glasses on the table and cupped her face with both of his hands.
“You have me, Shelby. You already have me.” He kissed her then because her lips were too tempting not to.
She squirmed closer to him, rubbing her deliciously nude body against his, making him regret the barrier of clothing he still wore.
He’d soon fix that.
Mason bent and lifted her into his arms. They needed a bed, and he was grateful he hadn’t purchased a mansion with a lot of stairs. The master bedroom was just down the hall, facing the ocean. His lips never left hers as he made his way to the bedroom while still holding her to his chest. He gently placed her on the bed and stood back, quickly shucking his clothes. When he’d finished, he crawled up beside her and rested his head in his hand while his free one explored her body. She trembled at his touch, and he loved that she was so responsive to him. It made him want to wring out other responses from her, too.
“Hands above your head,” he softly ordered.
Her gaze darted to him before she complied.
He trailed the tip of a finger along the curve of her breast. She sucked in a breath, arching into the touch.
“I want to play with you, Shelby. Will you let me?”
He watched her swallow. “Yes, Maso—Master.”
His hand stilled, and he looked at her. “No, Shelby,” he gently corrected. “You were right the first time. I like hearing my name on your lips. I want you to say it freely in and out of the bedroom.”
She frowned, and he resisted smoothing the wrinkle between her brows—just barely.
“I don’t understand,” she finally said.
He smiled ruefully at her. “Me either, pet. I’ve always expected the respect that title affords me, but you…you’re different. I’ve never allowed another sub to call me by my first name, but you’re not like anybody else.”
She nodded slowly, but he saw the wheels turning as she thought it over. “But you call other subs pet and the other Masters at the club sometime called me that. Shouldn’t I get a title from you that makes me stand out above the others?”
He leaned down and kissed her softly, thrilled with her train of thought. He’d love for her to be singled out among all the subs at the club. He just wasn’t sure how she felt about all of that. Yes, she’d come to him, and she’d implied she only wanted him, but they had yet to talk about everything. He would have engaged in that much-needed conversation in the living room if she hadn’t taken her clothes off first.
He’d just have to concentrate harder to get the details out now, he thought as he reluctantly ended their kiss.
“That depends on how much you want from me, Shelby,” he said, and kissed the top of her head, unable to keep his lips off her. “I know you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want me to a degree. I’m okay taking things as slow as necessary until you’re—”
She reached up and silenced him with the tips of her fingers. “I love you, Mason. I have for a while. I would’ve told you that day you came to my apartment, but you told me to take some time to think. I’ve done what you’ve asked, and it doesn’t change what’s inside my heart.”
“Shelby,” he breathed, taking her mouth with the force of his emotions. He knew she cared, but he’d had no idea how much. God, she loved him. She loved him! His kiss was hard, punishing and rewarding…regret for the past and acceptance of the future. He kissed her until he had to pull away to take in air because, with his mouth on hers, breathing had become less of a priority.
“To be clear,” she said breathlessly, rubbing his cheek. “I want you in my life as my lover and as my Dom. I might not want to try everything there is in the lifestyle, and I can’t make any promises that I’ll even like what we explore, but I want to experience that with you.”
He stroked her cheek, her bottom lip.
“We will learn our limits together, Shelby. But tonight will be about healing. I don’t want to erase what has happened because we wouldn’t be here today without it, but I want to start fresh. What’s done is done, and I have no desire to reenact the four scenes we did before just to replace those memories. In time, we