19. Mason
19
MASON
I tried being quiet when I crawled into bed, but the second the mattress pitched to the side, my body tipped and my ribs felt like they were trying to rip out of my body. I groaned, unable to hold it in.
Sam yelped, jerking up and throwing a hand out toward me.
It hit my face, which made me groan again.
“Wha—?” She reached over and turned on the lamp, then gasped when she saw me. “What the fuck happened to you? Oh my God, Mason.” She lunged for me, but stopped, looking too scared to touch me. She lifted the sheets and gulped, seeing the rest of me.
I finished crawling in and collapsed on the bed, mumbling, “My legs shouldn’t be too bad. Some bruises. The fucker got some good kicks in.”
She went still. “The fucker got some good kicks in ? What are you talking about?”
I rolled to my back, still groaning and reached for Sam. I patted her on the waist, my other arm over my eyes. That light was killing me. “Let me sleep, babe. I’ll be better in the morning.” I wouldn’t groan, not in front of the kids. Or Logan. Or Nate. Or anyone else. But it was just me and Sam here. I could be the baby I wanted to be right now.
“Mason,” Sam said softly, touching my skin cautiously. She sucked in a breath when I hissed from the pain. “This is insane. What did you guys do?”
“Can I sleep first?”
“No,” she said firmly. “Now.”
I heaved a deep sigh, ready to start talking, but Sam touched my arm gently. “Hold on. I can’t handle seeing you like this. I want to grab Taylor and let her be a nurse for you, but I’m assuming Logan doesn’t look much different. Nate too? They’re leaving early in the morning.” She slipped from the bed, padding over to the bathroom where she began rummaging through the cupboards.
I waited to talk, wanting to rest anything and everything until she could hear me clearly. She brought over a couple washcloths, antibiotic ointment, and dressings. When she crawled back on the bed, kneeling over me, she gave me the nod. “Okay. Start explaining.” She began cleaning me up as I did, pulling away the dressings the biker had put on me after the third fight.
“Logan needed to let off steam, so that’s what we did. Him and I. Nate didn’t—”
“Get beat up? Like you and Logan needed to?” She wasn’t mad. She sounded more resigned but frustrated. “What are you into, Mason? It’s time to loop me in.”
I’d been keeping everything to myself. I wanted to get through the funeral, and I knew she’d be torn between trying to help me and taking care of the kids. But I had to admit I didn’t like it. I’d been doing my thing, and she was doing hers. We weren’t a unit right now.
“I know,” I told her. I started talking, telling her everything that happened from the beginning as she recleaned my wounds and put new bandages on me. I’d just finished when she climbed off the bed.
Pausing, she gave me an inscrutable look before sighing. “Stay here. I’m going to get you some ice packs.” She returned with some pain relievers and extra water as well, putting them on the bedside stand. “Okay. Sit up.”
I leaned forward.
She placed the ice packs around my arm and began taping them in place. She’d done this for me for the last two decades. She did both of my arms, since I’d fought with both. Though, fuck, I couldn’t move much now.
She held out two pain relievers. “Open.”
I opened my mouth. She dropped the pills in and brought the water to my mouth. After I swallowed them down, she got back into bed and settled in. She handed me one of the last ice packs so I could hold it against my face and put the other over my ribs.
I hissed at all of the cold contact. “I should’ve just done an ice bath.”
She raised an eyebrow, her lips pursed. “Next time.”
I looked over at her. “You’re not happy with me?”
She dropped the mask and let me see how unhappy she was. “I get that you needed to work off steam. But you didn’t have to do three fights. Jesus, Mason. Three?”
I flashed her a grin, which hurt. “It felt good to be fighting again.”
“That isn’t a statement I enjoy hearing from you.”
“Sam.”
She sighed again. “I get it. I remember how I was when I met you and Logan for the first time. Of course I get it, but what’s the point of the excessive amount of fighting?”
“Respect.”
She quieted. “What do you mean?”
“I may need a resource in that world. Their information could be helpful, and they aren’t going to give it if they don’t respect me.”
