Page 13

Cora

“Hey, baby. Something wrong?”

Staring, slack-jawed, at the scene unfolding in front of me, I couldn’t even focus on Mason’s voice. When Javier, or Shade as everyone apparently called him, and I walked into Ocean Palms, I’d expected the usual routine of signing in with Charlie, heading up to Aunt Connie’s apartment, maybe having a cup of coffee while we caught up, and then going back to Mason’s.

What I hadn’t expected was for my aunt’s face to light up like a teenager spotting her high school crush in the hallway when she locked eyes on Mason’s grandfather.

“Javier Sosa,” she’d purred. Yes, she actually purred while smoothing her silver-streaked blonde hair. “It’s been... what? Forty years?”

“Forty-two, Consuelo,” he’d answered with a smile that took twenty years off his weathered face. “You’re still as beautiful as ever.”

And now they were flirting. FLIRTING!

My seventy-year-old aunt was batting her eyelashes at Mason’s grandfather while he leaned against her kitchen counter looking like some silver fox biker from an AARP calendar.

“Hello? Cora?” Mason’s concerned voice penetrated my horrified trance.

“Your grandfather is hitting on my aunt,” I blurted, unable to tear my eyes away from the train wreck of senior citizen seduction happening three feet away from me. “She’s giggling. And they’re touching each other’s arms. Now she’s offering to show him her... knitting room.”

Mason’s deep chuckle rumbled through the phone. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

“Mason! This is not funny. They’re practically undressing each other with their eyes!” I whisper-hissed, the geriatric love-fest making me more uncomfortable by the second. “I think your grandfather just winked at her. Who even winks anymore? And oh my god, are those finger guns? Did he just shoot finger guns at my aunt?”

“Sounds like the old man still has some game,” Mason replied, amusement thick in his voice.

I moved out into the living room and snapped into the receiver, “Game? GAME? They’re too old for... for... whatever this is!” I gestured wildly with my free hand, even though Mason couldn’t see it.

“I’m old, not dead, honey,” Aunt Connie called over her shoulder, proving her hearing was still annoyingly perfect. “And neither is Javier.”

Shade winked at her again. Seriously, with the winking. Then he said something in Spanish that made my aunt giggle like a schoolgirl.

“Oh god, now they’re speaking Spanish to each other. This is a nightmare,” I groaned, covering my face with my hand.

Mason’s laughter filled my ear, rich and deep, and despite my horror at watching my aunt’s golden girl romance blossom before my eyes, I felt my lips tip up. Mason didn’t laugh enough. He was always so serious, carrying the weight of his club and who knew what else on his broad shoulders.

“Let them have their fun, baby,” he said, his voice softening. “Life’s too short for regrets.”

We both knew how true that was, but, I glanced over at Connie and Shade. “That’s easy for you to say, honey. You don’t have to watch the woman who raised you make goo-goo eyes at a man who probably has boots older than you.”

That earned me another laugh. “I’ve got to handle some business here, but I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Fine,” I sighed dramatically. “But if I come home with emotional trauma from witnessing more of this senior citizen foreplay, you’re paying for my therapy.”

“Deal,” he agreed, still chuckling before turning more serious and adding, “Stay with Shade. I mean it, Cora.”

“I will. Be careful with... whatever you’re doing.”

After we hung up, I turned back to find Aunt Connie pouring three cups of tea—actual tea, not the special tea she usually offered, which included a hefty shot of bourbon.

“So,” Connie said with a mischievous grin. “You and Javier’s grandson, hmm?”

“Don’t change the subject,” I countered, crossing my arms. “You and Javier, hmm?”

Shade grinned, settling into one of Aunt Connie’s floral armchairs as if he’d been visiting for years. “Your niece is feisty, Consuelo. Reminds me of you in the old days.”

“The old days?” I repeated, accepting the cup of tea Aunt Connie pressed into my hands. “You two knew each other... before?”

“Oh, honey,” Aunt Connie waved her hand dismissively. “Everyone knew everyone in Jacksonville in the sixties.”

