an incoming flow of information. And pointing out that I was in the Slayers clubhouse and having breakfast with Storm was meant to be verification for Don Diavonte that I had maneuvered myself into place like he wanted.

“It sounds like you’re having a blast. I miss you and hope you hurry home soon, sweetie.” Nicco’s tone had changed slightly.

I froze.Sweetiewas the code we agreed on for when our don was listening into our conversation himself.

“My visit is going great. I plan to hang out and catch up on everything that’s been going on with Sophia for a few more days. Don’t worry, I’ll be home before you know it.”

We said our goodbyes and made kissy noises to each other before I hung up.

Laying the phone down on a nearby table, I began to pace. I was sent to do a job, and getting distracted by the man assigned to protect me was already causing problems. An image flashed through my mind of Mason leaning back against the bar with his arms outstretched and that big bulge growing in his pants just from watching me walk down the stairs. Even though I was totally stressed out, that image sent a shot of arousal straight to my clit.

I walked into the bathroom, got undressed, and stepped into a warm shower. I needed to purge myself of these unwanted feelings and shut it all down. Maybe this had less to do with Mason’s raw masculinity and more to do with the fact that I hadn’t had an orgasm in months. I soaped my hands and slid them over my breasts, caressing my own skin.

Then I used the detachable shower head just the way I’d done when I was sixteen and too afraid of getting pregnant to have real sex. Allowing the slow thrum of water from the lower setting to slide between my folds, I fantasized about what it would feel like to have Mason’s hand there. The sensation of one of his thick fingers sliding into my body while his tongue tangled with mine. The water tickling my clit encouraged more erotic thoughts, like Mason’s big body covering mine and how good it would feel to wrap my legs around his hips as he thrusted into me over and over again. With that mental image firmly in mind, I came all too soon, his name a mere whisper on my lips.

After I caught my breath, I stepped out of the shower determined to put this man out of my mind once and for all. In that moment of sated relief, it almost seemed possible to look into his intelligent hazel eyes and not feel heated desire light in my stomach. I climbed into bed after pulling on some pajamas and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. I turned over on my side and watched my phone light up over and over again, likely social media notifications from the dummy accounts Nicco set up to make our relationship seem authentic.

I closed my eyes and prayed that tomorrow I’d remember my place and do a better job of holding it together. My entire future was riding on helping the Russo brothers bring Don Diavonte down. I couldn’t forget that, even for a minute.

Chapter 9

Mason

Igot up the next morning and used the bathroom in our suite to shower and get ready for my day. Standing under a flow of warm water, I swore I could almost smell the scent of Aprilia’s arousal in the enclosed area. I quickly realized that must be wishful thinking on my part. I stroked one off to thoughts of her smiling face and the way her hand felt against my skin. Pleasuring myself to thoughts of her was deplorable, shameful behavior. I did it anyway because I needed to shoot my load in order to act civilized around our pretty guest today. I carefully cleaned and sanitized the shower afterward.

It occurred to me that Aprilia was acting like a jealous girlfriend last night. After thinking it over, I could understand why she was upset with me in the bar. From her vantage point, it must have felt like she was getting stared at by every single guy there. I was fairly certain they probably enjoyed looking at the new girl. Aprilia was a beautiful woman, after all and she was classy. She had expected me to monitor the situation and make sure none of them got too close, but instead I was arguing with Lux. I totally deserved the rebuke she gave me.

It was the digging into my sex life when we were alone that picked at my pride. It felt like she was clawing at my insecurities just to humiliate me. It had really driven home the fact that I needed to mind my own business. Aprilia was a job. This was not personal and I couldn’t let it become personal. Besides that, she was engaged to one of the Russo brothers.

Coming out of the bathroom, I dared a glance at Aprilia, who was still lying in bed. She looked amazing. Thankfully, a soft knock at the door forced me to turn away. When I answered it, I saw Rob with a fresh pot of coffee on a tray with two mugs.

He smiled ruefully. “Sorry the women harangued you last night. Storm asked me to bring the two of you some coffee and remind you of that eight o’clock breakfast meeting.”

I took the tray from him with one hand. “Thanks, Rob. Tell him we’ll be there.”

He shot me an empathetic smile as I eased the door shut with my free hand. Turning, I strolled into the bedroom and announced, “Rise and shine, cher. As Storm would say, we’re burning daylight.”

Without so much as a yawn, she sat up and reached for the coffee in my outstretched hand. “Good morning, Mason.” Taking a sip, she murmured, “Do you mind if I ask why they call you Mason?”

“No more personal questions from you today, Aprilia. That’s how things went bad last night, remember?”

She sucked in a surprised breath. “Yeah, I do remember, and I’m sorry about that. I really am.”

“Great. That means we can stop talking about it now, right?”

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