Chapter 10
TEN
Mason
The first thing I saw when I cracked open my eyes was my bedroom ceiling.
The second thing that registered was a warm weight draped over my uninjured side.
I glanced down to see the top of Brooke’s head as she rested on my chest. My good arm had wrapped around her while I was out and held her tight to me.
Antiseptic almost blocked her scent entirely, but it still called to me, bringing me back to life. My shoulder was stiff and ached, and when I shifted it slightly to test it, sharp pain shot through it. I hissed, and the sound caused Brooke to stir.
“Mason?” Her voice was hopeful, and she sat up, twisting to face me. Her hands were gentle as they brushed across my skin, as if making sure I was real. “You’re awake. I was so worried.”
Words croaked from my raw throat. “You’re safe.”
“I am. You saved me.” She pressed a soft kiss against my lips. It felt oddly familiar, like she’d done it before, though I was sure I would remember if she had. “How does your shoulder feel? Should I get Emily? She said she could give you something for the pain.”
“It hurts, but I can handle it.” The ache had dulled to a steady throb, but with Brooke touching me, I barely noticed it. “Vince?”
“The sheriff arrested him. They had to treat his wounds first, but he’ll survive to stand trial.
” She gave me a satisfied smile. “I recorded his confession. He tried to destroy my phone, but the techs recovered the audio. The military was very interested to hear he had sabotaged that last mission, hoping you would die. They’ve already… ”
A rushing sound filled my head.
Vince had set me up?
I interrupted. “He killed Aaron.”
“He did.” Brooke’s smile faded, a grim look replacing it. “Aaron wasn’t his target, but it was still his fault. Not yours. The military has requested his transfer to court-martial him for sabotage and attempted murder.””
“But I didn’t save him.” The old guilt rose, battling with the new information for supremacy.
Brooke shook her head. “Don’t say that. Aaron would never have left you behind.
It wasn’t in his nature. He never could have lived with himself if he had.
And as for you getting him to medical help faster?
You destroyed your leg to get him there.
I don’t know anyone else who would or could do that.
Most people would have given up and used the injury as an excuse. ”
We settled into silence as I considered what she’d said. The guilt faded but didn’t disappear. Maybe it never would. The question was whether I could live with it.
Brooke lay back down and curled into me. We didn’t speak. Just held each other. I could have pushed her away. Reminded her she was better off without me. But I just held her tighter, promising myself I’d never let her go again. And in her arms, I found the beginning of absolution.
Brooke
The weeks after Mason woke up crawled by.
I had extended my stay indefinitely, waiting for Mason to bring up the mate bond, but he never did.
I tried to be patient. His recovery from the shoulder wound was long for a shifter, as the damage had been extensive.
Emily and Declan assured me he’d make a full recovery with proper aftercare, though he’d always have a scar.
I was finally off crutches. I’d ended up with a bad sprain, thanks to all the running I did on the initial injury.
Katie had taken to visiting me daily, gently probing to make sure I wasn’t feeling any psychological aftereffects of my ordeal.
My talks with her helped me sort out the thoughts that skittered through my head.
It would have been easy to let Vince define the story, but I learned to reframe the experience through my own lens.
I spent most of my time with Mason. Vince had been sentenced to life in a military prison, and with him no longer a threat, Mason had dialed back the security to a more reasonable level.
I was helping him. I loved being back on a computer again, using my skills.
Now that my foray into private investigating had paid off, I could finish my degree and return to the life I had before Aaron died.
Hopefully with a few exceptions, though. Like Mason. And my location.
I’d fallen in love with Shifter Ranch and the people who were quickly beginning to feel like family. All I was waiting for was Mason to make it official.
But now, I was using my investigative skills one more time. Mason disappeared every afternoon for a couple of hours. Whatever we were working on, he would suddenly stand up and say he had to leave. He’d be gone before I could ask a single question.
This time, I was ready. I excused myself shortly before the time he always left and hid outside his workshop. Then, I followed him from a distance. He got in his truck and headed down the driveway. I slipped into my car and tailed him, staying as far back as possible without losing him.
