House Of Dragons Page 9

  To my complete satisfaction, he’d certainly done that.

  Once he began thrusting, I glanced over at Alex, who was now stroking his beyond-erect cock fast and furiously, with his breathing becoming increasingly ragged.

  Wanting to tease him a little and get him worked up further still, I moaned, closing my eyes. “Oh, God, Mason. Please don’t stop. You feel so good filling my pussy like that.”

  What I’d said hadn’t been just for Alex’s benefit. Mason’s big granite-hard pole did feel incredibly good sliding in and out of my slickness. It felt so incredibly good, in fact, that within just a few short minutes, I felt myself approaching another powerful orgasm. While it rolled over me in waves so intense that each one brought a hoarse cry from my lips, I looked over at Alex, who was now breathing as fast as if he were sprinting full-out. The moment Mason pulled himself away from me after groaning out a powerful climax of his own, Alex was behind me. He then slid his rock-hard cock inside of me just as fast and forcefully as Mason had done, and maybe even a little more so. Loving the sensation of sudden violation just as much as when Mason had done it, I moaned out the word yes, arching my back in pleasure.

  Before the evening’s sexual activities were over, I’d had no fewer than three climaxes, each one more mind-blowing and powerful than the last. While Alex had been bringing me to my third, my legs had actually begun shaking a little, something that had almost amused me. However, at the same time, I’d found this almost unspeakably erotic as well, just to be clearly displaying a sign of just what an intense sexual “workout” I was getting.

  When the grandfather clock out in the living room struck eleven o’ clock, the three of us were in bed just resting together, with Alex at my back with an arm around me, and Mason at my front, also with an arm around me.

  With his free hand, Mason began playing with a stray lock of my hair. “God…your hair is so, so beautiful, but not just your hair. All of you is so, so beautiful. Every single part of you, from the top of your head right down to the tips of your pretty little feet.”

  Amused, I snorted. “You mean my size ten, unusually wide, disproportionately large feet? That’s nice of you to say, but they’re definitely not ‘little,’ and I’m not quite so sure they’re very ‘pretty.’”

  Mason snorted, smiling. “All I can say is that you’re wrong. When I said that every part of you is beautiful, I meant it…even your feet.”

  Seeing sincerity in his eyes, I smiled. “Well, I’m glad you at least think so highly of them, because I have to admit, I’ve never been a big fan. But, hey…having large, wide feet is better than having no feet, or having feet so big I’d have to special order huge, embarrassing-looking clown shoes, right? I guess I have to count my blessings.”

  Mason smiled, still toying with my hair. We both fell silent, just looking into each other's eyes, and several long yet comfortable moments went by before I spoke again.

  “Hey. Even though you weren’t the one I went off on, I still want to apologize to you for ruining our dinner by getting drunk the other night. That was pretty rude of me.”

  With his pale blue eyes radiating sympathy, Mason let my lock of hair slip through his fingers. “No…please don't be sorry. In fact, if anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. I wasn’t really thinking, and I kept refilling your wineglass time and again, without realizing that you might have had a completely empty stomach. That definitely wasn’t very thoughtful or chivalrous of me, and I’m really sorry for that. I just want to let you know that I’m going to be more considerate of your needs in the future, and I promise you that.”

  At that moment, my stomach growled, and loudly enough to leave me completely mortified.

  Mason just smiled at the sound. “Hm. What was that? Did I just hear a need?”

  I smiled in spite of my profound embarrassment. “Yes, I’m afraid you did. I’d be lying if I said that a big turkey sandwich wouldn’t hit the spot right about now. I can go get it myself, though, and if you and Alex are hungry, too, I’ll make sandwiches for us all. I’ll just go make them and bring them right back to bed here.”

  Mason said no way. “Not a chance. I’ll go make a few sandwiches myself. What else besides turkey do you want on yours? Peanut butter and maybe a little honey?”

