Grin and Bear It Read online

  “You heading back with us to the club?” Jakob asked.

  “No,” he said, looking down at the asphalt, knowing where he wanted to be, what he had to do.

  “Come on, man. Come back and we’ll drink and smoke until we’re unconscious,” Odin said.

  Mason shook his head and took a long, deep breath. “I have somewhere I need to be.” He lifted his head and stared at all the guys standing in front of him. They’d come here and helped him, had his back. They were his family through and through.

  “You okay?” Ben asked.

  “Yeah.” He ran a hand over his hair. “Thank you for having my back.”

  “Always,” they said in unison.

  “But I need to go see someone.”

  “Someone?” Jakob asked, although the way he said it told Mason he already knew what was up.

  “Yeah, the female I want as my old lady. I need to make things right with her. Hopefully I didn’t fuck things up.”

  He gave a nod to each of them, watched as they got into their cars, and then Mason climbed into his SUV. He sat there for a moment, staring at the streetlights, knowing that showing up at her place all bloody was probably going to scare her and really have the reality of this slamming home. But he had to see her now. She needed to see him for who he really was, blood and violence and everything.

  He started the SUV just as a crack of thunder and lightning raced through the sky and then the heavens opened up and the rain poured down.

  He really hoped he hadn’t screwed things up, because Ryeissa was his life now, and walking away wasn’t something he could do. It wasn’t something he would do.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It was raining heavily, and the sound of the wipers running across his windshield helped to drown out the beating of his heart. He had a busted lip, and the flavor of his blood was a continuous metallic sting in his mouth. He should not be going to see Ryeissa right now. He should be drinking, getting trashed with the other Patches, putting all of this behind him, but as he had stared at those fuckers, wanting to kill each of them ten times over, to just end their worthless lives, all he could see was Ryeissa in his mind.

  So, with his knuckles bruised and split, blood drying on them, and his body still primed for a fight, he headed to Ryeissa. He needed her calming nature, her sweet face looking up at him, giving him that reassurance that she was his, that everything would be okay. He needed all of that and more, because right now he felt like his skin was tearing away, like he was going to explode and be nothing from the torrent of emotions slamming into him. He needed to shift, needed to let his animal out since he’d let those bastards live. It had been hard walking away, even if they’d been unconscious and beaten to hell. But they were alive, and he’d had the strength to do that.

  He’d left his Harley at the clubhouse when he’d gone to handle those assholes, and when he pulled the SUV into her driveway and cut the engine he just sat there for a moment. The rain pelted against the windshield, making everything blurry, not quite real.

  He hated himself that he’d left her like he had, that he hadn’t been strong enough to stay with her, to keep his emotions away. But he had to do this for himself, had to do this in order to move on.

  He climbed out of the vehicle and shut the door, standing there for a second and just staring up at her place. The light was on in the living room, and he felt this possessiveness slam into him that his woman was in there. And she was his whether they’d been together in every way or not. She had been his from the moment they’d stared into each other’s eyes in that bathroom at the hospital, from the time he’d smelled the scent of her arousal for him fill his head.

  You might have fucked this up for good, Mason.

  Making his way up to the front door, he held his hand poised at the smooth, white painted wood, his knuckles curled inward, ready to knock. But before he brought his knuckles down on the wood it swung open. She stood there, her throat working as she swallowed and stared up at him. She didn’t say anything, though, and he didn’t move from where he stood. The rain soaked him, washing away the blood and violence that were visible, but not cleaning away the darkness he had inside.

  She stepped aside, allowing him entrance, and it was her acceptance, although she didn’t speak. When he was in the foyer she shut the door. He turned, and they stared at each other for several long seconds. It didn’t go unnoticed that she appraised him, looked at the few wounds he had, probably able to sense the fact his animal was right there, still trying to overpower him.

  “Did you handle what you needed to?” she asked softly. She sounded strong although her voice was low, hesitant.

  He nodded once. Mason took a step closer to her, knowing that he might have ruined things with the violence he had inside of him, the mayhem that he had to let out when the time called for it.

  “This is who I am, Ryeissa.” He took another step toward her. “This is the male you want, the real me.”

  She took a step back, and the door stopped her retreat. “I know who you are, Mason.”

  He shook his head and moved a step closer. He felt her body heat, felt her breathing along the base of his throat. He picked up on the little physical signs of her emotions, in the way her pupils were dilated, her lips parted, her chest rising and falling.

  “You don’t know who I am, not completely, Ryeissa.” He looked at her lips. “I’m not a good man, not by a long shot. I’ve hurt people, enjoyed doing it, too.”

  She swallowed, and he lowered his gaze to her throat, stared at the slender arch, the fact her flesh was so creamy, like the inside of a ripened peach. His cock started getting hard even though now might not be the best time for his arousal to rise up.

  “This is who you are,” she said and lifted her hand to touch the blood that was on his shirt. It wasn’t his, not the majority of it anyway. “This is who you’ll always be?”

