Resolution (Heart of Stone) Read online

  I paused then took a deep breath. “He made me say it to him whenever he took me down from the hook and chain” I said uneasily.

  He was quiet for a while but I felt him brace himself. “What was the hook and chain?” he asked fearfully and I sighed.

  He wanted to know but could he handle the knowledge? Only one way to find out and I was suddenly ready to tell him, to let him in.

  “It was a chain that hung from the ceiling with a hook attached to it” I explained and he pulled in a sharp breath. “He would secure me to it and then…” I paused, not sure how much he wanted or needed to hear.

  He kissed my neck. “Go on, I need to know Ava” he said gently.

  “Are you sure?” He nodded against my shoulder and I took a deep breath. “He would hang me from it and… and whip and fuck me” I clenched myself but Mason remained still, the only sign I knew he had heard me was his heavy uneven breaths.

  “He had different methods of… of torture” I swallowed and closed my eyes, “his favourite was the whip but he also used canes, a small blade and he… he used various objects to… to fuck me with” I shivered at the memories.

  “The last torture he used before I got out, the one he made Greg watch was a… to… to brand me with a red hot poker.” I trembled viciously and his arms and legs tightened around me.

  “Fuck!” he sucked in a large breath through his teeth. “I would have to ask for things in a specific way and I always had to call him Sir” I blew out a huge breath, trying to calm myself.

  I clung to him as I told him everything, up to and including how I had managed to get me and Greg out of there, finally glad to get it off my chest and talk and expose what had happened in that room and by the time I had finished I was crying and Mason was pale and quiet.

  We sat in silence as I let him come to terms with it all. “I’m sorry” I whispered eventually.

  He slipped me round to face him and I knelt between his open legs. “No baby, don’t you ever be sorry for that… for what he did” he said firmly and I nodded.

  “I’m not. I’m sorry for what it’s done to you, for putting those images in your head” I palmed his face. “I love you Mason and you love me, so why do we try to crush each other?” I asked honestly.

  He closed his eyes in sadness. “I don’t know, baby.” He held my eyes “But I know it destroys me more to be apart from you.”

  His thumb swept across my bottom lip. “I’m a mess without you Ava and I can’t lose you. I won’t let you go, ever” he said quietly but honestly and I nodded.

  “I know” I whispered and I smiled “We’re a fucking mess.”

  I leaned over and braced his now bent knees “Come on, I need to feel you inside me” I winked saucily, climbed out of the bath and swayed my hips on the way to the bedroom, dripping water everywhere.

  I giggled as he scooped me up from behind and slung me over his shoulder, slapping my backside as he carried me to bed. “I’m gonna lick every drop of that water off your hot little body” he growled and I giggled again as he turned his head and bit my bum before he threw me on the bed. He grinned at me as he settled at the bottom of the bed near my feet.

  He lifted one up and stroked his tongue up the sole and then sucked on each of my toes before moving across and repeating the action on my other foot. Moving higher, he lapped at the droplets on my shins, knees and then my thighs, thoroughly licking me dry and duplicating on my other leg until he reached my groin.

  I gasped in anticipation but he diverted and moved straight to my stomach, dipping into my navel as he moved across my ribs and straight up my sternum between my breasts.

  I groaned in frustration as he completely avoided my breasts and started at the tops of my arms, licking and lapping his way down to my fingers. As he reached my hands he turned my palm upwards, licked it and then bit the fleshy part at the base of my thumb before sucking on each finger, twirling his tongue around the tip of each one. I was writhing and fidgeting against the bed, hugely turned on and nearly begging for it.

  He started at my shoulder and licked across my collar bone before sucking and biting his way up my neck and nibbling along my jaw and then he found my mouth and I was needy and ready for him. I pulled him into me, gripping his firm arse and returned the torment by sliding my finger straight up the crease between his buttocks. He moaned into my mouth and I did it again.

  He pulled back and gave me his sexy grin before licking his way back down to my breasts and took a nipple into his mouth, sucking it in deeply and I arched my back off the bed, so desperate for him. “Mason please” I begged.

