Chapter 18

 

Cassie woke feeling invigorated and excited for a new day. Last night was wonderful, and she imagined every night with Mason would be. She had never felt passion like that, never felt worshipped and loved so deeply. It was amazing. Actually, it was absolutely beautiful. The way they came together, moving as one, joining at the hips and making love as one solitary unit, getting lost to the sensations and looking deep into each other’s eyes… it was more than she could have ever dreamed.

She didn’t believe in perfection—everything had its quirks—but Mason was so damn close, and last night was the epitome of what she thought perfection would be.

The late fall sun shone through the bedroom window, bathing her in warm rays. She pushed the blankets off of her, not ashamed of her body anymore or the scars that marked her. Every mark and imperfection helped mold her into the person she was today. She never looked at it that way, but Mason had opened her eyes, and she felt free of all the preconceived notions that she’d hidden behind for so long.

He thought she was beautiful, and despite the scars—or maybe because of the scars—she finally saw it, too. She was beautiful.

Wanting to take advantage of the last days of fall, she hurried off to the shower then slipped into a pair of black yoga pants, a white t-shirt, and her leather jacket. She tossed her hair up in a messy bun and headed outside.

Most of the leaves had fallen from the trees, but there were still enough holding on that it was a sight to see. She smiled up at those stubborn leaves, appreciating their strength and their beauty. She walked out onto the main road and down to a trailhead that Mason had pointed out to her one day when he had picked her up.

She had told him that she might not ever be able to bake a cupcake or hand blow a growler, but she didn’t need a hobby where she made things. She loved to hike, disappear into the woods for a while, and be one with nature. She appreciated the birds chirping overhead, the silent blow of a breeze, and the soothing babble of a brook. When she was in the woods, hidden away from the world, she felt free of all her demons—free of the things that held her back. It was the only time she felt boundless, and as someone who was restricted for so long, it was as close to heaven as she could imagine.

She entered the trailhead, and followed the path that lead up a steady incline. Her thighs burned as she pushed forward. Mason had told her this particular path was a bit of a challenge, but once you reached the top it was well worth it.

She had felt a little guilty for going without him, but she was eager to check it out and had time to kill. Besides, this place wasn’t going anywhere. They could come back together, bring a blanket and a picnic.

Her cheeks warmed at the thought of the blanket being used for more than a picnic. Heat shot to her core as she thought of Mason above her, thrusting deep inside her as the sounds of nature surrounded them, a cool breeze blowing across their naked skin.

A branch cracked somewhere near her, knocking her out of her fantasy. She looked around, suddenly on high alert. Her heart raced, slamming against her chest as she scanned the hundreds of trees surrounding her.

Maybe going into the woods alone wasn’t a smart idea. What if Dylan was here, and he’d followed her? Her body froze, every muscle turning to ice as she tried to tell herself that was impossible. He was in Florida. There was no way he would come back for her or even know where she was.

She thought about calling out and asking who was there, but she was scared of who might show their face. Instead, she casually turned around and made her way back. She didn’t look over her shoulder. If she learned anything, it was that looking back was never the answer. She had to keep moving forward.

Her legs shook with fear, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she picked up speed until she was sprinting through the woods, dodging tree branches and kicking up dead leaves in her wake.

It felt like eternity before she made it to the main road, but even then she didn’t stop. She kept going, forcing her legs to move faster. She couldn’t stop. There were no cars around. Nobody to see her or hear her scream if it came to that…

Oh god. The thought sent an extra jolt of adrenaline through her body propelling her faster. She didn’t stop. Not until she was in her driveway, and she would have kept running until she was in the house with the door locked if it wasn’t for Mason sitting on her front porch.

“Hey,” he said a huge smile on his face, but as soon as his eyes met hers the smile vanished. He ran down the few steps and came to her, taking her shoulders in his hands and staring at her with panic. “What’s wrong?”

She couldn’t breathe, could barely get air into her lungs to even begin to form a sentence, but the fear in Mason’s eyes was so real. She didn’t want him to be scared, so she swallowed and forced words out.

“I went for a hike and got spooked.”

“Why? What spooked you?”

“I heard a branch snap, and I panicked.”

“Was someone following you?”

A chill ran through her veins and she couldn’t speak. She never looked back, so she couldn’t really be sure. She didn’t want to worry him if it was nothing.

“Talk to me.” Desperation dripped from his words. “Cassie?”

“I don’t know. It could’ve been anything honestly.” Tears pressed against her eyes, and the adrenaline that had been pumping so strongly through her system began to vanish. Her lip trembled, and Mason rested his hand on the back of her head, pulling her against him.

