His Azalea Page 3

  * * *

  The next day

  I called Mason as soon as I thought it was socially acceptable to dial his number—which was around noon, since I didn’t know how late he slept. We made arrangements to meet up for lunch, and I put more effort into my appearance than I normally did before I left my apartment. The excitement from the previous date still hadn’t worn off, even after sleeping later than normal. When I walked into the cafe that I suggested for lunch and saw him waiting, I couldn’t hide the huge smile that spread across my face. The world just faded away—he drew my attention like a moth to a flame. And just like a moth, I was probably going to get burned if I got to close. I just didn’t know how to stop myself.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” He looked at me and smiled. “Should we start with a few shots?”

  “You’re joking, right?” I sat down across from him and raised an eyebrow in concern.

  “Yes.” He chuckled under his breath.

  “Okay, good.” I exhaled a sigh of relief. “I am feeling a little adventurous though, so I might have a soda.”

  “How adventurous?” He tilted his head slightly.

  “I don’t know—is that a trick question?” I leaned back slightly.

  “I passed a sign for skydiving on the way here.” He shrugged. “I’ve never done that—how about you?”

  “Skydiving!?” I nearly fell out of my chair. “No! Absolutely not!”

  “So, your sense of adventure is somewhere between a soda and skydiving. Got it. That gives me something to work with.” He grinned and gave me a slight wink.

  “There’s a lot of room between those two…” I looked down and grabbed the menu.

  We had lunch; then Mason took me to the building that his company was thinking of purchasing. He needed to send a report back to his boss, and I was happy just spending time with him. The owner had given him the key code, so we were able to go inside. I got my second kiss from him in the room he decided would be his office if he accepted the offer to move. It was just as intense as the first one, but it left me with a flutter in my stomach rather than pure desire. I wanted to believe that he would go through with the move—but I was scared to think about that. I was just having a good time with him. I needed to keep my thoughts in the present instead of daydreaming about the future.

  “You graduate in what—two years?” Mason walked into one of the other rooms and put his hands on his hips.

  “Yep.” I nodded.

  “Then this could be your office.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “Right beside mine.”

  “Don’t be silly…” I shook my head back and forth. “I’ll be looking for an entry level position, not a corner office.”

  “I’ll be the boss.” He shrugged. “I can put you wherever I want.”

  “Yeah, but your boss back in England might get a little concerned about your management strategy if you give a corner office to someone right out of college.” I laughed and rolled my eyes.

  “I’ll be making him so much money that he won’t care.” Mason turned and put his hands on my hips. “Trust me; the bottom line is all he cares about—that’s the whole reason he wants to open an office here.”

  “I appreciate the sentiment, but I prefer to earn things the right way.” I looked up into his steel-colored stare. “Besides—you might get distracted if I was right next door. Then you wouldn’t be making all of that money your boss likes.”

  “That is a good point.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’ll at least put in a good word for you with my hiring manager.”

  “You sound like you’ve already made up your mind about this move.” I tilted my head slightly.

  “Los Angeles is growing on me…” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.

  I wonder why?

  Eight

  Mason

  Lea and I spent the rest of the day together, but we didn’t see much of the city. We stopped for tea at the same cafe we visited the previous day and got lost in conversation for several hours. I found out that Lea was short for Azalea—the flowers that her father bought her mother before their first date. I didn’t see any hint of the shy girl that barely spoke to me at the wedding after we spent more time together. She was as beautiful as the name she didn’t like to use—a flower that was definitely ready to bloom.

  “This has been so much fun.” She squeezed my hand once we left the cafe. “Unfortunately, I’ve neglected my schoolwork all weekend, and I know you’ve got stuff you need to as well.”

  “I do.” I nodded and sighed. “What about tomorrow? When do you get out of class?’

  “I’m usually done around two.” She looked down at the ground for a moment. “But—I have so much that I need to do. I’m sure you remember what it was like when you were in school.”

  “It’s been a few years for me—but yes.” I exhaled sharply. “I still want to see you though, even if it’s only for a couple of hours. You’ve got to eat at some point, right?”

  “I might be able to sneak away for dinner.” Her lips curled into a slight smile.

  I kissed her again, and then we walked back to my car. I stole a few more kisses when we pulled up to the restaurant where her car was parked—then one more before I let her drive away. I could have savored the way those soft pouty lips felt against mine for the rest of the night—but if I kept kissing her, then I was going to want more. The realization sank in that she might not be ready for anything more than that before I had to fly home. There was a good chance I would be leaving Los Angeles with the worst set of blue balls in history.

  But I’ll still have a smile on my face—nothing will be able to wipe that away.

  * * *

  The next day

  I worked remotely from my hotel room most of the day while Lea was at school. I had a lot to catch up on, despite working for several hours the night before. Being away from the office was never easy, especially on a Monday. I sent the report to my boss about the building. There wasn’t much to tell, except that it did look like a great location. There were several office buildings in the immediate area, and there were colleges in Los Angeles that would supply us with plenty of talent to get the agency off the ground. We might have to bring a few guys over or poach some from the competition, but that was normal for a new agency.