“You couldn’t do any of that through Channing?”
“The history’s too raw between them. And I don’t even know all the history. But this new charter isn’t the same group that was here previously. I could see that myself. I met some of the previous charter. These guys were different.”
“Does it matter?” She chewed her bottom lip and moved her gaze over my face, like she was trying to feel the answer before I told her.
“It matters. I wouldn’t have approached the last charter. These guys, I need them to respect me. Logan too.”
“It doesn’t feel right that you’re going around Channing.”
“I know. I’ll handle that.” I grimaced. “Channing will be pissed, but he’ll understand. I had to go without telling him. He’ll get that too. Once I’m healed a bit more, I’ll tell him. Chan’s a good fucking fighter too.”
“So you did all of this. Is it going to be worth it? Will they talk to you about this Bennett family?”
“I don’t know.”
Her mouth went flat. “Mason.”
“I mean, I don’t know their charter, but I feel like I fought some of their best fighters. The first guy, Boise. He was good. Like, really good. I barely won against him. The second guy was a little easier, but he was still fucking brutal. Then the last guy,” I held Sam’s gaze. “He was their president.”
She sat up a little higher. “What?” Her eyes rounded.
“Their prez climbed into the ring. That has to mean something.”
Her mouth turned down. “He’s the one who beat you?”
I snorted, then grunted from the fucking pain. Shit . “I was worn down, which the fucker knew. But, God. He hit hard. Precise. He knew exactly where to hit the hardest.”
“I don’t like it. I don’t like any of this.”
I needed Sam on board. Reaching for her hand, I tugged her closer. “Everyone is leaving soon. It’ll be just you and me soon.”
“And Heather and Channing.”
“Channing will be pissed, but he’ll understand. My PI’s not getting back to me. I can’t even get a hold of her. I had to make this move. I need to get a feel for who the fuck I’m going against.”
“You could make a call to Kansas City.”
“I don’t know if that’s the right call. I can’t edge into this world blindly. If I make one wrong move, someone could get dead. I can’t mess up.”
I waited. She was still thinking.
And then, she gave in. She didn’t look any different, but I felt it. The air lightened around us. The pressure on my chest eased. She traced her hand over my leg. “You and Logan struggle when you’re here.”
“What?”
“What you said…that you noticed how you and Logan are different than Nate is. Nate doesn’t have the darkness in him that you and Logan do.” She hesitated before adding, “I have it too. Heather and Channing, they have it in them as well. But you’re right. Nate doesn’t. That doesn’t mean anything’s wrong with you or with him. It’s just a difference. He’s one of your best friends. He’s family. He’ll always be family.”
“I hadn’t realized that until tonight. I didn’t have a lot of insight when I was young, you know? And then we were out of here. We were normal, like him.”
“You and me. Logan too. We’re able to be here, but we can be not here too. Heather and Channing aren’t like that.”
I nodded. I knew what she meant.
“This whole area—Fallen Crest, Roussou—it’s too much in their blood. They wouldn’t be able to function anywhere else.”
A tenderness came over me. She understood it so seamlessly. She understood me. “I really love you.”
A coy grin tugged at her mouth. “Really?” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I really want to ride you, but you went and got yourself all fucked up.”
She lifted her hand away from my leg, but I caught it. “I’m always up for an offer like that.”
“Mason.” She shook her head.
I leaned into her, closing my eyes, and nuzzled her neck and shoulder. “I was in a couple fights, not a car wreck. Climb me, baby.” Feeling her shiver, hearing her breath quicken, I didn’t wait. Ignoring the pain, I lifted her on top of me and fit her right where she belonged. On my dick. My hands went to her hips, beginning to knead them. Her body melted on top of mine, settling in, but when she didn’t touch me, I moved my head back. “What’s wrong? I’m fine. I’ve been worse and we’ve fucked.”
“I don’t know about that, if you’ve been worse before.” She snorted. “But that’s not…” She was back to biting her bottom lip.
I groaned. “I don’t like how you keep chewing that mouth of yours. It’s mine to chew.”
