Chapter 20
Cassie was a little tense as they passed the trailhead and made their way onto the path. She couldn’t forget the fear that had scared her so thoroughly the last time she was here.
“It’s okay. I won’t let anything happen to you,” Mason said as he held his hand out to her.
She took a deep breath and laced her fingers with his, finding strength in his rough, calloused hands.
“We’ll have to come back next year a little earlier when there are more leaves on the trees.”
“Next year?” she asked. “What if you get sick of me by then?”
He came to a stop, spinning around and pulling her against him. He lifted her face to look at him, the dark green intensity causing her insides to warm. “That’ll never happen.” He kissed her nose and smiled. “If anyone is going to get sick of anyone, it’ll be you getting sick of me.”
She shook her head. “Impossible.”
“You haven’t lived with me.”
Her heart raced at the statement. Live with him? He wasn’t asking, but was he thinking it? God, she would love going to bed in his arms every night and waking up to him every morning, but a part of her was resistant to the idea. She needed to learn to live on her own before she could fully commit to him. It wouldn’t be fair for either of them if she couldn’t stand on her own two feet first.
“I don’t have to know that you’re impeccably clean, you don’t snore, you’re courteous of people’s space, and you put the toilet seat down.”
“Three sisters,” he said. “They trained me well.”
“They did,” she said. “Not just with the toilet seat either. They taught you how to respect women and how to treat them as equals.” She never felt inferior to Mason, not once, and he valued her opinion when it came to his beer and his business. He treated her like someone he held in high esteem, and that in itself was the biggest turn on of all.
“I grew up surrounded by a lot of strong women. My sisters, my mom, my grandma. There is nothing that I can do that they can’t. Hell, Hadley can muck a chicken coop better than me. Kate can beat me in arm wrestling, and Daisy always could climb a tree higher than me. I don’t look at a person and judge their strength or character based on their sex. I judge people based on their personality and how they treat others. All the other stuff is meaningless.”
She wished she could put into words how much what he said meant to her. Instead she showed him, lifting up on her toes and pressing her lips to his.
“I love you,” she said as he rested his forehead against hers. His breath warm against her skin.
“I love you, too. Now come on. I want you to see this.” He took her hand, and she followed him up the incline. She let her fears go, and enjoyed the beauty surrounding them. They walked for some time, her thighs burning as they made their way through the trees and emerged at the top of the mountain, overlooking miles and miles of treetops, lakes, and open skies.
The sight was so stunning it nearly took her breath away. She never experienced anything like this, and if it wasn’t for Mason rescuing her on the side of the road that day and giving her a job, a house, a love that she could feel to the very depth of her soul, she didn’t think she ever would.
All the restraints holding her back and keeping her from appreciating the beauty that was all around her snapped. Standing on top of this mountain, looking out to the vast openness, she felt the weights that had been weighing so heavily on her lift, and for the first time in a very long time she felt absolutely free.
“What do you think?” Mason asked.
“It’s… beautiful. Amazing. Stunning.”
“Everything you feel looking out there,” he said, moving toward her and wrapping her in his arms. “Is what I feel when I look at you.”
She choked on a happy cry. “Now that’s just corny,” she said even though it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her.
“Corny, but so unbelievably true.”
She kissed him, taking total control and dipping her tongue into his mouth. A moan escaped her as she felt his tongue tangling with hers. She wanted him, and she wanted him now, on top of this mountain with this incredible view as her backdrop. She raked her hands through his hair, and she held on to the silky softness as she pulled herself closer to him.
Mason’s hand pressed into the curve of her back, holding her against him, making her feel cherished and wanted. She relished in his touch, in the strong strength of his arms and his erection pressing into her belly. Her hands slipped under his shirt, and he tensed up at the feel of her cold fingers, but didn’t pull away. He pulled her closer.
She needed to feel him, and not just the hard muscles of his abs and his lips on hers. She needed to feel him inside her. She fumbled for his zipper, releasing him from the restraints of his jeans. She reached for his cock and began stroking him. His body jerked and Mason placed his hand on hers, stopping her from her ministrations. “Okay that’s enough of that.” Cassie giggled, feeling giddy and empowered as Mason reached into his back pocket, grabbing his wallet and retrieving a condom before tossing it on the ground along with his coat.
He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around him as he laid her on top of his discarded coat. She grabbed his erection again, gliding her hand up and down his length, desperate to feel all of him.
He slid the condom into place as she kicked off her pants. Before she could get her panties down, he pulled them aside and plunged inside of her, fully immersing himself in that one stroke. She cried out as he filled her so completely, digging her nails into his back and holding on as he pumped into her with unrelenting strokes, lost in the madness of the moment.
Her mind cleared—all she could focus on was the sensations running through her body, the tingling in her thighs, the short gasps of breaths coming from her as he pushed her closer and closer to her peak.
