Page 48 of His Saving Grace

He murmured a string of unintelligible words. The thigh muscles under her fingers clenched. He was close. Which meant it was time to kick it up a notch. She sucked harder, pressed deeper, tested her own limits.

“Yes, yes.” The words were rough, sounded like they were ripped from his throat. “Sweetheart, I’m close. If you don’t want me to—”

She took him deeper than she thought possible and his words ended on a grunt. She moaned, hoping the vibrations in her throat would tickle the head of his cock. His hips bucked, the muscles in his abs and thighs tightening like a coiled spring getting ready to pop.

He cried out as his climax began, his shaft pulsing against her tongue and lips. She continued to suck. The orgasm tore through him and his entire body quivered. She swirled her tongue around the sensitive head one final time, sending a tremor through him.

Smiling, she sat up and licked her lips. She leaned against the seat, smoothing her dress down over her thighs, watching him in the darkness.

His chest rose and fell with each ragged breath. He looked over at her, his eyes hooded, and gifted her with an easy, satisfied smile. A smile that made all the feminine parts inside her sigh in contentment.

Without the barest hint of modesty, he tucked himself back into his pants, the zipper once again the only sound cutting through the truck. He looked at her like he wanted to say something, but then shook his head. Another beat of silence and then he tried again. “I have no words.”

She ran her lower lip between her teeth. “So, it was good?”

“Good is not the word I’d use to describe what you just did. I’m not sure there is a word to describe it.”

Her cheeks flushed at his compliment. Like everything else in her life, it had been forever since someone had given her one. She was taking it.

She scooted back to her side of the truck and strapped in. They were almost at the ranch, which was surprising. The trip had been quick, but then, they’d been a little preoccupied.

Mason turned off the road and onto the gravel driveway. There were no streetlights, or lights of any kind on the drive up to the house, and Grace was glad. The darkness was a welcome distraction, giving her space and a reason not to look at him. Because she wanted to look, and to question, and to maybe kiss again.

They had just done some serious—okay, that was way more than just making out. It had been hot and incredible, just what she needed. But now that her hormones were no longer running the show, the doubts began to creep in.

That had been reckless and all sorts of stupid. She wasn’t supposed to be creating relationships and bonds with these people. And no matter how many times she reminded herself, it didn’t seem to be sinking in, because every day, she fell deeper and deeper under their spell. She needed to keep her distance, so that when she moved on—because she would be moving on—it didn’t hurt so badly.

But now, she had… well, she didn’t know what she’d done, other than have mind-blowing-but-not-quite sex. The question was, what did Mason think? Was this just a booty call for him? Did he want a relationship? Did he think she wanted a relationship?

What the hell are you thinking about relationships for? Did you not just tell yourself you needed to stay away from these people? What is wrong with you?

Nothing was wrong with her. Because she didn’t want a relationship. Right?

Gah, she was so confused. Her head said one thing, but her heart said, and did, the complete opposite.

Yes, okay, fine, she was attracted to Mason. Her little performance a few moments ago was proof of that. And surprisingly enough, she didn’t regret it, even though it wasn’t helping her situation. In fact, she was looking forward to it—and possibly more—happening again.

Question was, would she be able to keep an emotional distance? She’d never been the casual sex type, but if she wanted anything more to happen with Mason, it had to be that way. Nothing more.

The whole thing dumped a big old bucket of ice water over her orgasmic high.

The lights from the farmhouse shone brightly in the distance, and a sense of home washed over her. Which freaked her out more than anything else had tonight.

This was a temporary stop, not her home, and she had to remember that.

Mason pulled up to the end of the driveway and turned off the truck. Before he could come around to help her, she was out and headed around the house on her way to the guest house.

He caught up to her within seconds, grabbing her arm and pulling her to a stop. “Hey, hey, hey,” he said, his voice threaded with concern. She couldn’t see his expression in the shadow of the house, which was a good thing. “Is everything okay?”

She nodded and then realized he couldn’t see her in the dark. She glanced at the guest house, which seemed light years away, and then back at Mason. “Yeah, I’m okay. I was just heading ho—to the guest house. I’m pretty tired.”

Without a word, he laced their fingers together and led her toward the guest house. She should protest, tell him to let her go, that she didn’t need him to walk her to her door, but she didn’t. She refused to examine why, even though, deep down, she knew the reason. It had been a magical night, and she wasn’t ready for it to end.

They reached the front porch, and she turned into a bundle of nerves. She took a deep breath, but had no idea what to say. They stood in silence in the circle of white light cast by the front porch light for a few minutes. She kept her gaze trained on the ground.

“Grace.” Mason lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him. “I’d like to take you out again.”

“Mason, I don’t think—”