Chapter 16
Jordan had no idea where she was when she awoke in the dark with a heavy arm around her.
As the events from earlier came rushing back to remind her of the best sex she’d ever had, she shifted her position and winced from the bite of soreness between her legs.
The man was formidable in more than one way.
Smiling, she thought about how sweet and tender he’d been with her even as he’d rocked her world right off its axis.
How was it possible that a man she’d only just met seemed to “get” her in a way the man she’d been married to never had?
Unlike Brendan, who’d always been far more self-absorbed than he should’ve been, Mason didn’t have a self-absorbed cell in his body.
He was constantly tending to others, and when they were together, he seemed to actually see her rather than look through her the way Brendan had, even before he’d gotten crazy-famous.
It was always as if he was looking for something better, something more, and it had driven her crazy that she felt like she was constantly trying to keep his attention on her.
She’d noticed the way Mason stayed focused on her that first night in the clinic.
Even as others came and went, he never became distracted the way Brendan would have.
Even after her husband had begged and pleaded with her to forgive him after the video debacle and promised her things would be different, it had been more of the same when she joined him on tour.
They rarely had a minute to themselves, and when they did, he didn’t want to talk about their relationship or how they were going to get back on track.
He was more than happy to have sex, but there was no sense of connection or true intimacy.
It felt transactional, like something he was doing because he felt he had to or because he needed the physical release, not because he wanted to show her how much he loved her.
Truth be told, Jordan didn’t think he’d actually loved her in quite some time.
How could he when he was so consumed with love for himself and his music and his band and his groupies?
Where was there anything left in that maelstrom for his wife?
Add his addiction issues to the mix, and you had a recipe for certain disaster.
Mason stirred, his arm tightening around her, bringing her in closer to him and making her feel safe with his big body curved around hers.
True confession—he was the second guy she’d ever slept with, and now she knew her husband had failed her in bed, too.
She was lucky if she had an orgasm every fourth or fifth time with him, and usually it happened when she helped herself along.
Because she’d never been with anyone else, she’d assumed the failing was hers.
Now she knew better. It wasn’t her at all.
“You okay over there?” Mason asked, his voice gruff from napping.
“I’m very okay.”
“Very okay is good. You hungry?” The room had gone dark while they snoozed.
“I could probably eat something. What time is it?”
He raised his arm to check the digital display on the watch he wore to work. “After eight.”
Jordan ran her hand over his arm. “Is it hurting?”
“Just aches a little. It’s fine. Much better than it was.” His hand slid from her abdomen to cup her breast. “What about you? Anything hurting?” He ran his thumb over her nipple and just that quickly had her straining against him.
“Not hurting so much as a bit sore.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. It was well worth it.”
“Glad you think so. What do you feel like eating?”
“Doesn’t matter to me. What do you want?”
“I’d go into town to pick something up, but I might get dragged into something for work if I show my face there.”
“Let’s order takeout.”
“Mario’s will deliver to me if I ask, but we’ve already done that.”
“I love their big house salad, so that works for me if it does for you.”
“Good for me, too.” He kissed the back of her shoulder and got up to call in the order.
Jordan was disappointed when she noticed he’d pulled on boxer briefs before going to find his phone.
She’d hoped for another look at his well-honed body.
The deep rumble of his voice from the living room drifted into the bedroom as she relaxed into the pillow and tried not to overthink what was happening here.
She’d had a nice time—and amazing sex—with a great guy.
It was tempting to read more into it than that, but doing so would be a mistake.
Especially right now, with so many aspects of her life so uncertain.
Besides, Mason had a good life that satisfied him on Gansett.
Jordan was fairly certain she’d go mad living on the island full time.
Gansett was a great place to visit in the summer, but to live there?
No way, and she’d said as much to Nikki when she decided to stay.
Of course, Nik had Riley and his extended family to keep her entertained, so it made more sense for Nik to stay.
It would make no sense for Jordan to stay.