  Not sure if he was joking or not, I remained speechless for a few moments, just looking for signs of mirth in his face and not seeing any. “Um…I guess I’ve never heard of that combination before. Does anyone really like peanut butter and honey on a turkey sandwich? Or are you just joking with me?”

  Mason frowned, furrowing his dark brows. “Sorry. I just assumed that you’d heard of the official sandwich of New Detroit. Obviously, you haven’t, and now I feel like a complete idiot for even suggesting it.”

  Now feeling like a complete idiot myself, I was quick to apologize. “Oh, Mason…I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you said anything stupid or that I didn’t appreciate your suggestion for my sandwich. It was just that that particular combination on a turkey sandwich isn’t something I’m familiar with, but I never meant to make you feel like ‘a complete idiot,’ as you said.”

  “Oh, boy, I really had you going.” Grinning, he just looked at me for a moment. “That was so unbelievably easy. Peanut butter and honey on a turkey sandwich. How disgusting, but you fell for that hook, line, and-”

  “Oh, you jerk!”

  Feeling a little bit genuinely angry, I swatted at him a few times; however, I found myself also trying to stifle laughter at the same time.

  Laughing, Mason didn’t even bother to shield his shoulder and arms from my feeble blows. “Oh, you’re too easy, Kira. Peanut butter, honey, and turkey as the official sandwich of New Detroit? What kind of a show do you think we’re running in this city?”

  I gave his arm one final blow, and I made this one an actual punch, and not a feather-light one either. “You’re really a complete jerk. You honestly made me feel terrible for a second.”

  “Well, would a ham-and-banana sandwich on flatbread make you feel any better?”

  Now, I really couldn’t hold back my laughter, and I let it loose with my face pressed against his hard chest. “You’ve got to stop with all this disgustingness. You’re beginning to ruin my appetite.”

  Mason spoke with clear amusement present in his voice. “Well, then I’d better go make your sandwich before you lose your appetite completely. What would you really like besides turkey?”

  With my laughter subsiding, I sighed after a few more chuckles. “Swiss cheese, please…and tomato, lettuce, and a little mayonnaise. Oh, and now you made me want something else along with my sandwich, too.”

  “I’ll make anything else you want. Just name it.”

  “Well, it’s something pretty simple. Could you please bring me maybe a half-dozen saltine crackers topped with banana slices?”

  Mason scoffed. “Well, who’s into the weird combinations now, Kira?”

  I began laughing again, snuggling even closer to him. “Yeah, yeah, I know. It is a little weird. But ‘banana crackers,’ as I used to call them, are something I used to eat as a little kid, and they’re actually really good. They’re sweet and just a little salty at the same time, which is a delicious combination. In fact, now that you made fun of it, I think I’m going to force you to try a ‘banana cracker.’”

  Mason heaved a sigh. “All right. Now you’re getting mean…threatening to torture me with your weird cracker things. I think I’d better hop out of bed now before you get any meaner.”

  I giggled, and he pressed a kiss to my forehead before getting out of bed. “Just sit tight. I’ll be back with your turkey sandwich and your weird cracker things as fast as I can. Keep your pretty little feet nice and toasty under the blankets until I come back, okay?”

  With his sensuous lips twitching, he leaned over and gave me another kiss, this one on my mouth, before pulling on his underwear and leaving the room. Watching him go, I had the thought that I might be falling in love wi
th him. My only problem was that I wasn’t sure where this left Alex.

  CHAPTER 14

  Once I heard Mason’s footfalls going down the hallway, I rolled over to look at Alex. “Did you hear the way he was teasing me a minute ago? I couldn’t even tell if he was serious at first.”

  Alex didn’t answer right away. “I think I'm falling in love with you.”

  With my breath suddenly stuck in my throat, I could only reply with a single word. “What?”