She breathed in his familiar scent, finding comfort and peace within his warmth. “It’s all right,” he said against her ear as he ran calming strokes down her back. “It’s all right.”

But it wasn’t all right. It couldn’t be.

As long as she knew Dylan was out there, she would never really be free.

***

Mason’s heart finally slowed down as Cassie nuzzled her head against his neck. Seeing the sheer terror in her eyes as she ran up the driveway made him feel helpless and scared. He had felt those things many times before, but this time was different. This time it reached deep into his heart and strangled his soul. He couldn’t breathe until he touched her and could see with his own eyes that she wasn’t hurt. That she was as warm and real as she was when he left her that morning.

A shudder ran through her body, and he bent down, scooping her up into his arms. He knew she liked to be independent and do things on her own, but she needed to learn to let him help her.

She didn’t resist, instead melting into his embrace, pressing her head against his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Keys?” he asked as they got to the door. Most people in Red Maple Falls left their doors unlocked. With the low crime rate and the fact that everyone knew everyone; people didn’t feel a need to lock up their houses. Cassie was different. She wasn’t born and raised in Red Maple Falls, and she had a past that had been out to hurt her. Hell, Mason, who never locked his doors, was thinking about getting her a deadlock and an alarm. Anything to keep her safe when he couldn’t be here to protect her.

She reached into her pocket and handed him a single key on a Five Leaf Brewery keychain. The corners of his mouth twitched and warmth filled his heart, knowing that she always had a part of him with her. He took the key, unlocked the door, and went straight to her bedroom. He laid her down on the floral comforter and went to get her a beer to take the edge off when her hand wrapped around his forearm.

“Stay with me,” she said, and the desperation in her tone, the sound of her walls coming down, had him crawling onto the bed beside her and pulling her tight against him. He wrapped his arms around her, offering her his body and his heart, and knowing that no matter what she wanted, he would always give it to her.

The day faded to night, but Mason didn’t move. He held her, prepared to stay all night and all day tomorrow if it’s what she needed. Her chin slid against his chest as she looked up at him. He glanced down, catching the golden beauty before she looked away.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“For what?”

“For being a mess. For freaking out for no reason. For everything.”

“Stop,” he said, sitting up and pressing his back against the headboard. He reached for her, and she went to him easily, straddling his lap as he smoothed her hair out of her face. “You have nothing to apologize for. You hear me?”

She nodded, but he didn’t like that she couldn’t look at him. After everything they shared, he’d hoped that she could stop hiding from him. He didn’t mind her broken pieces. If anything, they made him love her more.

“Look at me,” he said, and she let out a breath. “Please.”

Her teeth slid over her bottom lip before she brought her eyes to his. “I love you. I love all of you, including the broken and jagged pieces. I don’t care that you scare easily. Do I like it? No. I hate seeing you hurt and panicked, but it doesn’t make me love you any less. If anything, it makes me love you more; it shows me how brave you are.”

She snorted at his words, and he took her face in his hands, needing her to hear, understand, and believe him.

“You,” he said, staring deep into her eyes, “are brave. You have endured more than anyone I have ever met, and you came out of it a survivor. Strong and, yes, unbelievably brave.”

“Can it really be considered brave when you have no choice? When it’s between life and death?”

“Yes,” he said with a little too much force behind the word. “Even then most people wouldn’t have left. They wouldn’t think that they had a decision to make. They would have accepted their fate because they didn’t have the strength to fight for a different outcome. You did. You fought like hell and because of that you’re here.”

“If I’m so brave, why do I feel so weak?” A tear fell down her cheek, and he used his thumb to wipe it away. “Instead of staying on the trail and seeing if someone was actually there, I ran. I was too scared to look back and see if anyone was following me. I just ran.”

“You weren’t running because you’re weak. You were running because you’re a fighter and that’s what fighters do. They run if they have to. They fight if they need to. They do whatever they have to in order to survive. Running doesn’t make you weak. Running makes you strong.”

“I never looked at it that way.”

He tucked her hair behind her ear, and she leaned her head against his palm. “Because he didn’t want you to.” That bastard took so much from her already, and Mason refused to let him take any more. Cassie was a fighter; she was courageous and resilient, and he would do everything he could to make her see that. She was amazing, and it was time she could see exactly what he saw.

“Thank you,” she said, taking his hand from her face and kissing his palm.

“For what?”

“For letting me see the truth.”

“Always.”

She leaned down, her hair falling around them like a curtain. “Kiss me.”