  “What do you want, baby?” he asked against my red hot nipple.

  He blew on it and I groaned loudly. “I need you to make love to me” I breathed.

  He looked up at me through his eyelashes as he circled my other nipple with his tongue, never removing his eyes from mine. He sucked his way up my neck as he slid a finger inside me. “You’re dripping, baby” he groaned and then I felt him nudge his way inside me.

  “I need this slow and easy, Ava.” We both groaned and closed our eyes as he slipped all the way to the hilt.

  “Oh God” I whimpered and he let out a low growl.

  He remained still as he took my mouth with his in a long lazy kiss, his tongue dancing slowly with mine as he showed me just how much he loved me.

  He started moving relaxed and gentle inside me as I moved my hips to his measured rhythm. “Oh God Ava” he moaned “I love you so much.” He gasped as I tightened my internal muscles, lifted my hips and swirled them as he reached the tip of me. “Fuck… again” he growled and I repeated the movement. “Jesus” he rasped as he continued the leisurely pace.

  I slid my hand between us and gripped his shaft as he pulled out. “Fuck.”

  He bucked slightly and I smiled wryly at him. “You like that baby?” I bit his bottom lip gently and he groaned loudly.

  All of a sudden he had us flipped over and I was straddling him. “Take me Ava. Work me.”

  I placed my hands flat on his incredible chest and lifted myself off him slowly, paused and slid back down gradually, grinding onto him as I reached the base of him.

  He arched his back and thrust into me. “Fuck me harder, Ava” he panted and I leisurely repeated, up, pause, tighten, down and grind. “Christ Ava, you’re driving me crazy.”

  I leant down and sucked in the flesh on his neck, giving him my own signature and then licked my way up to his ear. “Tell me what you want Mason?” I mimicked and he gave me a roguish smile.

  “Up” he demanded through hooded eyes.

  I smiled, sat back up and lifted off him, hovering over him. “Down” he grinned as he pulled himself up so we were chest to chest, my nipples rubbing against his sprinkling of hair. I slid down him, my eyes fixed on his.

  “My turn” he smirked and grabbed my backside and lifted me up. “Turn around” he whispered and then kissed me quickly before I changed positions and my back was now pressed against his chest.

  He cupped my bottom and positioned his cock under me. “Down” he whispered in my ear. I plunged down slowly and groaned at the intense feeling.

  “Fuck!” I hissed.

  “God! It’s so deep” he growled and then he took hold of my arse again and lifted me up and then slammed me back down forcefully. I yelped at the sensation and Mason snarled and did it again, crashing me down as he lifted his hips.

  “Fuck me, Ava” he demanded as I started to ride him hard and fast. “That’s it baby, take me all.”

  His hands cupped my breasts as he massaged them, still banging his thrusts up to meet my plunges and I could feel the onslaught of my orgasm.

  “Come for me Ava, give it me” he grabbed my hips and started to control my movements, pounding me onto him.

  “Fuck Mason” I snarled, “It feels so good.” I tightened around him.

  “Now, Ava.”

  His order spilled me over the edge and I climaxed relentlessly as bright lights burst behin
d my eyes and every nerve ending screamed in pleasure. “Mason” I yelled as he swelled inside me, pulled me down roughly and sank his teeth into the side of my neck.

  “Yes!” I shouted as he cried out my name and exploded inside me, his fingers digging into my hips so hard I knew they were going to bruise.

  Sinking down on him and leaned my head back against his shoulder. “God, you feel good” he breathed and kissed my neck.

  “You’re not so bad yourself” I puffed, “In fact I’d say you’re pretty damn amazing in the sack.”

  I grinned as he sucked on my earlobe. “Of Course” he chuckled as his arms circled my waist and he fell backwards on the bed and slipped me under his arm. I rested my head against him as my fingers twiddled his chest hair.

  “Come home, Ava” Mason said softly and I sighed but knew that I had to be strong.

  “No Mason” I said gently.