She stopped, blinking as if she hadn’t realized.
I nudged her gently. “What is it?”
She swallowed, her eyes lowering, and she looked away.
I caught her face, bringing her back to me. “Same page, Sam.”
She flushed before closing her eyes, but I caught the flash of pain there. Her hands curled into fists on my lap. I felt her pain before she even said a word. “I thought he would’ve called. I sent him a message.”
He.
Shit .
I caught one of her hands in mine and laced our fingers. “Your dad?”
“Garrett, yeah.”
I tugged her down and curled my hand around her, anchoring her to me. “I’m sorry.”
Her body shuddered. She twisted her fingers into my shirt and tugged hard. “It’s stupid. It’s so fucking stupid. He—he decided he didn’t want to be part of my life after all. I thought…” She turned away, her chin trembling. Her voice grew hoarse. “I don’t need him. I know that. And I know what he said, that he needed to prioritize his family and then he’d be in touch, but it’s bullshit. Yes, I had Analise. Yes, I have David and Malinda. But fuck. Fuck . He’s my dad. He was starting to actually become like a dad to me. I have room for two dads. Why couldn’t he have room for two daughters?” She whispered the last sentence.
He’d broken her heart.
“Sam,” I murmured, sliding my hand up into her hair. I angled her head to meet my eyes. She resisted, closing her eyes, but when I didn’t let go, she groaned and relented. Her eyes opened.
There. The pain swam right there, on the surface. It was too much for her to push down. Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried blinking to stop them. She wasn’t fast enough.
“I’m sorry,” I told her.
She blinked again, but more tears appeared. She couldn’t hold them back. “She’s here.” Her voice was rough.
“What?”
“My sister. She’s three hours away, Mase. She’s going to college in Cain. What’s wrong with me? He doesn’t want to know me, fine. Fuck him. But did he have to keep her away too? She’s my half sister. And I have a brother. I don’t even know what he looks like anymore.”
“How’d you know she’s at Cain?”
She hung her head, pressing her forehead to my chest.
“Tell me.” I lifted her chin, tipping her head up. When Garrett took himself out of Sam’s life, Maddy had been young. The reason he gave was a lie, saying it was too hard for him to raise his family. He needed to give all of his attention and love to his new daughter and son; he was being pulled in two separate directions. Sam was an adult. She’d been loved growing up. She was thriving now. He hadn’t had a hand in that, and since he hadn’t, it was easier to step away from her than it was his other two children. Sam never understood his reasoning. I hadn’t either.
If he’d owned up to being a piece-of-shit dad, that’d be different. Sam didn’t need him, not in a literal way. But she’d loved him, and I hated him for turning his back on her. I wanted to destroy him. Sam asked me not to. She pulled me back. But the thought reappeared in my head.
“I think Sharon made him choose,” Sam said.
I could barely handle it. I’d give anything to take away her pain.
She let out a deep breath, both of her hands now fisting my waistband. “I don’t know why. She said she was fine with me, but she could’ve changed her mind. Or she was lying from the start, not really okay with him having a daughter that wasn’t hers. If that’s the case, I…” She tucked her chin down and looked away, so fucking defeated. “I’ve been cyberstalking my sister’s social media. I know I shouldn’t. It’s like I’m torturing myself. I don’t check it all the time, but once a month. I’d do the same for my brother if he had social media. I don’t think he does.” Another tear rolled down her cheek. “I don’t even know what he looks like anymore. She doesn’t put up pictures of him. Why is that? That’s weird, right? Or she does, and I can’t see them. Is that a thing?”
“I could have my PI look into him.”
“You have your PI looking into this other thing. She’s probably busy.” She shook her head. “And no. I said no back then. Garrett chose not to be a part of my life, so fuck him.”
“My PI has a team. She could get one of her colleagues to look into your siblings.”
Sam’s eyes glazed over, the pain completely taking her until she squeezed them shut. She swallowed and shook her head. “No,” she choked out. “No.” She said it again, more clearly. “I’ll wait until they’re adults.”