“Come with me, I’m almost there,” he panted as his hand landed on her swollen nub, and his lips captured hers in a soul searing kiss. He moved his finger in fast excruciating circles, his mouth devouring her in raw desperation. She felt her muscles tighten, the stir of heat building inside of her until it exploded into delicious waves that racked her body with an intensity that took her breath away and continued till she felt boneless and completely sated.
Mason rocked into her one last time, his arms shaking with his release before he collapsed beside her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her temple.
“Now that was amazing,” he said, and she nodded in agreement, unable to form a coherent thought. He squeezed her tight, and she rested her head on his chest, listening to the fast beat of his heart as it began to calm, feeling the rise and fall with each breath he took, wondering how she got so damn lucky.
***
Mason had a few things to get done at the brewery, so he let Cassie sleep in. After their romp on top of the mountain, they came back to her place and went for round two and three. At some point near early morning, they’d passed out in each other’s arms.
He kissed her on the head, and went to slip out when he heard her moving. He turned to see her, sheet pulled up around her naked body, bare shoulders peeking out, giving him enough of a glimpse and a reminder of what was beneath the sheet. Her hair was sex mussed and beautiful, spread out around her in a cascading trail.
“Where are you going?” she asked her voice gruff with sleep.
“I have a few things to get done at the brewery. I’ll be back later.”
She sat up her eyes still glossy with sleep. “I’ll come with you. I just need a minute to get dressed.” Her hair hung in her face, and she pushed it out of the way, but it only fell right back into the same place.
“No,” he said, resting his hand on her shoulder and leaning in to kiss the freckles on her nose. “Sleep.”
“But,” she tried to argue, but there was no fight in her tone. He had worn her out, and she deserved a day to sleep in.
“No buts. I’m giving you the day off. There’s not much that has to get done, and as soon as I finish I’ll come back.”
She smiled, her eyes slipping shut. “I can’t wait.”
He kissed the top of her head and pulled the comforter up, tucking it in around her. “Me neither,” he said as he took one last look at her and headed out.
He called Cooper when he got to the brewery to see if he had a date for when he wanted to start work on his tiny house. Cooper was never a man with a plan, choosing to live by the seat of his pants and let things happen at will, but Mason didn’t work like that. He needed a plan and a schedule to make sure things would get done on time.
With the winter coming they had little time to finish. The minute the first snow fell, they would be shit out of luck…unless their parents had room in one of the barns for them to work. When Cooper said “tiny” he didn’t give dimensions, so Mason wasn’t exactly sure how big this house would be. He needed more information.
“Mace, what’s going on?” Cooper answered.
“Where’s all that information I asked you to email me?”
“I never sent that?”
“No.” Cooper was also notorious for thinking he did something when he didn’t. Sometimes Mason was amazed that he got anything done. He lucked out as a travel blogger. He was able to work when it suited him, and he didn’t have to abide by a schedule. If he did, Mason didn’t think he’d last a week.
“Shit. I’ll send it over now. The delivery should arrive next week, and we can get started then. Unless you’ll be too busy with a certain someone.”
“Bite me.”
“What?” Cooper said with a laugh. “I saw you two at the bike race. Looks like you’re getting pretty cozy.”
“What if we are?”
“You know I don’t believe in being tied down, but you seem happy.”
“I am.”
“Can you just hold off on asking the girl to marry you? These weddings and engagement parties are costing me a fortune.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Takes one to know one.”
“Send me the damn email,” Mason said and hung up the phone with a smile.
The phone rang as he was about to slip it into his pocket.
“What?”
“It’s Matt.”
“Sorry, was on the other line with Cooper. What’s going on?”
“One of my friends at the Mass station called to let me know that our buddy was pulled over today in Middlesex county.”
Mason’s blood turned cold, every worst-case scenario playing out in his mind in vivid graphic detail.
“How long ago?”
“Several hours. He only just saw the email I had sent him.”
Mason grabbed his keys and headed to the door. “I have to go.”
“Don’t do anything stupid. I sent his license plate to all the local counties. If he’s pulled over for whatever reason they will let me know.”
“What if he’s not pulled over?” Mason asked. “I have to go. I have to call Cassie and make sure she’s okay.”
“Mace—” Matt said, but Mason hung up. He didn’t have time to listen to his older brother give him advice. He needed to make sure Cassie was safe, and until he did, he couldn’t rest. He called her house but she didn’t answer so he called again. Still no answer.
“Fuck!” he yelled as he jumped into his truck and floored it out of the parking lot.
He tried to tell himself to calm down. She probably went out for a hike. She did that. But then he thought about the last time he found her after a hike and how scared and panicked she’d been—how she thought someone was following her.
He pressed his foot down harder on the accelerator, breaking every traffic law in the county, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was getting to his girl. His mind was telling him to think rationally, that she was probably fine.
His gut was telling him something entirely different.