Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Mason
“ S hh,” Emma giggled as I buried my lips into the nape of her neck, sucking a bit of her skin into my mouth. The jasmine scent of her body was intoxicating, and my hands wandered her curves, taking in every inch of her.
I used my foot to press the door shut behind us. “They’ll never hear,” I murmured into her, turning the lock on the doorknob. “We just have to be quiet.”
“Mmm…” she moaned in a near whisper, tugging my face back to hers. I latched onto her kiss and tugged at her shirt, wanting nothing more than to get my hands on her bare breasts. However, her hand flew up, stopping me short. “Shirt on.”
“Why?” I complained, pausing to search her face.
She shrugged, biting her bottom lip. “I don’t want to get caught.”
I considered her answer, and decided not to fight it, my cock willing to take that as a good enough answer. My fingers fumbled with the button of her jeans, and air in the room felt electric as they popped open, giving me a peek at her black lace underwear.
Emma shimmied out of them, and as always, my dick throbbed at the sight of her curvy, luscious hips. I worked my own jeans down, kicking off the dark wash denim and my boxer briefs. I was beyond ready to fuck this woman, with the last time having been interrupted. Now, we were playing with fire, the girls on the other side of the house…
But damn, it was worth it.
She went for the nightstand, pulling out a condom from the box. “We have to be fast,” Emma giggled, and it felt like we were the teenagers in the house for a moment. I grinned at her, and then grabbed her ankles, dragging her to the edge of the bed.
Lifting her legs to my shoulders, I ran my fingertips down the soft, smooth skin of her legs, loving the way she trembled at my touch. I didn’t stop until the pad of my thumb was right in her center, gyrating against her clitoris. She clamped down on her bottom lip with her front teeth.
“Oh my god,” she moaned, though it was muffled behind her clenched jaw.
“Gotta stay quiet,” I teased her, slipping two fingers inside her tight pussy. She was already slick with arousal, and her eyes shut as she ground her hips against my hand. I wanted nothing more than to fuck her, but her response to my hand was almost as satisfying.
My eyes raked over the length of her legs, and I wished more than ever that her breasts were bouncing in front of me, free of cover. But, it was way more important that she be comfortable.
She stifled her moans as her back arched, her legs tensing up as she finally came crashing down with an orgasm. A satisfied, but quiet groan escaped from my throat as I felt her pulse around my fingers, and I wished nothing more than for it to be my cock.
I reached for the condom Emma had dropped onto the bed and tore open the blue wrapper. Emma watched with hungry eyes, letting out a sharp breath as I unrolled the latex over the length of my erection. I was fucking dying to be inside her.
“You’re beautiful,” I told her, running the tip of my cock over her folds. She shivered in response, scooting closer to the edge of the bed. I chuckled at her eagerness before finally pressing into her. “Oh, fuck. You feel so good.”
She lightly moaned in response, and I filled her the rest of the way, our bodies pressing firmly against each other…
But it wasn’t close enough.
I pulled out and climbed onto the bed, scooting her back until her head was on the pillow. The best way to stay quiet during sex was to have her lips locked with mine, and there was nothing that sounded better in the moment. I pressed into her and took her mouth, slipping one hand behind her head. Holding her there, our kiss grew heady and heavy as my tongue covered every inch of her mouth.
I thrusted into her over and over, enjoying every ounce of pleasure. Emma clung to me, crying out into my mouth as I picked up my speed and intensity. I kept her quiet, even as her body tensed up around mine, and a second orgasm ravaged her body.
As her pussy clenched around my cock, I hit my own high, biting back the primal growl that threatened to slip out. Every time I was with Emma in this way, I wanted nothing more than to claim her… and make her mine.
“Oh my god,” Emma panted as our mouths finally broke apart. “I hope they didn’t hear.”
I chuckled, kissing her forehead before pulling away and rolling off of her. “I doubt they heard. They’re on the other side of the house—and we were quiet.”
“It was torture,” she said, throwing her head back on the pillow in the most dramatic and adorable way. “But yeah, you’re probably right. They more than likely didn’t hear us.” Emma then rolled off the bed, and headed for the attached bathroom, grabbing up her clothes as she went.
I watched her walk away, taking the perfect ass that went with her. She was beyond beautiful—but that wasn’t what made her so incredible. It was the fact that I was fairly certain there was nothing the woman had ever done wrong. She was a walking saint… And the way she was with Jess…
It was hard to ignore the connection.
I could tell Emma was trying to be careful with Jess, and that just went to show that she cared about my daughter—and creating a relationship with her.