  He groaned and buried his face into my hair. “Baby…” he pleaded, “It’s so quiet without you and the peanuts” he expressed but I shook my head.

  “I can’t Mason, not until you’re off the coke, baby” I tilted my head back and regarded him, “We just mess things up Mason and I can’t have you around Katie and George if you’re high.”

  I stroked his cheek with the tip of my finger “I love you so much but it’s because of this I wanna take things slow. I want us to work Mason and we always seem to hurt each other.”

  He sucked on his lips and closed his eyes. “But I miss you, all of you” he whispered and I nodded.

  “I know, I miss you too but you hurt me too much this time, Mason. I know you slept with Rebecca…” He started to butt in but I put my finger over his lips. “And I know it was the coke that made you sleep with her otherwise we’d be over. That’s why I need you to come off the drugs before I come back home, me and the babies” I explained and he nodded.

  He turned onto his side so he was facing me. “I’m so sorry baby, for everything. For Rebecca, for what I said to you, for not finding you…”

  I glared at him. “Hey, no! I know you tried Mason but I also knew it was damn near impossible to find me, even I didn’t have a clue where we were but you have to see Mason, everything you’ve hurt me with is the fucking coke and I can cope with a lot but not that, never that” I declared softly and he nodded.

  “I know baby and I’m trying, fuck I’m trying.”

  He squeezed his eyes closed and groaned. “Everything just seems to hurt less when I’m high; it’s easy to forget what a fucking dick I am.”

  I laughed. “Mason” I shook my head at him, “It’s the fucking coke that makes you a dick!” I exclaimed, “Don’t you see that?” I pleaded with my eyes for him to see. “The blonde, you were high; the awful things you said to me, you were high or just coming down, Rebecca… you was high, the way you left me in that hospital room alone and hurt… you was fucking high” my voice had got louder as I begged him to see. “But you used each of those moments as an excuse to use more” I declared.

  He sighed and then nodded, “I just need you Ava, so damn much.”

  I cupped his face. “I know and I want you to promise that you’ll come to me, wherever I am if you need a hit, I don’t care what I’m doing or where I am. It helped you last time and if it wasn’t for Dane I think you’d still be clean.”

  I tipped my head and smiled tenderly at him, “I don’t care if you need me 24/7, you just do it. We need to sort ourselves out for Katie and George.”

  He grinned at me as he stroked his finger down my neck, over my chest and across the swell of my breast. “I always need you 24/7 Ava, high or not.” We gazed intently at each other and then the spell was broken by George whimpering, I was now familiar with each cry.

  “Arghhhh he’s started teething” I explained.

  “I’ll fetch him” he smiled and disappeared into the nursery.

  I shivered, all of a sudden feeling as though something wasn’t right and I took a quick glance around the room.

  Mason came back with a grumbling George. “Hey peanut” I pouted to him, sticking my bottom lip out in sympathy with him. He held out his chubby little arms to me and Mason passed him across the bed. “You want Mama?” I nuzzled his neck and like the mercurial child he was he started giggling.

  “Is there someone on duty downstairs tonight?” I asked Mason, who had climbed back into bed with us.

  “Yeah, Frank I think, why?” he asked as he tickled George.

  I shrugged, “I dunno, strange feeling” I said.

  He smiled “Franks here and I’m here, you’ll be okay.”

  He blew a raspberry on George’s tummy. “And Georgie will save you too” he chuckled as he did it again and George blew a raspberry from his bottom.

  “How very rude Georgie” I giggled playfully as I tickled him

  “Shall Mama go get you a bottle of yummy milk?” I asked him as he babbled something incoherent at me, his face full of seriousness. I nodded firmly, “Righty ho, vodka and coke it is.”

  I kissed his podgy hand as Mason laughed. “That’s my boy, a bottle of vodka and all you need now is one hot Mama and you’ll be the double of your Dada” he waggled his eyebrows at me and I slapped his arm playfully.

  “He doesn’t need any more encouragement, he drinks like you, eats like you and farts like you… let him off with the beautiful women for a little while longer” I laughed as I donned my robe, pulling the belt tightly around me.

