The tip of his erection slid against her wetness, teasing her, making her hips move to try and get to him. But he wouldn’t let her. Instead, he took himself in his hand and slowly moved the tip up and down and all around her sensitive outer skin, making her moan and burn for what she didn’t have.
Him inside her.
She couldn’t take anymore. Her hand went to his, her lips against his. “Now, Mason. No more teasing.”
Her hips arched and, before he could stop her, she pressed him inside, taking him, as they moaned together. Sliding down his length, her arms wrapped around him, hugging him tighter, to take him deeper.
“Mason,” she whispered, not sure if it was in her head or out loud. Not caring. They kissed frantically, passionately, their bodies moving in a steady, growing pace.
His hand caressed her breasts.
Her hand stroked his back.
Their bodies pressed together.
And when the passion was so high she couldn’t think, she could only cry out, she shattered. Her eyes squeezed shut as his body moved inside her, making each spasm seem more intense.
She knew when he joined her, over the edge, into the fire.
He shuddered and moaned and called her name.
Sated and exhausted, she clung to him, not wanting to let go.
* * * * *
Asleep, her long blonde hair spread like silky gold on the pillow, she snuggled deeper into the pillow and sighed. A smile on his lips, Mason gently pulled the blanket down to view the creamy white perfection of her naked body.
He ran his finger down her back and over the curve of her round, pert butt. She made a soft sound but didn’t wake. Their lovemaking had been dynamic and lengthy. Each time he thought he was sated, he wanted her again. And again. Like now. He was hard just looking at her.
As much as he knew he should leave her alone, he wasn’t sure he could. She was his mate. The need to see the confirmation was ripe. The proof that couldn’t be disputed, the Arion star. Gently he moved his hand to her hair, brushing it aside to expose her neck.
He sucked in a breath. There, on the back of her neck, was the Arion star. His mark. Seeing the proof evoked powerful feelings of possessiveness, desire and other things he was afraid to examine too closely.
The need to be inside her, to take her, right then and there, was like a raging flame. He moved between her legs, kissing the star as he pressed his body against hers. His mouth and hands were greedy, touching and tasting.
Slipping his hands beneath her he cupped her breast, tweaking her nipples with his fingers as he dipped his tongue into her ear.
Holly moaned, arching her soft curves against him. “Mason.” It was but a whisper, but it was heavy with passion, making him hotter and wilder.
“Open for me, Angel. Let me in,” he said hoarsely, nudging her thighs further apart and using his hands to pull her hips up for better access.
He slid his fingers between her legs. “Nice and wet,” he said with satisfaction as he spread the silky proof of her arousal, caressing her sensitive flesh. Gently—but not too much so—he pressed two fingers inside her, making her gasp and then sigh.
“I want inside you,” he said, moving his throbbing dick to press against her swollen flesh, teasing them both as he wet the tip with her fluid.
“Now, Mason. Now,” Holly demanded.
He didn’t need more encouragement, sinking into her with a deep thrust that reached her core. He pushed until his hips framed her round bottom. Pulling her hips up further, he moved in yet deeper, surging in and out of her with slow, even motions.
Knowing Holly was his other half.
With each move, each touch and taste, his need grew well beyond the physical. Together they rode the wave of passion and, when he spilled himself inside her, he felt a rush of belonging.
And fulfillment.
He lay on top of her for long moments before rolling onto his side and pulling her tight, spoon style, against his body.
Holding her like he would never let her go.
Because it felt as if his life depended on it.
Chapter Fifteen
A loud noise startled both Mason and Holly from a deep sleep. Mason was out of the bed before Holly could even blink.
It sounded like a horn was going off. “What is it?” Holly asked, shaking her head lightly.
He was already pulling a pair of jeans from the closet. “Breach alarm. Get up and get dressed.”
Holly’s eyes went wide. “I thought it was safe here.”
“It is,” he said, jabbing one leg and then the other into his pants. Not bothering to button them, he headed toward a door Holly had thought was a closet and disappeared inside. Seconds later the alarm went off.
“Shit,” he muttered, from inside the room.
“What?” she called, desperately kicking at the covers, getting her legs twisted and panicking, kicking harder and faster. Finally, she stood naked by the bed. She had no clothes to put on. Hers were wet and dirty. Indecision lasted a few seconds before she darted to the closet, yanking a shirt off the hanger. The black T-shirt she chose went to her knees and looked more like a dress.
Mason walked out of the other room with not one, but two guns in his hands. His expression was dark and intense, his body thrumming with battle readiness. He looked like some kind of ancient warrior, shirtless, shoeless and rippling with muscles.
“Stay here,” he ordered in a clipped tone.
Her voice was urgent. “What’s going on?”
