MASON (Second Chance Novels Book 2) (30 page)

"Do you see any cracks in the armor to exploit?" I ask, regaining my focus. "Any way to get to the mayor through her?"

"Not this quickly. Targeting him would take more time than you want to spend."

"Then how do you work this?"

"Easy," he responds. "Have the affair. Convince her to flaunt me in public to get back at her husband for years of neglect, and make her think the entire scene is her idea. You want to break the mayor quickly, the ultimate public humiliation is the obvious choice. He'll be easier to pick off once he gets pushed from the defensive to a place with almost no foothold at all."

I nod my head. "That works for me."

Sofia comes out of the bedroom, her hair mussed and her face relaxed. I can see in her eyes, though, her purpose. Calm focus is more effective than stress. For the first time in weeks, I see my woman in a strong, peaceful determination. The zen of battle. What a beautiful sight.

"
Buongiorno, bella
," Bash smiles at Sofia.

"Don't try to charm my woman," I smack him upside the head.

Sofia smiles at our interaction and rubs my shoulder as she walks past. "Don't worry, Mase. He may have charm, but you have the abs."

"Wait now…" Bash says with an ornery grin. He pulls up his t-shirt to show off his still-tight physique. Sofia simply rolls her eyes and walks to the coffee pot.

"Wait," Bash calls over. "You haven't seen my pecs yet…"

I stand and grab a front leg of his chair, jerking it up and knocking him completely back, landing him solidly on the floor. "There. Now she can check out your knees."

In one quick move he pulls my feet out from under me, so now we're both on the floor grinning. I shake my head at him. I'm glad we had a chance to talk strategy, and I'm thankful for the chuckles, but I want to talk with Sofia alone. I want some time in her eyes. "Hey, old man, don't you have a married woman to seduce?"

"That I do, Junior," he says, righting the chair and dusting himself off. "I'll be in touch."

Sofia says goodbye and walks to the table. "Married woman?"

I explain how Bash spent his week in the role of Halden Fells, and the progress he's made with the Evelyn Bennett. She shakes her head and states the obvious. "This entire situation is so fucked up."

"And will be over soon," I remind her.

"At this point, are we any better than they are?" she asks thoughtfully. "Affairs, manipulation, revenge…"

"Mission parameters," I answer flatly. There's no need to get into the moral gray area of battle. There's no winning a discussion like that. "All we can do is finish what we started."

Sofia nods, still in thought for another moment. Then after one clench of her jaw, my phoenix is back. "What's our next move?"

"Well, I say as soon as we're showered, we work on the councilmen while Callen deals with Bennett."

"Let's do it."

There's my phoenix, flexing her wings, pushing herself up. I wanted to pound the tile wall in triumph. Then I think of her in the shower. I'm forcing myself not to confess to her how much I miss her body.
 

I have no difficulty with celibacy for her. Keeping myself from any advances is simple while her mind and body heal…but the perfection of her physique coupled with our explosive connection makes me miss her. I haven't lost an ounce of my desire for her. The power of the two of us together is something I can never get enough of, and I want her desperately.
Desperately
. But first, I want her to heal, no matter how long it takes. I want that for every reason: physical, emotional, and even spiritual. I love her so damn much in every way there possibly is.

I fantasize nearly the entire time she showers, but I force myself to calm down when I hear the water shut off. I wait while she dries off and gets dressed. She comes out with her chin held strong and her posture standing tall.

"You ready for this?" I ask, hoping she hasn't read my thoughts.

"Yes," she nods. "I really am."

Over the next three days, I accomplish very little while Sofia is at work. I pick up my shifts again at Second Chance for three nights but then after closing on Thursday, I follow Ledger to his office and sit across from him at his desk.

"I have to be done here," I say.

He sighs and nods. "I figured."

"Do you need me to stick around until you find another bartender?"

"Nah, but thanks. I can shuffle one over from another bar," he says. "We'll miss you around here. How's Sofia doing? We've all been worried about her. Even Shelby. Hearing about the attack made her feel petty for the rest of it. She's back to herself now."

"That's good, at least," I nod. "And Sofia…she's ok. I swear she's the strongest person I've ever met. She's more determined now than ever. She won't be broken."

Ledger looks down as he smiles. He nods his head. "How close are you to taking down Bennett and his circle of fuck-heads?"

I tell him about our entire investigation, including Bash's involvement. He talks strategy with me and fills me in on Cam's reaction to the investigation and Sofia's attack. We grieve for our women's ordeals and bond over our need to protect them, as well as our need to step back while they stand strong on their own…which is a very difficult balance to maintain. I compliment his dedication to Cam and he nods in understanding, then surprises me when he walks around the desk and hugs me hard. "You're a hell of a man, Pratt. Sofia's lucky to have you."

"I'm the lucky one," I correct, clapping my hand on his back and letting go.

"That, too," he smiles. "Go finish it."

He's a damn good friend. I nod and wave, then drive home to my phoenix. I'm now one hundred percent available to win the war.

When I get home at three in the morning, I see the lights still on. Instantly I'm worried, so I nearly jog up to the front door. "Sofia?"

She walks over from the kitchen and wraps her arms around my neck. She has an indescribable look in her eye, her irises swirling with love, courage, apprehension, and other emotions I can't identify. Before I can ask if she's ok, she gets on her toes and kisses me softly and deeply.
 

This is the first time she's kissed me since the attack. Her lips are warm and soft on mine, and her tongue moves with mine sweetly. This kiss is beautiful with an undercurrent of nerves and determination. I hold her gently and give her whatever she needs, and I willingly receive whatever she offers. I'm flying right along with her. She feels so damn good. I weave my fingers up into her hair and hold her head gently while I live in total elation to have her lips on mine again. I have missed her so fucking much.
 

