Fall by Winter

“I don’t know,” he replied, at a loss. “It’s been rough. It’s not easy being me.”

A giggle slipped free, and I eased out of his embrace to get the muffins from the oven. The icing was waiting to be poured all over these treats as soon as they’d cooled down.

“I hope this doesn’t break you further,” I said carefully, “but there’s coffee ready for you.”

He sighed and hung his head, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know. It was one of the things I smelled from upstairs.”

I grinned at his theatrics and set the tray of muffins on the kitchen table.

“You clown.” I smacked his ass and reached for the plate of shredded cheese, but before I could grab it, Mason hauled me into his arms and blew a goddamn raspberry against my neck as he tickled my ribs. “Mason, I swear!” I hated being tickled, because I was So. Fucking. Ticklish! “Gah!”

He rumbled a laugh and finally ceased his torture, but he wasn’t done with me. “I thought we weren’t gonna try to be all perfect. But here you are.”

“Check out my stubbly legs,” I dared him. “I need to fix my eyebrows too, and my nails are a mess.”

He snorted and got down on one knee, where he lifted the T-shirt and pressed a kiss to my less-than-perfect stomach. “You really know what a man cares about, darlin’. Nails and eyebrows.”

My breath caught in my throat as he pulled down the boxer shorts I’d borrowed from him and kissed the spot over my pussy. My butt hit the counter, and an internal war began within me.

“God,” I exhaled. “My period’s gonna start any day now. And we don’t have time, Mason. Everyone’s gonna be here in twenty minutes.”

He hummed and teased his tongue around my clit. “I only need two.”

Not an exaggeration. I folded like a cheap suit because Mason’s tongue was…oh my God. I bit my lip and gripped the edge of the counter as he essentially made out with my pussy. He licked me softly, firmly, deeply, and then added his fingers into the mix that made it impossible to keep quiet.

I loved feeling the scruff on his chin against my smooth lips; it heightened the pleasure of every movement he made.

After a short minute, he pulled down the shorts farther and slipped one of my legs free. Then he hiked it over his shoulder and buried his face against me, simultaneously driving two fingers deep inside me.

“Oh my God,” I gasped.

“Mmm…” He sucked on my clit and swiped his tongue across it, over and over, over and over, until I was panting and moaning and begging.

“Mason,” I whimpered. “Fuck—oh, fuck!”

The sensations washed over me in several waves, and I trembled and tensed up as the climax took over.

He brought me down gently afterward, carefully withdrawing his fingers, then returning my foot to solid ground and righting my boxer shorts. I was still working on breathing. Jesus Christ. One shiver set off another, and I couldn’t believe how quickly he got me there. Every time. I felt all sluggish and listless.

He rose to his feet and cupped my cheeks. “That,” he murmured and kissed me, “will never get old. Unlike my knees.” He winced and stretched out his leg.

I chuckled shakily and rested my forehead against his sternum. “I need a nap now.”

No, seriously, I really needed a nap. Instead, I was going to finish making breakfast before William, Kelly, and Aurora came over. Tristan and Katie would be home with Olivia shortly thereafter, and her parents were flying in today. There was no napping on the horizon.

Mason was in charge of freshening up his bedroom, which Katie’s parents would borrow for a couple days while he stayed at my place.

“You know what, fuck it,” I said. “I’m not putting anything else on before William and Kelly get here. These are perfectly respectable pajamas.”

“Yes, they are, and they’re mine. I’m not gonna hide the fact that I’m loving this.” He strolled over to the table and peered down at the blueberry muffins. “Shouldn’t I sample one?”

He was a man, all right. But I loved it. “That’s probably best.” I humored him.

He’d warned me that he might get a little possessive if William ventured near any version of me being “his Lis” after our twenty years together.

I doubted he would, but either way, I just wanted my relationship with Mason out in the open.

Besides, if Mason did get a little territorial, was it so bad if I enjoyed it?I wasn’t nervous until William parked in front of the house and Aurora stepped out.

Mason and I exchanged a glance, and I wondered if it hit him too. The possibility that we’d focused on the wrong person. While neither of us believed William would have any issues with Mason and me, the reaction of a fifteen-year-old girl was a lot more difficult to predict.