What would she do here besides go stir crazy?
Although, after the last five years of absolute madness, the slower pace of Gansett wasn’t without its appeal. For a little while, anyway.
Jordan shifted onto her back, wincing at the ache between her legs while wondering how long it would take her body to become accustomed to a guy of Mason’s size. It would be fun to find out.
Mason came back into the bedroom and stretched out on the bed next to her. “Forty minutes.”
“Let me pay this time. My purse is on the chair.”
“Too late. I already paid. You can get it next time.”
His use of the words next time gave her heart a happy lift that was contrary to the talking-to she’d just had with herself. It wouldn’t be wise to let something like this become anything more than lighthearted fun, and she realized she needed to say as much to him. “Mason.”
“Yes, Jordan?” He’d taken her hand and pressed her palm against his, reminding her once again that his was easily twice the size of hers.
“I just wanted to say…” She’d never done this before, never had to tell a guy not to get overly invested in her because it wouldn’t be a good idea for him.
He turned on his side to face her, keeping his grip on her hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. Tonight has been amazing.”
“For me, too. I’ll never forget it.”
His sweet words made her smile. “I won’t either. It’s just that being with you is so much fun, but it really can’t be anything more than that.” She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling emotional for reasons she couldn’t begin to fathom. “I’m not able to promise you anything right now.”
“I get it, honey. Don’t worry. I know the deal.”
“I’ll understand if you want to stop this before it goes any further.”
“Is that what you want?”
“No, it’s not, but I want to be fair to you. I’m technically still married, and I have no idea how long it will be until I’m not, among other things.”
“What other things?”
“I’m still trying to get out of the contract for another season of the show, and if that doesn’t happen, I’ll have to go back to LA for a few months. Gigi is trying to get them to see that I’m in no condition to be stalked by cameras, but I’m also in no condition to be starting a new relationship.”
“I hear you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Mason, or get hurt myself by getting attached to you and then having to leave.”
“We won’t let that happen. We’ll hang out, have fun and maybe some more of this.” He leaned over to kiss her. “And some more of this, too.” Pushing the sheet down, he ran his tongue over her nipple.
Jordan buried her fingers in his hair, amazed by how quickly he’d woken up her entire body and put her on full alert.
She’d said what needed to be said, told him the whole truth of her situation, and he’d heard her.
Now there was nothing left to do but enjoy whatever time they got to spend together.
Mason was quite certain he was going to wake up any second to discover that he’d dreamt this whole thing, because surely there was no way Jordan Stokes was naked in his bed or pulling his hair as he licked her nipple or squirming under him, letting him know he was turning her on.
God, she was sexy and sweet and utterly adorable.
Regardless of what he’d said to her before, he did have his hopes up where she was concerned.
He didn’t care that she lived in LA or that she was still married or that her life was in an uproar.
How could he care about any of that when he felt such a genuine connection to her?
Maybe it was ridiculous to feel that way so soon.
Hell, he knew it was ridiculous, but damned if he could push the train backward now that it had left the station.
It had started with the odd reaction he’d felt while getting her breathing again and had continued with every subsequent encounter.
The only analogy he could come up with was being with her felt the same way touching a live wire would—shocking, disruptive, attention-getting, life-threatening.
She could turn his whole world upside down if he let her, and even knowing that, he couldn’t stop himself from gorging on her while he could.
This would end badly. He had no doubt about that, and it would be even worse than it had been when Kayla broke up with him four weeks before their wedding.
He’d loved her. He honestly had, but in three years together, he’d never felt the connection to her that he’d immediately experienced with Jordan.
As he tended to the other breast and kissed his way to her belly, he acknowledged that he’d had the same feeling of connection every time he’d seen her.
“How’s the soreness?” he asked, glancing at Jordan, who watched him with big brown eyes framed with extravagant lashes.
“Not so bad.”
“Maybe I should kiss it better.”
Raising her knees and spreading her legs, she said, “That might help.”