I felt some guilt over invading his privacy, but I wouldn’t let Mason walk away from me like he did before. We were mates. That meant we were supposed to be together. That everything we experienced would be worth it, because fate had chosen us for each other.
I’d learned that the truth could be messy, but I’d rather love Mason with no secrets between us, however difficult they were.
He pulled into the parking lot of a single-story building with several doors. I parked at the opposite end and noted which one he was walking toward. Pulling out my binoculars, I read the sign: Dr. L. Harrington.
My brow furrowed. Shifters didn’t go to human doctors. Their healing was too different, and they didn’t trust human medicine to help them unless absolutely necessary. All the brothers were trained in field first aid, and Emily used her veterinary skills to fill any gap there was.
I pulled up the search bar on my cell and typed in the name and location. Impatience made it feel like the results took forever. Just as I started to read the first result, a knock on my window made me jump. My head whipped around.
Mason was bent over, peering into the car, an amused smile tugging at his lips. “Hello, Brooke. What a coincidence.”
My cheeks heated, and I opened the window. “Mason, what are you doing here?”
He shook his head with a low chuckle. “Come on. You’re welcome to join me.”
He grabbed the handle and waited for me to unlock the door. I got out slowly, biting my lip as the heat in my cheeks deepened. He just smiled and slid his hand in mine, lacing our fingers together before tugging me toward the building.
Inside, he waved at the receptionist and continued to a door along the rear wall. A middle-aged man with slightly balding hair sat in a chair on one side. Mason guided me to the couch opposite him.
The man smiled. “This must be Brooke. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Mason squeezed my hand. “Brooke, this is Dr. Harrington. My psychologist. He specializes in PTSD and survivor’s guilt.”
My gaze flew to him, eyes wide as shame crashed over me. “Oh! I’m so sorry for intruding. I shouldn’t have followed you.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ve been wanting to tell you, but I struggled to find the words.”
Dr. Harrington stood and moved toward the door. “I’ll give the two of you some privacy. Tell me after if you still want a session today.”
Mason lifted his free hand to cup my hot cheek. “Katie recommended Dr. Harrington. I thought it was about time I worked through some of my issues. I want to be whole again. I want to live life and not just survive it. And I want to be the man you deserve.”
“Mason.” I gripped his hand. “You’re already so much more than that. You’re the strongest man I know.”
He let out a slow breath. “I’m learning how to live with the past. Most days, I believe I did my best to save Aaron. I can look at you and feel, if not worthy, at least enough for you. Others, the guilt lingers, eating at me.”
He dropped his head and rested his forehead against mine. “Now when I close my eyes, all I see is you. It makes me want to be what you need.”
“You are what I need.” I kissed him, pouring all my love into it. When I pulled back, we were both breathless. “I don’t need you to be perfect. I just need you to be with me. As you are.”
He pressed a slow kiss against my forehead, and I compared it to the last time he had done that. Then, it had been a goodbye. This felt more like a beginning.
“I should let you have your session. I’ll meet you back at the ranch?”
“I’d rather go with you.” He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me again. “I have a question to ask you.”
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. His embrace was warm, secure, and everything I needed. “Anything.”
“Will you be my mate?”
My heart leaped. “Absolutely.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Now that we’ve settled that, how fast do you think we can get back to the ranch?”
I laughed, my spirit light and open. “You don’t want to finish your appointment?”
“I can reschedule.” His voice dropped low, and he growled, “But right now I want to mark my mate and make it official so everyone knows you’re mine and I’m yours.”
I jumped to my feet and tugged him to stand with me. “Then let’s go.”
We rushed past a grinning Dr. Harrington and his receptionist. Mason tried to convince me to leave my car and ride with him, but I shoved him toward his truck and darted across the parking lot to my vehicle.
I followed him home. He pushed the speed limit, but I suspected he held back on how fast he truly wanted to go because I was there.
As soon as I parked my car, he had my door open and lifted me into his arms. “Mason! I can walk.”
“I want to hold you.”
“What about your shoulder?” I wriggled in his grip. “I don’t want to make it worse.”
