Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
MASON
Christmas Eve morning dawns clear and cold, sunlight glittering across fresh snow that fell overnight.
I lie awake, watching Destiny sleep beside me, her blonde curls spread across my pillow, her face peaceful in repose.
My chest tightens with a feeling I'm still getting used to, this overwhelming mix of tenderness, protectiveness, and desire that I've come to recognize as love.
Two weeks have passed since the confrontation with Greg.
Two weeks of cautious optimism as Destiny slowly accepts that she's truly free, that the threat has been neutralized.
Tom's kept us updated, Greg returned to California, is facing an investigation into his conduct, and hasn't been seen anywhere near Nevada since that night.
The change in Destiny has been remarkable to witness.
Day by day, she's shedding the constant vigilance, the ingrained fear responses, the habit of checking exits and flinching at sudden movements.
She laughs more freely now, takes walks alone in the woods behind the cabin, makes plans for the future.
Plans that include me.
Yesterday, she had her interview with Principal Garcia for the substitute teaching position. She came home, and yes, it feels like our home now, practically glowing with excitement. The job is hers if she wants it, starting after the holiday break.
"I told him yes," she'd said, eyes sparkling. "I'm staying, Mason. I'm making a life here."
Now, watching her sleep in the soft morning light, I feel a sense of rightness so profound it almost scares me.
I've never been a believer in fate or destiny, ironic, given her name, but how else can I explain finding everything I never knew I wanted in a woman who literally showed up on my doorstep?
She stirs, eyelids fluttering. "You're staring," she murmurs without opening her eyes.
"Can you blame me?" I trace a finger along the curve of her cheek. "You're beautiful in the morning."
"Flatterer." She stretches like a cat, the movement pushing her breasts against the thin fabric of her sleep shirt. My body responds instantly, predictably.
Her eyes open, hazel flecked with gold in the morning light. "Merry Christmas Eve."
"Merry Christmas Eve," I echo, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.
She deepens the kiss immediately, arms winding around my neck to pull me closer. Her body is warm and soft beneath mine, sleep-warmed skin and gentle curves that fit perfectly against my harder angles. I slide a hand under her shirt, palm skimming over her ribs to cup her breast.
"Someone's eager this morning," she teases against my lips.
"I'm always eager for you." I brush my thumb over her nipple, feeling it harden under my touch. "Every minute of every day."
"Prove it." Her legs part, inviting me to settle between them.
I don't need to be asked twice. I strip her shirt off, then her underwear, taking my time to worship every inch of exposed skin with hands and mouth.
Her body is familiar to me now, I know the sensitive spot just below her ear that makes her gasp, the way she arches when I suck her nipples, how her inner thighs tremble when I kiss my way up them.
"Mason," she breathes, fingers tangling in my hair as I taste the sweetness between her legs. "Please."
I love when she begs, when she's so lost in pleasure that pride falls away. I redouble my efforts, tongue circling her clit as I slide two fingers inside her. She's already wet, already close, her hips moving instinctively against my mouth.
"That's it," I murmur against her sensitive flesh. "Let go, sweetheart. I've got you."
She comes with a cry, thighs tightening around my head, body shuddering with release. I work her through it, gentling my touch as the tremors subside, then kissing my way back up her body.
"Your turn," she says when she's caught her breath, reaching for my boxers.
But I catch her wrists, pinning them gently above her head. "Not yet. I'm not done with you."
Her eyes darken with renewed desire. "Is that so?"
"Definitely." I nip at her bottom lip. "I want to be inside you when you come again."
I settle between her thighs, the head of my cock teasing her entrance. The feeling of her, hot, slick and bare around me, is indescribable.
"God, you feel amazing," I groan as I sink into her fully.
Her legs wrap around my waist, drawing me deeper. "So do you."
We move together with practiced synchronicity, finding the rhythm that drives us both wild. Her nails dig into my shoulders, her breathing quickens, and I know she's close again. I slip a hand between our bodies, thumb circling her clit in time with my thrusts.
"Mason," she gasps. "I'm going to—”
"Look at me," I command softly. "I want to see you."
Her eyes lock with mine as she shatters, her inner walls pulsing around me. The intensity of her gaze, the raw vulnerability and trust I see there, pushes me over the edge. I come hard, buried deep inside her, her name a prayer on my lips.