  Rolling on his back to look up at the ceiling, Alex sighed. “The truth is that I think I actually started falling in love with you the very moment I saw you. You pulled open your apartment door with a blazing fire in your eyes that instantly seemed to melt some layer of ice around my heart that I didn’t even know was there. And then a few nights ago...when you cried when you were upset about seeing the dish that your mom always made…as completely irritated as I was by some of the things you were saying to me, all I truly wanted to do when I saw that single tear roll down your cheek was take you in my arms, hold you close, and tell you that everything was going to be okay. And then, when we were in bed the other day, and then again tonight….” Once again, Alex sighed. “Kira, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way. I’m falling in love with you. You’ve completely captured my heart.”

  With my own heart feeling as if it were melting, which created a lump in my throat, I found that I couldn’t respond.

  After a few seconds, Alex rolled onto his side, pulled me into his arms, and looked at me with his expression pleading. “Well, do you feel the same way about me? Is there any part of you, even a small one, that feels like you might be falling in love with me too?”

  There definitely was, but there was also the issue of me feeling the same way about Mason. Then, there was also the issue of me still not knowing which of the two brothers I’d overheard talking on the phone the first day I’d arrived in new Detroit. And I’d kind of been thinking that maybe I shouldn’t say the “L word” to Alex or Mason, or even really start thinking it, until I could figure things out. All of this complication was now making me feel strangely and unexpectedly emotional.

  With my eyes misty, I removed myself from Alex’s arms and slowly sat up in bed, making a decision. “I want to just come right out and ask you about something, Alex…and it has to do with a phone call I overheard.”

  Suddenly frowning hard, he sat up in bed, too, glancing over at the open doorway for some reason while he did so. “Kira, don’t. Please, don’t do this. Not right now.”

  I definitely hadn’t been planning on asking him or Mason about the phone call, but I’d started to get the feeling that as much of a joker as Mason was, it had been him who I’d overheard. Maybe he’d even been speaking with Alex at the time, I figured. And even if this wasn’t the case, I’d decided that I still just wanted to see Alex’s reaction to what I had to say about the phone call. I just wanted to see if, like I’d started to, he’d just chalk it up to Mason making some kind of a joke.

  In response to what Alex had just said, I told him that there was no better time like the present. “See, what I’m about to say concerns Mason, so maybe it’s better that I talk to you about it all in private first, before he gets back in here with our sandwiches.”

  “Kira, I’m telling you that we can’t discuss this now. Besides, I already know everything you’re going to say.”

  Unsure as to how that could be, I wiped my misty eyes with the back of my hand. “No, I don’t think you do. You can’t possibly know everything that I’m going to say…and I need to say it before I can move forward with any kind of a serious relationship with you…or Mason. I just need clarification about a few things.”

  In the dim light, Alex frowned even harder. “Kira, please just trust me. I already know exactly what you’re going to tell me. I know. Please just believe me about all this.”

  I wiped another tear away with a strange, growing sense of urgency, feeling as if I had to continue telling him about the phone call I’d overheard now that I’d started. “Well, all right then…if you really already know everything I’m going to say even though I’m not sure how that can be true…then I guess I may as well call Mason back in here, so that I can say what I have to say and get some explanations from him, too.”

  Alex’s expression became pleading.

  “Kira, please. There are some things that you just don’t understand right now.”

  “Well, I understand that I overheard a pretty strange phone call the first day I came here to the city…and I understand that in order to move on with you and Mason-”

  “I’m really begging you, Kira. Please don’t do this right now.”

  Suddenly becoming a little irritated, I folded my arms across my chest. “Well, why not? Even if you already know everything about the phone call I overheard, there’s still another person involved here. Maybe I’d like to hear what Mason has to say about what I overheard.” After taking a deep breath, I cupped my hands around my mouth, facing the open doorway. “Mason! Hey, M-”

  My second shout of his name had been cut off by Alex clamping a hand over my mouth.

  “Kira, don’t. I can’t let you do this. See, if you say a single word to Mason about the phone call you overheard, he’ll probably go ahead and try to kill me right in this room without a second thought. He’ll also probably try to kill you too. In fact, I’m sure he will. He won’t want to take the risk of you trying to tell anyone else about his secret plans.”

