The Blackstone She-Bear: Blackstone Mountain Book 7 Read online

  “Why not? Do you really feel nothing for me?” He shook her gently, urging her to look at him.

  And she did—gaze into the depths of his light blue eyes. Her mouth went dry, unable to speak.

  “My feelings haven’t changed,” he confessed. “And I want you back.”

  His words made her heart ache. “Mason, please. Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

  “I do mean them.” He leaned down to kiss her again, but she put a hand on his chest to stop him. “What do I have to do to show you?”

  “I …” She was at a loss for words. On one hand, her brain was screaming at her to get away so he couldn’t hurt her again. How could this work, anyway? He had Cassie, who needed him. Once again, there was no way she could get between him and his kid.

  But on the other hand, something else deep inside was telling her to take the plunge.

  “I don’t know, Mason.” She bit her lip.

  “But that’s not a no,” he declared.

  She looked up at him wryly, a smile tugging at her lips. “That’s how you’re interpreting this?”

  He gave her a grin. “I’ll take whatever I can get.” He leaned down, nuzzled her neck, and brushed his lips against her ear making her shiver. “As long as you don’t say no, I won’t back away.”

  She sighed and leaned back against the truck. “I still don’t know if I can do this.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes.” There was a promise in his words that was unspoken, and that made her shiver again. “I’ll be patient. I can wait forever.”

  God, he was being so sweet and sincere, she didn’t think she could resist him. She turned her head toward the back seat of the truck. “Cassie,” she said. The girl was still fast asleep, as far as she could tell. “You need to take her home and get her to bed.”

  Mason braced his hands on the truck and pushed himself off her. “You have my number,” he said. “Call me for anything. And have your phone next to you.”

  “I don’t—” She stopped when she saw the serious look on his face. “Fine.” She turned away from him, but a hand on her arm made her stop. “Mason.”

  He pulled her to him again, and she didn’t have time to protest. Her body pressed against his and his lips landed on hers, and just like that, she lost all thought. It was familiar and wonderful, and sensations she couldn’t put a name to ran through her body.

  “I’ll take you to work tomorrow,” he said when he pulled away. “Go inside and lock your door.”

  “Uh … okay.” Her knees wobbled slightly as she turned away, and it was a miracle she managed to get all the way to her front door without collapsing. Her hands shook as she put her key in the door. As soon as she got inside, she braced herself against the closed door. When she heard the truck pull away, she let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

  Amelia touched her lips. They felt swollen and branded by that kiss. She still couldn’t believe he did that. Or that he said he wanted her back. But, did she want him back? Could she risk her heart again? And what about Cassie? She needed Mason right now, and Mason didn’t need to divide his attention between her and his daughter. Just like before, there was no question that Cassie came first.

  She let out another long sigh and straightened her shoulders. Her mind was confused, and all she needed was rest. Between her car being vandalized and Mason’s kiss, she couldn’t think. She needed to pull herself together before Mason came back in the morning.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mason got up bright and early the next day and got Cassie ready for day care. He got her showered, dressed, and fed, then loaded her up in the car. As soon as he dropped her off, he headed straight to Amelia’s house.

  There was a resolve and determination in him that he hadn’t felt before. He didn’t sleep at all, but he wasn’t tired or confused. He knew now more than ever that Amelia was his mate, and always would be. They were supposed to be together. His bear agreed wholeheartedly but urged him to hurry.

  She’s fine, he said to his bear. She had responded to his text message this morning as soon as she was awake. He stayed up, waiting by his phone in case Amelia called. If he didn’t have Cassie at home, he would have staked out her house. But, he knew Amelia was fine. For now.

  Last night, he had been in a rage. Seeing her car trashed like that sent his instincts flaring. Danger, his bear had said. Their mate was in danger. His bear had never steered him wrong. Someone wanted to hurt Amelia. But who? He walked around the car, but couldn’t trace any animal scents, so he knew it wasn’t a shifter. Plus, the tires had been slashed and the body scratched by a small pen knife, not claws. All signs pointed to a human culprit. Did someone from the anti-shifter organization target Amelia because she was related to the Lennoxes? Or did they know she was vulnerable because she wouldn’t be able to shift and defend herself? He had to find out more about this group. Maybe call up some old navy buddies.