She didn’t have to ask him twice; he captured her lips with his, moving right past soft and gentle, and going straight for hungry and desperate. She grinded against his erection, thrusting her hands into his hair and holding him close to her.

He loved that she felt comfortable to touch him, to take charge and go for what she wanted. He wanted her to know that with him she held the reins; he would gladly sit back while she took control. He let his hands fall to the side, and when she whimpered against his lips he smiled.

“I want you to fuck me,” he said against her ear.

She leaned back, lust and desire darkening her gaze. Her cheeks filled red at his suggestion. “I…I don’t know what I’m doing.”

He took her hand and placed it on his throbbing erection. “This guy says you know exactly what you’re doing.” He leaned over to the nightstand and grabbed the box of condoms he’d bought and handed her a foiled packet. “Do as you please.”

She bit her bottom lip, her eyes shyly fluttering as she moved down his body. Her hand tightened around his girth as she lowered her head to the tip of his penis. She swiped her tongue across the precum that coated the top before opening her mouth and taking him deep.

His body tensed at the raw pleasure that coursed through him. He grabbed onto the mattress thanking the universe for this beautiful woman that drove him crazy with need and made his heart swell with so much love and respect.

She moved her head up and down, swirling her tongue as she went and pushing him toward release. He wasn’t ready though… not until he was inside her. He wasn’t going to come unless she was coming with him.

He reached down, tenderly taking her cheeks in his hands and guiding her up and off of him.

“Was I doing it wrong?” she asked embarrassment lacing her words.

“God no. You’re freaking amazing. Too good. I didn’t want to blow it. Come here.” He motioned for her, taking the condom from her hand and sliding it into place. She crawled onto his lap and sunk onto his cock.

“Fuck me,” he said, combing her hair out of her face. Her hips moved, and he closed his eyes, absorbing every white, hot sensation that exploded inside of him.

***

Cassie ran her hands up and down the strong muscles of his chest, touching him and exploring him, taking full advantage to do as she pleased. His words, fuck me, still echoing in her mind. They were dirty and insanely erotic, turning her on almost as much as his kisses.

He groaned, and she circled her hips, loving that she was making him feel pleasure. She felt strong and in control. All the insecurities that she once had were slowly slipping away. Mason made her feel beautiful. He saw beyond the broken pieces and saw the girl inside who just wanted to be loved. He found her, and he loved her, guiding her out of the darkness and bringing her into the light until it was shining bright on top of her. He put her in the spotlight, gave her the stage, and let her take complete control.

He didn’t hold her back or make her second guess her decisions. He embraced her, didn’t make her feel shame or embarrassment, he made her feel loved and admired. It was a powerful thing, having raw passionate love directed at you, and she wanted to absorb every bit of it.

His hands dug into her ass, but instead of flinching at his touch she sunk into it. She wanted him to lose control, to stop treating her like a delicate flower.

She had been strong before Mason came into her life—she had no choice—but he made her stronger by teaching her it was okay to make mistakes. He showed her that she was capable of a love that she only thought existed in fairytales. He was her fairytale, and she wanted him to be himself with her, always, and if that meant losing his gentle touch and breaking through the restraints he used when it came to her, then that’s what she wanted. She wanted all of him.

She grabbed his hands, planting them firmly on her hips and kissed his ear, dragging her tongue across his lobe before nibbling it. “Your turn,” she said against his ear. “Fuck me.”

His body tensed, hands tightened, and he thrust into her with one hard stroke, causing her to cry out. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close until their hot slick bodies moved against each other.

It was rough and carnal and absolutely amazing. His finger found her swollen nub, and he ran his finger across it, sending her falling over the edge, clawing at him as her body convulsed against his.

He pumped into her again, the sensation sending aftershocks through her body, and then he collapsed against the headboard, pulling her with him, hugging her so tightly it made her think he never wanted to let her go. She’d be okay if he never did.

“I love you,” he said, and tears burned her eyes. He had said it before, but for some reason she finally believed him, and the fact that someone so unbelievably kind and caring could love her made her so damn happy. He lifted his finger to her lid, wiping away the tears. “Why are you crying.”

“Because I love you, too.”

“That shouldn’t make you sad,” he said, his voice so warm and soothing that she wanted to wrap her arms around him and let him hold her.

“It doesn’t. It makes me so happy.”

He kissed the tears away and smiled that adorable smile. “That’s all I want for you. Ever since I picked you up on the side of the road, I wanted to see you happy. I wanted to be the person to make you happy.”

She brushed her nose against his. “Mission accomplished.”