  He nodded. “I can’t change, won’t, not even for you.” He grabbed her wrist when she was about to pull her hand away. He held her arm between them for a second, and then brought her wrist to his nose, inhaling deeply while holding her gaze with his. He let out a low growl that came right from his bear.

  “I don’t know what to say, Mason.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know that although I probably fucked this up, let you see a side of me that probably scares the shit out of you, and rightly so, you are the only woman I’ve ever felt anything for.” He let go of her hand. “You’re the only female I’ve ever wanted as mine, as my old lady.”

  She licked her lips. “I—”

  “I want you as my woman, my old lady, Ryeissa.”

  “Mason—”

  “Let me get this out, and if you want me to leave after that I will. I’ve claimed you before I ever really knew what that meant. I want you, and so does my bear, and although walking away will be one of the hardest fucking things I’ve ever had to do, I’ll do it if that’s what you want.”

  The silence stretched between them. She didn’t push him away, though, didn’t tell him to leave her alone, to get out of her life. The scent of her filled his head, made him want to be a good man for her, but he knew he never could. He’d always be like this, always be so rough around the edges that he’d piss her off, make her upset because he was hardheaded, but in the end he’d always be there for her.

  “I want you to know that the things I do, the things I’ve done, make up who I am, but also they don’t define how I feel about you.” He cupped her cheek, pleased she didn’t shy away, that she didn’t push him away. “I want you to know that I’d never hurt you, that I’ll always protect you, even if you don’t want me.”

  She didn’t say anything in response, didn’t move away, but he could tell she was confused by everything. Ryeissa moved her gaze over his face, lifted her hand, and ran her thumb along his cheek. When she brought her hand away he saw blood cover the pad of her thumb.

  “This isn’t your blood,” she said without quest
ion.

  “No.”

  “I’ve never met a man like you, Mason.”

  “I’m not a good man, Ryeissa, but I can be good to you, really fucking good if you still want me.”

  Another stretch of silence passed, and then she surprised the fuck out of him by rising on her toes and pressing her lips to his. And he knew this woman would be his downfall, his everything, and he was ready to do this, more than ready.

  Mason pulled back after only a second of having her lips on his, and stared into her eyes. They were wide, but accepting. He looked at her lips, then lower still to her chest that heaved up and down from the force of her breathing, from the intensity of her arousal for him. Of course she had confusion still in her. He could scent it coming from her.

  “I admit all of this is a little scary,” she whispered.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of me. You never have to fear me. I’ll only ever protect you, cherish you, and make sure you know that to me you’re it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ryeissa should be so afraid of Mason she should tell him to go, tell him she didn’t want this. She didn’t need drama in her life, didn’t need the violence and danger that came with him. But she had known what she was getting into when she realized she wanted him, and she wouldn’t stop her feelings. Mason was the most hardcore man she’d ever met, the most masculine and alpha guy that she could have ever imagined being with. He didn’t frighten her, but what he did, stood for in the MC, brought a touch of fear inside of her. It was just because it was something she wasn’t used to, something she wasn’t accustomed to. But she knew she wanted it, wanted him, and she didn’t want to push him out of her life.

  “I don’t want this to end, Mason. I want you in my life. I do.”

  “I’ve claimed you as mine, did from the moment we were in the bathroom at the hospital and you looked at me with desire. I knew I couldn’t let you go, Ryeissa.” He smoothed his fingers along her face, moved his hand to the back of her head, and cupped her. “I want you in every way possible.”

  “What does that mean?” Although she knew what it meant, a part of her wanted him to say it, to make that declaration.

  “It means that you’re mine,” he said low, with so much promise she felt it through her entire body. He leaned in and kissed her again, smoothed his tongue along her lips, and dipped it back into her mouth. “I’ll kill anyone that thinks they can take you from me,” he said against her mouth. “You’re mine, and no one else’s.”

  “God, Mason, I want that. I think I’ve always wanted that from the moment I saw you.”

  He made this deep, growling noise in the back of his throat, and with his mouth still on hers she felt the vibrations all the way down to her pussy. A shiver coursed through her entire body, and this wave of submission wracked her.

  “I won’t let you go, Ryeissa. I don’t think I can ever let you go.”

  “I don’t want you to let me go, Mason.”

  He broke the kiss and moved his mouth to her hair. She heard him inhale deeply. “I can smell how much you want me, how much your pussy is soaking for me. You want my cock inside of you, don’t you? You want me pushing all those hard, thick inches into your body.”

  A gasp left her. She had no words to respond, didn’t even know what she would say to that even if she could have found her voice.

  He grabbed her hand while keeping his mouth by her ear and placed her palm right over his hard cock. “You see what you do to me?” He lowered his head and ran the tip of his tongue up her throat. “You make me this hard.”

  She removed her hand from his erection and grabbed onto his shoulders. The scruff on his cheek scraped along her neck and the underside of her chin as he continued to move his tongue up and down her throat, licking, sucking at her. The noises he made had her pussy creaming even more.