“Especially if they were as beautiful as your aunt,” Shade added smoothly, raising his teacup in a toast.

I groaned loudly as Aunt Connie’s cheeks blushed.

This was going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

Shade’s sleek black Cadillac pulled up in front of Mason’s beach house just after noon. Both Mason’s motorcycle and his truck were parked outside, which sent an unexpected flutter through my stomach.

“Thank you for the ride,” I said, gathering my purse. “And for... entertaining my aunt.”

Shade’s eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, just like Mason’s. “My pleasure entirely, Cora. You tell my grandson to take good care of you, or he’ll have me to answer to.”

I felt my cheeks heat as a warm feeling settled in my belly. “I’ll let him know.”

After saying goodbye, I jogged up the steps and let myself in.

Mason was kicked back on the couch, one arm stretched along the back, a beer dangling from his fingertips. The moment his eyes lifted to mine, something in his expression shifted. Those dark eyes I loved so much raked across me from head to toe.

“Hey,” I said, suddenly feeling breathless.

His eyes locked onto mine as he set his beer on the coffee table, climbed to his feet, and closed the distance between us.

“Hey,” he growled.

Before I realized what was happening, he slipped his arms around my waist and captured my mouth in a kiss that made my toes curl.

Holy. Wow.

I held on tight as his hands slid down to my bottom and pulled me tighter against him.

“Mason,” I moaned.

He swept his tongue into my mouth and I melted against him, fingers clutching at his shoulders.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard.

“Missed you,” he murmured against my lips.

My heart warmed with his admission.

“I was only gone for a few hours.” Though, truthfully, I’d missed him too.

Mason glanced down at his watch. “We’ve got about two hours until the kid gets home.”

I felt my cheeks get warm. I’d never had a man be as blunt as Mason.

Catching my reaction, Mason growled low. “Oh, baby. You have no idea what that blush does to me.”

His eyes lit up, and then he pounced.

“Mason,” I squealed when he dipped low, gripped onto my thighs, and hoisted me off my feet.

Instinctively, my arms went around his neck and my legs around his waist, my feet locking tightly. “Have you lost your mind?” I laughed against his mouth.

There was a predatory gleam in his eyes. “Long time ago, babe. But you’re stuck with me now.”

He had no idea how okay I was with that.

“I think you need to take me to bed, honey.” I pressed my lips to his and ground my center against the bulge in his jeans.

My man didn’t need to be told twice. He carried me down the hallway to his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind us.

When he set me on my feet beside the bed, his hands immediately went to the hem of my shirt. “Let me see you.”

I raised my arms, and he lifted the material up and over my head, tossing it aside. His eyes were blazing as they roamed over my lace-covered breasts. He lifted his hand and traced the edge of my bra with his fingers.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, reaching behind me to unhook the clasp.

As the material fell away, he cupped my breasts in his large hands. I shivered at his touch, wet pooling between my thighs.

“Mason,” I breathed, reaching for the hem of his t-shirt. I needed to feel his skin against mine.

He helped me to pull his shirt off, revealing the dark ink that decorated his muscular chest and arms. He was the one who was beautiful. Tracing the intricate designs with my fingertips, I marveled at the way his muscles jumped beneath my touch.

His hands moved to the button of my shorts, popping it open and slowly sliding down the zipper. “These need to go,” he said, pushing the fabric down my legs.

Yes. They definitely did.

I stepped out of the denim, now wearing only the lacy boyshorts that matched my discarded bra. With a hum deep in his throat, Mason’s hands skimmed up my thighs, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

Needing to see him too, I reached for his belt, but he caught my wrists gently.

“Not yet,” he said, his deep voice sending shivers down my spine. “Let me take care of you first.”

Hands on my hips, he moved me back until my knees hit the edge of the bed. Then gently he pushed me down onto the mattress. I watched, breathless, as he knelt down between my spread legs.

“Been thinking about this all day,” he confessed, hooking his fingers into the waistband of my panties and dragging them slowly off my legs.

