Before she could let loose those wails, he reached up and wrapped his fingers gently around her neck, then slid his hand up until he was gripping her jaw and turned her face to the side. His mouth was there, waiting for hers, and he crushed their lips together just in time to muffle any loud noises she would have made. His tongue tangled with hers, her body clenching around his shaft as she came and he continued to plunge into her from behind—fast and hard and deep.
God, he wasn’t going to last long, either. She was so hot, so uninhibited, and he was suddenly overwhelmed by the depth of his feelings for her, that he could want and need and love someone as much as he did Katrina. So openly and completely. She owned his heart. She was the other half of his soul. And he never wanted to live his life without her in it.
The thought sent a heated rush of adrenaline surging through him, triggering an orgasm that was so intense that he was grateful that Katrina’s mouth stifled his own hoarse shouts that would have reverberated off the walls if he hadn’t still been kissing her.
It took them both a little while to recover, but eventually he moved away from her to take care of the condom. She turned around to face him as she pushed down the hem of her skirt so it was properly back in place, but there was no denying the pink afterglow of bliss shading her complexion, or the gleam in her eyes that expressed pure sexual satisfaction.
The words I love you nearly came tumbling out of Mason’s mouth at that moment, but he caught them just in time. As badly as he wanted to share that declaration, he didn’t want it to happen in his office after a round of possessive sex, no matter how good it had been for both of them. He wanted them to be alone and him completely focused on Katrina when he revealed his feelings for the first time. He wanted the moment to be special and memorable. She deserved that.
She tucked in her blouse where it had come loose, a sexy smile on her lips. “If I’m going to get in trouble like this every time I smile at another man, it might happen more often.”
“You’re a goddamn tease,” he said, grinning back at her.
She didn’t deny it. “Can I have my panties back, please?”
“No.” Her mouth dropped open, and it took effort for him not to laugh. “Consider it part of your punishment, baby.” He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her skirt, pulled her to him, and brushed his mouth against hers. “I want you to feel those handprints on your ass every time your skirt brushes against your bottom, or you sit down, and without any panties on for the rest of the day, you’ll be sure to remember who you belong to, and that you’re mine.”
He’d been just about to kiss her again when someone knocked on the door. Startled by the interruption, Katrina jumped back, her eyes wide and her face coloring with embarrassment at the realization of how close they’d been to getting caught.
“Mason?” Jasmine called from the other side of the door, and turned the knob, only to find it wouldn’t open.
“Yes?” he responded casually, while Katrina looked mortified, because there was only one reason they’d lock the door with both of them inside the office.
“There’s someone here to see you,” the other girl said.
“I’ll be right out.” Mason had about a half hour before his next appointment, so he assumed it was a product vendor, which happened all the time.
He waited a solid minute to make sure Jasmine was gone before he spoke to Katrina again. “Are you okay?” For as much as he’d enjoyed what had just happened, he wanted to make sure she was fine before he left.
She arched a sassy brow. “Why, do I look like I’ve just been screwed?”
Screwed was a word he would have used in the past to describe a meaningless fling, but right now, in this moment with Katrina, it wasn’t a connotation he wanted related to her at all. “No, you look absolutely beautiful,” he said, and meant it. He’d given her that flush on her face, that dreamy look in her eyes, and he was damned proud of it.
“I’ll leave first and you can come out whenever you’re ready,” he said, and gave her a quick kiss on her lips before heading out of the office.
Chapter Twelve
Needing time to gather her emotions and her composure, Katrina sat down in the leather chair behind Mason’s desk. She honestly didn’t care who suspected that they’d just indulged in a little afternoon quickie, but she appreciated that Mason cared enough to make sure that she was okay.
So much had changed between the two of them in the three weeks since they’d returned from Vegas. They’d gone from best friends to lovers to something that was beginning to feel a lot more intimate and permanent. She finally felt like she was in a really good place with Mason, and she couldn’t be happier—even if there was a tiny part of her that was still guarded about their relationship.
It wasn’t as though Mason had done anything to make her feel insecure. No, it was her own stupid doubts and uncertainties that kept rearing their ugly head with questions she had no answers for. Like, would Mason get tired of her and realize he preferred being single because that’s all he’d ever known and she’d be left with a shattered heart? Or, was he ready for something more committed, like marriage, and then a family, or was that not even on his radar? And most importantly, was he capable of loving her as more than just an intimate friend?
She’d like to believe that was possible, that in time he’d realize she was a woman he could spend his life with. She didn’t doubt his sincerity in this relationship, and she knew that he cared deeply for her, but there were always those fears that kept her cautious with her heart, when she wanted so badly to tell him how she felt—that she’d loved him for years. Unsure of where he was emotionally, she wasn’t prepared to take that risk. Nor did she want to put him on the spot and force him to say something he wasn’t ready to admit or say back.
So, for now, she was trying to just enjoy the excitement of having Mason’s attention, of knowing that she was the woman he brought home every night and slept with. Even though she’d been in love with him for so long, she had to take into consideration that this whole relationship thing was new for Mason, and she needed to give everything time. She’d already seen a huge change in him in the past two weeks, and as much as she appreciated Blake Cavanaugh’s job offer, she’d given him a call and declined the position. He’d been disappointed, but let her know that if she ever changed her mind, the job offer would still stand.
Right now, she was content. Her issues about working at Inked, and looking for another job, had never been about wanting something more, but rather had been a result of her inner conflict with Mason and how difficult it had become to work around him day after day. But that was no longer a problem, and she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Figuring that enough time had passed that she could slip out of the office without all eyes on her, she headed back into the main area of the shop, all too aware of the fact that she had no panties on, and that they were still in Mason’s pocket. He was so bad, in the very best way, and she couldn’t deny that she liked him knowing and thinking about her being completely bare beneath the skirt. By the time they got to his place tonight, he’d undoubtedly be hot and bothered and would probably pin her against the nearest wall the moment they walked into his house.
She shivered at the delightful, sexy thought as she glanced over at Mason’s station. He was talking to a big, buff-looking guy with broad shoulders, tattooed arms, and sandy-blond hair that was cropped close along the sides—she couldn’t see the man’s face since he was turned away from her—but the happy, expressive look on Mason’s face and the occasional laugh she heard told Katrina that it was someone he knew.
Before Katrina reached the front counter to talk to Jasmine, Mason called out to get her attention. “Katrina, come on over here,” he said enthusiastically. “You’ll never guess who’s back in town.”
Curious to know who the person was that Mason was so excited about, she started toward his station. As she stepped into the cubicle, the man turned around, and when Katrina looked up at his face, she came to an abrupt, apprehensive stop a few feet away from him.
Everything inside of her flashed hot, then ice seemed to run through her veins as she met Connor Stevens’s cool gray eyes. The man who’d been one of Mason’s friends in high school. The guy who’d sexually assaulted her right before graduation, without remorse or guilt or an ounce of regret. No, instead, he’d called her a whore and a tramp, had told her she’d asked for it, then threatened her so she’d never tell a soul what had happened.