She breaks the kiss softly then looks me in the eye. With my hand in hers she leads me to the bedroom where she gives me the exact same look.

My beautiful woman shakes, her nerves and intensity swirling in desire and love. She wants me, but the possibility of being with me has her scared.
 

"Sofia, you don't have to do this…"

She shakes her head. Her breath hitches as she pulls herself against me. Her forehead rests against my chin, her open mouth lingers only one small tilt away from my neck.
 

"This is too soon," I say with determination. I don't want her to know how close to crumbling I am. I don't want her to feel any pressure from me.

She pushes her body into mine, and rubs her knee up against mine. Her breathing paces heavily with need, but she won't speak.

"Sofia…" I protest. I so badly want to believe that she's ready, but I can't let my dick be the one to convince me. This has to be all from her. I shake my head softly as her forehead rolls along my chin with my movement. "We wait. This is too much."

"I'll stop if I need to. I'll ask you to let go," she promises with quiet need, gripping my shoulders, holding us together.
 

"No you won't," I chastise through my near-whisper. "You'll push through to prove to yourself you can. I don't want it to be like that. When I have you again, I need
you
, not your determination."

She pulls my hand around her lower back and looks me in the eye. "I
am
determination."

My eyes fall closed and a deep breath passes quietly through my clenched jaw. She tilts her chin so slightly so her lips meet my throat. The hot, subtle touch of those lips has me on the verge of breaking. She feels
so damn good
. Of their own accord, my arms pull her slowly in against me and my lips search hesitantly for hers.

We stand together, carefully returning to each other in gentle, controlled passion. Though this kiss takes endless seconds to finally connect, our hands grip hard at each other's bodies. The intensity is unlike anything I've ever felt…with sex, with war, with love, with pain. This is the pinnacle.

"I love you," I whisper against her lips as I finally allow my hands to roam softly down to her ass. I work to pull her shirt over her head. I move the fabric slowly, ready to push it down again at the first hint of tension. Sofia's body remains taught with anticipation, but I only feel love and heat. The intensity is compounded by more than a month apart, and nervous desperation. When her shirt hits the floor, I run my hands strongly up her back, pausing only to unhook her bra. Her breath escapes in a slow, fluttering sigh, but her hands grip at my shoulders, keeping me against her.
 

Her beautiful hands strongly press against my skin as they slowly trace along my collar bone and up my neck, holding my head. She directs me to her neck, and where my lips press with soft intensity. I rest my parted lips against her, proving that strong can be gentle. I kiss her over and over, thrilled to be tasting her again, elated to remind her what love feels like. She responds by pulling my shirt off. This is intimacy in it's purest form.

Bringing my arms around her again, I pull her bare chest against mine and the heat between us is almost more than I can handle. I continue to watch for signs of stress, but I see none. Her passion has a nervous edge, but has absolutely no fear. I love when my phoenix flies.
 

With equally slow movements, happily interrupted by soft, passionate kisses, we lose the constraints of the rest of our clothing. My erection is painfully hard, and I worry again this will be too much. I hate the thought of my body causing her fear or reminding her of pain. I begin to pull away, determined to give her space if she needs it, because now I'm the one afraid. I'm not sure we can ever return to where we were before. My desire hasn't wavered, but her ability to feel pleasure, to feel the beautiful sensations she should feel…can that ever return after such a violation?
 

"Don't go," she breathes. "Please still want me."

"Still want you?" I ask shocked, shifting our bodies so I can look her in the eye. "How could I not want you?"

She looks at me, her eyes indescribable in an entirely new way. She is strong, she is without physical fear, but that bastard took more than her body. He took a piece of her confidence, a measure of her self-worth. Killing him once was not enough.

"Nothing,
ever
, could change what I feel for you, Sofia," I say, looking her straight in the eye. "Nothing could ever change how much I want you. Never question yourself or what we have.
I love you.
"

The look in her eye breaks me. After I kiss her in the most gentle display of desire and love, the emotion behind them changes. Her worry has been replaced by her renewed faith in me, and a love equal to mine. She believes the truth in my words. Loving her is the single most important part of my world.
 

I take a step back and sit on the bed, guiding her gently with me. I lay myself back with my feet still on the floor, knowing she shouldn't be held down right now. I won't let anything about our first time again together be like her attack. She needs love, passion, connection, pleasure, and whatever else of myself I can give.
 

With her eyes closed, Sofia crawls over me and straddles my lap, but pulls me up to sit again. I understand completely. I hold her in my arms and kiss her neck gently. She moves to rest her forehead on mine, then looks me in the eye as she eases her hips over mine, taking me inside. I release a heavy breath, constructed of half moan and half restraint. Feeling her again, wet, soft, so hot…this is incredible. This is love and connection, borne from a trust and an honesty which conquers all the darkness keeping us back.

With my eyes closed, I allow Sofia to ease herself gently over me again, cautiously allowing herself to feel. She's searching for what's beautiful again. I rest my hands on her hips, following her movements. She has total control. When I finally allow myself to look in her eyes, I see two quiet tears roll down her face, and my gut drops further than ever before. No…

"Oh, please don't cry," I whisper, taking her face in my hands and wiping the tears gently away with my thumbs. "We can stop. Please, Sofia…"

Her eyes meet mine and I have no idea how to decipher the myriad emotions behind them. She pushes her hips down over mine again and I nearly cry along with her, broken for her. "Don't force yourself,
please
," I manage to whisper as one more tear drips slowly down her cheek. I try to lift her from my lap, but she holds on tight. I'm fighting my own tears now.