  He filed that away in his mental to-do list as soon as he pulled up in front of Amelia’s house. His senses and instinct told him that everything was fine, and that she was safe inside.

  He got out of the car and walked to her front door. His finger had barely touched the doorbell when the door opened.

  “Mason,” she greeted. “Good morning.”

  He braced a hand on the doorjamb. “It certainly is.” She looked gorgeous this morning, as she always did. But there was something about her this morning … he couldn’t put his finger on it. She wore her usual office attire of a suit jacket and skirt, but she had put on some makeup and left her hair down. A blush crept onto her cheeks, and he couldn’t help himself as he leaned down to kiss her. But, his lips landed on her cheek as she turned away.

  “I … I’m ready to leave if you are,” she whispered, then ducked under his arm. “I don’t want to be late.”

  “Right.” Mason wasn’t mad that she avoided his kiss. He promised her he’d be patient, and he meant it. He’d follow her around like a puppy, doing her bidding, if that’s what it took. Because he was so damned in love with her, he would do anything to make her happy. “I’m ready.”

  He walked ahead of her, making sure he got to the truck before she did so he could open the door and help her inside before getting into the driver’s side.

  The ride to her office was silent, but not uncomfortable. Mason glanced over at Amelia every few seconds, just to make sure she was okay. She was looking out the window, a wistful look on her face. Though he wanted to know what was on her mind, he didn’t want to break the comfortable silence between them. Soon, they arrived outside her building.

  She put a hand on his arm as he reached for his door. “You don’t have to open the door for me.”

  “I know, but I should.”

  She gave him a weak smile. “I can do it. I don’t want you to be late to work. I know you’re supposed to start early.”

  “It’s fine, I called in and said I’d be late.” He remembered the message he got this morning. “Oh. J.D. told me she wanted to see you today and go over the damage. Around three o’clock?”

  Amelia grimaced. “Ugh. I almost forgot. I’ll ask Erin if I can pop out. She knows what happened, and she says to do whatever needs to be done.”

  He touched her cheek. “It’ll be fine. Why don’t I pick you up and we can go together?”

  “Don’t be silly,” she said. “I don’t need you to hold my hand.”

  He shrugged. “I need to be there anyway, I got some business to take care of.” He could use the sale of the Harley as an excuse.

  “Oh. Okay then. But you don’t need to drive all the way here, and then double back to J.D.’s. It’s not practical. I’ll call a cab service and meet you there.”

  He wasn’t sure he liked that plan, but Amelia seemed skittish all of a sudden and he didn’t want to make her feel suffocated. “All right then,” he said. “I’ll see you there at three? Then we can swing by and get Cassie afterward. I still owe you that dinner.”

  She ro
lled her eyes but laughed. “How can I forget?

  Mason got out of work a little early and arrived at J.D.’s in no time. The garage was busy today, and there was no empty spot inside, so he parked the truck around the corner. Amelia said she was already on her way and waiting for her cab, so he decided to hang around. The place brought back good memories of working with Tim in his garage.

  “Hey, Grimes!” J.D. called when he walked into the garage. The mechanic wasn’t dressed in coveralls like the last time, but rather, in jeans, heels, and a red tank top which showed off a sleeve tattoo covering one arm. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her face was clean of dirt and grease.

  “Hey J.D.,” he greeted. “Busy today, yeah?”

  “Tell me about it. My guys have been complaining the whole morning.” She rolled her eyes. “I also gotta go and meet up with a supplier.” She nodded to her generous cleavage spilling out of her tank top. “These babies get me a discount all the time, so I take out the big guns when I can.”

  “Err.” He politely looked away from her breasts. “Well, thanks for taking care of Amelia’s car.”

