Page 56 of Untroubled Heart

Cold water soaks our clothes straight through to the skin. His hair sticks to his forehead, falling into his eyes, and rain drips from the end of his nose and down to his lips.

He moves quickly to get everything covered, then tosses me over his shoulder before bolting back to the house.

I don’t know why—call it hysteria—but laughter bursts out of me. My hands fisting the back of Mason’s T-shirt, my face tilted to the sky, and I just embrace the moment—messily, unguarded, and perfectly untroubled.

Thunder rolls above us, followed by a sharp crack. Flashes of purple and white add to the magic. Mason’s shirt is drenched, making my hands slip against the fabric. I lose my grip, my chest slamming against his back, and it’s enough to send us careening over.

“Fuck,” Mason hisses, as I feel a tug at my knees and firm pressure at my back.

Instead of crashing to the ground, Mason twists, his back hitting the ground with a thud as I land against his chest, my hips falling into the cradle of his. Our noses almost touch, and I can see the drops of water as they gather on his long, dark lashes.

His eyes move over my face, darting this way and that as if he’s rushing to take me all in. His thumb glides over my waist, his fingertips digging into my skin, asking, begging, to not let go.

My gaze falls to his lips. His breath caresses mine, so close I can almost taste him. It’s inevitable. He’s staring at my mouth just like he was the other day, as if he wants to make me his. I recognise the look because it mirrors what I’m feeling.

I want to know what his lips feel like pressed against mine. Are they as soft as they look? Does he kiss slow and sweet, or wild and unrestrained?

Raindrops splash against my cheek, feeling hot, or is that me? Burning from the inside out. There’s a fire inside me that I’ve never felt before. The intensity of this want.

More rain falls, dripping onto my lip. My tongue reaches out to taste it at the same time Mason’s thumb caresses the spot, making us collide.

I suck in a breath as his thumb stops. His eyes are glued to where we touch. Then, ever so slightly, he traces the tip of my tongue.

“Callie,” he whispers.

In slow motion, his lips come within reach. The rolling thunder around us is like an echo of how my heart beats in my chest, stretching out to every limb, because Mason Heart is something you feel everywhere.

His hand squeezes against my waist, and I hope it leaves a mark. I want to see the evidence of his want later and know I wasn’t the only one who—

Thunder cracks so loud, it feels like the earth is splitting in two. The sky flashes like a strobe light. Purple. White. Purple.

He blinks as if he’s coming out of a trance and studies the overwhelming downpour we’re caught in. Gripping behind my back, he jackknives up, then pulls me the rest of the way, lifting me over the bottom step like always until we’re once again under the shelter of the front porch, breathing hard as we stare at each other.

When the next beat of thunder snaps, so do we.

He rushes to me, and I throw myself into his waiting arms.

Chapter twenty-one

Mason’s hands move behind my knees, lifting them to his hips as his mouth takes over mine, tongue delving between my lips, and I groan.

He carries me through the house, pressing my back up against the nearest surface.

“I’ve imagined this moment since the first time I saw you,” he murmurs between kisses, and I arch up, my clit gaining friction against him.

I haven’t been with anyone in so long. Should I feel more self-conscious? My body has changed since I last did this. Inexplicably, I can’t find it in me to be nervous with Mason—not when he looks at me the way he does. He’s spent the last few weeks making me feel safe. Respected. Looked after. I have faith that this won’t be any different.

“Shit.” He presses his forehead to mine, huffing through his nose. “I don’t even know where to start. I just know I want you so bad.”

My heart is pounding. I don’t know if it’s nerves or excitement taking over, but I know my body wants this, even if my brain wants to protest. I want to do something for me. I want to do something a little reckless. “You can do whatever you want to me,” I say with a finger under his chin so I can bring his lips back to mine.

When I kiss him, he melts into me, pinning my hips to the wall with his own, one hand curling around my lower back as the other buries into my hair, tugging at the strands.

My legs tighten around his waist, anchoring me so I can grind my needy pussy on whatever part of him I can get.

“Fuck,” he breathes in one heavy exhale.

I feel that fuck all the way to my toes. I can’t remember a time I’ve ever felt this turned on. The ferocity of it is bubbling over my skin and pooling between my legs. A cataclysmic force that has me clawing for relief.