“Why’re you smiling like that?” Emma asked me, tilting her head as she reappeared from the bathroom. She had put on her lacey underwear, but no jeans.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I guess I’m just happy at the moment.”
“Me, too,” she said, her eyes shifting to the jeans hanging over her forearm. I wanted to ask her to stay the night, but I had already heard from Lily that Dara was planning to stay over—and I wasn’t sure how Jess would feel about waking up to Emma still being here. I didn’t want to go through that with Dara there.
“Thanks for coming to dinner,” I said, meeting her gaze and holding it for a while. “I know that things have been kind of busy, and when I’m not working on the investigation, I’m trying to get ready for the gala. Lucas really doesn’t want us to do it… And I think he might actually get pissed if we go through with it.”
Her brows furrowed. “Because he doesn’t want their money?”
I shrugged, that familiar uneasy feeling coming over me. “I don’t know, honestly. He hasn’t been that forthcoming about everything. He told me about the financial issues he’d been having but I don’t have specifics—and it feels like he’s pushing me out.”
Her lips turned downward. “I take it that’s strange behavior for him? To keep you at a distance?”
“Kind of,” I answered her. “Sometimes he does shut down when he’s going through shit—and I know he’s going through a lot of it right now. I mean, he could potentially lose the ranch.”
“And that’s why I think we should give the gala a go tomorrow,” Emma said, giving me a reassuring smile. “I don’t think it’s that crazy. It might not amount to anything, and they might all laugh at us, but at least we won’t have to wonder what would happen if we didn’t try.”
I nodded, agreeing with her. “I just can’t imagine Lucas not having the ranch. It just seems damn near impossible. It’s always been the Lowe Creek Ranch. They settled it before this town even existed. It doesn’t seem right to go and take it from them—all because some assholes are stealing their cattle.”
Assholes that I can’t seem to catch.
I left that part out, not wanting to share my fear of failure and the impending sense of defeat already lingering overhead. The Calvins weren’t letting up either and Annie Calvin had called the office nearly every day since the cattle went missing. We had sent all the brand information—and the damn cow picture—to the USDA, but damn, it just wasn’t going anywhere. It felt like no one was trying…
And the whole community was starting to think that we weren’t trying hard enough.
“I know that its stressful,” Emma’s voice was soft as she watched me get dressed again, opting for a pair of flannel pajama pants instead of my jeans. “I can’t imagine the pressure that you must feel from it all.”
I brushed off her words, though it felt good to be seen for the first time in a long time. “It’s okay. It’s just part of the job. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up, and I’ve been the sheriff long enough to know that some cases don’t get solved that fast.”
She nodded, shifting on her heels. “Yeah, but I meant the worry with the Lowe Ranch. I know that it means a lot to you. You’re losing a part of your history, too.”
I shrugged, feeling the emotions beginning to creep into my chest. “I know that things have to change, but yeah, it’s not a good feeling. I want to do everything I possibly can to prevent it from happening.”
“And that’s exactly what you’ll do. I have faith in you, Mason. We’ll give it our best shot at the gala, and then if that doesn’t work, I’m sure there are other ways to help Lucas.”
“Like win the lottery,” I snorted, letting out a sharp breath. “And even if I did, I don’t know if he’d take the money from me.”
“I bet he would.” Emma tugged her jeans up over her hips, leaving me with a pang of disappointment. She was a beautiful woman, and I’d never get tired of seeing her without clothes. She hesitated for a moment once her jeans were buttoned, chewing on her bottom lip .
“Is something wrong?” I asked her, studying the hard-to-read expression on her face.
She shook her head. “No, not at all… I just wanted to let you know that I had a really great time tonight. Your home is so… cozy. And now I have to go home to mine, which is, well…” Emma paused. “Empty.”
I reached for her hand, pulling her in and kissing the top of her head. “If it were up to me, I probably wouldn’t let you leave, but with Dara here, it’s probably not the best time for the first overnight.”
She nodded. “I get it, and I don’t want to rush you, anyway. I just lost my filter there for a minute.” She looked up at me with a sheepish smile before slipping away. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning at the café though—like usual?”
I ran my fingers through her hair, pushing the dark locks from her face. “Of course you will. I have to say, I’ve gotten kind of attached to the bagels that you make. They put the store-bought ones to shame.”
“Oh, so that’s why you show up every morning. It’s not me, it’s the food,” she teased, her eyes sparkling.
“Oh no, no, I think the bagels are just a plus,” I laughed, and then pressed my lips to hers.