  “For her? No prob at all. I went to school with Amelia and she was nice to me. Not like those other stuck-up bitches who only saw me as a lowly mechanic’s daughter.” She made a face, then shook her head. “I have to say, that car was trashed real good. It’s a shame.”

  “Yeah, whatever you can do to help out would be great.”

  “Of course. Now,” J.D. began, her tone changing, “there’s something I’d like to discuss with you if you have a minute.”

  “What about?” Mason asked. “Is it about my Harley? Did you find a buyer?”

  “No, still working on that, but I got a few bites. I have a proposition for you. I’ve been thinking it over, ever since you brought your ride here.”

  Mason was intrigued. “Okay?”

  “I only do cars here, as you can see.” J.D. glanced at her workshop. “But as the only mechanic in town, people come in to ask us to work on bikes. I can do a few small repairs, but for the big stuff, all I really do is patch ’em up and send them to the garage over in Verona Mills. But, with Blackstone booming, I’ve been getting more and more calls about bikes. So, I thought, why the fuck do I keep sending business away when I could be rolling in that dough, ya know?” She jerked a thumb toward a third warehouse on the east side of the compound. “I decided to expand and start doing bike repairs and custom work too. Unfortunately,” she clucked her tongue, “the guy I hired to get things going flaked out on me. I already got everything done with the renovations and the equipment.”

  “Jeez. That sucks.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it.” She let out an exasperated sigh. “I already sunk a couple thousand into it and everything’s just sitting there as useful as tits on a nun. But, here’s what I’m thinking: why don’t you come and work for me?”

  “What?” Mason wasn’t sure he heard her right. “You want to give me a job?”

  “Unless you already got one, of course.”

  “I do. But it’s part-time, at the mines.” The work wasn’t hard, not for a shifter like him, but Mason knew it wasn’t something he could do in the long term. Plus, he still needed to pay for all of those attorney’s fees. “I didn’t go to school or have any certification or anything,” he pointed out.

  “Neither do I,” J.D. countered. “If you’re not interested in the job—”

  “I am,” he said quickly, before she changed her mind.

  “I don’t have any work for you right now, but I had a couple of people interested when I told them I was starting this. I’ll call them up and show them your work, then maybe I can bring you in when I have something for you. Once the business comes rolling in, we can talk about having you come in on a regular basis.”

  It wasn’t a full-time job, but he’d take any stream of income he could. “Count me in then.” He held out his hand.

  “Fucking awesome.” J.D. grasped his palm and gave it a strong squeeze. “Now, wanna come see my setup?”

  “Fuck yeah.”

  J.D. led him to the workshop and showed him around. She really sprung for all the best tools and equipment, and Mason couldn’t help but get excited. He could possibly get paid to do something he loved.

  “This is great,” he said, unable to keep excitement from his voice.

  “Yeah, I’m glad I don’t have to—fucking shit!” They were already headed out when J.D. suddenly slipped on the concrete. She landed awkwardly on her side with a soft thud. “Motherfucking bitch-tits!”

  “Holy—” Mason bent down to help her, wrapping an arm around her waist to help her up. “Are you okay, J.D.?”

  “Goddamn heels! I’m never wearing these again!” She cursed, and then kicked off her shoes. “Shit! Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck! It hurts!”

  “Jesus, sorry.” He held her up so she could get the weight off her foot. “Is it broken?”

  She looked down. “Nah. Just a sprain probably. And it’ll heal quick.”

  This close to her, Mason could smell the scent of fur. Something feline, for sure, but his nose wasn’t sensitive enough to tell what kind. “Let’s go to your office and get some ice for the pain.”

  Mason slipped his arm around her, keeping her propped up as she hobbled along. Hoots and hollers greeted them as they exited. With his arms around J.D. and her body pressed up against his, Mason realized it must have looked like they were locked in an embrace.

  “Get your minds out of the gutter and get back to work,” she shouted, then looked at Mason apologetically. “Sorry, sometimes I think I work with children. I—Oh, Amelia! You’re here.”

