Page 24 of Raised On It (Between the Pines #1)

Mason

T he whirring of activity in the kitchen stirs me awake, my body stretching along with the smile spreading across my face. I’m used to finding myself alone in my bed each morning, but I was so looking forward to waking up in Miles’ arms.

Clank…clank…clank.

Tap…tap…tap.

Ah, the sounds of Sweet Lou’s dog tag clanking against his collar while his toenails tap on the hardwood floors. Miles may not be in my bed, but both of the boys are still here. I can’t think of a better way to wake up. Well, Miles on the pillow next to me wouldn’t be so bad either.

Stretching my arms above my head, I arch my back on a lazy yawn when the rich smell of fresh coffee brewing hits my senses. As if the morning wasn’t looking bright already, knowing Miles is the kitchen making himself at home has my smile growing to the point of painful.

He didn’t leave.

He also didn’t “sleep” with me.

Eastlyn isn’t forever, but for right now, it’s pretty great.

I’m happy.

Because of him.

I can think of one thing that would make me a bit happier, but he did give plenty.

Flashes of last night zip through my head like a kaleidoscope of pleasure.

The memory of his gentle caresses mixed with flicks of his tongue and everything else he did with his hands led to more pleasure than I can ever remember having in one night.

I’m afraid I’m going to get used to the way he makes me feel, and then I’ll be back to sleeping alone in a matter of weeks.

But for now, I’m here, in Eastlyn, and I deserve to feel good.

To be happy.

Enough lying around. He stayed over, and he’s apparently made coffee, and I do believe I smell bacon sizzling on the stove.

That bacon has to be one of two reasons the toenails of a certain German shepherd are tap-dancing on the wood floors in the kitchen.

That and the presence of his daddy. Last night, he made me want to do a little dance or two too.

I throw on my robe and tiptoe to the bathroom, praying I get there to brush my teeth and clean up before I say good morning.

When I reach the safety of the bathroom, I quickly pile my hair on top of my head in a messy bun that doesn’t look much better than the mess that was hanging down my back, but it’s my go-to, and I might as well keep it real.

I can barely brush my teeth through the smile looking back at me in the mirror.

Trying to sneak into the kitchen is next to impossible with Lou around. He’s waiting for me in the hallway when I step out of the bathroom, and before I’ve even rounded the corner to the kitchen, Miles is greeting me.

“Morning, babe!” he yells from the stove.

God, I love when he calls me that.

Hi, my name is Mason, I’m thirty-three years old and still feel like a teenager when the guy I’m crushing on calls me babe.

“Morning. You’re up early.”

And you don’t have a shirt on.

More flashes of last night bounce around my head, and my fingers tingle remembering the feel of his skin on my fingertips after touching every inch of him I could reach last night.

“Yeah, sorry about that. It’s one of the many drawbacks of having sleepovers with a farmer. Or someone who grew up in the life anyway.” He smiles that charming smile of his and flips a sizzling piece of bacon in the pan.

“As long as I get the sleepovers, I’m pretty sure I can handle the early mornings.”

Shaking his head with a chuckle, he turns the dial on the stove and rests his spatula on the counter. Before I know what’s happening, he marches right toward me and kisses me with a furious passion.

He’s taking possession of me, and I want him to possess me.

Every piece of me.

I’ve written about my characters feeling this way, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually felt it myself. I get it now, only it’s a stronger emotion than I really ever knew.

I don’t even blink when his hands grab my backside so he can lift me on the counter to intensify our connection. Our hands are all over each other just like they were last night.

I’ve fallen under his spell.

There’s no way he’s feeling what I’m feeling, right?

I’m sure he has sleepovers all the time. Mornings after are more than likely the norm for him .

But then again, we didn’t have sex, so is this really a morning after?

Does he do this for the women he hasn’t slept with?

Why didn’t we have sex?

Technically, Katie was right. He did get in my panties, but I think she would be surprised to learn the deed wasn’t actually done.

Gah! Why am I in my head asking myself a million questions when his lips are on mine?

Just as I focus on his lips, he pulls them from mine, holding my face in his rough hands and leans his forehead against mine.

“You can have as many sleepovers as you want, City Mouse.”

Great, now I’m thinking how many sleepovers he’s had and with how many different women he’s had them with. Yuck.

He lifts an eyebrow and tilts his head, curious why I’ve had a sudden change of mood, but he doesn’t push.

“You stay there. I have to finish breakfast.”

“I can help.”

“No way, I want to feed you.”