I trembled with anticipation as he trailed kisses up the inside of my thigh, his breath hot against my sensitive skin. When his mouth finally closed over my center, I was dripping wet.

“Oh god,” I moaned as his tongue circled my clit before dipping lower and spearing inside me.

His rough hands gripped my thighs firmly to keep my legs from clamping around his head as he explored every inch of me.

The feeling of his stubble against my tender skin and the wet heat of his tongue lapping at my center had me breathing harder. I was so close.

“Mason, please,” I begged, not entirely sure what I was asking for, but positive I needed more.

He seemed to understand, sliding one thick finger inside me while he sucked my clit into his mouth.

“Ah!” I cried out.

He added a second finger, curling them and hitting that spot that sent pleasure sparking through me.

“That’s it, baby,” he encouraged, his voice vibrating against my center. “Give it to me.”

My eyes closed, and fireworks exploded behind my eyelids as the orgasm shot through me like a rocket.

Before I could even catch my breath, Mason was on his feet stripping off his jeans and boxers.

Through slitted eyes, I watched him stroke his massive cock. “I need you.”

Holding my stare, he climbed onto the bed and crawled up my body like a lion hunting his prey until we were face to face. “You’re so fucking perfect,” he said, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer until I could feel the hard length of him pressing against my pussy. “Please, Mason. I need you inside me,” I whispered, rocking my hips against him.

“Look at me,” he demanded, positioning himself at my entrance. “I want to see your face when I fill you up.”

I locked eyes with him as he pushed forward.

He was so big. I was so full. Gasping, I clutched at his shoulders.

When he was fully seated, he paused, giving me time to adjust.

“So fucking tight,” he groaned, his arms trembling from the effort of holding back.

“Move,” I urged, digging my heels into his lower back. “Please, Mason, I need?—”

Pulling back his hips, he cut me off with a deep thrust that had us both moaning.

“You feel that, baby?” His voice was rough as he held my gaze. “Feel how perfect we fit together? Your pussy was made for me.”

God, I loved it when he talked dirty while we made love. Another rush of heat blazed through me.

“Yes,” I gasped, meeting each of his thrusts with a roll of my hips. “Only for you.”

His pace increased, and the sound of our skin slapping together filled the room. I could feel the pressure building again as another climax rapidly approached.

“That’s it,” he encouraged, his rhythm becoming more erratic as his own release neared. “Come for me again, Cora. Let me feel your tight little pussy squeeze my cock.”

He thrust harder. Once, twice, and again until I was sent soaring over the edge, shattering into a million pieces.

“Fuck,” Mason hissed, burying himself deep.

I don’t know how long we lay tangled together, our hearts racing and bodies slick with sweat. Mason’s weight was heavy on top of me, but I didn’t care. I loved the feel of being pinned beneath him.

When his cock slipped free, he rolled to the side, pulling me with him. “So,” he said finally, a teasing lilt in his voice. “Shade and your aunt, huh?”

I laughed, burying my face in his neck to hide my blush. “Oh, god, Mason! Don’t remind me. It was traumatizing.”

His chest shook as he laughed. “The old man’s been alone a long time. Good for him.”

“I guess,” I conceded, tracing patterns on his abs with my fingertips. “It’s just weird to think of them... you know.”

“What? Fucking?” he said bluntly, grinning when I smacked his chest.

“You’re terrible,” I complained, though I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.

“And you love it,” he countered, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

Lying there in his arms, feeling light and happy, I knew for sure that I was in love with him.

“We should probably get cleaned up before Beckett gets home,” I said reluctantly, making no move to leave his arms.

Mason tightened his hold on me. “Five more minutes,” he murmured, burying his face in my hair. “Then shower. Together. To save water.”

I laughed softly, settling back against him. “Of course. For conservation purposes only.”

“Exactly,” he agreed, though his eyes were dancing with mischief.

Five minutes turned into twenty, and our “water-saving” shower ended up using far more than if we’d showered separately.

And I didn’t regret a single moment.