The sublime release.
A perfect woman.
He let go of her knee and collapsed onto her, barely remembering to catch his weight on his forearms. He kissed the tip of her nose. “How’s your back, baby?”
Her face scrunched. “I hadn’t noticed until you said something.”
He eased back and stood beside the bed. “Roll to your side,” he said before leaving to deal with the condom. When he returned, he smiled to see she’d done as he’d instructed. He loved it when a sub trusted him enough to do what he’d asked without question. It might seem barbaric to those on the outside, but he was man enough to admit how precious a gift that was.
How precious she was becoming to him.
As he watched her from a few feet away, he couldn’t help how right this felt to him. How perfect she fit. He swallowed as his heart pounded while looking at her. The feeling in his chest was so strong it was getting difficult for him to breathe.
God, he was falling in love with her. He ran a hand through his hair, debating what he should do about that. Could he love her and not have her?
No. No, he couldn’t, but that didn’t change his circumstances.
His feet were cold by the time he crawled back into bed, so he was careful not to touch her with them. She turned to him, and he wrapped his arms around her. They still hadn’t talked about things, but she was already breathing heavily, almost asleep. He couldn’t put it off past tomorrow. The longer he waited, the harder it’d be. There was only one way he could ensure they cleared the air before he did any more damage to his heart.
“Spend tomorrow with me,” he whispered into her hair.
She stirred and blinked up at him. “Don’t you have to work?”
“You’re more important.”
She took longer than his comfort level preferred before responding. Then she smiled slowly. “Okay.”
He stole a kiss because he couldn’t help himself, relief and something else burrowing inside of him. Tomorrow, they would talk and make some decisions about what was happening between them.
Tonight, he would hold her.
Chapter Fifteen
Shelby stretched sore muscles, a feeling of comfort and happiness blanketing her as she awoke.
Not in her bed.
She shot up and gaped at her surroundings, but it didn’t take long before it all came flooding back, aided by the slight pain from last night’s whipping. Nothing like a flash of reality to lift the sleepy fog from her brain.
Moving off the bed, she tested her muscles and her lightly aching back. Hmmm…not too bad. After what she’d gone through, she expected more stiffness or even downright agony. The whipping had hurt like a mo-fo. There was no preparing for something like that. It had been blinding pain from the moment Emory had started…until Mason had shown up.
Mason.
She glanced around the room only to find that she was alone. It was dark, no light shining in from outside. The clock confirmed the insanely early hour. Where was Mason? Did he leave the bed after she’d fallen asleep? Had she slept alone all night?
Her heart fell as she accepted that possibility. She’d been too worn out and had literally crashed after he’d made love to her.
Made love? Oh crap. She couldn’t think of it like that, no matter how caring he’d seemed last night.
And he had. God, he’d treated her with kid gloves. Not even that…he’d handled her as if she’d been precious to him. But she’d been through a difficult scene and needed tending to. Had it all been a reaction to some obligation he felt toward her, nothing more? If so, it made sense why he wouldn’t sleep in the same bed as her. Besides, he didn’t want a relationship. He’d made that perfectly clear, so why would he feel compelled to hold her all night?
But he’d asked her to spend the day with him. She felt so confused. Asking her to spend time with him had to mean something, right?
It doesn’t matter, dumb ass. He’s a mark. She shook her head to clear it as she looked for something to put on. She wasn’t wearing the costume she’d worn last night. Hell no. She needed to get dressed in something more comfortable and call Viola. Mason wanted to spend the day with her—regardless of his reason—and she had to report in to let her team know she wouldn’t be at the office. Viola was the only one she could risk contacting, and knowing her, she would track Shelby’s every move today. She was a-okay with that. She was too conflicted to be left to her own devices.
Mason was an enigma. She couldn’t begin to guess what he had planned for today. Knowing Viola had her back would make this easier. It would be even easier if she knew what Mason was thinking because she really had no idea.
Maybe he’s falling for me? She cursed her speeding heart. She couldn’t afford anything like that. She was already too connected to him, and this wasn’t a normal situation. If he wanted her beyond their four scenes, she would have to…what? Hell, she didn’t know, and that was the problem, one of many, actually. What she did know was that she liked him. A lot. Too much. Way too much. Then again, Rick would probably like it if Mason was enamored with her. Her boss didn’t give a shit about her love life.
Love? Oh hell. This was all kinds of messed up…because she was well and truly falling in love with him. Mason, a man who’d stolen her heart faster than any other before him. A man who might be a murderer.
If her boss found out, he’d sack her. If her brother found out, he’d go AWOL just so he could toss her in a room and stand guard outside of it twenty-four-seven. If more powerful people found out, she’d be put under a