Her answer was a glimpse of his broad shoulders as he disappeared from the bedroom into the living room.
* * * * *
Mason didn’t know what in the hell was going on but he didn’t like it. He held both guns to the elevator door as it opened. Though a gun wasn’t about to kill an Arion, it would sure as hell slow one down.
The doors opened to show Sterling and Michael.
Sterling’s hand went up, stop sign fashion, the instant the door opened. “Wow! Wait, man, Michael’s with us!”
“He’s Arion,” Mason said harshly. “He’s not with us unless…maybe you’re like him now and he is with you?”
Michael stepped forward, fixing Mason in a hard stare while ignoring the guns. “He’s not the one like me. You are and we both know it.”
Mason laughed bitterly, fighting the wave of apprehension Michael’s words evoked. “I am not like you.” Without breaking eye contact with Michael, Mason spoke to Sterling. “What in the hell are you trying to prove bringing him here?”
“Michael can help us,” Sterling said, stepping off the elevator. “He’s not like the others, man, I swear. Put down the guns and hear him out.”
“This is crazy, man. You’re a fool,” Mason spat back at Sterling.
“No,” Sterling countered. “You are if you don’t listen.”
Something in Sterling’s tone, combined with Michael’s calm, watchful gaze, made Mason reconsider. Slowly, he lowered one gun. “Give me one reason to trust you,” Mason said to Michael.
There was no hesitation in Michael’s response. “You trust Sterling and he trusts me. If that is not enough, consider this. I’m alone. As you know, Arions never travel alone when going to battle.”
Sterling added, “He’s here to help. If I wasn’t certain, I would never bring him here.”
It was true, Mason trusted Sterling. He let the other gun drop to his side. “Talk,” he spat at Michael.
“Why don’t we sit down?” Sterling said, not waiting for an answer as he stepped past Mason toward the couch.
Mason and Michael stood face-to-face for long moments. “I can help you, Mason,” Michael said in a low voice, meant only for his ears.
Mason stared at Michael. He said he was like him. Was he? With a curt nod of his chin, he motioned the Arion forward. He wasn’t about to turn his back on him.
Michael walked past Mason, moving to sit on the couch where Sterling sat. Mason buttoned his pants and then inserted the guns in his waistb
and. Then he sat down in a chair directly across from Michael.
“Mason?”
Holly stood in the doorway to the bedroom, wearing only a shirt and looking worried. Surging to his feet, Mason started toward her.
“She is your mate,” Michael said as if simply acknowledging a fact.
Everyone looked at Mason. “What?” Holly asked, confused. Mason shot Michael a go-to-hell look and covered the distance between him and Holly.
He had every intention of telling her about the Arion connection they shared. On his terms. Not like this. He turned her toward the bedroom, stepping inside with her and shutting the door behind him.
“Everything is fine, Angel,” he reassured her, slipping his hands to her slim waist. “Please stay in here so I know you’re safe.”
Holly frowned. “I thought you said everything was fine.”
He hesitated. “It is.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, it will be soon. The man with Sterling could be a threat. Give me time to sort it out, okay?”
Holly’s eyes were wide with confusion and a hint of fear. “What did he mean… I’m your mate?”
He held his expression in check. Reaching out, he trailed his finger down her cheek. “Clearly we have a connection. It is easy for people who are perceptive to see what others might not.” But there was more he didn’t say and they both knew it.
Before she could respond he said, “Stay here. Please. Just until I make sure there is no danger.”
Holly nodded. He could see from the look in her eyes it was killing her to bite back the questions she wanted answered.
Mason framed her face with his hands. “You make my T-shirt look damn sexy, woman.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to prove it.”
He released her then and turned to the door. With his hand on the knob he looked at her over his shoulder. “Don’t be running around like that in front of other men.” Then he winked. His intention was to make her feel less apprehensive.
If only someone would do the same for him.
* * * * *
Mason stepped back into the living room, pulling the door shut behind him. Sterling was looking at him with an obvious question in his eyes.
Even though he knew the question, he said, “What?” It was easier than answering. He couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice.
“Does she know?” Sterling asked as Mason sat back down in the chair.
Elbows on his knees, Mason pressed two fingers to his eyes. “No. I planned to tell her.” Then he opened his eyes, fixing Michael in his gaze. “In my own way.”
“I responded out of surprise,” Michael stated though he didn’t apologize. “There is only one mate for an Arion. For you to find her is a blessing.”
“I doubt she’ll see it that way,” Mason said with a grim tone. “Besides, I am still coming to terms with the whole thing myself. I don’t see how it is possible that I have enough Arion in me to mate.”
“Of course she will,” Michael said, referencing Holly’s response to their mating. His tone was reassuring. It was the last thing Mason expected from an Arion. “She loves you.”