  I got an email back from my boss a few hours later asking if I had made a decision about the offer he made to run the Los Angeles branch. I typed a response but immediately deleted it. There was a lot to think about. I didn’t want to let my budding relationship with Lea be the deciding factor, but it was hard not to think about it. I loved my family, but running the office was an amazing opportunity that they would want me to take. I would get to see more of Greyson, even if I didn’t get to see my other two siblings very often. Being away from my parents would be hard. They were getting older and already had one son on another continent. I finally just sent an email to my boss letting him know that I was considering it—but I hadn’t made a final decision yet.

  I’m pretty sure I made that decision the first time I kissed Lea, but I still need to give it more thought.

  * * *

  A few hours later

  “Ah, there’s the most beautiful woman in Los Angeles.” I smiled when Lea walked up to me outside of the restaurant.

  “If you keep saying that, I might start to believe it.” She looked down at the ground for a moment.

  “How was school?” I reached for the door and opened it.

  “Long—like always.” She walked past me and let her hand linger on mine for a moment as she stepped into the restaurant.

  The shyness is definitely gone…

  I wanted more time with Lea, but I had to settle for a couple of hours. We ate dinner, she filled me in on the stuff she was working on for school, and I gave her a few pointers from my personal experience actually doing the job. I didn’t want to remind her that we only had one more day together, but I couldn’t hide from it when she brought it up. My heart wanted to
gush and tell her how I truly felt, but I held back. I didn’t want her to feel like I was just making an empty promise—even if I was ready to tell my boss that my decision was made.

  “Since tomorrow is my last night in Los Angeles, please tell me that I’ll get to see you.” I squeezed her hand when we got to her car.

  “I guess I can make time for you.” She tilted her head and grinned.

  I pulled her into my arms and crushed her lips beneath mine. If I was only going to get one kiss tonight, I was going to make sure it was the longest one we had ever shared. There was a chance I wouldn’t get many more chances, especially if she couldn’t give me more than just a couple of hours the next time we were together. I could accept the fact that she was busy—school always came first for me too when I was a student. I finally had to break the seal that formed between our lips and gasp for air—I wanted to immediately go for another one, but she leaned in for a hug instead.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I squeezed her as tight as I could without actually hurting her.

  “You will.” She moved her lips close to my ear. “And I might want more than a kiss before you leave…”

  Oh my god…

  Nine

  Azalea

  I knew there was no promise that Mason would return to Los Angeles once he boarded that plane. He never pressured me for sex, but I knew he wanted more than just a kiss—I felt it every time his lips were on mine. I wanted it too—and I wanted my first time to be with him. Every minute I shared with him was amazing, and I felt like a completely different person when we were together. I wanted to cling to that feeling as long as possible and give myself to the man who gave me my first taste of true desire.

  I thought about it when I got home—thought about it the next day when I was at school—and by the time I made it back to my apartment, my mind was completely made up. I didn’t want to waste time eating at a fancy restaurant or going on a date. The minutes we had were ticking away too fast. I asked Mason to meet me at a cafe near his hotel—one that was close enough for us to walk back from after we ate. I felt some of the nervousness return as I sat there waiting—thinking about what I wanted to do with him—but as soon as he walked in the door, it all faded away.

  “My beautiful Azalea.” Mason walked up to the table, and I realized he had one hand behind his back. “These are for you…”

  “They’re—gorgeous.” I blinked in surprise when I saw the bouquet of flowers I was named after.

  “Just like you.” He nodded and took a seat across from me.

  “I don’t think I have a vase to put these in.” I lifted the flowers to my nose and smelled them.

  “I have one waiting for you—at the hotel.” His lips curled into a grin. “Provided that you still want to go there after we eat.”

  “I…” My words hesitated, even though I had decided it was what I wanted. “I do.”

  “I’ll take good care of you tonight.” He reached across the table and put his hand on mine. “I assume it will be your first time?”

  “You’re assuming a lot…” I narrowed my eyes but couldn’t keep a straight face. “Okay, yes—it will be.”

  I was glad Mason didn’t make a big deal out of the fact that I was a virgin. I might have changed my mind if he did. I always assumed I would lose it at some point, when I met the right guy—and I felt like I had. We finished up our meal, and he took my hand once we walked outside. My heart started to beat hard in my chest—anticipation and nervousness at the same time. My body still wanted him, even with the knot forming in my stomach. Every step I took made the knot tighter, but I took them anyway—one foot in front of the other until I was inside his hotel room.

  “The vase is right over here.” Mason carried it over to the kitchen area and filled it with water.

  “They definitely need water—I don’t want them to wilt.” I gently slid the Azaleas into the vase once he put it down on the counter.