  Not thinking, just needing to feel him, Ryeissa grabbed his head, pulled him back so she could look into his face, and rose on her toes to kiss him once more. His grunt of pleasure spurred her on, had her kissing him harder, not able to control herself. She felt this desire deep in her, rushing forward and consuming every part of her. She couldn’t stop this, didn’t want to. She needed Mason like she needed to breathe. No amount of the confusion she felt, of the violence and danger in his life, could make her stop this.

  Hell, she didn’t even care that his white t-shirt was covered in blood, blood that wasn’t even his. Right now she saw this alpha male, this man she cared about—loved, and she wanted to be with him in every way.

  He moved his hand between their bodies, pushed her already loose robe out of the way, and touched her right between her thighs. She hadn’t expected him to come back, to be honest, so she’d gotten into her pajamas, which consisted of a pair of boy shorts and a tank under her robe.

  When he touched her between her legs, stroked her pussy gently through the thin cotton of her shorts, a small sound escaped her. She felt like she was burning alive. “Don’t stop touching me, Mason.” Her clit throbbed, felt so swollen that just a few rubs would surely get her off.

  “I won’t stop. I’ll never stop,” he breathed out against her mouth. “You ask me for anything and you’ll get it. I’ll never deny you.”

  Sliding her hand between their bodies now, down his hard, rippling abdomen, she stopped right on his straining erection.

  “I need you, Ryeissa, I need you right now.” He murmured against her mouth, his voice distorted from his animal. And then he grabbed her hair, tilted her head back, and she opened her mouth as a cry of pleasure from the forceful action left her. With her hand still on his hard cock, the denim not hiding the fact he was huge, an involuntary moan spilled from her mouth.

  She curled her hand around the iron-hard ridge that was secured behind his fly, felt her pulse quicken when he let out this guttural groan, and knew she wanted him in every way tonight. She wanted him over her, dominating her, thrusting that massive erection in and out of her pussy. She needed that. God, did she need that.

  A shudder wracked his body, as if he were barely holding on. “I want you so damn badly, baby, but I don’t want to rush you. I never want that.”

  He jerked in her grasp, and she gripped his dick harder, loving the hiss that came from him. Mason moved one of his hands down her side, over her hips, and gripped onto her harder, pulling her closer to him. The heat from his touch went straight through her body, had her clit pulsing with the need for contact, and had her so wet that her thin little panties were soaked clean through. In the next instant he gripped her thigh, right under her ass and lifted her leg to place it over his hip.

  “Mason,” she said his name on a startled sound, but loved this power in him. She could see his bicep flexing from his strength, and knew that this male would control her like nothing she’d ever experienced before.

  “Tell me you want this, that you want me.”

  “I want you,” she said without hesitation.

  He gripped her other thigh, and in one powerful move lifted her off the ground. She braced her hands on his biceps to stabilize herself, but when she felt secure she went to work on getting the robe off of her. When she finally had the material away and was now only in her tank and boy shorts, they looked at each other for a long moment. She had her legs around his waist, had her arms around his neck, and felt his animal right there as if she were looking at a bear instead of this roughly attractive man.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful,” Mason said on a deep whisper. And then he leaned in and took possession of her mouth. He moved back from the door, his lips still on hers, his hands cupping her ass, clenching and relaxing on the mounds.

  “The couch in the living room,” she said against this mouth, not caring where this was done as long as they were on something soft and secure. Hell, it didn’t even have to be soft or stable, if she were being honest. As long as it was with Mason she didn’t care.

  When they were in the living room, Ryeissa still in Mason’s arms, their mouths still
fused together, he set her on the couch. They made gruff noises of pleasure, and she tugged on his hair, not wanting to break the kiss, to part their lips. He was over her for several long seconds, kissing her, fucking her mouth with his. The feeling of his hard shaft right between her thighs, rubbing her in only the best of ways, had her nearing orgasm before he was even inside of her. And in the next second he had her off of the couch, supporting her weight in his arms, by his sheer strength alone.

  He set on the couch with her on his lap. Her legs were on either side of his hard thighs, his erection jerking between them. Could he feel how wet she was, how soaked he made her?

  Holding onto the short strands of his hair, she tilted her head and allowed him deeper access into her mouth. Their tongues moved together, along each other, and their breathing mingled.

  He held onto her waist, pressed her more firmly down on him, and this little mewl of pleasure left her when his dick thrust up against her pussy.

  “Fuck, Ryeissa. I want you right here, right now, baby.”

  She closed her eyes and ground herself on him, rocked her hips back and forth until the friction became almost so intense she could have gotten off on it alone. The shorts she wore were so tiny, that with her on his lap, her legs spread, the material covering her ass rose up. She could feel the chilled air moving along her exposed cheeks, and when Mason placed his hands on her bottom, dug his blunt nails into her flesh, she begged him for more.

  She wasn’t going to stop this, no damn way.

  “Then take me, Mason, take all of me.”

  ****

  Jakob tossed back another shot, his body feeling disconnected, but his mind strangely clear for as much as he’d had to drink. “Give me another,” he said to the prospect, Southie.