“Your sister is an adult.”
“I know. I mean after college. Let them finish their schooling and get into their careers. They’ll be more on their own feet. I’ll approach them then. Garrett and Sharon won’t have such a hold over their decisions. I’ll tell them who I am, if they don’t know me, and I’ll ask if they’d like to…I don’t know? Get to know their sister?” Her chin was back to trembling.
I caught her hands in mine, disentangling them from my shirt, and tugged her to me. Making a decision, I removed the ice packs. Realizing my intent, she protested, growing tense. I smoothed a hand down her back, lifting her completely onto me. Her legs. Her feet. Her thighs. I pressed her head to my chest. I wanted all of her weight on me.
“I’m going to say this to you and you’re going to listen,” I said, assertive.
She tensed, but I wouldn’t let her move. Not even an inch.
I gritted my teeth. “Your biological father’s decision is bullshit. He’s the problem, Sam. He is. Whatever the fuck his reason was, it was wrong. You know that. You are not the problem, and normally I’d never even think to say those words to you, but I know there’s a part of you that can’t help but wonder. It’s not you. It’s him . It’s his wife . It’s whoever the fuck else made the decision Garrett would not be in your life. He is goddamn lucky to be sharing genes with you. And it is entirely his loss not to have you in his life. He’s the defect. You are perfect. You came from him, and you came out better than him. Your sister and brother, when you decide to approach them, they’re lucky to be sharing blood with you. This connection gives them an opportunity to know you, and I cannot for the life of me make sense why someone would choose not to know you.” I lifted her head so she could see me and how strongly I felt about this. “Unless they are fucked up. You got that? Your sister might be fucked up too—”
Her lower lip was shaking. “She doesn’t look fucked up. She looks beautiful.”
“Then she will be blessed to get to know her older sister, and she’ll probably be all sorts of pissed off at her mom and dad. That’s their problem. It’s not yours. You have so much love to give, and anyone decent would recognize the gift of having you in their life. That’s all you have to think about. Nothing else. You hear me?”
A few tears slid free until she wiped them away, but I’d gotten through. I could see her strength shining back at me. She was the Samantha I loved and held every chance I got.
She bent forward to graze her lips against mine. “Thank you.”
The kiss started light, but it didn’t stay there. Everything else melted away.
I needed my woman, but more importantly I needed to make her forget.
I rolled on top of her, moving over her, but I just kissed her. I wanted to push out all those thoughts and doubts he’d left in her mind. Garrett didn’t fucking deserve Sam as a daughter. There’d come a day when he’d return. He’d realize his mistake and he’d panic because she would be gone. He wouldn’t be able to get her.
I was going to relish that day because the fucker deserved to be punished every day of his life. Anyone who hurt Sam, who caused her even one sliver of pain did.
I tasted her mouth, and she gasped, her back arching up to meet me.
My tongue moved inside of her, commanding, but thoroughly letting her know that she was mine. All fucking mine. And I was hers. I was here. I wasn’t going anywhere. She could let go of the pain, any pain that was inside of her.
I wanted to fuck her so hard she stopped breathing, stopped thinking.
As I kept tasting her, I moved my hand down her side, moving her underwear and sleep shorts down. Then I rolled up, put my foot in them, and shoved them down at the same time I returned to her body.
I hissed as my dick came into contact between her legs.
That was my heaven. My paradise.
I rolled against her, pushing up. Moving.
She gasped, her hand sliding down my neck and shoulders. She rose, pushing half of her body up and against mine, angling her head for a deeper kiss. I moaned against her lips. A fucking saint sent here for me. My sanctuary. My salvation. That was Sam. That was every piece of love she’d given me over the years. All the smiles. The sighs. The tremors.
As her kiss grew more frantic, more desperate, and she scraped her nails down my back.
Shit. I trembled, loving the pain she gave me. My dick jerk against her, but he couldn’t get harder than he was. He was a goddamn rocket, and as I moved up over her body, he saluted her, slapping against my stomach.
