Page 112 of Finding Us
“And you broke my heart when you deserted me.”
“I never deserted you.”
“Really? What would you call it then?”
I puff out a breath of air. “I’m sorry if you feel like I did.”
He takes a step back. “If you’ll excuse me, there’s a bottle of Jack waiting for me. Oh, and thanks for the jellybeans.”
He goes to close the door, so I quickly raise my arm, stopping it. “Please don’t ride yourself off. Do you really want your son to see you like that?”
“No, I don’t, but I need to do something to get all this messed up shit out of my head, and since I no longer have you to lose myself in, alcohol is the next best thing.”
Before I even think it through, the words, “Let me help you with that,” fall from my mouth.
He arches a brow. “Are you telling me you’re willing to take one for the team, Red?”
“If that’s what you need, then yes.”
“Come on in then,” he says without hesitation, and I may be making a huge mistake by doing this, but I care enough to do whatever is needed to ease his pain.
I tentatively follow him inside and stand back when he crosses the room and places the jar of jellybeans on the coffee table, then plonks himself down onto the lounge. The bottle of Jack Daniels sitting in front of him is already missing a third of its contents. There is no glass beside it, so I can only presume he’s been drinking it straight from the bottle.
“How did you manage to get your hands on so many red jellybeans?” he asks, eyeing the jar.
“I cleaned out every Woolworths and Coles within a thirty-kilometre radius.”
“What did you do with the other colours?”
“I have a lifetime supply in my apartment.”
He nods his head. “I appreciate the effort you went to. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
There’s a brief silence before he speaks again. “Are you just going to stand there all afternoon, or are you going to come over here and sit on my lap?” He sits up straighter in his seat, spreads his legs a little wider, and taps his open palm against his thick thigh. “Don’t be shy, Red.” I take a tentative step forward, followed closely by another one. Despite my reservations about us, I still hunger for this man. He lifts his hand, crooking his forefinger. “Keep coming.”
The second I’m within reach, he leans forward, capturing me around the waist and dragging me down onto his lap.
“Hi,” I squeak, because I don’t know what else to say.
Mason shakes his head and chuckles. “You’re still as adorable as ever, but I think we’ve already covered the pleasantries. Now I want to know what you’re going to do to help me forget?”
“Any suggestions?”
He brings his face forward, and his eyes track the movement of his thumb as he drags down my bottom lip. “We could start with a kiss.”
The air around us crackles as our gazes lock. Our mouths are mere inches apart, but neither of us make the move to join them. The anticipation of being with him like this again has all the nerve endings throughout my body pinging to life. Nobody can make me feel as alive as this man does.
My hand moves to affectionately skim over his hair. Despite him giving me his full attention, I can see how troubled and dejected he is by the things he learnt today.
“Kiss me, Red,” he pleads, in a voice that feels like warm syrup running over my skin.
I inch my face forward, and by the time our lips connect, my eyelids have drifted closed. Mason’s big, strong hands move from my waistline to cup my jaw, so he can tilt my head back sightly and deepen the kiss. This kiss is so profound, so sensual, I feel it right down to the tip of my toes.
I’m still sitting sideways on one of Mason’s legs, but he effortlessly maneuverers me until I’m straddling his waist. His hands clutch my hips, dragging my lower body down to meet his, and I can feel his hardness through his jeans. I ache for this man.
He groans into my mouth when I grind myself against him. Gripping my ponytail, he tugs my head back as his lips move to my neck. “Don’t mark me.”