  Mason looked ahead, following J.D.’s gaze. Amelia was standing outside the office, arms crossed over her chest, and expression stony. Her nostrils flared as they drew closer, and Mason swore he saw a flash of anger in her eyes.

  “Sorry, I’m late,” she said, her voice tight. “But I see you guys are busy anyway. So, I’ll see myself out.” She turned on her heel and walked toward the gate.

  “Busy?”

  J.D. looked confused, but Mason knew what was going on. He cursed inwardly. “Are you okay? Can you make it on your own?”

  She glanced at Amelia’s retreating back then back at Mason. “Shit.” She disentangled herself from him. “I can make it to my office. I can feel it healing already, but damn it, sorry I got you in trouble with your old lady.”

  “Old lady?” He chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’s not anything that can’t be fixed. I’ll see you later, J.D.” He waved goodbye, and then hurried off, following Amelia’s trail. As he exited the compound and glanced around. He spied a flash of blonde hair, and saw her turn the corner.

  He quickly caught up with her and grabbed her arm. “Hey,” he said. “Where are you going?”

  Slowly, she turned around. Her face was a frosty mask. “Home. And don’t touch me.” She tried to yank her arm away, but his grip was firm.

  “What’s the matter?” He knew the answer of course but wanted to hear it from her.

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?” He raised a brow at her. “Are you jealous?”

  “Jealous? Ha! Why would I be jealous? Just because she was rubbing her breasts on you?” She huffed. “Besides, you didn’t seem to mind.

  “Amelia,” he began. “It’s not what you think. J.D. was showing me her new bike workshop. She wants me to work there. But, she slipped and sprained her ankle, and I was helping her.” She looked away, but he tipped her chin to look at him. “I would never look at another woman. I’ve never been with anyone else since you.”

  “No one?” Her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. “No other girl? Not even your ex-wife?”

  “No way.” The memory of disgust he had felt when Jenna threw herself at him when he was home was coming back and made him want to throw up. “Not that I didn’t try with anyone else.” He wasn’t going to lie to her. He had been single for a year and attempted some one-night stands and pick
ups. “But I just couldn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because they weren’t you. None of them were you.”

  A breath escaped her lips. “Mason …” Her voice broke. “I haven’t … either.”

  Mason felt relief, but he wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d been with other men. He pulled her to him, planting his mouth on top of hers. Fuck, he’d been waiting for this all day, to feel her lips on his, and it was even better than he’d imagined.

  Amelia’s arms wound around his neck. She pushed her body at him desperately, and the scent of her need filled his nose. He moved his hands up to cup her breasts, squeezing and feeling the weight of them in his hands. His dick went hard as steel and when he brushed his erection against her hip, she opened her mouth and gasped.

  “Mason,” she whispered. “What time do you have to pick up Cassie?”

  The desire clouding his mind cleared for a moment. “In about an hour. Why?”

  She tugged at his hand. “My place is closer.”

  He didn’t need a second invitation. “My truck’s just over there.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Amelia’s heart was running a mile a minute as Mason drove them to her house. This was really happening. But at this point it felt inevitable, and she was tired of denying that she wanted him. And seeing him today with J.D., well, that pushed her over the edge. She didn’t know what to make of his confession, but she put it out of her mind because it scared the bejesus out of her.

  It was a quick ride, and he practically dragged her out of the truck and to the front door. She somehow dug her keys out of her purse and let them in. When the door closed behind them, she found herself slammed up against it, Mason’s body trapping hers.

  “Oh!” She shivered when his mouth found her neck, and she leaned her head back to give him better access. He knew how much she loved having her neck kissed and drove her crazy.

  She was taking off her suit jacket and his hands were fumbling with her blouse. He grew impatient and just grabbed her collar, ripping the fabric down the middle and sending buttons flying everywhere. He yanked her bra cups down, exposing her nipples to the cool air, making them pucker. He bent his head down and sucked in a nipple.