I reached down and stroked myself, just a little, to ease some of the pressure.
“You going to put that thing inside of me?” She panted, a glow coming to her cheeks. There was light in her eyes. My cold and dead monstrous heart preened at knowing I helped put the spark back in her gaze. I was beginning to think I was put on this earth for the job, to coax out those little panting sounds and make her forget every fucking time one of her parents hurt her.
“You in a hurry or something?” My grin was wicked.
Her eyes lit up. “You—” She sat up, a determined expression coming over her. She shoved me back, hard enough that I went with it. I wanted to see where this was going. When Sam got all demanding in bed, fuck yeah. I loved when she was rough. She could slam herself down on my dick any day and all day long. I could still go.
I sat beside her, and she rose up over me.
Those golden fucking strong thighs came down on each side of me, straddling me. She settled right over me, rubbing herself over my dick. Up and down.
Shit. I hissed. She felt so good. The pleasure was going to make me blind. The edges of my vision began lighting up.
I grasped her waist. My fingers dug in. “Sam.”
“Shut up.” Her head fell back. “This is for me. Fuck. That feels so good.”
I concurred. My dick too. He kept trying to sit up and slip inside of her as she rubbed over me.
I moved my hand down, watching her. She seemed into this, but uh…I wanted inside of my wife. As her hips sped up, bearing down harder, I moved my thumb to meet her clit.
“Fuck,” she said, breathless.
She was beginning to seize up.
She was going to release.
“Sam,” I said, sitting up. I caught her and yanked her against me, but she kept moving over me. She was lost, totally in her own trance. “Mason,” she whimpered. Her hand went to my hair and fisted it.
“Agh.”
That was me because she yanked my head back, and in one swift motion, she rose up, grabbed my cock, and slid down over me.
Holy. Fuck.
It felt insanely amazing.
“Shit,” I half growled and half shouted.
Jesus. She was fucking me, rising up and slamming down.
My dick was loving this. I was loving this.
I needed a second to catch up and adjust myself, but only a second. Then I was good and I let the sensations start to roll through me.
She moved over me, rolling her hips in that seamless way when she rode me, like everything was for her enjoyment. Like I was here for her. Like my dick was her personal joy stick. Like no matter what, this touch from me was something no one else could do, and a savage rumble bore out of me at those thoughts because it was true.
My woman. My pussy.
The other part of me to make her feel loved and wanted and desired and to deliver every day I was breathing.
Half laughing, half sounding drunk, she picked up her pace. She tensed, her legs clamping down on me, and as a shiver wrought through her, I yanked her to me right as she tilted her mouth down on my throat too. Her teeth sank into me, and a choked grunt slipped from me at the feel of my skin breaking.
She made me bleed.
I got off on that shit.
Then she exploded, and her teeth sank even further into me.
I waited, holding off, gritting my teeth as she kept moving through her climax. She caught her breath a few times, her whole body shaking in my arms, but once she came back to herself, I moved my head back so I could see her. “You good?”
She laughed again, her body melting against me. “Oh fuck yeah. Just don’t ask me to go anywhere.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You ready for me?”
She stared at me, her eyes blank. “Wha—”
I flipped her back over.
I could’ve gone inside her from behind. Sideways. Sam didn’t care. We’d always been into exploring new shit, but maybe I was showing my age because I wanted face to face. I wanted my whole body pressed and rubbing against hers, and I wanted my mouth on hers as I shoved inside of her so we went missionary.
I did all of that. I caught her gasps and her cries, and her whines, and I fucked her through all of it. When she began crying out because another release was building, I really began stroking inside of her. I was banging her and only when she screamed into my mouth, did I let myself join her, spilling inside of her.
Her walls grabbed onto me, and I moaned all over again from that sensation.
After she fell asleep, I stayed awake just a little longer—long enough to know my hatred was now divided. Kai Bennett had some of it, but so did Garrett Brickshire.
He’d hurt Samantha, made her feel the way she used to when I first met her.
Garrett’s name was added to my list.
I was going to destroy him.