  “Hey, one woman” he said holding up a finger to me. I grinned and nodded as I went to prepare George’s milk.

  I smiled softly to myself, happy and relaxed by the night’s events. I had managed to talk about Dane and reveal to Mason what had happened over those nine days and we had had a frank and honest discussion about our relationship and the state of Mason’s addiction. All in all progress had been made and I started to feel a little easier.

  That was until I opened the kitchen door.

  My stomach dropped through my arse, my throat erupted from my mouth and the air exploded from my lungs in one fell swoop as I screamed and screamed and sank to the floor, my eyes fused with Franks dead and vacant ones as blood poured from the gaping wound across his throat and flowed all over my clean terracotta tiles and the newspaper he had been reading at the table.

  CHAPTER 13

  Within two hours I was back at Mason’s house with the babies and overnight essentials. I had not been able to stop saying sorry to Elijah and all the other guys.

  Elijah had shaken my apologies aside but I still felt guilty for the pain that tore through his face at the loss of his colleague and friend.

  “Jesus” I sighed as I swilled down another vodka after settling the babies back down for the night.

  Mason and I sat in silence for a long time, both shivering every now and then at the thought of what had happened in the kitchen directly below us as we made love.

  “God damn it” I raged as I threw my glass across the room. Mason closed his eyes and side huddled me, pulling me in closely and securely.

  Elijah walked in and sat opposite us in the chair, he seemed to have aged twenty years in the space of two hours; the deep frown lines on his brow, the tiredness and blurriness of his eyes to the way he carried himself, hunched and slow.

  “I need to get off soon but Neo is here and I’ve doubled patrol. I don’t know how the hell he got past them in the first place but…” he shrugged and I nodded.

  “I’ll make sure that any other costs are covered” I said quietly, it seemed inconsiderate and wrong to talk about money right now but it had to be done.

  He nodded and stood. “Elijah” I said quickly before I changed my mind. He turned to me “I’ve been thinking.” He frowned at me but nodded slightly. “I think it’s about time we tempted him” I said quietly, knowing the verbal assault was coming

  “What do you mean?” he asked and I pursed my lips.

  “What do you think if we give him some bait and lure him out?” he frowned again and shoo
k his head in bewilderment.

  “We should use some temptation to entice him and trap him” I declared, now thinking my idea was the only way to get him out of hiding.

  Elijah shot Mason a look and they both looked at me “What kind of bait?” he asked and I bit my bottom lip.

  “Me” I stated bluntly.

  Mason shot off the sofa and Elijah’s eyes widened so much I thought he was going to lose them on the carpet. “No fucking way Ava!” Mason boomed and I sighed heavily.

  “Mason” I looked up at him, “Calm down.”

  He harrumphed and shook his head, “CALM DOWN???” His brows were in his hairline as his jaw hit the floor.

  “Have you gone fucking crazy?” he thundered and I turned to Elijah who just shook his head.

  “No!” he asserted and I groaned in annoyance.

  “But if we do it properly and have every corner covered we could get to him quicker and hopefully without losing anybody else” I argued. “You don’t know what he’s like, he’s crazy. There isn’t an ounce of humanity left in him, it’s like he’s lost it” I exposed. “He won’t stop until he gets to me and this time he’ll make sure I don’t get out alive.”

  They both glared at me. “No!” they reiterated together and I huffed and shook my head in weariness.

  “At least think about it” I pleaded with Elijah, “Work out a fool proof way to do it but at least say it’s worth at least a thought.”

  The men flicked a glance at each other and Elijah eventually sighed in resignation. “I’ll look into how it would be possible to do it, but if I don’t get a plan that promises 110% guarantee of your safety then it’s a no go Ava” he said.

  I nodded, “Thank you.” I gave him a huge smile, wondering now if I was doing the right thing but I couldn’t see another way out and I wouldn’t spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder or not being able to live a full happy life with my children. It had to be done and it had to be done soon.