Before he turns the stove back on, he pours me a cup of coffee. “Milk and sugar?”

“Yes, please.”

He makes my coffee with almost as much of the finesse he puts into the kiss he burns onto my cheek when he hands me my cup and gets back to his cooking.

As I watch him back at the stovetop, his pace seems a bit frantic. He’s fumbling with the spatula as he tries to flip the contents of his pan, whereas minutes ago, he was sure-handed and seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

I sure hope my anxiousness hasn’t rubbed off on him. If it has, it’s my responsibility to make him feel better.

“So whatcha making?” I offer from my perch on the counter. “You sure I can’t help with anything? ”

He looks up from the stove, and his eyes are trying to tell me so many things, but I have no idea what.

“No, I have this.” He turns, making himself at home. Taking eggs out of the fridge, he places the carton on the counter, opens it, and then just stares at it for a beat, searching for what’s next, and I’m wondering the same.

What exactly is next?

“Over easy okay?”

“Perfect.”

“Great.” He turns and pushes the switch on the toaster before returning to the eggs.

This is when he starts talking at a furious pace.

“Listen, I have to be honest with you, Mason.”

Here it comes.

He’s going to tell me he’s really into me, but he just doesn’t do the commitment thing, and I’ll pretend it’s no big deal since I’m leaving soon, and I’m fine with just having some fun.

I should have known better.

If you listen closely to the silence between his sentences, you can hear a faint hissing sound. This would be the sound of my heart deflating. I should be telling myself I didn’t want this to begin with. I’ve been with his type before, and it’s better to get it over with now.

I hop off the counter and take a seat at the kitchen table. Feeling a bit more grounded may serve me better.

Miles releases the giant breath he’d been holding.

Here we go.

“I’ve slept with a lot of women.”

Not what I expected.

“So I’ve heard.”

He tilts his head with a grin. “Like I’ve said…I’ve slept with a lot of women, and here I am still single. I want to get this right, and that’s why I’m going about things…well, you, differently. ”

He runs his hands through his unruly blond waves, almost as messy as my insides are feeling.

“Shit, I don’t even know what I’m saying.

This is a first for me, Mase. I’ve wanted to feel this and wondered when it would happen.

” He glances up at me and takes another deep breath and then focuses back on the stove.

“I know you were expecting more last night, and babe, you have to believe me when I say I wanted to give it to you. But, dammit, Mason. I. Will. Get. This. Right.”

He flips the eggs, and my insides do the same.

“I know you're here to write your book, and I know I’m not your typical reader base, but I’m pretty sure most of your stories have a happy ending, am I right?”

Stunned silent, all I can do is nod.

“Well, I want to be sure we have our happy ending too.” He plates our food and joins me at the table, setting our meals in front of each of us.

I certainly don’t want to offend him, but there’s no way I can eat right now. My hands are shaking while my insides quiver in excitement and anticipation.

“Mason, I’ve been waiting thirty years for you to find me.

And thank God, you finally have. You took your time, but you’re here.

I’ve been happily playing your tour guide, and yes, I wanted to show you around town and make you fall in love with Eastlyn, but more importantly, I wanted to show you me.

I need you to know everything about me, Mason, and that’s why we need to wait until I’ve shown you everything there is to know about me.

I know you’ve heard what everyone around town says about me.

You know…charming, the ladies love me, and I’m a beast between the sheets.

Of course, it’s all true, I mean look at me, there’s nothing I can do about it. ”

“You’re an idiot.”

He’s not. He’s only adding humor to lighten the mood. Like the girls said at the shop my first week here, Miles is always the person to take care of everyone else. To make sure everyone feels comfortable.

“Also true.” Reaching across the table and touching his fingertips with mine, he continues with another heart-stopping statement. “Not sure if you’ve caught on or not, but the thing is…I’m your idiot.”

“You are?” I ask around my heart, which is currently stuck in my throat.

“I’m afraid you’ve been stuck with me since night one. Mason, you were mine the moment you walked into The Verdict. You may not have known it, but I sure as hell did.”

“You did?”

“I did.”

“How?”

“It’s the crackle. There’s no denying it.”

“The crackle?”

“You heard me right. You know that thing that fills the air when we’re both in the same room. You might call it a buzz or some sort of an energy, but there’s no way you can deny it. In my head, I’ve been calling it the crackle.”

“You’ve named it?”

“Don’t feel bad that I named it before you had a chance to. Now eat and later, we’ll take a little field trip. I have one last thing to share with you.”