Twenty-Four Hours (6 page)

Before dawn he’d woken her again this time making love to her in every sense of the word. Taking her body with a reverence she’d never experienced or expected and again he’d come whispering that he loved her.

A quick look around the room showed no signs of Mason ever being there. Panic flooded her stomach as her heart jolted in despair. Had she only found him to lose him? Had he believed any of the lies she’d spoken the day before?

Throwing on the nearest clothes, she dressed and ran downstairs, praying to find him at the coffee pot or at the very least a note explaining when he would be back, that he would be back. Anything to keep the flame of hope alive in her heart.

After scouring the living room, kitchen, office and den Courtney admitted defeat. She’d chased off the only man who knew how to love her. Not just with sex, but with his gentle concern throughout the years. His patient teasing whenever she got stressed out.

After their last tender coming together, they had lain in the dark, limbs tangled, talking. He told her about his computer business and Courtney knew it would be a success. Everyone in the company used to come to Mason to fix their laptops, desktops, and some, she knew, even brought in their home computers for him to look at. She couldn’t be prouder of his skill and determination.

They’d talked about kids. How both of them didn’t want any. Mason had been the oldest in his family and had helped rear all his younger brothers and sisters. He said he’d be thrilled to play spoiling uncle to the brood his family produced, but had no desire for them himself.

Courtney agreed for different reasons. She’d been the youngest of the family and enjoyed all the attention of it. Children took a lot of time, money and effort. She agreed with Mason, better to spoil other people’s kids then send them back to their parents.

Too bad she’d lost him before she ever really had him. She wouldn’t even have the secret pleasure of ogling him at work anymore.

The thought of never seeing his handsome smiling face with his wayward honey-streaked brown hair or dazzling hazel eyes, broke her.

Sinking onto the carpet she wept, screamed and cried like she’d never allowed herself to do before. Grabbing a pillow from the couch where they’d first come together, Courtney held it to her face, pretending she could still smell his scent lingering. Or hear his voice called her name.

“Courtney?”

God, how would she get through this? Her heart felt shattered into a million pieces and her soul devoid of light. Mason had stormed into her life with the force of a hurricane, sweeping her along in his arms, showing her how to love and hope. Then the bastard had the nerve to take it all away.

“Courtney?” She heard a rush of footsteps, but didn’t have the energy to move. Let them find her shriveled corpse here. She just didn’t have the ability to care anymore.

“Shit, honey, what’s happened? Did you hurt yourself? Your eyes. Oh, honey, tell me, what is it?” Strong hands ran down her arms, her sides to her legs before tilting her face up.

Mason’s handsome features looked back her, worry bracketing lines along his mouth and eyes. “Tell me what happened, honey.” His hazel eyes pleaded while his arms crushed her to his polo shirt-covered chest.

“You left me,” Courtney wailed in despair, not believing he could really be back there with her. Sorrow had dragged her too far down to climb out of the pit so easily.

“Stop it, Court, just stop it.” Hands shook her and the surprise of the action stopped her renewed sobs. “That’s better. Now, if you’re not hurt then tell me, what’s this all about?”

Feeling the fog of emotions roll out from under her, she looked around uncertain what to do, but had to trust Mason enough to be truthful. “I love you. I thought you’d changed your mind and left. I didn’t know what to do and you know I’m never that way. I can handle anything. Anything it seems, but losing you.”

Before he grabbed her tightly in his warm arms, she saw the brightness of tears in his eyes. “Oh, honey, I couldn’t leave you. I love you too much. I just went to grab more clothes and some breakfast for us. I thought you’d sleep through me leaving. I would have left a note otherwise.”

He peppered her face with kisses before drawing back to look into her blinking gaze. “You love me?”

This time her eyes watered with happy unshed tears. “Oh, Mason, until I thought I’d lost you, I never knew I could love one person this much. I want to do whatever it takes to make this work between us.”

Warm lips brushed hers. “As long as we remember to love each other, we’ll do fine.” He drew back enough to wink at her. “Unless my twenty-four hours is up?”

Courtney threw her forty-one-year-old arms around the man of her every dream. “We have a lifetime of twenty-four hours together. It will never be over.”

He smiled then drew her down on the couch to cement their love with their bodies and hearts, knowing twenty-four hours would never be enough for their love.

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