  “I’m sure they’ll be fine.” Mason took my hand and turned me towards him. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  “It is…” I nodded and looked down at the floor.

  “Don’t look down.” He put his hand under my chin. “I want to look in those beautiful eyes when you say that you want me.”

  “I…” My words got clogged in my throat—saying it while I looked into his steel-colored stare was more difficult than I realized. “I—want you.”

  Mason’s lips found mine and it just felt right. His hands moved against my body and pulled at my clothes. I fumbled with the front of his shirt until it was unbuttoned—and found out that his powerful chest was covered in gorgeous ink. We left a trail of clothes that led to the bed and Mason pushed me back against the mattress. I was still nervous and scared, but I didn’t look away from his steel-colored stare as he climbed on top of me and started to make my skin sizzle with his lips. He kissed my neck, earlobes and then moved to my nipples as he pushed my legs apart. My body was on fire when he slid between my thighs, and I could tell that my pussy was wetter than it had ever been before.

  “I’ve wanted this since the first moment I saw you.” He moved his hands along my inner thighs. “So fucking bad.”

  Mason’s cock pushed against the entrance of my pussy and then I felt it going inside me. It didn’t hurt at first because I was really wet—the excitement from being with him had definitely gotten me ready. He started to go deeper and then I felt the pain of being stretched around his girth for the very first time. I wondered if it would have hurt so much if he wasn’t so big—but I couldn’t focus on that. I wanted him, even if he impaled me on his length before it was over. His cock penetrated me until it was pushed against my hymen. He gave it a couple of gentle thrusts, and I prepared for the pain that was going to come.

  My virginity belonged to him. He lifted his hips and shifted his weight before driving his cock into my hymen with every intention of destroying the symbol of my innocence. The head of his cock tore through the membrane, and I felt my pussy start to sting. A hard thrust followed, and he went a little deeper. The sting wasn’t nearly as bad as being stretched, but I knew that neither of them would last forever. I just had to take a deep breath and let my body adjust to him. He was a giant compared to me, but he was a gentle one, so I trusted him.

  “I’m going to cherish every second that we have together.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my neck. “You’ll be mine tonight, and when I move to Los Angeles, you’ll be mine every single day.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep…” I exhaled sharply and tried to focus on something other than the pain.

  “That choice was made the moment I tasted your lips for the first time.” He kissed his way up to my ear. “You’re mine.”

  I wanted to believe him. I wanted what we had to be something that lasted longer than one night. It felt so good to be in his arms. All of the anxiety and worry I carried with me wasn’t there when I was with him. He gave me a safe place to linger without an ounce of fear. I needed that—but I was willing to settle for one night of passion if it was all we got. I would never regret it, even if he got on a plane and never returned to Los Angeles. The time I spent with him was something I would cherish for the rest of my life.

  “I want to hear you say it.” He put his hand behind my neck and growled into my ear. “Tell me that you’re mine.”

  “I—want to be.” I exhaled sharply.

  “Then say it.” He gave me a few quick thrusts.

  “I’m…” I grimaced when he went deeper. “I’m yours…”

  I wish it was that simple, but I knew words were not going to put me in his arms forever. There were far too many complications for that, one of which being the fact that he would be on another continent when his head hit a pillow the following night. I gave into my fantasy—what I desired—because being there with him in that moment was good enough to make me believe it for a brief moment.

  Mason’s cock continued to stretch me around his girth as his len
gth went deeper into my virgin pussy. He began to give me several quick thrusts between the ones that penetrated further than he had gone before. Those thrusts were nice—and as the minutes passed, they started to feel really good. They would all feel like that once he was able to push his entire length into me. I just had to endure it until the moment came and bliss was all that I felt. His switched it up some—soft and slow thrusts followed by hard and fast ones. Each motion was different but very pleasurable. It hurt when he went deeper. The pain was milder because the pleasure was doing a good job of drowning it out. Each one brought us closer together—his skin was almost on mine. We were only separated by a few inches. I started to shift my ass against the mattress and dug my nails into his hips for support. I wanted all of him.

  “No—keep going.” I held my grip firm when he tried to pull back.

  “I’m don’t want to hurt you more than I have to.” His cock throbbed when I moved my pussy along his shaft.

  “You’re not hurting me.” I exhaled sharply. “You don’t have to be so gentle.”

  “Okay then.” He nodded and gave me a harder thrust—one that almost buried every inch of his cock inside me.

  “Oh god.” I felt a surge of pleasure that collided with pain—then the pain faded away.

  Mason pushed his cock as deep as it would go and left it there while my pussy adjusted to him. His lips found mine and pushed them apart as he started to thrust. His tongue danced against mine in rhythm with the beautiful feeling coming to life inside me. I felt him against my g-spot—throbbing and pulsating as his thrusts went deep. It was a piece of heaven that I didn’t realize could exist on solid ground. Every inch of his thick cock felt amazing as he started to move his hips faster and pound his length into me.