After, we lie tangled together, my head on her chest, her fingers combing through my hair. I listen to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat, feeling utterly content.
"What time are we supposed to be at Jax and Riley's?" she asks eventually.
"Not until six." I trace lazy patterns on her stomach. "We have the whole day to ourselves first."
She hums thoughtfully. "Any plans for our Christmas Eve?"
"A few." I prop myself up on an elbow to see her face. "For starters, I thought we could finish decorating. The mantel still needs garland."
"And we need to bake cookies for Santa," she adds with a playful smile.
"Naturally." I drop a kiss on her nose. "Then I was thinking we could take that hike I've been promising you. The view from Eagle Ridge is spectacular in the snow."
"Sounds perfect." She stretches again, making no move to get up. "But maybe five more minutes here first?"
"Take all the time you need." I settle back against her, breathing in the scent of her skin. "We have all day. All the time in the world."
We haven't discussed the future in concrete terms, marriage, children, forever, but I feel it in moments like this. The unspoken certainty that what we've found is lasting.
Later, bundled in coats and scarves, we hike the trail to Eagle Ridge.
Fresh snow crunches beneath our boots, the forest silent except for the occasional call of a bird or the distant crack of a branch giving way under the weight of snow.
I lead the way, holding Destiny's gloved hand in mine, pointing out animal tracks and spectacular views.
"This is where you grew up?" she asks, gazing around in wonder. "Playing in these woods?"
"Every day I could escape chores." I help her over a fallen log. "My sister and I knew these mountains like the back of our hands."
"I can't imagine growing up somewhere so beautiful." She tilts her face to the sky, catching snowflakes on her eyelashes. "San Diego has its charms, but this...this feels like magic."
"Wait until you see summer," I say, then pause, realizing the assumption in my words. But Destiny just smiles, squeezing my hand.
"I can't wait," she says simply.
We reach the ridge just as the afternoon sun breaks through the clouds, casting the valley below in golden light. The view is breathtaking, miles of snow-covered forest, the town of Whisper Vale nestled between mountains, smoke rising from chimneys in lazy spirals.
"It's like something from a Christmas card," Destiny breathes, eyes wide. "I've never seen anything so beautiful."
I wrap my arms around her from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder. "I have."
She laughs, turning in my embrace to face me. "Charmer."
"Just honest." I tuck a curl that's escaped her hat behind her ear. "You changed everything for me, Destiny. You know that, right?"
Her expression softens. "I feel the same way about you. You gave me my life back."
"You did that yourself. I just provided the landing spot."
"No." She shakes her head firmly. "It was more than that. You believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself. You saw me, really saw me, when I'd been invisible for so long."
Her words strike a chord deep within me. Isn't that what we all want, in the end? To be truly seen, truly known, and loved anyway?
"I have something for you," I say, suddenly nervous. "An early Christmas present."
"You didn't have to get me anything."
"I wanted to." I reach into my pocket, pulling out a small box wrapped in silver paper. "Open it."
She looks at me curiously before carefully unwrapping the package. Inside is a velvet box that makes her eyes widen.
"Mason..."
"It's not an engagement ring," I say quickly, not wanting her to think I'm rushing her. "Not unless you want it to be. Just...open it."
She lifts the lid with trembling fingers. Inside is a delicate silver band set with a small peridot stone, the same shade of green as the first dress she wore to enchant Whisper Vale.
"It's beautiful," she whispers, eyes shining.
"It's a promise." I take the ring from the box. "A promise that you always have a home here. With me. For as long as you want it."
"And if I want it forever?"
The question steals my breath. "Then it's yours forever."
She holds out her right hand, and I slide the ring onto her finger. It fits perfectly, the green stone catching the light.
"I've been so afraid," she admits quietly. "Not of Greg, not anymore. Afraid of how fast this happened, how completely I fell for you. Afraid that I was just clinging to the first safe harbor I found."
I wait, letting her work through her thoughts.
"But then I realized something." She looks up at me, eyes clear and certain. "Running from Greg was what brought me to Whisper Vale. But staying? That's about you. About us. About the life we're building together."
Hope swells in my chest. "Are you saying...?"
"I'm saying yes, Mason." She cups my face in her hands. "Yes, to staying. Yes, to us. Yes to whatever comes next."