Mason found his guard easing with Michael. His senses told him Michael was indeed an ally. “We are offtrack. Cut to the chase. Why are you here?”
Michael went on as if Mason hadn’t spoken, answering his previous question. “You are as Arion as I am, Mason. That’s the answer to how you can mate.”
He wanted to deny it. “I can’t do the things you can do.”
“Yes,” Michael stated. “You can.”
Sterling added, “Michael says you don’t know how to harness the skills. He can teach you.”
“Why would I want that?” Mason demanded.
A muscle in Michael’s jaw jumped. “Because you are the only one who can defeat your brother. He tampered with your injections. He wanted a ruling bloodline. He thought being Arion would be enough. But it’s not. Arions aren’t evil. It’s one’s soul that is or isn’t black.”
Mason stood up, rubbing the back of his neck where tension had built. “This is not happening.”
“We have to stop him, Mason. There are other Arions who are against him. I have a team of people ready to help. You alone can defeat David, blood to blood. You have to kill your brother.”
“I thought your brother was dead.”
Mason froze. Shit. Not now. He wasn’t prepared to deal with Holly. He whirled to face her. She now wore his robe, sleeves rolled up, and it was still huge on her. “I told you to wait in the bedroom.”
Her eyes flashed. “I don’t take orders well.” Then, “I thought your brother was dead.”
“He is,” he replied flatly and then brusquely added, “To me.”
Mason averted his gaze, not able to stomach the look he knew he would see in her eyes. He hadn’t been completely honest with her. How could he tell her his brother was Arion? Hell, that he was Arion. It killed him to think of her rejection.
A long, pregnant silence filled the room. Finally, Holly said, “Sterling, is there any word on Roger?”
Sterling’s eyes went to Mason’s and held. He took his time answering, searching Mason’s expression before speaking. “Michael here,” he said, motioning with his head, “knows about Roger and the abducted woman from the news.”
Holly’s eyes narrowed marginally on Michael. “Is he…is he dead?”
Michael gave Holly a direct look. He never minced words. “The last I heard he was alive, yes, but that doesn’t mean he is now.”
Holly tilted her head to the side as she continued looking at Michael. “Your eyes, they’re black, like Mason’s and Sterling’s. Are you a Black Knight as well?”
Mason and Michael locked gazes. One of Michael’s brows inched up in silent challenge. “I was,” Michael responded to Holly but continued looking at Mason.
Her voice held a hint of trepidation. “And now?”
Mason swallowed as he forced his gaze to Holly’s, praying he was able to hide the anguish in his eyes. “Holly, I’ve asked you to wait for me in the bedroom.”
Her chin tilted up defiantly. “I’m not a child to be sent to her room.”
Michael stood. “You two need to talk. I’ll wait.” His simple statement held a deeper meaning, which Mason quickly understood. He had to deal with Holly before he could focus on the other issues.
Sterling stood as well. “We’ll wait in the security booth.”
“No,” Mason said in a sharp, but low, voice. “We’ll talk now. Holly will wait in the bedroom.” His eyes locked with Holly’s. She glared at him, fists clenched at her sides, and then, with a disgusted snort, turned and disappeared into the bedroom.
The door slammed behind her.
A pregnant silence followed.
“Well?” Mason said to the two men. “Speak up. Obviously, there is still much to discuss.”
Sterling fixed Mason in his gaze. “She’s a strong woman. She’ll understand.”
“And you need her right now,” Michael added. “Together you will be stronger.”
Mason wasn’t so sure Holly would understand. The only thing he was certain of at the moment was his need to figure out what in the hell Michael was all about. He couldn’t deal with Holly until he knew the whole big picture of matters and what risk it might subject her to.
Quietly, Mason said, “Make me understand how I can possibly be Arion.”
Mason sat on the couch with Sterling by his side, silently absorbing the details Michael relayed about the Arions and his own connection to them.
Michael’s gaze settled on Mason’s features as he concluded his story. “You are the key to fighting your brother. There are plenty ready to follow you. Now, you must decide if you are willing to rise to the challenge.”
Mason’s gaze sharpened for a fraction of a second. “Our government is what needs to be followed, not me.”
Michael gave him a hard look. “The corruption is deep, Mason. Our country has Arions deep in its co
re.”
Mason stared at him in surprise, a horrible feeling of dread filling his heart. Things were much worse than he had expected. “Since when?”
“Power feeds deceit,” Michael said with grimness to his tone. “Almost from the beginning of the Arions’ escape, there has been corruption at the top of government ranks. We need a leader who offers hope.” Michael paused. “You are that hope.”
Mason ran his hand across the back of his neck where tension was quickly building. “I would think my family ties to David would be a negative.”