He continued carrying me toward his cabin. “It’s fine. A little sore, but lifting you won’t cause any damage.”
I gave up my protest. We were almost at his place anyway.
Once we were in the bedroom, Mason lowered me to the ground while keeping me in his arms. He pulled me close and kissed me. A sweet kiss with just a tinge of urgency. It felt as if he were holding back. As if he thought I was delicate and needed to be treated with care.
I wasn’t.
My palms came up to rest on his chest, and I smoothed them over his shirt. “Mason?”
“Yes?”
“Kiss me like you mean it.”
His eyes widened for a beat, then two, before he crushed me to him and devoured me.
I refused to be a passive participant and met him kiss for kiss.
Hands reached for clothes. I don’t know who removed what, but soon we were naked.
His skin was warm against mine. I briefly flashed back to when I held his hand in the forest, and it was icy cold. Now, he was full of life and all mine.
I trailed kisses over his chest, moving lower and lower until I kneeled at his feet. I met his gaze as I wrapped my hand around his large cock, which was hard and ready for me. His eyes had a look I could only describe as reverence.
I stroked my hand up and down his length before leaning forward to kiss the head. His fingers tangled in my hair, and he groaned when I took him in my mouth. I sucked and licked. memorizing his reactions and making note of what he liked best.
Just when I thought he would finish in my mouth, he tugged me off him. His voice rasped out. “Not yet.”
He walked me backward until I felt the bed at the back of my legs.
Then he followed me down, his weight pressing me into the mattress.
He gave me a hard kiss on the lips before softening his mouth and moving it to my neck, then to the junction where it met my shoulder.
The spot that would bear his mark. His kisses continued down to my breasts, and he stopped to explore them.
His hands and lips kneading and nipping and sucking until my back bowed off the bed, and I cried out. “Mason!”
Only then did he move lower. His hands led the way. Gliding over my skin. I shifted beneath him, pressing my legs together to soothe the throbbing ache that built in my core. But he slid his hand between my thighs and spread them beneath him. I lay under his gaze.
He shot me a hungry look. “Mine.”
Then he dove in, attacking me with his lips and tongue and fingers. It was an assault I welcomed, even as I climbed higher and higher without falling over the edge. He kept me there as he opened me with his fingers, stretching me and preparing me for him.
When he finally judged me ready, he came back to kiss me on the lips. I tasted myself on his and wondered if he tasted himself on mine. We exchanged breaths and kisses as he settled between my spread thighs.
“I love you, Brooke,” he whispered as he slipped inside me. He filled me so completely I almost cried. Even our bodies were made for each other.
“I love you too, Mason.”
He rolled his hips and rocked inside me.
His thrusts built up in speed and force, and I matched him, even as I urged him to go faster.
He moved solidly above me, most of his weight on his uninjured arm but otherwise with no sign his shoulder bothered him.
I kissed his scar as if I could impart my strength to him.
He dropped his head into the crook of my shoulder, and his teeth bit gently on the flesh there. We moved together, both of us approaching our peak.
His teeth sank into my skin as I flew over the edge, shattering into pieces from the mix of pain and pleasure. His hips moved wildly, and he followed me with a roar, spilling his seed into me before collapsing on top of me.
I savored the feel of him on me, pushing me into the mattress. He remained there for a second, then rolled next to me before his weight became too much. He pulled me into his embrace, my back to his front, and I snuggled deeper into his hold.
“Thank you.” Mason kissed the top of my head.
“What are you thanking me for?” I tilted backward, twisting my neck until I could just see him.
His smile was soft as he stared at me. “For not giving up on me. For agreeing to be my mate. For saving me from Vince.”
I ticked off my responses on my fingers. “I would never give up on you. Of course I agreed to be your mate. And we saved each other.”
“I used to think fate was being cruel to me. Giving me the one person I could never have. Now I know the truth. It gave me everything. I just had to fight for it. You are my most important mission, and I’ll spend the rest of my life ensuring it’s successful.”
“We’ll do it together.” My words were a promise I knew we would keep. Because we didn’t just save each other from Vince. We saved each other with our love every day.