  Terrified, I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. In fact, I was pretty sure that I had to have heard Alex wrong, or was maybe somehow grossly misinterpreting what he was saying, even though that seemed like a bit of a stretch. I was so desperate for clarification about what he’d said that even with his hand tightly clamped over my mouth, I still managed to utter a single word, which was what, and I managed to say it clearly enough that I knew he could understand me.

  However, he still didn’t remove his hand from my mouth, and in fact, he tightened it, obviously hell-bent on making sure that I couldn’t say anything else. “Not one more word, Kira. Do you understand me? You can’t say one more single word. Not about the call you overheard, anyway. Okay?”

  With my heart pounding, I nodded, making a muffled sound that was meant to be the word okay.

  “Good. Now, if I take my hand off your mouth, do you promise me that you’ll remain completely quiet? At least when it comes to calling out to Mason? Do you promise me that you’ll just listen, and make no more attempts to call out to him?”

  This time silently, I nodded again with my gaze on the doorway, which I now hoped Mason wouldn’t be striding through anytime soon. Although Alex had scared me with what he’d said to me, as well as by covering my mouth, I had a feeling of trust in him for whatever reason. Which meant that I could no longer trust Mason at all.

  *

  Sitting up in bed beside me with one strong arm around me, still restraining me, Alex waited a long moment before finally removing his hand from my mouth, which he did very slowly. “Now, you promised, remember? Keep that in mind. No more calling out to Mason. Please just listen.”

  I looked into Alex’s dark gray eyes, startled by their intensity, almost as much as I’d been startled by what he’d said when he’d first clamped his hand over my mouth. “All right. I’ll just listen.”

  He glanced over to the doorway before returning his gaze to my face and speaking in a hushed tone that was barely above a whisper. “Okay. All you need to know right now is that Mason wants to kill me to make sure that he’s our grandfather’s successor, no matter who you pick. He wants to guarantee that he ‘wins,’ no matter what. He’ll kill you if he knows that I know all this, and he’ll kill you if he knows that you tried to tell me all this yourself. And right now, I’m just not ready to deal with everything. Not yet. So, you can’t say a word to Mason. When he comes back in the room, you just have to pretend that everything is perfectly fine and normal, and we never had this conversatio
n. Your life literally depends on it, and you’re just going to have to trust me about this. Do you understand me?”

  Although still miles beyond shocked and confused by everything he’d just told me, I found myself nodding. “All right. But, Alex…I’m pretty sure that Mason really cares about me. I seriously don’t think he’d-”

  “Yes…he would. He would kill you without a second thought. Right now, he’s just having a little fun with you. But the fact of the matter is that you just don’t know him that well.”

  “But…he’s seemed so genuinely warm and affectionate with me tonight.”

  “Yes…he has. This isn’t that surprising to me, because I think he’s a sociopath. And that’s how they are. They’re often very charming, but it’s all just an act.”

  “Well, please explain to me how you even knew about the phone call.”

  “I was doing a little surveillance on Mason that day. And I knew that you overheard his phone call because I saw you in my grandfather’s office.”

  “Well, how-”

  “Any other questions are going to have to wait until later.”

  “But-”

  “Later, Kira.”

  Just then, I heard what Alex had heard first. He’d somehow heard the near-imperceptible sound of bare feet padding down the wood-floored, darkened hallway.

  Within a second or two, Mason pulled open the half-ajar door and poked his head inside with his delectable full lips twitching. “Do you have another request to add to your order, Kira? I thought I heard you call out for me a minute ago.”

  I’d never before in my life been so hopelessly conflicted or confused. Not to mention that I was still utterly shocked by what Alex had told me. It just didn’t make any sense. Nothing about Mason struck me as killer-like, and in fact, just the opposite. During the short while that I’d been in New Detroit, he’d certainly been warmer to me than Alex had, or at least he had been initially. At least up to the point just a few minutes earlier when Alex had told me that he’d fallen in love with me.